Since it was the first Friday of the month, the Downtown Art Walk was happening. Every first Friday of the month, all the galleries in town open their doors for free to allow people to come in and see what all of our talented artists in town have been creating. The great thing about the Downtown Art Walk is that it focuses the city’s attention all on the huge underground artist community that we are fortunate to have.

During this art walk, I was particularly excited that the new Pickford theater, the Dreamspace, was having an open house. Already being in love with the Pickford, I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the Dreamspace. Due to lack of funding, it has been taking them longer than anticipated to open. However, on this art walk, and continuing with every art walk forward, they opened their doors to allow the public to see the status of the theater and hopefully to raise some donations. The space is fairy still bare bones with the layout complete and the wooden risers for the seats set in the two different theaters. There was a projection playing in the smaller theater, which will hold about 90 people and a band playing in the bigger theater, which will hold 145 people. The band, Bar Tabac, who are John Sampson on guitar, Andy Piper on a percussion contraption and Terry Wergeland on accordion, were playing haunting, echoey music. Or as my friend described it “crazy clown gypsy carnival blues.” The band would create sounds with their instruments and then John would trap the echoes the instruments created and loop them, while Andy and Terry would start creating something else to play on top of those echoes. Occasionally, John would switch from playing the guitar to the trombone and Terry would switch from playing the accordion to the trumpet. The haunting echoes that Bar Tabac were playing was the perfect match for the eery bare bones theater that we were sitting in.

After wandering around the Dreamspace studios, and seeing some awesome things that can be done with toasters, I made my way over to Jinx. Another great thing about the Downtown Art Walk is that there are usually free shows happening at the galleries. This art walk, Pan Pan was playing a free show in the Jinx basement. The show was to start promptly at nine since everyone, including Sarah Jerns, wanted to see the Rooftops. When I got to Jinx, the folk band, the Moandingers were just starting their set. Usually a three member band, tonight the band consisted of Kayla Brodgen on an acoustic guitar and Bill Lohse on cello. Kayla, who has the sweetest, most heartfelt voice, would lay down a playful melody on either her guitar, mandolin or accordion and then Bill, who sung harmonies, would add a serious tone with his cello. Their six song set, which consisted of songs such as “The Ghost Song” and “Gold, Gold, Gold” was blissfully mellow and made me want to hear more from them.

As the Moandingers were finishing their set, the crowd swelled, all waiting to hear Pan Pan. For this performance, Sarah Jerns brought along Austin Richy on drums and Ryan Wapnowski on saxophone. I knew from seeing Sarah play her trumpet in random bands around town that she was great and had always read that Pan Pan, was simply astonishing. Even though Pan Pan has been playing in town now for a couple of years, I’ve never seen her play a show or have listened to her album. After finally watching her perform live, she more than exceeded my expectations. It was just extraordinary to see how much ferocity and passion Sarah put into that piano. Through the entire set, her beautiful piano, soulful saxophone and great backing percussion blended flawlessly together to create breathtaking melodies.

After Pan Pan was done blowing my mind, I headed over to the Cabin Tavern. When I got there, Mary Mary had just got done playing and Biagio and the Argonauts were setting up. Being impatient as I am, I headed over to the Wild Buffalo to hear Keaton Collective. Just getting back from their “Time and Pressure” tour, Keaton Collective was playing a free show to kick off the Buffalo’s free August Fridays. I always love to see Keaton Collective live since they impressively demonstrate their own controlled chaos. Having six members in a band, four of which are vocalists, play a range of music from country to rock just spells a recipe for disaster. Keaton Collective, however, perfectly blend their forceful rhythm section, commanding drums and harmonies together all while being great showmen. At the time, the band was playing their country material, off their new album “Time and Pressure.” Since it was relatively early, there was only a small crowd at the Buffalo and I decided to head back to the Cabin just as the band started to play “Hilltop Saloon.”

When I got back to the Cabin Tavern, Biagio and the Argonauts were just about to start their set. The band is Biagio Biondolillo on main vocals and acoustic guitar with the Argonauts who are Kat Bula on violin as well as harmonies and Rabia Magnusson on piano. Biagio writes the songs and Kat and Rabia add beautiful vocal harmonies, strings and piano melodies. As the band started to play, they created an intimate setting since all three of the members had decided to play while seated, which had led a group of 15 or so people to sit on the floor of the Cabin along with them. The problem with playing an intimate show at the Cabin Tavern is that it is usually hard to hear the music over all the conversations. Being a great billed show, the Cabin was packed with people, all talking, which made it hard to hear anything other than Biagio singing and his guitar. However, while talking to friends, I did find the music enjoyable and relaxing to hang out to.

During changeover from Biagio and the Argonauts to the Rooftops, I went back to the Wild Buffalo to catch some more of Keaton Collective. Luckily for me, now they were playing more of their rock songs off of their first album “The Wash”, including my favorite “Hitler Doesn’t Own That Mustache.” After dancing to a few other songs, like “Be A Mess,” I heard that Citizen Escape had already started at Plan B and decided I better hustle up there before the Rooftops started at the Cabin. Sure enough, when I got to Plan B, the high energy Citizen Escape was already rocking through their set. The four man band, Jason on vocals, Billy on guitar, Ryan on bass and Chad on drums, blend elements of punk, rock and alternative music together to create a headbanging fun and fast sound. Paranoid that I was going to miss the Rooftops, I only stayed for about twenty minutes, which was long enough to hear the band play some originals and covers, including one of an Incubus song.

Running back down to the Cabin, I made it before the Rooftops even started. If you don’t know who the Rooftops are, then seriously, what rock have you been living under? Still, if you don’t know, the Rooftops are a four man band consisting of Mark Detrick, Drew Fitchette and Jonathan McIntyre all playing guitars, and Wendelin Wohlgemuth on drums. They intricately layer guitars, horns, strings, percussion and sparse vocals into irregular rhythmic structures and intersecting melodies to create their own union of math rock and post rock into indie-post-math-rock. Looking back on my notes from the evening, the one word that appears most is incredible.

Reminising on the night, I had seen seven remarkable bands in a period of six hours. The even more remarkable thing is that I only had to pay a cover at two shows. Bar Tabac was free, The Moandingers and Pan Pan were free, Biagio and the Argonauts and the Rooftops were a three dollar cover, Keaton Collective was free and Citizen Escape was only $2. Seven amazing bands for only $5! This night in my mind solidified the fact that we are so lucky to have such a great local scene.

Of course, the big news of the scene is the closing of Plan B. After only eight months they’ve been shut down, and once again one of the coolest spaces in Bellingham will go quiet. This time, it was a tenant/landlord issue I’ve heard from both sides and won’t comment on what happened, just that it’s very disappointing there won’t be music there. Hopefully something can be worked out and someone new can come into the space. Folks are already talking about it. Good luck to Bucketz and crew with their next plans and projects, and thank you for bringing the Plan B to us all.

