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Chris D. of The Flesh Eaters in Seattle. (All photos by Andy)
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By Andy
Cloaked in darkness, with the stage lights low for most of the gig, Chris D. stood in the center spot where he thrives with The Flesh Eaters.
Possessing piercing eyes with bushy dark eyebrows nestled above, the man firmly wedges people into his world with one stare -- and then his crackling, intense voice seals the deal.
He appears uneasy on stage at times, but then with a hand gripping his hip or hands locked in praying mode or clamped on his head, Chris D. takes full control of the stage and lets loose on the band's sound that's so hard to define: punk, garage, jazz, blues, rockabilly -- you name it, it's in there somewhere. And it's stunning.
In between songs, he smiles and doles out wry comments about the songs and banters with his bandmates. And those players manning the stage with him? The fucking best dudes you could have on your side: John Doe on bass, Dave Alvin on guitar, Bill Bateman on drums, DJ Bonebrake on xylophone/maracas and Steve Berlin on sax/tambourine.
The seminal Los Angeles band first oozed onto the scene in 1977, and Cat and I each caught them a few times in the LA/Hollywood area back in the '80s and '90s.
We were stoked to have Chris D. and his mates in our presence again on Friday night at the Crocodile in Seattle. The crowd packed in tight on the floor and on the balcony, and some goth-type fans' hair could be seen thrashing back and forth during "See You in the Boneyard."
Up on stage, murky moods gave way to fiery energy and then back again -- a tug of war of the senses that was the perfect concoction on the cold, rainy night.
