Hey Bellingham

The Motet
2025-01-30 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

The Motet
with special guests
Thursday, January 30th
Wild Buffalo
7:30pm doors | 8:30pm show | 21+

Formed over two decades ago, the funk six-piece The Motet have learned to work as an interlocking unit, with each member bolstering one another towards the best creative output. This symbiosis has led to a unique style and cohesive musical chemistry, as seen in the band’s immaculate live performances and seamless blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock. With a fervent fanbase in tow, The Motet have sold out shows across the nation, performed six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra.

But even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit – composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), and new singer Sarah Clarke – are still exploring new sonic ideas and finding new ways to showcase each other’s skill sets.

The band released All Day in 2023 – an eclectic instrumental voyage threaded by the infectious grooves and immaculate, layered arrangements that The Motet have become known for.

Now with vocal powerhouse Sarah Clarke in tow, the band continues their journey with their highly anticipated 10th studio album Love Time, out November 15, 2024.

Cold Sludge, Serous Talk, Cat Positive Indie, rock, surprisingly experimental
2025-01-30 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: January 30, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Show Time: 9;00 pm
Admission: $12 advance, $15 day of show
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Elephant Stone, The Asteroid No. 4, STAHV Indie rock, psych
2025-01-31 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: January 31, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Music 9:00 pm
Admission: $15 advance, $20 day of show
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

With a remarkable journey spanning 15 years, Elephant Stone has established itself as a vanguard in the psych-pop universe. Under the inspired leadership of Rishi Dhir, the band has ceaselessly pushed the boundaries of musical storytelling. Fueled by Dhir’s initial forays into music and elevated by his virtuosity on the sitar, Elephant Stone’s compositions transcend mere melodies; they serve as profound meditations on loss, rebirth, and existential wonder.
Their 2009 Polaris Music Prize long-listed debut, “The Seven Seas,” was influenced by Dhir’s spiritual travels in India. In 2010, “The Glass Box” EP showcased power pop vibes echoing Big Star. Their 2013 self-titled album brought psychedelic rock to the fore. “The Three Poisons” (2014) took a darker turn, influenced by Buddhist teachings. 2016 saw the synth-infused “Ship of Fools,” while “Hollow” (2020) depicted a world on edge. Their 2022 GAMIQ-winning French EP “Le Voyage de M. Lonely dans la Lune” mirrored our own pandemic-era reality. In 2024, “Back Into the Dream” offered a fantastical voyage through ethereal dreamscapes and introspective quests, further evolving their sound and narrative depth.
In celebration of their journey, the band is releasing a 15th anniversary deluxe edition of their debut album “The Seven Seas,” rekindling the magic that first captivated audiences.
Praise from international critics and collaborations with industry giants such as Beck and The Brian Jonestown Massacre have affirmed Elephant Stone’s standing as a unique powerhouse in musical creativity and emotional depth. Echoing this sentiment, Dhir insightfully remarks, “As long as there’s Rishi, there’s Elephant Stone.” Embark on an enthralling journey with them, where celestial visions and grounded realities converge in a captivating harmony.
The Asteroid No.4 is an American shoegaze, dream pop and psychedelic band based in Northern California. Originally formed in Philadelphia in the late 1990s, the A4 have remained an active studio and live act, and are considered to be stalwarts of the modern “psych”genre. Known for their prolific discography of reverb-drenched recordings and guitar driven, liquid-projected live performances, the band is often categorized as “neo-psychedelic” or “shoegaze”. Happily accepting their often made comparisons to acts like Ride, Spacemen 3 or “Paisley Underground’s”, The Rain Parade; the band have evolved into a sound all their own. In the spring of 2022, the Asteroid No.4 released their 11th full length LP, “Tones of the Sparrow” on London label specializing in “nugaze” acts, Club AC30. European and US tours followed including support slots for Slowdive and The Ocean Blue. In January of 2024 a new 5-song EP was released on Chris Robinson’s (The Black Crowes) label, Silver Arrow Records. The last year consisted of US tours supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Crowes, Beachwood Sparks, and the Ocean Blue followed by a September ‘24 release of their 12th full length record titled “Several Shapes of Solar Flares” (Little Cloud/Club AC30).

Atomic Blondie, We Bite (Burien, WA), Green Daze Blondie, Green Day, and Misfits tribute
2025-02-01 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 01, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Music 9:00 pm
Admission: $12 advance, $15 day of show
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Help, Kit Major, Stetson Heat Seeker Noise punk, pop, garage
2025-02-03 20:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 3, 2025
Time: Doors Open 7:30 pm | Show Time: 8:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Help is a noise punk/hardcore band from Portland, Oregon, formed by seasoned musicians from the local scene. The lineup includes Ryan Neighbors (guitar/vocals), formerly of Portugal. The Man; Boone Howard (bass/vocals), known for his solo work and time with The We Shared Milk; and Bim Ditson (drums), from the indie rock band And And And.
The world of Kit Major is a sonic wonderland of whooshing guitar and punk rock attitude. Kit Major, an LA-based singer-songwriter, delivers a captivating blend of sonic experiences. Her upbringing in Chicago, Tokyo, and Beijing, immersed in the sounds of The Ramones, Green Day, David Bowie, and Britney Spears, has influenced her music. Since her 2018 debut with “Strawberry Milkshake,” Kit’s songs reflect her journey through love, joy, sadness, and self-discovery, conveyed through catchy hooks and vivid visuals. Her 2023 double single release, “Break Up Again/I Wish U Didn’t Hate Me So Much” showcases her versatile style, ranging from sparkling brit pop to grunge alt rock. With influences like Sonic Youth, Oasis, Fountains of Wayne, and The Pretenders, Kit Major’s storytelling and genre-blending rock set her apart in a unique niche.

