Add it up, and you’ll find American music is on the roster for a couple of recently announced shows. The least complicated thing you can do is make plans to attend them.
News
The big announcements come from the Mount Baker Theatre: The renowned folk-punk band known as the Violent Femmes will be playing at the historic venue June 2, and the trailblazing folk rock duo, the Indigo Girls, will make their way to town June 14. If the excitement rippling through my social media feeds about these two shows is anything to go by, you might want to get tickets soon.
Local musician Devin Champlin has an intriguing new album out, but it’s not necessarily for fans of his more traditional country/folk work. “Quality Club Special” is all instrumental, combining synthesizers and acoustic guitar into experimental soundscapes. A bunch of the songs were actually recorded on a cross-country train journey, so maybe you’ll want to give it a listen the next time you’re traveling.
Picks of the Week
Wednesday, March 23 is highlighted by the adventurous jazz of Kate Olson’s KO Ensemble at the Sylvia Center for the Arts. Thursday, March 24 offers an unusual chance to see classical Indian music played at the very highest level when Triveni, led by renowned percussionist Zakir Hussain on tabla, take the stage at Mount Baker Theatre. The ensemble also includes Kala Ramnath on violin and Jayanthi Kumaresh on the veena.
At the Shakedown on Friday, March 25, you’ll find a great lineup of some of the area’s best new rock groups, including Hockey Teeth, The Dawn Bombs, and my personal favorite, Bird Senses Danger. If you’re looking for blues, head to Greene’s Corner on Fridays where local blues luminaries will be saying goodbye to stalwart local bassist (and amp repairman) Jeff Naylor, who’s moving to Arizona.
If you’re in the mood for familiar covers, drop by the Wild Buffalo on Friday for the ’80s New Wave antics of Nite Wave, or check out an Aerosmith tribute at the Main Street in Ferndale on Saturday, March 26.
The Wild Buffalo has another full night of danceable funk on Saturday headlined by the (mostly) instrumental grooves of Cytrus. For weeknight shows, a highlight will be Seattle’s Black Tones. They bring their blend of bluesy rock with socially conscious lyrics to the Shakedown on Tuesday, March 29.
The Jazz Center of Bellingham brings Seattle-based musician Kate Olson and her KO Ensemble to town for a Wednesday, March 23 show at the Sylvia Center for the Arts. This is Olson’s most straight-ahead jazz project, with compositions that are heavily influenced by Thelonious Monk, as well as contemporaries in the Seattle music scene. (Photo by David McGraw)
Live music listings for March 23 to 29
Wednesday, March 23
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Sylvia Center: 7 p.m., KO Ensemble (jazz)
Thursday, March 24
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Derek Duffy (folk)
Mount Baker Theatre: 7 p.m., Triveni (classical Indian)
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Friday, March 25
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Big Rock Woolley Market: 7 p.m., Chill DeVille (classic rock)
Eagle Haven Winery: 5 p.m., Brittany Collins (singer-songwriter)
Firehouse: 7 p.m., Rob Hutchings, Adrian Clark (folk)
Fireside: 7 p.m., Will Byrne and Michael Hadron (acoustic covers)
Greene’s Corner: 7 p.m., Jeff Naylor sendoff with Hambone Wilson, Jan Peters (blues)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Traesti Darling (folk)
Jansen Art Center: 7:30 p.m., Aaron Crawford, John Luzzi (country)
Lighthouse: 7:30 p.m., Blake Angelos (jazz)
Paws for A Beer: 6 p.m., Shadow Basket (folk)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Hockey Teeth, Bird Senses Danger, The Dawn Bombs (rock)
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., Jeffrey Slough (acoustic covers)
The Vault: 7 p.m., Camden Carroll Trio (jazz)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Nite Wave (’80s covers)
Saturday, March 26
Beach at Birch Bay: 4 p.m., Mutiny Bay (hard rock covers)
Big Rock Woolley Market: 7 p.m., Pacific Twang (country)
Blue Room: 8 p.m., Sunflower, India Glover, Akrasia (folk, rock)
Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Savage Blues Band
Conway Muse: 9 p.m., Joel Astley (blues)
Firehouse: 7 p.m., John Pinetree and the Yellin’ Degenerates (funk/ jazz/ soul)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Marie, the Band (folk)
Lighthouse: 7:30 p.m., Marvin Johnson (jazz)
Main Street: 9 p.m., Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith tribute)
Menace: 6 p.m., East Coast Dave and the Midwest Swingers (acoustic Americana)
Rockfish Grill: 7:30 p.m., Children of the Blues (blues/ jazz)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., No-Fi Soul Rebellion, North by North, Apology Wars (rock)
Skylark’s: 7 p.m., Rick Allyn (acoustic rock and blues)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Cytrus, Whalien, Shimmertraps (funk/ rock)
Sunday, March 27
Kulshan: 5 p.m., Super Sonic Business Jets (folk)
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Bridge City Sinners, The Goddamn Gallows (folk, rock)
Monday, March 28
Firehouse: 3:30 p.m., Bill McDonough
Kulshan: 6 p.m., Katie and Kevin (folk)
Tuesday, March 29
Aslan: 7 p.m., Jazz Night featuring Julian MacDonough and friends
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Black Tones, Killer Whale, Nordista Freeze (bluesy rock)
Jesse Stanton’s music column, The Beat Goes On, runs every Wednesday. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic
