Show Blogs Through the Ages

For years this band has kept a blog. Here's everything from our old site in one post. Whoa.

Friday, September 9th 2005 - The Blue Moon
Danny Boy: This was the most political show we've ever done, capped by Pete Nice's Anti-Bush rap. I thought we might get miniature cans of oil thrown at us by psuedo-conservatives who were trying to enjoy a night as a liberal for a change. People, their butts, and their political views. But this was a special gig for me since my parents were at the show. In fact, we learned "When the Saints Come Marching In" in the hopes my dad (at the ripe young age of 76) would get up and sing. I guess it was not meant to be...he chickened out. Wus. Regardless, we jammed hard and had fun. Would have been nice to see more people out there, but it was a busy night in the Seattle music scene, so understandable we didn't get as many bodies in as we wanted. Next time we'll stand outside and bring them in a gun point.

Matty N: Fun night at the moon. JJ (sound guy/booker) has really dialed in the whole stage set-up process. Gigs at the moon used to be pretty chaotic but not anymore. We played two sets to a medium sized crowd. A classic GWAS show in terms of highs and lows. We're still struggling to sing harmony. Sometimes I think we're getting better but after this show I'm not so sure. Then again, if I didn't get all drunk maybe I'd sing my parts better. Anyway we really got into the pocket with some of our jams which is my favorite thing to do - so no complaints. We played some of our political songs and I found myself playing real angry (especially on Backporch). My frustration with the federal government has reached an all time high and it was cathartic to release some of my angst through music. For a second I think I even felt what it must have been like to jam hard in the late 60's. Ah, if only I could hold that feeling.

Pete Nice: Ah yes, that's the feeling, an all-night show with no PA problems and no one rushing us off the stage. We're at our best when we can open up and jam and improv as a band. That's why I love playing music - spontaneous collective magic - and it happens best for us at The Blue Moon. The first set highlight for me was when a dreadlocked dude cheered on my solo during "Hook Slide". Our second set was a joyful blur with lots of long solos and my own personal pitcher. The crowd thinned out but those who stayed were super-charged. One furry guy up front was especially enthused. We went into a spur of the moment "When the Saint's go Marching in" during "Mr E". Some new ones included "What Deaner was Talking About", "Egyptian Reggae", "Baldheads", "Tush Tush Tush" and "Atari Car". We closed with "Soul Kitchen" and hit Dicks for some late night nasty.

Sunday, July 17th 2005 - Seattle Peace Concert
Pete Nice: Don always does such an incredible job of pulling these shows together with shoestrings and duct-tape. At this particular show American Music spaced some gear and the sound guy bailed, so the musicians all had to pull together (sort of) to get the PA set up. The show started two hours late, which was fine with us, the delay generated a bigger crowd. For soundcheck we played a few bars of "Neckbone". Everything seemed fine. However, a few moments later, the guitar mic clipped out in the middle of "Do You Feel It"... I tried wiggling the cable and it came back to life, but only temporarily. Soon we were playing "Foreign Shores" and the mic was sending huge pops through the mains. This continued for the rest of the set. Alas, we played the best we could, we ripped up a new one called "Atari Car" and closed with an extended "Breakfast of Love" jam. Here's where the gripe comes in... It was nice of the sound guy from Special Meds to help patch together the crude PA, but it was lame of him to sit on the good mics and cables that he brought and later busted out for "his" band. I mean seriously, I could kind of understand if it was some kind of competitive thing with industry folks and Special Meds was trying to "get to the top" by making sure the first band sounded crappy, but yo, this was Don Glen's *Peace Concert* - you know, free food, share the love, work together... So, whatever, all the hippies had to listen to a messed up sound system because the good mics were waiting in the van. Next time, we'll bring our own mics and we will and *share them* with the other bands.

Sunday, May 22 2005 - University District Street Fair
Pete Nice: We were really pumped up to play this festival because the booker at the U District Chamber of Commerce said we were one of the best bands that applied. Wow, really? Right on! Unfortunately, the folks who were running the stage had a different opinion. Or at least, they decided to cut our set in half. Perhaps they were tired, or the shows had gone on too long that day. Whatever the case, just as we were getting into the meat of our set, we were given the cane. Alas, the brief show we played was really tight. We opened with a modified version of "Bumpkin" which is always a crowd pleaser. Then we rocked a short version of "Sexy People." We introduced the band during "Storytime" and then segued into "Nookie Run". At this point they called "one more" so we closed with "Still Sitting". Overall, it was a great showcase for the band (about 250 people in the audience) and even though the sound guy yoinked our set, it was worth it.

