Saturday night, amongst the serenity of the darkness and fog, Mission Ridge came alive with the performance of The Boss Martians as they rocked the mountain with their high energy music and performance. These guys do entertain.

Nick Contento’s on keys is flawless. His playing is not over bearing yet it is not lost amongst the other musicians of the band. His professionalism shines. I also love the fact that he utilizes an old Vox Jaguar organ just like Paul Revere and The Raiders (I got one myself).

Tommy Caviezel drumming is spot on. He keeps the rhythm going while using fills when needed not “just because”. I never heard a single missed beat all night.

Vocalist and guitarist Evan Foster is an animal. His guitar playing and style is amazing. Being the only guitar in the band he knows how to fill, how to work with the other instruments and when to take the lead. His vocals are extremely strong as are his song writing skills. He is a performer even in the wake of catastrophe. There was some technical difficulties, including him receiving an extreme shock plus getting hit in the mouth by his mic (thanks to drunk who should have been kicked out)  yet he didn’t miss a beat and kept going full speed ahead with the show. A true professional and entertainer.

Bassists and Wenatchee’s very own Scott Myrene is a bassists bassists. Being a bassists myself, I really appreciate his ability to play flawless melodic rhythms then in an instant pump out  lead lines on bass. The photo’s below also show Scott’s ability to travel as he is carried on the shoulders of his sound man and also his loving of the bar. Thank god for wireless.

And of course a few other big pluses with this show were, “A” it was a freebie, “B” I didn’t have to drive to Seattle and “C” you can get your picture taken with the band which I did, sporting my new Boss Martians t-shirt which Evan is pointing out…sweet.

For me the only downfall of the night was the venue itself.  While I do really appreciate the Ridge bringing in such a good band, it’s a bit disappointing when the band has to play with no stage lighting, let alone no stage, annoying poles blocking the band, not so good acoustics, the lack of a house sound system and a complete “loungy” (tables and chairs) setting but hey, at least some decent live music finally made it to the valley.

I for one would like to see the Ridge build an actual “band” area and have live music, not only during the winter but during the summer as well. Have a summer series if you  will. Maybe someday.

The following is a video from the show, The Boss Martians doing “Mars Is For Martians” but alas, as mentioned above, with no stage lighting the video is really dark but they sound great.

I hope to catch this band at a venue in Seattle, one set up for live bands as I’m sure that The Boss Martians will not disappoint.

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