Bellingham Rock Community gathers at Puget Neighborhood home

Local bands gather in the basement of a house in the Puget neighborhood weekly as a place to practice, meet fellow musicians and to expand the Bellingham music community.

The house which is located at 420 Edwards Street, has been a spot to play music for about three years but is just now becoming a local hot spot for bands, according to Joel Kenworthy, the lead Saxophonist for the band Actionesse.

The house which consists of five Rock n’ Roll and Folk musicians has become a central place for bands to hold weekly practices.

The studio is lined with sound deafening equipment and has been filled with over ten amplifiers, a communal drum set and an assortment of acoustic instruments, according to Benferd Rollins, a member of the house and of the local band Rivers and Roads.

“This house has become the crossroads for up and coming musicians in Bellingham,” said Kenworthy. 

According to the lead Guitarist for the band Moonhat, Sam Bolt, the house studio has allowed bands such as River and Roads the space in order to practice and flourish in shows.

“This is a strange and meaningful time for musicians in Bellingham because a number of classic bands that have held the scene together are either changing line ups or splitting apart,” said Bolt. 

“There are a lot of musicians right now who are looking to make connections through different jam spaces like our house.”

In the basement studio, it is common for one person to start on the drums and for a guitarist to chime in, according to Rollins.

“It is important in the musical process for people to have the liberty to expand their horizons and to experience playing with different people,” said Bolt.

Kenworthy agrees that it is essential for bands to have a community space in order for new music to be created.

“What you’re practicing when you play music in spaces like the studio, is the interaction of musicians with one another. To change and rotate the membership of who is playing allows bands to be more proficient. It is like immersive learning of the language of music,” said Kenworthy.

According to Bolt, having the space and available equipment has greatly benefited individual bands as well.

“It has been a very important process for our band Moonhat in getting ourselves together, having a comfortable and consistent environment in which to write songs and arrange music. I don’t think we would be able to accomplish anything that we have if it weren’t for having a place like our home to get together,” said Bolt.

Bolt has noticed the benefits of the studio on Rollin’s band, Rivers and Roads after hearing them practice multiple times a week and then hearing them flourish in local Bellingham bars and venues.

The members of the Edwards Street house have created a strict curfew as a respect to neighbors, at which all musicians must stop playing by 10:00 p.m.

There has been no noise complaints from surrounding residents.

Creating this respectful environment in the neighborhood has allowed the studio to continue becoming a spot where musicians feel welcome and encouraged to chime in, according to Bolt.

“It is nice to be able to provide the space for people to find an outlet for their creativity. It is really enlightening to be exposed to people who are comfortable playing music and sharing what they love to do,” said Bolt. “I am privileged to be in a place where I so commonly come across people who are making something out of their creative desires.”