Saturday, April 9 2005 - Dubliner
Pete Nice: We're kind of like the Dubliner's "house band" at this point... and we're psyched. The room has great acoustics and Mike the sound guy did a super job last night. The Dub gives each band member a free pitcher and the cash from the door isn't bad. Unfortunately, our first set opened with a clunker, "Happy Sex Worker" which we haven't played in about a year and we never open with (now we know why). But soon we got into the groove with extra slow versions of "Backporch" and "Mr Spock". We goofed out on a new short tune called "Wigglyworm" and segued into "Breakfast of Love" which achieved maximum viddlyness. We closed a short first set with a specially dedicated cover of "Sloopy". Several pitchers later we took the stage again for a marathon second set. We opened with "A Tear for Eddie" which got a few folks in the room really pumped up (gotta love those Ween fans). Shortly after we played "Brazil -> Besame Mucho" also two new ones. Then we got into the regular GWAS groove with our standards "Ninja Shark", "Breznev", etc etc. Notable late night busts included "Muminum" which we haven't played since our first gig ever at the old Rendezvous, and a few bars of "Chalkdust Torture" which was by request. Mister Martini, who at this point is the unofficial 5th member of the band (thanks for the extra pitcher) jammed out with us on "Neckbone". Soon after we played Mr Norris' love song "Not Even" during which Keith and I traded solos. We were getting pretty sloppy as the night wore on, I turned around at one point to see Abe downing shots of Tequila, followed up with a full-on stage dive (or tumble). Folks were getting into it, one woman from Chicago got the front of the room up to dance. We continued rocking until last call, at which point I made a mad dash to the 7-11 for more beer. Nice to see CreepyTom hangin out at the late night sesh. The theme of last night's show was "Apache" - for we must honor the riders, their land strong earth, who must be free... free to live their own lives.

Friday, January 28 2004 - The Blue Moon
Pete Nice: Without doubt this was one of our most rocking shows ever. The gig was booked as a double bill with "The Wilderness Children" who, unfortunately, broke up before the show. That opened up the whole evening to the all stars. Which is the way we like it. Playing all night allowed us to open our jams to improvised spaces we've never been before. The crowd was excellent at the moon. They were with us from the start. Listen to the live tracks, the crowd was going nuts! Guest stars included Keith Martini, Scott Owen and Ellisa Benjamin.

Friday & Saturday, December 17 & 18 2004 - Snorting Elk Cellar
Pete Nice: The Alpine Inn welcomed us back for another weekend of debauchery at Crystal Mountain. Although we didn't get ideal ski conditions, the skies were blue and spirits were high. We did our best to stir up some positive mojo for the Crystal Crew by playing double sets on Friday and Saturday. Overall, both shows were pretty slick. We closed Saturday with an extended "I'm a Man -> Interstellar" jam. Probably our tightest stuff was "Ninja Shark" and "Saving Face" on Saturday. Abe's new tune "Mr Spock" brought out some smiles. Also, the new "Mary Jane -> Neckbone" medly was popular. People like songs about marijuana and fried foods. After the show on Friday we raged so hard that three of us ended up booting. Saturday night found three Greenwoodies stumbling around like fools in a world of magnificent crystalline darkness.

Friday, October 22, 2004 - Fremont Dubliner
Pete Nice: It felt really good to get the band cranked up again for another show at the Dubliner. We took the last three months off to work on new material. Also, Dan was on hiatus from GWAS so he could work on a rock opera. At last Friday's show we were back in high form - with a good crowd - and great energy. Highlights included Abe's new tune "Mr Spock" and guest singer Kelly Scott who killed "Tyrone". Late night we got a bit sloppy (as usual) and then turned the stage over to Color of Revolution. Rob showed up freshly buzzed from the Van Halen concert and jammed on the keys. Afterwards we all headed back to my pad for pizza and a late night smoke out.

Sunday, July 4, 2004 - Tacoma Freedom Fair
Matty N: Another working holiday for the Greenwood All*Stars. This show was on an outdoor stage along Tacoma's Ruston Way waterfront with panoramic views of Commencement Bay, Vashon Island, and the Olympic Mountains. Breathtaking! As if by divine intervetion, the clouds parted the moment we took the stage. We played quite a few covers at this show and managed to win over some new fans. We closed with a smoking version of the GWAS classic "Breakfast of Love" (which we don't play too often anymore). A great wrap-up to a killer string of outdoor summer shows.

