Fisherman’s Village Festival 2019 Recap

We headed to Everett for one of the most anticipated events brought to us by the amazing Everett Music Initiative team. The Fisherman’s Village Festival is growing every year and it seems that the organizers keep finding way to make it better. We love attending as we get to be around some of the best acts in the region as well as catching up and coming artists. It feels like this is all about our strong music community and how it all comes together in order to grow and help the growing local talents.

I started on Thursday night and was so excited to attend after last year, especially as the venues had changed. I arrived at the Schack Art Center drenched from the torrential rain, and as soon as I stepped inside, the atmosphere was incredible. Beautiful artwork was the backdrop for the incredible Laura Veirs. I was blown away. The room was full to capacity, and everyone was mesmerized by her. I was really impressed with the art gallery and felt it was a perfect fit for such beautiful vocals.

I decided to move on to the Black Lab Gallery as I knew it was fairly small and would get busy. On arrival Oliver Elf Army had just started to play. They were fun, political and didn’t take themselves too seriously which totally worked. They were followed up by Sleepover Club and Wimps. I am a huge fan of the venue, the owner is friendly and clearly has a passion for what she does. Highlight of the night for me was Wimps, as I am a huge punk fan.

Friday I headed to The Suttlebutt Brewery excited for the day ahead. I have been to several gigs there, it’s a great friendly venue. Parking was easy, atmosphere was relaxed, busy but not overcrowded which was preferred as I knew I was in for a hot long day. Food trucks were present with vegan options. There was a cool night market with locals selling their art. This included a stage, which was all ages. A real nice vibe. My only criticism was I felt it was unfortunate that minors could not have access to the Main Stage. I really feel that music is a positive environment for young people and they would have had a great experience at the there. Perhaps that will change in the future as setup becomes easier. Tellers were the first band I saw, and photographed. I have seen them many times, and they never disappoint. They are from Everett and are very proud to represent their music community. They played the main stage.

I moved into The Scuttlebutt Brewery, and caught Omni, Chong the Nomad, and Moaning. They were all good in their own right but Moaning really caught my attention. I am from England and their music had a real British influence and made me feel homesick. They were my favorite of the night for sure. Super talented and seemed really humble.

I rushed outside to see Travis Thompson who was joined onstage by Paris Alexa half way through. This kid knew how to get a crowd going, he was a lot of fun. He had bags of energy, and certainly a crowd pleaser. His mum and dad were at the front cheering their son on. It was a high energy really fun set.

I then went back inside Scuttlebutt to catch Paris Alexa again with her own set. I enjoyed it, the energy was good inside, and the visual artists helped capture the good vibes in there. I cannot attest to the quality of the beer as I do not drink when I shoot but my friends tell me the beer was superb and cheap.

Saturday was the most exciting for me as two of my favorite bands, Coathangers and Death Valley Girls were playing. They were both superb, and the crowd clearly enjoyed them both. They were a great choice for the Main Stage. Another highlight of the evening for me was Frankie and the Witch Fingers. A fellow band photographer had told me not to miss them. I was at the front with my fellow photographers and the crowd went wild. We were pushed and shoved but it was all in good spirits. The performance of these guys was off the charts. Incredible.

Sloucher played a good set, as did Fuzz Mutt and Lithics. On the whole I was really impressed with the organization of the festival. It was well attended, without feeling claustrophobic , there were decent food options, including vegan and vegetarian, parking was free and relatively easy and the bands chosen were a good mix of genres. My only criticism was I would like to see the Main Stage as an all ages option. I am already excited for next year.

Words and photographs by the talented Becki Thorley @beckithorley