Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground ::: Photo by Josh

We went out to the new Croc for the first time last Friday to The Builders & The Butchers sold out show. Actually, I think the crowd was at it’s biggest and most devoted for the Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground set. So many people were singing along! That’s new. Bets were flying about whether lead singer Kirk Huffman’s wife Rachel who sings backup and was very pregnant would have her water break while they were on stage. It didn’t, but not for any lack of her trying. Each time I see them, the band swells, and the new additions of multi-instrumentalist Jacob and bassist Laurie from Ships seemed natural picks. Nate Mooter even played an accordion tune as an intermission. Openers Dr. Helicopter seemed to impress the bro-heavy crowd with their heavy swamp rock, while into the night The Builders & The Butchers lead singer Ryan Solle presided over the crowd as few lead singers can. The “New Croc Buzz” was in definitely in full effect.

My first thoughts on the new Croc were mixed though after only one show so I’ll keep them to myself for now and give things a chance to work themselves out. The one thing I will note though is that new the Croc no longer a scrappy rock n’ roll bar with years of built up character and little details that make you smile. That little area in the back corner that was a step above so the short people in the back could see… gone. The opportunity to step away from the music to have a breath, a beer and a seat… also gone. (The new Tribunali being closed was a huge bummer for a party with a person on crutches). No more is it a stubborn misfit in a neighborhood that is rapidly changing and becoming more affluent. Instead it seems to have taken on the neighborhood’s modern aesthetic, becoming a large square room with exposed beams and high ceilings (so Seattle!). Instead of feeling like the Croc, it feels like just another modern dark club in the city. Of all the issues I might have with the new digs, this is what I was most disappointed about. I feel like it might just be pointless bitching at this point, but these little things are part of what made the Croc a special venue in my minds aside from all of great shows and memories that I have there.

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground have just announced a summertime nationwide tour starting in Portland in late June and ending on the east coast in mid-July. The dates are at the band’s new website.

[P.S. Sorry about all the B+W photos. We prefer color, but the Croc was really red for most of the night; so red it made the pictures better to look at in B+W. -josh]

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, “Orchestra Land” ::: Photo by Abbey

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground ::: Photo by Josh

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground ::: Photo by Abbey

The Builders and The Butchers::: Photo by Josh

The Builders and The Butchers ::: Photo by Josh

Flickr: The Builders & The Butchers, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Dr. Helicopter at the Crocodile