The Twangshifters and Western Tilt at 2 Bit Saloon 12-13-13

I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't seen The Twangshifters before. I was lucky enough to catch them last night and they were great. Huge sound, killer vocals and a lead guitar that had all the moves and style.

My buddy Mark and I headed to the 2 Bit Saloon, one of the venerable local taverns in Old Ballard. The place has a great vibe; it is well worn and comfy.

It is divided in half with the booths and bar in one half and the stage and dance floor in the other. You can get a peek-a-boo view of the stage from a couple seats at the bar.

They have a nice big dance floor and a high stage.

They also have a sweet dedicated sound board and tech. The mix was great tonight, I could hear every instrument.

First up was Western Tilt, a fun new (to me) country band. They play classic country covers. I love great country, they played many of my faves.

Here is a description on their Facebook page: Western Tilt is a Classic Country Cover Band from Seattle Washington. Formed in frustration by Nick and Rocky after their eyes were opened to the fact that in 10 years, they'd be too old to "make it" in the music business. They met Blake through a drunken Craigslist ad, and quickly embraced their mutual interest in playing tunes that cook and drinking beer that's cold. Bob likes beer too, so he showed up with his guitar, and here we are!

 
They were fun and entertaining with a great vintage sound. Western Tilt is Nick - Train Beatin', Rocky - Floor Shakin', Bob - Steady Rhythm, Blake - Twangy Pickin'

Blake was a tall gent and made a striking scene on stage.

They did some sweet versions of the classics and Blake played a great lead. He had the twang down. They all contributed vocals; there was some good music being made.

They had the dancers up and rocking. 

I will look to see Western Tilt again soon. You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-Tilt/579873035389063

There were some friendly locals at the bar. I bought Norma a hard cider and started a conversation. It turned out that she is also a model and pin-up girl. Her stage name is Linda Luna. She explained to me that in Spanish, Linda means pretty and Luna of course is Moon.

You can see more of this lovely girl here: https://www.facebook.com/linda.luna.568089?fref=ts

Mark and I played a little pinball before we left the house and then again once we got to the club in between bands. I have a vintage electro-mechanical called Gulfstream from 1973.

 The club had two more modern ones. Here is the classic Adams Family pinball game.

The Twangshifters were taking the stage and they had the style that had me drooling. I had read a little, heard a little about them but never had seen. Big mistake. They were both skilled and passionate artists.

Here is the description from their Facebook page: Emerging from the garages of Portland, OR, The Twangshifters busted down the doors of the Rock ‘N’ Roll/ Rock-a-Billy/Roots/ Blues scene in 2010 and continue to set the Rose City & Pacific Northwest on fire. There is NO RAIN on this parade!

Crystal Marie had a beautiful full-throated voice that could project to tomorrow.

The Twangshifters are: Crystal Marie - Vocals, Shaun Toman - Guitar,  Keith Burnside - Bass, Troy Stutzman- Drums.

Shaun was killing his beautiful custom pin-striped Gretsch.

This band was packed with skilled musicians. Keith was rocking the stand-up bass.

Troy was in back. He was having a great time providing stellar percussion.

All the while, Crystal is singing like a major blues temptress.

I found that the camera loved Shaun. He mugged for me as he slayed the rockabilly and blues tunes.

Did I mention that Crystal was also quite the dish? She was sultry and lovely and was totally in her element on-stage.

Crystal and friends knew how to entertain and keep their fans up and dancing. They came up from Portland and were warmly greeted by an expectant crowd.

They played a mix of covers and originals. They had written some great originals and I will have to come down on the side of those.

They performed Chain of Fools, it was the best tune of the evening.

Shaun absolutely destroyed this tune and I was in tears by the time he got done with his solo.

I was disappointed that I hadn't seen them before. I will look forward to their return to Seattle.

You can connect with them here: https://www.facebook.com/Twangshifters

One more shot of the beautiful Crystal Marie.

Thanks for the visit, see you soon.

Thanks to The 2 Bit Saloon for presenting live music. The cover was all of  five bucks. This is the cheapest fun in town. See some live music soon. The artists need your support.

Connect with The 2 Bit here: http://www.the2bitsaloon.com/