A week and a half ago, the writers at NWMB had our first ever meeting at King’s in Ballard. This was a big to-do considering many of us have never met each other. I was very excited for this little get-together however a couple of nights before, I was torn on what to do b/c as you see, I found out that my favorite Portland pop band Derby was playing at the same time, same night.
Well, I knew where my priorities were… I, of course, went to go see Derby. They’ve been a favorite for a while, for about 2 years now. I was driving one evening when I first heard them playing on KEXP — I immediately called my friend to look up KEXP’s playlist online to see who this infectious, melodic bundle of sugary pop goodness was. It was Derby. Soon thereafter my friend Christina and I caught an early show at the Sunset to check’em out and they did not disappoint. They were just as good live as the band I loved on the radio. So fast forward 2 years… Christina and I were at the Sunset again for an 8pm show. Now, I have to admit I sort of love the early show b/c I’m awake and in a good mood b/c it’s just the beginning of the evening however I feel sorry for bands that get that slot. Let me set the scene for you… We walk up to the Sunset and I hear Nat Johnson singing one of their catchy pop songs that you just want to play loud and sing along to on a sunny day, driving around in your convertible with the top down. (I take that back, since we do live in the Northwest, let’s say with our windows down instead.) I was so excited. Well after we walked in, the crowd was circled like 8 feet away from the stage and some people were actually sitting on the floor of the Sunset. Huh?!?! Where’s the Seattle welcome that Derby deserves? And jeez, what can you catch from sitting on the floor at the Sunset? The crowd was pretty lame but Derby was the exact opposite. They were still happy to be up there and ready to please, playing favorites from This is the New You while sprinkling in some songs from their new CD due out in June. It was a short set leaving me and Christina feeling like we wanted more however there was no more (so we thought at the time) and we headed over to King’s….
After a few beers and lots of talk about music, the party broke up and Christina, Kevin (editor-in-chief) and I headed out to the Smokeshop. As we walked past the Sunset, I was like “let’s go invite Derby for beers!” So we hightailed it into the Sunset and saw Isaac (the drummer), introduced ourselves and invited him and the rest of the band over. And I’m here to say, that made a recipe for a good time: 1 part Smokeshop, 2 parts Derby, 3 parts Rainer, a bucket of gin & tonic for Kevin and a dash of a little drumming toy bunny that everyone had to sing a tune to (you had to be there…). We talked with Nat and Isaac for a while. We found out they were heading out to play at the Brick (in Roslyn) the next night and were excited how they had some Foreigner and Night Ranger lined up for the set. Also playing an acoustic set at Hattie’s pre-giant fish tank was one of their favorite shows and more. All in all a very fun night! Definitely looking forward to checking out Derby’s new CD and a “later in the evening” show in Seattle. Meanwhile, go to www.derbyrock.com, I promise, they’ll be a new favorite.
Hey a lot of us Culture Mobsters were in the crowd for Derby that night too, those guys friggin’ rock! Their live shows are so much fun- I can’t wait until they make the trek back up from Portland.
for this little get-together however a couple of nights before, I was torn on what to do b/c as you see, I found out that my favorite Portland pop band Derby was playing at the same time, same night. 
that was a fun night, i’m bummed i miss the Derby ralley, I lost track of everybody in the mix
Hey a lot of us Culture Mobsters were in the crowd for Derby that night too, those guys friggin’ rock! Their live shows are so much fun- I can’t wait until they make the trek back up from Portland.