Weekend memorial, benefit concert at Cafe Racer for shooting victims

In this Wednesday, May 30, 2012 photo, mourners place flowers and candles in front of Cafe Racer in Seattle, where a gunman killed four people earlier in the day. (AP Photo/seattlepi.com, Sofia Jaramillo)

The grieving continues this weekend outside Seattle’s
Cafe Racer, scene of Wednesday’s horrible shooting that
left four people dead.

But friends and family are vowing to honor the victim’s
memories with a special gathering Saturday and benefit
concert Sunday at the popular gathering spot.

“It’s one of those kind of corny things to say, but
those dudes would not want us to stop or for that amazing
place to shut down on their account,” says Andrew Swanson,
co-founder of the “Racer Sessions”, a weekly jam session
that draws an eclectic mix of musicians and followers form
all walks of life. Among them, Drew Keriakedes, 49, and
Joe Albanese,52, better known as the beloved Smootzi the
Clod and Meshuguna Joe of the quirky circus-folk
collective God’s Favorite Beefcake.

“It’s unimagineable, it sounds like this platitude to
hear it coming out of your mouth but you never think it
can happen to you and when it happens to these kind of
people too…and someone who is so well liked in the
community it’s insane. Its really shaken everything to
its core here,” Swanson says.

Along with the Drew and Joe, also killed in the
shooting were Kimberly Layfield, 36, and 57-year-old
Donald Largen, regulars at the cafe.

Swanson says a special benefit concert will be held in
the alley behind the Cafe Sunday night, and the music of
God’s Favorite Beefcake will play prominently.

And despite playing around town for years and recording
several albums, Swanson says a rough cell phone recording
of Drew and Joe performing the band’s haunting song
Isabella best captures the spirit of their music,
punctuated by the pair laughing at the end.

“I’ve seen that song performed so many times in rooms
and it’s as if the whole place collapses around Drew when
he’s playing it and people cry for that song…pretty
remarkable stuff.”

The memorial for the four victims takes place Saturday
at 12:30 p.m while the benefit concert will be held Sunday
night at 8 p.m.

You can hear a lot more of our interview with Andrew
Swanson Sunday at 3 p.m. with my co-host Chris Kornelis
and me on Seattle Sounds on 97.3 KIRO FM.

-Josh Kerns/Seattle Sounds co-host