King for a day

‘Nordfest’ pays tribute to prolific penner of songs

by Missy Votel

Chances are, if you’ve been around the Durango music scene long enough, you’ve heard of Erik Nordstrom, the front man for the seminal “western garage” band, the Lawn Chair Kings. And, at the risk of sounding like a Johnny Mathis song, chances are also pretty good if you’ve been around the band, you’ve also got a Nordstrom story or three.

My own personal experiences involve swinging from a tent pole in a wedding dress, an impromptu dance/stage dive with what I think was a hot dog cooker (a prize at one of their early shows) and the now-infamous south side Styrofoam massacre. Alas, all stories for another time.

Besides, this story is about Nordstrom, not just the king of patio furniture, but the king of local storytelling himself. Since launching the Lawn Chair Kings in the late ’90s/early 2000s (no one’s quite sure although most memories point to a Storyville show around 2000), Nordstrom has penned such classics as “Alien Abductee,” “Old Red Car,” “Ice Cream Truck,” “Monster Trucks” and “Food Fight at the Golden Corral.”

In case you can’t tell from the aforementioned titles, Nordstrom, a native of Lawrence, Kans., and fierce Jay Hawks fan, pulls his content from a somewhat twisted perspective of life in the heartland. He’s a mild-mannered, guitar-toting midwestern boy with a wicked sense of humor and appreciation for good-old American kitsch, punk and country classics. Think of him as the love child of Waylon Jennings, Weird Al, Dick Dale and Jello Biafra. On second thought … don’t do that.

Let’s just suffice to say, he’s one of a kind.

And this Sat., June 24, from 3-8 p.m. at the Mancos Brewery, this one-of-a-kind local music juggernaut will be celebrated at “Nordfest.” The day will feature 10 bands (three of which include Nordstrom himself) covering – you guessed it – Nordstrom’s songs.

For those not in the know, Nordstrom was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer late last year. He recently finished chemo treatment, which he handled like a true champion.

“True to form, he’s got the best attitude you could possibly have,” longtime Lawn Chair Kings bandmate

Dan Leek said. “He’s positive and upbeat.”

And that upbeat attitude is why, organizers note, this is not so much about raising funds to help cover medical expenses – although proceeds from the $20 cover will go toward that. It is more about honoring Nordstrom’s contributions to local music, both in front of and behind the scenes.

“This mainly arose as a musical tribute,” organizer and former LCK bandmate Jeff Moorehead said. “It should’ve been done a while ago. He’s written so many songs.”

Moorehead, who played dobro, banjo and pedal steel in “the third iteration” of the LCK, said Saturday’s line up includes a wide swath of acts from the area, including Nordstrom and his lovely wife, Shanti, opening as the Snowy Plovers. Other groups include the momentous return of Group Shower; hard-driving, longtime local faves, The Crags; and up-and-coming punk rockers Acid Wrench.

“It’s about as varied as you could expect of the music community,” Moorehead said.

Rounding out the line-up will be Nordstrom’s two main outfits, the punkier Farmington Hill, and of course, the twangier LCK.

To keep things moving along, each band will play just three songs, with the only stipulation that the songs be penned by Nordstrom. It’s sort of like a Nordstrom “cover night,” which is no accident.

“Nordstrom was an early organizer of KDUR Cover Night,” Bryant Liggett, fellow Nordfest organizer, KDUR station manager and all-around Nordstrom fanboy, said. “Without Nordstrom, it never would’ve happened.”

In fact, it may be a little known fact that, in addition to being the man who writes the songs that makes the whole town sing (with apologies for the Barry Manilow reference if you are not a fan), Nordstrom is a tireless champion of local music behind the scenes as well.

“He knows this town has potential for a great music scene and has done his best to support it,” said Liggett.

In addition to promoting, organizing and marketing shows, Liggett said Nord, as he is known to friends and fans alike, also works to foster the inner musician in us all. At festivals, he’s the first one picking in the morning, and the last one to put his instrument away at night.

“He would encourage musicians from all sides to join in,” said Liggett, a dabbling banjo player. “He always encouraged me to bring along my banjo and play it. He just wanted to make sure it wasn’t sitting in a corner.”

Liggett said he first met Nordstrom when Nord took a highly coveted (not) weekly 3-6 a.m. DJ slot on KDUR with his “Attack of the Killer Chickens” show. This was before he headed off to a full day teaching at a local middle school, mind you.

“He came into my office one day and introduced himself and handed me a flyer he had made for a Lawn

Chair Kings show at Storyville,” Liggett recalled.

A few nights later, Liggett was hanging with buddies looking for something to do. That’s when he remembered the flyer, and the three ventured down to Storyville (a former juke joint now home to Tacos Libre) to check out the show.

“They played Black Flag, Velvet Underground and quirky originals that were a cross between country and punk rock,” Liggett said. “We became fast friends after that … and here we are.”

Which, by most accounts, is 20-plus years – a veritable eternity for any band. And although, as Moorehead noted, the line-up has changed over time, one constant has been LCK bassist and Nordstrom’s right-hand man, Leek. The two hooked up via the now-defunct Bandwagon Music, where Nordstrom put out the word he was looking for a bass player, and Leek just so happened to stop in a few minutes later.

“The guy behind the counter said, ‘Hey, there was just a guy in here looking for a bass player,’” recalled Leek, who up until then had just been jamming in friends’ basements for fun. “I thought, ‘This could be cool.’ Who knew this would last for 20 years?”

Leek said perhaps the secret is a sort of yin-yang chemistry; his quiet, laid-back demeanor complementing Nordstrom’s friendly banter with the crowd and incessant attention to detail (some may even say perfectionism – from the song list to his finely curated selection of Western snap shirts). “Erik always did the heavy lifting, he made it kind of easy,” Leek said of the bookings, logistics and marketing. “He’s tireless. He’s always working… He makes it easy for a guy like me who’s not a social butterfly.”

Of course, there’s also the shared love of bands like Splitlip Rayfield, The Strokes and Uncle Tupelo (and “both sides of the Jeff Tweedy/Jay Ferrar fracture,” as Leek put it.) And of course the “gimmicks” – early shows included pink flamingos (currently MIA); prizes, like the aforementioned hot dog cooker; and even an old cathode ray TV that Leek could turn on and off with a remote control.

But above all else, Leek recalls Nordstrom’s song-writing – the constant stream of new songs to keep things interesting and fresh.

“Erik is very prolific,” said Leek. “He would show up to practice and say, ‘I went camping over the weekend and wrote four new songs.’ He just writes and writes.”

Which, for fans of his music – of which there are many – is a good thing.

“He’s awesome,” summed up Liggett. “I love Erik.” And if you do, too – or are just curious about what ever became of that old red car – show up Saturday to the Mancos Brewery (don’t forget to carpool). If you’re lucky, maybe there will even be a pink flamingo or two. ■