Sarah Strongbow Jerns

Before we get to this month’s 11 Questions with the fabulous Sarah Jerns I would like to bid you all a fond adieu. After 45 interviews and 180-plus record reviews in over four years, I am moving on from What’s Up! to pursue other interests. I want to thank Brent for what has been an amazing experience. You should all support this publication’s efforts for as long as there is music. Now that I’m all teary eyed, on to the life and times of Sarah “Strongbow” Jerns, a.k.a Pan Pan…

Boris Budd: Tell us a lot about yourself. What’s your background?

Sarah Jerns: Tell you a lot? I guess I will start out with the standard. I’m a musician who has been stuck in Bellingham my whole life. I like it here, even if that makes me seem sheltered. I’m mainly know for my piano based project, Pan Pan, and being a guest trumpet player with other bands such as Rooftops and Yogoman Burning Band. My music tends to be very melancholy and I normally just use the word “soundtracky” to describe it. I also tend to swear too much and have a habit of making fun of the audience when I perform.

BB: Discuss the impetus for Pan Pan’s awesome New Arms record and describe the recording process from concept to completion.

SJ: My drive for all my music, not just the album New Arms, comes from my personal emotions and the need to explore my knowledge of music theory and musical concepts/techniques. I like to find techniques that I’ve studied and try to build a piece off of that. New Arms and a lot of my other recordings are very lo-fi. Most of New Arms was recorded in Garageband using my built in mic on my powerbook G4. I don’t like to get caught up with super fancy recording equipment. I mainly just want to record a song asap so that I may share it with others. I’m very proud of my work and I think that others will enjoy it.

BB: You have done guest spots on many records including a tune by The Presidents of the United States of America. Talk about those sessions.

SJ: I did do some records with PUSA, but that was so long ago. I don’t want to focus on them because I believe that’s been talked about before. I want to focus on the part where I got to play/learn from other musicians. Being a trumpet player, I’ve had the opportunity to play with a lot of other great musicians in Bellingham/Seattle. It’s when I join another band, that I find myself learning that not everyone approaches music the same way I do. I like learning how others write/approach songs and how they practice. I recommend that others try playing with other local bands. Its a great learning opportunity and it’s often a great to time to let loose and play some new music.

BB: What is the itinerary for your perfect day?

SJ: I would say that I’m almost currently living my perfect itinerary. I’m very lucky to work at two great bars in town, The Shakedown and The Ridge Wine Bar. Working at these music venues allows me to live the the life of an active musician. My perfect day consist of sleeping in, drinking coffee for hours, having a band practice, booking and few bands for The Ridge and then working the kitchen at The Shakedown. The Shakedown is the highlight of my day because I’m surrounded by other musicians and get to be around huge shows with great bills. It’s an awesome niche I’ve found and I feel very lucky.

BB: Describe your experience as a member of The Love Lights during the band’s heyday.

SJ: My experience was pretty awesome. The Love Lights got me into the music scene when I was only 17. I looked up to them like Gods, especially Rob Stauffer and Ben Ballew. Everything they did was the coolest. They really gave me the foundation that I needed to start my own project, Pan Pan, a few years later. Without The Love Lights, I probably would have been clueless on how to “operate” in the Bellingham music scene.

BB: Why did you choose the name Pan Pan?

SJ: I get this one a lot and it’s not really a good story. There was an old Bellingham band by the name of Chip and Pan. I always loved the band name and not the band so much. They broke up and I stole half of it… and then repeated it. I also had a serious love of banana pancakes at the time. There is the secret. Probably doesn’t seem so cool anymore.

BB: Who are your influences in music, life and why?

SJ: Almost any musician who does their craft well is an influence to me. I get buzzed when I see other musicians doing really cool things. For example, whenever I see Lupe Flores beat the hell out of her drums, all I want to do is go home and practice so that I can be a kick-ass musician like her.

And for life, I look to my friends who are doing great things in their lives as inspiration.

As for straight up professional musical influences, the Esbj rn Svensson Trio, Yann Tiersen, Brad Mehldau, and Max Richter supply me with endless musical genius.

BB: What can we look forward to from you in the near future regarding recordings or live performances ?

SJ: I will always keep performing in some capacity. Sometimes it will be as Pan Pan and sometimes it will be as a guest musician with other great bands. I’ve recently indulged in my need to play louder music and have started a project with Matt Curtis called Chambers. Its loud, gritty, and oh so wonderful. I think there are parallels to my “sad piano” music, but the music now requires ear plugs.

BB: Discuss your tenure with one of the greatest bands in history, Sad Dad & the Lonesone Fathers aka Dad Shredder aka Strongbow & the Bitches?

SJ: Who doesn’t already know about Sad Dad? It’s the greatest band I’ve ever been in. It was the product the the latest Band Lottery, hosted by JINX. It’s the band that gave me the guts to play guitar and sing in front of people. I’m sure it was very out of tune and a bit difficult to listen to, but it was all balls to the wall and I had a great time doing it. SAD DAD!

BB: Why Strongbow?

SJ: I don’t drink beer and Sean Jerns introduced me to my very first Strongbow about three years ago. It was love at first sight. For all of those that don’t know, its a great and cheap cider. Although, I like to get classy sometimes and drink the “pricey” cider. It’s all about class with me. FOX BARREL 4 LIFE!

BB: What is your goal in life?

SJ: Play music. Be happy. Have good health. Make enough money to pay rent and buy musical gear. Make a lot of good friends along the way. Done.

BB: Is your family interested in finding out who stole then susequently returned baby jesus to Jerns Funeral Home lawn because they felt bad during the holidays circa 1980 ?

SJ: Yes.
LONG LIVE BABY JESUS!

What's Up! Magazine Cover - July 2011. Artwork by Jessica Lynch / Slow Loris

Oh my sexy friends, welcome to summer. Try to keep your clothes on while going to shows. Helps us all out.

Thanks to the kind folks at Glow as well as Polecat, Jenni Potts with IG88, Bloodshot with Raw Jawz, Keaton Collective and a special guest, What’s Up! will be having a benefit on Wednesday, July 27 which is really cool, ‘cuz we can use the cash. We run a pretty bare bones operations (to say the least) and when advertising crashes out, as it has this summer (and often does during the summer), it can be a bit of a problem. Thankfully, in a time of need, the community steps forward and helps us out ya’ll have in the past and we hope you do again. It’s going to be a big show, we’ll see ya there. And thank you in advance.

Also, as a side note, a lot of bands are releasing new recordings, and when I say a lot, I mean, “Good God I’ve never seen this happen in town.” So, a few of you have been asking if your recording will be reviewed. We are not ignoring them, there are just A LOT of new recordings out right now. We try and review every CD we get and if we don’t, it might have slipped through the cracks. We’ve decided to expand the review section from two to three pages to get more reviews out each month, but as of right now, we still have approximately 30 recordings that need to be reviewed. Some of them are fantastic too (Erin Corday, I’m looking in your direction), so hang tight. They’re coming.

COMINGS & GOINGS

A couple of lifelong Bellingham musicians will be moving out of town soon both of whom have greatly contributed to the music scene over the years and have been friends. First off, Daniel Anderson will be moving to Los Angeles in September into the swanky Brentwood area and paying less than he does in Bellingham. It always bums me out when folks leave town, but this move just kinda makes sense. (And Daniel swears he’s saving money and working at buying a house back up in Bellingham in a few years. We hold him to it.)

The other big name leaving town is Brad Lockhart, who graduated from Western with a design degree and, gasp, received a job with it. Unfortunately, it’s in Seattle. As of press time, I haven’t heard the official word on the future of the Baltic Cousins, but I’ve seen bands spread farther and continue, so I’ve gotta assume they’ll be rolling along. They’re a damn good band, so I hope so.

Jake Hemming of Big Sur (and big awesomeness) will also be moving to Seattle. I’m sorry to see all three of these guys go they’ve all contributed largely to the music scene in different ways. But, that’s the way this town goes (the life of a college town) a lot of people move away and right now the next wave of musicians who will rock our world is just getting started in some crappy band, playing crappy music with hints of something special. As they learn how to play, those hints will become what entertains us for a while.

Looks like Josh Holland made one hell of an impression on the Hyro da Hero folks because they want him back for additional tours. Jay Clark will be back on guitar, so Josh is going to play bass and it sounds like for a while. The next tour will hit the East Coast and then travelling the world from there. One month on, one month off schedule. The downside to Josh’s rock ‘n’ roll stardom? Zorbatron and Dog Shredder two of my favorite Bellingham bands are both on the backburner. Prior to their most recent show, Zorbatron said it’ll be the last one for “a while.” Hopefully Josh will rock local bands during the months he’s home.

The other day, I met one of the guys in Falling Upstairs, Ryan Wapnoski. He seemed like a nice guy, we started chatting about music a bit (briefly, since I was in line at the co-op). Turns out his band is absolutely amazing murder jazz is the genre they call themselves, but they’re obviously inspired by Jill Brazil (old school Bellingham band who played ridiculous music). Crazy, screwed up music something this town doesn’t have nearly enough of. What’s my point? Cool dude, cool band definitely the best part of this job. Ryan also plays in Pan Pan and has joined up with Strongbow Jerns and Matt Curtis to form Chambers. The new wave of the music scene.

Well, the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern is “on vacation,” right now. I like to call it a vacation, because I know right now owner James Hardesty is reading this saying, “vacation, this isn’t any f***ing vacation!” In all seriousness, Hardesty is hard at work fixing up the new location of the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern, which will be conveniently located next to the Ridge Winery at 1015 State Street (The Ridge, by the by, has been putting on some great shows). As of press time, there is no official word as to when James will reopen, but when he does, he will have a much cooler place (which is saying something, ‘cuz his old place was pretty cool), a bit bigger capacity, and a deck. It doesn’t overlook the bay or anything, but it’s outside and beer always tastes better outside (if the Shawshank Redemption taught me anything). Plus, if he can make the master plan work (we’re talkin’ “in the future,”) it’s going to be absolutely epic. But, for now, we’ll settle for awesome.

WhAAM and Make.Shift have found a new home and it’s Jinx! Watch for details about the transformation, which officially occurs on July 1, but in the mean time, Jinx will be hosting their final event on July 2, a formal prom. The evening includes music from Beach Boys II Men (cover band with some of your favorite pop musicians), a BBQ, circus performers, photos by Morgan Ellis, corsages by Aireekah Laudert and a repeat performance of Zach Zinn in his tent (which is a lot less creepy than it sounds). It’s going to be one hell of a night to say goodbye!

Just a couple months ago, Bellingham was a one screen indie theater kind of town. Then, the awesome new double screen theater opened up. Now, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Pickford Film Center, especially Michael Faulter, the old Pickford has been revamped and reopened as The Limelight. Better sight lines and more leg room who doesn’t love that!? The theater promises to have a looser format and are currently showing a bunch of old grindhouse films. Expect it to be home to more local film works like Trailer Wars. Support independent movies!

It appears Tender Situation, the Ween cover band and the Jebs, the loose Minutemen cover band, have combined forces to make Jeb’s Tender Situation a Mr. Bungle cover band. Actually, the two bands, which share the same members, have decided to just go by the Jebs and will now begin playing more originals. Pretty talented bunch of dudes, no reason not to write their own songs.

ON THE ROAD

I ran into Lucas Hicks at the Bellingham Farmers Market the other day and he mentioned, among other things, that the Gallus Brothers will be headed back to Alaska for nine days in August. Nine days in Alaska in August? Yep, that sounds damn cool. I known the past the boys have been hugely popular on their AK tours, so this time should be much of the same.

Speaking of tours… did Bowlcut have a rough one last month. You can read about the full escapades in this month’s Tales from the Road (page 34), but I’ll wet your whistle with these three little nuggets: flat tire outside of Portland (in the middle of the night), their van died in central California, and Casey “Queen of the kickass” Nolan had a LONG Greyhound ride home. Frankly, one of the worst tour stories I’ve heard but that’s part of why you do it for the experience. Even if they suck! Good job for sticking with it the best you can.

I haven’t heard the official scene, but I know Cat From Hue are in the middle of a tour right now and hitting some real bumps in the road.

So Adult are headed out on a 10-day tour at the end of the month with Jason Clackley and the Exquisites. The tour’s kick off will be at Jinx (same great name, new great owners) and the band is threatening to have a new split take with Jason for sale. The tape is kind of a way to buy some time while they finish their album (recorded by Jackson Long, whose day job is being the drum tech for Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie). If you’ve checked out Pollstar lately, they’ve been on the road a lot, so it’s been tough for the band to finish the goods. I am told “soon” though.

BOOKED & HOOKED

Downtown Sounds will begin on July 6 with performances by the March Fourth Marching Band and Lucky Brown, and run every Wednesday on Bay Street. I could go into how awesome it’ll be, but you should just take my word for it and show up. Great shows every week, with a beer garden and stuff for the kids it’s pretty much got it all. Check out the full schedule at downtownbellingham.com/downtownsounds/.

ON THE RECORD

Dog Shredder will be releasing a new full length album in the summer or fall. Wish I had more concrete details than that (it will be called Doorbell Volume) but when it comes out, I imagine, it’ll be awesome. Not sure if you’ve all figured this out, but I really like this band.

Kit Nelson has begun working on her latest and greatest recording. She recorded something a while back, but didn’t end up releasing a lot (nearest I can tell). So, this will be her debut recording and since she has a sonically awesome voice and great talent, I assume it’ll be great. At this point, I’m just waiting…

Skagit County’s The Daffodils, which features members of Language Arts (for those of us over 35 who remember that band) will be recording a new album with Bruce Harvie out on Orcas Island. They’ll actually be in Olga, right down the road from Doe Bay, a place I like to call nirvana. Spent a couple days out there last month with the family it’s pure heaven. I couldn’t imagine a better place to record some good pop songs.

Envision have released a new album of brutal, sonic skull crushing music, or so I’ve been told. Mr. Awesome, Joe Olmstead, hasn’t gotten me the goods yet (hint, hint). He’s not in the band or anything, just my “connect.”

Torero’s debut is out and, as you expect, it’s heavy as hell and awesome. Check out their bandcamp page to hear the goods. (Actually, ya know, there’s a ton of great music on the bandcamp Bellingham tag, so, get on it! Listen!)

Before I sign off for this month, I want to mention a few things. First off, if you can find a recording by the band Medelicioius (Bellingham, circa 1993), grab it and love it. The drummer Johnny Catt from Fanny Alger, got me the goods and I fell in love with the band all over again. One of the best, that’s for sure. Second, on a totally different note, when the magazine started in 1998, bands didn’t tour very often, nor did they record a ton. Now things couldn’t be further from that time. Well done, Bellingham! Well done.

Happy birthday to our daughter Ruby, our 4th of July girl , and to our son Harrison, who shares a birthday with momma on the 26th.

Hugs and kisses, Brent

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

What's Up! Cover - February 2011. Artwork by Jerry Fowls at Lucky Lady Tattoo

Well, well, well, good day my friends. I hope yer are all surviving the nasty virus going around town. We’re surviving here at the What’s Up! office/Cole family home, but that’s been about it. So, if you’ve been wondering where the hell the paper is over the first week of February that’s the word, bird. Our production guru, my wife Becca, came down with the virus that’s been knocking everyone out and it knocked her out. Which is pretty amazing soul sister never gets sick and this one took her out for a full week.

So, we’re sorry for the delay. Unfortunately, when you run a mom and pop organization and the mom part is very sick, and then everything grinds to a halt. Which, in the grand scheme of things is fine I just hate seeing my beautiful wife sick like that!

Anyhow stay healthy everyone.

I’d like to thank everyone who participated and came out to the What’s Up! Pre-Pre, Pre and “The” Awards shows. It was a great time had by all we showcased some of the best bands this town has to offer while all celebrating this amazing and vibrant music community. I’d like to thank Candysound and Biagio and the Argonauts for playing the Pre Pre Awards Show at the Underground Coffeehouse (titled Pre Pre because it’s the one before the Pre Awards Show), Dog Shredder, Lampost Revival, No-Fi Soul Rebellion and Acorn Project for playing the Pre Awards Show on campus as well Glowbug, Zorbatron, Baltic Cousins, Keaton Collective, The Productionists and Polecat for playing the Awards Show; Poops, DJ Postal and the Dirty Bird Cabaret for between set entertainment, Eli Ziebell and James Gillies for help with the trophies, Sam Eisen-Meyers and Megan Housekeeper for booking the shows on campus; Casey Nolan, Andrew Nickerson, Lupe Flores, Zach Zinn, Sarah Jerns, Jordan Rain, Carey Ross, and Josh Holland for presenting awards as well as Qt Kiwi for handing out the awards. Finally, I’d like to thank Brittany Smith and Hallie Anderson for running the show it was by far the smoothest and most stress free awards show we’ve ever done, Craig Jewel and the Wild Buffalo for letting us host the show there, my wife for guiding me through all the stress of putting the show together and Braden Peterson, for being a badass behind the bar (as well as the rest of the staff at the Wild Buffalo). Congrats to all the winners as well we had approximately 200 more legitimate votes this year over last and I’m continuously amazed at the support this town offers local musicians. Don’t believe me? Try to find a What’s Up!, an awards show, a local all ages venue (which we’ll talk about shortly) and bunch of great venues as well as house shows in any other town with less than 100,000 people in it! This is a special place and I’m damn honored I get to cover what all the great folks around here are doing.

As I just mentioned, Bellingham will soon have its own, legit, all ages venue! WhAAM and Make.Shift had a goal of $8,500 needing to be raised by Jan. 16 and they raised over $12,000! 150 people donated over $12,000 averaging to $80 per person. Again, I’m so, so very proud of this community and the support it’s shown the music scene. A legitimate all ages venue is KEY to the vitality of a music scene it opens up access to music for those under 21, it gets them excited about music! The new spot won’t just be a venue, though, as we talked about last month. There will be classes and a host of things bands can utilize to promote, tour or just get organized. It’ll be a hub for the local scene and it’ll be amazing. There are still a lot of things that are needed for the venue, so please check out www.makeshiftproject.com for more information. The battle isn’t over now that they’ve got some money please continue to help either through donations of money or supplies. Look for a potential spring opening.

So, yeah, that’s cool, right? I mean, seriously, a devoted all ages venue/hub is possibly the coolest thing to happen to the town this year… if this were a typical year. Instead, we get another shot of good news! The Shakedown, located at 1212 North State Street (old home of the Factory, Callaloo and Plan B) should be open sometime in March if all goes as planned. You can expect a 3B inspired vibe there, though without a retro feel to it it’ll be the medium size rock ‘n’ roll club the town needs. It won’t just be rock ‘n’ roll, obviously, but it’ll have a cool edgy vibe to it. I lay awake at nights thinking about the awesomeness of The Shakedown. You will love it.

3 six 0 Music will be opening their doors in February (that’s the plan, at least). The new music shop – which will feature primarily used gear with some new as well as music lessons – will be housed in the old Video Extreme building on Holly Street (kind of by the Lighthouse Mission).

To recap new all ages venue, new medium size club and a used gear shop all happening this spring. HOT DAMN!

Ok, now to the bands.

BELLINGHAM POWER

Last year, we were graced with Chris Otepka (The Heligoats) moving TO town (as opposed to the normal exodus of talented people moving out) and this year Louis Ledford has decided to make Bellingham home. Louis moved up from New Orleans and while I haven’t had a chance to find out exactly what prompted the move (I assume sexy sexy Robert Blake had something to do with his relocation), I’m thrilled he’s here. You might’ve caught Louis at the Subdued Stringband Jamboree the dude is a talented songwriter and musician and you can start catching him more often around town.

Speaking of The Heligoats, they’ve just released a new split 10″ with Sam Humans from Portland, which I assume will be amazing (but haven’t heard it yet). Chris also spent some time back east in December when NPR flew him out to do a Tiny Desk Concert for the web. That, my friends, is really, REALLY cool. Seriously, a local was flown to Washington D.C. to play on NPR. Stunning, absolutely stunning. The Heligoats also landed on NPR’s All Songs Considered top 10 for 2010 list. Congrats, Chris!

Daniel Anderson is about to head out on tour with Hyro Da Hero that’ll take him to the UK in March and April. Where’s that leave his latest project, Glowbug? Not playing enough live shows, I’ll tell you that much. Band was amazing at the awards show.

There was a time when people could say Bellingham was a fun town, but a dead end for musicians if you really wanted to do something on a more professional level. Louis, Chris and Daniel (and bands like Acorn Project who tour often) have proved that isn’t the case anymore.

GOOD TIMES

The Cabin Tavern continues to book some great bands, including the Mumlers on March 2 (this one courtesy of Zach Zinn and his new company Orgoner Productions). The band has a pretty weird, but mellow sound that really blows me away (hence why we’re sponsoring the show). The chance to see the band in such a cool intimate setting is gonna be amazing.

On March 28, we’ll be having our What’s Up! magazine 13th birthday party, also at the Cabin. Why a Monday night? ‘Cuz that’s when the Strange Boys can play! Out of Austin, these guys are one of my favorite, favorite bands they play a mid-60s garage rock reminiscent of the 13th Floor Elevators or early Rolling Stones.

Ex-pat Chris Riffle, one of the best voices you’ll ever hear, is making his way back to Bellingham once again playing the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern on Feb. 24. This will be the third time in under a year that Chris has been in the area and I suggest everyone that reads this paper should make it down to the show. In all the years of doing this magazine, Chris is one of my favorite songwriters with an incredible voice. Don’t miss this show! He lives in NY, so who knows when he’ll be back!

