Not every great event in Seattle is one that we sponsor, and we want to do our part to support good music no matter who’s presenting it.
Poster for 2026 Psychedelic Spring Equinox event
Coming up on Saturday April 4 at the Blue Moon Tavern in the University District is the 2026 Psychedelic Spring Equinox event sponsored by Sol Disk. The featured artists are our old friends Nosretep along with Power Skeleton, Flame Tree, and the Welch / Keplinger duo.
There’s an event page on Facebook, so get it on your calendar and show up to support the artists!
Nosretep needs no introduction here, but maybe Power Skeleton is not as well known to our followers. They describe themselves as “originators of psychedelic hobo death trance,” which is a phrase that should get your creative wheels turning. They’ve got some music on Bandcamp, so you can pop over there to check it out.
Flame Tree is a long-running psychedelic band that appeared at our 2015 festival as Nik Turner’s backing band. There have been some changes in the ranks since them, but the spirit lives on.
If the names Welch and Keplinger sound familiar, it’s probably because Neil Welch (saxophones, effects) and Gregg Keplinger (drums, percussion) are both luminaries on the Seattle experimental scene, having appeared with many other artists as well as on their own. This duo presentation should be a wild ride from these two powerhouses!
Mind Beams is a Seattle area group that features Meredith Myre on vocals, Alex Stys on bass, Derek Palaniuk on drums, and Dustin Williams on guitar, and their music is an intense blend of space rock, post-punk, and their own special sauce. They’re no strangers to mixing up the time signatures, but they don’t make a fetish of it. The riffs hit hard, but never overstay their welcome or descend into mindless jamming. We like our jamming with mind intact, thank you!
We are very happy to announce a new event, our first at Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown. On Friday March 13, you can catch Moraine in their first performance in a very long time, along with mind-bending heavy math trio Nosretep and mind-beaming band Mind Beams. Jules Maes Saloon is a venue that’s friendly to original music, and can certainly be called one of the oldest bars in Seattle, if not the oldest. The establishment dates back to 1888, though it was founded under a different name just down the block from its current location. It’s a hub for cultural (and culinary!) activity in the Georgetown neighborhood. It’s safe to say that the patrons of the saloon in 1888 would be disoriented to see how it (and the surrounding area) have changed in the intervening decades.
Moraine in 2025, photo by Danette Davis
Moraine is no stranger to our events, having played at our first festival in 2013 and several times since. But they’ve never been a band to sit still, and they’re now operating as a six-piece with the reintroduction of cellist Ruth Davidson, who was one of the group’s founders, but left for many years. They’ve got some old material revamped for the new configuration as well as new tunes specifically designed for six instruments. Their three albums on Moonjune Records show a band with a unique take on the combination of chamber music with rock,
Nosretep live at Sea Monster 26 Nov 2025
Nosretep has also appeared at multiple Seaprog events, and they’ve also undergone some changes, resurfacing in 2025 after a long hiatus with a new album, and now a new bassist, Ursula Stewart. Ursula has played in other groups on the local scene for many years (Sugar Skulls, The Glutz), and she’s an exciting addition to Nosretep, joining Mike Peterson (drums) and Igor Abuladze (guitar). They play tunes from their two studio albums as well as new material, and they never fail to put on a show that is both intense and precise. They manage a balance of technical virtuosity and hard rock accessibility that’s been impressing audiences for years. Their music is available on Bandcamp.
Mind Beams
Mind Beams has been around for a while in Western Washington, but this will be their first time playing an event for us. They’ve got a sound that draws on psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and more. Meredith Myre (vocals), Alex Stys (bass), Derek Palaniuk (drums), and Dustin Williams (guitar) released an EP in 2025 called Ashes, and you can check it out on their Bandcamp page.
We’re looking forward to this amazing bill, and our first event at Jules Maes. Advance tickets are available now for the mind-bogglingly reasonable price of $10, so save yourself a bit of cash and pick them up now. This is a show you don’t want to miss.
Seaprog events have featured a long string of creative bands from Bellingham. Considering the talents of Ibex, Shimmertraps, Spine Readers, and The Sheen, and adding Smooth Kiwi, the border town has an impressive per-capita rate of musicality.
Smooth Kiwi is an alternative psychedelic pop rock band made up of five passionate goofy individuals. Like a fresh kiwi, their music is vibrant, sweet, and satisfying. They blend groove-centric jams with sensual vocals, funky bass lines, tasteful drumming and an exploration of atmospheric guitar/synth tones to create a variety of sound from song to song. They have a wide-variety of influences. (Pond, The Beatles, Explosions in the Sky, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Radiohead, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Tears For Fears) to name a “few”. They came together and jammed for the first time in late 2018 and a few months later Smooth Kiwi was born.
As the saying goes: What a long strange trip it’s been!
As we’ve described elsewhere, the path to last weekend’s events was far from straight. Sometimes it feels like we’re just a bunch of kids saying “Let’s put on a show!” but reality includes a whole bunch of complications like having to pay people, tracking lots of moving parts, and figuring out how to keep everyone on on the same page… or at least in the same book. But all of the effort paid off last weekend, and once again, it’s the music that pulls us through. That and the people who make it.
