Blue Room News
The wait is over, Bellingham’s newest live music venue has arrived! The Blue Room kicks it off with a show headlined by the slick dance jams of Foxy Apollo on Friday, March 4, then brings in some jazz and funky rock on Saturday, March 5. Starting next week, they are also going to have open mics on Thursdays. Over the years I’ve heard a lot of people express the desire for an all-ages venue like this, or just a place to see music that wasn’t also a bar. Now that we have it, I hope that as a community we can come together to support it.
Tour stops and local love
This is an incredibly strong week for touring acts coming through town, and there’s something happening this week for just about any music fan. Thursday starts things off at the Mount Baker Theatre with Jason Isbell, one of the very finest songwriters working in the rock/country/Americana vein right now. He’s even got Grammy winner Shawn Colvin along as an opening act. On Friday, there are quite a few early shows downtown you can check out if you are out doing the First Friday Art Walk, ranging from punk to folk to jazz. Another option is GrooveBot, partying at Zeeks Pizza to help celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Bellinghome School of Music. Later that night you’ve got the intensely brutal riffage of Sumac at the Shakedown, or Danish pop star MØ at the Wild Buffalo. She’s swinging by Bellingham on one of her days off from a tour, opening arena shows for Imagine Dragons.
Saturday night at the Wild Buffalo brings Willdabeast, whose blend of electronic beats with live horns has made them one of the biggest acts in town. They’re promising a huge show with lots of new music and next-level visual effects. Over at the Shakedown that night Whalien is heading up a bill of jammy, funky rock.
That would already be a lot for one week of music in a city this size, but it’s not over yet. On Sunday, March 6 enjoy classical music with the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra at the Mount Baker Theatre, bluegrass and old-time tunes with Pert Near Sandstone at the Shakedown, and jazz with the Bill Anschell Quartet at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center. This is all topped off by the outrageous stage antics of MarchFourth Marching Band at the Buffalo. This Portland-based crew of horns, drummers and the occasional stilt walker have been favorites around here for a while, responsible for at least one absolutely legendary Downtown Sounds performance.
Even Tuesday, March 8 gets into the act with the great traditional Irish band Dervish at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon and the political rap of Brother Ali at the Wild Buffalo. Tuesdays also now feature a regular jazz night featuring Julian MacDonough and his carefully chosen crew of top players, at Aslan with no cover.
Live music calendar for March 3–8
Thursday, March 3
Alger Rhythms, 6:30 p.m., Menace: rock covers
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Shawn Colvin, 7 p.m., Mount Baker Theatre: country/ rock
Jazz Jam, 8 p.m., Honey Moon
Izthmi, Melancholia, Nurser, 8:30 p.m., Shakedown: metal
Friday, March 4
Cuchulain, 6 p.m., Kulshan: folk
Foxy Apollo, Roland Olayvar, Ceras, 7 p.m., Blue Room
Cat Valley, The Wyrds, 7 p.m., Wink Wink: punk
Nuages, 7 p.m., Uisce: gypsy jazz
The Dream Goats, 7 p.m., Honey Moon: folk
Virginia Rail Duo, 7 p.m., Skylark’s: bluegrass
GrooveBot, 7:30 p.m., Zeeks Pizza: funk/ R&B covers
Traesti Darling, 8 p.m., Honey Moon: folk
Sumac, Blood Spore, Zachary Watkins, 9 p.m., Shakedown: metal
MØ, guests, 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo: electronic/ pop
Saturday, March 5
Diego Romero Band, WWU Jazz Band, WWU Jazz Combos, 7 p.m. Blue Room
Corwin Zekely Duo, 7 p.m., Skylark’s: world/ roots
Crooked Constellation, 7 p.m., Menace: bluegrass
Dream Goats, 8 p.m., Honey Moon: folk
Mutiny Bay, 8 p.m., Main Street Bar and Grill: hard rock
Whalien, Moose Almighty, Bob Fossil, 9 p.m., Shakedown: funky rock
Willdabeast, Gold*ish, SLAYDE, Samora, 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo: electronic
Sunday, March 6
WWU Concert Choir, 3 p.m., WWU PAC
Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, 3 p.m., Mount Baker Theatre: classical
Bill Anschell Quartet, 4 p.m, Firehouse PAC: jazz
Pert Near Sandstone, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, 7:30 p.m., the Shakedown: bluegrass/ folk
MarchFourth, guests, 8:30 p.m., Wild Buffalo: marching band
Monday, March 7
Cheryl Hodge, 3 p.m., Firehouse PAC: jazz/ pop
WWU Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., WWU PAC: classical
Tuesday, March 8
Jazz night, 7 p.m., Aslan
Dervish, 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Theatre: traditional Irish
Brother Ali, MaLLy, DJ Last Word, 9 p.m., Wild Buffalo: hip-hop
