Insight on Bellingham’s music scene is punctuated with laughter and song clips, all recorded on a computer display in a rainbow of sound waves. The podcast Shut Up and Listen is bringing the tradition of music connection into the digital world.
Hosts Morgan Kramer and Chris Evans give musicians the chance to talk about everything from projects and music in the area to what they eat for dinner.
“Everyone wants to be a successful podcast and everyone wants to be a successful artist,” Kramer said. “So we’re bridging that gap.”
The podcast aims to connect people with the music scene by staying updated on recent events, new artists and ongoing projects. The idea was inspired by What’s Up! Magazine, Bellingham’s primary music magazine that stopped its publication in March of 2020. Brent Cole, the founder of What’s Up!, now works as a consultant and executive producer for Shut Up and Listen.
AJ Winslow is another producer of the show, who turned from his passion of music to working in films and entertainment and eventually developed Rocket Soul Studios.
“There's always been a significant music scene here. The goal is to amplify it, make it bigger on the map outside of Bellingham,” Winslow said. “Creating a platform to give artists a way to get their name out there and create a more cohesive community in Whatcom County.”
The podcast is recorded at Binary Recording Studios with audio technician “Binary Bob” Ridgley, who has been running the studio since 1989.
“If you do any search, you'll find that there's not any other podcasts in Bellingham that are doing what we're doing or with the consistency,” Ridgley said.
It took over two years for the idea to solidify into the premiere of the podcast. The first episode of Shut Up and Listen aired in June of 2023.
“If you listen [from] our very first episode to now, we didn't start putting out when everything was fully cohesive and figured out. The audience gets to grow with us,” Kramer said.
Kramer began going to house shows in her twenties, where she met co-host Evans, a musician who performs by the name of Chrvns (krEV-ans). She has been involved with the music scene ever since, providing background support for Chrvns, as well as marketing for the Wild Buffalo House of Music.
“It has grown my appreciation for people to do what it takes … and all the pieces that go into it. But I feel like that's why we also wanted to do this – to help people with that process,” Kramer said.
Kai Ross is the founder of West Sound Records, a project he started for releasing music with friends that now focuses on recording bands and organizing live shows. When he moved to Bellingham, he began to use it for weekly show calendars, concert photography and music journalism with interviews and performance reviews.
“It makes it a little bit more accessible to figure out what bands sound like, especially in the early developmental stages where they don’t have anything recorded,” Ross said.
The members of the Bellingham music scene are often a part of multiple projects, creating a changing web of bands and familiar names. By revealing the voices behind the lyrics, Shut Up and Listen gives the audience an opportunity to get to know and grow closer to their favorite bands.
“Those are always my favorite interviews, when you get to humanize somebody that you've been listening to or inspired by for so long. And it's like, ‘Oh, this [person] is just like me,’” Evans said.
Evans grew up in Georgia and began performing at churches when no other shows were available. His first show in Bellingham was a two-song performance when asked to join a set at Make.Shift Art Space.
“Bellingham has been one of the coolest experiences of all time, just to know that people will actually help you grow. It's not crabs in a barrel, it's a community – everyone's working together,” Chrvns said.
Episodes of Shut Up and Listen can be found on Spotify, Youtube and their website, as well as airing on 94.9 LPFM on Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. at KZAX.
For a Q&A with Binary Recording Studio owner Bob Ridgely, click here.
Halley Buxton (she/her) is a city life reporter for The Front. She is in her final year at Western with a major in creative writing and a minor in journalism. In her spare time she loves reading, writing with friends and collecting CDs. You can contact her at halleybuxton.thefront@gmail.com.