Friday 13 June — Seaprog Presents
Kitsune at Substation, 13 June 2025
This stellar event at the Substation kicked off with Kitsune. Coming into this night, they were surely the least known of all our artists, but it’s safe to say they acquitted themselves well, presenting a double-sided set of songs on the themes of Mars (angular, abrasive rock) and Venus (somewhat gentler but still angular rock). Lead singer Lyam White brought the theatricality with his fox mask and dramatic vocalizations, while the band backed him with unpredictable music full of odd meters and unexpected chords.
Julie Slick at Substation, 13 June 2025
Julie Slick has graced our stages before as a member of both Troot and EchoTest, but this is her first appearance as a solo performer — well, almost solo, as she invited Rachael Beaver up to sing a bit. Utilizing an impressive bank of electronic devices, she combined impressive technique with an accessible melodic sensibility. She also managed the trick of using backing tracks of her EchoTest bandmates and keeping it interesting as a live performance. She offers proof that a musician doesn’t have to jump around on stage to engage an audience. Rachael’s vocals were superb, powerful and soulful, a perfect match for the music.
Moon Letters at Substation, 13 June 2025
As a celebration of their new release, This Dark Earth, Moon Letters started off their set with a live rendition of the entire album in sequence, even the acoustic instrumental “Lonely Moon.” As good as the album is, the audience was treated to an intense and energetic set that really brought it to life. Then they launched into some favorites from their two earlier albums.
With a style that blends the classic sounds of 70s progressive rock and modern elements, Moon Letters is a band that can be enjoyed by people who think they don’t like progressive rock. They play seriously complex music and make it entertaining, with an endearingly honest DIY showmanship. They finished to a rousing ovation. They’re leaving on a European tour shortly, and this performance demonstrates that they’re ready to wow audiences on any continent.
Saturday 14 June — Cascadence 2025
June 14 was an incredibly active day around the country, full of tension and protest, so Bill Horist’s guitar wizardry was a welcome start to the evening.
Bill Horist at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
From a room overlooking Elliott Bay, he turned his guitar into a tool to create abstract sounds, full of fascinating overtones and sonic textures. Utilizing such devices as forceps, singing bowls, a small cymbal, a screwdriver, wine corks, table knives, and metal rods, along with an eBow, a hand-held fan, and mallets, he produced a seamless half hour of spontaneously meditative sound. The audience sat in silence, rapt at his artistry, almost seeming to hold their collective breath for the entire set.
Kathy Moore Super Power at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
Kathy Moore calls her music “prog-punk,” and that label captures something of the complexity and power she brings to the stage. Her Super Power band included Julie Slick on bass (only four strings this time!), Jessica Lurie on saxophone, and Luca Cartner on drums, and they navigated Moore’s music perfectly. From moments so quiet as to be almost inaudible to powerful rock anthems, this was a set to be remembered. It was astounding how respectful the audience was during the quiet parts, completely focused on the almost-whispered words and gentle chords.
Gong at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
As we’ve mentioned in the past, Gong hasn’t performed in Seattle for well over 20 years, and the current incarnation of the band has never been here before. Given the fantastic weather, the welcoming audience, and the cozy venue, it’s safe to say we made a good impression on them. It’s also safe to say that they made a good impression on us. With a tight set of songs spanning the band’s history and a spectacular visual show from Steven Kennedy-Williams, this was an event that no one will soon forget.
Gong at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
This version of Gong has a sound that’s more reliant on guitars than has generally been the case, but Fabio Golfetti’s glissando guitar filled the role normally played by synthesizers, with echoing swoops and sweeps that transported the music into outer space. Dave Sturt’s fretless bass kept things anchored, and Cheb Nettles was a monster on the drums. Kavus Torabi’s guitar and vocals are the new focus of the band, and Ian East provides the alternate melodic interest with his saxophones. Their rendition of “Master Builder” was stunning, with the famous riff put through many rhythmic permutations that built up from near-silence to jaw-dropping intensity.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Events like this don’t organize themselves, and it takes much more than just a Central Committee to make them happen. We always try to acknowledge all of the help we get, and we want everyone to know how much we appreciate it.
First of all, we need to thank the artists who participated. We know that modest festivals like ours can’t pay your bills on their own, and it takes a lot of effort before you even arrive at the venue. Presenting your talents and your art in a welcoming setting is what we aim to do.
Audience members at Water Sines Studios, 14 June 2025
We need to recognize our audience and supporters, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. Your trust in us to bring you something you’ll enjoy is what makes it possible to do these crazy things. So whether you just discovered us or were there in 2013, thanks from the bottom of our hearts!
The view from Water Sines Studios
On a more recent and practical level, we’d like to call out the staff and management of the Substation for welcoming our motley crowd into your venue. Sid Genette and his cohorts at Water Sines Studios deserve more gratitude than we can express for providing such an amazing setting on Saturday night, and doing it in such a short time frame. DB Wood helped out immensely with technical setup, and we also need to thank everyone who stepped up to lend us microphones, stands, and other gear. Steve Kennedy-Williams came on board at the last minute to give us some trippy visuals that enhanced the effect of Gong’s music.
And finally, we’d like to thank Shunpike, our fiscal sponsor, without whom we probably wouldn’t even be able to exist. James and Jo and their colleagues have been super helpful with our fluctuating needs throughout the planning of the events.
