Although we’re only in the early weeks of spring, summer is beckoning and festivals both new and old are putting together music lineups that are sure to wow. I’ll be doing a summer festival roundup in the near future, but in the meantime, read on for details about a new event in the heart of Bellingham merging music and mountain bikes.
Northwest news
I had heard that the Northwest Tune-Up mountain bike festival, scheduled for July 8-10, was going to have some live music. It was an exciting surprise to get the news that it’s basically a full-fledged music festival (in addition to all the mountain biking). Reggie Watts, Wolf Parade and PJ Morton are the headliners, but other area favorites making appearances include Black Belt Eagle Scout, Skiitour, The Dip, Devotchka and Kuinka. Cat Valley will represent the local scene.
Picks of the week
The Jazz Explosion is a stacked lineup of some of the best jazz players in the area (Josh Cook, Thomas Harris, Blake Angelos, etc.), organized by Jerry Steinhilber. They’ll be at the Sylvia Center for the Arts on Wednesday, April 13.
Bob Mould is a post-punk legend known for his work with Hüsker Dü and Sugar. These days he alternates between touring with a band and doing solo electric shows. As part of Mount Baker Theatre’s “Lookout Sessions” concert series, he’ll be making a solo appearance Friday, April 15 at MBT’s intimate Walton Theatre. On Sunday, April 17, the great Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer will add her talents to the “Lookout” lineup.
Maria Muldaur is a veteran of the folk/rock scene going back to the early 1960s and was even a singer with the Jerry Garcia Band. She’ll be at the Lincoln Theatre Friday, April 15 with her Bluesiana Band bringing blues, R&B and “swamp funk” to the stage. As far as locals go, there’s a great show at the Blue Room on Friday night, highlighted by the guitar pop of Bird Senses Danger.
If you enjoy the kind of experimental rock where you absolutely never know what’s going to happen next, check out The Sheen on Saturday, April 16 at The Shakedown.
Tuesday, April 19 brings another strong rock show at the Blue Room, including Seattle’s Supercrush and featuring local guitar hero Sean Meyer.
Live Music Calendar
Wednesday, April 13
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish Grill: 6 p.m., Cory Vincent (grunge/blues)
Sylvia Center: 7 p.m., The Jazz Explosion
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Thursday, April 14
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., The Moving Hats (Irish/ folk)
Kulshan Trackside: 6 p.m., Steve Webb and the Great Mad Swirl (Americana/reggae/soul)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Triacs, Laamb, The Hobby (rock)
Twin Sisters: 6 p.m., Nakos and Katie (bluegrass/folk)
Friday, April 15
Aslan: 8 p.m., Miles Harris Band ft. Kelly O’Neill
Blue Room: 8 p.m., Bird Senses Danger, Magenta Wave, Meghan Hayes
Big Rock Woolley Market: 7 p.m., Thomas Sandblom
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Jack Parker
Fireside: 7 p.m., Penny Stinkers (acoustic rock)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Hambone Wilson/ Jan Peters Blues Configuration
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Fritz and the Freeloaders (acoustic rock)
Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Maria Muldaur
Mount Baker Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Bob Mould, Vic Bondi
Shakedown: 9 p.m., The Sheen, i.o., Pyrocene (rock)
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., Will Byrne (acoustic covers)
Vault: 7 p.m., Sigge the Vintage Man (folk)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Free Funk Friday
Saturday, April 16
Beach at Birch Bay: 4 p.m., Blind Fate (classic rock)
Blue Room: 8 p.m., Marshall Law Band, Addee, know cap. (R&B/hip hop)
Big Rock Woolley Market: 7 p.m., Criminal Squirrel Orchestra
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Toby Brady
Boundary: 1 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Desolation Sound (rock)
Fireside: 3:30 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Karate Church: 7:30 p.m., Cat Valley, Worldwide Levitation, Pyrocene
Lighthouse: 7:30 p.m., Tim Volpicella (jazz)
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., Savage Blues Band
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., J.P. Falcon Grady (folk/ rock)
Sunday, April 17
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Kulshan: 5 p.m., The Devilies (Irish/ folk)
Monday, April 18
Firehouse: 3:30 p.m., Song Wranglers (acoustic Americana)
Kulshan: 6 p.m., Maddie Pritchard (folk/ pop)
Mount Baker Theatre, 7 p.m., Sarah Harmer (folk/ rock)
Wild Buffalo: 8 p.m., Dizzy Wright, Demrick, Toksikk, more (hip-hop)
Tuesday, April 19
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz night
Beach at Birch Bay: 6:30 p.m., Open Mic
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Careen, Supercrush, Mo Troper
Wild Buffalo: 8 p.m., Shwayze, Wes Walker (hip-hop/ pop)
Before heading out to listen to live music, check with individual venues to make sure the event is still taking place as scheduled.
Jesse Stanton’s music column, The Beat Goes On, runs Wednesdays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic
