“Dude got a lot of face time in that Woodstock movie,” pointed out my boss, Pappi Swarner, when I mentioned I’d be covering drummer Michael Shrieve and his band Spellbinder’s performance at Jazzbones in Tacoma this Saturday.



Yes, he sure did. And for good reason.



At the ripe age of 20 — and actually just days after his birthday — Shrieve took the stage at Woodstock as part of Carlos Santana’s band, making him — among other things — the youngest performer at Woodstock. Though Shrieve would eventually leave Santana’s band to pursue solo projects, the most vivid image most music fans hold of Shrieve is of him wailing away at his kit on that historic day in Bethel, N.Y.



Though the most memorable moment of Shrieve’s career happened nearly 40 years ago, the man hasn’t exactly been sitting idly since. Shrieve is, after all, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The fact that he’s played with the likes of Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Steve Winwood, Reggie Watts and Skerik is no mistake. He’s a master of the skins and has proved it time and time again.



These days Shrieve calls Seattle home, and has created a band for his wild ideas, Spellbinder, with wide ranging and impressive musical skills — thanks to the chops of bandmates and Seattle luminaries like guitarist Danny Godinez, Hammond master Joe Doria, bassist Farko Rustamovich Dosumov and trumpet tooter John Fricke. For over a year now Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder has played weekly to adoring crowds at Seattle’s Tost, and this Friday they’ll bring that dynamic jazz fusion to Jazzbones in Tacoma.

“I had another band, Tangletown, that was a nine-piece and had two drum sets. It was a wonderful band, but with so many people it just became difficult,” explains Shrieve. “(For Spellbinder) I had an idea of how I wanted to be playing drums — light but driving. All of the musicians I knew from other places. I had something specific in mind, and we got together and started doing it.”



“It’s my project. It’s my vision. It’s what I want. I have the final say,” continues Shrieve. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing for a project to have a singular vision.”



While Spellbinder may be guided by the singular vision of Shrieve, after over a year of working together, the band — and the amazing musical DNA it’s made up of — is truly becoming one. That’s just one of the reasons that fans who may only know of Shrieve from his work with Santana are catching the Spellbinder bug in hordes.



“This is a world class band,” says Shrieve. “It has a great feel, which is why I call it Spellbinder. This band can really take you to another place. The reaction has been really wonderful.”



“(Fans of Shrieve’s work with Santana) absolutely love it,” continues Shrieve. “Because it’s real and intense. It’s something happening right before their eyes.”



Real. Intense. Talented. And jaw-dropping. All of these adjectives and more will no doubt be hurled with fervor during Spellbinder’s show this Saturday night at Jazzbones. Whether you know of him only from the Woodstock movie, or you don’t know him at all — if you’re a fan of boundary busting, new school jazz — Michael Shrieve is your man. Check him out at Jazzbones, and be on the lookout for that brown acid.



[Jazzbones, with Olivia De La Cruz, Saturday, Jan. 10, 9 p.m., $8, 2803 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma, 253.396.9169]