The emcee Mostafa has one of the most interesting biographies of anyone I’ve ever talked to for this column. Born in Qatar to Egyptian parents, his family lived all over the U.S. and the Persian Gulf region before eventually settling in Bellingham when he was 14 years old.
He spent the next 24 years based here, although since 2013 he’s been spending a large portion of that time on tour. Last year, Mostafa made the big decision to move to Cairo, giving him a new base to explore performance opportunities throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. He’s back in Bellingham on Thursday, June 1, for a show at The Blue Room, kicking off a monthlong swing through the western United States.
Mostafa’s style is distinguished by his sheer versatility. He goes from aggressive to laid-back, from political to partying, from humorous to introspective. In addition to a busy touring schedule, he’s got a lot going on this year in terms of releases. His 2018 full-length, “L.B.O.L.,” is getting a vinyl reissue, the first time his music has been released on vinyl.
Rather than putting out a whole new album, he’s working on a monthly series of singles, of which six of the planned 10 have been released so far. His most recent, “Butter/ ابدةلز,” finds him rhyming in both English and Arabic for the first time. For the show at The Blue Room, he’ll be joined by a bunch of the best current local rappers, including CHRVNS and Ca$h McClane. For a celebration of all the global possibilities of hip-hop, this is the show to see.
A couple new releases to tell you about this week. Pantsuitguy is the solo project of Juliet Diballa. Their debut EP, “Love 40,” layers great melodies and shimmery guitars over programmed drums. The new single by Old Town Scouts, “Penultimate,” gives you hooky indie rock that builds to some epic crescendos. If you go for intricate, twisty prog metal, be sure to check out the new EP by Triacs, “Terrastall.”
Northwest Folklife takes place this weekend, May 26–29 at the Seattle Center. A scan of the schedule shows Whatcom County locals J.P. Falcon, Now Defunkt, Linda Allen, Hot Damn Scandal and Peter Ali are all performing, so if you make it down there, give them some love.
I was also glad to hear that jazz will be back at Bar Ciccotti this summer, in the courtyard of the Lightcatcher Building. Shows are from 6–8 p.m. every Wednesday starting at the end of June, featuring a fantastic array of local jazz performers.
Western Washington University’s AS Productions has announced the lineup for its Lawnstock festival on Saturday, June 3, and it’s big! Catch Skating Polly, TeZATalks, Black Ends, Lemon Boy and Kitty Obsidian for free that evening on the Comm Lawn, near the south end of campus.
Live music listings
Tuesday, May 23
Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Blue Room: 6 p.m., Open Mic; 8 p.m., Jam:30 (open jam)
Boundary: 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Horseshoe Cafe: 9 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
Wednesday, May 24
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Arete Quartet ft. Ari Joshua (jazz)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Jansen Art Center: 7:30 p.m., Jami Templeton and Andy Langham (jazz)
Katt’s Westside Stories: 6:30 p.m., Savanna Woods (singer-songwriter)
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Mike Faast Trio (swing)
Stones Throw: 6 p.m. Katie and Kevin (folk)
Underground Coffeehouse: 7 p.m., Pig Earth, Disoriented (rock)
Wild Buffalo: 7:30 p.m., Bellingham Idol (singing competition)
Thursday, May 25
Boundary: 4 p.m., Robert Sarazin Blake; 8 p.m., Marie, The Band, The Sulfites
Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
Farmstrong: 6 p.m., Simon Llewelyn Evans (folk)
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: 9 p.m., DJ Feral Cat, Blunthound, Makro, Obzedat
Zeeks: 7 p.m., Whitewing (soul/funk/blues)
Friday, May 26
Aslan: 8 p.m., Cardova (funk/R&B)
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Blue Room: 9 p.m., Acid Tongue, Hockey Teeth, Girls Know (rock)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Frasier Green
Boundary: 6 p.m., The Legendary Chucklenuts
FireHouse: 7 p.m., Cozmic Sauce (funk/R&B)
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., The Problem (jazz)
Guemes Island General Store: 6:30 p.m., Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms (old-time folk)
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Fritz and the Freeloaders (acoustic rock)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Very Serious, Shamebanger, Fog Bodies, Terminally Dumb (rock)
Shakedown: 9 p.m, Boxcutter, Millhous, Disaster Queen (punk)
Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Three Radicals (classic rock)
Vault: 7 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Foxy Apollo, Magenta Wave, Madam Monarch (rock)
Saturday, May 27
Beach at Birch Bay: 4 p.m., Billy Appleton Band
Blue Room: 8 p.m., BJ Block Trio, Jacob Seyer
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Frasier Green
Boundary: 6 p.m., The Sleepy Alligators, The Naughty Blokes
Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Three For Silver (cabaret folk)
Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Kyle Findley-Meier (folk)
Fireside: 4 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Guitars and Gratitude
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., John Swanke, Sunflecks, Pearls Have Eyes (experimental acoustic)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Mom Sport, Dining Dead, Collins Beach (rock)
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., The Unknowns (jazz/pop/folk)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., J. Graves, King Youngblood, LipStitch (rock)
Skagit Cellars: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Skylark’s: 1 p.m., Odd Mood Jam Band (acoustic covers); 5 p.m., The Penny Stinkers (classic rock)
Station 49: 3 p.m., Jack Benson Band (classic rock)
Stones Throw: 2 p.m., Hopnotic (funk); 6 p.m., Eden (blues/rock)
Sunday, May 28
Culture Cafe: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Goh Kurosawa
Fairhaven Village Green: 11 a.m., Danned If We Do (jazz/rock covers); 1 p.m., Pacific Twang (country); 3 p.m., Bridge; 5 p.m., Hot Damn Scandal
Gilkey Square (La Conner): 1 p.m., Mary Ellen Lykins & the CC Adams Band (blues)
Kulshan: 5 p.m., Cardova
Main Street: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Menace: 5 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., The Bow Diddlers
Paws For A Beer: 1 p.m., Michael Dayvid; 3 p.m., Lucky Lenny; 5:30 p.m., Analog Brass
Shakedown: 8 p.m., The Sometimes Island, War Candy, Glitchlette (tropical pop)
Skylark’s: 1 p.m., CraigO’s Planet Groove (psychedelic rock); 5 p.m., The Stillvettas (rock)
Station 49: 3 p.m., Jimmy Wright Band
Monday, May 29
Blue Room: 8 p.m., The Problem (jazz)
FireHouse: 3:30 p.m., Dry Martini (jazz)
Kulshan: 6 p.m., True Reckoning (dream folk)
Tuesday, May 30
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: 6 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
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 Tuesdays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.
