Live music will be a twice-a-week thing for residents of Enumclaw and Buckley, as bands have been booked for local, outdoor concerts through the end of August.
Buckley’s musical offerings are becoming something of a tradition for regular attendees who can look forward to a fourth summer of entertainment. In Enumclaw, it’s a different tune: for the first time, a weekly series has been planned.
The entertainment gets rolling this week and lovers of live music will have 10 concerts to choose from. All are free, planned and promoted by the cities of Buckley and Enumclaw. In both communities, concert-goers can bring chairs, blankets and picnic baskets.
Buckley’s Summer Concert Series gets rolling this week. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn next to the Youth Activity Center, nestled snugly between River Avenue and the highway. Here’s the schedule:
• July 11 – The New Blues Brothers will play rhythm and blues from the 1960s and ‘70s, from Memphis to Motown.
• July 18 – Megs McLean is a country singer/songwriter who has opened for the likes of Clint Black, Sara Evans, Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis.
• July 25 – Got ’90s?, covering all the iconic artists from the 1990s.
• August 1 – The Coats, the Northwest’s premier a cappella band.
• August 8 – Wally and the Beaves, music and fun from the 1960s and ‘70s.
In conjunction with the concerts, Buckley hosts a country market that runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Expect food vendors and all types of artists.
Enumclaw’s first-time series, billed as Evenings on Railroad, also will be a five-week venture. The name ties in with the venue, Rotary Centennial Park, on the corner of Railroad Street and Griffin Avenue. All shows will begin at 6:30 p.m.
• August 2 – Dakota Poorman, a country-flavored singer/songwriter.
• August 9 – the Barrelhouse Gang play 1920s-style jazz: think swing dances, brass bands and Mardis Gras parties.
• August 16 – the T-Town Aces bill themselves as an “elec-tro-fied” blues band.
• August 23 – Allison Shirk will blend her Texas country roots with a love of vocal jazz and blues.
• August 30 – Billy Brandt is a singer, guitarist and composer. His website says his music “has working-class appeal that radiates masculine charm and chutzpah. He has a voice like dark roasted coffee with a hint of cream.”
If that’s not enough, local residents can make the short jaunt to Allan Yorke Park in Bonney Lake. Just across from the beach is Tunes @ Tapps, which annually attracts some fairly well-known names and has been knows to attract 1,000 or more for popular shows.
The Bonney Lake series shapes up like this: July 10, the cover band SWAY; July 17, Folsom Prism delivers the songs of Johnny Cash; July 24, smooth jazz by Darren Motamedy; July 31, The Coats; Aug. 7, Anthem, a Rush cover band; Aug. 14, The Beatniks deliver pop and rock to huge crowds; and Aug. 21, Heart By Heart, playing songs made popular by Seattle megastars Heart (including original members who are in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame).
