Feel Good EVERY Monday

Do you, like most of us, suffer from the Monday blues?  Wanna know our fail safe cure for shaking those blahs?  We grab a bar stool and a big pint right here at Boundary Bay Brewery every Monday night to spend time with our old friends Barnum Jack.

Barnum Jack at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, 2010

“Barnum Jack?” you might say…thinking the name sounds vaugely familiar.  You might be hip to the Bellingham music scene and know that Barnum Jack is a Bellingham musical duo bringing us good old American tunes.  Or maybe you saw them on the back of one of our floats in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Either way, you should definitely join us in our tap room every Monday Night around 9pm when Barnum Jack takes the stage!

Matt Novak and Allegra Ziffle make up Barnum Jack, but their musical friendship dates all the way back to 2003 when they founded another Bellingham favorite band: Quickdraw String Band.  They play progressive old-time family style tunes and “traditional-tinged contemporaries.”  You can count on them for a wide repertoire of music grounded in the American old-time music tradition…plus some original songs they’ve created as well!  Between the two of them, Matt and Allegra have released four full-length albums and

So come down to the taproom every Monday Night for a beer and some great live music by Barnum Jack. This event is free, but is limited to 21+ only as it takes place in our Tap Room.  See ya next Monday! Cheers.

Come have a brew and enjoy some tunes Monday Nights @ 8:30pm starting October 18.

Stringband Jamboree Kickoff at Boundary Bay Brewery

Robert Sarazin Blake has been bringing us Happy Hour music in the beer garden here at Boundary Bay Brewery on Thursdays all summer long, but this week you’re in for a special treat!  This Thursday, Robert will be joined by Louis Ledford and Jefferson Hamer for the Subdued Stringband Jamboree Kickoff here in our beer garden!

The Subdued Stringband Jamboree takes place every August (28th and 29th this year) at the Deming Log Show Fairgrounds (click here for directions).  It’s been voted Bellingham’s Best Festival by readers of the Cascadia Weekly and is known for bringing together incredible music and fun people in a family-friendly environment.  The Subdued Stringband Jamboree makes sure that everyone feels welcome at this festival!  There is music, music and more music throughout the weekend, plus workshops and even a slow jam on Saturday morning for those who are new to jamming or new to their instrument. There are kids activities all weekend long, a family square dance and even some mural painting!  If you plan on spending more than an afternoon at the Jamboree, there are plenty of sleeping options: there are a small number of RV hookups for $10/night. Tent camping is $5/night. The site is a big meadow near the stage, with limited car camping spots along the fence. There are housed restroom facilities with sinks, and plenty of water spigots. For those who need a break from the jam session when it’s time to sleep, we have a ‘low volume’ camping area.  If you don’t want to camp, or if you’d like to be in the Bellingham area longer, check out Mt. Baker Lodging. We’re proud to be sponsored by Mt. Baker Lodging, offering a variety of cabins, condos, and chalets just 15-20 minutes up the road (toward beautiful Mt. Baker!) from the festival.

photo by Jason Koski

The focus of the line-up and the festival has stayed consistent over the years. The line-up is still local bands with a few blow-ins to kick us in the pants. We now have a campground full of tents, guitars, coolers, and banjos surrounding two stages, creating two nights and a day of pickin’, singin’ and stompin’.  Here is the list of musicians who are appearing at the 2009 Subdued Stringband Jamboree! Click on a name to visit the website of that artist or group.

• Barnum Jack
• Robert Sarazin Blake
• Flip Breskin
• Chuckanut Drive
• The Crow Quill Night Owls
• Gallus Brothers
• Grampa’s Geetars
• Jefferson Hamer
• Happy Valley Sluggers
• Hoss!!
• House of Tarab Duo w/ Ruby
• Brody Douglas Hunt
• Louis Ledford
• Librarians
• Lonesome Shack
• Dean Patrick Luce
• The Naked Hearts
• Petunia & The Vipers
• John Reischman & John Miller
• Shasta Bree Simmons
• Sour Mash Hug Band
• Aleah Springsnow
• Sweetheart of the Rodeo
• Whisky Swillers
• Larry Yes and the Ruckus

Monday Nights at Boundary Bay Brewery

Barnum Jack

Every Monday this summer Boundary Bay Brewery is hosting live music in the Beer garden (8:30pm $2).  We’re kicking off this weekly event on June 1st with Barnum Jack!

Barnum Jack is an acoustic music duo currently based in Portland, Oregon and Bellingham, Washington. They play old-time family-style, fiddle tunes, and traditional-tinged contemporaries and originals. Barnum Jack was born out of a musical friendship dating back about seven years between Matt Novak and Allegra Ziffle, when they met in Bellingham and started playing music together. In March 2003 they formed Quickdraw String Band and started performing together on a regular basis. Now, as of March 2009, they two are Barnum Jack.

Barnum Jack pays homage to old-time tradition but bring it to a  contemporary American experience with their innovative twists. Their repertoire consists of wide-ranging covers, traditional songs and tunes, as well as their own originals. Between the two of them, Matt and Allegra have released four full-length albums and have been included on two compilation albums, both by major record labels Righteous Babe Records and Shut Eye Records.

Barnum Jack will be playing in the Boundary Bay Brewery beer garden every other Monday in June, so come down on the 1st, the 15th, or the 29th to catch some old time, fun time music!