Daniel Anderson. Photo by Sarah Jerns

This month I had the pleasure of chewing the fat with Daniel Anderson of Idiot Pilot, The Ghost and The Grace, and Glowbug. This accomplished, multi-talented artist offers his interesting perspectives on a number of topics. The interview was so much fun we couldn’t stop at just 11 questions

Boris Budd: Tell us a little about your background and give insights how you decided to be a musician.

Daniel Anderson: My parents had me taking piano lessons when I was about three years old. I think that they had read in the paper that studies were showing children who take music lessons at an early age become really good at math, which is probably true but it also seems like a fairly indirect way to go about math tutoring. At this point, I am thankful to be able to write a song rather than do calculus. I did piano for a really, really long time but eventually got bored with the compositions that I had to learn. Around twelve I started making alterations to the chords and rewriting the songs here and there and my piano teacher told me it was the equivalent of drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa, so I quit and started taking guitar. Formed my first band around two years later, had my first real bar show two years after that, and then signed to Warner Brothers Records when I was 18. I have always loved to create things and do big art projects. Originally, I wanted to do something with film as a career, but then music kind of happened and I was good at it.

BB: Talk about The Glowbugs EP and the impetus fro that material.

DA: Glowbug started as a personal challenge to make a three-song record; mixed, mastered, everything, in just three days. There is so much drama and self-doubt that musicians go through during the recording process and, for the most part, it’s unnecessary. I hate when I make a record it usually takes so long that I am sick of hearing the songs when I’m finished, I wanted to do something to combat that. It’s an idea for a band I’ve had for a long time, which would be to take the ambience of My Bloody Valentine or something like that and turn it into a dance song. A lot of the time dance music relies on the fact that it’s consumption is kinetic, it’s aiming to move you physically instead of emotionally, and I wanted to write songs that did both. When I think about dancing, in a club or wherever, it’s such a bizarre thing for people to go out and do. It’s just a bunch of human beings blasting themselves with soundwaves and letting their bodies convulse to it, which sounds so beautiful and primal in theory but in practice it can be kind of sad and weird. I like music that is honest with that kind of primal energy, like Jonsi who I saw recently in Vegas. Instead of jumping up and down because they were hearing a slamming kick drum, the crowd was so moved that they were jumping up and down and crying with joy. That’s what I like in dance music, personally.

BB: Did you find it challenging to take the Ghost and The Grace act live in regard to bringing in other players to round out the line-up and play the parts you had written and recorded?

DA: Yes, it was damn near impossible. I think that we did a good job for the few shows that we played, but I also think my vision for the bands live performance is something that might just not be possible without an actual budget. The group that it would take to pull off the first record would be massive, and the second record that I working on would be even bigger because I’ve added a woodwind section and a lot of electronics. Live, we make it work because the core group are some very, very talented local musicians, but it’s difficult because of the source materials complexity. Even so, I see the live band as a semi-rotating cast. Jenni Potts, for instance, is going to be joining the live group after our second record is released. At the end of the day, I look at this project as more of an “album” band than a “live” one, and I am okay with that because that was really the plan from the beginning and they are very fun records to make.

BB: What is going on with Idiot Pilot these days?

DA: We have a third album basically finished, but it is probably going to be in legal limbo for some time due to things I probably shouldn’t discuss here. I am sure it will eventually see the light of day, and it’s an interesting piece of work that I am very proud of, but I honestly couldn’t tell you when that is going to happen. However, since then we’ve worked on a whole boatload of songs that I would call “4th album material”. I actually counted them the other day and there are at least 16 demos and ideas floating around, but at the moment I am kind of just waiting for those to reach the next writing step.

BB: Describe your obsession with Tetris and the accolades received from this passion.

DA: I really love Tetris, it’s a great game, but most of all I just love playing my old Nintendo. I never even knew I was that good at Tetris until a few years ago when I started playing every night with some friends. At first I was winning, but then I started really, really winning; by several hundred thousand points sometimes. It was enough to make me go online and check out the official world record, and I suddenly realized that my scored weren’t that far off. Currently I have the 5th highest score ever recorded on NES Tetris, according to Twin Galaxies which is the video game provider for Guinness World Records. People might know them from the movie King Of Kong. There is a similar movie being shot right now called The Extasy of Order, about Tetris, which I have been filmed for and will most likely appear briefly in. I also went down to the Tetris World Championships in LA earlier this year, and placed 8th in the qualifiers.

