NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Nov. 27.
PORT ANGELES — Last November, the musical duo known as Bill and Rudy thought they might have a little post-Thanksgiving sing-along. The two brought their guitars to the Lazy Moon Craft Tavern around 7:30 p.m. on Black Friday, figuring the gig would wrap up in an hour or so.
“It lasted till quarter to 12,” recalls Bill Tiderman, who’s back with fellow singer-guitarist Rudy Maxion for the second annual sing-along at the Lazy Moon, 130 S. Lincoln St., tonight. As is typical at the tavern, there’s no cover charge for this 21-and-older get-together.
And, Tiderman said, there’s no need to have a trained singing voice.
“We don’t, so why should they?” he quipped, adding that he and Maxion want to save their voices while the guests lift theirs.
Bill and Rudy have been playing classic rock’n’roll and pop of the 1950s through the early ’70s for a decade now. They often see people moving their lips but not singing out, Tiderman said, because they don’t think it’s proper.
Tonight, starting at 7:30, “it’s proper to belt it out,” he proclaims.
Tiderman has the lyrics to about 60 songs on his laptop computer, which he’ll tote to the Lazy Moon. People can help choose songs to sing; he’ll project the lyrics onto the big screen.
His collection includes plenty of Beatles hits, ballads from the Everly Brothers and gems such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Wooly Bully,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Gloria.”
“We’ll play a little bit while people are rolling in,” Tiderman said, adding that he and Maxion, who alternates between guitar and bass, will have drummer Ron Casey along for the ride tonight.
“It’s a great time,” said Lazy Moon manager Marie McKean. The host musicians play crowd-pleasers, songs that bring everybody together.
For Maxion, Beatles and Rolling Stones songs are at the top of the list. He remembers one night when he, a boy of 13, first saw young Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Soon after, Maxion and his friends formed a garage band; he’s been making rock’n’roll music ever since with groups including Top Shelf, SuperTrees and Black Diamond Junction with vocalist Amanda Bacon.
Top Shelf, which also features Tiderman and Casey, is set to play next Friday, Dec. 4, at Port Angeles’ Eagles club, 2843 E. Myrtle St. The cover charge is $5 for music from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the evening will be filled with short, dance-driving classics, Maxion said.
The dance, like the sing-along tonight, is a chance to “kick back, have fun, hang out with friends — and meet new friends,” he added.
