Wheedle's Groove has its day ... and week

It's official, by mayoral decree: Tomorrow is "Wheedle's Groove Day"!

Stateth Mayor McGinn via public proclamation (i.e. e-mailed press release):

"Whereas Wheedle's Groove is a coming together of Seattle's finest funk and soul musicians; and ... whereas Wheedle's Groove is also full length documentary film that highlights the legacy of the soul and funk community; and... Whereas the band and the filmmakers have shared an important glimpse into what would have otherwise become a lost piece of Seattle's rich and diverse musical legacy... Therefore I do hereby proclaim Saturday, September 4, 2010 to be Wheedle's Groove Day."

Amen!

A pair of compilation albums (with a third coming next year), a veteran all-star band, an award-winning documentary film, and now a Day: Wheedle's Groove is a significant part of life in Seattle going back 40 years. Know it or not, it's a landmark phenomenon that transcends era, race and trend, unfixing the music and musicians from history's amber to produce a living, breathing force of culture.

Naming the band, the album and the film collectively creates a de facto, Seattle-based brand. And this week — it should really be Wheedle's Groove Week — Wheedles' Groove gets its launch.

"Wheedle's Groove," the documentary, premieres at Northwest Film Forum tonight with a special post-screening performance by Pastor Patrinell Staten Wright & the Total Experience Gospel Choir. The film plays through Sept. 9; the Sept. 8 screening will be followed by a performance by keyboardist Overton Berry, one of Wheedle's dapperest dudes; Sept. 9 will be followed by a Q&A with narrator Sir Mix-A-Lot and star DJ Supreme La Rock.

The big ballyhoo comes Saturday at Bumbershoot, as the Wheedle's Groove band — 25 strong, with several newly found members — takes the State Farm Stage (aka Fisher Green Stage) for an hourlong performance at 3:45 p.m. This is every Seattleites chance to be a part of history as it happens.

Jonathan Zwickel: 206-464-3239 or jzwickel@seattletimes.com