2 Big Nites Out: 5 Everett venues, 5 types of music
Published 6:01 pm Thursday, May 15, 2008
Dean Giles understands that some people might not be familiar with rockabilly bands, but he’s pretty confident those same folks would recognize the music itself.
“They just don’t know they know it,” Giles said. “Almost everybody knows old Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, original Johnny Cash. Those were the founding forefathers.”
Giles, the music manager for downtown Everett’s Anchor Pub, could expose some club-hopping concertgoers to the musical style, which melds classic country and rock. This weekend, the bar will participate for the first time in the annual 2 Big Nites Out Spring Music Festival.
Tonight and Saturday, ticket holders will be able to take a trolley between five different venues, hearing a particular style of music at each: Reggae, different kinds of blues, rockabilly and piano-based pop songs.
“The philosophy of the event is, if you can’t dance to it, it’s not there,” said Cliff Verhoeff, director of Snohomish Artist Guild.
Last year, eight venues participated in the festival. The crowd, however, was spread a little thin between the various locations, so this year, the lineup was condensed to five downtown spots.
Tailgater Joe’s, the Flying Pig and PC’s Pub have participated in the festival before, while Chopstix and the Anchor Pub are new to the event.
Chopstix, the downtown piano bar, will bring in rock ‘n’ roll and dance pianists. Selections of music in the request-driven show could range from classic rock favorites like Bob Seger to modern-day chart toppers like Justin Timberlake.
“It just breaks down all the barriers,” Chopstix owner P.J. Pedroni said of the show.
Meanwhile, the recently expanded Anchor Pub will cater to the pompadour and poodle skirt set, bringing in 13 rockabilly bands during two nights for its Pull the String Rockabilly Revival.
While most venues will donate proceeds from the festival to the guild, money raised by the Anchor will go to community radio station KSER 90.7 FM. Van Ramsey, a KSER DJ, is emceeing the Anchor event.
“We’ve done some things with other local bars,” Ramsey said. “It didn’t work out as well. The Anchor just fits.”
Snohomish Artist Guild devised the festival nine years ago, when the after-hours scene in downtown Everett was dead. The festival was meant to keep people around past 9 p.m. while raising money for the guild.
Over the years, however, downtown has undergone a facelift. Restaurants and venues have sprung up, and the nightlife has improved. Now Verhoeff sees the festival as a way to contribute to that growth.
“The residential community is coming alive,” he said. “There’s a lot more condos built in downtown Everett. There’s a neighborhood being created, which is awesome.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com
