John Schlick Lighting Designer Concert Lighting Designer Extraordinaire John_Schlick@eXotic-Lighting.com   (206) 932-6622

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Dorkweed at Rocksports.

Dorkweed (www.DorkWeed.com) is a band that has recently surfaced on the list of best selling independent albums published by the independent record stores in the northwest at about number 12 or 13.

This band plays as a 5 piece, and they have an edgy rock sound with a great beat behind it. I hate to say it but any band with a bass player named Atlas, and a guitar player named OZO can’t be all bad, can they? (For Ozo think: “That dorky guitar player from Cheap Trick that all the women went for”.)

Brent, the lead singer reminds me of this deep smooth voiced southern boy all charm till he starts screaming onstage. Ladies, you will like this one. Song titles also give away a lot about a band…. “I am Dead”, “Laundry” and “Not a Cat” come to mind. Some political irreverence and some good old fashioned fun there.

These guys draw a pretty decent crowd when they play, and I want to tell you about “The Most Fun Rock Show I’ve been to in Years”. They played the Rocksports in West Seattle. The showed up at the bar just in time to set up and go onstage. The shaved head rhythm guitar player had obviously been drinking. They started into a tight set, got into it a few songs and things started to go south. You know how alcohol can take some time to hit you? It hit him. First, he comes over to do guitar work leaning on Brent, you know, the cool rock back-to back thing. Except he was holding himself up with his face on Brent’s back. When Brent stepped away, he fell forwards… over the monitors, onto his guitar on the edge of the stage, and then he gracefully allowed his head to stop his fall on the floor, where he continued to play head down, legs up till the end of that song. It gets better the farther into the show we get. He starts spitting beer on his bandmates, and at one point his legs buckle, and he finds himself playing in the splits, so he lays down and finishes that song on his back onstage. Later he turned the bass/lead guitar side of stage into his own personal mosh pit… Now, you would figure that this train wreck waiting to happen would bother the audience, but it roused them to a frenzy that I haven’t seen in a club gig in YEARS. I know it bothered the band a little, but the troupers that they were, they kept on playing, and it made for an awesome show. They made it to the last song of the set and Mr. Rhythm decides to fall into the drums about ½ way through the song. Drums and busted guitar parts all over the stage. That ended the set, but the audience screamed for at least 5 minutes for an encore that wasn’t destined to happen.

Those lucky enough to see this show will remember it as a happening for years to come. Dorkweed is a band that has never failed to entertain an audience. Usually it’s not as extreme a show as this, but it’s ALWAYS a good show.

They are doing one more show in town before they head out on tour, so find them and go see them.


John Schlick is a full time LD who lives in Seattle when he is not touring. His website is http://eXotic-Lighting.Com, and you can contact him at John_Schlick@eXotic-Lighting.com with any questions about the lighting business (or to hire him).