Music scenes are not monoliths.
While a city or region’s musical identity is often talked about in sweeping terms, the reality is that a music scene isn’t some behemoth. Rather, it’s much closer to a collection of wildly different microorganisms symbiotically working together — consciously or unknowingly — to form a greater whole.
That interconnected bond was frayed when COVID-19 put a halt to almost all non-digital musical interactions, and we’re still feeling the aftershocks of that disaster. It’s why the Inlander hasn’t had a proper Artists to Watch issue since 2019, even if we’re still admittedly overdo for a proper dive into the rising musical acts locals should keep their eyes — and ears — on.
To get a breadth of the scene, we informally asked a slew of scene regulars which acts they’re excited about in order to fill this feature with a spectrum of sound. While there are loads of excellent scene staples around town, we also wanted to focus these five profiles on up-and-coming new acts who’ve entered the Inland Northwest musical landscape within the past five years. The hope is that readers dive in and check out not only artists in their genre/taste wheelhouse, but also those from micro scenes they might not even realize are popping around the Lilac City.
There are so many worthwhile acts around town that we weren’t able to cover this go ‘round, so we’ll make sure to not take a five-year break before the next edition of Artists to Watch.
Till then, see you at the show(s)…
— SETH SOMMERFELD, Inlander Music Editor