From Karl Blau, Interview with Cover Show Chime & AMP Progenitor Artist Melanie Dugan Anacortes artist, Melanie Dugan, has enjoyed MARCH! art ever since she could hold a pencil. She Those who know me know how I feel about this month being received her frst pet portrait commission the obvious frst month of the year. I mean it’s called “March” for at the age of 14 when her junior high home cryin’ out loud. Plus then SEPTember, OCTober, NOVember and room teacher noticed her talent in art and DECember take back their rightful 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th places hired her to do a painting of her two cats. on the calendar respectively. And so many other reasons. Even with the broad experience in different media, she prefers to work in pencil, choosing It was in March 2013 that the frst Show Chime came out colored pencil even for her works in black featuring artist Hannah Stephens—so this means Happy and white. She is largely self-taught as Birthday to Show Chime! And I want to send a HUGE thanks and she has had only one drawing class since congratulations to Laurie Racicot, Editor and Designer of Show junior high. Melanie runs Art Studio 2120 in Chime, for keeping it rolling these past many months. If you’ve Anacortes along with her husband, Greg been following Show Chime over the years you know how it Dugan. Her work can be seen online at their limped along for many of those. Now it’s just rolling tough with a website www.artstudio2120.com or you can head of steam thanks to Laurie and AMP’s hard work. like her on her Facebook page: Melanie at Art We had a wonder-flled Anacortes Music Project annual retreat Studio 2120 and Instagram: art.studio.2120. out at Guemes Island Resort in mid-February. I was invited to melanie. She is also a featured artist at the come out from my current sojourn in Philadelphia to join the Trinity Gallery in Anacortes. retreat and play songs at Guemes Island General Store on that What inspires you to draw animals? Friday eve. Thanks all of you who came out to that! The AMP I have always loved to draw animals; I have gathering, led by President Sommer Carter and VP Todd Young, drawn them ever since I was old enough to spent an entire Saturday brainstorming and feshing out ideas hold a pencil. I love to render their fur or skin, towards the commitment of amplifying Anacortes music. but I am most inspired by the eyes. I strive We have what we refer to as the “5 Fingers” of AMP to capture the personality of each animal development; Events, Anacortes Music Channel, Mentoring through its eyes. and Scholarships, Promotion/Show Chime, and Archives. These How do you maintain a successful encompass all the things we d0 (AMP Fest, Shipwreck Day, Yule studio in Anacortes? Bizarre, Show Chime, The NeXt Show, AMC) and all the things Maintaining a successful studio is a challenge we hope to do (Summer Rock Camp, community AMP space, anywhere. Anacortes is an art friendly town. all-ages venue, scholarships). We dreamed around these and I use social media for both local and national made plans for the coming year. promotion. I have a booth at the Anacortes Many of us signed up for subcommittees to help spearhead Farmers Market. I do many pet commissions goals in each of these categories so look for rad new programs and this is a great way to connect with local on the horizon. And that fact that we have faces to front these clients and those who may be visiting from AMP goals is going to make it easier for you, community other parts of the country. I share my tech- members, to interface and be a part of keeping and sharing niques by teaching classes to adults and a vibrant music scene here on Fidalgo Island. Keep your eyes children. We also participate in open studios. peeled this year and keep your ear to the ground by reading The biggest factor of success is sharing the Show Chime and having the calendar handy. burden with my husband and fellow artist, Greg. He inspires me and supports me in I encourage you, reader/listener, be part of the inner-workings all that I do. of this community by contributing any way you can. Getting out to shows is a great start. I know Show Chime forever needs help getting distributed around town, and I know they are always looking for photos and coverage of shows and music events. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that connection is one of the best things you can do for your livelihood, there’s nothing like being a part of something bigger. And for a small town, Anacortes has a tremendous legacy with international connections. Be well, my good-hearted people, hope to see ya and catch up this Summer, The very frst Show Chime cover from cover Chime Show frst very The Stephens. Hannah by art with 2013 March Chime! Birthday Show Happy The Glorious Return of Karl Blau by Joel Askey A music lover might be forgiven if they stayed and flled with foot-stomping energy; an alche- Seeing Karl and Jake play together harkened indoors on a rainy, windy February night rather my that he frequently pulls off with seemingly back to the days of Captain Fathom, their earliest than brave the ferry crossing across the Guemes effortless grace. project together. Channel to see a show. But there were few who After Jake’s set, Karl took the stage to a warm Karl is currently based in Germantown, Phila- required absolution the evening of February 7th welcome. He pulled out some tunes from his delphia and releases member-direct releases as a standing-room-only crowd packed the Gue- back catalog, especially “Introducing Karl Blau”. for $5/year at klaps.bandcamp.com. His latest mes Island General Store to see Jacob Navarro The song, “That’s How I Got to Memphis” playfully of many eclectic releases is “Winter Holiday and Karl Blau, who was visiting from Philadelphia. became “That’s How I got to Guemes”, as a nod Arrangements”. Jacob Navarro was busy during The Anacortes Music Project sponsored this wel- to the home crowd. February backing the Secret Sisters at Benaroya comed mid-winter show in the cozy confnes of Hall, opening for Brandi Carlisle. Follow Jake at Near the end of Karl’s set, he called up Jacob the store’s dining room. Jacob Navarro opened jacobnavarromusic.com. to sit in on guitar, as well as John Seybold on the show with his solo acoustic set. His delivery, harmonica and Ben Starner on upright piano. Photos courtesy of Joel Askey. like on the song “Liza Jane” was both laid back The Business will Host Two » The Business is hosting two concerts in March. » The second happening is March 14th featuring The frst is March 7th Orindal Records Showcase Olympia singer/songwriter Erica Freas. Freas has All-Ages Shows in March with performances by Advance Base, Nicholas been an infuential and active part of the Olympia Krgovich, Claire Cronin, and Ruth Garbus. Advance punk scene for years! She fronts the band RVIVR Base frontman runs the record label and has a and runs her own record label called Rumble- great ear for dreamy pop music and excellent towne Records. She has recently relocated to the songwriting. UK, so let’s welcome her warmly back to the PNW. This all-ages show is at The Depot (611 R Ave) at This all-ages show is at The Business (216 Com- 7:00 pm and the cost is $10. mercial Ave) at 5:00 pm and the cost is $10. Tickets can be purchased in advance in-store or online at thebusinessanacortes.com/events. Mount Eerie’s Tiny Desk Concert by Clarity Miller Mount Eerie (Anacortes native Phil show Julie and I were doing on that tour was would record an album with a musical idol, Elverum) and Julie Doiron performed a pretty extremely unadorned already, so it what would you think? Tiny Desk Concert in early February. Tiny was an easy translation. It was slightly more Phil: If I could time travel back to 1995 and Desk Concerts is a series of short, live nerves inducing playing in front of a bunch tell that dweeb about this, yeah, I’d blow his video performances hosted by NPR music of NPR employees in the afternoon with no mind. The truth though is that the friendship and recorded at the desk of All Songs sound system than to a crowd of distant between Julie and I developed slowly and Considered host Bob Boilen in Washington, people in a venue, but I close my eyes when organically over all these years, starting with D.C. Clarity Miller caught up with Elverum I sing anyway so it’s not that big a deal. I’m going to see her and Wooden Stars play in to fnd out what the experience was like. in my head. It was fun to be there with my Port Townsend in 1997 and staying in touch. daughter. We did it at the end of a tour last Show Chime: What was the experience like? Then playing occasional shows together and December and it came together at the last How does it compare to performing in front frst recording together in 2008. It’s a small minute, they had a cancellation and a spot of large audiences? Does the intimacy of the community actually, this international pop was freed up.