Imagine yourself walking down the street in downtown Bellingham on a Saturday night. A group of people walk by in long dark robes and animal masks. Some are carrying candles, and one holds a handwritten sign that says “Energy Pyramid Tonight.”
Intrigued, you follow them into a nearby music venue. Three of the group pick up instruments and begin to play, beneath a glowing neon triangle. The music is a powerful variety of instrumental rock. You’ve just been introduced to one of Bellingham’s most unique bands: Energy Pyramid.
After about a year of playing shows, Energy Pyramid has developed a devoted following based on the strong word of mouth about their live shows. They’ve also released an album, “Levels,” that gives some indication of the power of their performances while also adding in some extra layers of sonic sophistication.
Their music has elements of surf, which you might expect from an instrumental trio, but their music tends to feel more deliberate and less frantic. There are elements of psychedelica, as the guitar player attacks his instrument with a sword. It can get heavy from time to time, but it typically stays danceable as well.
The thing that makes them really stand out, though, is the way that they combine their musical creativity with visual and even metaphysical ideas. From time to time they also feature dance performers, also masked, of course, to add a visual component to the live show.
The three members are known only as the Wolf, the Fox and the Lion. Together, they aim to make music that will, in their words, “reflect the brutal elegance of the natural world.” They see their creative process as emerging from the combination of music, art and science. Energy Pyramid isn’t just a name, but an integral part of the philosophy they’ve developed, involving the flow of energy through ecosystems.
All this is a little hard to capture in words, but they’ll be at the Shakedown on Sunday, Aug. 18 if you want to see it for yourself. A little further down the line, they’ve also got two shows booked around Halloween: Oct. 26 at the Schweinhaus and Nov. 1 at Aslan Depot. Start thinking about costumes now, because those should be epic. One way or the other, make sure you get the Energy Pyramid experience because there’s nothing else quite like it.
News
I can’t believe we’re already looking ahead to Halloween, but while we’re at it, the Spooky Covers Show at Make.Shift is coming back this year. So here’s the plan: grab some friends, pick a favorite spooky band, submit an application by Aug. 16. Next, learn a 20-minute cover set for the show on Oct. 26. Make.Shift is encouraging you to choose bands that are goth, punk, metal or “otherwise scary.” These are super fun events and a great way to build musical community.
The Blue Room are adding a series of shows at 1 p.m. on Saturdays on the patio at K-Pop Chicken and Beer, just downstairs from them. It’s a mixture of mellower sounds, mostly jazz or folk. They’ve also been sponsoring occasional shows over at ‘Ono Kitchen and Bar when that space seems like a better fit for a particular performer.
A lot of bands like to talk about breaking free of the exploitative and discouraging streaming system, but Sam and the Savages are really going to do it. For three months at least, their new album, “WAIT WUT” will only be available in physical form. Their previous EP, “Light,” was a fun blast of Replacements-esque roots rock, so I’m looking forward to checking out the new one.
Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, appears weekly. Reach him at jsbhammusic@gmail.com; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to make sure events are still taking place as scheduled. Live music events in Whatcom County: http://www.cascadiadaily.com/category/living/arts-and-entertainment/music/music-calendar
