Marsalis, a Pacific Northwest band, headlines show in Seattle

Published 1:40 pm Friday, March 20, 2026

EVERETT — During the day, Stanwood resident Dennis Zender is a banker, but at night, he rocks out.

After Zender clocks out as a regional president at Washington Federal Bank, he takes the stage as the lead singer of Marsalis, a pop-rock band. Currently, the Pacific Northwest group is preparing for its headline show on Saturday at The Crocodile in Seattle.

“Most of my folks that work with me are coming out,” Zender said. “… Some of them have already seen me, so they’re well aware of what to expect, but some have never even seen it before, so I think they’re in for a surprise.”

While Maraslis released its self-titled record in 2016, Zender and the bass player, Adam Bishop, have been playing together since the 2000s. Around 2013, they invited keyboardist Theresa Cadondon.

A year later, Bishop suggested the name Marsalis, in honor of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

The band released another record in 2018 and played a handful of Washington and California venues before COVID-19 “put a kibosh on everything,” Zender said. After recording new songs in Canada, the band sat on their newest single, “Lie to Me,” for approximately five to six years.

Since its release in January, “Lie to Me” has reached more than 75,000 streams on Spotify.

The song has become much bigger than the band expected when they released it, Bishop said.

“We’re just an independent, do-everything-ourselves band,” he said. “It’s crazy.”

When writing the band’s music, Zender tries to evoke emotion through chord choices and introspective lyrics, he said. The new single is an example of that, Zender said.

“It’s this push and pull from like, ‘I’m in this relationship that may be like, destructive and toxic, but there’s also all these great things that come with it,’” he said.

At the Saturday show, the band will be filming for music videos and a live video album, along with other “surprises and fun things planned,” Bishop said. So far, the show is trending towards selling out.

“It’s gonna be good music, good energy,” he said. “It’s gonna feel like a touring band’s coming through town.”

If local music lovers want to get a taste of the band’s sound before attending the show, the band recommends “Where I Am” and “Gone” in addition to their newest song as a good introduction.

If you go

The all-ages show runs from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at The Crocodile, located at 2505 1st Ave. in Seattle. Pop jazz artist MANISHA is the opener.

Learn more about the band or purchase tickets for $19.99 at www.marsalisband.com.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan