RON SWARNER: GOOD TIMES >>>

I was a big fan of the band Sage back in the '90s. While everyone's heads were still spinning with grunge, this Seattle trio â€" bassist Guy Davis, guitarist Marc Olsen and drummer Mike Williamson â€" played on the more mellow side, laced with middle-eastern guitar and bass rifts.

The memories flooded back today when Sage played the Rockstar Stage at Bumbershoot. Atmospheric, with feedback and an amazing, heavy, funky bassline, the trio ran through their hits, including my favorite, "freDDy."

Looking for a Tacoma connection? Williamson is brother to Robb Williamson, the bassist of My Name, the defunct pop punk Tacoma band that landed a record deal on C/Z Records in 1992; and also brother to Skip Williamson who opened Temple of the Bean, the former popular coffee joint where Satellite Coffee now resides.