BB: Out of your extensive discography, which project stands out most for you in terms being your favorite and why?

DA: The album I am most proud of is definitely Wolves by Idiot Pilot. It was the hardest to make but also a life changing experience, and the producer Ross Robinson is now one of my best friends on the entire planet. I love that guy. When I listen to that record back it sounds exactly like the time and place in which it was made, and in that way it’s perfect. I also think that the caliber of the people working on it, on a purely technical end, really shows in the finished product. The guy who mixed it also mixed Ten by Pearl Jam, and the guy who mastered it used to be in Boston, so needless to say it sounds pretty heavy, and then we had Chris from Dillinger Escape Plan and Travis Barker playing drums on it. Wolves is just this amalgamation of all these crazy things that were happening in our lives. It’s the kind of record that very few people will ever been in the position to make, even more so now that the record industry is collapsing.

BB: Give us the itinerary for your perfect day in Bellingham.

DA: I just moved from Fairhaven to downtown, so my perfect day has recently changed to be more centrally located, I think. I’d say it would be something like: Wake up at my apartment with my girlfriend, walk over to Avenue Bread or Wasabee for lunch, hit the studio for a while, meet up with some friends and go to one of the usual beautiful Bellingham spots. I have a fixation with driving around Sudden Valley or down Chuckanut, which is usually where I go to listen to new mixes or masters I am working on. The Fairhaven Boardwalk is cool, too, or the Sehome Arboretum, or the Alabama Hill bridge. I love horror movies and I have been trying to watch one every night, so I might end the evening by stopping at Film Is Truth for a movie and then Mallards for some ice cream to take home. I also try to run every day, but now it’s too cold for that.

BB: Rumor has it that you are involved in a “Top Secret” project. Can you divulge any info to your hometown music mag?

DA: I’ve been producing a record between a studio in Los Angeles and Bayside Recording here in Bellingham for most of the last year. It was only top secret because there was going to be a “Year Zero” style ARG that went along with it’s release, kind of like Nine Inch Nails did a few years back. An ARG is an Alternate Reality Game, like leaving songs on USB drives and giving fans the coordinates to find them, things like that. I don’t think the album is going to be released in that way anymore so it’s not exactly top secret, but right now we are trying to keep the actual music under wraps. I am really proud of it though, this is the first record that I’ve produced front to back where I wasn’t an actual member of the band. It’s going to be a beautiful album; I absolutely love it. However, right now the only actual information I can give is that there is a website at www.ancientlasers.com, and that my good buddy and live Idiot Pilot drummer, Christopher Newton, played drums on it. There’s going to be more coming very soon though, we just finished tracking the lead vocals in LA, yesterday.

BB: Give us a snapshot of what drives the introspective lyrics of the fabulous The Ghost and The Grace material.

DA: I like to write lyrics where everyday sentences turn into the metaphor, as opposed to every single word having a hidden meaning. I think that kind of word play is the fun part, seeing if you can take those sentences and phrases we all take for granted and dissect them and turn them around on themselves. I also think that a really important trait in good music is honesty and exposing yourself. It’s a really scary thing to do, to just say what you think and what you feel, but when you can do that in your lyrics that will resonate with people. On the new Ghost and the Grace record, which I am just now finishing up, I think I’ve taken that even farther than I ever thought I would, personally, and that feels really cool.

BB: What does the future hold for Daniel Anderson?

DA: I have a lot of projects going on right now and I love it, and I think that a few of the ones that have been cooking for a while are ready to step up next year. There will definitely be a new Ghost and the Grace record and more Glowbug material, and I’ve got a few things lined up for songwriting or producing that are really exciting but I can’t really mention them until they are more concrete. I have also been working with Mark and Cody from The Blood Brothers and Paul from At-The Drive-In on a hip hop record for Hyro Da Hero, who is an utterly phenomenal rapper. One of the songs we all co-wrote together already debuted on the BBC1 rock show over in the UK and is getting a great response, so it sounds like I will be spending a lot of time over there next year, and there are plans to do even more international touring including places that we never really got to hit with Idiot Pilot, which is very exciting. All of the guys involved in that record are not only incredible musicians, but some of the sweetest, coolest people I have ever met in my life. It’s a dream come true.

