Last Saturday, Oct first, Seattle’s Highline Tavern hosted the Skatoberfest featuring five ska acts. The headliners this time was the Seattleites. This was my second time seeing them in a week, but they’ve already grown as a band. Added this time were some amazing vocalists with personality to boot. Their main singer (Joseph Quinone) not only had great pipes he could play a mean trombone. He also dripped and oozed charisma from every pore, making him a pleasure to watch. Backing him on vocals were Emma Bitter and Curtis Irie, both of whom could almost out charisma Joseph and made the vocals an instrument in and of themselves. Adding singers really added to the stellar musicianship of the Seattlelites and I think it also made them more marketable to a wider audience. The Seattleites are a more jazzy type of ska making them stand out from the numerous ska bands filling Seattle stages. They are a must see for any ska fan or even jazz fan. I’m now a hard core fan. The remainder of Seattelites are, Zach Barnhart drums, Joe Kaufman bass, Bill Patton guitar, Tristan Gianola guitar, Jake Sele keys, Brian Bermudez tenor sax, Shawn Brockman alto sax & Bill Jones trumpet.
Just before Seattleites was one of my favorite Seattle ska bands, Natalie Wouldn’t. As many times as I’ve seen them play, they never get boring. The charismatic dance moves of Ric Pentilla (trumpet) and Mike Ayer (the barefoot trombonist) are always fun to watch . On the numerous occasions Sean Jensen (baritone sax) kicked in with the dancing, the fun factor increases dramatically. Then there’s Dave Trump, their (relatively) new bass player who played in his stocking feet and has the greatest facial expressions. Anyone who lives in the Seattle area and loves ska and hasn’t seen Natalie Wouldn’t, get your butts down to their next show. You won’t be disappointed. The remaining members of Natalie Wouldn’t are, Rick Dybvad, Shawn Brockman, Mike Fanning, Liam Barksdale.
Portland’s Heavy City played prior to Natalie Wouldn’t. These guys punched a hole in the cosmos! They played a more funk/soul flavored ska, even doing a Staples Singers cover. But the highlight was their cover of an old Ike & Tina Turner tune in which vocalist Emma (yes, the same Emma who sang so lustily with Seattleites) seemed to channel Tina Turner. She more than did the song justice. Her vocal accompaniments with Tadd and stunning two-part harmony echoed throughout the club beautifully. Heavy City is now on my list of bands to go see next time I see that they’re playing in Seattle. The remaining members of Heavy City are, Geno: Lead Guitar Jim: Bass Scott: Rhythm Guitar Dave: Keys Angel: Tenor Sax, Backup Vocals Paul: Baritone Sax Matt: Drums.
Also hailing from Portland was Curtis Irie who did a short solo performance with an electric/acoustic and a harmonica that he made wail and scream without mercy. His songs were set to quirky poetry and he exuded charm. I hope to see him play again really soon. His songs were more folky than ska, but that’s not a complaint. This guy is loaded with talent and I found him very entertaining.
Before Curtis Irie was the opener of the night, Spokane’s Ragtag Romantics. These guys started with a slow, smooth type of ska with alternating and often harmonizing male/female vocals (Beck Shepherd- Vocals, Trumpet Tonya Ballman – Vocals, Keyboard). It was Tonya who nearly stole the show, though, with her undying charm and whipping her hair about as she pounded the keys. When she sang a solo the entire club was mesmerized into stunned silence before erupting into thunderous cheers and applause when she finished. Ragtag Romantics are another band that played at Skatoberfest that I hope to see playing in Seattle again. The rest of Ragtag Romantics are, Zachary Croft – Guitar Landon Myers – Bass Chase Howard – Drums Nathan Roe – Tenor Saxophone Kevin Cashion – Trombone. Leaving that night left me with the impression that ska is not just popular in Seattle, but popular throughout the whole Pacific Northwest. What a fun night.
– All photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
Seattleites
Natalie Wouldn’t
Heavy City
Ragtag Romantics
Curtis Irie
