Voice (of Vashon) at theater
The Voice (of Vashon) will feature the talents of island singers at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Open Space for Arts & Community.
The second annual singing competition will crown top island crooners in a contest featuring a variety of musical acts as well as the comedic hosting talents of Jeff and Cindy Hoyt.
Based on the popular television show, “The Voice (of Vashon)” includes celebrity judges. These music professionals will select three to four finalists in each of two age categories, teen and 20-plus. The audience will ulitmately select the winners.
Loren Sinner and friends will provide musical backup, while the Curvettes will perform at intermission.
Voice (of Vashon) winners will be awarded a golden microphone and a live performance spot at First Friday Live on the Highway in the KVSH storefront studio, and they will also open the October KVSH Birthday Bash.
Tickets are available at Vashon Bookshop and online at brownpapertickets.com.
Mike Love at theater
Revolutionary reggae musician Mike Love will perform with Ron Artis II, Sarah Christine, and Clinton Fearon at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 7, at the Vashon Theatre.
Love, one of reggae’s rising stars, was born and raised in Hawaii to a multigenerational family of musicians. His goal: to change the world through music.
On his debut album, “The Change I’m Seeking,” Love returns to the legends of roots reggae in both his lyrics and his sound, but never relies on any single genre to hold him down. Coming from a wealth of influences, Love fuses the simple rhythms of classic reggae with the complex changes of classical and rock music with a style wholly unique to him. He is currently wrapping up his second album titled “Love Will Find A Way.”
“It’s always been about the depth; I’ve never been into music that was shallow,” Love said. “I’m still learning. I’m still learning about where I’m going and where I want to be. All the music is a learning tool to me too.”
Love has shared the stage with artists like Stephen Marley, Don Carlos, Trevor Hall, Nahko & Medicine For The People, John Butler Trio, Groundation, Steel Pulse, Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson. He will perofmr with Artis, Christine, and Fearon next Monday.
I just make myself open to the music and it just comes through,” Love said. “To me, it’s just as much of a teaching for me as it is for anyone who is listening to it and is open to it.”
Tickets can be purchased at Vashon Theatre, vashontheatre.com, or at the door, for $18 to $25.
Caspar Babypants at CES
Well-known musician Caspar Babypants will serve up kids’ tunes for free at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, thanks to sponsorship from Vashon Youth and Family Services and the Chautauqua Elementary School PTSA as well as a King County Community Engagement grant.
Although the concert is free, any donations will be accepted and proceeds will fund scholarships to Vashon Kids, VYFS’s before and after school care for kids aged 5 to 12 located at Chautauqua Elementary School.
Joshua James at the Roasterie
Americana musician Joshua James will bring his tunes to the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie in an intimate evening of music at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 9.
Born and raised in Nebraska, James found solace early on in old records. He moved to Utah, where he began writing songs while studying nursing.
“Leaving your home, your family, and living somewhere without the support of that structure is going to cause you to change,” he said. “I suppose it caused me to expand my view of the world, people, culture, god, the pursuit of a career, money and its effect on a man.”
Those themes and the hard-edged landscapes of these states seep into the compositions on “My Spirit Sister,” James’s newest album, in which the musician draws inspiration from the parts of people that remain hidden to those closest to them.
“I’m in constant flux with being true to myself, perhaps we all are, but this record really feels like an honest endeavor to me,” James said of his newest album. “I enjoy the connection that can exist when becoming vulnerable and the easiest way for me to do that is through song.”
Tickets, $16, are available at Vashon Bookshop or brownpapertickets.com.
JD Hobson at the Red Bike
When country and Americana meet the delta blues, you get a whole new genre. You get the JD Hobson Band.
Hobson combines his Virginia Appalachian blues roots with Seattle’s Americana and rock scene, and a sound is created that has people standing up to take notice.
Hobson was born and raised in Seattle, yet his father comes from the Appalachian blues country of Virginia. The seed was planted in JD as he grew up listening to his father’s music on the radio.
Studying under greats like John Jackson, David Honeyboy Edwards, and John Cephis at Centrum in Port Townsend helped JD hone his craft. The end result is that JD has an exceptional feel for most roots music. His ability to grasp every nuance down to the minutest inflection has become his hallmark.
The JD Hobson Band is the natural evolution of JD’s solo career, and his fans have responded by selling out a number of shows locally in the Seattle area including the Tractor Tavern.
The JD Hobson Band is composed of four members: Dan Infecto on bass, who toured for years with Bob Wayne as one of his “Outlaw Carnies,” often opening for Hank Williams III. Then there is Mike Peterson on drums, and Ron Weinstein (Suffering F*ckheads, Crack Sabbath), who packs a genuine Hammond B3 organ with Leslie speaker to every show. The sound of the organ and its rotating speaker adds a mesmerizing depth to every song.
This show does not have a cover charge and is an all-ages show until 11pm, 21+ after that.