We had planned on running a story on the Mud Jugglers at the Bellingham Circus Guild this month, but with the delay, we couldn’t… which sucks the Circus Guild is doing some great events each month and we wanted to help shine a spotlight on ‘em. Please check out their website, BellinghamCircusGuild.com, for a full calendar.

Good to see the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern still alive. As it is with all clubs locally, if you don’t go to shows, don’t drink, they can’t survive. So, please, support these venues so Bellingham can remain amazing. Tons of great shows there this month.

Bellingham Nite Life is hosting a new electronic music night at the Fairhaven Pub on Feb. 17 and March 3 with DJ Lithium, Erin Bersch, Neural Net, and JGuyver, as well as rotating local DJs. Check it out if that’s yer scene!

The Shadies, which have taken over part time residency at the Cabin Tavern on Wednesday nights, are playin’ some old time country music. As of this writing, their last show included them playing at a table with no PA, which they dug a lot. Oh yeah, the band includes Andy Rick, Lucas Hicks, and Reeb Williams, plus guest musicians. Good times!

The 3rd annual Winter Commission will be held at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity on Feb. 26. This year’s theme is Storytelling and will include film, amazing music, 30 artists as well as tons of other artistic goodies. The folks who do the Winter Commission like Music for Moderns, have always blown me away; it’s an incredible way to highlight the creativity of the town.

COMINGS & GOINGS

Caulfield and his Magical Violin have changed their name to The Violins and will be releasing Before You Die. I REALLY like the new name less distracting than old the name and I really dig this band, so should you (at least I think you will too).

Mary Mary have changed their name to Marriage, I assume to avoid any conflict or confusion with the gospel band Mary Mary. It’s also a different band to an extent with the addition of Drew Fitchette and Peter Woiwood. New name, same awesomeness.

Idiot Pilot are on “indefinite hiatus,” which I think is code for “broken up” in 2011 speak. Singer Michael Harris is moving to NY in the beginning of February and Daniel Anderson is working on Glowbug, Ghost and the Grace as well as touring with Hyro Da Hero. The boys had a great run and I’m sorry to see it go, but it sounds like they’re both moving onto bigger and better things. Good luck, guys!

I’ve heard from a couple different folks that The Slacks are their new favorite local band, which is amazing, ‘cuz I think they’ve only played a couple shows. The trio features LP from the Holy Tailfeathers, Andy Piper from Sugar Sugar Sugar and Jonathan Sampson from Bar Tabac. That, my friends, is an all-star line up.

Bayside Recording is changing their name to Champion St. Sound Studios. I was going to make up an elaborate story as to why, but I’m pretty tapped at this point. Baltic Cousins, Pan Pan and Marriage have all either been in or are in the studio right now.

RECORDS & RELEASES

Beam Me Up! by the Yogoman Burning Band will be out on vinyl in late February or early March. According to Yogoman himself, they’ve been getting some great airplay on KUGS as well as on KHUM in Arcada CA, which is, ya know, damn cool.

Robert Blake is releasing his latest recording, A Short Series of Long Nights Remembered-The Belfast Sessions on Feb. 25 at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern. The album was is a collection of Irish folk songs recorded with Irish musicians (in Ireland, I assume that’s how Robert rolls). Opening is Giants Causeway, who are an amazing band as well.

The Baltic Cousins are releasing their debut CD in February. Though they’ll probably have it in time for the Lucero show at the Wild Buffalo on Feb. 12, their CD release party is at the Contra House on Feb. 25 with Ship to Ship, Monogamy Party and Blood Orange Paradise. In other Baltic Cousins news, Rabia Magnusson has joined on keys she made her live debut at the awards show. I REALLY love this band and Rabia added a cool element to their sound. Watch for a story on ‘em in the March issue.

Well, I’m out of room, so I’ve gotta stop. Please have a happy and safe February and remember when we reconvene for the next issue, baseball will have started back up we’ll have survived another winter, spring is on the way. Watch for updates on our facebook page and online at www.whatsup-magazine.com.

Hugs and kisses.

-Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

On Aug. 6 I was faced with a hard decision. It was the Downtown Art Walk and there were four really great shows happening around town. Should I see the always amazing Pan Pan at Jinx? Or how about the fantastic Rooftops at the Cabin Tavern? But then I would miss my favorite band in town, Keaton Collective, who was playing at the Wild Buffalo. And just to make things even harder, the fun rock band, Citizen Escape was playing at Plan B. After thinking about which show I wanted to see, I decided that I didn’t just need to go to one show, I could see them all!

Since it was the first Friday of the month, the Downtown Art Walk was happening. Every first Friday of the month, all the galleries in town open their doors for free to allow people to come in and see what all of our talented artists in town have been creating. The great thing about the Downtown Art Walk is that it focuses the city’s attention all on the huge underground artist community that we are fortunate to have.

During this art walk, I was particularly excited that the new Pickford theater, the Dreamspace, was having an open house. Already being in love with the Pickford, I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the Dreamspace. Due to lack of funding, it has been taking them longer than anticipated to open. However, on this art walk, and continuing with every art walk forward, they opened their doors to allow the public to see the status of the theater and hopefully to raise some donations. The space is fairy still bare bones with the layout complete and the wooden risers for the seats set in the two different theaters. There was a projection playing in the smaller theater, which will hold about 90 people and a band playing in the bigger theater, which will hold 145 people. The band, Bar Tabac, who are John Sampson on guitar, Andy Piper on a percussion contraption and Terry Wergeland on accordion, were playing haunting, echoey music. Or as my friend described it “crazy clown gypsy carnival blues.” The band would create sounds with their instruments and then John would trap the echoes the instruments created and loop them, while Andy and Terry would start creating something else to play on top of those echoes. Occasionally, John would switch from playing the guitar to the trombone and Terry would switch from playing the accordion to the trumpet. The haunting echoes that Bar Tabac were playing was the perfect match for the eery bare bones theater that we were sitting in.

After wandering around the Dreamspace studios, and seeing some awesome things that can be done with toasters, I made my way over to Jinx. Another great thing about the Downtown Art Walk is that there are usually free shows happening at the galleries. This art walk, Pan Pan was playing a free show in the Jinx basement. The show was to start promptly at nine since everyone, including Sarah Jerns, wanted to see the Rooftops. When I got to Jinx, the folk band, the Moandingers were just starting their set. Usually a three member band, tonight the band consisted of Kayla Brodgen on an acoustic guitar and Bill Lohse on cello. Kayla, who has the sweetest, most heartfelt voice, would lay down a playful melody on either her guitar, mandolin or accordion and then Bill, who sung harmonies, would add a serious tone with his cello. Their six song set, which consisted of songs such as “The Ghost Song” and “Gold, Gold, Gold” was blissfully mellow and made me want to hear more from them.

