Bad Spatula at Anacortes Middle School
Bob Vaux explains band history around 1989 live video
Bad Spatula was a dream four friends had in the mid 80’s at Portland’s Lewis and Clark College. Kurtis and Greg were Mill Valley best friends who emerged from the wooded slopes of Mt. Tam, bringing with them a devotion to Rush, The Smiths and Bauhaus. Darin wandered in from the Rocky foothills of Loveland, Colorado. Neil Young his musical hero. I brought with me the DIY influences from the Anacortes-Olympia connection, sharing the Velvet Underground & Modern Lovers and we all embraced Robert Smith as a spiritual leader.
We shared a house near SE 20th and Belmont, which included the great gift of an earthen basement with enough of a concrete slab to prop up a makeshift drum kit and a few guitar amps. One fall night in 1986 we made our way to the Pine Street Theater to see the Wipers, Greg Sage’s northwest legendary power trio. Seeing Greg Sage at the Pine Street was the closest thing to seeing the Pope at the Vatican that I will ever experience.
Throughout the set I would glance at my three friends and could see the impact in their eyes. After the show we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave. We sat on the quickly emptying floor in front of the stage, mostly speechless, occasionally articulating our collective joy and awe. Finally, the house lights went up and we made an oath to each other that we simply had to start a band. It was the only way to truly respond to what we had just been through.
At that moment none other than Greg Sage approached us from backstage and asked if we’d like to grab a beer in the green room. We made our way up the stairs and enjoyed a box of Corona with arguably the first grunge guitar hero. The foundation for Bad Spatula was complete, and we had received musical grace beyond our wildest dreams.
Bad Spatula went on to enjoy a couple of years of college rock fantasy. After our first Lewis and Clark show, the guitar player on campus we respected most told us, “you sound too much like Sonic Youth and the Stooges for your own good.” My favorite musical review ever. We were so fortunate to go on and share bills with Beat Happening, the Screaming Trees, Mobius Strip and the Go Team. We also played my youngest sister’s 1989 Anacortes Middle School dance, where the curious but supportive crowd included my future longtime bandmate, Brian Tottenham.