End of Year Special, plus Listings 12/22-12/28

Issue #24

The Wandering Seas in Fairhaven. They’ll be performing at the Firehouse this week. Picture by Leland Anderson.

As you might expect there are just a very few live music listings this week. So I thought it would be a good time for some (slightly tongue-in-cheek) end of the year observations and awards. I’m not going to try to do a top 10 list but if you haven’t already make sure to check out the two Bandcamp roundups I did earlier in the year. We’ll be back to the regular format next week!

Best Fan: This question came up recently on the Whatcom Musicians and Friends Facebook group, and there was a strong consensus that it has to be Leland Anderson. He seems to go to every show, and to take great pictures everywhere he goes. This newsletter would have been a lot less interesting to look at it if it weren’t for his pictures.

Best Stunt: With all due sympathy to anyone who was trying to sleep at the time, this has to go to Stillvettas popping up on a downtown corner and playing until they got shut down.

Best Companion Piece: The Spine Readers album The Hook and the Snake comes packaged with a comic book. You read the first part of the book, then listen to the album, then finish the book, and everything ties together. More bands should think about finding ways to present their music in such interesting contexts. Also shout out to Wandering Seas for including sheet music pdfs so you can learn to play any of the tunes on their fine album.

The Airing of Grievances: Bands and venues, when you want to announce a gig on social media, please don’t only put it in a “story” that is hard to read, disappears in a few seconds, and then is hard to find again. Make an “event” so that when someone like me searches for “events near me” it comes up and I can write about it. Trust me, it will be worth it. Thank you.

Best Trend: In the past house shows have been pretty disorganized affairs, but the Kids These Days appear to have taken the business of house shows to a pretty professional level. Actual stages, lights, publicity, the works.

The Saddest News: Has to be hearing that the old Green Frog/ Firefly stage was being taken down. I get it, running a venue is hard work and it makes much better business sense to just have a nice calm brewery. Can’t blame the new owners, but it’s still hard not to be disappointed. Also sorry to hear about other venues like Thousand Acres and the Beach Store Cafe.

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business: I haven’t exactly done the math on this but I have been putting together these listings for the last six months and you do notice some patterns. Between Baby Cakes, Super Funks, various duos and trios and now a weekly solo show, I’m pretty sure Miles Harris takes the crown for sheer number of gigs.

My Best Bandcamp Surprises: Since starting this newsletter, I regularly browse the “Bellingham” tag on Bandcamp looking for interesting new music, plus people send me their links. So I spend a fair amount of time clicking on music without a whole lot of expectations one way or the other. The two albums this year that made me sit up and go “hey, wait a second, this is really cool” were Motor Oil for Yr Mind by Cold Sludge, and I Only Have Memories of Dancing, by Emma Etc.

Event Of The Year: It was very impressive how fast the organizers were able to pull Whatcom Live Aid together and raise a whole bunch of money to help those affected by the flooding. Huge kudos to everyone involved in that!

Bands Of The Year: There were two groups who I found myself writing about all the time. Whether it was dropping a new single, landing some sweet gig, getting press in out of town media, both Cat Valley and Analog Brass seemed like they were always up to something. They both put out excellent recordings this year and seem primed for even bigger things next year.

So those are some of my scattered observations. Take them with all the grains of salt you want, and please do sound off in the comments. What am I missing, what were your favorites from the year, what are you looking forward to next year?

Blood Capsules at the Wild Buffalo. Picture by Michael Erickson.

This week’s live music events:

On Wednesday the 22nd, Thomas Harris Quartet plays jazz at the Sylvia Center at 7 pm. On Friday the 24th Robert Sarazin Blake is doing an online Christmas Show, and Jan Peters and Kera-Lynne Newman will play Celtic instrumentals at Boundary from 12:30 to 2. I don’t normally list karaoke but the only thing happening the night of the 25th is karaoke with Aireekah at the Wild Buffalo, so if you want to get out of the house you do have that option, and it should be a lot of fun. Sunday you’ve got two folky/ Celtic choices with the Devilies at Kulshan at 5 or Gallowglass and the Wandering Seas at the Firehouse at 6. Monday there’s Tea Seas Trio doing funky, jazzy instrumentals at Kulshan at 6.

Ongoing weekly events (Many of these may be cancelled this week, especially on Friday and Saturday. I would suggest checking with the venues before you go):

• Wednesday Aaron Guest on piano, Boundary, 6 pm

• Wednesday The Local Jam 102.3 7-8 pm: local music on the radio

• Wednesday The Goods Gals, Menace, 7-9 pm: Celtic folk

• Wednesday Open Mic, Honeymoon, 8:30 pm

• Thursday Open Mic, KPop Chicken, 5-9 pm

• Thursday Irish Session, Uisce, 7-9:30

• Thursday Salsa classes, Love to Move Studio, 7:30 pm

• Friday live music, Lighthouse Grill, 5:30 pm: jazz/ lounge

• Friday Open Mic, Snowy River, 8 pm

• Saturday Singer’s Saturday, Fireside, 3:30-6:30

• Saturday live music, Lighthouse Grill, 5:30 pm: jazz/ lounge

• Saturday Otto’s Hour, local music on KZAX 94.9, 6-7 pm

• Monday Irish Session, Greene’s Corner, 6-8 pm

• Monday Miles Harris Boundary Bay 6-8

• Tuesday Lindy at the Leo, 6 pm: swing dancing

• Tuesday Paul Klein on piano, Boundary, 6 pm

News and Upcoming Events:

New Years Eve is just around the corner. Shows that I’m aware of so far where you might want to get tickets in advance are The Walrus at Twin Sisters, Daikaiju, Whatcom County Angels, and Proud Failures at The Shakedown, Petty or Not and Baby Cakes at the Wild Buffalo, and Munch Ink. at Boundary Bay. Cheryl Hodge will be at the Fireside from 7 to 9 that night, and Paws for a Beer just announced they will have live music from Diego Romero and Vendovi.

Doran, a folk group with some local connections, had their latest release named to the Guardian’s Top 10 Folk Albums of 2021, so congratulations are to them!

Bellinghome School of Music is teaming up with Zeek’s Pizza to do some live music in that space. On January 4th they’re doing an open mic with a few featured artists, and it sounds like there are plans for more events to come, typically on the first Tuesday of each month.

A lot of musicians seem to be teasing new releases right now. So far I’ve heard rumors of new music being imminent from Mount Saturn, Joostaberry, Bird Senses Danger, and Cold Sludge. Looking forward to seeing what 2022 brings!

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Comment below with what music you are looking forward to this week. Musicians and venues: email bellinghammusicdigest@gmail.com if you’ve got news you want included next week!