In the mean time, the Wild Buffalo is on overdrive with shows, the Acoustic Tavern continues to bring in amazing bands at least five nights a week and the Cabin Tavern has one of the coolest underground scenes around. Campus music is starting back up as well, plus The Fairhaven is going to be doing local shows on Fridays, Chuckanut Ridge Winery has jazz, Boundary Bay continues to provide great music, and there are some great house shows going on.

So, as I get to say way too often, the scene is not dying, it’s just change. Do I hope a new venue opens up soon? You bet your ass… And, I believe, something will. It’s just going to take a little bit of time.

Last month, James Hardesty at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern raffled off an awesome bike with most of the proceeds going to the magazine an incredible gesture that we very much appreciated. The official Green Frog raffle ended on Aug. 12 with the bike then going to the Subdued Stringband Jamboree where more raffle tickets were sold. The winner was none other than Jen Richmond from Jen’s Chai (our favorite chai)! The raffle brought in a nice chunk of change with Robert Sarazin Blake and the Jamboree adding to the final total, an incredible gesture on his part as well. So, thanks to everyone who bought the raffle tickets, but especially to James Hardesty and Robert Blake two very cool guys who do a lot for local music and each put their money where their mouth is when it comes to supporting the magazine.

Speaking of the Jamboree holy crap that was a good time! The family and I camped Friday night and got to see some amazing music over the weekend. Highlights included Kristi Nelson and Chris from the Heligoats in the songwriters in the round, as well as the three huge acts for the night Anais Mitchell, CR Avery and finally the Gallus Brothers. It was WILD, definitely not subdued, that’s for sure. The next day, which was incredibly hot, was also filled with great music. The weekend highlight (for both Becca and I) was Polecat who was ON. Absolutely awesome. (Check out Polecat in this month’s pin-up!)

Another wonderful time by Robert Sarazin Blake and crew. Congrats and thanks goes out to all who worked on the event! You all do an amazing job. Happy 10! On a side note, thanks also to the Juice Peddler. We had a total of nine smoothies that weekend. Refreshing!

RECORDS & RELEASES

Kristi Nelson has released her debut CD, which I haven’t had the pleasure of listening too, but I’ve gotta assume is very, very good. She’s got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard and it’s about damn time she puts out a recording. The disc was released just days prior to her opening up for Earth Wind and Fire over the course of two nights. Not sure how she got the gig, but the band and the crowd loved her. Got a feeling this won’t be the only time I mention Kristi opening up for a major band. Good stuff.

They Hibernate have a new EP out which was recorded at Two Sticks down in Seattle. Good ol’ fashioned alt-rock nothing revolutionary, but really pretty damn good, especially for a new band. Look for more good things to come from these guys.

Torero is putting the finishing touches on their EP and, according to Casey “Big Time” Nolan, it sounds “amazing.” The songs were recorded by Peter of Todos Somos Lee, a band that we don’t write about nearly often enough.

On a side note, speaking of “Big Time,” I’d like to thank her for tackling the Under the Radar each issue. Over the last few months, it’s been all her and she’s done it out of the goodness of her heart. That’s why we ALL call her “Big Time,” ‘cuz she’s a big time badass!

One of the bigger bands on the all ages scene, Livingston Seagull, are headed into the studio to record a new record. Not sure who is doing the recording, but it’s another band releasing a new disc. That’s always a good thing.

FFA’s new album isn’t out yet, as we had reported last issue. Typical slow down time and money. Hopefully, it’ll be out in October, but, with the guys all doing different stuff, it could take a little bit longer.

The Productionists will be releasing their debut CD on Sept. 23 at the Wild Buffalo with the Acorn Project releasing their latest CD the following night, again at the Wild Buffalo. Those are going to be two big nights!

Snug Harbor is releasing a live CD and DVD shortly. Hopefully they’ll give us a copy for review or at least our listening pleasure… unlike Vaughn Kreestoe, who left us hanging.

The Lonely Forest are releasing a new EP on Sept. 14. They’re big time now, think on Atlantic, which is incredibly exciting. Hopefully we’ll have more details next time.

COMINGS & GOINGS

Boundary Bay is turning 15, which is so cool. The focus always seems to be on venues closing, so take a second and celebrate Boundary surviving and thriving. Congrats Janet and Ed, you’ve done very, very well! Join them in celebration on Sept. 16. The party starts at 4 p.m.

Lots of big happenings over at Jinx this month. On Sept. 3, they’ll be celebrating their two-year anniversary with a big ol’ show! PRND, Sugar Sugar Sugar and ZORBATRON will be playing a free show to celebrate the huge occasion. Yep, you read it right Zorbatron is playing a show. The perpetually awesome and perpetually cult-ish sounds of Beau Boyd from Federation X will debut in band form with Aaron Roeder on drums, Josh Holland on guitar, Sean from the Narrows and Beau on guitar and vocals. Awesome.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jinx will also be hosting a band lottery that night. Willing participants will all put their name in a hat with the intention of random bands being formed. Once the names are drawn and the bands are formed, they’ve got two weeks to make a band name, songs, the whole thing. Then, on Sept. 17, they’ll all play a live show at Jinx. Could be awesome, could be a disaster, I’m guessing it’ll be both. Which should be glorious.

Scott Watts of DSW Drums and Corey Shek, `co-owner of Juice It, are teaming up for a new music shop in town. Located at the old Video Extreme building (Gosh I love that), they’re gonna have tons of used gear from guitars to drums, amps to sticks and everything else in between. The official opening date is Nov. 1, but keep your eye out before then, they could be up and running as early as October.

Scott and Corey seem to really get along, ‘cuz they’ve also formed a new band that includes Brian Fannin called Tres Pistols. The boys are just starting out, but watch for the rock ‘n’ roll.

The Pickford is so, so very close to reaching their financial goal and opening up the new spot. They’re within about $100,000, which seems like a large amount if you aren’t making any dough, but they’ve brought in millions, so this is just the finishing touch. BUT, just because they don’t have a lot left, doesn’t mean they don’t need your help. What they are asking folks to do is donate $10 a month for a full year. Our family has donated, we hope you do as well. You check out www.pickfordfilmcenter.org for more info.

A couple months ago, I reported that Julian MacDonough had moved back to Bellingham. Well, I kinda blew that one he hadn’t. BUT, I’m happy to report, that he now has moved back to Belligham literally any day now. When you read this, he could be standing right next to you. As I’ve always said, this town is a bit cooler with Julian around.