Sunday, June 27, 2004 - Seattle Peace Concert - Magnuson Park
Pete Nice: The Peace Concert was a great experience. We were the first band to take the stage on a totally gorgeous sunny afternoon. We seized the opportunity to jam with Don Glen (Peace Concert organizer). After we helped Don push the "Peace Wave" we rocked out on some Greenwood faves including a really tight version of "Saving Face". After the show we spent the day eating pasta salad, drinking beer and swimming in Lake Washington. Life is good!

Saturday, June 26, 2004 - Greenwood Car Show
Pete Nice: The Greenwood Car Show was way heavy. Polished steel, belching motorcycles and sausage-eaters in tight leather set the vibe. Cool. We pushed loud and hard with some fairly insane adaptations of classic rock songs. We slammed on "Sloopy" and did a respectable version of "LA Woman" - the crowd responded well to the covers and also to a few of our originals - "Nookie Run" gathered a good groove. After two hours of playing in the hot sun we were pretty wiped. I lost my voice and my fingertips were bleeding. Yikes - rock is hard work!

Sunday, June 20, 2004 - Fremont Fair - Mainstage
Pete Nice: Greenwood All*Stars at the Fremont Fair was one of our best shows yet. Without a doubt, it was the soberest. It's a good feeling to get up, drink some coffee, do some stretching, and play an awesome gig in front of 100+ people. Our first AM show ever caught all the right vibes. We played a few new numbers including a Kinks cover "Sunny Afternoon." We also pulled out the classic "Monkey Party" jam with Mr. Martini in a Gorilla costume. Diamond Dave Donar from Detroit got up and jammed on the amazing electro harmonic mouth harp. There were lots of kids in the audience, they had great fun watching the monkey dance around. Thanks to everyone at Fremont Public and Static Factory for putting everything together.

Saturday, February 14, 2004 - Valentines Day - CD Release Party at Dubliner
Pete Nice: For the last year we've been working on our first album "Slow Shark." Last night we celebrated its release at the Dubliner in Fremont (which is fast becoming our favorite room in town.) Scott the sound engineer has installed better speakers and a nice mixing board so the music sounds better than ever. Keith Martini opened the show with some lovely Flamenco guitar styling and then Tim Castellani and Dan Moore joined him. We took the stage at 10:15 and played two sets. First set established a good groove and second set was really kicking. We played a special Valentines Day serenade to a special someone and then busted new material including "Flutes of Chi" and "Standing on the Verge." Late night Color of Revolution got back up and played a few crazy punk rock tunes. We closed the show with "I'm a Man / Interstellar" which was cool. Judging by the crowd response and feedback we got from the Dubliner employees, we pretty much rocked the room hard. It was one of their better, busier Saturday nights. That's what we do people. We throw out the vibe and pack the house. CD's almost totally sold out.

Friday & Saturday, January 23 & 24, 2004 - Snorting Elk Cellar at Crystal Mountain
Pete Nice: All the hard work we've been putting into this project paid back like a mighty good-karma boomerang last weekend. Lemme break it down. We meager greenwoodies were given free lodging, free lift tickets, and free pitchers of sweet nectar in exchange for two shows of crowd pleasing pocket grooves and explosive raging freakshow jams. The Snelk is, without question, the coolest ski bar in Washington. The heads showed up in force and they got the fuck down. The whole crew there at the Alpine Inn was totally chill. The vibe was as close to perfect as we had dreamed. Did I mention that we severely rocked both shows? We came on strong during first set on both nights and then evolved into freeform spaces that set new highs for the All*Stars. Saturday had a much more raging crowd that packed the dancefloor for all three sets!

Saturday, December 20, 2003 - The Fabulous Dubliner
Pete Nice: Last night was our first show at the new Dubliner, first time hanging out there really. The room has the same feel as the old Dub, but the crowd's changed from sailors to sophisticates. I'm not complaining tho... they pack the house every weekend. Special thanks to Scott for helping us understand the sound dynamics of the room. On his advice we struggled to keep the extremities under control. Hit the pocket in "Roses" but the testosterone ripped free in "Nookie Run". It's a delicate room, easy to overwhelm. On tape review, folks genuinely grooved on our set, especially on the softer jams, which I think are becoming our sweet spot. Looking forward to Bubb Rubb at the Dub again soon.

