The Orbits were the last band to play, and again, many seemed to have left before the end of the show. What is it with Seattleites leaving shows early? I’m nearly fifty-six and stay til one in the morning to see the entire show. I’ve done this on weeknights when I have to be up at 6:30 the next morning to go to work. Again, I ask, what’s wrong with you people?
At any rate, Orbits singer, Bridgid Roney, was looking and sounding as great as ever. Her voice is so pure and so sweet I wouldn’t be surprised if she drinks a quart of honey before each show. At times their music is smooth and almost jazzy, and other times it’s pure Jamaican ska.Sometimes they have a more rock to poppy sound (evident when they play such classics as Good Luvin’ and the old Dusty Springfield song, Son Of A Preacher Man.
Drummer, Ronnie Strauss, played one-handed as his left arm was in a sling. Yet this made no difference. He banged away with steady aggression, slowing and speeding the tempo with perfection.
For the encore, Trumpeter Adam Bruno played a solo of the Chuck Mangione hit Feels So Good for a bit before the other band members joined in one by one.
The Georgetown Orbits are becoming one of Seattle’s foremost ska bands, which says a lot because Seattle has a thriving ska scene. GT Orbits are, the aforementioned Bridgid Roney, Orion Anderson on guitar, Cale Wilcox on bass, Christopher Torres on keyboard, Ronnie Strauss on drums, Sean Jensen on sax, Adam Bruno on trumpet, and Brian Mueller on trombone.
Preceding Georgetown Orbits was long-time Seattle ska institution Natalie Wouldn’t. I’ve been seeing Natalie Wouldn’t for about a decade or so. I used to see them a lot opening for different bands at Studio Seven. Then they disappeared from the radar for a while, but have returned. This is a good thing. Natalie Wouldn’t are a lively bunch, each with their own unique personalities. Trombone player Mike Ayer plays barefoot while new bass player Dave Trump (Kevin Crosby has recently left the band to pursue other adventures — stay tuned) wore no shoes but striped socks. Meanwhile, trumpeter Ric Penttila, danced about the stage in manic gyrations whenever he wasn’t blowing his horn. Besides the whole band playing the Spider Man Theme, I think my favorite part was Mike Ayer taking over on lead vocals for a song called Fuck You. He emoted, milking it to the max and flipping off the audience with both hands every time he bellowed the chorus of FUCK YOU!
If you haven’t seen Natalie Wouldn’t, what are you waiting for? Natalie Wouldn’t are, Shawn Brockman on sax & vocals, Mike Fanning on drums, Rick Dybvad on guitar and vocals (and I still say he’s a dead ringer for Pete Townshend), Sean Jensen (yes, the same Sean Jensen who’s in Georgetown Orbits) on sax and vocals, Ric Penttila on trumpet & vocals, Erik Lind on keyboard, and Michael Ayer on trombone and vocals. And, as mentioned earlier, the new bass player is Dave Trump.
The Israelites played prior to Natalie Wouldn’t. This very upbeat band originally hails from California but now calls Portland, OR home. They’re a very lively and fun band that played a bit of everything thrown together in a blender. The trombone and sax players reminded me of the Blues Brothers with their respective hats and dark glasses. The Israelites are definitely a band I’d see again. There wasn’t a still body on that dance floor.
The Longshots, from Eugene, Oregon, played a nice long set to compensate for the late arrival of the Israelites. This was fine with me. They played a tight, smooth ska reminiscent of the English Beat or the Slackers. About two-thirds through their set, the above mentioned Sean Jensen joined them on stage and the room was filled with the harmonious sounds of horns. It was a wonderful thing. The Longshots are a young band. A couple members barely looked old enough to be out of high school. Musically, they were as tight as a band who’d played for thirty years.
Starting off the whole evening was Bad Koala who started off a bit slow, but once they got going, the sparse crowd (as is often the case for an opening band) was up and dancing. They played an eclectic mix from banal pop (they did a Bread cover) to some more upbeat ska including a cover of Operation Ivy’s Take Warning and Sublime’s Santeria, to which they did justice. This is high praise indeed as anyone knows Sublime is as close to being the most godly ska band out there next to the Specials.
I can’t wait until the twelfth annual ska fest. This was a fun night.
