RIDING WITH THE KINGS
February 07, 2005
| Below are excerpts from a chronicle, Journey to Memphis - Part 1 - "Riding with the Kings" by Rusty Faust of The Lazy River Lounge, for the complete article, please see http://www.lazyr.net/IBC2005.htm; see also, other February articles at this site for more news on the IBC. ***************************** Wednesday 02/02/05: Wednesday we [my Dad and I] rolled across the mighty Mississippi River from Arkansas into Memphis, where we had just enough time to drop the bags off at the hotel before we were due to meet some of the band at Graceland. Dan Berkerey, Jeff Simonson and Joe Powers joined us for a very detailed tour through the mansion where you could definitely feel Elvis’ powerful presence still resonating throughout, I will talk about that more in future installments. After the tour, the jock working the afternoon shift on Sirius Satellite Radio’s all-Elvis channel, which broadcasts from right there at Graceland, had the boys in for a quick interview and immediately got a call from a Portland listener who said, “I LOVE those guys! The Rose City Kings are my favorite band!” They were still buzzing about that as we met them for dinner at the Rum Boogie Café on Beale Street and danced into the night with James Govan and his band. ***************************** Thursday 02/03/05: Representing the Cascade Blues Association, Rose City Kings played at BB King’s Blues Club late that night. By the time their turn came, Dan ‘Kingbee’ Berkery was about ready to explode from the anticipation and when they took the stage that’s just what he did! Ron ‘Macho’ Camacho smiled and grooved on bass and drummer Roger E. banged his heart out back behind the Plexiglas sound barrier while harmonica master Joe ‘Super’ Powers donned his trademark mariachi pants and blew that harp like a man possessed. Not to be outdone in the wardrobe department, Jeff ‘El Nino’ Simonson showed off his flashy new mustard yellow suit (with gold alligator shoes to match) as he crushed those keys with more gusto than I’d ever seen him exhibit. Their energy and musicianship was unmatched, even higher than their usual lofty standards, and the house thundered as patrons were dancing wherever they could find the room. ***************************** Friday 02/04/05: The next day [Friday], people were talking about who they had seen the night before. There is no way to be everywhere at once, so word of mouth spread like wildfire about who the ‘must-see’ bands were and where they could be found (we’ll introduce you to a lot of them in part two of this narrative – “The Next Generation”). Several of the acts that garnered the most attention were all at BB’s Club: the fun and fresh Roger Girke Band, The Teenie Tucker Band and, of course, our own Rose City Kings. Friday night came and you couldn’t get into the place, people packed four deep on the sidewalk listening through the tinny outdoor monitor while trying to catch a glimpse through the window or lined up down the block waiting for a chance to get inside while the boys stepped their game up another notch and tore through another stunning performance! Later that evening at The Black Diamond, The Blues Foundation’s headquarters on Beale during the competition, I was talking with some folks about who was really hot. One of the volunteers (who had no knowledge of my connection to the band) immediately mentioned the Rose City Kings, he had been blown away the night before and was one of those who listened from the throng outside to their entire second set. Of them he said, “THAT is what The Blues needs today! THAT is the next evolution!” I couldn’t agree more. Even though they did not advance to Saturday evening’s Finals, they played with a fire and intensity that was unparalleled, they were the talk of the town and really represented the Northwest superbly. Thank you RCK, you did us proud! |
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