Listings 1/26-2/1
Issue #29
I’m excited to share that starting this Friday I will be joining the team at Cascadia Daily News as a contributing writer, covering the local music scene. I’m going to have a weekly column there which will look very familiar to readers of this newsletter. There will be news items, picks of the week, occasional album roundups, etc. I’m also going to help maintain a comprehensive, searchable events calendar. The plan is that for a month or so I will continue publishing in both places. This newsletter will still have the calendar and some news, but the picks of the week will be over there. Once everything is up and running smoothly there I will be closing down this newsletter and you’ll need to go to CDN for all the coverage.
Please, now more than ever, continue to send me your music news! Also, the coverage area will now be extending to cover all of Whatcom County and possibly beyond. So if there’s stuff going on in Blaine, Birch Bay, Ferndale, Lynden, Glacier, wherever, I will want to hear about it.
For paid subscribers, I’ll be cancelling all payments whenever I stop publishing the newsletter, unless you want me to do it sooner. If you made an annual payment you’ll get a prorated refund at that time.
This week’s live music events:
Wednesday 1/26
Jerry Steinhilber Trio, Sylvia Center, 7 pm: jazz
The Rhetorician, Sam Ashkenazy, Underground Coffeehouse, 7 pm: hip hop, R&B
Thursday 1/27
Mark Hunter Band, Kulshan, 6 pm: funky jazz
After the Third Shot, Twin Sisters, 6 pm: world/ roots
Hannah Wyatt, John Swanke, Honey Moon, 8 pm: singer-songwriter
Keys N Krates, Wild Buffalo, 9 pm: electronic
Friday 1/28
Free Harmony, Culture Cafe, 6 pm: classic rock and pop
La Fever Dream, Skylark’s, 7 pm: acoustic Americana
Bilongo w/ Sabrina Gomez, Firehouse PAC, 7 pm: Latin jazz
Tympanica, Fireside, 7 pm
Hambone Wilson and Jan Peters, Aslan, 7 pm: blues
Crooked Constellation, Sylvia Center, 7:30 pm: bluegrass
Film School, somesurprises, New Age Healers, Shakedown, 9 pm
Saturday 1/29
JP Falcon and Jan Peters, Greene’s Corner, 6 pm: folk/ country/ blues
Jeffrey Slough, Skylark’s, 7 pm: acoustic covers
Muppet Fetish, Well Adjusted, Dead Feds, Shakedown, 9 pm: punk
Sunday 1/30
Gail Pettis Quartet, Firehouse PAC, 4 pm: jazz
The Dream Goats, Kulshan, 5 pm: folk
Yonder Mountain String Band, Wild Buffalo, 8 pm: bluegrass
Monday 1/31
Carly Ann Calbero, Kulshan, 6 pm: singer-songwriter
Tuesday 2/1
Picks of the Week:
For jazz fans and salsa dancers alike, head to the Firehouse PAC in Fairhaven on Friday for Bilongo featuring Sabrina Gomez. It’s a much delayed release party for their fantastic 2020 CD, “¡Ahora!”. Also at the Firehouse this weekend is the great Seattle jazz singer Gail Pettis, leading a quartet at 4 pm on Sunday.
For bluegrass and folk fans, locals Crooked Constellation are recording a live album at the Sylvia Center on Friday. This could be your chance to get your cheering and applause immortalized on an album. There’s also Colorado bluegrass stars Yonder Mountain String Band, who will be at the Wild Buffalo on Sunday
If you’re looking for loud guitars, head to the Shakedown on Saturday for a three band show headlined by old-school local punkers Muppet Fetish. For some live electronica, check out Keys N Krates on Thursday at the Buffalo.
Ongoing weekly events:
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
Sunday Robert Sarazin Blake livestream 5 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
Tuesday jazz night, Aslan, 7 pm
News and Upcoming Events:
Make.Shift has announced they won’t be doing live shows for a while. It makes sense when you think about their tight space, but it’s too bad, because they had some great shows lined up for January. Hopefully all those shows can be rescheduled. As a silver lining of sorts, they have plans to begin producing a regular half hour tv show combining filmed live performances with interviews. Looking forward to those!
Speaking of all-ages venues, there’s another one on the horizon! The Blue Room is coming soon to the space at the corner of Holly and Railroad, above KPop Chicken and Beer. You can check out their fundraiser here. I’ll have a full interview with the folks behind it in Cascadia Daily News next week.
There’s another Bandcamp Friday coming up on February 4th! A great chance to support local musicians directly with some cash. Who is on your wishlist? I’m loving this live EP from Bird Senses Danger.
Whatcom Talk had a nice profile of local folk musician Tracy Spring.
Thank you all for your support of this newsletter. 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!