Mary Mary just got back from a little tour down the West Coast. Another band that in six month’s you’ll be saying, “dude, Mary Mary is the coolest band in town.” Them and Bright Weapons… ya know Bright Weapons, they’ve got HANDSOME ROB on bass. HANDSOME ROB. Did you know he goes by HANDSOME ROB now legally. He’s actually changing his name to HANDSOME ROB.

By the way, HANDSOME ROB just turned 30, which makes him really old for all of you, and really young to me. For his birthday, his wonderful girlfriend, poet Jessica Lohafer, threw a surprise party in the basement of their home that included 25 of their closest friends… and… BOAT! Seriously, she got BOAT to play his surprise birthday party (they played a fantastic set later that night at the Plan B that I was lucky enough to catch). Happy birthday HANDSOME ROB!

While the local hip hop scene continues to percolate, watch out for Tommy Boy, he’s a new dude on the scene. Don’t know a whole bunch about him, other than he’s new and damn good.

After getting married and going on a honeymoon, Shultzie has reopened Paperdoll and is showing some art to go along with the cool clothes. For September, Kelly Hoekema will be gracing the walls I dig her stuff, think you’ll like it too. Go check it out… and buy something. Works well that way.

While it’s not Ferndale’s Oktoberfest yet, folks are raising funds with a special show on Sept. 25 at Pioneer Park. It starts at noon and includes eight bands, a beer garden and tons of good food. Ya know a beer garden at an Oktoberfest fundraiser is gonna be pretty sweet.

There’s a lot of badasses in town and Brad Lockhart is one of them. His band, Baltic Cousins are about to go on a 10-show West Coast tour. They are also releasing a 10″ record this fall on Krazy Keith (who put out the Russians/BENT split) and are playing an acoustic show at the Underground Coffeehouse on Sept. 24 with Pan Pan. But what makes him a badass? He’s doing the poster and ads for my birthday party, which are really cool. Thanks Brad!

Birthday party?! Yes folks, 40 is on the horizon. As some of you already know, I’ll be turning 40 on Nov. 13. Seriously… 40 f***ing years old. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, I’ll be hosting my birthday party at the Wild Buffalo (the 13th lands on a Saturday) and we’ll be having a bunch of bands playing including Sugar Sugar Sugar, Dog Shredder, The Holy Tailfeathers and the return of Federation X. YES! It’s been a few years since Fed X played in town Ben and Bill live in NY, but they’re coming back for this special birthday show! There’s hopefully going to be one more special surprise band, but we’re still waiting to see if they can confirm. Yer all invited, so come on down and celebrate me turning really, really older than most of you.

Last month, I wrote about Fresh Pear, except I called them Fresh Pair, which is not their name. Sorry guys. Check out the review of their album in this month’s reviews section.

Some photo credits were mistakenly left out last issue. John E. Hollingsworth took the photo of the Birch Bay Band, and Haylee Nighbert shot the My Dad Bruce photos. Nice job!

Thanks to all our fans on Facebook! What’s Up! has over 1,000 fans!

Lastly, we’re always looking for contributing writers and photographers, so if you’d like to be involved with the magazine, please contact me at brent@whatsup-magazine.com.

Well, think that’s about it for this month. We’ll be back in October and can’t wait to see ya!

-Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

Rob and Zach on July 6 at Wild Buffalo. Pinback. Photo by Haylee Nighbert

Before entering the Wild Buffalo, I heard the rumor that Zach wouldn’t actually be in attendance. I thought to myself, how could the show go on? It was supposed to be the “Rob and Zach Show,” and without one member, it would cut the show in half. And when the show started, it was just Rob on stage.

Zach had to make an emergency trip to his hometown of San Diego. Reason being, Zach’s new baby was born. So Rob centered himself onstage, started playing a familiar melody, and everyone dropped into its catchiness. Even without the assisted harmonies, Rob got everyone swaying in a daze of indie-rock bliss.

Projected behind him, there was old stock footage and videos of space exploration playing. At one point, the drummer from opening band Little White Teeth, a band whose dreamy pop-rock disposition complimented the main act, came up to the microphone to contribute harmonies with Rob on a couple songs.

The great thing about the show was its simplicity and deeper understanding of how interestingly complex their sound is as a whole. This was their original intent; playing as a more intimate representation of themselves, and with half the band present it made the independent parts shine through and highlighted its dynamic atmosphere.

What's Up! Cover - July 2010. Artwork by Jacob Covey.

Hiya, how are ya all doing? I hope everyone is having a nice summer, no matter how dreary it is outside.

Ya know, July is a real special month for me. First off, both my kids were born in July. Ruby turns 1 on July 4th and Harrison turns 4 on the 26th. My wife’s birthday is also the 26th. Yep, Harrison was born on Becca’s birthday, and Ruby on the 4th we don’t screw around with our birthdays, huh?

Besides the family birthdays, I also get to celebrate an anniversary of sorts each July, my coming to Bellingham. On July 2, 1992, I moved to Bellingham with the hopes of attending Western (which I eventually did). So, as of this year, I’ve spent 18 years living in Whatcom County, most of those years in Bellingham, making it officially my longest place of residence. When I moved here, I never could have envisioned staying permanently but I did and I could never imagine living anywhere else. Bellingham has changed dramatically over the last 18 years (when school was out in the summer, things slowed WAY down in town, which drove me nuts) and, obviously, I have changed as well. In truth, the town and the county as a whole helped shape who I am it’s given me opportunities I wouldn’t have had in a big city and while driven me crazy at times, it’s turned into my paradise.

Why do I bring this up, other than my seemingly compulsive desire to talk about myself? I guess it’s just to ask those of you who have come to a crossroads in their life and are considering moving out of Bellingham, to not rush it. When you’re in your early 20’s, there’s often a feeling like you need to rush to get moving in your career and “real life.” This town can begin to feel small and lacking in opportunities, especially if you haven’t had the experiences of a big city. What’s amazing about Bellingham, though, is opportunities abound, they just aren’t as obvious. If you want to just land straight into a career where you work for someone else, this probably isn’t the town for you. But, if you want to do something different, something interesting and something for yourself, Bellingham is perfect. Bellingham makes you work your ass off to make it here, and when you do, it’s more rewarding than you can imagine.

I’m not a brilliant guy, hell, if you knew me before the magazine, you’d be surprised I could dress myself in the morning. But, I did something. And, if I did something, I’m guessing a lot of you can too.

Jordan Rain (Yogoman) and I were talking about this the other day. He’s been all over the world and there’s no place he’d rather be. A working musician, one who tours constantly, Jordan not only survives here, he thrives here. It’s like someone said: The grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence, sometimes you just need to water your side a little more.

