JESSE’S PICKS 

Hamell On Trial, Stephen Ray Leslie

8 p.m. Wednesday, June  5, The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St.

Hamell on Trial is the stage name of veteran singer-songwriter Ed Hamell, who plays a unique brand of “anti-folk” and has been on the road seemingly forever. In addition to his music, he’s also a storyteller and artist, all of which gets woven into the live experience. He’s at the Shakedown on Wednesday, June 5 with Stephen Ray Leslie.

The Jimmy James Gang

8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6, Ramble Tamble, 1313 N. State St.

Jimmy James is a superbly funky jazz guitarist out of Seattle who has played with groups like the True Loves and the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. He’s bringing a crew of Seattle all-stars under the name The Jimmy James Gang up to Ramble Tamble on Thursday, June 6. That’s a small space for such a well-known act, so get there early. 

Girl Parallel, The Cosmic Neighborhood

6 p.m. Friday, June 7, Ritual Records, 115 E. Magnolia St.

This lineup for this month’s First Friday show at Ritual Records is a strong one, featuring the quirky acoustic pop/R&B of Girl Parallel and the Tropicalia-influenced pop of The Cosmic Neighborhood. Free, all-ages shows at a record store are one of the great joys of life as far as I’m concerned, so make this one part of your Art Walk night out. 

Brother Ray Benefit

2 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Boundary Bay Brewery, 1107 Railroad Ave.

Every year the Atlantics headline a fundraiser in honor of their departed musical “Brother” Ray Downey to benefit music education programs in Bellingham schools. This year’s edition takes place on the afternoon of Saturday, June  8 in the Boundary Bay beer garden. It also features the Squalicum High School Jazz Band and the Bellingham Youth Jazz Band.  

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LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS

Friday, May 31

• Aslan Depot: 8 p.m., Ska Island (reggae/ska)
• Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m. Lost at Last
• Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Thomas Harris Quartet (jazz)
• The Blue Room: 9 p.m., Lemon Bear, Me & Who, Dead Spin
• Boundary: 6 p.m., Hopnotic (funk/jazz)
• Corner Taphouse: 7 p.m., Michael Dayvid
• Eagle Haven: 7 p.m., Charlie Partin
• Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Larry O’Connor & Phil Sottile
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Verboten
• Hotel Bellwether: 6 p.m., Adrian Clark
• Karate Church: 8 p.m., Culloden, Jennifer What, Midnight Morning
• Main Street Bar and Grill: 8:30 p.m., The Problem (jazz/pop)
• Mount Baker Theatre: 8 p.m., The Wallflowers (sold out)
• Ramble Tamble: 8 p.m., Social Cig, Justin Harden (indie pop/punk)
• Silver Reef Casino: 8 p.m., Morris Day & The Time (funk)
• Skagit Casino: 8 p.m., Rumor 6
• Skagit Cellars: 6 p.m., Haley Mae Suitor
• Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Badd Dogg Blues Society
• Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Blue Collar Grass Band
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Cheryl Hodge (jazz/blues)
• The Vault: 7 p.m., Song Wranglers (acoustic Americana)
• Wild Buffalo: 9 p.m., Travis Thompson (hip-hop)

Saturday, June 1

• Birdsview Brewing: 6 p.m., Zach Michaud
• The Blue Room: 9 p.m., Drayton, Alec Shaw, Veronica North
• Champlin Guitars: 8 p.m., Advance Base, Karima Walker, Natalie Day
• Conway Muse: 8 p.m. Oly Mountain Boys (bluegrass)
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Claire Conway, Ivy Ficarra, Arran Fagan
• Hotel Bellwether: 6 p.m., Blake Angelos
• Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Taylor Made (James Taylor tribute)
• Make.Shift: 8 p.m., Melancholia, Old Iron, Semuta (metal)
• Mount Baker Theatre: 7 p.m., Kulshan Chorus
• Odd Fellows at the Orion: 8 p.m., Jerry Steinhilber Trio
• Old Edison: 8 p.m., Friends for the Ghost
• Ramble Tamble: 8 p.m., Honey Ruckus, Little Obsidian & Kaiote Jack, Jeff Gaskin (country/folk/bluegrass)
• The Shakedown: 9 p.m., Year of the Cobra (metal)
• Skagit Casino: 8 p.m., Rumor 6
• Skylark’s: 8 p.m., Michelle D’Amour
• Station 49: 5 p.m., Ten Feet Thick
• Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Quickdraw String Band (folk)
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Cheryl Hodge (jazz/blues) 
• Underground: 8 p.m., Antishock (alt rock covers), Human Clay (Creed tribute)

Sunday, June 2

• The Blue Room: 3 p.m., Dean Johnson, Cabin Fever NW (folk/country)
• Gilkey Square (La Conner): 1 p.m., Utopian Monk
• Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., The Everlovers
• Ono Kitchen: 3 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
• Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Open Mic
• The Shakedown: 8 p.m., Gregg Turner Group, True Stars, The Something Ain’t Right (rock)
• Station 49: 3 p.m., Queen’s Bluegrass
• Tokyo Monster: 4 p.m., Singers’ Sunday

Monday, June 3

• FireHouse Arts and Events Center: 6:30 p.m., Casolary/Allen/Black/Johnson (jazz)
• Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Wild Geese of the West (Grateful Dead tribute)
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Marvin Johnson

Tuesday, June 4

• Aslan Depot: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
• Menace Brewing: 7 p.m.,  Invitational Blues Jam
• Ono Kitchen: 7 p.m., Open Mic ft. The Singer Tina
• Zeeks Pizza: 6 p.m., Open Mic

Wednesday, June 5

• The Blue Room: 9 p.m., Back to the Loud, Slowfall, Trillium (rock)
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
• The Shakedown: 8 p.m., Hamell on Trial, Steven Ray Leslie (singer-songwriters)
• Stones Throw: 6 p.m. Whitewing Duo
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Diane Leigh

Thursday, June 6

• The Admiralty Lounge: 7 p.m., David Donohue, Lore the Mouse
• Boundary: 5 p.m., Lindsay Street, 8 p.m., Magenta Wave, Ivy Ficarra
• The Blue Room: 9 p.m., Cool Company, General Mojos
• Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
• Conway Muse: 7 p.m., Nurhachi, Full Color Dream
• Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Stellar Sounds ft. Chet Przybysz (improv/experimental)
• Ramble Tamble: 8:30 p.m., Jimmy James Gang
• Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
• That’s What I Like: 6 p.m, JP Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Diane Leigh
• Wild Buffalo: 8:30 p.m., Colin James (blues/soul/rock)

Friday, June 7

• The Admiralty Lounge: 7 p.m., Yogoman & Bongo Jac
• Aslan Depot: 8 p.m., TBA
• Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m. TBA
• Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Thomas Harris Quartet (jazz)
• Boundary: 6 p.m., Cardova
• Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Prozac Mountain Boys
• Corner Taphouse: 7 p.m., JP Falcon Grady
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., White Ducks
• Old Edison: 7 p.m., Cory Vincent, Cascade Cody
• Ritual Records: 6 p.m., Girl Parallel, The Cosmic Neighborhood
• The Shakedown: 9 p.m., William Elliott Whitmore, Salt Pine (folk/blues/alt-country)
• Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Song Wranglers (acoustic Americana)
• Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Bluegrass First Friday
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Cheryl Hodge (jazz/blues)
• The Vault: 7 p.m., Adrian Clarke
• Welcome Road: 6 p.m., Tango Cowboys

Saturday, June 8

• Birdsview Brewing: 6 p.m., Nicola Linde
• Boundary 2 p.m., Brother Ray Benefit Concert ft. The Atlantics, 7 p.m., The Industrials
• Conway Muse: 8 p.m., The Outtatowners ft. Savanna Woods
• Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Cats Like Us
• Make.Shift: 6 p.m., Open Mic
• Odd Fellows at the Orion: 8 p.m., Noah Pebbiton Trio
• Old Edison: 8 p.m., County Rose (country)
• Ramble Tamble: 8 p.m. Spider Cult, Phantom Pines, Villain Acrylic
• The Shakedown: 9 p.m., Dancifer, Written in Sand
• Skylark’s: 8 p.m., JP Falcon Grady
• Station 49: 5 p.m., Little Big Band
• Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Anissa & Erik
• Tokyo Monster: 5:30 p.m., Cheryl Hodge (jazz/blues) 
• Underground: 8:30 p.m., Poker Face (Lady GaGa tribute), Y2K
• WWU Lawnstock Festival: 5 p.m., THEM, Reposado, Cherry Ferrari, Aurora Ave., Frog Rocket

Sunday, June 9

• Mount Baker Theatre: 3 p.m., Bellingham Symphony Orchestra (works by Azmeh and Rachmaninoff)
• Old Edison: 5:30 p.m., The Atlantics
• Ono Kitchen: 3 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
• Ramble Tamble: 7 p.m., Open Mic
• Samson Estates Winery: 3 p.m., Baby Cakes (pop/R&B covers)
• Station 49: 3 p.m., D’vas and Dudes
• Tokyo Monster: 4 p.m., Singers’ Sunday

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