Alaska Music Zine (2025)

17/06/2025

Alicia Lespin .mua at the Monday Night Jazz jam produced by in the beautiful K Street Market space hosted by in downtown Anchorage, Alaska.

17/06/2025

What a TREAT to catch Corwyn Wilkey on the horn down at the weekly Monday Night Jazz jam put on by hosted in the beautiful K Street Market space by in the heart of downtown Anchorage, Alaska.

10/06/2025

WrickLuv
Williwaw Social
03.29.25

You never know what you’ll find on stage during a Thursday night showcase in Alaska which is why you should never miss a chance to enjoy live music!

How can I describe WrickLuv? They live somewhere at the intersection of alternative rock, pop punk, funk, and something born entirely of their own imagination. In their own words, the band originated in the living room of a home in the Fairview neighborhood in the early 2000s and if life and our environments influence our art that tells you everything you need to know about the vibrant, energetic, and unique flavors of this band.

They don’t perform often anymore, so it was a treat to see them on stage with Weathermore and ATF, but when they jammed under the name Wrick Luv & Tha Poverty Pimps, they played with other local artists such as Saucy Yoda and on stages we miss such as Taproot.

We love it when bands emerge from the weave and weft of our local music scene because it reminds us where we’ve been and, when they share their art with us, it influences us all in whatever direction we happen to be going in ways big and small, and those little reminders of who and what has come before make all of us stronger and better.

If it has been a while since you played, no matter how long, and you loved it and sometimes you even miss it, reach out to your old buddies in the industry, find a gig, and get back on that stage. It will bring more joy and meaning to this community than you can possibly imagine.

02/04/2025

Weathermore is an alternative rock band sharing original songs in Anchorage, Alaska.

They debuted as the opener for The Hoon at Koot’s in May last year and we were so happy to catch them at Williwaw Social opening for Wrickluv and Alaska Thunder Funk last weekend.

There are three musicians in this band: Andy on guitar and vocals, Evan on bass and vocals, and Nick on drums. There is a lot of Alaskan music history between these three players and even more unrivaled skill.

Andy is what you might call the original punk rock kid here in Anchorage. In an interview with Anchorage Press years ago he told them that he started a garage band and played loudly and obnoxiously in his parents’ home at all hours after they forced him to move here from Colorado in 1999. Most recently he played with a local fan favorite called Rival Dads and we are so happy to see him on stage with a new project.

We remember Evan from his days behind the drum kit for an early 2000s local band called The Riot. Come to find out he is equally as skilled as a singer, songwriter, and bass player, and that he is a powerful youth mentor and coach, too. Does that make him the triple threat? Quadruple threat? What comes after quadruple? We don’t know. He’s a badass and we love this new-to-us iteration of Evan as band frontman and multi-instrumentalist.

Nick is one of the most talented, fast, and hard-hitting percussionists we have ever heard. When we found out about this new project we were shocked to learn Evan wasn’t playing drums but then we heard Nick at the kit and knew immediately we were witnessing something special. He also plays with a moody hard rock band from Palmer called The Quiet Cull. We hope Weathermore will start booking more shows so we can come to know this enigmatic drummer better.

This group doesn’t play live often, at least not yet, but they have played stages such as Koot’s, Van’s, and Williwaw in their first year together, so there is a good chance you might catch them there again.

Please follow Weathermore and support this new project for experienced local musicians who are devoted to playing really well right in their home town.

Andy L Ball

01/04/2025

There is plenty of time to learn all of the notes. 🎶

While you are young, learn to listen to the songs others share and, most importantly, learn to feel the emotions that only music can convey. ✨

While you are young, prioritize the training of your ear and the conditioning of your heart. ♥️

Who is your favorite youth musician or mentor of young artists and performers? 💕

Tag them in this post and tell them what a great job they are doing at shaping the future of live music and the arts. 👏

They need those words of encouragement right now. 🙏

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028/100

30/03/2025

Listen, we love a Friday or Saturday night rock and roll show as much as the next person, obviously, but let us make a case for the weeknight early evening open mic as well.

You’re more likely to hear songs about places you know, like the Turnagain arm and Homer and Hope.

You’re more likely to run into members of your community who have this hidden talent or secret passion they cannot wait to share and it will feel so good for the both of you to stand in that act of bravery it takes to get up on stage for the first time.

You’re more likely to see young people on stage, the ones who are nowhere near old enough for the bar scene and are as a result locked out of most performance venues, and as you smile at their silliness and their wiggles it will occur to you that you are supporting the future of the rock and roll shows you love to frequent late at night on Fridays and Saturdays, and that feels so good.

Rage City Vintage holds an all-ages, family-friendly open mic for musicians, poets, and performers on the last Thursday of each month from 6:00-9:00 PM in the heart of Spenard. Follow the red glowing sign for Live Music. Xena will greet you at the door.
city.vintage
Rage City Vintage

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027/100

27/03/2025

We found this incredible band in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo while we were there, because of course we did, and we cannot stop thinking about the experience.

Azul Salitre is a Santana tribute from Morelia and to hear them live is a wall-of-sound experience; two vocalists, two percussionists, a charismatic bass player, a brilliant keys player, and one of the best guitar players I’ve ever heard.

