October 26, 2014 marked my seventh concert this month and third time seeing The Slackers. The Slackers are a six-piece ska band from NYC. Singer/trombonist Glen Pine came out dressed very dapper with a dark jacket over a cantaloupe colored ruffled shirt and full of fun energy. The Slackers are a band with essentially two frontmen. Keyboardist extraordinaire, Vic Ruggiero also sings lead on many of the songs and is every bit the showman that Glen Pine is. Toward the end of the show Vic stepped away from his organ and pranced about the stage singing into a mic and doing duets with Glen. When members of the opening band Sammy Kay came on stage with camera phones to do “selfies,” the show only became more entertaining.
The true person who stole the show once again, was Jon Darby. Originally of the Pietasters, but now resides in Seattle, he often shows up on stage with various ska bands who come through town. He is such the ultimate entertainer that he always steals the show. This time was no exception. Still looking very boyish despite having grown a beard, he was all over the stage and at one point waving his derriere to the crowd. He sang duets with Vic Ruggiero, fell to the stage floor, writhing all over it, before leaping to his feet again and prancing about like a cock rooster.
For the finale they decided to go back to Seattle’s old roots and performed a ska medley of Strychnine and Purple Haze among other Seattle classics.
Notable songs missing from the repertoire were Rude & Reckless (they never do that one), International War Criminal (a scathing rebuke of the Bush policies) and Watch This, to name a few. Still, this was a fun show. Bass player Marcus Geard was reportedly suffering from the flu, yet he played the one and a half hour set with precision, bless him. He obviously wasn’t well and the fact that he pulled off the entire show is a testament to his talent and dedication.
As mentioned, Sammy Kay and the Fast Four played prior to The Slackers. This outfit from Brooklyn, NY, are an upbeat band with a definite ska flavor. There is no horn section, just three guitars, bass, keyborads and drums. By the end of their set the aforementioned Vic Ruggiero came on stage to share vocal duties and bang a wicked tambourine.
Opening the entire night was Seattle’s The Fat Kids. I’d never seen nor heard of the Fat Kids prior to this, but I’m now a full fledged fan. These guys were great. This four-piece ska outfit with a sax player (Austin) who exudes personality. Vocal duties were traded between drummer Jevon and keyboardist/guitarist Jonny with Jonny hitting all the high notes and Jevon growling the low notes. Mike rounded things up with a steady bass. Often the songs consisted of four-part harmony. Although The Fat Kids played mainly ska, there was a heavy undertone of funk in there often reminding me of early seventies Jackson Five. I will be on the look-out for their next show. I really liked The Fat Kids and another fun night of ska has gone down in Seattle history.
All photos property of Holly Homan
