How about a blast from the Northwest’s musical past this weekend? Local hard rock band RAIL will play at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 22 at BC’s Beach Club in Mill Creek.
Formed in the mid 1970’s, RAIL built its local following by playing high school and college dances – sometimes three in one day – and teen dance halls like the fabled Lake Hills Skating Rink in Bellevue. Their Lake Hills appearance broke attendance records originally set by the Beach Boys in the early 1960’s — RAIL drew a crowd of 2,129 when posted capacity was 650.
RAIL played three sold out shows at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre in 1976 and 1977. Concert promoters Concerts West and John Bauer Presents were known to add RAIL to a show lagging in sales to get the show sold out — which included Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, and Heart. Eventually RAIL’s performed as opening act for Van Halen on a 36-city, 1980 national tour.
In 1983, RAIL won MTV’s “Basement Tapes” competition where unsigned bands were invited to send in video tapes and the national public was invited to call in and vote for their favorite video. RAIL earned a $100,000 recording contract with EMI Records.
Band members Terry Young (bass and lead vocals), Kelly Nobles (drums), Andy Baldwin (guitar and vocals) and Rick Knotts (guitar and vocals) will perform cover favorites from Rush, Queen, AC/DC as well as their own songs including MTV Basement Tape winner “Hello,” “Rockin’ You,” “Gangbusters,” “Bandit,” “Hard Girl to Love,” “Diamond Dasher” and “1,2,3,4 Rock!”
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