As the Moandingers were finishing their set, the crowd swelled, all waiting to hear Pan Pan. For this performance, Sarah Jerns brought along Austin Richy on drums and Ryan Wapnowski on saxophone. I knew from seeing Sarah play her trumpet in random bands around town that she was great and had always read that Pan Pan, was simply astonishing. Even though Pan Pan has been playing in town now for a couple of years, I’ve never seen her play a show or have listened to her album. After finally watching her perform live, she more than exceeded my expectations. It was just extraordinary to see how much ferocity and passion Sarah put into that piano. Through the entire set, her beautiful piano, soulful saxophone and great backing percussion blended flawlessly together to create breathtaking melodies.

After Pan Pan was done blowing my mind, I headed over to the Cabin Tavern. When I got there, Mary Mary had just got done playing and Biagio and the Argonauts were setting up. Being impatient as I am, I headed over to the Wild Buffalo to hear Keaton Collective. Just getting back from their “Time and Pressure” tour, Keaton Collective was playing a free show to kick off the Buffalo’s free August Fridays. I always love to see Keaton Collective live since they impressively demonstrate their own controlled chaos. Having six members in a band, four of which are vocalists, play a range of music from country to rock just spells a recipe for disaster. Keaton Collective, however, perfectly blend their forceful rhythm section, commanding drums and harmonies together all while being great showmen. At the time, the band was playing their country material, off their new album “Time and Pressure.” Since it was relatively early, there was only a small crowd at the Buffalo and I decided to head back to the Cabin just as the band started to play “Hilltop Saloon.”

When I got back to the Cabin Tavern, Biagio and the Argonauts were just about to start their set. The band is Biagio Biondolillo on main vocals and acoustic guitar with the Argonauts who are Kat Bula on violin as well as harmonies and Rabia Magnusson on piano. Biagio writes the songs and Kat and Rabia add beautiful vocal harmonies, strings and piano melodies. As the band started to play, they created an intimate setting since all three of the members had decided to play while seated, which had led a group of 15 or so people to sit on the floor of the Cabin along with them. The problem with playing an intimate show at the Cabin Tavern is that it is usually hard to hear the music over all the conversations. Being a great billed show, the Cabin was packed with people, all talking, which made it hard to hear anything other than Biagio singing and his guitar. However, while talking to friends, I did find the music enjoyable and relaxing to hang out to.

During changeover from Biagio and the Argonauts to the Rooftops, I went back to the Wild Buffalo to catch some more of Keaton Collective. Luckily for me, now they were playing more of their rock songs off of their first album “The Wash”, including my favorite “Hitler Doesn’t Own That Mustache.” After dancing to a few other songs, like “Be A Mess,” I heard that Citizen Escape had already started at Plan B and decided I better hustle up there before the Rooftops started at the Cabin. Sure enough, when I got to Plan B, the high energy Citizen Escape was already rocking through their set. The four man band, Jason on vocals, Billy on guitar, Ryan on bass and Chad on drums, blend elements of punk, rock and alternative music together to create a headbanging fun and fast sound. Paranoid that I was going to miss the Rooftops, I only stayed for about twenty minutes, which was long enough to hear the band play some originals and covers, including one of an Incubus song.

Running back down to the Cabin, I made it before the Rooftops even started. If you don’t know who the Rooftops are, then seriously, what rock have you been living under? Still, if you don’t know, the Rooftops are a four man band consisting of Mark Detrick, Drew Fitchette and Jonathan McIntyre all playing guitars, and Wendelin Wohlgemuth on drums. They intricately layer guitars, horns, strings, percussion and sparse vocals into irregular rhythmic structures and intersecting melodies to create their own union of math rock and post rock into indie-post-math-rock. Looking back on my notes from the evening, the one word that appears most is incredible.

Reminising on the night, I had seen seven remarkable bands in a period of six hours. The even more remarkable thing is that I only had to pay a cover at two shows. Bar Tabac was free, The Moandingers and Pan Pan were free, Biagio and the Argonauts and the Rooftops were a three dollar cover, Keaton Collective was free and Citizen Escape was only $2. Seven amazing bands for only $5! This night in my mind solidified the fact that we are so lucky to have such a great local scene.

What's Up! Magazine Cover - September 2010. Artwork by Jacob Covey

Hi ya’ll, how’s it going? I hope everyone has enjoyed what summer we’ve had. Wasn’t long, but it was pretty cool. Let’s get into the music.

Of course, the big news of the scene is the closing of Plan B. After only eight months they’ve been shut down, and once again one of the coolest spaces in Bellingham will go quiet. This time, it was a tenant/landlord issue I’ve heard from both sides and won’t comment on what happened, just that it’s very disappointing there won’t be music there. Hopefully something can be worked out and someone new can come into the space. Folks are already talking about it. Good luck to Bucketz and crew with their next plans and projects, and thank you for bringing the Plan B to us all.

In the mean time, the Wild Buffalo is on overdrive with shows, the Acoustic Tavern continues to bring in amazing bands at least five nights a week and the Cabin Tavern has one of the coolest underground scenes around. Campus music is starting back up as well, plus The Fairhaven is going to be doing local shows on Fridays, Chuckanut Ridge Winery has jazz, Boundary Bay continues to provide great music, and there are some great house shows going on.

So, as I get to say way too often, the scene is not dying, it’s just change. Do I hope a new venue opens up soon? You bet your ass… And, I believe, something will. It’s just going to take a little bit of time.

Last month, James Hardesty at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern raffled off an awesome bike with most of the proceeds going to the magazine an incredible gesture that we very much appreciated. The official Green Frog raffle ended on Aug. 12 with the bike then going to the Subdued Stringband Jamboree where more raffle tickets were sold. The winner was none other than Jen Richmond from Jen’s Chai (our favorite chai)! The raffle brought in a nice chunk of change with Robert Sarazin Blake and the Jamboree adding to the final total, an incredible gesture on his part as well. So, thanks to everyone who bought the raffle tickets, but especially to James Hardesty and Robert Blake two very cool guys who do a lot for local music and each put their money where their mouth is when it comes to supporting the magazine.

Speaking of the Jamboree holy crap that was a good time! The family and I camped Friday night and got to see some amazing music over the weekend. Highlights included Kristi Nelson and Chris from the Heligoats in the songwriters in the round, as well as the three huge acts for the night Anais Mitchell, CR Avery and finally the Gallus Brothers. It was WILD, definitely not subdued, that’s for sure. The next day, which was incredibly hot, was also filled with great music. The weekend highlight (for both Becca and I) was Polecat who was ON. Absolutely awesome. (Check out Polecat in this month’s pin-up!)

Another wonderful time by Robert Sarazin Blake and crew. Congrats and thanks goes out to all who worked on the event! You all do an amazing job. Happy 10! On a side note, thanks also to the Juice Peddler. We had a total of nine smoothies that weekend. Refreshing!

RECORDS & RELEASES

Kristi Nelson has released her debut CD, which I haven’t had the pleasure of listening too, but I’ve gotta assume is very, very good. She’s got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard and it’s about damn time she puts out a recording. The disc was released just days prior to her opening up for Earth Wind and Fire over the course of two nights. Not sure how she got the gig, but the band and the crowd loved her. Got a feeling this won’t be the only time I mention Kristi opening up for a major band. Good stuff.

They Hibernate have a new EP out which was recorded at Two Sticks down in Seattle. Good ol’ fashioned alt-rock nothing revolutionary, but really pretty damn good, especially for a new band. Look for more good things to come from these guys.

