(WSB photos/video by Patrick Sand)

We weren’t surprised to find a store-and-café-filling crowd at Easy Street Records tonight for kinder-rock star Caspar Babypants – but there was something – someone – unexpected during our visit – when CB played “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

He introduced a saxophone soloist as only “Max the Weasel” – see and hear in our video:

Quite coincidentally, and unrelated to tonight’s show, we realized later, we had heard about Max just a day earlier.

He’s Max Czerwinski, a West Seattle High School senior and participant in the school music program, whose director Ethan Thomas e-mailed us Friday to point out that Max had spent an hour last week as a guest jazz DJ on KNKX radio. Here’s the link, including the show, and Max’s musings – even his playlist. As for how Max wound up playing with Caspar Babypants tonight – he told us they met outside Safeco Field when Max was busking, and talked about the collaboration over time. (Our archives also show he was one of the student buskers who played in spots including outside Easy Street to raise money for a new tuba.)

P.S. Tonight’s show at Easy Street was part of West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays.

HH happenings continue tomorrow at the Farmers’ Market with free Santa Trolley rides and the cocoa and coat drive, 10 am-2 pm.