2026 has been a year of ups and downs, and it’s only May as of this writing. The next up is a show we’re really looking forward to for several reasons.
First off, it’s the first of what we hope will be many events at Kenyon Hall in West Seattle. This lovely neighborhood theater is recently remodeled and upgraded, and should be an excellent venue for our artists. It’s run as a non-profit, so it fits in with our artistic vision. And there are a couple of handy establishments next door for food and drink.
As for the bill, we’ve got an especially varied combination of artists. There’s the progressive chamber folk of Immensity Crumb, the theatrical art rock of Fian, and the boundary-stretching electric jazz of Rik Wright’s Fundamental Forces.
Please note that due to an illness in the band, this event was cancelled. We will work to reschedule at a future date.
Seaprog is happy to announce a new collaboration with Guaranteed Fresh Fest for a new event series called Off the Record. The idea is to combine favorite vinyl records and live music into a hybrid event that celebrates creativity in music.
Poster for Off the Record event
Yes, it’s Vinyl Culture meets Live Music. That’s the slogan, and it represents an opportunity to bring together favorite music from way back with something new and exciting in the form of a current band playing a live set. Our first event will be on Saturday May 2 at Culture Yard in Fremont, 120 N 35th St. Seattle WA 98103. We’re starting it at 4:30pm and run until 6:00, so you won’t get stuck out late, and if you’re so inclined you can even catch another band later in the evening.
If you’ve got a collection of LPs you love, you can bring one or two to share with everyone, and say a few words about why you think it’s noteworthy. This should be a great way to build connections between fellow fans and argue about their merits — in a friendly way, of course! We all know that tastes differ.
Did we mention live music? Yes! We’re very pleased to be presenting Plash, a Northwest band that’s been around for a few years creating great music. They’ve got a wonderful take on modern music that combines catchy melodies with tricky rhythms in a very engaging way.
Entry will be free, though we’ll be accepting donations to defray expenses.
If you’re on Facebook, you can check out the event page and RSVP.
It seems like every week, there’s news of another music festival going out of business or on hiatus. The current climate, both culturally and financially, just doesn’t seem amenable to events that bring together numerous artists and fans in the way that music festivals do. The situation for individual concerts has changed as well, with popular international artists mounting massive tours with ticket prices into the multiple hundreds of dollars while less-well-known artists struggle to bring in an audience for much more modest sums and local artists play for just tips. We certainly saw this dynamic in play with our Cascadence festival this year.
Gong at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
As we look ahead to the future, we are still committed to presenting creative music in the Northwest, but we’re looking for ways to do it that are sustainable and within our means. After much discussion, we’ve decided on a strategy we hope will work.
Rather than presenting a single big event each year, we plan to stage regular events at venues that have proven friendly to the music we promote. There are a number of consequences that go along with this decision.
First, we won’t be able to invite national and international artists as we have in the past. What we can do is help out touring bands who want to play in the area and just need a local boost and connection.
Second, we will be working with venues other than theaters, which have expenses out of our reach. Luckily, there are a number of locations in the area that have proven amenable to our non-mainstream sensibilities.
Thinking Plague, Seaprog 2013, Columbia City Theater Main Stage, 30 June, 2013. L-R: Kimara Sajn, Bill Pohl, Robin Chestnut, Mark Harris, Dave Willey, Elaine Di Falco, Mike Johnson
Third, we are no longer able to maintain non-profit status. We are eternally grateful to our partners at Shunpike for all they’ve done over the years. They gave us the boost to accomplish some amazing things that we could never have dreamed of without them. However, booking a series of small events at various clubs that have their own ticketing systems just doesn’t fit in with a non-profit model.
We are open to a future in which things change to the point where festivals are once more a practical reality, but we must live within our means, and we hope our long-time attendees will be willing to come along with us in this next phase of our existence.
We hope to be making announcements soon for our first events, so stay tuned.
We are happy to report that we’ve sold all the tickets we can for the reduced size of our new venue. We’re looking forward to an amazing evening of music is a beautiful setting, as the venue overlooks Elliot Bay, with an amazing sunset view (weather permitting).
All ticket holders should have received an email by now with details about the location.
The talented graphic designer Mike Strassburger has designed the official poster for Cascadence 2025. We really love the look of it.
Mike has been creating graphics for music events in the Seattle area for a long time, and you can see more examples of his work on his web site: https://mikestrassburger.com/posters/#posters
And don’t forget what this is all about: Cascadence 2025 is set for June 14.
