The Anchor in Everett transforms into classy music venue

  • By Gale Fiege Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, September 2, 2015 4:09pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

EVERETT — You won’t find a TV at The Anchor Pub.

However, if you like music, meeting up with friends, good coffee, beer, cocktails and food served late, The Anchor could be your new favorite place.

With an open microphone on Thursdays, then rock, blues, pop, reggae, hip hop, ukulele punk and other indie bands play on Fridays and Saturdays, followed by jazz on Sundays, The Anchor Pub has the corner on a well-rounded variety of live music.

A 100-year-old establishment with a sorta seedy, blue-collar, beer-joint past, The Anchor Pub has been run for more than a year by partners Christian Sayre, Andrew Lange and Khristina Riedel.

At The Anchor owners’ anniversary party in early August, the bands performing included David Callaway, Raj James, Spencer Carlson, the Lady Grace Band, Farrah Nuff, Keylin Mayfield, Often Rottin, Fighting Maniacs, Sphyramid and DJ Swade.

“Music is the emphasis here,” Sayre said. “Everybody has played at The Anchor at some point. It has a cool feeling and a lot of history. People have a lot of loyalty to the place.”

Adding sophistication to The Anchor’s music lineup is the Sunday jazz program.

Louise Uriu, the bass player in the local combo called the Jazz Pearls, performs at The Anchor with her group from 7 p.m. to closing on the fourth Sundays of each month. The rest of the band includes pianist Ashley Webster, trumpet player Eric Jellison and drummer Davy Nefos.

“I never had a home pub before because I was raising kids,” said Uriu, of Everett. “The Anchor has evolved into a community-oriented pub. I’ll go down there and run into all sorts of people, including city council members.”

Indeed, Snohomish County Executive John Lovick had his primary election-night gathering at The Anchor.

“What I like is that whether the music is rock, reggae, blues or jazz, it’s always excellent quality,” Uriu said. “I think people are figuring out that The Anchor is special.”

Everett’s Bob Strickland agrees.

Strickland’s Jazz Couriers play traditional jazz at The Anchor from 5 to 8 p.m. on the third Sundays of each month.

Located at the west end of Hewitt Avenue near the waterfront in Everett, The Anchor also hosts the Rafael Tranquilino Band playing blues, funk, jazz and more from 2 to 5 p.m. on second Sundays and the Gary Evans Collective playing contemporary jazz at 6 p.m. on first Sundays. Evans, a retired longtime Everett High School music teacher, includes friends and former students in his group.

No cover is charged at The Anchor, but people are encouraged to order food and beverages. The bands are paid a percentage of the take for the evening, Sayre said.

“It works out well,” he said. “The fans are growing and helping to support this endeavor. Jazz on Sundays has a nice following and it’s a really cool thing.”

Strickland, who plays trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, spent his early years performing in such places as the Athens, Georgia, country club. He led a big band (playing music from the swing years) in Dallas, Texas, before moving to Snohomish County.

In 2005, he put the Couriers together. The current “crew” includes tenor sax player Brian Kent, jazz guitarist Al Lindbom, bassist Tim Koss, drummer Ben St. John, trombonist Dave Loomis, Scott Bachler on alto sax and Jim Knodle on trumpet.

“Our time at The Anchor started off slowly last November, but with a concerted effort on our part we now have a nice, stable audience of nearly 60 on our Sundays. People are spreading the word,” Strickland said. “We call our sessions a hosted jam and we enjoy having good players sit in with us. One night a fellow wanted to play the spoons with us, but we had to turn him down.”

The Anchor owners treat the musicians professionally, he said.

“We take the tack that we’re in a jazz club. We want people to talk with each other,” Strickland said. “The beauty of The Anchor is that it is lined in wood and the acoustics are good. The folks at The Anchor are doing good things. It’s working.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.