BB: What was the most unusual show you ever played in Bellingham?

DA: One of the very first Idiot Pilot shows was at this party out in the woods near Sunset. We just had the two of us and a computer at that point and there was no PA, so we had to bring the one that we used for rehearsals and wasn’t nearly big or loud enough. At that time, we didn’t really have to setup that we do now and so we would just play with the synths and programming together on one file. We were playing on this deck that was very wobbly, and every time someone would take a step that was too heavy it would shake the computer and stop it. It was so awkward because every time the crowd would get into it and start moving, the sound would die. It was horrifying.

BB: How did your guest slot on the Deftones record come about?

DA: Chino, the singer of the Deftones, was actually a really big fan of Idiot Pilot. He came to us and wanted to do a remix of the song “A Day In The Life Of A Poolshark” and that kind of started our relationship. The Deftones have been one of my favorite bands ever since I was a kid so it was really a dream come true, and that guy is just so nice and easy to get along with. We eventually did a US and UK tour with his other band, Team Sleep, which had Zach Hill from Hella and Rob from Pinback in it, too. We would cover the Deftones song Teenager all the time and when we did it for sound check one night Chino got really excited and asked us to record it with him for a Deftones record, so we found a studio at one our stops on tour and just went in for the day to track it. I love our version, but every time I hear it I can’t help noticing that the delay setting on my guitar pedal is slightly off, and it drives me absolutely crazy.

BB: What is your favorite aspect of the musical recording process?

DA: I really love everything about recording music, there is something incredible and fulfilling about every part of it; even editing drums, which I can say is probably my least favorite aspect. I think most of the action is in the writing process, because that’s where your ideas are free to just come out and present themselves. You don’t have to wait around to hear what something is going to sound like when it’s finished because all your job is, at that point, is to express yourself and be creative. On the other hand, there is nothing like finishing a final master and approving it, then listening to the track front to back without finding anything wrong.

BB: Is there a reason you sometimes choose to wear the same vest and white shirt as Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull?

DA: I wish I had some sort of amazing revelation that the two of us were related, but I think we probably just have the same taste in vests. I don’t know what that says about me when I have the same fashion sense as the dude from Jehtro Tull, but I’ll take it. Maybe that means that someday I can upset Metallica for best hard rock album by playing the flute.

What's Up! November 2010 Cover. Artwork by Zach Wise.

Hi peanut, how are you today? I like your shoes.

Happy November, my friends, I hope yer all doing well. As per usual, I’d like to address a couple things before we move into the rock ‘n’ roll portion of le beat (aka, the awesome portion).

First off, as I’ve tried to tell every single one of you I’m turning 40 this month and having a huge party on Nov. 13 at the Wild Buffalo. As of press time, the line up is Dog Shredder, The Holy Tailfeathers (this might be a half set with the Cheeps playing the other half), Sharpie (holy crap this is epic), Sugar Sugar Sugar (with the infamous and amazing Stell Newsome filling in on guitar) and Federation X (Ben and Bill coming in from NY). If you asked me to name my six of my favorite Bellingham bands of all time, this would pretty much be it. I’m hearing of friends from years gone by coming up including people I haven’t seen in years, so I couldn’t be more excited. Which is cool, ‘cuz I’m turning 40. FORTY. I won’t even begin to tell ya’ll how that’s screwing with me. And don’t tell me 40 is the new 30, that’s what you tell people who are turning 40 so they feel better about getting older. That being said, come on down to the party and help me welcome the big 40 should be a pretty wild one. Show starts at 9 p.m. and is only $5… so, I’d get there early as well.

I keep forgetting to mention a new feature on our website called Meet the Advertisers. It’s a way to bring people who support us, our advertisers, to our website as well. We love our advertisers we wouldn’t exist without them. So, check ‘em out online and in the paper go frequent their establishments. These are the businesses that care about the magazine and local music, art, theater and community.

Ok, now to music. Where I will say “awesome” as much as possible.