Torero is putting the finishing touches on their EP and, according to Casey “Big Time” Nolan, it sounds “amazing.” The songs were recorded by Peter of Todos Somos Lee, a band that we don’t write about nearly often enough.

On a side note, speaking of “Big Time,” I’d like to thank her for tackling the Under the Radar each issue. Over the last few months, it’s been all her and she’s done it out of the goodness of her heart. That’s why we ALL call her “Big Time,” ‘cuz she’s a big time badass!

One of the bigger bands on the all ages scene, Livingston Seagull, are headed into the studio to record a new record. Not sure who is doing the recording, but it’s another band releasing a new disc. That’s always a good thing.

FFA’s new album isn’t out yet, as we had reported last issue. Typical slow down time and money. Hopefully, it’ll be out in October, but, with the guys all doing different stuff, it could take a little bit longer.

The Productionists will be releasing their debut CD on Sept. 23 at the Wild Buffalo with the Acorn Project releasing their latest CD the following night, again at the Wild Buffalo. Those are going to be two big nights!

Snug Harbor is releasing a live CD and DVD shortly. Hopefully they’ll give us a copy for review or at least our listening pleasure… unlike Vaughn Kreestoe, who left us hanging.

The Lonely Forest are releasing a new EP on Sept. 14. They’re big time now, think on Atlantic, which is incredibly exciting. Hopefully we’ll have more details next time.

COMINGS & GOINGS

Boundary Bay is turning 15, which is so cool. The focus always seems to be on venues closing, so take a second and celebrate Boundary surviving and thriving. Congrats Janet and Ed, you’ve done very, very well! Join them in celebration on Sept. 16. The party starts at 4 p.m.

Lots of big happenings over at Jinx this month. On Sept. 3, they’ll be celebrating their two-year anniversary with a big ol’ show! PRND, Sugar Sugar Sugar and ZORBATRON will be playing a free show to celebrate the huge occasion. Yep, you read it right Zorbatron is playing a show. The perpetually awesome and perpetually cult-ish sounds of Beau Boyd from Federation X will debut in band form with Aaron Roeder on drums, Josh Holland on guitar, Sean from the Narrows and Beau on guitar and vocals. Awesome.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jinx will also be hosting a band lottery that night. Willing participants will all put their name in a hat with the intention of random bands being formed. Once the names are drawn and the bands are formed, they’ve got two weeks to make a band name, songs, the whole thing. Then, on Sept. 17, they’ll all play a live show at Jinx. Could be awesome, could be a disaster, I’m guessing it’ll be both. Which should be glorious.

Scott Watts of DSW Drums and Corey Shek, `co-owner of Juice It, are teaming up for a new music shop in town. Located at the old Video Extreme building (Gosh I love that), they’re gonna have tons of used gear from guitars to drums, amps to sticks and everything else in between. The official opening date is Nov. 1, but keep your eye out before then, they could be up and running as early as October.

Scott and Corey seem to really get along, ‘cuz they’ve also formed a new band that includes Brian Fannin called Tres Pistols. The boys are just starting out, but watch for the rock ‘n’ roll.

The Pickford is so, so very close to reaching their financial goal and opening up the new spot. They’re within about $100,000, which seems like a large amount if you aren’t making any dough, but they’ve brought in millions, so this is just the finishing touch. BUT, just because they don’t have a lot left, doesn’t mean they don’t need your help. What they are asking folks to do is donate $10 a month for a full year. Our family has donated, we hope you do as well. You check out www.pickfordfilmcenter.org for more info.

A couple months ago, I reported that Julian MacDonough had moved back to Bellingham. Well, I kinda blew that one he hadn’t. BUT, I’m happy to report, that he now has moved back to Belligham literally any day now. When you read this, he could be standing right next to you. As I’ve always said, this town is a bit cooler with Julian around.

Mary Mary just got back from a little tour down the West Coast. Another band that in six month’s you’ll be saying, “dude, Mary Mary is the coolest band in town.” Them and Bright Weapons… ya know Bright Weapons, they’ve got HANDSOME ROB on bass. HANDSOME ROB. Did you know he goes by HANDSOME ROB now legally. He’s actually changing his name to HANDSOME ROB.

By the way, HANDSOME ROB just turned 30, which makes him really old for all of you, and really young to me. For his birthday, his wonderful girlfriend, poet Jessica Lohafer, threw a surprise party in the basement of their home that included 25 of their closest friends… and… BOAT! Seriously, she got BOAT to play his surprise birthday party (they played a fantastic set later that night at the Plan B that I was lucky enough to catch). Happy birthday HANDSOME ROB!

While the local hip hop scene continues to percolate, watch out for Tommy Boy, he’s a new dude on the scene. Don’t know a whole bunch about him, other than he’s new and damn good.

After getting married and going on a honeymoon, Shultzie has reopened Paperdoll and is showing some art to go along with the cool clothes. For September, Kelly Hoekema will be gracing the walls I dig her stuff, think you’ll like it too. Go check it out… and buy something. Works well that way.

While it’s not Ferndale’s Oktoberfest yet, folks are raising funds with a special show on Sept. 25 at Pioneer Park. It starts at noon and includes eight bands, a beer garden and tons of good food. Ya know a beer garden at an Oktoberfest fundraiser is gonna be pretty sweet.

There’s a lot of badasses in town and Brad Lockhart is one of them. His band, Baltic Cousins are about to go on a 10-show West Coast tour. They are also releasing a 10″ record this fall on Krazy Keith (who put out the Russians/BENT split) and are playing an acoustic show at the Underground Coffeehouse on Sept. 24 with Pan Pan. But what makes him a badass? He’s doing the poster and ads for my birthday party, which are really cool. Thanks Brad!

Birthday party?! Yes folks, 40 is on the horizon. As some of you already know, I’ll be turning 40 on Nov. 13. Seriously… 40 f***ing years old. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, I’ll be hosting my birthday party at the Wild Buffalo (the 13th lands on a Saturday) and we’ll be having a bunch of bands playing including Sugar Sugar Sugar, Dog Shredder, The Holy Tailfeathers and the return of Federation X. YES! It’s been a few years since Fed X played in town Ben and Bill live in NY, but they’re coming back for this special birthday show! There’s hopefully going to be one more special surprise band, but we’re still waiting to see if they can confirm. Yer all invited, so come on down and celebrate me turning really, really older than most of you.

Last month, I wrote about Fresh Pear, except I called them Fresh Pair, which is not their name. Sorry guys. Check out the review of their album in this month’s reviews section.

Some photo credits were mistakenly left out last issue. John E. Hollingsworth took the photo of the Birch Bay Band, and Haylee Nighbert shot the My Dad Bruce photos. Nice job!

Thanks to all our fans on Facebook! What’s Up! has over 1,000 fans!

Lastly, we’re always looking for contributing writers and photographers, so if you’d like to be involved with the magazine, please contact me at brent@whatsup-magazine.com.

Well, think that’s about it for this month. We’ll be back in October and can’t wait to see ya!

-Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

What's Up! Cover - July 2010. Artwork by Jacob Covey.

Hiya, how are ya all doing? I hope everyone is having a nice summer, no matter how dreary it is outside.