Dear Evan Hansen
2025-02-04 19:00 | Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N Commercial St,, Bellingham, WA, WA 98225, United States
Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history” by the Washington Post, Dear Evan Hansen is the first musical to take a groundbreaking look — from the point of view of both the parents and young people — at our complex, interconnected, and social media-filled lives.
Evan Hansen is a high school student who always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. He finally gets what so many of us are searching for — the chance to fit in. What follows is a poignant, funny, and powerful musical about how even though high school can be hard, we can find each other — and ourselves — along the way.

Lightnin' Luke (Bridge City Sinners), Coleman Williams, Serafima and the Shakedowns Blues, punk, folk
2025-02-07 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 7, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm |Show Time: 9:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

International Guitar Night: 25th Anniversary
2025-02-08 19:30 | Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N Commercial St,, Bellingham, WA, WA 98225, United States
For International Guitar Night’s (IGN) 25th annual tour, Brian Gore has assembled a lineup of exciting new guitarists making their U.S. debut to join one of IGN’s all-time favorites. Lulo Reinhardt, the grand-nephew of legendary Django Reinhardt, plays Latin Swing music, a combination of Romani Swing with Latin rhythms. Alexandra Whittingham is a dynamic classical guitarist with a repertoire ranging from the classics to contemporary composers. Niwel Tsumbu has kept his unique Congolese percussive style alive over the past 25 years while living in Ireland. Soenke Meinen is a leading contemporary fingerstyle guitarist, mixing the incredible dexterity of his high-speed compositions with sensitive ballads.

Monstress, Serial Hawk (SEA), Mycon (Mukilteo) Heavy, doom, metal
2025-02-08 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 8, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Show Time: 9:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

“When Serial Hawk started playing, I almost lost my mind! Their music is loud, swirling and hypnotic with hammering riffs, an impeccable rhythm section and vocals that go perfectly with their pummeling wall of psychedelic sound.“ — CVLT NATION
Pulling influences from YOB, Conan, Horn of the Rhino. and many others. Mycon is group consisted of doom sludgy heaviness and ambience and aims to set a stage of a dynamic adventure into a world of sonic soundscapes. from crushing riffs to the cleanest of passages and everything inbetween.

Love Island Pole Dance Show & DJ Dance Party
2025-02-14 20:30 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 14, 2025
Time: Doors Open 7:30 pm | Show Time: 8:30 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Matt Dusk: The Best is Yet to Come!
2025-02-15 19:30 | Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N Commercial St,, Bellingham, WA, WA 98225, United States
Matt Dusk, one of Canada’s most beloved male vocalists, has forged a remarkable music career that has resulted in 14 critically acclaimed studio albums with over one million albums sold worldwide. Don’t miss out on Dusk’s stunning tribute to one of the greatest inspirations of all time, the legendary Tony Bennett, exclusively on the MBT Main Stage.
With over 70 years of entertaining audiences, Bennett has become an American icon, earning 19 Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. The Best Is Yet To Come showcases Dusk’s remarkable vocal range and talent, bringing to life the essence of Bennett’s style and honoring his legacy with classic songs such as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and “The Good Life.”
The evening will also feature a few classics from Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra! Get ready for a night of toe-tapping fun with Dusk as he puts his own unique spin on the timeless tunes.

Lizzie No, with guests Folk, singer-songwriter, americana
2025-02-19 20:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 19, 2025
Time: Doors Open 7:30 pm | Show Time: 8:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Lizzie No’s music is a captivating blend of folk, rock, and indie elements, marked by her expressive vocals, intricate guitar work, and unexpected harp playing. On her new album Halfsies, No fuses the personal and political with a patchwork of influences that include everything from roadworn rock to orchestral tension, creating a sound that is at once chaotic and haunting. Tracks like “Lagunita” pulse with jagged guitar lines and frenetic beats, while songs like “Annie Oakley” echo with a raw, spiritual energy, inviting listeners to inhabit the immersive world she has created.
Collaborations with artists like Grammy-winner Allison Russell and members of the Attacca Quartet enrich the album’s sonic landscape, infusing it with a dynamic tension that reflects the urgency of No’s themes. Her music feels both timeless and timely, drawing comparisons to artists like Lucinda Williams while also pushing boundaries with its layered, genre-defying approach. The result is a sound that is expansive and reflective, filled with the energy of a journey toward both personal liberation and communal belonging.

An Evening with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group
2025-02-20 19:30 | Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N Commercial St,, Bellingham, WA, WA 98225, United States
A singer, composer and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers.
Lovett’s live performances show not only the breadth of this Texas legend’s deep talents, but also the diversity of his influences, making him one of the most compelling and captivating musicians in popular music.

Bellingham Chamber Music Society at the Hotel Leo
2025-02-23 15:00 - 17:00 | The Hotel Leo, 1224 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA, WA 98225, United States
Join us as we bring to life the rarely heard string trio by Myriam Hyde and a world premiere for flute and guitar by Iranian composer Golfam Kayam. Also on the program is Brazilian composer Alexandre Schubert’s Cidad das Aguas for flute and guitar and the sublime Clarinet Quintet by Mozart.
Doors open at 2:30pm. Come early and enjoy a drink or our signature cocktail, the Costanze Spritz from Amendment 21’s cash bar.

