Hello, music fans of Cascadia! I’m excited to be introducing myself to you today as a contributing writer for the Cascadia Daily News, focusing on our local music scene.
Ever since I was young I’ve been fascinated by music and the power it has to build community. I started playing guitar at the age of 12 and gradually branched out to a couple other instruments.
I moved to Bellingham in 2004 and have been involved with the music scene in various ways ever since. I’ve played in a bunch of bands, seen some amazing shows, and enjoyed being part of the community. Currently, I play in three very different groups. With the Moving Hats I play traditional Irish and American folk music. The Wyrds focuses on political post-punk, and in the “live-action reboot” of local legends No-Fi Soul Rebellion we favor dance-y but noisy pop.
Outside of band rehearsals, I spend a lot of time with my family. My kids are ages 13 and 9 and both are starting to play instruments. I’m also the creator and owner of the Eureka Room, an escape room business in downtown Bellingham.
Last spring, when live music started to reemerge from pandemic-induced shutdown, I noticed a lot of people who were interested in hearing live music were struggling to find a comprehensive source for online listings, so I started an email newsletter on Substack to provide those. Putting the Bellingham Music Digest together has been a lot of fun and has given me many new insights into how our local music scene functions. Now I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this music news to a wider audience.
As a college town located near a major metropolis, our live music scene inevitably goes through a lot of turnover. My hope for this column is to cover a wide range of genres in a way that is both inviting for new fans, and also insightful for longtime local music lovers. I have wide-ranging tastes and promise to do my best to give every genre a fair shake (even if the genre is something I’m not personally into).
The Beat Goes On will include music news, suggested highlights of the week, and occasional short reviews of new releases. To make this truly successful, though, I’m going to need your help. Is there a show you think I might not know about, or a recently released album I haven’t mentioned? Did you and your friends just start a new band and you want to tell the world? Email me at jsbhammusic@gmail.com or send me a direct message on Twitter @JSBhamMusic. If there’s a genre or scene I’m not covering and you’ve got the scoop, I want to hear all about it.
In an era of infinite choices and microscopic sub-genres, there’s great value in discovering music being made right next door by your friends and neighbors. I hope you’ll join me as we rebuild this community into something new and vital.
Let’s get things started with some great shows happening this weekend.
For jazz fans and salsa dancers alike, at 7 p.m. on Friday head to the Firehouse Arts and Events Center in Fairhaven for Bilongo featuring Sabrina Gomez. It’s a much-delayed release party for their fantastic 2020 CD, “¡Ahora!” Also at the Firehouse at 4 p.m. Sunday is the great Seattle jazz singer Gail Pettis, leading a quartet.
For bluegrass and folk fans, locals Crooked Constellation are recording a live album at the Sylvia Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. This could be your chance to get your cheering and applause immortalized on an album. In the same vein, Colorado bluegrass stars Yonder Mountain String Band will be at the Wild Buffalo at 8 p.m. Sunday night.
If you’re looking for loud guitars, head to the Shakedown at 9 p.m. Saturday for a three-band show headlined by old-school local punkers Muppet Fetish. Or, if electronic music for dancing is your thing, then check out “Wobble Night” at the Wild Buffalo, also at 9 p.m.Saturday, featuring a collection of DJs and producers “on the cutting edge of experimental bass music”.
