Music Groups, Musicians, and Venues in Tri-Cities Washington
About the Music Scene
The music scene in the Tri-Cities is still somewhat of an underground experience and is summarized as follows:- What's Happening?
- Acoustic, Blues, Jazz, and Venues
- Christian
- Gospel
- Rock, Metal, Alternative, and Venues
- The Archives
What's happening?
To find out what's happening around the various venues in the Tri-Cities, check the following event calendars:- Bookwalter Winery (acoustic, blues, jazz)
- The Entertainer
- grüvr
- Tri-CityEvents.com
- Tri-CityHerald.com
Acoustic, Blues, and Jazz Music
The Mary Lou & Stevie Show
The Mary Lou and Stevie Show (GrooveTC.com), starring Mary Lou Gnoza and Stevie Haberman, is broadcast live from the Red Lion Hotel at Columbia Center (Kennewick) every Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on KONA 610 AM. The show continues until 9 p.m. as they perform your favorite, danceable music from many genres including broadway, jazz, and blues.
You are invited to join them and their special guests to learn more about local arts and entertainment events, and to listen to them jam with special musical artists. In addition, you may listen to their most recent recording or dig deep into their audio archives from their website.
Swing Unlimited
Swing Unlimited is non-profit group that was formed in 1979 and performs Big Band era music at dances, dinners, weddings, parties, and charitable events throughout the Mid-Columbia region.For more information, contact Larry Bunch at (509) 943-0668 (eMail: wildbunch@aol.com) or Len Hutchens at (509) 783-9967.
The Tri-Cities Jazz Society
The Tri-Cities Jazz Society sponsors Sunday afternoon jazz dances at the Pasco Eagles starting at 1 PM. The Sunday afternoon event is attractive to dancers, listeners, students, and musicians. Music is provided by the Royal R.E.A.C. band on the second and fourth Sundays with music provided by other bands including Dave Clark and The Enhanced Spotted Owl Jazz Band.
Band and Solo Artist Biographies
A biography list of some of the individuals and groups who play acoustic, blues, and jazz music in the Tri-Cities is provided below:
Andy Plymale (acoustic jazz)
Baja Blues Band (blues, some jazz)
Barry Bergstrom (jazz sax)
BlueZette (retro classics from the 60's & 70's)
Brian Holbrook Guitarist (acoustic, indie, folk)
The Columbia Jazz Trio (american jazz standards)
D. Robert Burroughs (electro-acoustic violin)
Doug Rice Guitarist (acoustic fingerstyle, jazz, rock, funk, and blues)
Eddie Manzanares (Latin flair for smooth mood or high energy)
Gary Danielson (jazz sax)
Gregg Belisle-Chi (indie, jazz, funk) - also, check out his
other site
Kevin Selby (smooth sounds) - also, check out
The Kevin Selby Experiment
Norm Karin (jazz/pop guitarist)
Rachel Bade-McMurphy Quartet (traditional and contemporary jazz)
The Real Smooth as Jazz (smooth jazz)
Romagossa Blu (folk-rock, Latin, reggae, blues)
Straight Up Jazz (cool jazz, ballads, soul jazz, swing, bebop,
latin, blues and fusion)
Sudden Riff (blues, gospel, jazz)
Wayman Chapman (blues, R&B, jazz)
Acoustic, Blues, and Jazz Music Venues
Coffee shops and other establishments such as The Crow's Nest - Clover Island Inn (Kennewick), Cynergy Cafe & Wine Bar (Kennewick), Expresso World (Richland), Katya's Restaurant & Wine Bar (Richland), Roxy Wine Bar (Kennewick), Sage Port Grill (Richland), and Tagaris Winery (Richland) occasionally host a live music performance.
Bookwalter Winery (Richland) hosts several music performances each week and Preston Premium Wines (Pasco) hosts Vino Notte (wine night) every Friday evening during the summer months,
Christian Music
Gather4Him, a Pasco-based ministry, sponsors The Gathering, an annual youth outreach event that has been held each year since 2001. You may see photos from the 2008 Gathering event at www.nwcricket.com. The Gathering 2009 event is scheduled for March 13-14 at Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.
In addition, Gather4Him formed The Gathering Records and has produced a couple of CDs that are available from their store that feature performances by Mantle, September Motion, Broken, and other performers.
Band and Solo Artist Biographies
A short biography list of some of the performers who play Christian music in the Tri-Cities is provided below.
Adam Watters (Christian / Acoustic / Rock)
Birdhouse - formerly known as Hill of Beans (Contemporary Christian Music)
Brazen Layver (Christian / Powerpop / Rock)
Broken (Christian / Rock)
Bryson Foster (Christian / Hip Hop / Rap)
Chris Hightower (Christian / Metal / Other)
Josh Romaine (Christian Rap / Hip Hop / Christian)
Mantle (Christian / Progressive / Rock)
Note: this band is carrying on the tradition of the Chris Culver Band.
