Those were the days, my friend...

The Seattle blues band Nitelife, most likely 1979 in Bellingham, WA. Left to right: Jim Becker (drums), Steve Flynn (keyboards and vocals), Jeff Ziontz (guitar), John Lee (bass and vocals), and Mike Lynch (harp and vocals). Not long after this photo was created, the band reorganized and headed to Ketchikan, AK for the summer.

Sonic BOOM

I just finished reading a great book by Seattle author Peter Blecha about the Seattle pop music scene, titled Sonic BOOM - The History of Northwest Rock, from "Louie Louie" to Smells Like Teen Spirit."

This is a great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Northwest rock and roll. It's all in here, from Ray Charles' first recordings in Seattle to the rise of the teenage rock bands (including Dave Lewis, the Playboys, the Frantics, Little Bill and the Bluenotes, the Wailers, the Sonics, etc, etc.), to DJ Pat O'Day's commercial grip on the music scene, the hippie years, the wasteland '70s (hey, Brian Butler and Isaac Scott get a brief mention here!), and the development of the punk and "grunge" music scenes.

I read this book on my way to Montana today. Great stuff - I just wish that there were more photos!

Koko Taylor is dead.

Koko Taylor - 1928 to 2009

RIP