Instead of moving to Seattle or Portland or someplace like that to fall into a scene, make your scene right here. HERE where you can make a real difference more than you ever could in a big city. HERE where you can touch the lives of people with more intensity and with less anonymity. If you ever wonder if it’s possible just look at me. I graduated college with no publishing experiences and started a music mag because I thought it’d be cool. Every month thousands of eyeballs read this magazine! I get to have direct impact on my community, and that’s amazing. I get to see how my work impacts where I live and it’s incredibly rewarding. You’ll never get rich in Whatcom County, but, really, is money gonna make you happy?

So in short, it’s magic here, stick around and enjoy it. Now on to the music.

RECORDS & RELEASES

Yogoman Burning Band have finished recording their album it’s all ready to go, but the band is hanging tight, waiting to find some good distribution. Smart, smart move for them the band feels like it’s on the cusp of something really special. Between their amazing songs, work ethic and phenomenal skills, this is a band ready and deserving of something really special.

Though Femme Uke is now living in separate cities, the duo is working on a new album and have shows coming up, including a set at the Subdued Stringband Jamboree in August at the Deming Log Show Grounds. According to Laine, the two actually have had some great songwriting sessions via Skype, which is really pretty genius. It’s a brave new world, my friends.

So Adult have been some busy, busy boys. First off, the four-piece have been back in Two Sticks working on their new album no idea when it’ll be released, much less finished. In the meantime, though, they’ll be heading out on a bit of a tour through July. It’s just a couple week jaunt down the West Coast, but a trip to California right now seems like a great idea.

Envision have finished mastering their LP, but no word on when that will be done. The cool thing is, it will, indeed, actually be a “long player.” Ya know what I love even more than local CDs? Local records.

Full Frontal Assault are BACK! They boys, who have been primarily playing as the All Nighters as of late, are looking at releasing their new disc in August. Conqueror looks to continue the band’s patented “crush you skull” metal. Bellingham has a pretty cool metal scene and a lot of it is owed to FFA they formed much of the foundation for what’s happening. It’ll be good to see them playing a lot of shows and melting faces this fall.

Another band in the studio is the wonderful and mighty Pan Pan! Sarah is working on her latest piece of brilliance, which, I assume, will be released on Clickpop Records (another example of the awesome that can happen when you stay here). The work has literally just begun, so who knows when the album will be wrapped up and out, but if it’s Sarah Jerns playing and Paul Turpin recording, you know it’s going to be insanely good. Epically good. Like “all time” type of good. (That’s not too much pressure, is it Sarah?)

The Productionists are dangerously close to finishing up their CD. They’ve been working on it for months and months, three hours at a time at a studio in Seattle. The latest from DJ Clint Westwood is August is the month it’s finally going to happen. Look for lots of love from us next month.

The mighty Acorn Project will be releasing their latest album in the fall. Not more solid details than that as of now, but ya know it’s gonna be good.

Jenni Potts is working on her new album, this time with Dave Richards turning the nobs. The new recording should be less folky with more electronic elements to it. No word on when it’ll be released, but she states it won’t take nearly as long to get out as the last one. She’s also wrapping up the video for her song “Stay,” which was filmed by the mighty Micah Knapp.

Caulfield and his Magical Violin are releasing their debut CD at the beginning of July, which is pretty cool. Haven’t heard of them? Just wait the band is some youngin’ out of Anacortes who are making some damn, damn fine indie pop. I love it when people make great music and aren’t old enough to legally drink.

Speaking of long players, the Lumpkins’ new music is out on album again making me damn happy. Even happier? David Ney gave it to me as a gift. Thanks, man, I appreciate it!

The Ghost and the Grace have released a new song for your listening pleasure, you can purchase it on their bandcamp site. It’s only a dollar and includes not only Daniel Anderson, but Christopher Newton on drums and Jenni Potts on vocals.

Vaughn Kreestoe’s DVD just “dropped,” according to their facebook page. I’d love to say I know what’s going on with it, but I don’t. If you see Mr. Stache, find out the skinny and tell me.

COMINGS & GOINGS

The one, the only, the MIGHTY, guitarist (and What’s Up! writer) Adam Bates, has a band called Plant Party that are starting to play. With Adam is Matt Omdal on drums, Mike Perara on accordian/mandolin/harmonica/guitar/vocals and Dave Wheeler on piano. I figure, anything Adam touches turns to gold, so the band is gonna be good.

Another new band to watch out for is Corduroy, which features Kevin Lee and Mara Fields from the Lumpkins and Tim Leighton, formerly of All the Filthy Animals).

BOOKED & HOOKED

The Productionists and Vaughn Kreestoe are working on a West Coast tour for the fall. It’s still in the early stages, but looks like Bellingham will be bringing some hip hop and funk down to the masses.

Pirates R Us will be making their triumphant return on July 9 at a house show. David stressed that it’s a one0time only thing, but it’s got the makings for a pretty amazing show. Along with Pirates R Us, you’ll find musical comedy by Jimes, Nigel and Jeremy as well as stand up from Elissa Ball, Brandon Ivey, Jessica Sele, Solomon Georgio, Travis Vogt and Neill McLaughlin. That is CRAZY. If you’d like to know more, find David!

GOOD STUFF

The non-profit Make.Shift is a group that exemplifies what I mentioned earlier about making an impact on your community. This all-volunteer group has been working their asses off for the local scene and they are proud to announce The Magic Van! It’s a 1986 former Bellingham PD SWAT van which has been converted run on biodiesel and is here for Bellingham bands needing a vehicle to tour. Make.Shift has the application on their website and all applicants will be looked at by a committee. “The committee will initially approve a small pool of bands, which will be in charge of booking their own tours. Make.Shift will serve each band (at no cost) as tours are booked, on a first-come first-served basis. Make.Shift staff will drive the van during all tours,” the press release stated. (In the interest of full public disclosure, I am on the committee.)

OK, one last item here. I’m going to be a guest bartender at the Wild Buffalo on July 15 from 8-10 p.m. (a Belebrity bartender, as it’s being called). The fun happens every Thursday and each week, it’s a different Belebrity. Come down and order a whiskey on the rocks, ‘cuz I can’t make anything else!

Hugs and kisses, and happy July.

–Brent

(editor@whatsup-magazine.com

What's Up! Cover - June 2010. Artwork by George Jartos

Well, hello there friends, welcome to le Beat. Lots of happenings this month.

I always like to start each month off with a little bit of magazine news, but this month, I don’t think we’ve got any! We do have our new t-shirts available, so head on down and please buy one from either Merch Bot, Everyday Music or Black Market Boutique we’ve got two different designs and they’ll both make you look sexier. Not just sort of sexier, but “oh my God, yer hot,” kinda sexy. Besides that, we’re just kinda humming along here.

