ON JUNE 25, 2003 Portland lost two of its best when Angela Leazenby and Spooky Dance Band leader Orion Satushek were struck and killed by a repeat drunk driver. Every year, on or around the anniversary, Angela and Orion's friends get together to celebrate their legacy. This time it's going down at the Artistery as a benefit for Share the Road. Caroline Buchalter was also involved in the accident, but unlike her friends, she walked away. She helped set this one up, and gives us the story.
What can your average Portlander do to help the Share the Road cause?
The proceeds this year will benefit the Community Cycling Center mural, which will be headed by my dear friend Robin Corbo. It will be painted on the side of the Community Cycling Center on Alberta in July. Anyone may volunteer their time or money to help out with this project. You can contact her at cicadaink@yahoo.com. Something that we can all do every day of our lives is raise our awareness while driving a car/riding a bike. It all begins with making smart and responsible choices to promote everybody's safety. So many accidents are not accidents at all, and can clearly be avoided by being conscious and considerate.
What do you think most people think when they hear the words "Spooky Dance Band"?
So many people have said to me, "Oh, I've heard of them, but I never got the chance to see them." We [Buchalter was in the band] were only in Portland for a year; we never really got the chance to break out and become all that we wanted to be. The double LP retrospective, Scary Reality/Nightmare Fantasy, is the immortalization of our spooked out sounds. And now anyone can hear it. It will be available at the show, any Portland record store, or online at krecs.com.