Good music and good eats, Taste Edmonds has it all

EDMONDS — Are you ready to get down while you chow down?

Edmond’s annual culinary and music festival Taste Edmonds is back for another year with a mouth-watering music lineup.

All artists appearing the weekend of Aug. 11-13 will rotate on the festival’s main stage in the 21-and-up zone.

This year organizers made a point to highlight not only local food vendors, restaurants and makers, but also local musicians.

The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce balanced the lineup to showcase acts festival-goers have loved in the past, newer artists and local musicians that have performed in Edmonds bars and breweries for years, chamber president Ryan Crowther said.

“Whether it’s makers or artists, we’re going to have a lot more names and community members from Edmonds a part of this year,” Crowther said. “That is something that’s been missing, that we acknowledged and really felt like we could do something about.”

Crowther said this year’s acts are easy to love and the chamber is excited to highlight local talent and connect them with the community.

The weekend starts off strong with Edmond’s own Nikki and the Fast Times, who kick off the festival’s live music at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Playing belt-able classics from 80s icons like The Go-Go’s, Berlin and Scandal, the band said on their website that they want to give their audience the ultimate 80s concert experience. Crowther said Nikki and the Fast Times are an Edmonds mainstay and he is excited to catch their set.

If you ‘re in the mood for alternative rock, Cloud Cover will play hits from the 80s and 90s at 5:00 p.m. Friday.

Seattle-area cover band The Little Lies hit the stage at 6:45 p.m. with renditions of Fleetwood Mac songs infused with the finesse and flair of the folk band’s artistic style.

To end the first day, Nite Wave will bring an 80s dance party to Taste Edmonds at 8:30 p.m.. The six-piece tribute band pays homage to defining new-wave giants like INXS, Duran Duran and The Cure. Fun fact: The band toured with Billy Idol and shared a stage with The Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin and When in Rome’s Clive Farrington.

Saturday is jam packed with music from seven artists. School of Rock Lynnwood will take the main stage in the 21 and up zone at 2:00 p.m., but organizers did not forget about young music lovers.

On Saturday two family friendly artists will perform on the all-ages amphitheater stage located near the will call area and bounce houses and Dayton Street entrance. From 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mikey the Rad Scientist will take festival-goers on a musical journey and bring science and nature to life through song. Then from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Strum Ukulele Band hits the kid’s stage for a relaxed jam session.

Edmonds-based band Who’s Your Daddy will cover rock, funk, pop and a few country songs that will have you “grabbing your air guitar and rocking out like a kid, again,” they said on their website. Dance with the Daddies on the main stage at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Modern blues, country, indie pop and rock band Road Trips perform at 5:00 p.m. Inspired by the roots of rock, rhythm and blues, honky-tonk and jazz, Dusty 45s play at 6:45 p.m.

Channel your inner Freddie Mercury with Queen Mother at 8:30 p.m.. The Seattle area Queen cover band will close Saturday’s live music and play songs from Queen’s epic discography including Under Pressure, We Are the Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Authentic Seattle-based mariachi band Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana kicks off Sunday’s performances at 2:00 p.m. Then, Edmonds group The Band Lele will play a mix of covers and original songs with their unique indie folk pop sound at 3:30 p.m. Catch Edmonds-based ambient acoustic musician Jordan W. Campbell’s set at 5:00 p.m. His latest album “Wabi Sabi Pomes” intends to bring the listener to the “river of their hearts where magical cats live alongside tropical birds in harmony,” Campbell said on his website.

To close the weekend, 80s cover band Prom Date Mixtape will fill the stage with their big hair, crazy costumes and larger-than-life personalities at 6:30 p.m.

For more event details, visit TasteEdmonds.com