Shadowhouse (Portland), The Glow (Seattle), Vance Latta Goth, Darkwave, Synthpop
2025-02-23 20:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 23, 2025
Time: Doors Open 7:30 pm | Show Time: 8:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Among the earlier bands to emerge in what’s become a vibrant and world-renowned post-punk scene in Portland OR, Shadowhouse, founded and spearheaded by mainstay Shane McCauley, has specialized from the beginning in a nostalgic, yearning brand of post-punk that ranges from the damaged heroic to the hauntingly personal. Heading into their eighth year and on the precipice of a new stage of their career, Shadowhouse delivers the second incoming LP Forsaken Forgotten. While still remaining true to their working class, punk rock roots, this new incarnation of the band is set to take their sound beyond previous horizons. The fiery potential that has informed their work up to this point is poised to blow up anew heading into 2022.
Taking a template roughly carved by the Chameleons and reshaping it in their own image, Shadowhouse has remained true to their vision despite personnel shake-ups that would have poleaxed lesser bands. Operating now as a five-piece – Shane McCauley and Carl Simpson on guitar, Tapani ‘Taps’ Sernesky on bass, Noel Silhan on keys and Thomas Michael on drums – the Shadowhouse foundation has only grown stronger. Previous tours have traversed the States, Europe and Russia, sharing stages with Mode Moderne, The Mob, Eleven Pond, Trisomie 21, Gitane Demond Quartet, Ash Code, Geometric Vision, Melting Walkmen, Horror Vacui, Masquerade and many others. They’ve also participated in various festivals such as Return to the Bat Cave in Poland, Verboden in Canada and Out in the Shadows in Portland.

The Dirty Nil
2025-02-25 20:30 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

The Dirty Nil
with Grumpster, Bug Bath
Tuesday, February 25th
Wild Buffalo
7pm doors | 8pm show | 21+

If there’s one rule people should follow when approaching the Dirty Nil, it’s this: Never tell them how to rock ‘n’ roll. Ontario’s Juno Award-winning trio is a finely tuned rock machine that is at its best when the members are pursuing their penchant for thrashy riffs, bashed out drums, and levels-to-the-max volume. And on their fourth album, Free Rein to Passions, the band followed their instincts down to the note to produce their most authentic work to date.

The Nil’s back-to-basics approach was a direct reaction to their previous record, 2021’s Fuck Art, a creative process that brought too many industry people whispering in the band’s ears, telling them how to polish and tweak their songs to fit on the radio or streaming playlists or whatever other arbitrary whims the modern music machine demands. “There were all these expectations and pressures, people telling us to try this or that,” says frontman Luke Bentham. “We’re by no means the biggest band in the world, but in our ecosystem it became hard to try to make all these people happy. We were given challenges, and I think we met them, but getting to that place, it made me realize: ‘If we go any further in this direction, then I don’t know what we’re doing anymore.’ It had gotten to a point where the creation wasn’t very fun.”

In order to incinerate their apparatus, they had to destroy it completely. So as soon as Fuck Art was in the can, the Nil got back to having fun and doing what they love. They jammed away in their practice space for weeks, not overthinking anything or taking any external input. They didn’t sweat the small details or fret over transitions and arrangements. Less second guessing, more reckless abandon. It’s the same approach to rock they’ve taken since they were kids. “We had the best time pulling these songs together. It made me feel like a teenager in my parents’ basement again,” Bentham says. What came out was the appropriately titled Free Rein to Passions, a palate cleanser for the Dirty Nil, and a reminder for them to stick to the fundamentals of rock and stay true to themselves. “What was it LCD Soundsystem said about trading in guitars for turntables and synthesizers?” Bentham laughs. “I’d say that’s unlikely for us.”
Their youthful rock-worship approach is immediately apparent on the album’s opener “Celebration,” which cuts in via a chugging metal riff, a subtle ode to one of the Nil’s influences, Power Trip’s late frontman Riley Gale. From there, the band indulges their loudest, gnarliest inclinations, making casual nods to their more chaotic favorites, including everything from the Jesus Lizard to the Blood Brothers. And on the album’s catchiest single, “Nicer Guy,” the Nil reminds listeners that they also still wield the power to stitch a perfect, infectious pop hook into their rock fabric.

Free Rein to Passions keeps things simple lyrically as well, and doesn’t get bogged down with overly complicated messaging. Nothing overwrought, nothing didactic. Just songs about working
soul-sucking jobs, shredding on guitar, and striving to be a kinder person. “The only real central theme of the album is an acknowledgment of the crazy circumstances that we all occupy at this point in time, and being nice,” Bentham stresses. “It’s about being nice to everyone around you, and enjoying your silly little life and not getting too smashed down by prevailing negativity in the air.”

The Nil again recruited longtime collaborative producer John Goodmanson to capture their sound at Jukasa Media on Ontario’s Six Nations Reserve. They also brought in new blood with bassist Sam Tomlinson, a friend and fellow product of the Dundas scene. “In some ways it feels like going back to our roots in Dundas, and Sam knows what that’s like,” adds drummer Kyle Fisher. “He’s cut from the same cloth as Luke and I.” That hometown feeling was the inspiration for the song “Blowin’ Up Things in the Woods,” an ode to the simple joys of fireworks, explosions, and pyrotechnic annihilation.

Staring into the abyss of entertainment serfdom, the trio spat on it. They smashed the chalice of poison brought to their lips, grinding the shards under their heels. A rock and roll band is part religion, part small business and part pirate ship. Sabres were wielded and planks were walked for The Dirty Nil to bring Free Rein to Passions into this world. It was a battle well worth fighting.

