Around this time last year, I wrote about local label Washingtones Records. Recognizing the way modern technology has created a glut of music, these folks work against the tide with careful attention to each release, putting out LPs on recyclable PET plastic and lavishing great care on the artwork. They also host in-depth local reviews on their website for lots of artists, not just those from their label.
Washingtones Records have two strong new albums coming out before the end of the year, so I thought it was a good time to check back in.
First up is the new album by Sam & the Savages, entitled “WAIT WUT.,” streaming now. This is a straight-ahead rock project featuring label co-founder Sam Chue, plus the rhythm section of brothers Caleb and Eli Savage.
Their sound blends elements of everything you might have liked from the ’90s alternative rock boom, plus some older influences. I hear some strong hints of Dinosaur Jr. and The Replacements, which always makes me happy, but Sam & the Savages put enough of an original spin on that sound that it doesn’t come off like a tribute. They link songs together with smidgens of heavily-effected found sound, making the whole album feel like it’s coming in from a distant radio station.
The label has also got another very exciting new release coming out next month. Singer/songwriter/violinist Hannah Wyatt has been contributing to lots of other folks’ projects in recent years, but she’s going to be stepping out on her own with a solo album, “Sunday Cowboy.” The album won’t be out until next month but the songs I’ve had a chance to preview are just fascinating.
Wyatt is taking traditional folk and country forms and going to unexpected places with them in the lyrics and instrumentation. On top of that, her voice is absolutely haunting. At least one of those songs should be out online by the time you read this, and the whole album will be out in December.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to follow Washingtones on social media. Keeping up with them is a great way to stay plugged into some of the most interesting music made around here. They’ve set themselves up with a high level of quality control, so even if you don’t like everything they put out, you know they’ve put a lot of thought and work into it. It’s a hard battle getting people to really pay attention to music in the age of the infinite jukebox, and I love their approach.
In other release news, the duo somewhat confusingly known as Duos just released their self-titled debut EP. These guys are maybe more of an acquired taste than a lot of the music I write about here, but once you acquire that taste, their twisty, anarchic blasts of guitar and drums can be an awful lot of fun, with lots of melody and quiet moments setting up the noisy parts.
Checker Bloom has a high-quality video out now of their entire album release concert for the album “Ballads of Mirror Road.” It’s great to see that show documented for posterity, so if you missed it, you can catch the whole thing (complete with the rapturously enthusiastic crowd). They’ve also got a video coming out for their song “Who Is Michael?” I’m not sure I’d say that was my favorite song on the album, but it was definitely the one that got permanently stuck in my head — and I think of it anytime I meet a new Michael.
Venue News
Congrats to Ramble Tamble on putting in a stage. It’s small but it’s enough to make it feel more like a venue in there. They’ve also been booking some great shows and doing it consistently enough that people seem to be getting in the habit of checking it out. Now if they can just get the back room set up for music, they could turn into a real hub of the scene.
On the bad news side, as you may have heard, we’re losing Boundary Bay Brewery at the end of next summer. Their beer garden stage has been a special and invaluable part of the summer music experience for many years and will be hard to replace. So let’s enjoy the heck out of it next year for one last summer!
If we want our venues to stick around, we’ve got to support them. To that end, an event to add to your calendar would be Make.Shift’s annual Art for All Ages gala, recently announced to be taking place on Jan. 25 with a theme of Glam Rock. With a venue, practice space, art studios, a radio station, and all kinds of other programs, Make.Shift’s contributions to our scene can’t be understated — and they deserve your support.
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