Oh wait, before I forget, yer gonna love this month’s pin up it’s a first in What’s Up! history. Posing are two contributing writers the lovely and wonderful Haylee Nighbert and Tabitha Englebright get ready for summer games while enjoying some time with What’s Up!. It turned out fantastic thanks you two!

RECORDS & RELEASES

Go Slowpoke and Four Players are both releasing new EPs at their show at Jinx on June 4, then they’re heading out on a tour together which will take down through California (dates are still being confirmed). From what Peter of Go Slowpoke says, he and Anna will then take off for a couple month tour of the U.S. while Four Players will head back this way.

The show, which also includes Girl Group, will include a slideshow of photographs of the late and great Gunther Jose Frank – the show’s date of June 5 marks the year anniversary Gunther and Donnkie went missing in a tragic boating accident. Michelle from Jinx wanted to make it clear, the event isn’t a memorial, but a tribute to a friend we all lost and have mourned over the last year. I miss Gunther, and I barely knew him his loss (as well as well as Donnkie’s, obviously), was beyond tragic and something we’ll never forget.

For anyone who wants a copy of the show, a free download of the memorial slideshow will available soon at jinxartspace.com.

Another band releasing a CD is Rhombus, who should have it out some time this month. You can find out more info about the band on page 6 of this issues, as well as details on how to get the goods. I haven’t had a chance to give it a spin, but if Cat Sieh’s in the band and Chris Vita is behind the board, it’s gotta be damn good and entertaining.

Hey, ya know what’s cool? Bands releasing CDs so we’ve got another one! The Keaton Collective are shooting to release their latest CD in “June-ish,” but no official word yet. From what I’ve heard, though, the album will focus more on the roots side of the band with a special guest appearance by Cara Alboucq. Stay tuned.

Wow check it out, ANOTHER PERSON RELEASING A DISC! I’m in CD heaven! Damon Dmitri Jones is holding his CD release party at Bloom on June 5 at 6 p.m. Bloom is cool, Damon is great, what the hell are you waiting for?

Thought that was it? NOPE! “Mad” Max Keys (ex-Yes We Are) has just released his debut CD. The recording, which was done on his computer, was put together as part of his senior project with the proceeds of the recording going towards relief efforts in Haiti.

I think I mentioned this last month, but Tyler Clarke (ex-Hedonists) has released a new CD which is absolutely fantastic. Look for it in stores near you and a story on Tyler in July. SCOTS UNITE!

Stephen Ray Leslie and the Crooked Mile have begun work on their latest EP. No word on when it’ll be done or released, but getting into the studio is always a good thing.

COMINGS & GOINGS

In previously mentioning Girl Group, there is a new band that features Nora Hughes and Zack Zinn. They’re new, so I don’t know much about ‘em, but I know I love that name.

Cara Alboucq has a new band The A Priori Project I don’t have any details about it, this is brand new news as of press time! So, there ya go the new hot news!

Cozy Kitchen have called it a day. I kinda liked that band and was looking forward to their new record, so their demise kinda sucks.

In a bit of sad news, especially for the fine music fans of Bellingham, Cumulus is leaving at the beginning of July for the big city. I’m not sure the reasoning behind Alex’s departure (I assume they are sound), but as Alex is one of my very favorite people in town, I’m personally bummed out about her leaving and hope that she has a change of heart in June. But, then again, this is a college town and that’s part of the way things work. Alex, you’ve been a wonderful person to work with through the magazine, take care of yourself my friend!

BOOKED & HOOKED

This year’s Urban Music Festival looks to be the best yet! The first show, held on Friday, June 4, will include sets by GEO of the Blue Scholars, James Pants, Vaughn Kreestoe and DJ Booger. The following day, Empty Space Orchestra, The Endorfins, Unami, Polecat and The Tea Seas Quintet as well a members of the Dream Science Circus and Bellingham Circus Guild will be performing in the alley next to the Buffalo from noon to 8 p.m. for FREE. At night, also at the Buffalo, check out Acorn Project, Snug Harbor, Alpaca, Dubble Penetration, as well as the Blessed Coast DJs. This, my friends, is a huge, huge weekend of music. Get there.

One of my favorite non local bands, Dawes, is playing June 26 at the Plan B Saloon. For those who know Dawes, this is great news and for those who don’t, get down there to find out why they are opening up for Elliott Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s and playing Lollapalooza.

If yer in the mood for some hip-hop and heading out to the islands, there will be a festival June 19 on Orcas Island at the Oddfellows Hall. Live performances from Bloodshot, The Productionists, My Dad Bruce, The Knowgooders, 206 Zulu, Johnny Concrete, Designated Hitters, and Western Goodz along with BBQ, breakdancing, and beat-boxing. Seems like a damn good reason to get to Orcas.

GOOD TIMES

In Trailer Wars news, What’s Up! would like to congratulate KMDB Films for their ridiculously hilarious “Shower Guy: Shampooin’, an “awkwardly erotic tale of cleanliness.” You can find the winning video on YouTube and I’ll promise ya, you’ll be entertained and slightly concerned it’s f***in’ hilarious.

Next month’s category (which was picked by KMDB) is Biographies aka Biopic. If you’d like to find out more, you can contact the fine folks at http://myspace.com/trailerwars.

On the art scene, check out Chase Boston’s work over at the Lucia Douglas Gallery in Fairhaven. The show’s opening is on June 4 and the work, titled “An Ocean of Bones,” runs through the 7th.

Last month, we included a story about the Appliance Art Revival show coming up on June 4 at the Chuckanut Brewery. What we failed to mention was possibly the coolest aspect of the whole event the Appliance Races. What is it? Crazy appliances being raced down Holly Street prior to the event. There’s only one word that can describe this: glorious. Get there.

Becca and I would like to thank everyone that braved the cold on May 29 to attend the launch party for our new magazine, Grow Northwest. Those who could make it had a great time and got to listen to some wonderful music from Thimble vs. Needle and the Librarians both bands were incredible (thank you for performing!). You also got to see a glimpse into the future as our son Harrison realized how much he loved being on stage even at times when he wasn’t exactly supposed to be up there. If you haven’t had a chance, grab a copy of Grow Northwest (www.grownorthwest.com), full of info and resources about local food, farming, gardening, cooking, adventures and more. We think you’ll dig it.

Finally, I had an epiphany a month or so ago that I wanted to tell you about. I was on my way down to Seattle listening to the new Holy Tailfeathers record for the umpteenth time, when it hit me in the 12 years since starting the magazine, even 18 years I’ve lived in town and absorbed the local music scene, I’ve never loved a local record as much as I love the Tailfeathers’ offering. From the first track to the last, it’s nothing but rock ‘n’ roll goodness the songs are simple rock bursts and LP’s vocals are ridiculously cool… It’s disappointing to no end that they aren’t the biggest and best band in town I love ‘em like no other and I sincerely hope you, the reader, listen to ‘em too. If you’ve read this magazine for any length of time, you know that I love local music, but I’ve never declared my love for a band over no other that’s how important and how much I love this band.

Ok, ya’ll, have a great June hope the weather turns around for us all, ‘cuz the current weather just sucks.

–Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com

Before the performance, I was interested in how Mike would transfer his new record Big Sur over to a live show. The record is much more poppy than I’m used to hearing from him. It is also full of various instruments and a majority of it is electronic. More importantly, is all the ways he uses his voice on the record. He goes from very low to falsetio in almost every song, which seemed almost impossible to do live.

As I should have known, Mike did it effortlessly. On stage, Mike played guitar and sang, while former Growers member Aaron Guest played a synthesizer and harmonized vocals. Before the show Mike had programmed all the rhythm beats and basslines on his computer, which he had streaming during his performance. The more Mike played the more the dance floor seemed to fill. I thought it was incredible how Mike was able to sing so falesetto live during “Angel Dust.” After playing all of “Big Sur,” other former Growers member Richard Reeves joined Mike and Aaron to have a little Growers reunion. With Mike on guitar, Richard on bass and Aaron on drums, they started playing old Growers favorites, such as “Who’s Gonna Look After my Boys?” before ending with the rock song “Ultimate,” which got the crowd nice and hyped for the Tea Seas Big Band.

The Tea Seas Big Band started out strong with their saxophones blaring, guitars blazing and percussion hitting hard. The group is an offshoot of guitar and vocalist Tyler Clarke’s solo material, so the big band started out with his song “The Wizard.”

However, it was all a bit confusing at first. Since it was the band’s first performance, no one knew who they were and the dance floor emptied as people became uninterested. There were a lot of people on stage, and it became unclear who was in the band and who wasn’t. Tea Seas’ members are Tyler Clarke and Jeremy Elliot on guitars, Brett Joseph and John Meloy on tenor saxophones, Kevin Chryst and Cam Mcglaughlin on drums and percussion and Aaron Harmonson on upright bass. As the big band rocked through their set, they had a variety of guest performers play with them. David Ney played his song “Sunny Day,” and Will Glazier jammed with the big band on a Captain Seahorse song.

That was also the time when all the confusion didn’t seem to matter anymore, and the music just took over the crowd as everyone filled the dance floor and got down. One of the highlights came when Robert Sarazin Blake took the stage and led the big band for two songs, performing one of his songs and another little improvised scat dedicated to Mike Preuss.

Overall, the Tea Seas Big Band played loud, fun, dancable country music that I know we will be hearing more of.

Local Cara Alboucq performs at the Little Dragon/VV Brown show. Photo by Chack Law

Local Cara Alboucq performs at the Little Dragon/VV Brown show. Photo by Chack Law

Local Cara Alboucq performs at the Little Dragon/VV Brown show. Photo by Chack Law

The usually-performing-solo act Cara Alboucq opened the show with her new full band, complete with cello player Christal Taylor and Keaton Collective’s Alex Jones (banjo) and Ricky Penalba (drums/glockenspiel). It was a gorgeous set, showing off Cara’s stunning vocals and stage presence. She performed a stirring cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” that left everybody breathless.

When VV Brown approached the front of the stage, her bright gold headdress glittered under dim stage lights, and when she began to sing it changed the entire mood of the room. The stage lights suddenly brightened and the large group of girls at the front of the floor were quietly ready and waiting. They lined the stage waiting for Brown to sing her poppy choruses up close, all the while singing along to the lyrics. In a tribal, no-holds-barred manner, she hit a large drum at the front of the stage. Singing her single “Shark in the Water,” (which the next day was performed on the talk show Ellen), people were jumping up and down in excitement. As far as pop powerhouses go, VV Brown is a definite contender.

From across the sea and out of Gothenburg, Sweden, Little Dragon carried out their pop electronica beats with lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s haunting vocals hovering over everyone’s heads. The band has a mix of R&B, jazz, electronica, trip-hop and lounge elements, making for an arresting combination that will hit you like a ton of Swedish bricks. Yukimi, under dim purple lights and rising fog thanks to a smoke machine, danced and shook her tambourine to the spacey synth. The gorgeous, 80’s-inspired electro-pop lulled everyone into a musical coma. Before long the performance was over, but there was a palpable energy in the room that was left in Little Dragon’s wake.

Cara Alboucq takes time to smell the dandelions. Photo by Megan Nelson

Cara Alboucq started playing piano at the age of seven; she picked up the cello at 10. Her father, a trumpeter, encouraged her to learn many instruments. Attempting to administer an eclectic musical education he vetoed the guitar from her repertoire, under the guise that it’s too cliche of an instrument. Finally she picked one up five years ago. She wrote her first song as a sophomore at Western.

“I lived with three girls and I just played for fun, usually we’d drink and play Beatles tunes, sing-a-longs, and then I just wrote a song one day; it was instant. That’s how everything artistic has always been with me; it just happens.”

Her first show was opening for Project Lion Heart and Rise ‘N’ Shine at the Wild Buffalo. Austin, from Buildstrong, heard her play and booked it. Playing a first show at a packed house can be a nerve wracking experience. Cara, although nervous, didn’t balk.

“I think he (Austin) was testing me ya know, to see if I had the balls to do it.”

She relied on her 16 years as a dancer. The crowd loved her mellow soulful songs and connective stage presence. Since then Cara has made herself an integral member of the scene by playing lots of shows and consistently filling venues. That has been a slight surprise for her.

“I’m not the best guitar player, I’m not the best singer, I’m not the best writer, but when I put it all together I create something that I really like and it exemplifies who I am,” she said.

Now that she’s graduated from Western with a philosophy major, she spends the days strumming her guitar and hanging out with friends. One of them, Christal Taylor, plays the cello. She and Cara have become a writing team; Cara plays guitar and sings the melody while Christal adds depth with her cello and by singing harmony. They’ve played the Wild Buffalo and will be heading out to Orcas Island with some members of the Keaton Collective to record. Cara sang harmony on The Keaton Collective’s last album, Time and Pressure. The two ladies call their new group The A-priori Project.

“It’s a philosophical term that means knowing without empirical evidence. It’s like just being a rationalist sitting back in your arm chair and knowing things,” she said.

Cara plays for one reason, that it feels good. Like most artists her true motives are based on self gratification rather than pleasing others, or trying to become famous. Influenced heavily by Tom Waits, she strives to match his versatility. She digs deep and is apt at breaking out of the mold of the ‘female singer/songwriter.’ The connection she makes with the audience is her defining aspect.

