On Thursday evening December 13 I had the esteemed privilege of seeing New York ska masters the Slackers play at Seattle’s El Corazon. Though I have seen the Slackers about a half dozen times in the last decade, I never grow tired of them. And this time they played my favorite song (Watch This).
The Slackers are primarily led by Vic Ruggiero (wearing a cool fedora most the night) who sings most the leads and plays keyboards (and guitar on a few songs) and trombonist Glen Pine who totally hammed it up with his onstage struts and twists and trading with Vic on lead vocals. Glen often balanced himself on the edge of the stage, leaning into the crowd and goading them.
About half through their set, the entire band left the stage except for Vic who took over on guitar and sax player Dave Hillyard. Several in the audience sang along to their songs word for word. Vic also proved he was a pro in working the audience. Even after the rest of the band returned to the stage Mike Birenbaum from the Sentiments took over on keyboards leaving Vic to prance about with a mic and totally ham it up.
The Slackers are also impeccable dressers, particularly bass player Marcus Geard. He wore a sharp white blazer, black and white patterned slacks and a white bowler’s hat. With his handlebar moustache firmly in place, he’s always all smiles. He plays his bass by resting it on top of a stool, often placing one knee on said stool while he picks meticulously at the strings.
The band returned for an approximate 15-minute encore that included an extended version of Married Girl (Married girl don’t you wanna Smoke a little marijuana). Again, many sang along. The remaining Slackers are, Ara Babajian – drums and Jay Nugent – guitar.
Though the club was sparsely filled at first, by the time the Slackers hit the stage the club was packed. No one can say Seattle doesn’t like the Slackers, but those who showed just for the Slackers missed some mighty fine opening bands.
The band playing just prior to the Slackers was Portland’s the Sentiments. This nine-piece is comprised of very talented and very versatile musicians not the least of which is the beautiful vocal abilities of Erin Wallace whose voice ranged from smooth and succulent to gutsy and powerful. She also was no slouch when it came to oozing charisma. Sharing the lead vocals was keyboardist Mike Birenbaum who ironically looks a little like Elton John. I saw the Sentiments open for the Slackers the last time they were in town and I enjoyed them just as much this time. As I said, those who came only for the headliners missed some great openers. The rest of the Sentiments are, Ryan Bassie (bass, guitar, vocals), Tadd Enright (guitar, sax), (piano/organ, vocals), Christian Lyons (trumpet), Abby Bohannan (sax), Paul Howard (sax), Mike Anderly (trombone), Newel Briggs (guitar), Matt Griffin (drums).
The Highsteppers from Seattle played before the Sentiments. This is another nine-piece of highly gifted musicians and singers who played good old fashioned authentic soul. Their music was so authentic I felt like I’d been time traveled back to my childhood when artists like Aretha dominated the airwaves. The Highsteppers are fronted by two women (Samantha Willis and Stacey Meyer) whose voices filled the club like a warm fuzzy blanket. They had pipes that rivaled so many of the popular female soul singers of that time. They also were quite charming as they danced about between notes.
As charming as those ladies were, the highlight was at the end when keyboardist Michael Ambrose left his keyboard and took the mic over for lead vocals and showmanship. He growled and yelled into the mic, constantly leaning into the small but enthusiastic crowd and had them worked into a frenzy in seconds flat. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for future gigs from the Highsteppers.
Besides the aforementioned, the Highsteppers list their members as follows, Alex Maloy – Bass, vocals, Nick Nihil – Guitar, Jack Chandelier – Drums, George Schafer – Sax, Brandon DuVall – Sax and Adam Courson – Trumpet.
Unfortunately I missed the first band the Drowns. I arrived in time, found parking right away, then realized before I even left my car that I didn’t have a memory card in my camera. ARGH! I haven’t done that in a long time. So I had to head up to Seattle’s nearby Capitol Hill neighborhood, buy a new card and head back to the club. Sorry, guys. Next time.
My frustrations were quickly melted away by the fine performances of the three bands I did manage to see.
– All Photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
