As I’ve been looking ahead to the summer outdoor music season, there’s one band that seems like they’re playing just about everywhere.
North Sound Soul plays a heavily horn-focused blend of soul, funk and rock. Highlights of their summer schedule include the Fairhaven Festival on May 26, the Waterfront Festival in Anacortes (June 1), Elizabeth Park (June 20), The Birch Bay Rollback Weekend (Aug. 4), and Boulevard Park (Aug. 23). In between those they’ve also got a bunch of bar shows at places with outdoor stages, like The Beach in Birch Bay, Boundary Bay Brewery and Skylark’s.
Trumpeter Chris McClanahan hatched the idea for the band back in 2019, after hearing a group called Stump City Soul playing outside in downtown Portland. He had started recruiting members and arranging repertoire when the pandemic hit, putting everything on hold. They were finally able to start rehearsals in summer 2021 and make their live debut in summer 2022. Since then they’ve quickly become a local music scene staple and a big hit with listeners and dancers.
Part of their appeal is the sheer force of the nine-piece band, which includes four horns and a powerful lead singer. Saxophonist Frank Youngblood and trombonist Sam Harris are also the founders of The Problem. Keyboardist Margaret Wilder has a couple albums of her own and also contributes vocals. The most notable member, though, is singer Diana Young, who will be familiar to Bellingham audiences from her years fronting local garage rock/soul heroes The Dt’s, as they recorded a couple albums and toured the U.S. and Europe.
Other members of the group include drummer Ron Nuttall, bassist Kevin Krick, guitarist Erik Snyder and saxophonist Spencer Redmond, all local music veterans with serious skills. Just as important as their individual skills, everyone in the group seems to have the taste and restraint necessary to work together in a nine-piece band. With this many good musicians on one stage, it would only take one spotlight hog to mess everything up — but this crew really knows how to play together.
Their repertoire also has some surprises to it. While they do cover at least some of the expected soul standards, they also seek out lesser-known songs by familiar soul artists to keep things fresh. The band as a unit has simple ambitions: They may do a little recording and are hoping to start playing more between here and Seattle, but major tours aren’t really on their radar.
North Sound Soul isn’t aiming for fame and fortune, just to put a smile on people’s faces. If dancing to soul music on a sunny summer day sounds good to you, put some of their shows on your calendar.
News
In other news, Willdabeast just released their sixth(!) studio album, “Beneath the Surface.” These guys never stop working, improving and making connections, and it’s really working out for them. As always, they’ve got beats hard enough for the hardcore bass music lovers, with overlaid horns to give it enough melody for folks who are just nodding along at home. This album also features a bunch of guest rappers and vocalists.
Jostaberry, formerly a studio-only project from composer Bruce Hamilton, have expanded into a fuller lineup and released an EP, “West,” and a series of live performance videos. They make adventurous, experimental art music which manages to be way more fun than those descriptors often imply.
Nuages are apparently “entering a new chapter,” which sounds like a gentle way of saying an extended break. However, they’ve got a new album on the way, so at least we’ll have that to enjoy.
Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, appears weekly. Reach him at jsbhammusic@gmail.com; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to make sure events are still taking place as scheduled. Live music events in Whatcom County: http://www.cascadiadaily.com/category/living/arts-and-entertainment/music/music-calendar