“I like watching performers who want to be where they are,” she said.

Her solo sound is a bit different from The A-priori Project. Both are great, but versatility is important to Cara. Having come back to her roots, she recently discovered a new musician, Zee Aviv T, whose sound is a fusion of jazz and folk, very upbeat. Listening to new records always inspires her to create new songs that are out of her comfort zone.

“I’m that girl who’ll find a guitar in some random room at a party, smoke cigarettes and play all night. When I play music I’m not alone, even if I am,” she said.

Catch Cara Alboucq on April 5 at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern and April 11 with VV Brown and Little Dragon at the Wild Buffalo.

She’s online at myspace.com/caraalboucq

Mike Davenport, guitarist and lead vocalist, captures the very feel of reggae and made many of the women, if not all, get up and groove to the melody. With covers such as “Holy Mt. Zion” by House of Shem and “Get Away” by Katchafire, Ryezing knows how to get a crowd moving. Keyboardist Matt Carver really impressed me with both his talent and stage presence, but everyone in the band seemed excited and very into the music. They had an infectious way about them that helped win over the ladies at the Wild Buffalo that night, including myself.

No one seemed like they were not having a good time, even the wallflowers were bobbing their head to the music. The talent and feel was definitely there and made me wonder if they were planning on creating anything of their own, because even the shallow reggae fan could get into Ryezing’s fever. The Wild Buffalo received them amazingly and I hope to see more of them soon. If you enjoy reggae nights at the Brewery, or Sublime, Katchafire or 311, you will love to hear some of your favorites played like professionals by Ryezing. A friendly, laid back but fun and groovy atmosphere, Ryezing presents themselves fantastically, and they also happen to be a good group of guys, so go up and say hi. I did not get to stick around for Inner Circle that night, but I heard good things.

What's Up! Magazine Cover - April 2010 by Jessika Gilbert

As always, we like to talk about a little What’s Up! news before we move onto the big and bad local music scene. This month… we don’t have much to talk about, it’s pretty cool! The big news item is that the shirts are on the way we’ve got ‘em being made by Seatthole and INNATE, with a version of What’s Up! is for Lovers as well as the Play Anything shirt with John Cusack. We also have What’s Up! is for Lovers stickers if you want to grab one they’re sexy.

In “sort of” What’s Up! news, Becca and I are starting up another publication in May! Grow Northwest (which will be our third pub after What’s Up! and the Foothills Gazette) will be a bi-monthly magazine all about local food and farms, as well as DIY projects, cooking, gardening, locavore adventures, crafts, sustainable living, interviews, a photo section and much more. Initially, the general focus will be on Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties, but eventually cover Snohomish, Island and King Counties and lower B.C. (we’re working with the loose idea of a 100-mile range being our coverage area). If it’s grown or made in the Northwest, we’ll be covering it!

Our Grow Northwest launch party will be at Boundary Bay on Saturday, May 29, after the Farmer’s Market and before the Kinski show (also Ski to Sea Weekend). Also, please stop by and check out our Grow Northwest table at the Earth Day Fair at Boundary Bay on Thursday, April 22. In the meantime, you can check out our press release in the Bellingham Business Journal and Bellingham Herald. Those of you wanting to follow us on Facebook, check out our Grow Northwest Magazine fan page. We’re also looking for magazine contributors, so if this is up your alley, please e-mail us at info@grownorthwest.com.

I’d like to welcome and thank a few new advertisers this month Snug Harbor, who recently sold out the Wild Buffalo, have come on board along with the Conway Muse, Cabin Tavern, El Capitan, Vaughn Kreestoe and After Midnight Photography. I’d like to personally thank you all for your support of the paper and it’s our pleasure to tell folks about how awesome you are. The magazine doesn’t run on well wishes, it takes money to keep it going and these folks are all supporting the magazine while also receiving the benefits of advertising. If you’d like to get the benefits and support the mag, please give us a ring at 599-3320 or shoot me an e-mail at brent@whatsup-magazine.com.

And lastly, before, we get into the music end of things, want to congratulate some friends on receiving local awards. I love a lot of folks (ya know me, all love… heh), but wanted to make a quick mention of my love for James Hardesty and the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern. James is especially amazing and so is his bar. Hardesty, along with Jinx owners Michelle Schutte and Django Bohren (also of Merch Bot – aka Merch HOT and Seatthole) are respective recipients of the Mayor’s Arts Awards this year for music and art. In addition, Bob Ridgley (and Terri Krantz) won in the film category! Congrats to ya’ll!

BOOKED & HOOKED

DJ Holland (big sexy Josh Holland) is making his triumphant return to the DJ scene every Tuesday in April at the Plan B. All 90’s, every Tuesday.

Vaughn Kreestoe are celebrating their two year anniversary with a show on April *** at the Wild Buffalo. The boys have also finished two songs on their demo and are close to releasing a live DVD. Busy, busy boys!

There’s a new-ish venue in Conway called the Conway Muse that is amazingly cool. Housed in a barn, the venue is all ages, but beer and wine are available and it seats 150 with perfect sight lines. It’s a very organic feeling place and with that, the bands are like those that you’d find at the Acoustic Tavern very cool. They’ll also be hosting all age shows geared towards a younger crowd in the near future. Check it out!

Kristi Nelson and Biagio Biondolillo have secured a steady gig at Archer’s Alehouse, where they’ll be playing every 2nd, 4th and occasional 5th Wednesdays. Kristi, Biagio, Shawnee Kilgore and a few others have been taking over the local singer/songwriter scene with regular shows at Bloom, Archer’s and Honeymoon. I dig it, ‘cuz they’re pretty damn good songwriters!

Adam Bates, Rob Stauffer, Russell Jander and Bobby Morgan have teamed up for a new band, tentatively called Rob Stauffer and his Fine Friends. They’ll be playing on April 21 at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern. That, my friends, is a supa-group.

The Urban Music Festival is on again this year, June 4-5 at the Wild Buffalo. There will be two stages, with free all-ages music in the alley in coordination with Downtown Sounds both days, then two stages rolling for 21+ from 9 p.m. on. The details are still being worked out, but I’m sure Acorn Project will be the featured act of the night.

Couple cool shows happening this month that should be checked out… well, there’s a whole ton of great shows, but these are a few we wanted to make sure you knew about… Little Dragon, VV Brown and Cara Alboucq are playing at the Wild Buffalo on April 11. We all known Cara is awesome (read about her on page 6), but VV Brown and Little Dragon are coming a long way to play in town. VV Brown is a soul singer like no other and Little Dragon are just straight fantastic and interesting electronic soul. This is going to be one of the best shows this town has ever, ever seen.