COMINGS & GOINGS

This is a crucial, crucial month for the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern if the place doesn’t get an infusion of cash and soon, the doors will be shut. By the time this edition of What’s Up! comes out, the Green Frog benefit at the Wild Buffalo on Nov. 2 will be hours away so if you happen to read this and you’ve got time get down there! If not, you need to get to the Green Frog and enjoy some drinks and throw some tips on the counter. There are other fundraising options in the works, but more than anything, owner James Hardesty needs you to go in and buy a drink and enjoy some music. The Green Frog is an unbelievably cool venue, a great asset in our community. I feel at home there and if you haven’t checked it out before, do so ASAP.

Speaking of the Green Frog, owner Colleen Milton of Black Market Boutique is organizing the First Annual Bellingham Tweed Ride on Nov. 14. Details are still being worked out as of press time, but everyone is meeting at Maritime Heritage Park, dressed in their “most dapper finery,” and riding through Bellingham’s historic neighborhoods, eventually ending up at the Green Frog for some Sunday afternoon refreshments. It’s a genius idea. If you’d like more details, contact the store at 756-9440.

As for local bands, the Sweaty Sweaters have begun playing again, which is pretty damn cool. Feel like it’s been a couple years since the band was going full speed, so I hope this is good sign that they’ll pick up where they left off.

Bo and Sean from So Adult are now also in the Vancouver band Devotion, who are “awesome.” They just played some shows with Black Breath, so you get the gist of what they’re about. That makes over a 100 bands that Bo is in.

Bobby Savage has moved back to town, so look for more shows from the mighty FFA. Still no official word on when the disc will be out could be next month, could be early 2011, either way it’ll be out soon.

Acorn Project are out on tour promoting Generation Debt. The boys really took it up a notch with their latest release (how about that for an “awesome” clich ) and the tour is going very well. You wanna know how to be a bad that people outside of Bellingham give a shit about, do what Acorn Project does. Even if yer a punk and aren’t into the music, these guys could put on a clinic on how to run a band.

One of our very favorite advertisers, Carnelian Agency, is opening a new storefront at the Jinx Art Space (306 Flora Street, Suite B). They’ll be sharing their space with Mellis Photography and Custom Framing. You’ll now be able get your CD/DVD duplication and printing jobs at a store, not their house. Very, very cool.

Another print company on the move is Bison Bookbinding and Letterpress, who will be moving two doors down from Cap’s. I drove by today and they were working frantically, so it should be ready very, very soon.

Two great companies both making good moves. Awesome.

Bloom will be moving to State St. soon. Details still have to be worked out, so look for more details next month.

Also, look for a BIG surprise from WhAAM and Make.Shift next month… at least I hope it’s next month. I’m privy to info that can only say this is wonderful news.

Artist extraordinaire Sheana Sisselman will be showing her work up from her Motor Oil series at the Old World Deli. The reception is on Nov. 5 from 7-10 p.m. I’m a huge, huge fan of Sheana’s work, so swing in there during the evening’s Art Walk.

Last but not least, Kevin Robinson (formerly of Merch HOT fame and percussionist for Levi Ware) is hosting a Raise the Woof benefit for the Humane Society on Nov. 21 at the Wild Buffalo. Levi, Vaughn Kreestoe and Josh Clausen (of Flowmotion fame) will all perform, and there will be some good goodies raffled off.

RECORDS & RELEASES

Burn Up have been in the studio with Mr. No-Fi, Mark Heimer where they’ve recorded and are now mixing an eight-song demo. No official word on the release, but the unofficial word from Burn Up fans is that they are “awesome.”

I received a “burly” update from Daniel Anderson the other day, which was full of good news. First off, he recorded a three-song EP called Awful Scary, under the name Glowbug (see review section for more details). According to Daniel, it started out as a three songs in three days kind of project, but it has been so well received, he’s potentially going to make it an actual project.

The Ghost and the Grace record is nearly finished. I’ve heard a couple, including “Rat King” which features Johnny Whitney from the Blood Brothers and Jaguar Love, and they are pretty f***in’ amazing. Ok, so, that’s pretty cool, right? Maybe even, “awesome,” but that’s not it from sir Daniel. He’s been working with Hyro Da Hero, a “pretty phenomenal rapper” from Houston by way of LA and “the band” has just finished up their new record. Who is “the band?” It consists of Cody and Mark from the Blood Brothers and Paul from At the Drive-In and Mars Volta. Wow.

