The Bellingham-based duo of Will Glazier and Dan De Lisle — also known as Willdabeast — has been working together on their unique brand of horn-fueled electronic music since 2015. The band’s new album, “Superhighway Afterglow,” is out now on all the streaming platforms. It’s being released by Muti Music, a Bay Area label which is a major player in the worldwide electronic music scene. So odds are good that people around the globe will be discovering them this year.
Around the time the group first came together, it linked up with the well-known composer and producer Michal Menert, who was also interested in exploring the intersection of electronic music and live instrumentation. Glazier and De Lisle were members of his Big Band as well as the group Pretty Fantastics, giving them the opportunity to tour the country, play a bunch of legendary venues and get an inside look at what it takes to find success in the music industry.
Since then, they’ve released several albums, continually pushing themselves to expand and refine their sound. Their latest features massive horn melodies over some of the band’s most intricate rhythms yet. As Glazier describes it, it was inspired by “anything from Shostakovich to Daft Punk to OutKast.”
Willdabeast has also embraced collaboration both by inviting lots of guests onto its own recordings and guesting on or remixing tracks by others.
Their live performances all have a powerful visual aspect, as they constantly seek to collaborate with compelling artists. That high standard means they aren’t just out there gigging for its own sake, but trying to make every performance unique and memorable.
For the time being, due to family commitments — the Glazier family is welcoming a new baby in the near future — and careers, the two are taking a hiatus from live performances. On the bright side, this frees them up to concentrate on recording, with more singles and perhaps an EP still on the way this year. Whether on not electronic music is normally your thing, check out Willdabeast’s new album and keep an eye out for whatever Glazier and De Lisle get up to next.
Speaking of groups who focus on the studio and don’t necessarily perform live, I wonder if that’s going to be a post-pandemic trend. A new one came to my attention this week. Sphere 67 are a couple of veterans of the local cover band scene who have turned their efforts to originals. They’ve put out two albums already this year featuring a high-quality blend of everything from rockabilly to power pop to raw, bluesy rock.
Finally, The Beach at Birch Bay has its new stage in and they’re ready to rock. Things kick off this Saturday with the Chris Eger Band, featuring a horn section. Shows will be at 6 p.m. on Fridays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Award-winning blues vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Curtis Salgado, the man NPR calls “an icon” with “a huge voice,” will perform at a fundraiser for the community radio station KMRE Sunday, April 2 at the Wild Buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Bob Hakins)
Live music listings
Tuesday, March 28
Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Boundary: 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
Ranch Room: 9 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Wednesday, March 29
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Pension King and the Dependents (acoustic rock)
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Andy Bunn (singer-songwriter)
Thursday, March 30
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic; 8 p.m., Jam:30 (open jam with house band)
Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
Greene’s Corner: 7 p.m., Kid’Sax Ensemble
Guemes Island General Store: 5:20 p.m., 7:20 String Band (folk)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Bluegrass Jam
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Deathchant, Dryland, Kadabra (metal)
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Wild Buffalo: 8 p.m., Creed Bratton (acoustic music and comedy)
Zeeks: 7 p.m., Joe Doria & Tea Seas Trio (jazz/funk)
Friday, March 31
Aslan: 8 p.m., The Sulfites (funk)
FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Steve Smith & Vital Information (jazz)
Fireside: 7 p.m., Tom Sandblom (acoustic covers)
Guemes Island General Store: 5:30 p.m., Ben Starner on piano
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., The Clothes (experimental/avant-garde)
McIntyre Hall: 7:30 p.m., Sona Jobarteh (traditional Gambian kora and vocals)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Blistered Earth (Metallica tribute)
Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Tom Mullin (acoustic covers)
Wild Buffalo: 7:30 p.m., Joe Pug, Anna Tivel (singer-songwriter)
Saturday, April 1
Beach at Birch Bay: 4 p.m., Chris Eger Band (blues/rock)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Josh Fichter and Jack Mattingly
Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Andy Koch’s Badd Dogg Blues
Eagle Haven: 6 p.m., Aaron Crawford (country)
Fireside: 4 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Gateway1890: 7 p.m., Odd Mood Jam Band
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Jonathon Foster (folk/Americana)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Glass Heart String Choir (alt-folk)
Katt’s Westside: 6 p.m., Nobody’s Peach (roots rock/country)
Main Street: 8 p.m., Sweet ‘N’ Juicy (funk)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Where’s the Exit, Bellflower, India Glover, Lynna Hall
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., The Atlantics (classic rock and roll)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Old Town Scouts, Public Theatre, Collins Beach (rock)
Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Phil Paige (singer-songwriter)
Stones Throw: 1:30 p.m., High Mountain String Band; 5 p.m., The Naughty Blokes (rock)
Sunday, April 2
Birdsview: 4 p.m., Curtis Moore
Kulshan: 5 p.m., The Devillies (Irish/folk)
Main Street: 6 p.m., Open Mic
New Prospect Theatre: 2 p.m., Mark Ashworth and Mark Kelly (jazz)
Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., The Davanos
Paws for A Beer: 2 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Vulture Feather, Pig Earth, ESO (rock)
Wild Buffalo: 7:30 p.m., Curtis Salgado (blues)
Monday, April 3
Blue Room: 7 p.m., The Problem (jazz)
Kulshan: 6 p.m., E. Pruitt (solo bass, jazz/funk/soul)
Tuesday, April 4
Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Boundary: 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., BoomBox (electronic/rock)
Zeeks: 6 p.m., Open Mic ft. Dylan Daugherty
Wednesday, April 5
Shakedown: 8 p.m., Blackwater Holylight, Cold Gawd, guests (heavy psych/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 Wednesdays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.