BALTHVS
2025-02-27 20:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Thursday 02/27/25
Bellingham Exit Presents:
BALTHVS
$22.50 ADV / $25 DOS
7pm Doors / 8pm Show
21+
At Wild Buffalo

BALTHVS, the Bogota, Colombia based psychedelic funk trio was formed in the countryside while the group waited out the 2020 pandemic. The band was escaping the city during uncertain times and according to Balthazar Aguirre, “we wanted the music to meld with the peaceful environment surrounding us at that moment.” Alongside Aguirre (guitar, vocals), the band consists of Johanna Mercuriana (bass, vocals) and Santiago Lizcano (drums, vocals).

Their genre-defying sound blends cumbia, surf rock, funk, and Turkish musical influences. The music is comprised of lyrics in English, Spanish and plenty of instrumentals that meld mysticism and psychedelics. “Colombia is very psychedelic, there’s plenty of availability and a lot of traditional medicine involving entheogens and plant medicine around.” The result is a captivating sonic tapestry that transcends conventional boundaries, captivating listeners with its multifaceted influences.

Known for their dynamic and electrifying live performances, BALTHVS has become synonymous with energetic shows and captivating improvisations. Since their inception, the band has embarked on a prolific creative journey, releasing an impressive catalog featuring over 34 singles and 3 full-length albums. Their music has resonated globally, amassing over 6.8 million streams worldwide, establishing BALTHVS as a formidable presence in the music industry.

While BALTHVS has conquered their home turf, gracing the stage at Colombia’s largest music festival, Rock al Parque, they have also taken their infectious sound to international audiences. With three performances at SXSW in Austin, TX, a successful U.S. tour, and a triumphant inaugural European tour in 2024, the band is poised for even greater heights with a new full-length LP set to release on Mixto Records in the fall. Eager to continue their sonic exploration, BALTHVS is set to enchant audiences worldwide with their innovative and boundary-pushing approach to music.

Bellflower, Asa Menlove & Sixteen Fluid Ounces, Ivy Ficarra Indie folk
2025-02-27 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 27, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Show Time: 9:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Baynk
2025-02-28 21:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
LNE Presents

BAYNK
with special guests
Friday, February 28th 2024
8pm doors | 9pm show | 21+

Jock Nowell-Usticke once aspired to make sunny electronic music meant for summer festivals and poolside hangs, intimate dance songs that glittered with bright-eyed wonder and smiling charm. As an engineering student in New Zealand, he played saxophone and keys in a band but became increasingly drawn to big-tent dance acts like Skrillex and Flume, whose production wizardry Jock thought transcended his classically trained skillset. Shortly after downloading Ableton, however, he released a few downtempo electronic songs under the alias BAYNK and soon garnered a large, devoted fanbase, as well as a reputation as one of the most promising young talents in electronic music. Now, ten years into his career, BAYNK has netted hundreds of millions of streams, sold-out international tour dates, festival-headlining sets, and a Grammy nomination, establishing himself as a quietly visionary artist who continues to expand his sound and aesthetic palate with each new project.

BAYNK takes another massive leap forward on his terrific sophomore album, SENESCENCE, a record he sees as a spiritual successor to his full-length 2021 debut, ADOLESCENCE. While the latter reveled in the heartbreak and immediacy of youth, the former looks to the future, grappling with themes of loss, love, death, and connection. “SENESCENCE is the other side of the coin, about time and the passing of it and the realisations that physical life is not forever—the acute awareness of one’s own biological vulnerability, and with that, a greater appreciation for the true richness of life.” Such an ambitious and amorphous concept could lend itself to platitudes, BAYNK acknowledges, but his scrupulous songwriting and deeply idiosyncratic production resists clichés. “I’m constantly avoiding trying to sound cliché,” he says. “But the majority of the time a cliché is just how it really is.”

Across 10 songs, SENESCENCE announces itself as a daring, dynamic fusion of pop, deep house, contemporary club, funk, and ambient; it instantly stands out as BAYNK’s most fully realised and sonically sophisticated work to date. “It took a long time for my output to catch up with my taste,” he said. “For a long time I felt like I was listening to as much music as I could and learning about how it was made and its history.” If ADOLESCENCE caught BAYNK attempting “to create the perfect festival lineup” from his youth, SENESCENCE finds him exploring the uncharted parameters of his adult artistry, pulling inspiration from the likes of Caribou and Toro y Moi to capture gnarled moments of anxiety, openhearted longing, and searing vulnerability with expressive textures, tempos, and melodies.

After touring ADOLESCENCE around the world—a thrilling yet tumultuous experience, he admits—BAYNK retreated to London in 2022 to begin working on another project. As the conceptual framework and track list for SENESCENCE began to materialise, his ears spontaneously started ringing for days and weeks at a time without end. He was eventually diagnosed with tinnitus, a condition he continues to struggle with. “It just came on one day and hasn’t stopped,” he says. “At the time I thought, ‘It’s over. I won’t be able to listen to mixes the same because I’ll constantly hear this mosquito in my ear clashing with the frequencies.’” Learning to live with tinnitus has been strange and painful, but BAYNK says that his brain has slowly acclimated to the unsettling sensation.

One of the key evolutions for BAYNK on SENESCENCE is his improved songwriting. “This album’s a lot more focused on lyricism and stories as opposed to just being dance tracks,” he says. “The songs still have the DNA of dance music, but the album is mostly concerned with love, friendship, and death—I wanted to reflect that in the writing.” While BAYNK has always been able to distil strong
images and intense emotions in his music, his past lyrics often scanned as cue points that listeners could project themselves onto. On SENESCENCE, he challenged himself to evoke the album’s core themes with greater narrative precision: “I haven’t been a strong songwriter in the past or even cared about it that much. It’s always just been melody and beat for me.” he says. “I’m now really precious about the words in my songs. It has to mean something.”

