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What’s This All About?
The Mighty Bards are group of about a dozen to 16 singers located in Bellingham, WA who meet every other Thursday at Menace Brewery from 6pm till about 9 or 10pm. We sing Irish, Scottish, English, and American traditional songs or contemporary songs written in the tradition.
We’ve sung on the famous local Zodiac Schooner, the Mt. Vernon Celtic Arts Foundation, Bellingham Dockside Market, private parties, block parties, Bellingham Seafeast, Whatcom Museum and more! We have even had some honourable mentions in the local newspaper Casacadia Daily News – see here (fifth paragraph) and here (at the bottom) and in Blaine’s Northern Light paper – see here
Upcoming Sessions:
“Every other Thursday” at Menace Brewery from 6:00 – 9:00pm, unless otherwise specified.
2025:
Dec 11 – Menace
Friday Dec 19 – Mighty Bard Christmas Carolling @ Menace.
2026:
Jan 8
Jan 22
Feb 5
Feb 19
Mar 5
Mar 19
April 2
April 16
April 30
May 7
May 21
How does it work?
It’s a “Pub Sing”, at Pub or “Public House”, as such it is “Public Sing”, so please feel free to join us. We are a village choir. The format is to have one person sing who has memorized the song or reads from book/sheet and sings the verses with the group joining in for the choruses. We encourage “chorus rich” songs, but others are welcome too. If they are leading a song you know, please only sing for the chorus unless the leader wants help with the verses. Note! This is a folk tradition, so some people sing the songs different. Pay attention to the leader if they are teaching/leading it in a new manner. Lastly, it is a vocal tradition, so it is voices only. No instruments, please. Sorry!
How did this all start?
Noting the ample traditional Irish tune sessions around Bellingham and the dearth of traditional singing sessions, Sky decided to take things into his own hands and start something. Beginning in the spring of 2023, he started with a monthly gathering at his house, which eventually led to meeting at the pub across the street and then to a few places around town till the bards landed, with the help of Steven Rystrom and the Devillies, at Menace Brewery in the Fountain District.
Inspired from the large 60+ people singing sessions at Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle and the Princeton Folk Festival, Sky wanted to bring that rich and enlivening experience to the regular life.
Sky now co-leads the regular pub sing with Steven Rystrom, front man for the local Irish American band The Devillies and Liam Weydert
Pub Singing examples:
Rocky Road to Dublin
Bully in the Alley