This weekend, the Wild Buffalo House of Music is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In the topsy-turvy live music industry, that’s practically an eternity. I checked in with co-owner Craig Jewell to find out a little more about just how they do it.
The Wild Buffalo had already been open for 10 years when Jewell first wandered in on a pub crawl with some friends. He ended up coming to the Wednesday open mic every week throughout his college years and getting to know the venue’s founder, John Goodman.
When Goodman decided to sell the business, Jewell sprang into action, rounded up some business partners and took over. Other partners have come and gone, but he has remained the face of the business for the last 15 years.
When I asked Jewell to share some of the most memorable events they’ve hosted there over the years, it wasn’t the biggest shows that stood out for him. It was the shows by new, relatively undiscovered acts that went on to blow up.
Early in his career, Macklemore played for 50 people and slept on Jewell’s couch after the show. The members of ODESZA walked in one day, handed him a CD, ended up playing their first-ever show at the Wild Buffalo, then went on to become one of the biggest current groups from the Northwest. Jewell loves the feeling that “anybody who can come into this building could be next.”
Of course, there have also been some incredibly famous acts who have performed there, such as Snoop Dogg, George Clinton and the late Sharon Jones. But the moments of community and connection are more important for Jewell.
In 2017, he and a bunch of his friends performed for the club’s 20th anniversary. The very next day, Tom Petty died. The same text thread they had been using to plan the anniversary show immediately turned to mourning, and from there to the idea of a Tom Petty tribute. That evening was so successful that it evolved into Petty or Not, one of the area’s most popular tribute bands.
In addition to performing and running the club, Jewell has been very involved over the last few years with nonprofits like the National Independent Venue Association, Keep Music Live Washington and the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. Supporting the arts and the downtown community are among his passions.
Like many of us, Jewell has seen a trend over the last few years of people being “sucked into their phones” instead of seeking face-to-face, interpersonal connections. He sees music as one of the best antidotes to that.
Fortunately, he sees lots of “new bands popping up through the woodwork,” getting ready to create the next big wave of great music from Bellingham. In the meantime, you can join him to celebrate the venue’s 25th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 1 with a show featuring Polyrhythmics and Magic Beard Store.
Live music listings
Wednesday, Sept. 28
Bar Cicotti: 6 p.m., Alicia Dauber (jazz)
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Brian Kirk Quartet (jazz)
Foundation Lounge: 7:30 p.m., Open Mic
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Arthur Buezo (folk)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Fidalgo Swing
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Four Way Street (classic rock)
Thursday, Sept. 29
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic/Jam
Boundary: 5 p.m., Robert Sarazin Blake (folk); 8 p.m., Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Kristin Allen-Zito
Farmstrong: 6:30 p.m., Cory Vincent (acoustic rock/blues)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Bluegrass Jam
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
That’s What I Like: 6 p.m., J.P. Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)
Wild Buffalo: 8:30 p.m., OM, Zombi (doom metal)
Friday, Sept. 30
Aslan: 6 p.m., Lipstitch (rock), Glitchlette (electronic)
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Dial Up
Blue Room: 8 p.m., Dead End Rhythm Section, Infinite Sleepover (jam rock)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Toadmortons (indie rock)
Boundary: 6 p.m., Left on Tenth
Fireside: 7 p.m., Wicked Timing (acoustic covers)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Yankee Drivers (bluegrass)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Elizabeth Cottonmouth, Louis Ledford (folk)
Karate Church: 8 p.m., Sun//Aram, August, Eso, Yo Mori (rock)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Jacob Seyer, Sean Hall (instrumental acoustic guitar)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Meece, Halon, The Ignorati (punk)
Skylark’s: 8 p.m., East Coast Dave and the Midwest Swingers (acoustic Americana)
That’s What I Like: 7 p.m., Jeffrey Slough (acoustic covers)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., ZEKE BEATS, HEIRZ, Ceilla, Slayde (electronic)
Saturday, Oct. 1
Beach at Birch Bay: 4 p.m., Cory Vincent & Charlie Krengel
Blue Room: 8 p.m., BJ Block Trio, guests (jazz/funk)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Jubal Jake (folk)
Circus Guild: 7 p.m., Hot Damn Scandal (roots/Americana/jazz)
Conway Muse: 8 p.m., The Atlantics (classic rock)
Eagle Haven: 6 p.m., Conrad Gruener (country)
FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Ferron (singer-songwriter)
Fireside: 3:30 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Augie Ballew, Virginia Rail Duo (folk)
Littlefield Celtic Center: 7 p.m., Fred Morrison (traditional folk)
Main Street: 8:30 p.m., D’vas and Dudes (classic rock and pop)
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., Queen’s Bluegrass
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Thoughts for the Builders, Inpathos, Monstress (metal)
Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Whitewing Duo (blues/R&B)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Polyrhythmics, Magic Beard Store, Boombox Kid
Sunday, Oct. 2
Birdsview: 4 p.m., Jim Marcotte
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Kulshan Sunnyland: 5 p.m., Katie & Kevin (folk)
Main Street: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Old Edison: 4:30 p.m., Alice Wallace
Station 49: 2 p.m., Conrad Gruener
Monday, Oct. 3
FireHouse: 3:30 p.m., The Song Wranglers (acoustic Americana)
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Beach at Birch Bay: 6:30 p.m., Open Mic
Boundary: 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Zeeks Pizza: 6 p.m., Open Mic featuring Jacob Seyer, Sean Hall
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 Wednesdays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.
