Stage Time was made by musicians for musicians.
We know what it's like out there.
Our goals are simple.
Stage Time
First and foremost we are focused on creating opportunities for aspiring musicians to get stage time performing with veteran musicians. Practice time is important, but to be a great performer a musician needs stage time.
Community
Bringing together musicians, enthusiasts, supporters, and people who are surprised to find out they enjoy live jazz is an overall objective that grows all on it's own when we create a fun and inviting atmosphere for people from all generations to hang out during performances and jams.
Economics
When we bring in veteran musicians for the core band or rhythm section we need to pay them what they are worth. Decades of experience is not worth tips and dinner, it's worth a pay check. With your help we make this happen and are able to bring in the highest quality musicians.
Jam sessions bring all sorts of musicians and music enthusiasts together in a way that chatting during breaks at a regular performance can not. Gigs, networking, friendships, and other opportunities bloom in the casual environment of a jam session. Musicians don't often get a chance to hang out with each other casually but you'll see quite a few at a good Sunday evening jam. The players we bring in for the core bands do it mainly because they enjoy reconnecting with the musician and enthusiast community.
Aspiring musicians need to hang out with and play with veteran players to learn the ropes. This happens automatically at jam sessions where younger players are offered a supportive environment to hone their skills and pick up stage etiquette from the more experienced players. Cornering a pro on a set break isn't always the best way for a younger musician to learn something so we hire professional musicians who have a ton of stage experience for clinics and master classes designed to let younger players ask all the questions they want.
Close your eyes and imagine walking downtown in Bellingham and hearing all types of music from more venues than you can count. A music festival every weekend where the pub crawl takes you from one band to another in venues across the city. A major goal of ours is to help create more spaces for regular music. If you are a venue and want to work with us on this let us know.
The increasing cost of doing business has forced many venues to cut down on entertainment budgets, force musicians to work for tips or dinner, or cancel live entertainment altogether. Stage Time works with bands and venues to make sure the musicians receive fair wages for performances and the venues get the business they need to keep the performances going.
