DogEar: The Bushwick Book Club: Artists’ Books Edition

Join us for an unforgettable evening where music, creativity, and visual art collide! The Bushwick Book Club Seattle presents an innovative performance inspired by the themes and artists’ books from Power of the Presses, the current exhibition at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

About The Bushwick Book Club Seattle:

The Bushwick Book Club Seattle is a group of musicians dedicated to sharing our combined passion for both music and reading with the Seattle community and beyond. With each performance, a book is chosen and read by our talented Bushwick artists who then write original music inspired by the book they just read. The audience is encouraged to read the featured book and participate in the events as well. By producing these one-of-a-kind musical literary events we hope to increase awareness in both literature and songwriting, while at the same time reminding people (young and old) that reading can and should be a regular part of their daily lives.

The Bushwick Book Club started in 2009 in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Founder Susan Hwang gathered a group of musicians at Goodbye Blue Monday on Broadway to deliver music inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. Geoff Larson was living in the city at the time and was blown away by the event. He asked if he could open a chapter in Seattle, and the rest is history! Now there are chapters in Brooklyn, Seattle, New Orleans, Malmo, Toronto, and more…

Additionally, the Bushwick Book Club Seattle offers youth programs working on critical thinking and songwriting skills.

Featured Performers:

Meet Athr, an artist who is boldly pushing the limits of music and visual artistry. Since 2016, Athr has carved out a distinctive place in the alternative hip hop scene, blending a range of genres with glitchy sound effects to create immersive auditory and visual experiences. Inspired by the endless mysteries of the universe and the deeply personal narratives of human life, Athr’s music transcends genre, offering listeners a safe space to explore love, loss, and the complexity of choice. With a deep passion for both sound and visuals, Athr is more than just a musician – they are an architect of futuristic worlds.

Alex Guy is a Seattle-based violinist, violist, singer, improvisor and composer, and is the leader and principal songwriter of Led To Sea, a magnetic ensemble that fuses classical, pop and experimental music. Her live show as a solo artist has captivated audiences all over the U.S. and Europe, and draws comparisons to St. Vincent and Andrew Byrd. Alex has also composed extensively for dance, film and theater, and has collaborated and toured with many notable bandleaders, composers, improvisers and musicians in the Pacific NW and beyond, including Angel Olsen, Wayne Horvitz, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Sera Cahoone, Ahamefule Oluo, Mirah, Jherek Bischoff, Lemolo and Laura Viers.

Shelby Natasha is a songwriter and music producer in Seattle, Washington. Heavily influenced by her upbringing living between China and the Pacific Northwest, her music is a blend of the folk music of both cultures.

K Van Petten is a musician and poet floating between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. They got their start as musician in residence at a harbor bar in Chicago while living on a sailboat, and relocated to the Pacific Northwest a decade ago with their band. K’s most recent work combines their love for music and poetry into a cassette tape of ambient music and spoken poetry called ‘For Someone’ made in residence with Centrum in Port Townsend and released on Hello America Stereo Cassette. They are currently seeding a new alt folk project ‘False Hemlock’.

For the past 25 years, Wes Weddell has worked multiple shifts in the engine room of Seattle’s roots music scene as frontman, sideman, writer, teacher, and community-builder. “Always heartfelt and well-constructed” (Seattle Weekly), listeners have come to expect Weddell’s regionally rooted songs to “speak for themselves” (No Depression). In 2010, Weddell began working with The Bushwick Book Club Seattle, an expanding collective of songwriters who each compose new music inspired by literature to share in monthly showcases focused around specific books. A native of Pullman, WA, Weddell once held a full-time Seattle Mariners media credential and has participated in a major university study of mountain huckleberry harvesters.

Amanda Winterhalter fronts a gothic Americana band in Seattle, weaving together threads of 1960s girl group AM pop, gritty indie Americana, and blues-tinged southern rock. Glide Magazine calls her latest release What’s This Death “A courageous work of the aching soul that is equally stunning and thought-provoking. Winterhalter showcases head-turning vocals that makes for a fascinating Adele meets Wanda Jackson vocal stew.”