In a week dominated by St. Patrick’s Day, I want to let you know about some good Irish-related options, as well as a few things completely unrelated. We’ve also got a great new metal album from Mount Saturn to talk about.
First, one neat bit of news: The Jansen Art Center in Lynden is hosting a Battle of the Bands for young musicians. Contestants will submit recordings, and finalists will be chosen based on those. Then there will be a concert in May to determine the winner. Prizes include studio time and cash. More information is at jansenartcenter.org/battle-of-the-bands.
Picks of the Week
As one might expect, locals have a lot of places to drink beer and hear traditional folk music on Thursday, March 17. Boundary Bay, Uisce, Kulshan and Twin Sisters are all good possibilities there.
If you want something a little less traditional, head to The Shakedown for Ramblxr. This is a project that was a big hit at the Bellingham Folk Festival, featuring Elias Alexander mixing live bagpipes and fiddle with looping, synths and electronic beats.
If you want your electronic beats undiluted by fiddle you could also just head to The Wild Buffalo and catch The Librarian. A fun rock show headlined by Checker Bloom is also on the Thursday night schedule at Schweinhaus Biergarten.
Friday’s highlights include Mount Saturn’s album release and a stacked hip-hop lineup at The Blue Room.
If you didn’t get enough traditional music on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 19 has two great options in calmer settings than rowdy bars. Two of our finest local acts in the Celtic folk vein, Gallowglass and the Wandering Seas, are teaming up for a concert at the Firehouse. That same night, Grammy Award-winning fiddler Eileen Ivers (that’s her on the original recording of “Riverdance”) will be at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon.
Saturday is also a great night if you’re looking for some classic rock, with The Walrus at The Wild Buffalo and The Atlantics at The Conway Muse.
Featured Artist
Mount Saturn dropped the great “Kiss the Ring” EP back in 2019 and seemed like they might even be on their way to wider recognition. COVID-19 may have interrupted their momentum a bit but now they are putting out their first full-length, and it’s a doozy. “O, Great Moon” unleashes six tracks of psychedelic doom metal that absolutely explode from your speakers. They’re celebrating its release on Friday at The Shakedown with Dryland and Akrasia.
Live Music Schedule for March 16 to 22
Wednesday, March 16
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish Grill: 6 p.m., Judd Wasserman (singer-songwriter)
Thursday, March 17
Boundary Bay Beer Garden: 5 p.m., Robert Sarazin Blake (folk)
Boundary Bay Taproom: noon, The Devilies, Cayley and Clea, Michael Connelly, Lindsay Street (folk)
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Katie and Kevin (folk)
Kulshan: 4 p.m., Gallowglass, Calaskan (traditional folk)
Schweinhaus: 8 p.m., Checker Bloom, City of Pines, Roland Olayvar (rock)
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Ramblxr, Schmid and Guest (folk/ electronic)
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Twin Sisters: 6 p.m., Maguire’s Kick (Irish pub songs)
Uisce, 4 p.m., The Devilies, The Moving Hats (folk)
Wild Buffalo, 9 p.m., The Librarian, Korra the Kid, Cables, PRPTR8R (electronic)
Friday, March 18
Blue Room: 8 p.m., Poison Jams, Salem Hush, Cash McClane, Mostafa (hip-hop)
Fireside: 7 p.m., Free Harmony (classic pop and rock)
Glynn’s Shamrock Pub: 8 p.m., The Moving Hats (Irish/ folk)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Traesti Darling (folk)
Lighthouse: 7:30 p.m., Tim Volpicella (jazz)
Shakedown: 8:30 p.m., Mount Saturn, Dryland, Akrasia (metal)
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., Jed Crisologo (singer-songwriter)
That’s What I Like: 7 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
The Vault: 7 p.m., The Unknowns (jazz/ pop)
Saturday, March 19
Big Rock Woolley Market: 6:30 p.m., Lion of Judah Band (reggae)
Blue Room: 7 p.m., WWU chamber ensembles
Conway Muse: 9 p.m., The Atlantics (classic rock)
Firehouse PAC: 7 p.m., Gallowglass, Wandering Seas (traditional folk)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Virginia Rail (bluegrass)
Lighthouse: 7:30 p.m., Marvin Johnson (jazz)
Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Eileen Ivers (traditional Irish)
Menace: 5 p.m., Goodtime Hustle, The High Council, GLYF (jam bands)
Rockfish Grill: 7:30 p.m., Cascadia Groove (jazz/ funk/ Latin)
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., J.P. Falcon Grady (blues/ folk/ rock)
Wild Buffalo: 6 p.m., The Walrus (classic rock)
Sunday, March 20
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Monday, March 21
Firehouse PAC: 3:30 p.m., Paul Klein
Tuesday, March 22
Aslan: 7 p.m., Jazz Night featuring Julian MacDonough and friends
Boundary Bay: 6 p.m., Paul Klein, Piano and Pints fundraiser
Jesse Stanton’s music column, The Beat Goes On, runs every Wednesday. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic
