This Weekend in Bellingham April 18th-20th

By Robin Schwindt

It’s Friday and know what that means; new calendar, no school tomorrow, and 3 nights of great music! From rock, to reggae, to DJs, to folk, to jazz, you’ll find a great show to see. One of my favorite venues, The Green Frog, got robbed last weekend so make sure to stop by, eat a grilled cheese, and enjoy some beers.  Also this Sunday is Easter  and 4/20 so have fun!

Friday:
Alternative/Punk/Reggae/Rock:
Portals Align, Thieves Of Eden, Minor Plains, Cellars & Attics 9pm at Swillery Whiskey Bar
Show Pony Kick 9pm at The Cabin Tavern
The Original Wailers, Mighty High 9:30pm at The Wild Buffalo
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The lost Highway Band 7pm at The Green Frog
Quarterly Bellingham Dirty Song Revue feat. Stinky Pete, Lucas Hicks & Tad Kroening 8:30pm honey moon
Gentri Watson featuring Nashville’s Ashlee K Thomas 10pm Green Frog
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Telfon 8pm at Skylarks Hidden Cafe
Hot Cotton, Full Clips, Fawcett Fog and Symmons 9pm at The Fairhaven
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Postal, DJ Shortwave 9pm at Rumors Cabaret
Artifakts, MTBTZ, WilDABeast 10pm at the Shakedown
Girl Meets Boy 10pm at Glow Night Club
DJ Sprucy Loosey 8:30pm The Purple Church

Saturday:
Alternative/Punk/Reggae/Rock:
Burning of I, Agonizer, Defenistrator, Anticulture 9pm at the Cabin Tavern
Curse of the Black Tongue, Gypsters, Cat Bomb 10pm at the Shakedown
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Juniper Stills 4pm at The Green Frog
Daisy O’Conner 7pm at The Green Frog
Ben N. Fletcher, Ryan Heffner, Tad Kroening 7pm at Kulshan Brewery
Gentri Watson 8:30pm at The Honey Moon
Margaret Wilder Band 10pm The Green Frog
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Pan Pan 7pm at The Fire House
Nuages 8pm at Skylarks Hidden Cafe
The Spencetet, Julianne Thoma 8pm the Village Inn
Snug Harbor, Earphunk 9:30PM at the Wild Buffalo
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Ryan-I 8pm Poppes 360
DJ Boombox 10pm at Glow Night club
DJ Mike Tolleson 10pm Rumors Cabaret
Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B:
Rick Rollin, Heist, 2Troublsome & NoShoes 9pm at the Swillery Whiskey Bar

Sunday:
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The Devilly Brothers 7pm at Kulshan Brewery
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
Fischkopf Sinfoniker, Dead Air Fresheners, Derek M. Johnson and PRND 7pm at the Shakedown
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Slow Jam 4pm at The Green Frog
Open Mic with Matney Cook Feat. Act Traesti and Alexandrea 8pm at The Green Frog Karaoke with Seamus 9pm at The Fairhaven

Save the date for MOBroll festival in bellingham May 1st through 4th! Learn more about B Side Magazine at bellinghambside.wix.com/bside

This Week in Bellingham

by Robin Schwindt

Happy Monday Bellingham! It’s time for this weeks music calendar. Lots of fun things happening. Grab some friends, drink some beers, and dance like mad. Make sure to check back Friday for weekend music.

Monday:
Alternative/Punk/Reggae/Rock:
Less Talk 8pm at The Swillery
Tribal Seeds, New Kingston, Inna Vision 8:30pm at THe Wild Buffalo
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Knut Bell and the Blue Collars 7pm at The Green Frog
Pretty Little Feet 8:30pm at The Honey Moon
Vandaveer 9:30pm at The Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Karaoke with Zack 10pm at Rumors Cabaret

Tuesday:
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The Shadies 8pm at The Honey Moon
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Paul Klien 6pm at Boundary Bay Brewery
Pink Martini, The von Trapps 7:30pm at The Mount Baker Theater
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Yogoman’s Soul Night 9:30pm at The Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Karaoke with Aireekah! 9pm at The Shakedown

Wednesday:
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Aaron Guest (of Polecat) 6pm at Boundary Bay Brewery
Hi-O Revelers 7:30pm at Kulshan Brewery
Maxwell Hughes (of The Lumineers), Thimble versus Needle 8pm at the WWU Underground Coffee House
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Little 8pm at Poppes 360
DJ Boombos 10pm at Glow
WilDABeast 10pm at The Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Karaoke 8pm at The Swillery
Open Mic with Tad Kroening 8pm at The Honey Moon

Thursday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock:
Showdown at the Shakedown 9pm
Road to Rockstar with Ashes of Existence, G.U.P.I. The Sound, The Dirty Whities, Topless 9pm at The Underground
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The Whiskey Dicks, Maggies Fury 8pm at The Green Frog
Juniper Stills 8pm atThe Swillery
Tom Caverns, Allison 8:30pm at The Honey Moon
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Clint Westwood 8pm At Poppes 360
Star Slinger, Pinky Promise & CUFF LYNX 9:30pm at The Wild Buffalo
Far and Loathing 10pm at Glow Nightclub
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Jazz Open Mic 8pm at Skylarks Hidden Cafe
Karaoke with Seamus 9pm at The Fairhaven

Save the date for MOBroll festival in bellingham May 1st through 4th! Learn more about B Side Magazine at bellinghambside.wix.com/bside

This Weekend in Bellingham

by Robin Schwindt

It’s Friday! Today’s the day we post our second music calendar. Put on your dancing shoes and go see a band or artist you’ve never heard before. You’ll be surprised at all the wonderful music in this town.

Friday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock:
Dont, Black Beast Revival, Big Oil 8pm at the Swillery
1967 9pm at The Cabin Tavern
Galapagos, Mr. Feelgood and The Firm Believers 9pm at The Fairhaven
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Joanne Rand, Reggie Garrett 5pm at Presence Studio
Peter Case, Furniture Girls, Scott Greene Band 7pm at The Green Frog
Paige Woods 8:30pm at The Honey Moon
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Swing Gang 8pm at Skylarks Hidden Cafe
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
Andreilien (Heyoka), Kozmo, Jedi Training Camp, Dubjavu 8pm at The Wild Buffalo
Girl Meets Boy 10pm at Glow Nightclub
Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B:
Gift Of Gab (of Blackalicious), Landon Wordswell, Mostafa with C-Legz, Lokeye, Dinofour 10pm at The Shakedown

Saturday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock: 
The Walrus 5pm at The Green Frog
Sanoma 7pm at Kulshan Brewery
Kurly Somthing, NavigatorCommunicator, Our Dead Fathers, Incanus 9pm at The Shakedown
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
David Nellis 7pm at Vinostrology Wine Lounge
Penny Stinkers 8pm at The Honey Moon
Moongrass Juniper Stills 9:30pm at The Swillery
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
The Spencetet 8pm at Skylarks Hidden Cafe
BATCAVE! 9:30pm at The Green Frog
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Ryan-I 8pm at Poppes 360
DJ Mike Tolleson 9pm at Rumours Cabaret
DJ Boombox 9pm at Glow Nightclub
Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B:
Mitchy Slick 9pm at The Cabin Tavern
Deadly D, Speaker Minds 9pm at The Fairhaven
CUNNINLYNGUISTS, J-Live, Sadistik, Nemo Achida 9:20pm at The Wild Buffalo

Sunday
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The Devilly Borths 7pm at Kulshan Brewery
Jeff Peters 9pm at The Cabin Tavern
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Slow Jam 4pm at The Green Frog
Open Mic with Matney Cook 8pm at The Green Frog
Karaoke with seamus 9pm at The Fairhaven

Check out everything else going on in the community and learn more about B Side Magazine at bellinghambside.wix.com/bside

This Week in Bellingham

Hey Bellingham music lovers!
We know you love to go to shows so we’ve made an easy way for you to figure out what you want to see this week. Every Monday and Friday we’ll let you know what’s happening this week in Bellingham. So go have fun in Bellingham this week with these awesome musicians!

Monday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock:
Minor Plains, High Up, PROM KING 9:30pm at The Shakedown
Less Talk 8pm at The Swillery
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Pretty Little Feet 8:30pm at The Honeymoon
Knut Bell and the Blue Collars 7pm at The Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Open Mic hosted by Chuck Dingée 8pm at The Wild Buffalo
Karaoke with Zack 10pm at Rumors Cabaret

Tuesday:
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
The Shadies 8pm at The Honeymoon
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Blues Jam ft. Andy ‘Badd Dog’ Koch 7pm at The Wild Buffalo
Paul Klien 6pm at Boundary Bay Brewery
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Yogoman Soul Night 9:30pm at Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Karaoke with Aireekah! 9pm at The Shakedown

Wednesday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock:
J.P. Falcon Grady Band and Mark Williams 6pm at Poppes 360
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Willy Tea Taylor with the Sumner Brother 7pm at The Green Frog
Aaron Guest (of Polecat) 6pm at Boundary Bay Brewery
Quickdraw Stringband 7pm at Kulshan Brewery
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Snug Harbor, Hot Cotton 8pm at The WWU Underground Coffee
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
The Blessed Coast Soundsystem 9:30pm at The Wild Buffalo
DJ Littles 8pm at Poppes 360
Owleks, Raw Visions, Sintra 9pm at Rumours Caberet
Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B:
WillDABeast 10pm at The Green Frog
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Open Mic with Tad Kroening 8pm at The Honey Moon
Karaoke 8pm at The Swillery

Thursday:
Alternative/Punk/Rock:
Stay Oso Strong, A Mudslide Relief Benefit with Yogoman Burning Band, Staxx Brothers, Josh Clauson, Pacific High, Boombox Kid, Critical Mass Marching Band 6:30pm at The Wild Buffalo
Road to Rockstar Show case #1 with The Naughty Blokes, The Vonvettas 8pm at the Underground
Showdown at the Shakedown 9pm
Bluegrass/Country/Folk:
Ryan Heffner, Ben Fletcher & Tad Kroening 8:30pm at The Honey Moon
Lydia Ramsey with T Sisters 7pm at The Green Frog
Caleb Klauder Country Band 9:30pm at The Green Frog
Blues/Funk/Jazz:
Bryan Farsloff 8pm Skylarks
Bill McDonough 6:30pm at Vinostrology Wine Lounge
DJs/Dubstep/EDM:
DJ Clint Westwood 8pm at Poppes 360
Open Mics/Karaoke:
Karaoke with Seamus 9pm at The Fairhaven

Weekend Music Preview

By: Garrett Hendricks

This weekend is going to feature an eclectic array of ear pleasing music that you are not going to want to miss.  On Friday at 8pm the WWU Jazz Ensemble will perform this quarter’s pieces at the WWU Performing Arts Center.  Western’s jazz program is one of the best around and anyone with a student ID gets a discount.  In addition, the Wild Buffalo will be featuring a lineup of Larry and His Flask, Big John Bates, and Whiskey Shivers for a night of music ranging from bluegrass, to punk, to gothic, and garage rock.  The music at the Buff kicks off at 9pm.  Also on Friday night the Green Frog presents a stellar show with Massey Ferguson, Deception Pass, and McDougall all gracing their stage (7pm) and the Purple Church presenting a series of local DJ’s.

Come Saturday, the music gets even more poppin’ starting at 5pm with the Green Frog offering The Prozac Mountain Boys as well as Brian and the Ballentines, and Hot Damn Scandal.  At Kulshan Brewery Giant’s Causeway will be providing the soundtrack for your beer guzzling starting at 8pm.  At 9pm the newly reopened venue The Fairhaven will feature Sarah and the Wild, Lady Justice, and Medici and at 9:30pm the Wild Buffalo will be hosting post-rock darlings El Ten Eleven with special guests Manatee Commune.

 

Garrett Hendricks is the Music Editor for the B-Side Magazine and the lead singer/songwriter and guitarist for Garrett and the Sheriffs.  He is receiving his B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University.  In his spare time while not making music or writing, he enjoys playing and watching soccer and is an avid outdoorsman.

 

On Sunday things slow down a bit but the Devilly Brothers as always will be playing up a storm at Kulshan Brewery at 7pm and the Green Frog hosts its open mic at 8pm which always offers a glimpse at great up and coming talent.  Also don’t forget Monday which will feature Pretty Little Feet at the Honey Moon at 8pm and T-Pain (yes, T-Pain) at the Wild Buffalo at 9:30pm with guests Neema and Boombox.   

A Press Conference with the boys of Noise Toys

By Halee H.

I sit down with the group as Thin Lizzy plays on vinyl in the background. I am being referred to as ‘doctor,’ our interview as the ‘press conference.’ They warn me of their crude sense of humor and I have found myself seated in what seems to be one of the only chairs in the room. The four of them sit around me as if I’m about to read them a story. I reach for a conveniently located tool box, place it in the center of the room, set my recorder on top, press play and begin what will be two hours of a very sarcastic, slightly perverted and most definitely humorous ‘press conference.’

Hitting the scene and spewing sound they describe as being similar to the unforgiving nature of an earthquake, River Fleischner (Guitar/Vocal), Matt Cooper (Drums), Skylar Russel (Guitar, Vocal), and Joe Vacca (Bass) are the boys of Noise Toys. They have been jamming in Bellingham since the summer of 2012 and with the release of their first EP, titled Extended Play, are showing off their punk, garage, dance, rock and roll style.

I first ask them how they chose the name Noise Toys. They describe in detail -as with all of their descriptions- how they picked it from a variety of other possible names they wrote down and pulled randomly from a hat. This process, as River explains, is a perfect example of the democratic nature of the band. Their music making very much involves each of them being on the same page, or at the very least, in the same book. “It’s all about letting go of your ego and working together.” says Joe. The extreme level of comfort these four have for each other is obvious after only moments. It’s almost as if they telepathically know what each other is thinking and feeling. I might have believed them if they told me they where brothers.

The fact that Joe, River and Skylar have been friends since high school may be a large contribution to the understanding and acceptance they have for one another. The three of them share Prescott, Ariz. as their hometown and made the move to Bellingham in 2011. Why Bellingham? “Coming to Bellingham was one of those serendipitous sort of things,” says River, adding, “there is a tangible enthusiasm for music here and people actually give a fuck… It’s a strategic place to be a band of our level.” Joe was the first to come when he hitch-hiked up after graduating high school, an adventure he describes with cool confidence. They hadn’t been here long when they got in contact with Matt, originally from Spokane, through a series of seemingly coincidental events. Once together the chemistry was right, the tunes where flowing and they had become group of men on a mission to make music.

I ask how they get stoked before shows as we’re talking about their upcoming (now past) EP release show. They reply, nearly in unison, “we get un-stoked.” They say they usually sit in a dark room and watch a movie. We all laugh. I picture them, four dudes in a dark room, calm and collected, gearing up to do some seriously wild rocking and rolling in front of a not so calm and hardly collected audience only hours later.

“It’s something like noise-pop, experimental beat-funkery with punk rock undertones,” replies River when I ask him to describe their sound. In other words, it makes you dance. For them the difference between playing at bars and house shows is comparable to day and night. They prefer house shows for having what they call a “visceral enthusiasm” that you can’t find in bars. “There’s something about the crowd being six inches away from you, going as nuts as you are, sharing the adrenaline your having and feeling what you’re feeling that is so amazing,” says Matt. “We’d love to always play house shows,” adds River.