Back in the day, Bellingham was home to a lovely folk singer, Erin Corday. Just as the magazine was getting going, she stopped playing I assumed she had moved out of town. NOPE! Erin is back and ready to rock, folk rock. Her new CD will officially be out in early 2011, but a bunch of folks grabbed a copy of her CD in August at her local CD release. We’re looking forward to our copy, think you will too!

Vaughn Kreestoe is, finally, releasing their debut CD on Nov. 5 at the Wild Buffalo. Opening up are the Growers this should be a big, big ol’ show for the boys! Looking forward to hearing the disc!

Kristin Allen-Zito’s new album The Atlas is breathtaking (“awesome” just doesn’t do it justice). Paul Turpin did a fantastic job recording Kristin the sound adds a depth that’s just staggering. The album is beautiful, dark, sweet and simply outstanding. It’ll be out on Nov. 16. Go get it!

Last month, I wrote, a lot, about Dwight Clark being missing. A few days after the mag came out, sadly, his body was found near the old GP site. It was a tragic and horribly sad ending to a life that was cut short way too early. Dwight was in town for a week, but he’d become family to Bellingham we all wanted him to be found safely and brought home to his mom. Our deepest sympathies go out to Dwight’s friends and family.

I don’t know if it’s the age we live in, but we all seem to be able to move onto the next thing very quickly and disturbingly, very easily. Dwight’s death should be a reminder to all of us how fragile life really is, and to appreciate your time here and be good to others.

That’s about it for this month. As always, I had a lot more to write, but am plum out of space. Watch Facebook for semi-daily updates.

Have a happy November. See you next issue. 40 here I come!

Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

THE WINNERS:

Best Silver Platter: Rooftops A Forest of Polarity
Best Up Close and Personal: Dirty Bird Cabaret
Best Heavier Than Heaven: Dog Shredder
Best Booty Shakin’ Music: Yogoman Burning Band
Best Twilight Zone Soundtrack: Pan Pan
Best Highway Americana: The Librarians
Best Moniker: The Ghost and the Grace
Best Axes of Folk: Biagio Biondolillo
Best Spinner: Yogoman
Best Rhyme and Beats: The Productionists
Best Newby: Pan Pan
Best Rock ‘N’ Roll Explosion: Sugar Sugar Sugar
Best Pop Will Rock Itself: The Love Lights
Best Skin in What’s Up!: Femme Uke
What’s Up! Appreciation Award: Bucketz
What’s Up! Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert Sarazin Blake
What’s Up! Lifetime Achievement Award: Gunther Frank (RIP)

Poops was the host and he started the night off proper by singing a country song about drinking at the 3B, and accompanied by Sarah on the guitar. After a few awards were presented, we were introduced to the Dirty Bird Cabaret, who danced in between bands.

The first musical act of the night was Femme Uke. Promoting their new EP In the Key of G-spot, Laine and Ashley took the stage armed with two ukuleles and a ton of hilarious songs, these ladies were a pleasure to watch. In my opinion they saved the best song for last, “Big Fatty.” This was the only song they harmonized on and a clever bridge showed that this was the best structured song of their short performance.

Next up was Pan Pan. A large buzz has been circulating about this group, and I was excited to hear them. Layers of sound with fabulous structure and dynamics showed me that Sarah Jerns is much more than an artist; she’s a genius composer. Even though Sarah writes all the parts, don’t discount her band, they’re incredibly tight and professional.

To this point there had not been a rock band. The crowd was ready for something heavy. Dog Shredder had just won the “Heavier than Heaven” award and got on stage to prove it. Guitar player Josh Holland’s stage presence was like if Iggy Pop strapped on a guitar. The overall sound is mind numbing and hypnotic. They can go from beautiful stripped down melodies to brutal unabashed metal in the drop of a dime. The rest of the band is very talented as well drummer Noah Burns lost a stick in the middle of a song and never missed a beat.

We’ve had funny music, intelligent music, face melting rock, and with Acorn Project, the fourth group to play, we finally had some dance music. These guys have been around the scene for a long time and had a great 2009 promoting their new album We’ll be Fine. The first song they played was an epic new wave song. Showing their versatility they dropped into a straight ahead funk set. These guys are one of Bellingham’s best jam bands a strong tenor on vocals and great guitar tones might even turn out the most devout metal-heads.

