The debut performance of Jimmy Flames new band, Booger Sugar, was shut down by the High Dive in Fremont, just before Seattle police chased the cowbell player nicknamed Head Trauma off stage, out the door, and down the street.  Police never caught him, and neither Jimmy Flame nor The High Dive was to blame in any way for the incident.

Imperial Legions of Rome was also on the bill and played an incident free and stellar set. That band is made up of well-known rock musicians, including members of Jimmy Flame and The Sexy Boys. The band has recorded a CD that has not yet been released. I have heard the master recordings from the studio and was impressed. I have also seen Imperial Legions live and will be covering them in an upcoming Seattle Sinner story. The lead singer and guitarist is Eric Spooky Toof, who was the keyboardist for Jimmy Flame and the Sexy Boys.

“I thought we were playing a rocking show. I had no idea why they shut it down,” Said Jimmy Flame via telephone the day after the performance.

“All of a sudden the sound to my amp was turned off and cops were chasing after him. At first I had no idea what was going on.”

Jimmy Flame has had Head Trauma in his last two bands because of Head Trauma’s natural ability to work an audience and his improvisational skills on stage. His sometimes over the top stage antics sometimes fly with the audiences and other times go down in flames. There is nothing he will not try as a perfomer to evoke a response from an audience. Head Trauma is never boring live and cites GG Allen as one of his biggest influences along with David lee Roth of Van Halen.

The details of what happened to shut Booger Sugar’s first show down are as follows. The circus broke out when Head Trauma decided to use a beer bottle to play the cowbell. The bottle broke covering the stage with shards of broken glass which prompted the soundman to turn the bands sound off and turn up the house lights.

Head Trauma then began doing push ups into and rolling around in the broken glass without warning. The glass cut into his flesh and he began bleeding in many areas of his arms and chest. He was treated the next day for the injuries. The band continued playing not knowing the mayhem breaking out on stage right before them. They were used to Head Trauma’s theatrics and assumed he was just doing push ups and horsing around.

A Seattle Police officer watched in stunned disbelief and approached the stage. Head Trauma then jumped off the stage, and began running toward the front door. A Seattle Police officer immediately chased him out the front door of the High Dive. Police chased him around Fremont but he out-ran the cops.

Head Trauma is very well known in Ballard music circles and the local bars. He has played drums the for several Ballard based bands including the band Head Trauma. He also played drums for the Insurgents’ first two shows. He showed up at the gigs dressed as a Pirate; Guitar Doug and Eddie the Skull wore a Scream mask and a Skull mask. The shows frightened every customer out of the venue and were eventually shut down as well due to chaos which included mock hangings. 

Head Trauma was also the first drummer for the event called Guitar Doug’s Rock and Roll Sunday at Mr. Spots Chai House in Ballard during the spring of 2005. At the time they drew police calls and outrage in Ballard. Those were strictly improvisational masked rock jams, and Head Trauma was the perfect fit for that type of show.

Head Trauma is not just a name to this performer. In 1992, while traveling home from his mother’s home, a driver ran a stop sign. The car in which Head Trauma was traveling was hit broadside, nearly killing him instantly. He was airlifted to a California hospital where he remained in a coma for a month. It was touch and go whether or not he would live but he survived. Among the other serious injuries was severe trauma to the head and brain.

After being released from the hospital, Head Trauma underwent months of rehabilitation, both in-patient and at home. His brain injuries were so severe that he literally had to re-learn basic tasks like speaking and walking. Gradually, he began to regain his life and the ability to work and play music again. He began drumming in 5th grade when he saved up $300 dollars and bought a vintage 4 piece Ludwig drum set. He had to re-learn to drum again.

After being offered a union demolition job in Seattle, Head Trauma headed north. He eventually settled in Ballard and began making musical contacts through Mr. Spots Thursday night open mic. That open mic is the longest running open mic in Seattle and hosted by MC Nuts. Nuts is also the guitarist for the band named Head trauma which is based in Ballard and includes Donovan Raymond on bass, who is also the bass player for the Pure Circus Midway Orchestra.

After meeting Jimmy Flame in Ballard, the pair became instant friends, and Jimmy added Head Trauma to the line-up of Jimmy Flame and The Sexy Boys. He then brought back Head Trauma for his new project called Booger Sugar. This was the first incident to ever cause a show to be shut down or for police to become involved while working with Jimmy Flame.

Head Trauma has also been brought on board for several national touring acts including Zeke and Nashville Pussy.  He has recently begun modeling as well and is the ad model for the new Mecca restaurant ad which appears in this months Seattle Sinner magazine. If you have not had the chance to see Head Trauma work his magic, check out the next Booger Sugar show. There is also talk of the band head Trauma doing more shows in upcoming months, and Head Trauma playing more shows with The Insurgents. He will once again wear a pirate outfit with The Insurgents.