I decide to end the interview by asking them what their mission is as a band; why it is they make music together- what is their deal. “I’d be totally fucking lying if I said I didn’t want to be the greatest,” replies River. However they all agree that just being a band is what they’re really in it for, “…and I’m just trying to buy a baconator every once and a while,” Matt adds with enthusiasm. The conversation quickly turns to a wild tangent about the menu items at Wendy’s and I know the interview has come to an end, the “press conference” is officially over.

(To get in touch with or listen to Noise Toys they recommend Google. They are exercising thoughts about a tour of the West Coast sometime this summer and promise to keep their fans posted on all of their upcoming shows.)

Halee H. is endlessly fascinated by the human experience and actually does like long walks on the beach.

Visiting with The Vonvettas

By: Alexa Peters

Sam Chue, a staple of the local music scene, namely as a co-founder of The Vonvettas, is going places. Literally. He just got home from an impromptu cross-country solo tour, and can think of little else besides hitting the road again, this time with the rest of The Vonvettas, a dream that with the release of their new highly anticipated, thirty-track album, “Lucy and Jet Black” will become reality.

But the story of Chue and The Vonventtas starts years before all this buzz.

“I began playing music in the fifth grade, starting with the drum set,” Chue said, “then my dad taught me the guitar.” A native of the Bellingham area, Chue comes from a family and community that’s “very musical, wherever you go in Bellingham there’s always another person who plays guitar better than you, or sings better than you. I love that there’s always room to grow.” And grow he did.

After years of playing on his own, Chue met the other half of The Vonvetta’s songwriting partnership, Thayne Yazzie, in the halls of Sehome High School.

“Thayne and I have this really amazing thing together, something I don’t think I’ll find again, at least not in this lifetime. We have a similar artistic vision, and we both are very committed to our music,” said Chue.

Shortly after meeting, they formed the first incarnation of the band called Olio and began playing and developing a following. Then they were forced to change their name after another California band named Olio bought the rights for the name.

“We had written a song called Vivid Vonvetta, so I suggested to Thayne that we use ‘Vonvettas’ as our name instead,” Chue said.

Thus, after a couple personnel switches in the rhythm section, The Vonvettas were born: Chue on guitar and vocals, Yazzie on lead guitar, Lyman Lipke on bass, and both Eli Savage and Dan Frank on drums.

About the band’s influences, Chue said, “Everyone who knows me, knows I am influenced most by Tom Waits and Ween, a psychedelic alternative band from the nineties. The dynamic duo of  Ween–Dean (Mickey Melchiondo) and Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman)–are what Thayne and I model our band off of.”

Amusingly, Chue’s solo tour took him to New Hope, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Ween. Although he knew that going in, he never expected he’d run into Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) himself.

“I was standing at the bar smoking when I heard, ‘what kind of guitar you got there?’ I turned around and there was Dean Ween. I was totally in awe–he’s a childhood hero!”

Aside from Waits and Ween, Chue says he is influenced by Arlo Guthrie, Leo Kotky and Taj Mahal. “I love the story-telling and melody-sharing aspects of folk and blues, I really relate to it. Plus, I love using the blues pentatonic scale in my playing,” Chue said. This melding of folk Americana, rock, and blues is what creates their identifiable sound.

Currently, the group just completed their first double-disk studio album entitled, “Lucy and Jet Black.” The name is inspired by Chue’s dog, Jet Black, and Yazzie’s dog, Lucy, who died around the same time.

“I’d had Jet since I was three, he lived a full life, but Thayne’s dog Lucy was hit by a state trooper as a puppy,” Chue said, “in light of these stories, we thought we’d have one CD of older, backlogged stuff, and one CD of our newer material.”

The band reached their minimum goal of $2,500 on Kickstarter on November 13^th, allowing them to complete the project and according to the words on Kickstarter, to “spread [their] love and passion of music/art to greater audiences worldwide.”

