Beloved local cover band All Fall Down reunites for Future Song Foundation

If you spent any time seeing live music in Spokane in the ’80s and ’90s, chances are high you caught a show or two (or several) from All Fall Down.

What began as the cover band Brotherhood, which could often be found performing at the Roadhouse in Spokane Valley, changed its name to All Fall Down when it landed a residency at JJ’s Lounge in the Sheraton Hotel.

From 1982 to 1994, the members of All Fall Down were the kings and queens of nightlife in Spokane, often performing covers of hits from the ’80s and ’90s at JJ’s six days a week.

Now, nearly a quarter century after the band split up, they’re reuniting for a gig Saturday at Northern Quest Resort and Casino to benefit the Future Song Foundation.

Back in the day, All Fall Town was a hot ticket.

“There was a line there almost every single night,” guitarist Joe Brasch said. “It was a nice club. It was a great stage and we had a sound guy and a light guy and it really looked probably more like a concert than just a club cover band.”

Adding even more fun to the band’s performance was the fact that many touring bands performing in Spokane would stay at the Sheraton and would often look in on All Fall Down, sometimes joining the band onstage.

Eddie Van Halen played with the band, and Judas Priest stopped by, as did Wang Chung, Chuck Mangione and Neil Young, who gave the members of All Fall Down passes to see him perform the next night in Seattle.

“It was literally the place to be not only for everybody in town but for every touring musician who came through town, so we got to play and meet a bunch of fabulous people,” Brasch said.

After the band’s time at JJ’s came to an end, they moved onto a club called the Blue Dolphin.

Some time later, Brasch decided to leave All Fall Down. Then after some two decades together, the band eventually decided to call it quits.

A few members moved away from Spokane, and some stepped away from their instruments, but Brasch rounded up the troops in support of Future Song, which raised money to help children have access to music education and instruments. Brasch is the foundation’s CEO.

The reunion show didn’t begin to fall into place until a year ago when Brasch started thinking about what to do for the Future Song Foundation’s annual fundraiser.

Future Song Foundation director Myles Kennedy, the Spokane-raised singer who fronts Alter Bridge and performs with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, had performed at fundraisers in the past, but Brasch decided it was time for him to take the lead.

(Kennedy will headline the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Dec. 14 in support of his debut solo album “Year of the Tiger.”)

Brasch then shared his idea for a reunion show with Harry Sladich, who managed JJ’s when All Fall Down performed there.

He was immediately on board with the idea and told Brasch that if he could get the band back together, he would handle everything else.

Brasch started calling members of the band about six months ago and said it was like no time had passed.

Some band members bowed out of the reunion because of health issues or too much time away from their instrument, but Brasch was able to round up musicians from three different eras of All Fall Down.

The band performing at Northern Quest features Brasch, vocalists Brenda Whitaker Boschee, Tracy Kendrick and Jilla Webb, Dave Lee on vocals, keys and harmonica, Danny McCollim on keys and vocals, bassist Gary Banks, drummer/vocalist Gary Kaiser and percussionist Leddie Garcia.

The band’s original light and sound designers, who now work at Northern Quest, will also be on hand for the reunion show.

The band members are relearning about 50 songs because the concert will feature three sets, each with a slightly different lineup.

“We’re basically starting at the beginning and going all the way to the end,” Brasch said. “Everybody is playing together at the end of the show. It really, in my mind, tips the hat to just how special every version of this band was.”

The band will have five full band rehearsals on top of small group rehearsals before the big show.

After the first full band practice, Brasch was optimistic about taking the stage Saturday.

“Considering we’re knocking the dust off a bike we haven’t ridden in 34 years, things went pretty well,” Brasch said.

Brasch has enjoyed having All Fall Down back together because of the memories it recalls, but he’s also touched that his band mates would donate their time for the foundation.

Recently, the organization gave 85 guitars to students in District 81 and 16 pianos to Rogers and Ferris high schools.

And once a month, Brasch and Bryan Bogue, a percussionist with the Spokane Symphony, hold a drum program for those at Morning Star Boys Ranch.

“A kid’s a kid, whether you’re sitting in a classroom at Mead or whether you’re at Morning Star,” Brasch said. “When the sound of an instrument clicks with them and they get it and they’re able to play something on a drum or a guitar and you’re able to see that light bulb go off, that’s life changing. It was certainly life changing for me and wherever we can do that with Future Song, that’s where we’re going to go.”