The skittery, restless early album highlight “Fool For You” epitomises BAYNK’s ability to thread evocative writing into electrifying production. “I don’t trust you anymore, you don’t love me like before,” he sings in a double-timed warble over a disjointed drum loop. “I used to be the sort of person who would obsess over people I was in relationships with. I would become a chameleon to their needs and change myself,” he recalls. “‘Fool For You’s’ about the contortion of oneself emotionally to make a relationship work, even when it might not.” Whether it’s the naturalistic imagery deployed to mourn his late grandmother on “What Am I Going to Do With You” or the celebration of romantic commitment on “Lonely World,” BAYNK’s moving descriptions meld brilliantly with his detail-rich, assured production.
Although longtime friends and collaborators The Nicholas, Joe Mason, and Golden Vessel offer their hand to some of SENESCENCE’s instrumentation and production, BAYNK is the only vocalist on the album. “As much as I love collaboration, the most enticing thing for me has always been that I can control everything,” he says. “I can have my hand in the visual, writing, singing, and producing. I love collaboration, but you do lose a little creative freedom when someone else sings your songs.” Making this album between London, Paris, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Hawkes Bay, BAYNK flitted between flats and studios, making beats and writing songs with the help of a Crumar Seven 73-Key Electric Piano, which he played on a bulk of the album and made him “fall back in love with playing keys.”
SENESCENCE is more stylistically varied than BAYNK’s previous projects. There’s hardly a wasted motion, never a stray move. Beyond the stirring emotional tracks there are plenty of punchy strobe-lit anthems that’ll satiate long-time fans. “Mr. Jocko” and “When I Think About Us” are primed to set dancefloors on fire, especially during his upcoming tour. “The album encapsulates the experience I want in a live show and the stories that I want to tell about my life, both now and in the future,” he says. As is consistent with BAYNK’s oeuvre, astonishing visual content will accompany the release of new music, including music video drops for each single. With SENESCENCE, BAYNK once again proves his singular identity and persistent growth as an artist.

Glixen, She’s Green, After Indie rock, psych
2025-02-28 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: February 28, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Show Time: 9:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Cat Valley, Tinsley, Cat Positive Indie rock, pop punk, garage rock
2025-03-01 21:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: March 1, 2025
Time: Doors Open 8:30 pm | Show Time: 9:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Madeline Hawthorne Rock, country
2025-03-02 20:00 | Shakedown, 1212 N State Street, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Starts: March 2, 2025
Time: Doors Open 7:30 pm | Show Time: 8:00 pm
Location: The Shakedown
1212 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Email: info@shakedownbellingham.com

Yak Attack & Cytrus
2025-03-08 21:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

Yak Attack & Cytrus
“Orange Is The New Yak” tour
Saturday, March 8th 2025
Wild Buffalo
8pm doors | 9pm show | 21+

Yak Attack is a live electronic power trio. The band’s music spans a wide variety of electronic genres (house, trance, breakbeat, drum and bass) and mixes in elements of many other genres such as jazz, funk, and psych. Founded in 2013, Yak Attack has gained recognition nationwide from virtuosic playing, a unique setup of live instruments and live looping with no pre-recorded samples or backing tracks, and compelling live performances featuring lush soundscapes, dynamic improvisation, and DJ-like transitions in continuous sets. The band has toured with an impressive array of national acts, thrown successful afterparties for many bands in numerous states, and has developed a passionate fanbase through its songwriting strength, extensive market history and festival appearances, live show recordings, and curation of an ecstatic, uplifting musical experience.
Shaped by Jared Squires (guitar/vocals), Luke Nevills (bass/keys), Brandon Hailey (saxophone), Owen Mayo (guitar/keys), Trevor Church (drums), Connor Merritt (aux percussion) Alex Dean (synth/keys), and Sean Connelly (vocals/keys), Cytrus’ eight-piece funk-driven fusion makes a place at the table for everyone, offering a psychedelic pallet of funk, disco, electronic, rock, hip-hop, prog, and more. The Seattle-based band is personalized by its juicy synths, bass-induced grooves, and cinematic live performances. The group is best known for their flowing transitions in variety, consistently sonic wall of sound, and undeniable chemistry – all of which you can hear on full display in Cytrus’ debut LP ‘Concentrate’.

Yot Club + Vundabar
2025-03-25 19:30 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

Yot Club x Vundabar
with Faerybabyy
Tuesday, March 25th 2025
Wild Buffalo
6:30pm doors | 7:30pm show | 21+

Yot Club Artist Presale HERE
Vundabar Artist Presale HERE
Vundabar Spotify Presale: HERE

VUNDABAR – Fast Track

First Entry Into Venue
First Access To Merch
Commemorative Laminate
Keychain
Tote Bag
1 GA ticket to the show

YOT CLUB – Fast Track

First Entry Into Venue
First Access To Merch
Commemorative Laminate
Sticker Sheet
Tote Bag
1 GA ticket to the show

