Longtime band teacher and well-known regional musician Gary Evans has a life he divides into eras.
He was a new teacher in the Lynden era, followed by the New Deal Rhythm Band period (there were other bands, too), the Rosehill Junior and Lake Washington Senior high school years, the time performing on a cruise ship and his stint at Everett High School, from 1991 until retirement in 2009.
All of these parts of Evans’ life come together in the Gary Evans Collective, a 12-member band of friends and former students, all great musicians, Evans said.
The band helps open Everett’s free Music at the Waterfront summer concert series. The Collective plays at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Port Gardner Landing, 1700 W. Marine View Drive.
Evans, 67, of Gold Bar, said he hopes other former students come out for the concert to say hello. The group plans to play blues, jazz standards and some rock, Evans said.
“We’re just getting going, so we’re honored to be asked to perform,” he said.
Lisa Newland, the city’s cultural arts coordinator, is pleased that the Gary Evans Collective agreed to play.
“It’s going to be a great summer on the waterfront,” Newland said. “We have a lot of favorite bands lined up along with many new groups.”
Newland said she is pleased to have back the Dusty 45s, LeRoy Bell and 20 Riverside. She also is looking forward to hosting Zili Miski, a group of eight women making a name for themselves in the world of Afro-Pop, and the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra.
Other favorites for Newland include the 14-member Elridge Gravy and Court Supreme, with its sultry singers and horns, and the energetic Yogoman Burning Band.
The city’s waterfront concerts (along with concerts on Wednesday evenings at the Wetmore Theater Plaza and the family concerts on Thursday mornings at Silver Lake) all are free and intended to bring out the community and inspire economic development for the city, Newland said.
The concerts are supported by business sponsorships and grants to the city.
All Music at the Waterfront concerts are staged at Port Gardner Landing, 1700 W. Marine Dr., Everett. Bring blankets, chairs and dancing shoes.
The Thursday concerts, which begin this week with the Wild Snohomians, are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Here’s the schedule:
Thursdays
- June 26: Wild Snohomians
- July 3: Wired!, rock and blues.
- July 10: Latin Expression, salsa orchestra.
- July 17: LeRoy Bell, rock and soul.
- July 24: Dusty 45s, honky tonk, blues and swing.
- July 31: The Senate, acoustic.
- Aug. 7: Elridge Gravy and Court Supreme, psychedelic funk and soul.
- Aug. 14: Yogoman Burning Band, ska, reggae, soul and blues.
- Aug. 21: Clinton Fearon, Jamaican roots reggae.
- Aug. 28: Randy Oxford Band, trombone blues.
Note: Zili Miski, listed in an earlier version of this story for July 3, will not be able to attend. Wired! will play instead.
Saturdays
Saturday concerts also are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The concert schedule:
- June 28: DoctorFunK, blues, grooves and soul.
- July 5: Eugenie Jones, swinging jazz.
- July 12: Ian McFeron, folk-rock.
- July 19: Seattle Woman’s Jazz Orchestra: Jazz and Latin.
- July 26: Orchestra Zarabanda, Cuban salsa.
- Aug. 2: Mark DuFresne Band, Americana roots and blues.
- Aug. 9: Jessica Lynne, rockin’ bluegrass.
- Aug. 23: 20 Riverside, funky rock with a hip-hop twist.
Sundays
Sunday concerts are 2 to 4 p.m. People are encouraged to visit the Farmers Market and then walk over to the concert stage. Here’s the lineup:
- June 29: Gary Evans Collective, jazz, blues, pop.
- July 6: The Winterlings, alternative folk.
- July 13: Will Fanz, original pop, folk, blues.
- July 20: Josh Harty, North Dakota Americana music.
- July 27: Beth Whitney, indie folk, pop
- Aug. 3: Witherow Contemporary Acoustic Rock
- Aug. 10: Amber Waves Band, family group plays traditional Americana.
- Aug. 24: Eric Miller, folk, rock, country and blues.
More information is at www.ci.everett.wa.us.
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