The Dynamites
Nearby smoldering trailers and melted Porta Potties had the WaMu tent smelling like smoke before the Dynamites ever stepped on it. Then they set that shit on fire. The Nashville-based Dynamites delivered a burning old-school soul revue with dynamic frontman Charles Walker leading the ninepiece like a choir conductor. Dressed in his Sunday best, Walker, an R&B shouter in the tradition of Wilson Pickett, led the group through songs from their new explosion, Kaboom!, as well as his forgotten Sixties gems. When the band broke down “Help Somebody” into a medley of “Land of 1,000 Dances” and “Satisfaction,” the crowd caught the Holy Ghost. From the facial contortions of B3 organist Tyrone Dickerson to the supersized Afro of bassist Jackson Eppley, the Dynamites put on an explosive demonstration of R&B. Béla Fleck & the Flecktones’ Jeff Coffin boosted the horn section by sitting in on half the set. Soul claps all around.
This article appears in September 21 • 2007.
