The second night of my Skalloween celebration took me to Tim’s Tavern in north Seattle where three fabulous local ska bands were slated to play. Headlining were Wyoming transplants It Gets Worse, preceded by a band I saw for the first time, Smoking Bill, and opening the entire night was my own beloved Natalie Wouldn’t.
Suffice to say It Gets Worse does NOT get worse. They keep growing as a band and having missed their performance at the Highline the night before (took me a bloody half hour to find parking), I was glad I stuck around for the whole night.
Now, mind you, this was Halloween night. The best night of the year. I was dressed as a hand mine (fans of the current season of Doctor Who will know what that is). It Gets Worse were dressed as a super hero, a cowboy, a Mario Brother and a drummer dressed as Hunter S. Thompson, complete with safari hat and oversized wire framed glasses. Oh, and I can’t forget the oversized sombrero that passed from member to member.
It Gets Worse played a healthy mix of originals and covers including Reel Big Fish’s Suburban Rhythm (with slightly altered lyrics), Streetlight Manifesto’s Would You Be Impressed, Less Than Jake’s Johnny Quest and for the finale, Screeching Weasel’s Cool Kids.
It Gets Worse has definitely NOT gotten worse. I enjoy them more every time I see them.
It Gets Worse are, James Sweazea- Bass, Vocals JR Sorrells- Drums Eric Stallard- Lead Guitar Andrew Adams- Trombone Frank Smith- Tenor Sax Peter Fink – Trombone.
Prior to It Gets Worse was Smoking Bill. These guys were a riot! Lead vocalist Jesse Calixto sported a blue Superman suit and was a total scene stealer. Smoking Bill is another band with so many members doing crazy fun things, I didn’t know who to watch lest I miss something fun another member did. Mike Ayer of Natalie Wouldn’t fame was part of the lineup and looked mighty sexy in his costume. I’m not sure what he was supposed to be, a beduin I think. But damn, he looked good even playing beside a guitarist (Greg Hagstrom) who wore a skeleton suit and rubber skeleton mask almost the entire set. Bass player Ben Dietzen (formerly of Poor Sport). played the straight guy, barely moving a muscle, but that was okay. He laid down some mighty fine bass licks and is total eye candy. He actually had to play off the stage because the stage was too small to fit a ska band on it.
Adam Bruno, who until recently was with the Georgetown Orbits, had also joined the fray. I had never heard of Smoking Bill before and now I’m a hard core fan. These guys were tons of fun. It’ll be interesting to see them again without the Halloween costumes.
Opening the entire night was my beloved Natalie Wouldn’t. Getting to see them play two nights in a row was nothing less than a rare treat. Oh, and this time trombonist Mike Ayer was wearing shoes. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen him play while not barefoot. Perhaps bare feet didn’t go with the costume. Drummer Mike Fanning wore a suit covered in skulls while The two sax players, Shawn Brockton and Sean Jensen wore suits with splatters all over them. Shawn’s resembled blood spatters. Bass player David Trump wore an orange astronaut jump suit and child’s space helmet while guitarist Rick Dybvad wore a white hazmat suit. Ric Pentilla wore a black velvet suit with bright red shirt like a lounge lizard jazz musician and did his usual manic dance moves when not blowing his trumpet or singing harmony.
The entire night was way more fun than I expected it to be. I can’t remember a more fun Halloween and I should have won a prize for most original costume, but that’s okay. The prizes were lame anyway and I’m still on a high from my Skalloween weekend.
It Gets Worse (Plus some costume contestants in the sexy category. I couldn’t get pictures of the other two categories as I was a contestant in both.)
Smoking Bill
Natalie Wouldn’t
