American Blues and Soul Singer Martha Redbone at WICA

 A music icon will grace the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) mainstage on September 28 at 7:30 p.m. with a performance by vocalist, songwriter, composer, and educator Martha Redbone. Drawing from her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky, and infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn, the Martha Redbone Roots Project has been called “a brilliant collision of cultures…” by The New Yorker Magazine. Redbone has also been featured at The Kennedy Center and on PBS.

Redbone and her ensemble of masterful musicians take their audiences on an American music journey through times past and present, weaving the sounds of her childhood and her ancestral homelands in coal country, Harlan County, KY, celebrating the music of her multi-cultural Southeastern heritage. Music that conjures up stories from the early days of the mountain, embodying the folk, blues and gospel sounds from the ancestors of the Black migration mixed with Indigenous foundation of the region. Martha Redbone and her band invite you through sound and story to her HOME.

"We are thrilled to bring the Martha Redbone Roots Project to WICA," says Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. "This is an unbelievable chance to see Redbone in a smaller, more intimate performance space. As a community arts center, we focus on creating opportunities like this for our patrons, giving them the chance to witness such amazing talent on our mainstage. This is really an experience that should not to be missed."

Tickets are currently on sale for the performance at WICA, which, along with Martha Redbone (vocals, percussion), will feature Aaron Whitby (Piano), Charlie Burnham (Violin), and Fred Cash, Jr. (Bass). Please visit the event website to learn more about this and to purchase tickets for this exciting programming opportunity.

World-Renowned DjangoFest Northwest Returns to Whidbey Island

For more than two decades, DjangoFest Northwest (DFNW) has brought the beauty of Django music to Whidbey Island. This year’s festival, which will take place at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) September 18-22, will be no different. Offering five days of incredible music, vibrant energy, and unforgettable performances, this heritage festival will showcase the very best of Django music in the beautiful Village by the Sea.

“It’s such an honor to host these talented Django artists,” says WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan. “Our festival is a beautiful combination of creativity, fun, and artistry that brings together musicians and music lovers from all over the world. In addition to the nightly performances, the festival includes jazz workshops, outdoor ‘Djam’ sessions, and craft cocktails at the local restaurants. Our DFNW lounge is the perfect place to get into the festival spirit with custom merchandise or to connect with the Django artists. Whether it's your first time or your 20th, you're going to love DFNW 2024.”

This is the festival’s 24th year, with many memorable favorites returning to the stage as well as new talent debuting at WICA for the first time.

2024 Festival Lineup:

Wednesday, September 18

Sam Farthing and Friends

The Hot Club of Troy

Thursday, September 19

Clarinet Marmalade

The Idiomatiques

Friday, September 20

Pearl Django

3 Parts Bourbon

Aurore Voilqué Quartet

Saturday, September 21

Robin Nolan - For the Love of George

Angelo Debarre Gypsy Guitar Trio

Sunday, September 22

Trio Dinicu with Tommy Davy

Please check the DjangoFest website often for updates to the lineup, workshops, and festival information. Be sure to purchase tickets soon, they are going fast!

This year, the festival will also feature a Second Stage, giving DjangoFest attendees even more opportunities to interact with the iconic music. Applications are now open for Second Stage, which will take place prior to the matinee and evening performances on WICA’s Zech Hall patio—Thursday through Sunday during the festival. Whether a solo artist or a group, interested musicians should contact Troy Chapman at Troy.chapman@djangofest.com and share any information they feel relevant for their application (demo reel, artist/group bio, etc.). For those selected to participate, this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other fans of Django music and to engage with the toe-tapping and enthralling music genre that has become an iconic part of life on Whidbey Island. In prior years, Second Stage performers have also been invited back in subsequent years to perform on the WICA mainstage.

To learn more about this year’s festival, visit djangofest.com.