With all the awards given out there was only one thing left to do, party hard to the sounds of The All Nighters. Introduced by Brent Cole as “One of Bellingham’s best bands,” they played and we loved it. Halfway through their set Andy Piper joined them onstage and sang a Charlie Feathers cover. Andy killed it and the crowd went nuts. The Wild Buffalo was a time bomb, Poops lit the fuse, excitement grew, and ‘The All Nighters’ provided the explosion.

December 2009 Cover by “Mighty” Mitch Vega

Download the What’s Up! December Compilation here

The Ghost and the Grace – The Mall

Rooftops – Raft Easily

Biagio Biondolillo – Dirty Blue

Librarians – Sunday

So Adult – Scarstruck

Candysound – Million

Connecticut Four – Once Electric

Eruptagain – Ins and Outs

Nick Duncan – Hollow Town

Samuel Warner Cornish – Lucky Man

Six Feet Deep – Can You See Me Now

Ghost and the Grace Holiday Spirit Vol. 1

Holiday Spirit Vol. 1 is a spiffy 3 song collection that will get your sleigh bells ringing.

The opening track, “The Mall,” is a big production number full of holiday sounds and rich arrangements. While incredibly well done, I almost found the song to be smug, charming, and annoying. Conversely, the second song, “The Tree is on Fire,” is a wonderful little ditty whose hook is “The tree is on fire, the window is broke, Christmas is here and I hope you choke.” Brilliant, with a simple acoustic thing going.

The EP closes out with the easy listening “Snow Keeps Falling Down,” a quaint tune with those dreamy elements we have come to expect from The Ghost & The Grace.

The band will be donating a portion of all of the money that they receive to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (www.bcrfcure.org). That is very cool. Check out The Ghost & The Grace on the web, get some chipper Christmas songs and help a good cause.

November 2009 Cover by Bradley Lockhart

First off, I’d like to thank those who came out to the benefit shows in October. While they weren’t as well attended as we had hoped and as well as we needed them to be there were good crowds at both and more than that, incredible music. It was another testament to the diverse and wonderful music this town produces. I’d like to thank all the bands that played The Ghost and the Grace, Rooftops, So Adult, Boris Budd, Femme Uke, Sugar Sugar Sugar, Snug Harbor, Vaughn Kreestoe, and Dog Shredder, DJ Postal – the Wild Buffalo, the Nightlight and everyone that came down. It was a big help!

We’ve booked our What’s Up! Awards Show dates! The pre-awards show will be held on campus this year at the Viking Union on Jan. 29 while the awards show will be at the Wild Buffalo on Jan. 30. We’re still sorting out the line-up and will have it all booked by the next issue.

Finally, if you grab the magazine on campus, make sure to look out for the AS Pop Golden Button! The folks up there have been cool enough to include us in their promotion – if you get the golden button, you get into AS Pop shows for free this year.

WELL WISHES

A couple of long-time Bellingham figures are moving out of town, which, ya know, sucks. Both are, in my mind, icon drummers and part of what makes this place so great. Both Julian MacDonough (ex-Megatron as well as countless other jazz bands) and Ryan “****” Soukkala (Ghost and the Grace, ex-Lands Farther East, Idiot Pilot) are moving onto new challenges and new scenery. Julian and his family are “wintering” in New Mexico while Ryan has opted to join the vast number of ex-hamsters in Portland. While it hurts a helluva lot, these two have put so much into the local music scene and should be applauded and sent off with a horde of well wishes. That being said, I hope both come back to town at some point both have said it was definitely a possibility in the future. Take care, guys, we’ll sure miss ya.

RECORDS & RELEASES

The Rooftops are, simply put, just incredible. They are one of those bands that as you are watching them, you stand there and smile, simultaneously absorbing the beautiful music and wondering how people can create something so expansive. I wasn’t sure if their live sound could translate as well onto CD, but with the help of Paul Turpin, they’ve taken their sound to a whole new level. Check out their CD shows on Nov. 20 at the Rogue and NOv. 22 at Everyday Music, and grab a CD while you are there.

