There's Something Hard in There: It's Freak Out time again and bands rip it up at Darrell's Tavern

The Second Hand Suits' bassist freaks out, catches air. (All photos by Cat Rose)

By Andy; Photos by Cat Rose

It’s been sung that the freaks come out at night.

Well, sometimes they emerge from their weirdo lairs in the early evening, like 5 or 6. Even earlier if they journey to Shoreline (WA) from Portland or Bellingham.

So, yeah, Whodini it wasn't as the lurking commenced at the third annual Freak Out, six-band soiree at Darrell's Tavern last Saturday. Rock and Roll Freaks and Something Weird Video unleashed the gig, which began before the sun set and featured The Delstroyers, The Second Hand Suits, The Sellwoods, The Reverberations, The Sinister Six and The Lovesores. Surf, four-on-the-floor rock and roll and '60s-laced garage rock... it all hit the spot.

Local freaks Ted Cogswell, Lisa Petrucci and Dan Dyckman (Darrell's owner) brought the boss fest to life with three days of music, movies and a flea market.

Friday night kicked off with the flicks "Something's Happening" (or "The Hippie Revolt") and "The Black Angels," as longhairs and bikers were projected onto a huge screen in a Lake Forest Park back yard, aka the Starlite Cinema. Saturday was the wild gig and then Sunday brought the market and band The Raccoon Lodge to Darrell's.

Cogswell, who booked the bands, is proud to be a promoter for the shindig.

"It's the best party of the year for a lot of us. And now that we're doing it the third year in a row, it's wonderful, cause there's people who you don't see very often, but everybody comes out for Freak Out," he said while relaxing outside at Darrell's before Saturday's gig.

Added Cogswell, who resembles a member of the MC5 in their heyday with long sideburns and bushy hair: "We really just have an intention of trying to make it a little bigger and bigger every year. We want it to be something that people will wanna come to from other places. Every year, we've already had people coming from other states. We're off to a good start in that regard."

Three of the bands -- The Sellwoods, The Reverberations and The Lovesores -- trucked it from Portland, a city that Cogswell said has a thriving Nuggets-style garage scene. He'd like to get something like that happening in Seattle, and he'll soon be booking Rock and Roll Freaks-produced shows at Darrell's to push that dream to fruition.

So, as expected, all the bands delivered solid sets and gave Cogswell and company plenty to be stoked about.

Bellingham's Second Hand Suits hammered out a roaring set of punked-up, rocked-out hymns from the twisted minds of Anthony Navarro (Brother Hound) on drums/vocals and Nick Evans (Brother Stripes) on bass/backup vocals.

The duo sat subdued at a table prior to their set, but you know why ... it's because they were saving up their energy before laying it on us. Big time.

What's kicking around in their minds during the set?

"Oh, my mind is blank. What's going through my body is the gospel of booty shakin' -- that is what we preach, that is what we bring anywhere we go," Evans said after the Suits stashed their equipment into their vehicle.

Added Navarro: "To be preachers of the gospel, you have to really give your entire being to the gospel of booty shakin' -- the rock and roll dance party. You can't just try and preach the gospel without being the gospel, so you have to turn into a completely different person on that downbeat."

Navarro then asked, "Was the show good? I don't remember it."

"I wasn't actually even there, we weren't playing at all. I don't know why I'm even here. I might be a little freaked out," said Evans, as the duo cackled.

Representing Portland on the interview front after their set were The Sellwoods' June Coryell (keys and vox), The Baroness Melissa Rose (drums and vox) and Matt: The Blind Baron of Sellwood City (guitar and vox).

"Ted Cogswell invited us last year and it was great, so for him and Lisa to ask us back was really cool, so hopefully this gets trashier every year," said Matt, adding that the sounds and looks of 1966 are their calling card.

Coryell said that "trashy" is the perfect way to describe what they bring to the table.

"Just a good time. We've got the Viking! (only name given, on bass), he's the one that really puts on the stage performance. The sweat flying everywhere, the horns, everything."

As for The Baroness, she said The Sellwoods are kinda weird, so they're an ideal band to make the Freak Out scene.

"People seem to dig it, that's all that counts. We want people to have fun," she said with a smile.

Cat and I can't wait to freak out again next year.

PHOTOS GALORE:

THE SECOND HAND SUITS