Heavy metal for MADD

By KARL SCHWEIZER

Herald Writer

STANWOOD — When Joe Frothingham’s grandparents were killed in a collision with a man suspected of driving drunk, he could have gotten mad. Instead, he got busy.

The 18-year-old Marysville man called on three buddies to help him perform a heavy metal/rock ‘n’ roll concert tonight at the Sons of Norway hall in Stanwood.

Proceeds will go to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Stanwood/Camano Family Resource Center.

The hall is a fitting location. Frothingham’s grandfather, Elmer Evinsland, was a first-generation American whose father emigrated from Norway. He loved the Sons of Norway and was a fan of all things Norwegian, said Debby Lyon, Frothingham’s mother and Evinsland’s daughter.

Evinsland and his wife, Joyce, died June 17 when their car was apparently struck broadside by a pickup on Highway 99 in Lynnwood.

The driver of the truck, Steven Vaugh Duncan of Snohomish, has pleaded innocent to two charges of vehicular homicide and is awaiting trial.

The couple’s deaths rocked their family and many friends, Lyon said. They were angry that Duncan, if convicted, could get as little as two years in prison, she said.

A week later, Lyon’s son suggested having a concert.

"We were crying, and he said, ‘I’ve got to do something better than this.’ I was proud of him," Lyon said.

Frothingham approached Carol Buchanan of the Family Resource Center about doing a concert both in memory of his grandparents and to discourage young people from drinking and driving. She helped him organize it.

"To me it’s heartwarming to see a young man of his age take on a project like this. So often we hear nothing but negative things about the youths in our community," Buchanan said.

The soft-spoken Frothingham, who plays rhythm guitar, said his grandparents always supported his music, "even though it was heavy metal."

"One of the last cards my grandmother gave me said, ‘Follow your dreams’ and had a picture of a guy with a guitar on it," he said.

Hosting a concert seemed a logical thing to do.

"It’s a special way for me to remember them, to show people that this is who they were, and we all miss them," Frothingham said.

The concert runs from 7 to 11 p.m. at the hall, 9910 270th St. NW. Frothingham’s band, The Horsemen, will start with a set of heavy metal songs, followed by rock music by Delta Sonic and more heavy metal from Mosseye.

Tickets are $5.