Another show to check out is the Atomic Burlesque, which is happening at the Mount Baker Theater on April 10. Burlesque with a kitschy space 50’s theme it doesn’t get any better than that!

Finally, the Wailin Jennys, who are an amazing trio of singer/songwriters will be playing a show down at the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, also on April 10. The band is ridiculously good and so is the venue.

ON THE ROAD

Yogoman Burning Band is heading out on tour AGAIN seems like a recurring theme. I should probably stop writing about it and just talk about the band when they aren’t on the road. The tour kicks off with a funky show at Bloom on April 3 which features not only sets by the band, Half Bees and the Endorphins, but speaking engagement by Joshua Ploeg who was the former frontman of Behead the Prophet No Lord Shall Live (Yogoman/Jordan Rain was the drummer). Ploeg is a vegan chef and he’ll be discussing his first cookbook, “Microcosm’s: Post-Punk Extravaganza West Coast Tour.” Yogoman Family Fun Band plays from 3-5 p.m., then Ploeg speaks from 5:30-8 p.m. and Yogoman Burning Band, The Endorphins and Half Bees close out the night (18+). The cost is $3 per child, $10 general, and $20 per family.

Four Players and Go Slowpoke are heading out on tour in June. It’s still early in the works, but should be cool for the bands to get out and go on a little working vacation.

Femme Uke just returned from a nice little jaunt down the West Coast with the Hot Mess Shit Show, read about it in Tales from the Road. Ya know how much I love this band, so I’m excited to see they hit the road.

For next month’s Tales, one of the two bands will be the Heligoats (which we’ll also have a CD review of). Great, great local band that just got back from a tour that had them playing 34 shows in 38 days while driving over 10,000 miles. THAT, my friends, is a tour!

RECORDS & RELEASES

Sons of the Widow James spent some quality time at Binary this month, finally putting the goods to tape (or computer). No word yet on the release, but I figure any time these guys aren’t on the streets, Jay Irwin isn’t terrorizing the fine, fine community of Bellingham. Aaaah, Jay Irwin, damn I love that dude one of my very, very favorite musicians and people in Bellingham. I love to joke about Jay, but he’s truly a great person and someone I’m glad I’ve known all these years.

Acorn Project is releasing a live CD on May 1 from their set at the Flowmotion Meltdown last year. After that, they’ll head out on tour, hitting the West Coast as well as Colorado and Montana (and I’m guessing spots in between as the tour schedule gets filled out).

Hailing from Camano Island, Cat From Hue has been making some waves from Island County (actually, one of the members lives in town, and the band plans on moving up soon). The local paper has been great to ‘em, deservedly so as they just put out a great EP and the band is picking up cool shows all over the Northwest. Hopefully, they’ll be playing more in Bellingham in the upcoming months.

Ex-local and current Seattlite, Chris Orlowski is having a release party for his latest CD on April 10 at Plan B. The first single “Your Move,” is actually about Bellingham and features Chris’s sister who still lives in town. Cool!

Polecat have been playing regularly on Monday at Boundary Bay playing their Appalachian stomp to bigger and bigger crowds. Featuring Aaron Guest (Vantage), Jeremy Elliot (Vaughn Kreestoe), Cayley Schmid (Giant’s Causeway), Carl Olson (Umami), and Richard Reeves. The quartet will be releasing an EP “soon” and heading out on a short tour this June.

Tyler Clarke, formerly of the Heodonists, is releasing his debut solo album in June, titled Tyler Clarke and the Tea Seas Big Band. Kat Bula, Joel Ricci, Keith Judelman, Mars, Wes Davis, Evan Bridges, Thomas Deakin, David Ney, John Meloy, Dave Payne, and Jake Evans have all pitched in on the recording, which was done at Sleng Teng Studios by Pat Gaye and mastered at Bayside by Paul Turpin. Tyler (who went to the same high school as myself, Jordan Rain and Sam Top) was cool enough to send me a few tracks and it’s very, very good. Good, “rollin’ country,” stuff to put on when you hit the road… or something to go see in a bar. Love the country scene making a comeback in Bellingham.

Kosh, one of Bellingham’s newer hip hop acts, is working on his debut release, which would be out in either May or June. In the mean time, you can check out his video, which was filmed in the mighty streets of Bellingham. Check it out, on YouTube, just type in Kosh and Bellingham.

Cumulus is FINALLY releasing their (her) debut CD. Me being a huge fan of Alex’s, this makes me happy. When you pick it up, you will be too.

The Keaton Collective have been working on their latest release, which features a move away from the rock-oriented songs and more towards the acoustic side of things. Cara Alboucq spent some time with the boys during the recording process, which just raises the level of awesome.

No-Fi Soul Rebellion had a piece of their song “Brother Lupine,” played on “The Real World” last month. Though it wasn’t nearly loud enough, the song was played while one guy was hitting on another’s mom. About as cool as it gets, really.

Idiot Pilot has a new song out, which you can find on their website. “The Tail of a Jet Black Swan” is what you’d expect from the boys really, really effin’ good. Check it out! They just got back from a little tour down to Austin and back, which you can read about in this month’s Tales From the Road.

REGRETTABLY

Last month we made a few errors and we’d like to apologize to Bandito’s Burritos owner Kristi Christianson for not including her name under the photo and Juice it for not including their ad. Plus Brian Fannin is not the frontman of Monkeywrench, Bryan Steiner is. Brian is the bass player.

In sad business news, Bijoux is closing on May 31. I love these folks and wish they were sticking around but it’s time to move on. Please go visit the shop, buy some goods and say goodbye to Shelly. Thanks for all the support with the mag and good luck with your next adventure!

With le Beat coming to a close, I wanted to mention a passing that I just found out about this month. Erik from Rumors passed way last winter after battling serious health problems for several months. Erik was a supporter of the magazine early on and just an all around amazing Bellingham nightlife kingpin. I didn’t get to see Erik as often as I used to when I was always out, but every time I got to talk to him, it was a treat. He was a good, good man and will be missed. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the family at Rumors, and Erik’s friends and family.

I hate ending on a sad note, so I’ll just tell you the exciting news on the Cole family homefront… we’re buying our son, Harrison, a drum kit this month! He got to play a real drum kit (not a baby one!) at a friend’s BBQ last month and went nuts for it. Incidentally, Harrison’s new favorite band is Sugar Sugar Sugar he just loves the song “Something Like U.” We’re hoping Lupe will teach him how to rock the way she does!

Go have some fun, kiddos! Lots of good stuff this month. Viva la Bellingham!

–Brent Cole

editor@whatsup-magazine.com