Yot Club

For decades the bright lights of New York have drawn artists to its storied city streets — those
seeking their tribe, those looking to solidify their identity, and those hungry for inspiration and fresh
encounters, all there for the taking on this new, broadened horizon. And now 26-year-old Ryan
Kaiser has joined those ranks, moving from Nashville to Brooklyn, at the tail-end of 2022. Except,
unlike so many who have come before him, Kaiser’s already made a name for himself creating
daydreamy, sun-blasted, Polaroid-pop as Yot Club.
With Yot Club’s second full-length, Rufus, Kaiser is expanding his sonic palette and challenging his
own established modes of music making by letting collaborators in. The record includes co-writes
with the likes of Tommy English (Carly Rae Jepsen, Kacey Musgraves), and singers Charli Adams and
Harrison Lipton, with Patrick Wimberly (Lil Yachty, Joji, Blood Orange, MGMT
) on mixing duties, and the result is a collection of songs that sounds bolder and brighter. From the
shimmering surf-pop of opener “Stuntman,” to the minor chord angst and quiet-loud-quiet pulse of
“New Day,” to The Strokesian swoon of album closer “Lazy Eyes,” Kaiser lo-fi hooks have a new
cinematic scope.
But let’s rewind to 2019 when his music first captured the ears and imagination of listeners thanks to
the song “YKWIM?” off his Bipolar ep, one of three EPs he released that year alone. Newly graduated
and still living in his college town of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, it was a pivotal year for Kaiser.
Seemingly out of nowhere the streams on “YKWIM?” started climbing: 500k streams a day soon
ballooning to a million. Unbeknownst to Kaiser, his song — which is now 2x RIAA Platinum — had
become a go-to sad song for nostalgia-centric TikToks. The virality didn’t stem from a dance craze. It
was about a vibe.
The knock-on effect was every major label came calling, but for Kaiser, signing his music away for 25
years in exchange for an non-recoupable advance was a hard no. Ultimately, Kaiser signed with
Amuse, a distro company-turned-label, where he retained ownership of his masters and gained their
full support for his vision. Kaiser followed 2020’s Nature Machine EP with 2022’s Santolina EP, and
then, in 2023, he released his debut album off the grid and the EP amateur observer. Not to mention
a ton of loosies including “LAUREN” with spill tab, and “Safe House” with Jordana, releases which
underscore his newfound explorations in collaboration.
Nostalgia is an oft-used descriptor too, but it’s one that Kaiser’s unafraid to lean into — “I don’t like
anything that sounds like it was made now,” he notes — with his own song titled, “Nostalgia,”
ringing out like the perfect soundtrack to a movie montage directed by John Hughes (with just a
pinch of The Postal Service). And then there’s “Drowning,” written with Charli Adams, where
Kincaid’s razored guitars recall Bloc Party. With production credits including MGMT, Solange, and Lil
Yachty’s latest LP, Patrick Wimberly mixing brings a different dimension to Yot Club’s sound.
There’s an economy to Kaiser’s songwriting, a feel-it, sing-it straightforwardness that cuts to the
meat of the matter, with his titles often providing the jumping off point, like lead single “Pixel.” With
its ticking urgency and cascading guitar line, it was written and recorded in two days with producer
Tommy English, and features Kaiser on live, looped drums, with additional slide guitar. “That song’s
about getting caught up in your own life and technology in relation to self-importance and how you
see yourself,” offers Kaiser. “It’s never been harder to appreciate your own circumstances than it is
today because you can play the comparison game. It’s a complicated dynamic: the people whose
lives look the best can often suck, ’cos why else would they go to such efforts to make it look like their
lives are great!”Then there’s “Human Nature,” written with artist Harrison Lipton, who also plays in the band
MICHELLE and happens to live down the street. Written and recorded at Lipton’s parents’ 100+ year-
old Connecticut house, Kaiser describes it as a driving-down-the-Pacific-Coast-Highway kind of tune.
But those sunny sonics belie the melancholic inevitability of so many splits: the lover you spent every
day with can eventually turn into someone you don’t recognize at all. “This album is not meant to
serve as an eloquent story where there’s characters and side characters and betrayal and
heartbreak,” he says. “It’s just 13 separate episodes that restart and don’t necessarily match each
other, but I wanted to give it a character to wrap it all together.”
Rufus is not exactly Ryan Kaiser, but these snapshots capture the essence of his experiences: a bad
relationship and fresh realizations; leaving it all behind to try and find footing in a shiny new city that
maybe isn’t exactly the imagined, mythologized creative utopia. It continues Kaiser’s coming of age
— looking back, picking it all apart, trying to work it all out, and constantly pushing forward.

Vundabar

Vundabar is a Boston-based trio that delivers jangly, fuzzed-out math-and surf-tinged indie rock shot through with plenty of post-punk spirit. Formed in 2013 by vocalist/guitarist Brandon Hagen and drummer Drew McDonald while still in high school, the duo eventually recruited bassist Zack Abramo and began playing locally. Sporting a melody-rich blend of knotty folk and loud-soft-loud indie rock à la Beantown luminaries Pixies, Vundabar issued their debut album, Antics, in late 2013. They adopted a grittier tone on 2015’s Gawk, which added grungy post-punk to the mix. The cathartic and dense Smell Smoke arrived in 2018, delivering an earworm-heavy set that was both bracing and sincere, and in 2020 the trio released the tight and succinct Either Light, which saw them working with a producer, Patrick Hyland (Mitski), for the first time. In 2021, online snippets of fans singing along to the group’s 2015 single “Alien Blues” flooded social media, which garnered millions of streams for the seven-year-old cut. Devil for the Fire, Vundabar’s wide-ranging fifth studio effort, appeared the following year.