Stuck are putting the finishing touches on their debut demo. I haven’t listened to the tape yet (yes, they’re putting it out on tape), but I love what I heard on the Breakfast for Dinner compilation (put together by Council of Lions’ own Jenn Hartman). Very early-L7-easque, which is badass in my book. If you see Stuck’s singer, Casey Nolan, wish her a big happy birthday, she became legal on Halloween!

Another band on the BfD comp is So Adult (who also played at one of the What’s Up! benefits) and they are the best Replacements-esque band this town has seen since the Mats hayday. I especially love Joe “Pleased to Meet Me” Olmstead’s vocals pretty dead on to Westerberg in a good way. They’ll also be releasing a new tape this month (yep, lots of tapes now), so get the goods when they hit the streets.

That’s two bands that were on the Breakfast for Dinner comp two of the 11. The whole disc is alarmingly amazing sneaky awesome if you will filled with new bands in town that’ll be getting your attention next year. Out of all the songs, my favorite is “Do You Remember” by Cumulus aka Alex Niedzialkowski. It’s a simple yet very beautiful song about being invinsible when you’re young. If you don’t get a chance to pick up the disc (and you should), check out Cumulus at http://www.myspace.com/cumulusalex. All the songs have were recorded by Alex on her laptop you’ll be glad you did.

And again, another band from the comp (did I mention I love the comp) is the mighty and delirously wonderful Femme Uke a duo we’ve written about recently. Well FU have released their first demo and I love it, just love it. Sexually charged songs by two wonderful singers on ukulele it’s what makes my job fun. Laine and Ashley are fantastic (they also played at the What’s Up! comp) and bring a great energy to the music scene.

As I right le Beat this time around, I’m realizing there’s a hell of a theme going on!

Caparaza is releasing their debut demo this month, they’ll hopefully have copies for purchase when they play Band Fight Night on Nov. 8. If you like the rock… and I mean RAWK, check ‘em out!

Pan Pan is yet another unbelievably good band that is releasing a new disc. I was watching a video this morning of a recent The Ghost and the Grace show at WhAAM. In introducing the band, Daniel said Sarah Jerns was the most talented member of the band I’d take that a step further, she’s one of the most talented people in Bellingham and this album just proves it. It is, simply gorgeous absolutely gorgeous. Don’t move, Sarah, ok?

Austin Jenkes has a new disc out and is playing show in support. The album is in the jam vibe, but with a singer/songwriter focus if that’s yer gig, you’ll dig it!

COMINGS & GOINGS

In case you’ve missed it, The Ghost and the Grace have a couple cool videos on YouTube, including my favorite song, “How Far You Go” which features some epic sock puppets as famous musicians. My description doesn’t do it justice, go check it out and give Genetics a click as well two excellent videos, both done by the wonderfully talented Haylee Nighbert. While the latest disc just out, Daniel is working on the new album already laying down tracks at Ross Robinson’s studio this past month. While down there, Daniel added some handclaps to the new Korn record. Wow.

As if that wasn’t enough, Daniel is finishing up a Christmas EP. And… if THAT isn’t enough, Idiot Pilot is getting geared up again with new music slated for released in 2010. Reports from Paul and Chip at Bayside is that the new stuff is beyond anything the band has done. That’s saying something.

Speaking of Michael from Idiot Pilot, he’s joined the Florida band, Cold, whose sold over a million records in their day. He’ll be joining on guitar, after touring with them over the summer. While Michael will be spending a bunch of time in Florida, Bellingham will still be his home. He’ll just now be “bi-coastal.” Sexy.

Trevor from Addition has a new band out called Skinny Whiskers which is starting to play shows. For those who didn’t get a chance to see Addition, they were an epically fun and cool pop band (featuring Laine from Femme Uke) that broke up just as they were starting to get some bar shows happening (while having a huge loyal all ages following). The drummer moved to Seattle to work for a recording studio, effectively breaking up the band. Out of it’s ashes, came two new and even better bands! That’s the way it’s supposed to work!

Make.shift, the incredible non-profit who just bought a van for bands to tour in, is having an art show fundrasiser at Casa Que Pasa through the months of November and December. Proceeds from all donated pieces will benefit the organization and help get the van on the road!

I’ve been asked several times what the status of live music at the Rogue Hero is. As of press time, there is no official word.

Well, that’s about it, take care and enjoy music this month!

-Brent Cole