The description sounds like an odd blend. But as always, Darrells makes it work. They have a knack for putting together seemingly disparate but great bands in a marvelous mix.
Today is a rare sunny day in Seattle and I am going to make the most of it. This post will be short on words but rich in photos and links.
Welcome to Darrells Tavern. Voted Best Dive Bar in Seattle and my front room.
First up tonight was The Whiting Tennis Band. Fronted by a well known artist, they played original electric folk.
Whiting Tennis is a sculptor, musician and rennasaince man. He is multi-talented and expresses his creative side via both reflective (2-D), environmental (3-D) and sonic art.
I am a designer and think in three dimensions. I loved Whiting's art. Simple but powerful.
All Images copyright Whiting Tennis.
“Music is generally perceived as the most universal of all art forms.” After my research on Whiting before I went, I was expecting some good stuff. I wasn't disappointed.
The sound-tech, head chef and sonic ninja, Scott of Darrells told me that he had an eye for detail. Whiting brought his own mikes and amps. It took a couple songs to get it right, but Scott and Whiting worked it out. By the fourth song the sound was perfect.
And so was the band. They had it dialed in and were rocking their brand of music. Unfortunately I didn't get all the band members names. I found this on-line: Kevin Warner on drums, Johnny Sangster on electric guitar and bass. I hope someone will chime in with any corrections.
Stellar bass from Johnny.
Great percussion from Kevin.
And a riveting performance from Whiting. He had to be 6'-7"; made the photos fairly dramatic.
The band wore blue shirts tonight. A non-uniform of sorts.
They played great original folk, great vocals and unique guitar from Whiting.
It took me a couple songs to fully understand Whiting's guitar style. This was another form of his art; individual and distinct. He was making as much of a statement here as he does in any gallery.
I was happy to be there. Performance art at it's best. There were a lot of other folks at Darrells to see him tonight.
You can connect with Whiting on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/whiting.tennis?ref=ts&fref=ts
You can see some of his marvelous art here: http://www.derekeller.com/whitingtennis.html
I love Darrells, it has great ambiance.
Low Land High was on next. I recognized a couple folks in this band. Nick and Heather Millward are in a great band, The Riffbrokers. They are originally from Boise and have played around for years.
Nick is also my irrigation contractor. As a certified irrigation specialist he is uniquely qualified to work on my jungle. Here he is playing the keys for Low Land High.
Low Land High played a great mix of country and rock. They are: Chris Cline - Vocals/Guitar, Nick Millward - Keys/Guitar/vox, Rick Hines - Guitar/vox, Heather Millward - Bass/vox and Kevin Warner - Drums. Kevin also played with Whiting.
I loved their style with great lead guitars and strong vocals. Chris was a great front man. He had a cool stage presence and played both lead and rhythm guitar.
He and Heather sang some great vocals.
Rick was an awesome lead guitar player. I stood up close and watched him play.
He had a beautiful Pin-Up guitar. They are custom guitars made here in Seattle. You can see them here: http://www.pinupguitars.com/
Great music tonight; just my kind of stuff. Original rock with a country side.
Chris had a great style and he and Rick traded guitar solos. He also sang all the lead vocals.
Rick was scorching his solos. It was really wonderful to be able to see a great artist at work, right up close.
Low Land High hit my sweet spot. I am looking forward to seeing them again. You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/low-land-high/162819584748?ref=ts&fref=ts
You can listen to them here: http://lowlandhigh.bandcamp.com/album/five
I met a sweet gent at the bar. He is a music lover, producer, minister to the homeless and lover of life. He had a smile that was hard to resist. Kyle knew Heather and Nick. He came out to see and support his friends. Here we are mugging for the camera.
Did I mention that I love Darrells? Connect with them here: http://www.darrellstavern.com/
The headliner was mounting up, The King County Queens were making the equipment change. It is a tough but necessary part of the job: mover, tech and then artist.
They describe themselves in this way: Psychedelia + Power Pop + Shoegaze + Garage Rock = Amerigaze.
The King County Queens are (from their Facebook page): Scott 5 - guitarra/voz, Scott M. - guitarra, Scott V. - BaterÃa y percusión/coros, Marsh G.- nombre bajo/coro. I don't speak Spanish, but I don't think you have to in order to understand who does what.
Great harmonies.
Scott V made wise-cracks, sang vocals and played the drums.
Scott 5 is singing lead and playing his beautiful Reverend PA-1 Pete Anderson Signature model. That guitar and Marsh's bass are made by Reverend out of Detroit.
Marsh is rocking the bass.
They play a great mix of pop and rock. I heard the Beatles in one of their original songs. Here is Marsh singing harmonies with Scott 5.
Great original music from some talented and skilled musicians.
You can connect via Facebook with them here: https://www.facebook.com/kingcountyqueens
You can listen to some of their music here: http://www.reverbnation.com/kingcountyqueens
Thanks to Darrells for booking the most talented and fun shows in the city. Thanks to the bands for doing what they love for little re-numeration.
Support your local musician and performing establishment. See some live music soon.
Hey thanks for the writeup, Thom. BTW, the guitar Scott 5 is playing is actually a Reverend PA-1 Pete Anderson Signature model. That guitar and my bass are made by Reverend out of Detroit.
ReplyDeleteScott was a Model Rocket too, the best band to never make it out of Seattle
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