Long before the world discovered grunge, the Pacific Northwest was already home to a singular music culture. In the late-1950s, locals had codified a distinct offshoot of rockin'-R&B, and a surprising number of them would skyrocket to success - including Tacoma's Barons, Little Bill & the Bluenotes, Wailers, and Sonics - plus Ron Holden, the Gallahads, Dynamics, Viceroys, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Kingsmen, and Merrilee Rush.
Peter Blecha's new book - Stomp and Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll - reveals how the Northwest's rock traditions were initially inspired by the local R&B scene, which had evolved out of the area's vibrant jazz scene. He illuminates the musical continuum between Ray Charles (who cut his first record in Seattle) and Quincy Jones to the rock 'n' rollers who forged the classic jazz-tinged "Northwest Sound."
In this presentation Blecha will highlight key, but overlooked, figures and offer a fresh look at well-known musicians (such as an obscure young guitarist then known as Jimmy Hendrix). Along the way, the largely untold story of how an isolated region managed to launch influential new sounds upon an unsuspecting world becomes clear.

LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Blecha finally delivers his long-awaited magnum opus ... In a tour de force, Blecha offers all music fans the definitive book about the highly significant but much neglected story of Northwestern U.S. rock."
BRUCE PAVITT: "Grunge fans should check out Stomp and Shout, a meticulously detailed early history of Northwest R&B and rock and roll. Blecha presents a fascinating narrative of the globally influential garage bands that also inspired Sub Pop Records. Highly recommended!"
KURT ARMBRUSTER: "Stomp and Shout succeeds in making the case for the Northwest Sound as a distinct musical genre and as a significant element of both Black culture and youth culture with a lasting impact on the regional psyche."

GIRL TROUBLE is a long-running rock band from Tacoma, Washington, including KP Kendall (vocals), Kahuna (guitar), Dale Phillips (bass) and Bon Von Wheelie (drums). Playing their first show on March 9th, 1984 they have gone on to release vinyl albums and singles on Northwest labels K, Sub Pop, PopLlama, eMpTy and their own Wig Out! label. They've played in just about every Pacific Northwest venue with most every band you've ever heard of, striving to "put on a show" every time they take the stage. In addition to records the band also published 24 issues the fanzine Wig Out! Girl Trouble has toured US, Canada and Europe and continue to play shows all over the Pacific Northwest. They are in the process of releasing a compilation of various songs that have been recorded over the years. This is their 39th year of rock.