That ‘passion’ is one of originality, authenticity, and integrity. As Chue sums up, “For Thayne and I, it’s the songs that is the most important…we believe that if you write what’s true and important to you, people will recognize your authenticity.”

(Photo credit: Hannah Hayes)

Alexa Peters is a freelance creative writer and journalist. She received her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing at Western Washington University  where she was awarded the R.D. Brown Memorial Writing Scholarship.  Alexa has been published in Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party Blog, Elohi Gadugi Journal, Crossing Guide Magazine, What’s Up! Music Magazine, and The “B” Side. Alexa currently lives in Bellingham, WA where she sings and plays ukelele, snuggles with dogs and eats tiramisu as often as possible.

The Rabbits’ Rapid Rise: Br’er Rabbit

By: Garrett Hendricks

From the exterior, their house looks like any other from a neighborhood in Bellingham.  But once you step into their home, it becomes clear that Br’er Rabbit fill their lives with music in every nook and cranny.  Covering the walls of their living room are posters for shows they have played over the past year.  The fact that the posters span only the last year and a half goes to show how remarkable Br’er Rabbit’s journey has been so far.

As individuals, brothers Nathan and Zach Hamer and Miranda Zickler each had their own music experiences before finding roots in the Americana/folk circle.  (But don’t peg them as bandwagon band cashing in on the genre’s current popularity).  The Hamer brothers on their family farm listened to a broad range of music from Paul Simon’s “Graceland” to The Beatles, to Fleetwood Mac, and even some pan flute music.  Miranda received her musical education through shared records by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, music from the “Riot Grrl” movement, and others, and concert-going with her father.  A little more than a year ago the three met in New York and formed a musical bond that has taken them to the top of notoriety in the Bellingham music scene.  The meeting was somewhat perchance as Miranda was in New York for musical theater, Nathan for school, and Zach for film making.  After wandering about Union Square together, the seed of the band was germinated.  Following their meeting in New York it was decided that the band would relocate to Washington and to Bellingham specifically to escape the disgruntling nature of the big city.  This proved to be a pivotal choice as Br’er Rabbit has found their home state and Bellingham to be the most welcoming little music scene that no one really talks about. 

Local venue, the Green Frog, has become home to the band.  There they have spun many a barn-burner and lonesome folk song with lyrics coming from all three members who pull from various inspirations.  Nature and animals in particular have become central themes in either the direct or abstract of their song content which gives the listener a real sense of landscape; when you listen to their songs you can picture rolling down a winding road with misty mountains and majestic evergreens slowly passing by the window.  With such strong and evocative songs in hand Br’er Rabbit have become a local phenomenon in the folk music scene garnering attention from Northwest legends like Robert Sarazin Blake and Polecat.  The band was recently named best band by Cascadia Weekly and have completed three tours and are in the planning stages of another.

In January, they headed into renowned Bear Creek Studios to record their first full length album, The Wild North.  As a group with a great deal of lyrical and instrumental diversity, the album should prove to be a true symposium of modern Americana music.  The band wrote all of the material featured on the album specifically for the album, meticulously orchestrating the music to be the best representation of who they are as a band.  One new song to be featured on the album is, “Open Up” which is the band’s binding together of their two greatest passions of music and animal advocacy.  It is set to be one of the highlights of the album.

A band moving this fast often has little time to dedicate to anything but their music but again, Br’er Rabbit isn’t just any band.  When not directly involved with music, they use their time to raise awareness about the issues they care about.  They also haven’t forgotten where they’ve come from, continuing to play shows in Bellingham, providing opportunities and advice for other local musicians, and of course letting the B-Side get the details on their rapid rise.

*Note:  Br’er Rabbit now features Jillian Walker on cello.

(Photo credit: Garrett Hendricks)

Garrett Hendricks is the Music Editor for the B-Side Magazine and the lead singer/songwriter and guitarist for Garrett and the Sheriffs.  He is receiving his B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Washington University.  In his spare time while not making music or writing, he enjoys playing and watching soccer and is an avid outdoorsman.