Fisherman’s Village brings tunes — and lots of people — downtown

EVERETT — Not long ago, Kevin Morby didn’t know much about the city hosting the Fisherman’s Village Music Festival.

He told a packed crowd Saturday at the Historic Everett Theatre that now, after performing here a third time, Everett is a familiar place. Likewise, the folks huddled around the stage have gotten to know Morby. They sang along and swayed before going so silent during his final song, “Beautiful Strangers,” that dropped plastic cups reverberated through the theater.

Festival-goers, too, might be getting to know Everett better — and that’s the hope of the event’s organizer, Ryan Crowther.

“I was surprised, again, at how many people have never been to Everett,” he said Sunday morning.

“It was so cool to hear (Morby) talk about Everett,” Crowther said of a conversation he had with the Los Angeles musician. “His response was, ‘You really have something here. Hold on to it.’”

In its fifth year, the festival featured nearly 60 performances during the weekend at the theater and other venues — Tony V’s Garage, Normanna Lodge, Black Lab Gallery and Narrative Coffee. An exact attendance figure wasn’t yet available, Crowther said. But a lot of people showed up.

“We’ve never had this many people,” he said.

“I feel like this was a community bump. … It’s a sign of Everett growing. It’s a sign of the festival growing. Also, it’s people seeing the relevance of music and the way it interacts with a thriving community.”

Focusing heavily on Pacific Northwest musicians, the lineup was stocked with performers from the I-5 corridor, including a dozen from Everett alone.

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Some of the hometown favorites drew big crowds. Oliver Elf Army, an Everett band, romped on the downstairs stage of Normanna Lodge on the first night.

Priming the crowd at Tony V’s Garage on Friday night was Sisters. The Seattle duo, regular performers in Everett, was an especially popular act leading into the day’s headliner.

Shabazz Palaces’ funk, psychedelic, hip-hop sounds boomed through Tony V’s. After their set, they thanked a few fans lingering near the stage. The Seattle artists weren’t the only musicians who ventured into the crowd. Belgian Fog frontman Robert Dale similarly thanked fans Saturday night, and CCFX vocalist Maryjane Dunphe moved through the crowd of the basement stage at Normanna Lodge.

Those moments were spurred by the removal of distance between artists and audience — a hallmark of the festival. There were no fences or security guards, no green rooms — just a raised stage and a silent agreement between bands and fans.

“It creates this real feel of connection where artists have to interact with fans,” Crowther said. He saw “so many people getting to talk to these musicians here in Everett.”

“It’s still very young,” he said of the festival. “These are the years that we’ll remember and treasure the most.”

Saturday was a busy evening downtown. Between the festival and the Silvertips playoff hockey game against the Seattle Thunderbirds, parking was tight, though not impossible, and the usual spots for pregame food and drinks were busy before the puck drop at 7 p.m.

Arranging for a few food trucks to be outside Tony V’s and Normanna Lodge was a lesson learned by Crowther from past years, when bands and fans said they had a hard time finding a place to sit and eat.

“I love seeing the restaurants and bars full,” he said.

Besides Crowther and his Everett Music Initiative crew, 40 volunteers helped keep the festival wheels turning.

“Overall, I’m at a loss for words. I think the response from the community was overwhelming. Everett has never showed up for the festival like this before.”

Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; @benwatanabe.