Music keeps crowds coming back

Watching people spill out of pubs and restaurants onto busy sidewalks almost every evening, it’s hard to remember how deserted downtown Anacortes was at night just 10 years ago.

A major reason for all the activity is a thriving music scene, with jazz, blues, rock, alternative and roots music bands regularly playing at several venues. The trend is most evident during jam-packed joint cover nights, usually held in conjunction with major events such as the Anacortes Arts Festival.

“The idea was to do something downtown and elevate all of us,” said Rick Star, who books music at the Rockfish Grill.

And, in defiance of a sluggish economy, the crowds are still coming.

“I haven’t noticed any drop-off in attendance at our music events. If anything, it’s more popular,” Star said.

Gas prices and the high value of Canadian currency have actually worked in favor of hometown venues.

“Local people don’t have to drive to Bellingham or Seattle, and we have people who come from Victoria or Vancouver,” Star said. “You’re going to pay eight bucks here or 20 bucks in Seattle, so it’s another reason to come here.”

Bands have raised their prices somewhat to cover the cost of gas, but so far that hasn’t translated to higher cover charges.

“The scale is slightly higher. For us to bring an act up from Seattle takes a little more money,” he said. “We’re absorbing that extra cost.”

Star organized Anacortes’ first joint cover events with other pubs. When the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce started the Anacortes Jazz Festival, which wraps up early each evening, he and several venues jumped at the opportunity to draw the crowds downtown for a night out.

“It’s developed into the Jazz Walk,” Star said.

This year’s walk includes Adrift, Bellissima Trattoria, the Brown Lantern, the Majestic Inn, Star Bar and the Watertown Pub. Lara Dunning of Star Bar said all of them benefit from participating.

“The music venues bring a lot of new faces and returning guests to our establishment,” she said.

Dunning said joint cover events enliven the community, especially when it gets cold and dark.

“These events bring more of a nightlife atmosphere to the weekends in Anacortes. Music, culture and rhythm is an uplifting force during the winter months,” she said.

Music is integral to the Rockfish. Part blues house and part brew pub, it was founded in a failed brew pub in 2000. From the start, its business plan included a strong musical identity.

“It was part of the personality of the place, which is unusual for a restaurant,” Star said.

Most restaurants strive to keep tables turning around, but people hang out at the Rockfish, which actually shuts down tables to accommodate bands.

“It’s not a financial bonanza, but it builds a positive association with the community,” Star said.

The Rockfish initially booked local acts and regional musicians known to Star, who also performs with the band Bobby Holland and the Breadline. Local groups, including the Stilly River Band, the Duntons, Fidalgo Swing, Jack Hamilton, Frankly Moanin’ and Spoonshine Duo, still anchor Wednesdays.

In recent years, the place has boasted a growing number of well-known acts and famous Canadians. It’s not uncommon for William Morris Agency to call Star trying to book a performer who is appearing in Seattle and Vancouver.

“We’re often contacted by a group that’s touring through the area either headed north or south. On the way they have a night to fill,” he said.

Last year San Francisco blues/rock icons Nick Gravenites and David La Flamme played to an enthusiastic crowd. In July, internationally known harmonica player Rockin’ Jake belted out tunes, and the charismatic blues pianist Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne appeared there earlier this month.

Until recently Star moonlighted as a Boeing engineer, but last year he gave up that job and moved to Anacortes. While he and his partners are not getting rich, they enjoy their venture. So do locals — the Rockfish has been selected as the city’s best live entertainment venue for several straight years by readers of the Anacortes American.

“We do it partly because we enjoy it ourselves and partly because we heard from people in the community that this is what they wanted,” he said. “We have been fairly successful with it. We get positive feedback all the time.”

When Nathan Walker and Kat Gardiner had the Backporch Cafe, music wasn’t a part of their business plan as much as it was a life plan.

“Kat and I actually met while working as an editor and staff writer at a music magazine and, essentially, music is part of our lives. We’ve brought such an eclectic group of musicians through Anacortes without the hopes to make money but to help our friends expand their audience,” Walker said.

They had a regular string of shows until they gave up the cafe earlier this year. Some shows drew more than 40 people, while the worst had an audience of two. Walker, who now works on Knw-Yr-Own records and his own small graphics design firm, said evening performances brought a few new people into the cafe, but was more for their regulars.

“Unfortunately, the music was never profitable to us but we still enjoyed having it so much that it didn’t matter. It was more important to bring independent, original music to Anacortes than making a profit having blues cover bands,” he said.

Walker and Gardner moved from Seattle to Anacortes largely because of the thriving small-town music community. He said he appreciates events such as the Jazz Walk, but added that other venues do well appealing to a wider audience.

“I think it’s places like Anderson’s General Store, our cafe, Adrift and the Department of Safety that really enrich the community musically,” he said earlier this year. “I’m a true music lover but when you have to separate the children from the adults, it’s not something that adds much to the community.”