As an enthusiastic music fan, it’s a bittersweet rush to know in advance that you’re seeing someone’s last performance ever. Speaking from experience, farewell shows are often rollercoasters of emotion for their hardcore fans.
DC go-go legends JunkYard Band played a phenomenal set at the second annual DC Funk Parade this year, as new fans drawn by the hype mingled with longtime fans singing along to their 1986 hit “Sardines” at full volume. It’s the sort of show that DC needs more of, crossing barriers of race, class and musical tastes to celebrate this city’s culture.
However, everyone was shocked and saddened to discover that Saturday’s show would be the last for JunkYard bassist and manager Derek Anthony “House” Colquitt, who died in a motorcycle accident just one day after their show. The best one can say after such a horrible tragedy is that House went out at the top, bringing that unmistakeable go-go beat and bassline to an enthusiastic crowd of old and new DC.
Quality, presentable videos of JunkYard Band are hard to come by, but here’s a music video they made back in 2010 of a soulful and dirty song called “Freak Inn”. If you were elsewhere at 4 PM last Satudray, check out toolboxdc’s live video of “Sardines” at The Lot at Union Kitchen/Atlantic Plumbing and kick yourself for missing it.
Hometown Sounds 