The Bellingham Herald

Pat Metheny is coming to the Mt. Baker Theatre Sunday, Sept. 18. If you’re interested in a pair of free tickets to the show, email newsroom@bellinghamherald.com and we’ll draw a winner at noon Friday. We’ll let the winner know how they can pick up their tickets Sunday evening at the box office.

Southern sludgy rockers Kylesa made a most-welcome stop in Bellingham on Saturday, Sept. 10, during its current tour. The band, which typically plays in larger cities and bigger venues, decided to play here for the first time when it headlined a night of mayhem at The Shakedown (1212 N. State St.) along with local stalwarts Dog Shredder and Torero.

I talked to Kylesa guitarist/singer Laura Pleasants about the current tour and thanked her for showing Bellingham what real southern rock is all about. The band had played in Seattle the previous night and was on its way to Vancouver, B.C. for a show. (Photo: Laura, on the right, and me before the show)

Kudos to The Shakedown which is bringing in some well-known bands from out of the area. The top-notch sound and aesthetics makes it all the better for music fans like us to see not only local bands but those who wouldn’t even think twice about coming here before. Kylesa has nearly 40,000 friends on its Myspace page and more than 24,000 likes on its Facebook page, meaning they probably have a lot of requests to play at venues all around the country.

Here is a video I took of one of Kylesa’s most popular songs from the show, “Said and Done.” Enjoy!

I have to admit it’s beginning to feel like fall in Bellingham, and the turn of the seasons also means college students are beginning to return to town. Western Washington University Associated Students Pop Music (whew!), commonly known as ASP Pop Music, has already announced a couple fall shows:  Young the Giant and Seattle’s Kithkin on Oct. 11 (Presale: $10 with WWU student ID, $14 GA. Doors: $12 with WWU student ID, $16 GA) and a free show with Ra Ra Riot and Spokane’s The Globes on Sept. 22.

Young the Giant is currently on tour with Incubus (doesn’t look like the latter will be making an appearance in Bellingham) and has performed at major music festivals  across the nation including South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, and Sasquatch at the Gorge Amphitheater in Eastern Washington. They also performed at the MTV VMAs just a few days ago. Check out this video from that performance and remember, it’s always good to get your tickets early if you want to catch the show in October.