Rock the Boat: Rocking The Boats, The Bands, The Beer

Scuttlebutt Brewing and Everett Music Initiative Present: Mudhoney w/ My Goodness, Fauna Shade, and Duke Evers
Port of Everett, Everett, WA
08.01.15

The moment I saw the lineup for this event, I was sold. Hats off to Everett Music Initiative for scoring veteran Seattle alt-rockers Mudhoney to headline, which would have been enough. But stacking the deck with three buzzworthy local openers – My Goodness, Fauna Shade, and Duke Evers – was the icing on my cake. Set it all up at a gorgeous waterfront park with stellar local brewery Scuttlebutt providing the libations and you’ve got the trappings of one gorgeous summer night.

Recently signed Capitol Hill duo Duke Evers kicked off the night as a growing crowd filled the beer garden and kids threw footballs in front of the stage. But the sports ended quickly as vocalist/guitarist Josh Starkel and drummer Kyle Veazey set the tone for the night with a set full of bluesy rock and roll, as energetic as you could ask for. Kyle’s non-stop grin and Josh’s glam-rock moves mash up into a singular spectacle of pure joy that you don’t want to miss out on.

Next up was hometown Everett band Fauna Shade. One song in, vocalist Scotty Smith said “I think we’ll all take a little more bass up here to make this a real rock and roll show,” and that they did. Trading on his voice as a powerful instrument, Smith – along with Bassist Derek Johnston and drummer Richie Owen – makes some of the smoothest psych-pop coming out of the gate.

As the sun went down in a gorgeous display of color, My Goodness took to the stage with their searing punk-rock blues. With his vibrato voice and controlled guitar, Joel Schneider led the relentlessly powerful duo of Andy Lum on drums and Cody Votolato on bass through the paces of a thrashing set.

All this great rock and roll led perfectly into the near-legendary grunge throw down of Mudhoney. This is a band that exemplifies everything that 90’s Seattle rock was, setting the stage for what would be. Their unassuming stature is nothing compared to the energy that busts out of them. Singer Mark Arm put down the guitar about a third of the way into the set and suddenly was free. His swagger and sneer paired with the unsettling solos of brilliant guitar work from Steve Turner was everything the crowd could have asked for as they moshed the night away in a cloud of dust.

Review by Staphanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

Mudhoney