Nite Wave
2025-03-29 21:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Nite Wave performs
Prince & The Revolution’s “Purple Rain” album in full!
+A Full Set of Live 80s New Wave
Wild Buffalo – Bellingham
Saturday, March 29th
Doors at 8pm
Tickets $20/$25

Featuring
Nite Wave (’80s New Wave) (NiteWaveParty.com)
Immediately following the album will be a full set of Live 80s New Wave (Duran Duran, INXS, Billy Idol and more)
w/ DJ Dance Dance
About Purple Rain:
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince, the first to feature his band the Revolution, and is the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It was released on June 25, 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. The first two singles from the album, “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy”, topped the US singles charts, and were hits around the world, while the title track went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified thirteen-times platinum (diamond) by the RIAA. As of 2008, it has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, making it the third-best-selling soundtrack album of all time.
Nite Wave – Seattle, WA – (NiteWaveParty.com). Known for their high energy show, Nite Wave continues their ’80s dance ways performing New Wave hits from Duran Duran, INXS, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Cure, New Order, Prince, Depeche Mode and more! Most noted for being handpicked by Billy Idol to open for the legendary ’80s rocker, they have also performed with Multi-Platinum recording artist Tiffany, Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, Clive Farrington of When in Rome and Everclear. Featured on CNN and Good Morning America, Nite Wave has help raise over $17,000 for Northwest Harvest and American Red Cross

Joe Pug
2025-04-10 20:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Joe Pug is an American singer-songwriter from Greenbelt, Maryland. He has released two EPs, as well as the albums Messenger, The Great Despiser, Windfall, The Flood in Color, and The Diving Sun.
While working as a carpenter in Chicago after dropping out of the University of North Carolina, Pug wrote and recorded what would eventually become his debut EP, Nation of Heat. Its literate lyrics received widespread acclaim and Pug’s unorthodox promotional strategy of distributing free CDs to anyone interested in sharing his music resulted in the EP selling over 20,000 copies. After touring with Steve Earle in 2009, Pug was signed by Nashville indie label Lightning Rod Records and released Messenger in 2010. After moving to Austin, Pug released The Great Despiser in 2012.
Pug’s acclaimed narrative songwriting has led critics to draw comparisons between his work and that of John Prine[3] and Bob Dylan.[4] His stated influences include John Hiatt, Warren Zevon, and Beck,[5] as well as literary figures such as John Dos Passos, John Steinbeck,[6] Raymond Carver and most notably, Walt Whitman.[7]

Ghost Note
2025-04-12 21:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

Ghost Note
with special guests
Saturday, April 12th 2025
Wild Buffalo
8pm doors
9pm show
21+

“I feel like mustard stinks. I feel like onions stink. You put the two of them together … it’s just funky,” says drummer-keyboardist Robert Sput Searight, co-founder and co-producer of groove titans Ghost-Note alongside percussionist Nate Werth.
Indeed, the 15 tracks on Mustard n’Onions — the band’s third LP, first new album in six years and debut for Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group — further Ghost-Note’s mission to provide rhythm-hungry crowds with, per Sput, “a mind-blowing healing sensation.” From the Soul Brother No. 1 tribute “JB’s Out! (Do It Babay),” through the masterfully funky “Bad Knees,” a co-write by the group’s visionary bass player, MonoNeon, the psychedelic-soul-tinged “Grandma’s Curtains,” and “Nard’s Right,” one of R&B/jazz hero Bernard Wright’s final recorded appearances, Mustard n’Onions delivers Ghost-Note’s supremely danceable goods. The 10-piece band’s performances — as befitting veterans of Snarky Puppy, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Kirk Franklin and other icons — are bracing in their virtuosity, affecting in their soulfulness and inspired in their sonic choices.
But the album also presents a story of an ensemble maturing and solidifying and finding an identity. On the band’s freewheeling 2018 release, Swagism, the lineup was still developing and, as Sput explains, “We didn’t have a sound; we didn’t know what we were gonna sound like.” The music on Mustard n’Onions, he says, reflects the firmed-up character of a unit whose “camaraderie and chemistry” have accrued over countless gigs. What’s more, nearly every band member has at least one writing credit on Mustard n’Onions. Sput remains Ghost-Note’s primary writer and de facto musical director, but he’s now shaping his music for and with his bandmates.
Though it was tracked primarily on tour breaks, during fun, hang-style sessions at a house/studio facility in Southern California, Mustard n’Onions finds Ghost-Note carefully honing that sense of collaborative songcraft — wrangling the jammy openness of Swagism into Sput’s arrangements of striking clarity and precision, and using pockets of vocals to ramp up the house-rocking vibe. “It was authentic the way the recording happened,” Sput says, “but we were more strategic about it this time.”
Along for the funky ride is a who’s who of groove-music greats. Most moving is the presence, on three tracks, of Bernard Wright (1963-2022), a musical genius who led a nomadic life and who stayed with both Sput and Werth at various points. “It was like a celebration whenever he would show up,” Werth says, before Sput calls his time with the much-sampled sage “an opportunity to take care of your mentor — and to learn from him.” Mustard n’Onions also features, among other guests, Karl Denson, founding Robert Glasper Experiment member Casey Benjamin, Snarky Puppy standouts Mark Lettieri and Jay Jennings, pedal-steel luminary Travis Toy, and electric-bass GOAT Marcus Miller, whose funky melodicism is the perfect fit for the strings-accented “Yellow Dan” — titled for its evocations of Yellowjackets and Steely Dan.
One of Sput’s “all-time favorite” guitarists, blues-rock god Eric Gales, wails on the single “Grandma’s Curtains,” which Sput wrote in the image of his ’70s soul favorites — Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, and Parliament-Funkadelic. (He also mentions a bit of Hendrix as an inspiration, and with Gales’ explosive guitar work, that association isn’t far from mind.) The tune is fever-pitch funk, with an atmosphere of sweet, personal nostalgia just underneath: “When this music was being created in the ’70s,” Sput explains, “I was pulling at my grandma’s curtains when she was babysitting me, ’cause I wanted to look out the window.”

