There are a lot of great things about Bellingham, but we are not exactly thought of as a hotbed of interesting fashion. That may be changing, though.
Western Washington University students Hannah Quinton and Floki Wickline are spearheading a new magazine, The Rage, to celebrate creative fashion, art and music. The hope is to create a platform for young designers, photographers, models and all sorts of other creative types.
To celebrate the upcoming release of their first issue, they’ve put together a show at The Blue Room on Friday, Jan. 12, featuring Drayton, Smithers and SMAC, and they’re calling it Ragefest.
In keeping with the mission of the magazine, the event will also feature vendors including Caesar’s Vintage, Gorilla Grip Vintage and Good Boy Mercantile. The first 50 or so people to show up will get free copies of the magazine.
The show will also serve as a release show for Drayton’s new single, “Around You.” If the little clips of it they’ve put online so far are anything to go on, it’s just about the catchiest bit of power pop I’ve heard from a local group in a while.
The neo-grungers of Smithers are also supposedly going to have an album out soon, and are also going to be featured in the issue. SMAC are up from Tacoma and describe themselves as “a really loud band,” so here’s your regular reminder that protecting your ears is always in fashion.
Going forward, the editors are hoping to put new issues out quarterly and celebrate each release with a live show. So with any luck, regular Ragefests could become a fixture of our local scene. Expect a festival atmosphere, and dress to impress!
Thanks to everyone who sent back feedback on my end-of-the-year columns. Fellow CDN contributor Brandon Fralic pointed out that Black Belt Eagle Scout recorded their album “The Land, The Water, The Sky” in Anacortes. Since their music is so tied to the land, I think we’d be justified in thinking of them as a local group, even if they’re more of a national act at this point.
Folks on Reddit and Facebook shouted out the Bellingham Folk Festival, Molly Tuttle’s show at the Wild Buffalo and the Neighborhood Songwriters Showcase at Stones Throw as some of their favorite live music of the year.
Finally, longtime scene stalwart Tyson Ballew wrote in with a great suggestion that I wanted to share: “I’d love for more members of the community to support Make.Shift, the longest-running all-ages venue in town, and the only one truly dedicated to being a sober space. I really feel like the community as a whole and the younger bands and audiences are not taking advantage of the space.”
Black Noise Records dropped a surprise new compilation, “Sudden Valley Drive.” Back in August, they gathered a bunch of the best local rappers and producers affiliated with their label for an intensive weekend of writing and recording, and this was the result. What a cool way to make new music happen!
I didn’t have room last week to air my grievances in the spirit of Festivus, so I’m going to take a moment here. Think of these as suggested New Year’s resolutions.
Music fans: if you’re at a venue with no cover (I’m thinking of Aslan, Honey Moon, Greene’s Corner, etc.,) but you are there for the music, you need to plan on tipping the musicians.
Musicians: if your social media post says “link in bio,” you need to make sure the link is, in fact, in your bio.
Venues: what if this is the year everyone pays just a little more attention to the aesthetics of the stage area? One of the great takeaways for me from the Bellingham Exit festival was just how much cooler shows feel when there are some interesting visual aspects around the music.
JESSE’S PICKS
Aperatonic Trio at Aslan
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, Aslan Depot
The Aperatonic Trio is a new project featuring three familiar faces on the jazz and free improv scene. Guitarist Marceline Keene, bassist Sarah Yates and drummer Melanie Sehman created the new group to celebrate the works of women and non-binary composers, including their own compositions. Their show at Aslan Depot on Friday, Jan. 12 is your chance to check out some exciting and unusual sounds.
Old Man of the Woods and Katana Boy
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, Ramble Tamble
Seattle’s Old Man of the Woods and Friday Harbor’s Katana Boy both work in the “bedroom pop” tradition of a songwriter alone with their synthesizers. They’re coming out of their respective hideouts for a combined show in the cozy environs of Ramble Tamble on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Dirtwire
7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 14, Wild Buffalo
Dirtwire is a Bay Area trio that combines synthesized beats and bass lines with acoustic sounds from a hugely varied collection of instruments. Some of that’s in an Americana vein like slide guitar, banjo and harmonica, but they also incorporate sounds from all over the world. Grooves for your feet and unpredictable sounds for your brain are always a winning combination. They’re at the Wild Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 14.
LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS
Friday, Jan. 5
- Admiralty Lounge: 7 p.m., JP Falcon
- Aslan: 7 p.m., BJ Block Trio (jazz/ funk)
- Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Thomas Harris Quartet (jazz)
- Blue Room: 8 p.m., Forest Ray, County Rose (country)
- Corner Taphouse: 7 p.m., Song Wranglers (acoustic Americana)
- Fireside: 7 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Kazmyn, Lily Potter, Izzy Rae Jones, Diana Fay
- Shakedown: 9 p.m., PaperHeart, Marla Hooch (alt rock covers)
- Skagit Cellars: 6 p.m., Jayden Oscar
- Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Chuck and Carr (acoustic covers)
- Stones Throw: 6 p.m., High Mountain String Band (bluegrass)
- Vault: 7 p.m., Louis Ledford & Norah McLaughlin (folk)
- Wink Wink: 7 p.m., DJ MD, Leafs (experimental bass/dubstep)
- Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Given Peace, DJ Feral Cat b2b Obzedat, Cat Passidy, Syren (electronic)
Saturday, Jan. 6
- Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Cascade Cody and His Unpulled Bootstraps (country)
- Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Joe Cook Blues Band
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Lucas Warford (cabaret folk)
- Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Spider Cult, Villain Acrylic, Cowboy Guts (folk/punk)
- Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method (blues/rock)
- Shakedown: 9 p.m., Melancholia, Slow End, Slag Hive (metal/hardcore)
- Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Whitewing (blues/soul)
- Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Naughty Blokes Trio
- Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Korra The Kid b2b Mirin Doja, Lotus Drops, Perpetual Motion, Syren (electronic)
Sunday, Jan. 7
- Kulshan: 5 p.m., Cardova (funk/R&B)
- Paws for A Beer: 2 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
- Shakedown: 9 p.m., Yellacatt, guests (electro-pop)
Monday, Jan. 8
- Kulshan: 6 p.m., Odd Mood Jam Band
- Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Shady Groove (acoustic Dead/country/bluegrass)
Tuesday, Jan. 9
- Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
- Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
- Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam
- New Prospect Theatre: 8 p.m., Cat Positive, Kazmyn, Ivy Ficarra, Sam Chue (singer-songwriters)
- Ramble Tamble: 8 p.m., The Elevator Club (hip-hop showcase with open cypher)
Wednesday, Jan. 10
- FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Marina Albero’s Gaia (jazz)
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
- Rockfish: 6 p.m., Aloha Danny
- Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Badd Dogg Blues
Thursday, Jan. 11
- Admiralty Lounge: 7 p.m., Free Harmony
- Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., High Peak Trio (jazz/funk)
- Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
- Farmstrong: 6 p.m., Zach Michaud
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Evan & Katy (folk)
- Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
- That’s What I Like: 6 p.m, JP Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)
- Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Emo Kids (emo covers)
- Zeeks: 7 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Friday, Jan. 12
- Aslan: 7 p.m. Aperatonic Trio (jazz/improv)
- Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Thomas Harris Quartet (jazz)
- Blue Room: 8 p.m., Smithers, SMAC, Drayton (rock)
- Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Charlie Partin
- Fireside: 7 p.m., Fritz & The Freeloaders
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Spoon River
- Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Epic Queen (Queen tribute)
- Make.Shift: 8 p.m., John Swanke, Gazebo of Destruction, John St. Pelvyn (improv/experimental)
- Ramble Tamble: 9 p.m., Obzedat, DJ Feral Cat, R_Conna (house)
- Shakedown: 8:30 p.m., Atomic Affair, The Problem, guests
- Skagit Cellars: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
- Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Christopher Nunn (folk)
- Vault: 7 p.m., Anna Katarina
- Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Buku, Smith (electronic)
Saturday, Jan. 13
- Birdsview: 6 p.m., Sandy Rowe
- Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., The Mighty Bayou Opossums (music of New Orleans)
- Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Jeffrey Slough (acoustic covers)
- Make.Shift: 6 p.m., Open Mic
- Shakedown: 9 p.m., Serafima & The Shakedowns, Sunflecks, Mom Sport (country/folk/rock)
- Skylark’s: 8 p.m., JP Falcon Grady
- Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Guitars and Gratitude
- Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Old Man of the Woods, Katana Boy (indie pop/synth dance)
Sunday, Jan. 14
- Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., The Bow Diddlers (classic rock)
- Wild Buffalo: 8:30 p.m., Dirtwire
Before heading out to listen to live music, check with individual venues to make sure the event is still taking place as scheduled.
The Beat Goes On is published online Tuesdays and in print Fridays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.
