Olympia Standard

Yesterday I wrote a column questioning Doug Mah’s reasoning behind his recent no vote on that infamous noise ordinance we keep hearing about. To sum up my opinion on the matter as of yesterday: I didn’t know whether it was a smart move for him politically, I saw a lot of potential negatives, and I really just couldn’t figure out why he voted the way he did.

Well now, a little digging by loyal reader Jim has brought up the fact that Doug Mah, in the mid 90’s, was in a local blues fusion band called “The Blues Torpedoes”, of which Mah was the drummer. Here is the write-up on the band from northwestentertainment.com:

The Band: The Blues Torpedoes are a hot boogie blues band from Olympia, Washington. This five piece band is cut from the urban electric blues tradition that “takes from the best and improves on the rest.” Band members, Jerry “JB” Bentley on lead and electric slide guitars and vocals, Mel “Blues Mama” Buechel on vocals, Gary “the Sound” Broers on guitar and vocals, Joey “T.Bone” Williams on bass and vocals, and Doug “the foot” Mah on drums, each share a love of music and a passion for the blues. The group successfully mixes jazz, rock, country, and pop influences to form what they like to call “boogie blues” - songs with soaring melodies, a strong back beat, solid bass line, and ripping guitar.
Reviews:
“A nice surprise from Olympia Washington…” - The Blues Connection Catalog
“…a delicious taste treat to savor…” - NW Blues Artist Duffy Bishop
“…so listenable that you just can’t seem to pry it out of your stereo.” - The Walla Walla Blues Society

Those are some good reviews for a small town blues band to get, but even if the reviews were terrible it still means that Mah knows what it’s like to be in a band and has some insight into what a noise ordinance could do, right? That’s why he voted no, right? I’m still not sure, but I kind of want to believe (blame Barack Obama for spreading all that hope everywhere). Having been in a band doesn’t necessarily make Mah any more sensitive about this issue, but it could. The possibility is there, and knowing this changes things a bit. Right?

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