Get ready for a fun, free way to celebrate summer.
Everett’s Music at the Marina, 10 weekly outdoor concerts featuring performances by funk, blues, pop, soul, country and reggae performers, kicks off today.
“The venue itself is just so stunning — the marina, Olympic Mountains, the sun setting, a nice cool breeze off the water. It’s just the perfect combination,” said Lisa Newland, cultural arts coordinator for the city of Everett.
Musicians who have played at the event in the past say it’s one of their favorite concert venues.
This will mark the 10th year Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme (living up to its name as a psychedelic funk band) has performed at Everett’s summer concert series.
“It’s the only show where we can turn around and see a seal peeking out of the water watching us play,” said Chris Pollina, the band’s drummer. “We wouldn’t come back 10 times if it wasn’t fun for us.”
He recommends fans arrive at least 45 minutes early because the show is usually packed.
“We try to play funky dance music,” he said. “We don’t want to be a band that plays a little funk, jazz, reggae and rap.” Bands that try to be too all-encompassing musically often end up not doing anything well, he said.
Aaron Crawford, a Snohomish High School graduate, will perform on July 11. Crawford has produced five albums since 2013. The most recent, “Hotel Bible,” was released last year, launching his most recent single, “Tie a String.”
The Stacy Jones Band will perform July 18. Jones leads a blues group that has toured the U.S. and Europe. Their most recent album, “Love is Everywhere,” was released in 2017. Last year, her band won 10 Best of the Blues Awards from the Washington Blues Society, including Best Band, Best Female Vocalist, Best Northwest Recording, Best Blues Songwriter and Best Harmonica.
Mark DuFresne and his four-member band will perform Aug. 15. DuFresne has been named Best Vocalist, Best Songwriter and Best Harmonica Player by the Washington Blues Society, which this year honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
With fewer nightclubs now operating, the marina show is a great opportunity for the community to see live music, DuFresne said.
Guitar player Billy Stapleton, also an arranger, provides a guitar layer with strong rhythm, “and is one of the great slide guitar players,” DuFresne said.
Everett’s summer marina stage “is my favorite place to work,” he said. “Nothing really beats the open air. You’re playing in what you would call a concert environment.”
This, the 28th year of the marina concerts, marks a change back to Thursday-evening-only concerts.
For 15 years, the series included performances on Saturday evening, too. That had to be canceled this year due to the city’s budget cuts. “Every department had to cut something,” Newland said.
A note on the weather, since it can be unpredictable even in the summer.
It’s rare that concerts are called off due to storms. Decisions to cancel concerts typically aren’t made until right before the show is scheduled to begin because of how fast conditions can change.
“I’ve squeegeed many a stage and then had a beautiful night,” Newland said.
Whether people are enjoying the concerts near the stage or from the bluffs overlooking it at Grand Avenue Park, the concerts “are showcasing one of Everett’s gems,” she said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
If you go
Music at the Marina, a series of 10 free concerts, are scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, June 20 to Aug. 29, at Port Gardner Landing, 1700 W. Marine View Drive, Everett. Go to everettwa.gov/812/Thursday-Music-at-the-Marina for more information.
Schedule
June 20: DoctorfunK, funk and soul
June 27: Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme, psychedelic funk
July 11: Aaron Crawford, country and Americana
July 18: Stacy Jones Band, rockin’ blues
July 25: Dusty 45s, honky tonk, jump blues and swing
Aug. 1: Shaggy Sweet, pop, rock and blues
Aug. 8: Randy Oxford Band, powerhouse trombone blues
Aug. 15: Mark DuFresne Band, harmonica blues
Aug. 22: LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends, rock ‘n’ soul
Aug. 29: Clinton Fearon, Jamaican roots reggae
The Mark DuFresne Band — Billy Stapleton on guitar, Mark DuFresne on vocals and harmonica, David Hudson on drums and Kelly Liefer on bass — will play the blues at Music at the Marina in Everett. (Tanya Lee Hodel)
