We arrived at What The Heck after perusing Shipwreck Day and grabbing some eats at Gere-A-Deli to catch the second half of Takhoma’s set. On stage was Phil Elverum and another fellow I met briefly the day after (Sunday) but failed to get a name. Elverum was on drums and the unnamed guy played guitar and sang. Read More »Takhoma: Live at What The Heck Fest 2011
In the photo above you can see Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie, Microphones, D+), Calvin Johnson (The Cave Dwellers, The Halo Benders, K Records), and Karl Blau (Karl Blau, D+). So yes, it is that time of year again. The sun is out (for once) in Western Washington and all the unique individuals in Anacortes come out of their hiding places (and their friends come up from Olympia) for the annual What The Heck Fest! I went last year (hence the above photo) and things went down like this: watched some bands in a park, ate a sandwich in town, watched more bands, slept some, took a walk to Whistle Lake with some friends, watched more bands, drank some beers.
Read More »What The Heck Fest! 2011 Edition! 
My first Calvin Johnson live experience was in Moscow, Idaho at a little cafe. He stood on this little rickety wooden chair that looked as though it was about to collapse. The room was dark and he towered over everyone. He hit The Business on Saturday at What The Heck Fest and, like that first experience, this one was packed. I could hear him in the background, but the sheer quantity of people packing the small Anacortes record store kept the visuals at a minimum. Thankfully, I had a chance to see him perform yet again that afternoon at Causland Park, this time with the backing band The Hive Dwellers. Read More »The Hive Dwellers: Live at What The Heck Fest 2010
The Gift Machine is Dave Matthies, who has been writing, recording and performing under the moniker, to my knowledge, since at least 1999 when a track or so of his appeared on a now out of print EP adequately titled Stuff Vol. 1. As many projects with roots in Anacortes and Olympia go, this one hasn’t always been just about Matthies. It has featured the honorable Phil Elverum (Microphones, Mount Eerie) and Karl Blau, among numerous others. Matthies is also one of the founders of What The Heck, so his presence makes perfect sense given his more recent transplantation to San Diego. Read More »The Gift Machine: Live at What The Heck Fest 2010
