First off, not my gig!
Cass was drafted by Ron from Love Battery a few months ago. Apparently, they were both at a GBV show and a convo came up and Ron said he might need a drummer sometime. Cass' dad was a lighting guy or something for bands back in the day and knew Ron, so there's been a long relationship of sorts in place already.
Fast forward a few months and Ron reached out to Cass to sit in on some shows with Love Battery, a band that nearly "made it" in the 90s during the grunge explosion. Their most popular record, Dayglo, was being rereleased and they needed a drummer as their original drummer, Jason Finn (most popularly of the Presidents of the USA), is no longer performing or playing music.
During practices with PITO, Robb and I would ask Cass about the status of the LB situation and he'd always crack a joke, saying that we knew as much as he did. As time went on, he was rehearsing with them about 2-3 times a week, and that all culminated in last night's free performance at Easy Street Records in West Seattle.
Even though the Mariners were playing in a game that would clinch them a playoff berth after 21 years of futility, I decided to go see the early Love Battery show, as I could make it home in time to watch the rest of the game on TV. I'm glad I went, though.
I've had the great joy of playing with Cass since March of 2018. Yes, we took about 18 months off for COVID, but what I've learned since playing with him is he is a solid, reliable and as authoritative drummer as I've ever played with.
With Embers and PITO, we did arena rock/rock and indie rock, respectively. With Love Battery, seeing Cass play grunge/pop rock without actually *playing* with him was quite cool. I really got a chance to watch him and process his playing. That boy beats the S out of his drums; I mean, I knew that, but when I'm playing bass, I'm always focusing on my stuff first and his stuff second.
But watching him from an audience standpoint was so cool. I wasn't familiar with LB's music, but Cass had mentioned that Finn (who played on the Dayglo record) was an incredible drummer with really creative ideas and beats. I took a listen on Spotify and sent Cass messages wishing him luck, hoping God was with him, etc, as those beats Finn threw down were wicked. Some weird time signature turnarounds as well. Tricky stuff.
I headed out to W Seattle for the first time in several years and found good parking, met up with Cass and some common friends from the music scene. Not many people there at first but it was early. I chatted with Cass for a few and then went up the street for some sushi (it was OK, sorta disappointed, not gonna lie).
I came back to hear a quick soundcheck. The lead guitarist was late, so they did it power trio style.
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| Jim's P bass, "baby shit" brown, he called it. Look at that rig! |
After soundcheck, I got to chat with Cass some more. Most times, it just boils down to us busting each other's balls. We got a nice before-gig selfie, complete with a guy who tried to photobomb us as he walked by, only to run into a security pylon by the door. Had a good laugh after this picture.
And then it was showtime. Kim and the kids were there and I hung out with them during the show. Lots of really vocal fans behind me, showing appreciation and screaming "good job drummer," which was classic. A young woman near me playing air drums, which was awesome too.
Cass really did beat the S out of his drums. He nailed pretty much every part, but I did catch one weird time sig part that either he tripped up on or got a stick caught on. Regardless, it was really great and such a joy for me to see him playing at a high level like that.
Great to see Love Battery and the love the crowd showed them. Lots of dancing, smiles, appreciative fans. Cass said they printed 60 shirts and sold 45 of them. Most of the fans were our age, and 20 years ago, when this band was peaking, it really meant a lot to them. These days, with more stable incomes and different lives, these folks were happy to spend their money supporting something they loved 20 years ago.
Great, quick night out supporting my bro. He's doing it again tomorrow (Sunday) in Portland, and then again on 10/15 at the Sunset. Planning on seeing them again then.
