When I’m not here manning my post at the World’s newsroom working on Internet-y things I am usually spending my spare time taking in live music and providing my thoughts about what I see on a freelance basis.

Last weekend I trekked over to Seattle with World sports writer Brent Stecker to enjoy three days of music and arts at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival. We both saw some amazing music. I greatly enjoyed the deep-fried Lynyrd Skynyrd Americana rock of The Maldives, the smooth-flowing rap of Grynch, the psychedelic jam band leanings of Howlin’ Rain and the fantastic rockabilly of Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles.

While all of those acts were highlights, the band that we both were most impressed by has some pretty strong local connections.

The group I am talking about is called SHIM and three out of the four massively hairy men who make up this awesome monster of a power rock band are from Wenatchee. Vocalist/guitarist Ragan Crowe and his brother Jeremy (drums) and Mike Notter (vocals, guitar and keys) all hail from the Apple Capital of the World. Bassist Micah Sinclair rounds out the group.

Here is a video of SHIM I shot rocking the masses at the Sky Church. If you listen closely you can hear my scream of approval at the end of the clip.

It’s difficult to pin down an accurate description of what exactly the band sounds like without including the words “they rock.” Put it this way, if Foghat and Wolfmother had an illegitimate rock ‘n’ roll love child it would be called SHIM. That’s the music journalist in me speaking right there.

Anyway, you can purchase SHIM’s records at Hastings, or you can visit the band’s Web site.

Not to brag or anything, but I already had a copy of SHIM’s latest album, “Feel Like A King,” a few weeks before seeing them at Bumbershoot because I had read about them in the Seattle media and wanted to check them out. Although I had no idea there was a Wenatchee connection and there is no mention of Wenatchee in their press material.

But as I was saying, Wenatchee’s own SHIM rocked the Experience Music Project’s Sky Church during Bumbershoot. The band played in front of a massive SHIM logo that was projected on the Sky Church’s video screen and they delivered what was hands down the best set Brent and I saw at the festival. The smoke machine and cool triangle flood lights provided some added punch to the already extremely powerful rock.

“Winner” was the exact word Brent shouted at the stage after SHIM’s set was complete.

Winner of what, exactly?

“Bumbershoot,” he said with a massive grin on his face while pointing the rock horns at the stage.

After the set Brent and I rushed to the merch table like two giddy schoolgirls (Brent calls us the “Beavis and Buttheads” for SHIM) and each purchased SHIM shirts and I picked up a copy of “In The Veins,” SHIM’s first record. It’s not as solid as the latest release, but it has its moments and it was well worth the 10 bucks.

*Note: An earlier version of this post had misidentified the instruments the band members play. 

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