Friday, December 19, 2003 - The Fabulous Rainbow
Pete Nice: Great vibes and a cool scene. Much thanks to Elias John Swann for running the Amazing GreenBall EyeCandy Vidly Video Show also thanks to Juke for getting on the bill at the last minute (great fucking chops - dang!). Also, Fudd the sound guy - great technique and super cool vibes. Load in was at 7, had to avoid a gaggle of drug dealers. Sound check went great. Opened up with "Breznev" and went strong to a room that filled quite nicely. Worked a little christmas cheer into "Donna" and told the "Story of the Rainbow" (a rambling epic about mustaches and strip clubs). I did my noodling solos for way way way too long and then brought up Keith-o to peel thunder from his axe. Holy monkeys! Always a pleasure to share the stage with the K-man. Juke rocked out for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately Abe got a flat during load out so we hung out with street people late into the night until AAA arrived.

Friday, October 31, 2003 - Capitol Hill Arts Center
Pete Nice: Halloween night at the new Capitol Hill Arts Center - their first really huge blowout - a massive rush indeed. What a way to re-emerge from our Summer of creative cocooning. It was a real treat to work with the CHAC staff - Bob, of course, gets first thumbs up for hooking us with the gig. Amy - great press. Professional sound mix as well. We rocked. Also had a few goofy schticks worked out, played -neigh- became Salt and Pepa. Awesome all-star rapping from Jarred Massved Karimi Eu. And who could forget the guest monkey who peeled paint off the walls with his axe? Of course, the main attraction of the night was Circus Contraption. It was my first time seeing their show, and I totally vibed on their whole scene. Great to see big tent showmanship co-mingled with "Bricoleur" musical tradition. And also, the backstage strip-show was very very nice.

Thursday, July 10, 2003 - Larry's
Pete Nice: We finally played in Pioneer Square, on Taco Night no less (free Tacos for motorcycle ridin' wooly mammoths and their females). The first band to play was "Eye Level" - they were really good and brought many fans. We took the stage shortly after 11 and kicked into an hour of high energy material. It's good we played our strongest stuff first because as the night went on the crowd thinned out (typical for weeknight gigs). After reviewing the tape, I'd have to say this was probably our most jamming, highest energy show yet. We smoked on Jimmy and played a new cover Jungle Man by the Chilis. We'll be taking the rest of the Summer off to work on new material and so Matty can have a nice wedding and honeymoon!

Monday, June 30, 2003 - Ballard Firehouse
Pete Nice: This was our first ever "Battle of the Bands" - complete with a cash award and recording contract. Alas, it was on a Monday night at the Firehouse so we promoted a bit, but mostly played to get our foot in the door with a new booker we're working with. We played second on the bill (thank god) so there was a decent crowd (for a weeknight). The stage sound at the Firehouse was pretty hot - I could have used more guitar in the monitor mix - I heard from a fan that our mix was solid through the mains. We only played for an hour so we rocked straight through. We didn't win the contest (the winning band was the one who brought the most fans) but we did win-over some new ears.

Saturday, June 21, 2003 - Blue Moon
Pete Nice: Special thanks to Marangatang for warming up the crowd last Saturday, not that the crowd needed much to get loose. Our show at the Blue Moon marks the high water point for our drunkest audience ever. Usually we have a few bawdy fellows at our gigs who yell and carry on with the band - at the BM, they were coming in from all sides saying things like "do dah yargolillah" and "you guys are garfo lashnish." All in all it was a pretty wild gig, we jammed hard on Voodoo Lady and Mr E's. Even though we got paid shit, it was a good gig.

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - Rendezvous
Pete Nice: Our first gig as GWAS was at the Rendezvous, so it was fun to come back to the Jewelbox Theater. There's still an issue with their electrical system that gives my amp a wicked bad buzz. Ariel, the sound guy, did a great job helping me work around the issue and he hooked us up with a great mix. We debuted our music video Highway Ninja Shark at this show. Even thought the crowd was small, we played a really hot set.

