This weekend, there is no shortage of live music to be had in Bethel. On Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, the Kusko Band will be filling the floor at the Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) multipurpose building for a Thanksgiving weekend fiddle dance, beginning at 8 p.m. on both nights. Admission is free for Elders.
Also on Nov. 30, the Yupiit Picaryarait Cultural Center hosts local art folk-rock outfit Velma Lyle, alongside Anchorage-based band The Ouija BeeGees in their Bethel debut.
Despite the name, The Ouija BeeGees are not a disco band. Drummer Andy Angstman said that the four-piece will be playing original tunes more in the realm of the Stooges, Black Sabbath, and the MC5, belted out by singer Katelyn Guinn.
“It's kind of throwback 70s style hard rock. It's not like a sit down and just take it easy type of deal. It's going to be in your face. It's going to be loud,” Angstman said.
Angstman, born and raised in Bethel, said that he’s happy to drop in on his hometown. He said that he first caught the live music bug in Bethel back in the mid-2000s during a prolific creative period centered around a venue called “@ the Coffee Shop.”
“It was pretty rare that [@] the Coffee Shop ever opened on time on a Sunday morning,” Angstman said.
The music space and cafe operated out of the building that now houses the Red Basket restaurant. Angstman said @ the Coffee Shop was a breeding ground for collaborations he remembers fondly, like Lovercraft, a short-lived project that included long-time friend and Velma Lyle singer and guitarist Paul Basile.
“Lovercraft was one of a couple of ‘super’ groups [composed] of members of several Bethel bands. I think it was 8 or 10 people,” Basile said. “We played two shows … a Breakup Bash and a wedding in Seward, which was the reason the band formed.”
Velma Lyle, playing as a six-piece for the show, has been billed as “the best string/brass/rock/folk band in Bethel,” and has become synonymous with the rare double bell euphonium horn employed by band member Nate DeHaan.
As with their last show as a full band last December, Velma Lyle is sure to pull the heartstrings and get people moving. With the heavy grooves of The Oujia BeeGees also in the mix, the time is ripe to come out and dance the night away on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Single and family tickets can be purchased at the door or online. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:00 p.m.
The event is co-sponsored by the SouthWest Alaska Arts Group and UnCommon Pizza.
