Fool for the City

Charlie Huhn from Foghat, Humble Pie, and Ted Nugent, 
with Doug McGrew on drums

Donny Evola's Pink Floyd tribute "Echoes"

I’m constantly amazed at the wealth of local music talent here in the Puget Sound area. Some nights I just can’t believe what I’m hearing! And many of these musicians are not just locally well-known, but world-renowned!

Last Friday at the King Cat Theater (one of the best venues in town for concert-quality live music) we all experienced some truly fine rock musicianship. World-famous lead guitarist and vocalist Charlie Huhn, who played for years with legendary bands such as Humble Pie and Ted Nugent, and who is currently touring with Foghat, cranked it up a few levels with excellent Donny Evola and his band Echoes (the best Pink Floyd tribute band I’ve ever heard).

The rhythm section pounded a very tightly-wound “rotary perception,” a term Charles Mingus coined to define the center of each beat, and how different musicians zero in on that center in a way unique to their own style. Our own Doug McGrew blasted the Traps with such Keith Moon-like power and artistry that the entire audience, as well as Charlie and the rest of the band, roared with applause.

Some upcoming shows you won’t want to miss:

Jam Night & Blues To Do TV featuring Power Cell (Lynn Sorensen, Doug McGrew, Michael Johnson) and Special Guests, at 88 Keys in Pioneer Square
Wednesdays, TV taping 6-8pm, Jam 8pm – midnight

Jam Night featuring Power Cell and Special Guests at Oddfellows Grill in Redmond
Thursdays 9pm

Geoffrey Castle, fantastic electric violin, at Club Sur in SODO
Friday, April 22 at 9pm

Fabulous Johnsons (Lynn Sorensen on bass, Jeff Kathan on drums, Michael Johnson on lead guitar) at J&M Cafe in Seattle
Friday, April 29 9pm

Riverbend with Klover Jane (featuring the very talented Rane Stone) and 1Wish, at Hard Rock Café in Seattle
Friday, April 29 at 9pm

Chris Cornell at the Moore Theater in Seattle
Sunday, May 1 at 8pm

No Quarter (top-notch Led Zeppelin Tribute) at Big Daddy's in Woodinville
Friday, May 6 at 8:30pm

Soul Stripper (Howard Comfort’s excellent AC/DC Tribute) at R&R Sports Bar in Graham, WA
Saturday, May 14 at 9pm

Poodle Bomb (with Mark Fluegel on bass) at J&M Cafe in Seattle
Thursday, May 19 at 8pm

Magic Bus at Tulalip Casino Canoes Lounge
Friday, June 3 at 9:30pm

Rock and Roll Fantasy

Paul Rodgers, October 9, Shelton, WA

No wonder he's called “The Voice.” At 60, Paul Rodgers shows no signs that his haunting, powerful voice is in any way diminished.

Interesting that he started out as a bass player (wouldn’t you know it). With that sensitivity, he co-wrote All Right Now with Free bassist Andy Fraser in 1970. Twenty years later ASCAP recognized it for receiving over one million radio plays in the U.S. alone.

Mr. Rodgers has a powerful stage presence, and unlike some of the performers I’ve seen recently, he really connected with the audience. He talked to us (in his deep British accent), responded to us, and invited us all to come up front to the stage. It was a great experience being right up in the first two rows within reach of the band. Shooting Star was wonderful, as was Rock and Roll Fantasy. I loved hearing some of the more obscure stuff from one of his early bands, The Firm, like Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Paul has ties to many of our Seattle musicians. One of my favorite local bassists, Lynn Sorenson, again demonstrated his rock star playing prowess as well as his formidable charisma. And it was great fun seeing Jeff Kathan, who just a week ago had played at Salmon Days, pounding the drums on stage with these other superstars.

[A brief mention here about a phenomenon happening in Washington State: the Casinos. Because of Native American rights, there is now a proliferation of huge, new—and beautiful—casino/hotels popping up all over the state. Little Creek Casino in Shelton, about an hour from Seattle, is a great example. It's a strange thing, like stepping back in time, when smoking and drinking was allowed (if not encouraged) everywhere. But, lucky for us, there is a whole new circuit where our favorite rock musicians can gig.]

It was a fantastic night. To top it all off, Paul Rodgers is a nice guy. As he wished us good night, he said, “Take care, and be kind to each other.”