Ya know, July is a real special month for me. First off, both my kids were born in July. Ruby turns 1 on July 4th and Harrison turns 4 on the 26th. My wife’s birthday is also the 26th. Yep, Harrison was born on Becca’s birthday, and Ruby on the 4th we don’t screw around with our birthdays, huh?

Besides the family birthdays, I also get to celebrate an anniversary of sorts each July, my coming to Bellingham. On July 2, 1992, I moved to Bellingham with the hopes of attending Western (which I eventually did). So, as of this year, I’ve spent 18 years living in Whatcom County, most of those years in Bellingham, making it officially my longest place of residence. When I moved here, I never could have envisioned staying permanently but I did and I could never imagine living anywhere else. Bellingham has changed dramatically over the last 18 years (when school was out in the summer, things slowed WAY down in town, which drove me nuts) and, obviously, I have changed as well. In truth, the town and the county as a whole helped shape who I am it’s given me opportunities I wouldn’t have had in a big city and while driven me crazy at times, it’s turned into my paradise.

Why do I bring this up, other than my seemingly compulsive desire to talk about myself? I guess it’s just to ask those of you who have come to a crossroads in their life and are considering moving out of Bellingham, to not rush it. When you’re in your early 20′s, there’s often a feeling like you need to rush to get moving in your career and “real life.” This town can begin to feel small and lacking in opportunities, especially if you haven’t had the experiences of a big city. What’s amazing about Bellingham, though, is opportunities abound, they just aren’t as obvious. If you want to just land straight into a career where you work for someone else, this probably isn’t the town for you. But, if you want to do something different, something interesting and something for yourself, Bellingham is perfect. Bellingham makes you work your ass off to make it here, and when you do, it’s more rewarding than you can imagine.

I’m not a brilliant guy, hell, if you knew me before the magazine, you’d be surprised I could dress myself in the morning. But, I did something. And, if I did something, I’m guessing a lot of you can too.

Jordan Rain (Yogoman) and I were talking about this the other day. He’s been all over the world and there’s no place he’d rather be. A working musician, one who tours constantly, Jordan not only survives here, he thrives here. It’s like someone said: The grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence, sometimes you just need to water your side a little more.

Instead of moving to Seattle or Portland or someplace like that to fall into a scene, make your scene right here. HERE where you can make a real difference more than you ever could in a big city. HERE where you can touch the lives of people with more intensity and with less anonymity. If you ever wonder if it’s possible just look at me. I graduated college with no publishing experiences and started a music mag because I thought it’d be cool. Every month thousands of eyeballs read this magazine! I get to have direct impact on my community, and that’s amazing. I get to see how my work impacts where I live and it’s incredibly rewarding. You’ll never get rich in Whatcom County, but, really, is money gonna make you happy?

So in short, it’s magic here, stick around and enjoy it. Now on to the music.

RECORDS & RELEASES

Yogoman Burning Band have finished recording their album it’s all ready to go, but the band is hanging tight, waiting to find some good distribution. Smart, smart move for them the band feels like it’s on the cusp of something really special. Between their amazing songs, work ethic and phenomenal skills, this is a band ready and deserving of something really special.

Though Femme Uke is now living in separate cities, the duo is working on a new album and have shows coming up, including a set at the Subdued Stringband Jamboree in August at the Deming Log Show Grounds. According to Laine, the two actually have had some great songwriting sessions via Skype, which is really pretty genius. It’s a brave new world, my friends.

So Adult have been some busy, busy boys. First off, the four-piece have been back in Two Sticks working on their new album no idea when it’ll be released, much less finished. In the meantime, though, they’ll be heading out on a bit of a tour through July. It’s just a couple week jaunt down the West Coast, but a trip to California right now seems like a great idea.

Envision have finished mastering their LP, but no word on when that will be done. The cool thing is, it will, indeed, actually be a “long player.” Ya know what I love even more than local CDs? Local records.

Full Frontal Assault are BACK! They boys, who have been primarily playing as the All Nighters as of late, are looking at releasing their new disc in August. Conqueror looks to continue the band’s patented “crush you skull” metal. Bellingham has a pretty cool metal scene and a lot of it is owed to FFA they formed much of the foundation for what’s happening. It’ll be good to see them playing a lot of shows and melting faces this fall.

Another band in the studio is the wonderful and mighty Pan Pan! Sarah is working on her latest piece of brilliance, which, I assume, will be released on Clickpop Records (another example of the awesome that can happen when you stay here). The work has literally just begun, so who knows when the album will be wrapped up and out, but if it’s Sarah Jerns playing and Paul Turpin recording, you know it’s going to be insanely good. Epically good. Like “all time” type of good. (That’s not too much pressure, is it Sarah?)

The Productionists are dangerously close to finishing up their CD. They’ve been working on it for months and months, three hours at a time at a studio in Seattle. The latest from DJ Clint Westwood is August is the month it’s finally going to happen. Look for lots of love from us next month.

The mighty Acorn Project will be releasing their latest album in the fall. Not more solid details than that as of now, but ya know it’s gonna be good.

Jenni Potts is working on her new album, this time with Dave Richards turning the nobs. The new recording should be less folky with more electronic elements to it. No word on when it’ll be released, but she states it won’t take nearly as long to get out as the last one. She’s also wrapping up the video for her song “Stay,” which was filmed by the mighty Micah Knapp.

Caulfield and his Magical Violin are releasing their debut CD at the beginning of July, which is pretty cool. Haven’t heard of them? Just wait the band is some youngin’ out of Anacortes who are making some damn, damn fine indie pop. I love it when people make great music and aren’t old enough to legally drink.

Speaking of long players, the Lumpkins’ new music is out on album again making me damn happy. Even happier? David Ney gave it to me as a gift. Thanks, man, I appreciate it!

The Ghost and the Grace have released a new song for your listening pleasure, you can purchase it on their bandcamp site. It’s only a dollar and includes not only Daniel Anderson, but Christopher Newton on drums and Jenni Potts on vocals.

Vaughn Kreestoe’s DVD just “dropped,” according to their facebook page. I’d love to say I know what’s going on with it, but I don’t. If you see Mr. Stache, find out the skinny and tell me.

COMINGS & GOINGS

The one, the only, the MIGHTY, guitarist (and What’s Up! writer) Adam Bates, has a band called Plant Party that are starting to play. With Adam is Matt Omdal on drums, Mike Perara on accordian/mandolin/harmonica/guitar/vocals and Dave Wheeler on piano. I figure, anything Adam touches turns to gold, so the band is gonna be good.

Another new band to watch out for is Corduroy, which features Kevin Lee and Mara Fields from the Lumpkins and Tim Leighton, formerly of All the Filthy Animals).

BOOKED & HOOKED

The Productionists and Vaughn Kreestoe are working on a West Coast tour for the fall. It’s still in the early stages, but looks like Bellingham will be bringing some hip hop and funk down to the masses.

Pirates R Us will be making their triumphant return on July 9 at a house show. David stressed that it’s a one0time only thing, but it’s got the makings for a pretty amazing show. Along with Pirates R Us, you’ll find musical comedy by Jimes, Nigel and Jeremy as well as stand up from Elissa Ball, Brandon Ivey, Jessica Sele, Solomon Georgio, Travis Vogt and Neill McLaughlin. That is CRAZY. If you’d like to know more, find David!

