Seattle musicians to pay tribute to Squeeze at The Triple Door (Videos)

Super Jam (Photo by John Friar )

In the early 80s, I fronted my very first band called The Blitz. We were a four piece power-pop / new wave outfit covering everything from Cheap Trick to The Ramones and The Clash.

We also were quite enamored with a combo out of the UK called Squeeze. We performed Pulling Mussels From a Shell and Another Nail in My Heart from their LP Argybargy (the last record that keyboardist Jools Holland played on).  We loved performing those songs, and our audience loved hearing them.

Unlike some of the other songs in our sets, those particular songs took a little bit more time to learn. This was due to the fact that the straightforward and catchy pop ditties, penned by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Diford, were deceptively complex.

Squeeze hasn’t done a ton of touring in the US, but luckily for us in the Northwest,we have the next best thing. Super Jam, a band made up of accomplished local rock and pop musicians, will pay tribute to the group at The Triple Door, Friday April 12th, at 7:30pm. Super Jam will perform every song from the band’s 1982 hit album, Singles 45’s and Under, plus many more Squeeze favorites.

The band has been hard at work, meticulously recreating some of the finest crafted songs in pop history, paying attention to the finest details. This will be a fitting and well-deserved tribute to a brilliant group.

I sat down with Rick Lovrovich and Jakael Tristram recently to discuss the material Super Jam will be covering and the upcoming show. You can see a portion of that interview by clicking the video below.

About Super Jam Plays Squeeze…

Presented by Roseta Productions, “Super Jam Plays Squeeze” debuts at the Triple Door, Friday April 12th at 7:30pm. Super Jam will perform every song from Squeeze’s 1982 hit album, “Singles 45’s and Under”, plus many more Squeeze favorites. Super Jam includes members of Apple Jam, Lucas Field, and 80s Invasion.

“Singles 45’s and Under” gathers a dozen of Squeeze’s classic power-pop hits into one platinum collection. It represents their prime — from Chris Difford croaking out “Cool for Cats,” to Glenn Tilbrook chiming “Annie Get Your Gun,” to Paul Carrack crooning the delightful “Tempted.” It’s no wonder the songwriting duo of Difford and Tilbrook were then hailed as ‘The New Lennon and McCartney’.

Super Jam poster design — Dennis McMurtrie

Super Jam Plays Squeeze will feature songs from Squeeze’s prime — from Cool for Cats, to Tilbrook’s Annie Get Your Gun Paul Carrack’s Tempted.

Super Jam includes members of Apple Jam, Lucas Field, and 80s Invasion.  Super Jam is:

• Rick Lovrovich (lead vocals, bass) – Rick is the founder/front man for world-renowned Beatles tribute band, Apple Jam. He is also a member of The Beatniks, Craig Terrill Band, and Herding Cats
• Jakael Tristram (lead vocals, guitar) – Jakael is a producer/artist, and comes from indie soul band Lucas Field. He was in Apple Jam’s original line up, and produced their recorded catalogue. He also plays with Hit Explosion, BrandX, and U Rock
• Shane Peck (drums) – Shane is a composer/producer. He also plays with 80s Invasion, Laguna, Lushy, Johnny Astro, Poland, and The Nines
• Mark Romanowski (guitar, backing vocals) – Mark is a composer/multi-instrumentalist. He also plays with Poland and Johnny Astro
• Mark Zyla (keyboards) – Mark has played/toured with a variety of musical acts, including Soul Kiss, Darren Mottamedy, Gloria Weems, and Hannah Michelle Weeks

Tickets for the event are available here. 

“Pulling Mussels” videography — James Goldsmith