Guitarist Adam Monda and Ethan Anderson, who plays bass, ate their first gig’s earnings. It was a fruit basket.
The founding members of Massy Ferguson, a Seattle roots band, first played the Mukilteo Farmers Market in 2006.
“We were just kind of thinking of it as something fun to do,” said Anderson, 35, who grew up in Marysville.
What started as an acoustic duo amped up when they plugged in and invited Dave Goedde to join behind the drums and Tony Mann on the keyboard.
Fully electric, the band has become a staple of the bar scene playing their blend of Americana, country and Southern-infused rock.
They’ve toured Australia and are returning to the land down under later this year, Anderson said.
“We’ve gone from basically trying to beat people’s doors down, to people getting a hold of us,” he said.
Massy Ferguson, the name, comes from a tractor company of similar spelling.
“It sounds kind of big and bad ass,” Anderson said.
On Saturday, they play a rare all-ages show at Seattle’s Triple Door.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle.
Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. More information and tickets at www.thetripledoor.net or 206-838-4333.
The Fray, a piano forward rock band from Denver, Colo., brings its act to the Paramount on Tuesday.
Started by high school friends, Isaac Slade and Joe King in 2002, they’ve spent the decade building their name and audience.
Nominated for a Grammy in 2010, the band has landed in the charts and gained acclaim.
The quartet is rounded out by drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh.
They play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Paramount, 911 Pine St., Seattle.
Tickets are $36 in advance, $41.25 the day of the show at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
When it comes to contemporary swing, it don’t get no better than Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the nine-piece jazz orchestra.
Its music picks up a beat and doesn’t let go.
“How Big Can You Get?” is its eighth studio album, a tribute to Cab Calloway. Their bright, high-tempo music took them to play the Super Bowl in 1999.
More recently, they’ve appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and performed on “Dancing With the Stars.”
You get to see this fantastic band in an intimate club setting at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle.
They play seven sets beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and continuing through March 4.
Tickets are $32.50 at www.jazzalley.com.
Railroad Earth has become one of those jammy bands that’s picked up a trail of kids who would otherwise be following the Grateful Dead if they still toured. (Jerry Garcia died in 1995.)
You can tell why Deadheads like Railroad Earth. They’ve got a loose, rocking sound that includes several Dead covers.
Not content to be just an acoustic cover band, Railroad Earth has forged a sound of its own, playing great Americana, bluegrass and rock.
They sound a bit folksy, with a mandolin, banjo and upright bass, but add in a roots element with the occasional horn and accordion.
Poor Man’s Whiskey is opening.
The music starts at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Neptune, 1303 NE 45th St., Seattle.
Tickets are $24 in advance, $26 at the door at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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