GOOD STUFF

The non-profit Make.Shift is a group that exemplifies what I mentioned earlier about making an impact on your community. This all-volunteer group has been working their asses off for the local scene and they are proud to announce The Magic Van! It’s a 1986 former Bellingham PD SWAT van which has been converted run on biodiesel and is here for Bellingham bands needing a vehicle to tour. Make.Shift has the application on their website and all applicants will be looked at by a committee. “The committee will initially approve a small pool of bands, which will be in charge of booking their own tours. Make.Shift will serve each band (at no cost) as tours are booked, on a first-come first-served basis. Make.Shift staff will drive the van during all tours,” the press release stated. (In the interest of full public disclosure, I am on the committee.)

OK, one last item here. I’m going to be a guest bartender at the Wild Buffalo on July 15 from 8-10 p.m. (a Belebrity bartender, as it’s being called). The fun happens every Thursday and each week, it’s a different Belebrity. Come down and order a whiskey on the rocks, ‘cuz I can’t make anything else!

Hugs and kisses, and happy July.

–Brent

(editor@whatsup-magazine.com

Boy do I love me a good comp and this my people is a really good comp. Oh, and it’s FREE via the website or the really cool printed physical copies.

Along with tracks by already-familiar local acts Pan Pan, The Femme Uke, A Cozy Kitchen, and Cumulus, Avocado Sampler features musicians who were totally new to me and offered my favorite bites: The Magician & the Gates of Love; Catcher; Mike Pruess; Guy Law; Cora Anne Glass. Also, how have I not heard BC’s Apollo Ghosts until now? Something’s wrong, I tell ya.

Avacado Family Records
avacadofamilyrecords.blogspot.com

Candysound at the EMP Sound-Off! competition. Photo by Haylee Nighbert.

Candysound at the EMP Sound-Off! competition. Photo by Haylee Nighbert.

Teo Crider of Candysound at the EMP Sound-Off! competition in early March. Photo by Haylee Nighbert

Candysound. Photo by Haylee Nighbert.

Candysound. Photo by Haylee Nighbert.

The weekend of March 6 was sunny and warm, not at all like most days in early March. On that particular Saturday I went on a road trip to Experience Music Project’s Sound Off! underage music competition finals with Bellingham/Burlington band, Candysound.

On the way south with the band, Teo Crider (guitarist) drove while Tom Fitzgibbon (drummer) sat shotgun. Lindsay Osborne (merch) and I sat in the back. I was already picking up on some of the band’s influences on the drive there, speakers blaring The Stooges, Bright Eyes and Neutral Milk Hotel, and just a little Notorious B.I.G. It was a day for sing-a-longs, sushi sharing, and way too much caffeine.

Candysound was one of two Bellingham bands that made it to Sound Off! this year. The other was Pan Pan, the folk indie wonder who has been all over What’s Up! these days. The band, fronted by Sarah Jerns, contrasted with the style of Candysound’s pop-alt exterior. It was a nice combo to represent Bellingham’s diverse music scene. In the end, Teo and Tom made it past the semi-finals and won the chance to grace the final stage.

Upon arrival at the Experience Music Project, Candysound and the other bands unloaded their gear in the Sky Church, voices occasionally remarking “This stage is so tall! Look at it!” There was an unseen electricity and excitement in the air for the band and their competitors.

This year had a very wide range of performers for just four acts:

Hooves and Beak (Seattle): Whitney Flinn brought out a big, beautiful wooden harp and set it in front of her onstage. With her feathered bangs and black suspenders, she claimed that most of the songs she writes are inspired by “Drinking, loneliness, and men.” And through her eerie melodrama and harp in hand, Hooves and Beak lifted some charming folk melodies into the air. In the crowd, a small child danced beside me. It was hauntingly pretty, and I couldn’t help but compare her to Joanna Newsom.

SEACATS (Kelso): As SEACATS assembled on stage, it looked like the members were an assimilation of all the different cliques in high school; each cafeteria table at their high school assigning one kid to represent them in the band.

Their execution was something that would be expected from a group much older. Between songs they would quickly switch between instruments; the drummer becoming the guitarist, the bassist becoming the keyboardist, etc. The band performed bouncy surf-rock/pop that reminded me of a much younger Weezer.

Great Waves (Sammamish): The minute Ashley Bullock opened her mouth to sing, I was amazed that such a big voice could come from such a small woman. Her voice was reminiscent of the Eisley sisters’ pure, clean vocals and traditional Irish folk style.

Great Waves exuded a passion that came forth in their playing. This was the main reason that they were so fun to watch, even with the visage of meekness on the part of Bullock. They seemed to come out of nowhere, starting songs slowly and building them up to the breaking point. Their performance of “Blue Blood” was my favorite.

Performing last, Candysound played everybody off with some captivating pop-alt melodies. Teo’s subtle vocals paired with Tom’s drums is a deadly combination. Their performance was a good mix between excited and upbeat and, at times, morphed into steady and calculated. This is an indicator of the dynamic nature of Candysound’s songwriting. It’s a journey from one end to the spectrum and back again.

Finishing off with their song, “Echo,” Teo and Tom came to the height of their performance. The mood of the audience diverged into a calm stasis, and by the end of the song, Teo shredded his guitar into a post rock-like culmination.

With the competition coming to a close, everybody anxiously awaited the judges’ final decision. And when the moment came to announce the winners, the judges gave SEACATS fourth, Candysound third, Hooves and Beak second, and left Great Waves to win the prize.

Although they didn’t take the prize, it was obvious that Candysound made an impression. They got some well-deserved exposure and the chance to interact with other underage bands in the area, as well as some powerhouses in the Seattle music scene. The car ride home was cramped because of all the goodies Teo and Tom got to bring home, including a new guitar and a vocal harmony (vocoder) machine. All in all, the competition was a success.

Check out www.youtube.com/empsfm for videos from the competition.

Ruby Parasols is comprised of Russell Fish and Max Harnishfeger. The two of them have been living on opposite sides of the state for the past year and have managed to create a well produced concept album, E.P. Of Bugs. Five tracks makes it long enough to entertain an avid musician, while in contrast it is short enough not to lose the interest of the average listener.

E.P. of Bugs goes deep into their concept album idea, something I’ve always wanted to do. The first track, “Hive,” features Sarah Jerns on flugelhorn and trumpet and Pan Pan cohort Colton Foster on bassoon. Lyrics like, “We are the flies who build their homes on top of carcasses and sun bleached bones,” show how Ruby Parasols really takes on the 1st person view of a bug.

Recorded at Fairhaven College and mastered by Chris Vita, it’s no surprise that the production is exquisite. The overall sound is quite folky filled with slide guitars and banjos. The addition of drummer John Platter really helps the effort move along. The defining aspect of their music is the way they write. Russell wrote their first album, A Hodgepodge Symphony, and Max wrote E.P. of Bugs. Taking turns writing an entire album is unique for young musicians; it’s usually saved for when egos have run amuck in the group. With Ruby Parasols this is not the case. Since Max wrote Bugs it’s safe to assume he’s singing. His voice is different yet powerful, his baritone range suits the songs well.

In their own words: “Imagine a thumb-harp being played by a honeybee wearing beetle boots. Then imagine several tiny spiders with little top hats and canes dancing a jig.”

Self-Released
myspace.com/rubyparasols