Madam Monarch are one of the very best of the younger generation of Bellingham-based rock groups. Combining crunchy rock riffs with epic vocal hooks, they just might remind you of your favorite alternative rock bands of the ’90s (especially the ones with female singers). Although they can get heavy at times, it’s a mix of influences that is grounded in joy and excitement.
Drummer Baylee Harper and singer/bassist Maddy Wyse have been playing together since high school, launching Madam Monarch in 2021 with guitarist Taylor Mastin. They’ve since added guitarist Tristan White to help fill out the sound as a four-piece.
The band quickly developed a strong following both here and in Seattle. Since many of their fans are students, they try to play all-ages shows as much as possible. So far they have two singles out for streaming.
They’ve got some big moves in the works, including a new single, “Leviathan,” on July 18, a full album later in the year, and touring in the fall. You can catch them Sunday, July 2, at The Shakedown opening up for Who Is She? (That’s the Seattle indie-rock supergroup who infamously got disinvited from playing at Kraken games after calling out Jeff Bezos in their lyrics the first time they played there.)
On Thursday, July 20, they’ll be at Kulshan Trackside opening for LipStitch. Those should both be great shows, so check them out for a great taste of this up-and-coming bunch of rockers.
Keep two new venues on your radar. The Bellingham Cider Company is going to be having shows on their patio at 6:30 p.m. every Sunday during the summer, in association with the New Prospect Theatre.
Over at 1313 State St. — which longtime music fans might remember as the site of the old Rogue Hero — Tom Langen is opening Ramble Tamble. For now, it’s going to have small, mostly acoustic shows in the lovely bar that takes up the front half of the space, but Langen also has aspirations to create a full-scale venue with a proper stage and sound system in the back half. Langen is a music industry vet, having previously owned the Parliament Tavern in West Seattle, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this develops.
We’ve got some new releases to talk about this week. Cat Positive put out a new single, “Spam Call Likely,” a soaring indie/emo tribute to the power of connectivity and human interaction.
SAFE TRVLS (aka Zach of Lonely Together) released “Late to the Party,” a catchy modern pop/R&B anthem for the end of the evening.
Finally, Black Noise Records has the great new hip-hop LP from Ca$h McClane, “Been Du$ty,” featuring his witty, unpredictable wordplay over intricate beats by OG Neeks, and guest appearances by a bunch of notable local MCs.
Live music listings
Tuesday, June 27
Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Blue Room: 7 p.m., Jam:30 (open jam)
Boundary: 3 p.m., Out of the Ashes; 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
Wednesday, June 28
Bar Cicotti: 6 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Open Mic/Jam
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Janette West (jazz)
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Tom Sandblom (acoustic covers)
Wild Buffalo: 7:30 p.m., Bellingham Idol
Thursday, June 29
Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., High Peak Trio
Boundary: 5 p.m., Jay Irwin and the GP Sunsets (folk/rock); 8 p.m., Three for Silver, Kian Dye and Madrona
Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
Elizabeth Park: 6 p.m., Naughty Blokes (rock)
Farmstrong: 6 p.m., Conrad Gruener (country)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Blue Collar Grass Band
Guemes Island General Store: 5:30 p.m., 7:20 String Band
Honey Moon: 7:30 p.m., Bluegrass Jam with Kian Dye
Hotel Bellwether: 6 p.m., Cascadia Groove (funk/R&B)
Kulshan Trackside: 6 p.m., Bilongo (Latin jazz)
Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Taylor Made (James Taylor tribute)
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
That’s What I Like: 6 p.m., J.P. Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Dead End Rhythm Section, Analog Brass, Spin Factory
Zeeks: 8 p.m., 4Tens (classic rock)
Friday, June 30
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Beach Store Cafe: 5:30 p.m., Groove Doctors (classic rock)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Josian Bogle
Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Julian MacDonough Jazz Quartet
Boundary: 6 p.m., Danned If We Do (jazzy ’70s and ’80s rock covers, not just Steely Dan)
Boulevard Park: 6 p.m., Chris Eger Band (blues/rock)
Eagle Haven: 7 p.m., Olson Brothers Band (country/rock)
Farmstrong: 6 p.m., Savanna Woods (folk/rock)
Fireside: 7 p.m., Tom Sandblom (acoustic covers)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., The Problem (jazz)
Guemes Island General Store: 6:30 p.m., Savage Blues Band
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., The Best Intentions (vintage jazz/Americana)
Jack’s BBQ: 6 p.m., Simon Llewelyn Evans (folk)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Spider Cult, TBA
Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Steve Webb and The Great Mad Swirl (folk/rock)
Station 49: 3:30 p.m., Cascade Cody (country/folk)
That’s What I Like: 7 p.m., Guitars and Gratitude
Vault: 7 p.m., Adrian Clarke (acoustic covers)
Wild Buffalo: 8:30 p.m., Bear Grillz, REM, Pathos, Winzlo (electronic)
Saturday, July 1
Beach at Birch Bay: 3 p.m., Mutiny Bay (classic rock)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Bare Feet
Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Tom Savage
Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Moon Daddy (Santana tribute)
Deming Library: 6 p.m., The McHughs (folk)
Fireside 4 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Guemes Island General Store: 6 p.m., Lazy Acres, The Enthusiasts (rock)
Granary Building: 1 p.m., Merriweather (folk); 4 p.m., Brian Cunningham Duo
Heart of Anacortes: 6 p.m., Janie Cribs and the T. Rust Band (blues/soul)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Leah Sklarski and Sarah Stanley (indie folk)
Kulshan Trackside: 7 p.m., Hopnotic, Serafima and The Shakedowns
Lincoln Theatre: 8 p.m., Jonathan Richman (folk/rock)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Havey Bandit, Tracy Tyler, Rose and the Sleeping Giants, Petri Dish
Main Street: 8 p.m., Disaster Queen, Proud Failures, Oath Ov Hatred (metal, punk)
New Prospect Theatre: 8 p.m., Jeffrey Martin, Anna Tivel (singer-songwriters)
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., Mark Dufresne (blues)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Cardiel, Ladrones, TBA
Skylark’s: 5 p.m., CraigO’s Planet Groove (psychedelic rock)
Station 49: 4 p.m., Little Big Band (classic Southern rock)
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., J.P. Falcon
Wild Buffalo: 8:30 p.m., Pedro The Lion, Erik Walters (indie rock)
Sunday, July 2
Beach at Birch Bay: 3 p.m., Midlife Crisis (blues/R&B)
Bellingham Cider: 6:30 p.m., Mille and the Mentshn (klezmer/world)
Birdsview: 4 p.m., Dead End Rhythm Section (rock)
Boundary: 9 p.m., Bang Bang and the Bad Medicine
Gilkey Square (La Conner): 1 p.m., The Walrus (classic rock)
Kulshan: 5 p.m., The Devillies (Irish/folk)
Kulshan Trackside: 3 p.m., Sturtz (folk/soul)
Main Street: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., Randy Weeks and The Silent Treatment (country/rock)
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Who Is She?, Serafima and The Shakedowns, Madam Monarch (rock)
Station 49: 4 p.m., Enchantrix
Monday, July 3
Boundary: 7 p.m., North Sound Soul
Kulshan: 6 p.m., Lindsay Street (Celtic)
Station 49: 3 p.m., Cascade Cody
Tuesday, July 4
Beach at Birch Bay: 3 p.m., Arcade Cowboys (classic rock)
Hotel Bellwether: 7 p.m., The Atlantics
Kulshan Trackside: 6 p.m., GrooveBot, Luau Cinder
La Conner Marina: 8 p.m., Chris Eger Band (blues/rock)
Seafarer’s Memorial Park (Anacortes): 5 p.m., The Naughty Blokes (rock)
Semiahmoo Resort: 4 p.m., Brie Mueller Band (classic rock)
Station 49: 3 p.m., Jimmy Wright Band
Zuanich Park: 3:30 p.m., Analog Brass; 6 p.m., The Whags; 8:30 p.m., The Walrus (classic rock)
Wednesday, July 5
Admiralty Lounge: 7:30 p.m., Kera-Lynn Newman and Jan Peters (Celtic)
Bar Cicotti: 6 p.m., Jerry Steinhilber Trio (jazz)
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Open Mic/Jam
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Whistle Lake Jazz Quartet
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Dana Lyons (folk)
Thursday, July 6
Barkley Village Green: 11 a.m., The Sweet Goodbyes (folk)
Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., High Peak Trio (funk/jazz)
Blue Room: 9 p.m., Hip Hop Open Mic
Boundary: 5 p.m., Robert Sarazin Blake, 8 p.m., Aaron Jonah Lewis and Cami Flage, Jan Peters Project
Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
Elizabeth Park: 6 p.m., D’vas and Dudes (country/folk/rock)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Guemes Island General Store: 5:30 p.m., 7:20 String Band
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Jazz Jam
Hotel Bellwether: 6 p.m., Chris Eger Band
Kulshan Trackside: 6 p.m., Savanna Woods, 7:30 p.m., Perfect by Tomorrow (reggae/rock)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Tacos!, Melancholia, Duos (rock)
Structures: 6:30 p.m., Analog Brass (New Orleans style brass band)
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
That’s What I Like: 6 p.m., J.P. Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Checker Bloom, Hockey Teeth, Porky and the Menace (rock)
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 weekly. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.
