My but October is a big month for great bands coming through the Northwest. Tuesday the 21st brought Chicago’s Celt punkers to El Corazon. I’ve been waiting a long, long time to see them again. It’s been nearly eight years since they played here and for the last two to three years I’ve badgered them on FB to come to Seattle. I’d been looking forward to this show for some time.
The Tossers are also a pretty band. I mean, they’re all eye candy and apparently look much younger than they are unless they started the band (now over 20 years old) when they were ten. They barely look older than thirty, particularly lead singer/mandolin player Tony Duggins. His growling and sneering voice belie his boyish looks. Oddly, he sings in an Irish accent but doesn’t speak with one.
One of the first songs they played was Rocky Road To Dublin (one of the opening bands also covered that song), but things went particularly wild when they played Buckets Of Beer (they performed many Irish drinking songs on this night). Then there’s Rebecca. Clad in black lace and black fishnets, she played a wicked violin that resonated beautifully throughout the club. Combine this with the furious penny whistle playing ofTony’s brother Aaron. These zealous dudes standing next to me punched their fists in the air and sang along word for word with many of the songs. Sometimes they wrapped arms around each other’s shoulders and sang along as if in an Irish pub. They were as much fun as the band.
Rounding out The Tossers are Mike Pawula (who bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Martin Freeman). Bones on drums, and Peter Muschong on bass. The sound was impeccable and I could have watched them play for eight hours. Only that would atone for their long absence from the Seattle area and I certainly hope the next wait won’t be as long. Although Tony’s voice was starting to fail toward the end, he sang a haunting a capella version of The parting Glass.
There were a total of five bands on the roster, all of them quite good. Just prior to my beloved Tossers was a band called Continental. This four-piece hailing from the Boston area, is mostly straight up R&R with a punk edge. Front man/singer/guitarist, Rick Barton used to be in the Dropkick Murphys and penned their song The Torch, which he sang. Besides Rick Barton, Continental consist of Rick’s son Stephen on bass guitar, Dave DePrest, guitar, and Derek Louis on drums. Frankly, I was surprised the roof wasn’t blown off by the end of their set.
Wages Of Sin preceded Continental. This was another WOW group. As in they blew me away. Take some Celtic punk, then some blue grass, some straight up punk, toss them all together in a blender and serve up the concoction piping hot and there you have Wages of Sin. This Seattle outfit were red hot and full of fiery energy. I was afraid to touch the stage after their set for fear it was too hot to touch. Wages of Sin are well worth checking out and consist of, Jesse Stewart – vocals and guitar; Ethan Sobotta – upright bass; Mark Robben – mandolin and harmonica; Nate Atkins – drums and Erin Hillert on fiddle.
Before Wages of Sin was a band I was super excited to see again. That was Seattle’s own Bog Hoppers. I saw them last month opening for the Real McKenzies and was totally blown away by their talent and unique sound. I was beyond ecstatic to learn they were on the night’s roster. All but the drummer play wearing rubber wading boots. TJ, who plays banjo and mandolin and trades off on vocal duties, has more energy than a high powered sports car. He emotes, he dances about the stage, he kicks up his heels and I’m almost afraid to watch any other member for fear I’ll miss something amazing. Tonight was no exception. Although both times I’ve seen them he has dropped to the stage floor for three to five minutes, barely moving while the band plays on. I’m not sure if this is part of the act or if he just needs to recharge. At any rate, they were just as fun this time around and I now consider myself a hard core fan. The rest of Bog Hoppers consist of, Meehgan on fiddle, Cormac on guitar and vocals, Sam on bass and vocals and Kevin on drums. These guys are immensely talented as musicians and entertainers.
Opening the entire night was was Seattle’s Crossroads Exchange. This was a five-piece blue grass with some folk and some good old fashioned rock and roll tossed together. Vocalist/guitarist Andrew Wylie has a voice that sounds like he rubs his throat with sandpaper then swallows a glob of Vaseline. He sounded rough one minute and smooth the next. When Banjo player Vito Chiechi harmonized they sounded divine. Sax player Soltendieck didn’t look old enough to drink, but sure played a smooth sax.
The show was maybe at half capacity. For most the night I had the entire club almost to myself. I can’t help but wonder if Seattle punk fans are getting old and prefer an early bed to going out to see bands play. Perhaps Tacoma is where the young people go. The three shows I attended in Tacoma this month were packed like proverbial sardines.
All in all a very fun night.
All photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