The Morning (Progressive / Christian / Rock)
The Poor (Christian rock)
Phat Cat (Christian Rap / Christian / Hip Hop)
Scott and Luisa Campbell (Contemporary Christian Music)
September Motion (Gospel / Indie / Ambient)
Christian Music Events
The following resources can be used to find Christian related music performances in the Tri-Cities region:- CCAuthority.com
- ChristianConcerts.com
- iTickets.com
- Positive Life Radio
- www.nwcricket.com shows photos from past performances in the Tri-Cities and other communities in Washington.
Gospel
If you enjoy great gospel music with a message of hope, you will love listening to Pamela Kinsey. She was one of twenty performers at Gospel Fest 2008, a non-profit fundraising event that was held during May 2008 in Mineral, WA. In addition, she performed at Spirit Fest 2008 that was held in Richland.
Pamela Kinsey (gospel with shades of jazz and R&B)
Rock, Metal, and Alternative Music
Tracy Roberts and Tri-CityEvents.com
Tracy Roberts is a professional event planner and maintains Tri-CityEvents.com. She was the coordinator for Meltdown Music Fest 2008 that was held June 27 & 28 (note: you can get a sneak peak of the Meltdown Music Fest 2008 CD!). Also, check out some of the interviews of musicians that played during Meltdown Music Fest 2007.
Band Biographies
A short biography list of some of the groups who play rock, metal and alternative music in the Tri-Cities is provided below. More band biographies can be found at Tri-CityEvents.com.
45th Parallel (rock, alternative, progressive)
Black Cat Bone (blues, rock, classic rock)
Blue is Cold (alt. country, americana, roots rock)
Chase Thompson and the Reach (alternative, pop, rock)
ChoiceFatal (metal, alternative, rock)
Colorblind (rock and roll)
Eclectic Approach (hip-hop, rock, funk)
From The Dust (metal, rock, alternative)
Four Rivers Band (classic rock)
Highway 12 (classic rock)
IV (classic and progressive rock)
Mister Orange (rock)
Mo Syllablez (hip hop)
Mortal Remains (death metal)
MudShark (rock, alternative, southern rock)
Nasty Jack (rock)
Plastic Soul (pop/soul)
Retread (classic rock 'n roll)
The Shades (classic rock and pop)
Slow Dance Fast (easy listening, pop, soul)
The Millionaires Club (alternative rock, blues)
The Vaughn Jensen Group
(blues / southern rock / indie)
Rock, Metal, and Alternative Music Venues
The venues that are listed below have frequent live music events:
Kennewick
The Branding Iron - 213 W Kennewick Ave, 586-9292
Ice Harbor Brewing Company - 206 N Benton St, 582-5340
Jack•son's Sports Bar & Restaurant, 3320 W Kennewick Ave, 783-4392
King of Clubs at Classic Island Casino, 8418 W Gage Blvd, 374-3289
Parkade Bar & Grill - 207 W Kennewick Ave, 586-6006
The Pub - 7001 West Clearwater Avenue, 735-7868
The Red Room - 711Vineyard Dr., 626-253-6007
Trash - 117 W Kennewick Ave, 586-7878
Richland
Dax's Bar & Grill - 1004 Lee Blvd, 946-4884
Jack•son's Sports Bar & Restaurant, 99 Lee Blvd., 946-8118
Kimo's Sports Bar - 2696 N Columbia Center Blvd., 783-5747
Ray's Golden Lion - 1353 George Washington Wy, 946-0606
Uptown Bar & Grill - 1373 George Washington Wy, 946-5330
The Archives
321 Art Space
321 Art Space (closed) -
the former owner still runs www.funkytonkrecords.com
Ivory Jazz
Ivory Jazz (closed) - an extensive collection of photos and flyers from past events are
available for viewing.
Reactor - Tri-Cities' Magazine
Reactor - Tri-Cities' Magazine was a great publication that followed the local music scene and more. Unfortunately, this publication ceased with the August 2007 issue. However, back issues are still available online in PDF format.
For example, the Spring/Summer 2007 Issue (PDF) issue of Reactor magazine published information on some of the performers listed below:
- Carollee Jazz Trio - standards, light jazz and blues (page 22)
- Groundwater - jazz funk, rock, fusion, jam band (page 22)
- Jack Hotel - jazz piano (page 23)
- Minor Damage - modern jazz quartet (page 23)
- Within Reason - jazz fusion & originals (page 22)
Tri-City Music Archive
The Tri-City Music Archive was an ambitious project that started in 2005 to serve as a visual history of underground and independent music from the Tri-Cities. The last flyer archive update was in August 2006. The archive currently has 468 flyers going back to the early '90s associated with 576 bands and 56 venues. The flyers section still allows anyone to leave a comment on a flyer to share a good memory from the show or just to let others know you were there!