And while these fiery guest spots remain highlights, so many of the most extraordinary moments throughout Mustard n’Onions belong to the core Ghost-Note players, and stem from the band’s nearly nonstop life on the road. Take “Where’s Danny?,” with its tour-de-force solo by the group’s youngest member, trombonist Danny Wytanis: The title, a band in-joke, came about after Sput, feeling the effects of psychedelics, couldn’t find his surrogate little bro at a music festival. “We lost Danny for two hours!” Sput chuckles today. “I was like, ‘I haven’t met his parents yet! It would be horrible for me to tell them I lost their kid!’”
Every element of Ghost-Note exudes togetherness — not least those house/studio sessions for Mustard n’Onions, where, as Nate Werth recalls, “quite often the rhythm section would be practicing — Sput would be teaching us a new song section by section — and in the kitchen the horns would be cooking up dinner.” But familial vibes should be expected in a band that began with a life-changing brotherhood.
Well over a decade ago, Sput and Werth found themselves gigging together in the Texas-rooted fusion powerhouse Snarky Puppy — Werth on his creatively, globally curated percussion setup, and Sput on keys and, later, drums. What developed, rapidly, was a great mutual respect and a musical kinship that seemed to border on telepathy. “I started to get a kick out of anticipating what it was going to feel like to play with Nate the next night,” Sput recalls. The two musicians’ hookup began to rhythmically define Snarky Puppy’s groundbreaking work, making both men multiple Grammy Award winners in the process.
At a certain point during Snarky’s ceaseless tour schedule, Sput’s nightly improvised solo began to signify a new pathway. “I got bored taking drum solos,” Sput says, “so I asked Nate to join me. It was like we were finishing each other’s sentences. We did it so well to where fans started coming up and asking, ‘What was the name of that song you and the percussion player were quoting?’” An idea for a beat CD was hatched, which quickly flowered into a new group — one that would function less as a “collective” à la Snarky Puppy and more as a dedicated squad.
“We bonded in life as brothers and in making music,” Sput says. Now, Ghost-Note have become OGs or elder statesmen in a way, influencing newer generations of “frustrated jazz musicians,” to borrow Sput’s favorite description of his bandmates: That is, state-of-the-art jazz-trained musicians who worship the groove but not genre limitations.
With its more focused approach to funk and vocal performances like those on “JB’s Out!,” featuring current lead singer Mackenzie, and “Grandma’s Curtains,” showcasing Sput and Dominique Xavier Taplin, Mustard n’Onions can also be heard as a “sign of what’s to come” for Ghost-Note: more vocal-led tunes, a greater emphasis on songwriting. This is, after all, a band that simply cannot stop evolving, that seems to grow and learn with every year, every tour, every gig.
Still, you can be sure that whatever the next phase brings will remain, as Sput puts it, “positively, unapologetically funky.”

Laura Jane Grace & The Mississippi Medicals
2025-04-23 20:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Laura Jane Grace is a major figure in today’s rock scene as both a solo artist and the front person of Against Me!, which she founded in Naples, FL in the late 1990s. As a working artist, she has released six solo offerings and seven albums with Against Me!, and in 2012 went public with her gender transition in the pages of Rolling Stone. In her music, she continues to detail her journey all while staying true to her earlier themes of outspoken political critique – environmentalism along with personal and social liberation – with a base in American music including country and folk-rock, with a penchant for noise and anarchy. Laura Jane will be joined by her band “The Mississippi Medicals” featuring Matt Patton of Drive-By Truckers (bass), Mikey Erg of The Ergs (drums) and Paris Campbell Grace (vocals, percussion).

Dirtwire
2025-05-09 21:00 | Wild Buffalo House of Music, 208 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA, 98229, United States
Wild Buffalo Presents

Dirtwire
with special guests
Friday, May 9th 2025
Wild Buffalo
8pm doors | 9pm show | 21+

Dirtwire stands poised between ancient Mother Earth and modern technology, a blend of ethnomusicology and the psychedelic trance state, gut-bucket delta blues and what the band variously dubs “back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang.” It’s a sound informed by Dirtwire’s travels and performances around the globe, where East meets West and North joins South. From the favelas in Brazil, Femi Kuti’s Shrine in Lagos, Tokyo’s bluegrass clubs, Ayahuasca ceremonies in Central America, Gamelan performances in Bali, desert festivals in the Australian Outback, and the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s modernized new capital Astana, the band spreads its message by building bridges across musical cultures in their own unique way.
Dirtwire plays an array of instruments both ancient and modern, including West African kamale ngonis, jaw harps, space fiddles, whamola basses, Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitars, bowed Banjos and mouth harps from around the globe, all interwoven into modern laptop beat creation. Hailing from the underground west coast electronic bass music scene Dirtwire finds itself at the forefront of experimental electronic music production mixing in their wide array of world instruments with sampled beats and 808’s. Dirtwire’s live shows are a communal psychedelic journey, ranging from down home boot stomping get downs, to bass and blues electronic mashups, to ethereal cinematic beat driven soundscapes. Woven into each is the exploration of where live instruments meet computer production, and where tradition meets experimentation.
