It was a quarter century ago when local rock band Lawn Chair Kings first came onto Durango’s scene. A perfect band for the aging, ex-skateboarding punk rocker or any lover of independent music, they found a way to bridge the gap between roots country and early punk and hardcore. A music lover’s band made up of music lovers, anything was game in their setlist, as they’d bang out classic cuts from the likes of Doc Watson or Camper Van Beethoven, Black Flag or Doug Sahm, all between the quirky and catchy originals written by frontman and lead guitar player Erik Nordstrom.
If you go
WHAT: 25 Years of the Lawn Chair Kings
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Durango American Legion, 878 East Second Ave.
TICKETS: $5 at the door
MORE INFORMATION: www.lawnchairkings.com
There have been hundreds of shows – memorable events with inebriated hilarity, which included people falling into the band mid-song, backyard sets stopped by angry neighbors; shows featuring bad attempts at slam dancing; and one epic 2008 show in Dolores that was stopped mid-song by the police while investigating area vandalism caused by a local degenerate, vandalism that involved the punching out of bass player Dan Leek’s truck window.
They’ve dropped a handful of records while playing as a trio, quartet and quintet, all while being helmed by Nordstrom and Leek, a pair who have held it down since 2001.
Lawn Chair Kings will celebrate those 25 years with a show Saturday at the American Legion in Durango.
That blending of punk and country was intended to unify audience members while nailing short-song efficiency, the genres providing quick blasts where you could zip from one tune to the other.
“The thinking was that maybe some people didn’t really like punk, or they didn’t like country, so part of my idea for getting people through shows was to play short songs,” Nordstrom said. “We had that sort of mentality.”
While they were throwing curveball covers, they’ve also been a band focused on songwriting. The Lawn Chair Kings have of hundreds of originals tunes, hook-heavy cuts that address the weird and kitschy: Alien abductions and old cars, food fights and buffet restaurants, and monster truck rallies are often the lyrical fodder over a punchy music bed.
While Saturdays show could feature cuts that the band hasn’t banged out in a decade or so, a Lawn Chair Kings show will always feature new tunes.
“That’s always something I love about Lawn Chair Kings, is that there’s a lot of original music” Nordstrom said. “Sixty percent of our sets are original music.”
“It averages that,” Leek said. “Erik is always writing. He’s always bringing new music to the table.”
The show will also celebrate the DIY nature of the band and an admiration of the punk-rock mentality, all while celebrating their roots in Durango.
“At our very best, we’re kind of a people’s band, and we have a little bit of a laid-back attitude about things. I felt like the show needed to be in Durango, and it’s cool that the American Legion updated their building and is now having music,” Nordstrom said. “I wanted admission to be a laid back five dollars, Fugazi style. Just come on in.”
Of those shows, from the early days in what was Storyville (now Taco Libre) to playing most of the KDUR Cover Nights, the idea has been to present a good time while exploring the just below the radar world of independent music, which could be anything from two-stepping country to punky surf rock. That good time being shared by everyone both on and off stage.
“It’s been a blast, the entire time. And that’s what I always said: ‘Hey, as long as we’re having fun, then why would I ever stop?’” Leek said. “And it’s always been fun.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