Friday & Saturday May 9 & 10, 2003 - Baranof
Pete Nice: This weekend we were accepted into the tribe of Baranof (pronounced BEAR - A - Noff). Friday, we played to a medium sized crowd of sit-downers - which was fine as we were a bit rusty on our changes. Alas, we rocked into the wee hours and left the audience satisfied. As tradition is beginning to dictate, Saturday emerged as the more memorable evening. The room filled out nicely. We welcomed our greenies with a new song titled Ode To Greenwood and got them dancing with Brezhnev's Books. The set was crowned by a special guest appearance by northwest legend Daddy Treetops. He helped us jam on Hookslide and Stay up Late. After a short break the magic began. We welcomed a series of guest stars to the stage including The Feese, The Knopster, Castelani, Keith (monkey man) Martini, Bob Basso and a few other drunken crooners. Wildness ensued: breakdancers, beer chuggers, Jamaican freestylers, Mexican mullet men and long legged Norse goddesses. Another magical evening in the heart of Greenwood.

Saturday, April 12, 2003 - Lock and Keel Tavern
Pete Nice: After last weekends sloppy epic at Baranof we were really jazzed to play a tight show at the Keel. After our customary din-din at Bad Alberts we trucked right to the stage with our bellies still full of dock street burgers. We played loads of covers for the first half of the show and were psyched to see the club fill up nicely. By 10pm the room was packed. The Keel is such a loud room that it was good to have all those bodies to absorb sound. The best part was, only one or two folks there were GWAS loyalists, it was a room of fresh ears. Quite a few folks got up to dance. We rocked out, cleared our gear and got our cash!

Friday & Saturday April 4 & 5, 2003 - Baranof
Pete Nice: We thought that we would come to the age old Baranof and show the salty old dogs a new trick. However, we young pups learned that if you tangle with the viking gods you tempt a stormy fate. Friday night went wonderfully. We had a great turn out. The energy was hot. We played three sets and did quite a few extended jams. Saturday was an entirely different story. Our bass player ate some bad mojo and turned to jelly after the first set. Poor guy, he looked like a ghost. But the show went on with the help of some fabulous guest all*stars. Things were coming back together until the Baranof gods ordered our biggest fan to swan dive the dancefloor. At that point the magic cookies were transported to the rubbish bin.

Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - Tractor Tavern
Pete Nice: Playing the Tractor was awesome. The stage sound was hot! We just came off a weekend of recording so our set was super tight. Of course, playing late on a Tuesday pretty much guarantees a small crowd, but dang if the the 30 people there didn't get totally into it - they were dancing and carrying on - it was great!

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - Lock and Keel Tavern
Pete Nice: The "Keel" called us back and asked us to play there again. That's a good sign, the must have dug us last time. When we showed up the bartender said "I've heard good things about you guys." Right on! The gig went great, we flubbed a few parts here and there (especially on Attaq Iraq) - but hey what band is perfect every time. Crowd response was enthusiastic. Dan had a friend adjust the PA so we had a really nice mix.

Saturday, October 26, 2002 - 15th Ave Bar and Grill
Pete Nice: Six hours before we were to take the stage, Abe called and said that Sarah was going into labor! Wow! New Life! Congrats! As our keyboardist had fairly incredible other plans, we went ahead and played the gig as a power trio. By all accounts we rocked the house. We were opening for a band called "WAD" who we met at FreeFest. They were really cool to let us play as long as we wanted. They also let us use their gear. Thanks guys! After the show we hung out with Corey and Dave from FreeFest, what a great time!

Saturday, August 31st, 2002 - Lock and Keel Tavern
Pete Nice: This was only our second official show in Seattle. It went really well. The opening band was "Sole Moxie" they were great! We took the stage at about 11:30 and rocked until close. The bar was PACKED! Yeah! People were really grooving on it. Afterwards we talked to some folks from Philly who had been to Bumbershoot that day. They said we were the best band they'd seen all day. Of course, they hadn't consumed five pitchers of beer at "the shoot."

Friday, July 26th, 2002 - FreeFest II
Pete Nice: Awesome gig! Kicked off FreeFest on Friday. People jammin around a huge bonfire. Forks crew lighting off mass Indian Rez Fireworks and pouring dry gas on the fire - BOOM!! Flags waving, blue lights streaking, band blasting grooves in the woods. Party till dawn yo!

Friday, June 14, 2002 - East Patio Lounge Mackie Designs Inc
Pete Nice: Played to 100+ people on a sunny Friday. People got into it, danced around, ate hot dogs. I think we freaked out a few folks with the raunchy lyrics. Ha!

Friday, October 23rd, 2001 - The Rendezvous Restaurant
Pete Nice: This gig was mucho funo, we had a nice turnout. It was one of the last shows at the old Rendezvous.


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