The Battle of the Bands' The Dynamics vs. The Bootmen, at Capital Pavillion, Olympia, WA, April 16, 1966
This poster advertises a ‘Battle of the Bands’ style performance by The Dynamics and The Bootmen. The performance was organized by student leadership at St. Martin’s College (now St. Martin’s University) and hosted at the school’s Capital Pavillion, which was still under construction and wouldn’t be completed until 1968.
The Dynamics formed in 1959 around founding members, Terry Afdem (b. unknown), Jeff Afdem (b. unknown), and Pete Borg (1944-2010) and featured a rotating mix of members until they disbanded in 1968. The group enjoyed moderate success playing at house parties and at the teen dances organized by local DJ Pat O’Day (1934-2020). Most of the Dynamics’ singles and albums were produced by the record label, Seafair, or its sister, Seafair-Bolo. Seafair was owned and operated by Tom and Ellen Ogilvy, whose son would join the band in 1961 under the stage name Jimmy Hanna (b. unknown). The first Rock ‘N’ Roll single Seafair released was the Dynamics’ “Onion Salad.” Although the band only lasted until 1968, many former members continued performing with other local groups or found success as independent musicians. Hanna led his own band for a number of years before becoming a music instructor; Larry Coryell (1943-2017) was a successful Jazz guitarist, playing with a number of bands including the Free Spirits; trumpeter Mark Doubleday (1943-2004) performed for groups including Electric Flag and Janis Joplin (1943-1970); and drummer Ron Woods (b. unknown) worked with artists such as Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) and Barry Goldberg (b. 1942).
The Bootmen, from Tacoma, Washington, formed in 1964. Their style of Instrumental Rock was influenced by another Tacoma band, The Wailers, who had achieved national recognition in the preceding years. The Bootmen recorded a handful of singles but ultimately disbanded by 1966. Three band members, Ron Gardner (1945-1992), Neil Andersson (b. unknown) and Dave Roland (b. unknown), joined The Wailers and performed on their albums.
