Tommy Holfiller Stages Finale In Spokane

Raunchy Seattle band Tommy Holfiller plays its final show Saturday.

The group is disbanding following the heroin-induced death of drummer Ralph Wieler, a.k.a Tito D, in August, according to vocalist J.B. Cassius.

“We don’t want to replace Ralph as a drummer,” Cassius says. “He did everything to make the band what it was.”

The group decided to play its farewell concert in Spokane because Wieler has family and friends here, Cassius said.

Tommy Holfiller formed about three years ago, generating controversy from the beginning with a pledge to cater to the lowest common denominator.

The foursome had released two CDs, “Nymphomercial” and “The Hole Story.”

Cassius says the band had started to find its niche and planned to continue recording and touring until news of Wieler’s death.

“If Rob hadn’t died, we would still be doing this full-bore,” Cassius said. “Things were< definitely falling into place. It’s the same, old sad story.”

Cassius says Tommy Holfiller enjoyed — and cultivated — its bad-boy image.

“Any publicity is good publicity in my mind,” he says. “We do a lot of stuff to get under their skin.”

Ironically, one of Tommy Holfiller’s first marketing campaigns joked that the band’s first drummer had died of a heroin overdose.

Cassius and the other band members didn’t know until shortly before Wieler’s death that premonition might come true.

“The past few months before he died, we knew he was getting pretty deep into somthing,” he says. “He was a really cool guy, very laid-back. He was a very accomplished musician.”

Saturday’s farewell show begins at 7 p.m. at Boomerangs, 109 W. Pacific, with an all-ages concert. A 21-and-over show begins at 9:30 p.m. Cover is $5.

Scene on the Web

Two Riverside High School students have created a Web page devoted to Spokane’s music scene.

Bryan Johnson and Nathan Moles started www.SpokWaMusic.com in June. The site features local music news, concert dates, venue information, band interviews and reviews.

There’s also a lively online forum. One current thread discusses concerns about Tommy Holfiller’s upcoming Spokane show, sparked by the band’s often-profane lyrics and explicit concerts.

Johnson and Moles are thinking about releasing a CD compilation of local bands, and hope to hold a fund-raising concert to pay for the album.

If your band is interested in participating, e-mail spokwamusic@mail.com.

Club-hopping

* Hell Equipped, Pipe, Normal and Fast Orange play at 9:30 p.m. tonight at Ichabod’s North, 1827 N. Division. Cover is $5.

* The Fort Spokane Brewery, 401 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., will host an all-star jam session at 9 p.m. Saturday, in honor of the Brewery’s final week. The show will feature many of the musicians who have played on the Fort Spokane stage. On Thursday, Too Slim & The Taildraggers play; tickets are $7 in advance, available at the Brewery. Check out next week’s Nightwatch for details on Fort Spokane’s final weekend.

* Jupiter Effect plays at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Mootsy’s, 406 W. Sprague. There’s no cover.

* Havana’s, 908 N. Howard, hosts a Latin dance celebration beginning at 7 p.m. tonight, with free dance lessons and food. A dance competition starts at 9 p.m. The event is free.