The Bellingham Internet Music Archive (BIMA) recently put on a small concert showcasing local talent at the Allied Arts building on Cornwall. For five dollars, this was a great chance to get a good taste for what Bellingham has to offer in the way of musicianship.The show opened with BIMA organizer David Weiss, a local guitar player and song writer. David's strongest point is his variety: he plays musical styles from classical to jazz to rock, and plays them all very well. Besides interpreting various cover songs, he also has an excellent selection of self-written songs, many inspired by his family. He played a few songs solo, and was later joined by Denny Reynolds on bass, Mike Simmons on drums and Tom Harbeson on congas. David has a released tape called Finger Noise; it can be found at Cellophane Square.
Blues vocalist Laurette Langille, accompanied by Danny "Chez" Anderson on electric guitar, left no doubt about how blues are supposed to be sung. Powerful and from the gut, Laurette's voice might not even have needed amplification. Blues, however, need bass and drums to make it complete; I'd like to hear her with a full band.
Very visible in Bellingham, Tim McHugh of Tim McHugh and the Lost Poets played a set of his self-written songs, most of a soft acoustic style, with simple but deep music and lyrics. Alone, Tim's voice and guitar were not overwhelmingly strong, and the music had something of a depressing edge to it, but he was joined for several songs by two other members of the band, Caryn Simmons on vocals and Anna Schaad on viola. With these accompaniments, Tim's music became fuller and much more alive, displaying why they are so popular around the Bellingham music scene. Tim McHugh and the Lost Poets have several recordings available at local music stores.
Also very visible is the Brett Lovins Band, who wrapped up the night's shows with their own set of good ol' boy country rock, influenced by both blues and (dare I say) punk. The three piece, consisting of Brett Lovins himself on vocals and acoustic guitar, Phil Sottile on electric guitar, and Mike Simmons on drums, had a surprisingly good sound for so few members. The music was tight and well written, with plenty of room for guitar improvising which was used to good extent. The vocals were strong and fun, although a little hard to understand (may have been the sound system/large room, too). The one thing that would have really helped this band is a bassist; a little low end would have rounded out their songs nicely.
The greatest surprise of the evening was a small band called Men Without Pants, a trio consisting of congo drummer John Butorac, bassist/vocalist Rhys Webb, and lead one-man band Steve Webb on guitar, vocals, harmonica, and kick/highhat. Steve displayed incredible talent, especially with vocals and lyrics, and was wonderfully tight even with all of those instruments going at once. I got the feeling he could have done quite well all by himself, but the aid of the well-played bass and congas helped put it at "I would buy that CD right now" quality. The music was also extremely well written, and out of all the music that night the most qualified for popular release. It was a big let down to discover they have not recorded any albums.
If this night of music sounds good, you're in luck: David Weiss plans two more larger concerts in the near future: one would be a fundraiser for BIMA itself, and the other is a Summer Music Festival that would turn into an annual event. Proceeds from the Festival would go to local charities. Watch for these and other local music events at the BIMA Internet site at: http://www.bima.com