DjangoFest Northwest Second Stage Open Call for Django Musicians

With the 24th annual DjangoFest Northwest just over a month away on September 18-22 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), applications are now open for Django musicians interested in appearing at the festival’s Second Stage. An opportunity to perform prior to the matinee and evening performances on WICA’s Zech Hall patio, there are six Second Stage slots available, Thursday through Sunday during the festival.

Whether a solo artist or a group, interested musicians should contact Troy Chapman at Troy.chapman@djangofest.com and share any information they feel relevant for their application (demo reel, artist/group bio, etc.). For those selected to participate, this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other fans of Django music and to engage with the toe-tapping and enthralling music genre that has become an iconic part of life on Whidbey Island. In prior years, Second Stage performers have also been invited back in subsequent years to perform on the WICA mainstage.

To learn more about this year’s festival, visit djangofest.com. For more information about Second Stage time slots, compensation, etc., please contact Troy Chapman at Troy.chapman@djangofest.com.

Youth Artist on Display at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

Directly under the spotlight, and in sharp contrast with the white Lasher Gallery walls, Alex Towne’s Windows offers viewers at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) an explosion of color, texture, and creativity that stuns and intrigues. From across the lobby, visitors see the dynamic tones of yellow, green, and red hues. Up close, the attention to detail with the three-dimensional components draws the eye across the art piece, with each glance offering a new perspective and appreciation for the work.

Windows, painted by Alex Towne

Towne’s painting is on display in partnership with Ryan’s House for Youth, a low-barrier homeless shelter in Coupeville for individuals ages 18-24. For Towne, showing his artwork at WICA is an “amazing” experience.

“I have never even had an art commission before, so for someone to say that my art is worth so much, both in money and in [an] emotional sense, it's a lot.”

On display through August 27, the painting is a nod to “light in the darkness,” with Towne inviting viewers to “interpret [it] in their own way. I want them to feel what I felt, but put their own emotions into it.”

With no plans to stop creating art any time soon, Towne has found a creative calling that inspires. To view Windows, please visit WICA’s Lasher Gallery during regular business hours or by appointment.

Frank Oz LIVE at WICA on August 2

The voice behind Yoda and many of the iconic Muppets characters will fill the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) Mainstage on August 2 at 7:30 PM, when American director and puppeteer Frank Oz will be in conversation with WICA Board Member and longtime Hollywood Assistant Director Michele Venetis.

The event, a part of the WICA Unscripted Center Conversation Series, is a rare chance to hear from Oz about his years in the industry. Perhaps best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Star Wars, Oz has many directing and acting credits to his name.

He directed In & Of Itself, Death at a Funeral, The Stepford Wives, The Score, Bowfinger, What About Bob?, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and many more. As an actor, his acting credits have included the Muppets, Star Wars, Knives Out, Inside Out, Inside Out 2, Monsters Inc, Labyrinth, Spies Like Us, to name just a few.

An all around amazing person, Oz will be joined by Venetis, for a colorful conversation about his life and experiences. Please note that the conversation will likely contain strong language, so viewer discretion is advised.

To learn more about the event and to purchase tickets, please visit the event website.

Oz is featured prominently in Ron Howard's new feature, Jim Henson Idea Man.

We also invite you to check out some of the other upcoming events in the Unscripted Center Conversation Series:

August 9 | Unscripted Center Conversation Series featuring Robert Merry and Mort Kondracke

Don’t miss out on a unique opportunity to delve into the pages of history with Robert Merry, the creator of the WICA conversation series. On August 9, Bob will be stepping into the spotlight to discuss his new book, “Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861.”

November 24 | Unscripted Center Conversation Series featuring Sue Frause and Peter Miller

We invite you to an enlightening evening with Sue Frause and Peter Miller, an author and bookstore owner. Miller will proudly be discussing his newest release, "SHOPKEEPING: Stories, Advice and Observations." Peter is the author of four insightful books, each beautifully illustrated by his wife, Colleen Miller. 

To learn more about these events and other programming, please click here to visit the WICA website.