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 …

You may know Arrington de Dionyso from his other alter ego as the front-man of Old Time Relijun. When I saw the band open for HEALTH at SXSW back in 2007, it was one of those special moments – the kind you never forget. Shows like this, ones with wild stage antics, are the best to photograph and the best to watch. Grabbing a bass clarinet, an instrument whose presence is odd in virtually all forms of music with exception to classical, de Dionyso crafts breathtaking chaos.

This is it, the last call. The last show. And yet it’s a first for me; my first time visiting the Department Of Safety in Anacortes. The evening began with a brief drive along dark highways to the town known most, perhaps, for its ferry system connecting mainland Washington with the San Juan Islands. Eight years before, in 2002, the Department Of Safety opened with a show featuring performances from Karl Blau, P:Ano, and, among others, Microphones. This night would be quite similar, though also …