This venue is called Los Mandiles Roof Top and it was an enjoyable experience as well. Drinks and food everywhere; happy, dancing, well-dressed, beautiful people all about; a carefree ambiance with a good vibe, the band visible to all in attendance from their elevated position, the tops of high-rise hotels visible just behind them.

There was a promoter there like the ones we have here who was also an amazing musician and another photographer as well, and we connected in helping one another get the best shot.

The whole experience made me feel not small or insignificant as it might have but rather connected in an important way to musicians and their communities around the world.

I don’t know if they’d want to come here or if they’d enjoy it if they did, but it would be cool to share them with music fans in Alaska.

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18/03/2025

If the blues are the gritty cousin of jazz music then this is a picture worth far more than a thousand words. 🎹 🎶 🎙️

We found Dr. Nicholas Petumenos at the keys filling in for the regular guy at the Billiard Palace’s Sunday night jam with Rebel Blues, and if the sub on keys has a doctorate of musical arts in jazz guitar performance and is currently teaching in the music college at the local university…

We don’t even know what else to say; that whole sentence speaks for itself.

This jam happens every Sunday and as is true of most events such as this one it is all the more special when people show up with their instruments to hang out and make music.

We have enjoyed Dr. Petumenos when he plays keys for the Ed Washington Washington Experience and in other musical iterations in our state, and you are certainly enjoying a world-class experience if you happen to be learning from him in college.

We know that there is a disproportionate wealth of musical ability in this sparsely populated state but even when we are confronted with it first hand we are still blown away.

Show up to the local jams, my friends; never miss an opportunity to grow.

anchorage

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16/100

09/03/2025

The boys are back in town!

After some time off and a trip out of state to record their first full length album, Black Barrel and the Bad Men came home and played one hell of a show at Williwaw Social.

Their sound keeps evolving, becoming more polished as they grow, but still the grit and the fun remain, and the smiles, always the smiles.

If you missed their Williwaw show you have a couple more chances to catch them in March:

03/14 and 03/15 at the Sitz
03/21 at Bear Tooth with Casey Smith Project
03/22 at Hatcher Pass

06/03/2025

Did you hear Dela Rosa at Arctic Entries last night?!

We have been enjoying their singing for a long time and we have to say that they have never sounded better.

The number of notes they know and that they can find with confidence during a live performance truly boggles the mind. This is a powerful voice, friends, truly stunning.

For performers like Dela Rosa, it is not just the singing, it is the entire presentation of their character, their stage persona, that the audience is lucky to enjoy, and it takes a tremendous amount of work! From training their voice to putting on makeup to curating a closet of costumes and unique looks, not to mention the time it takes to get ready before a show, these drag burlesque musical performers have considered how they will entertain you when they are on stage with everything they do.

If you missed their Arctic Entries performance you have another chance to enjoy Dela Rosa on stage at Williwaw Social on Sunday 03/09 when they sing to raise money for youths experiencing housing and community instability here in Anchorage.

Dela Rosa, thank you for working so hard to make our ears and eyes happy during your performances, we appreciate you!
dela.rosa

05/100

❤️

26/02/2025

The fates have conspired so that the train may depart for Hadestown one final time. Do you have a ticket? If not, you’ll have to walk, and the going won’t be easy, son.

In a surprise move by West High Theater, and with the support of the community, and through the efforts of director Brian Lyke, this amazing production returns to the stage for three more shows February 26-28. If you missed it the first time, how silly, but the fates must be on your side because they have granted you another chance.

Their portrayal of Hades is truly chilling; we always knew the devil wears a suit and tie and he would sing with a devastating voice deep like crimson velvet. Their fates are a trio of voices with skill and performance acumen the likes of which most will never have the privilege to hear live in their lifetimes. This entire cast fills the space and occupies the story so completely that you’ll sit in your seat transfixed from the first note to the last.

And let us not forget your conductor on this ride, your narrator, Hermes, who carries the story from beginning to end with charisma and charm; to catch them in action you’ll get no sneak peeks from us, you must go see the show.

Alaska music community, I’m begging you, if you’re in town this weekend, make time to see this show. These young people are the future of music, dance, and theater in Alaska, they deserve to know their community is large and that it is behind them, and they are more likely to stay or at least return and support it in the future if they know that we are all here for them now.

Hadestown
West High Theater
February 26-28

All aboard.
theatre

14/02/2025

Hadestown: Teen Edition opens at West High School tonight with shows through the weekend and I cannot stress this enough: if you are in Anchorage, you MUST see this show.

Each member of the cast sings well enough to carry a starring role. The live band is bursting with award-winning student-musicians. The female lead perfectly embodies her part with grit and sweetness in equal measure. The male lead is a one-in-a-million vocalist; honestly, he sounds and performs like Eddie Redmayne.

Having come from the very program that is putting this performance I can say with confidence that this is perhaps the best show to ever grace that stage, and outside of Wicked and Hamilton, it is the best theater performance we have ever seen.

Please go support the future of music in Alaska and if you are going on Friday or Saturday night, take us with you!

West Anchorage High School
Brian Lyke

Alaska Music Zine

17/06/2025

17/06/2025

10/06/2025

02/04/2025

01/04/2025

30/03/2025

27/03/2025

18/03/2025

09/03/2025

06/03/2025

26/02/2025

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