Boomjam entertains Spokane community with inaugural music festival | Arts & Entertainment

Spokane welcomed Boomjam, an independent outdoor music and arts festival, on Saturday. The event took place right off campus and hosted 14 bands over two stages.

“I think that’s really inspirational to just try to be the best we can be, and to be a part of the larger whole of the Spokane music scene,” said Austin Hagel of Mama Llama, a Spokane local band.

Boomjam represented multiple art forms, including music, visual art, food and jewelry vendors. The festival event began at noon with a constant stream of bands representing states all over the country. 

“I’m really impressed, it has sections which are lovely, and it’s really cute,” said Lorna Martinez, a Boomjam audience member. “I’m from Reno, and when I drove in I thought Spokane was a little grubby and strange, but then it reminded me of home. Washington, in my experience, is quite calm, and then [Spokane] feels like an actual city.”

Tickets for Boomjam were priced at $35, with an additional $5 charge for same-day purchases.

“If all goes well, I’ll come out of here with a new favorite band, a new favorite song and a few lovely folks I met in Spokane,” Martinez said.

Several bands noted this was their first time performing in Spokane.

“So this is our first time in Spokane,” said Nathaniel McCurley, the bass guitarist for the band Magenta Wave. “It could be worse. We’re having a truly great time and we’re happy to be here.”

The festival venue featured eclectic seating areas, including a disco-themed living room with vintage chairs, mirrors, rugs, a foosball table and a basketball set.

According to the festival’s website, “BoomJam is a space for people to come and enjoy their community, support artists of all backgrounds, meet new friends, listen to cool music, and have unique experiences in a safe environment.”

For many, Boomjam fostered a sense of community.

“The reason that I do this is to connect with people, and it’s really special if you can do that with something that you made,” said singer songwriter Isaac Murcar from Mama Llama. “It’s a really cool experience.”

Murcar does the piano and vocals for the band, as well as most of the songwriting.

“By no means is this the biggest festival that even Spokane has had this summer,” Hagel said. “But it’s all about the atmosphere. This is totally the thing that we like to be involved with, because everyone here is on the same page.”

The entire event was independent and homemade. Parents and families of band members represented them with T-shirts, recording and signing along to their performances. 

“Everyone is coming from different parts of the West, and has a different background, and we’re just here to enjoy some seventy degree weather in the sun and hang out in a random parking lot. And everyone is having a ton of fun,” Hagel said.

Musicians were given access to a warehouse on the lot that was secluded from the rest of the venue to practice and spend time as needed. 

“I tend to write about friends that have been significant to me and maybe are gone now and really placed-based imagery,” said Kyle Lutz of the band Shadow Basket. “We like showcasing other artists and friends in our projects. All of [our music videos] involve like six or seven friends that either act, illustrate or dance.”

Lutz said that Shadow Basket is currently working on new music, expecting to release in the near future, with hopes to return to Spokane to play live.  

“It’s like literally giving my diary out to random strangers and having them sing the words back,” said Grayson Thompson of Magenta Wave. “It’s beautiful.”

Thompson plays guitar and is the main vocalist of the band. He or guitarist Taylor Mastin will often begin a song with an initial idea or chord progression and give it to the band to turn it into music together.

“Inspirations change everyday,” Thompson said. “Writing lyrics and putting my emotions as a form for people to see is really vulnerable.”

All four Magenta Wave band members live together in Seattle and practice out of their garage. They recently released their debut EP and have a headliner show upcoming in Seattle, band members said.

“Our songwriting is just a representation of who we are,” Mastin said. “As we experience more things in life, we change and our expressions change. As we get closer together and learn more about each other as people and as musicians, it shows through our music.” 

Murcar, the frontman of Mama Llama, incorporates comedy throughout the set, telling stories and creating dance moves that the audience can follow.

“I’ll finish my portion of [a new song], then I bring it to the band and tell them to make it good. Make it better,” Murcar said. “And they do.”

Hagel also contributes to the band as a music theorist. Murcar will write a song, and according to Hagel, he’ll often tell the others whether or not the music is objectively correct according to music theory.

“We each write our own parts, Isaac kind of has the vision and we might tweak it a little bit, but by and large it’s laid out,” Hagel said. 

Mama Llama has a series of music videos for their most recent album that together make “The Mama Llama Movie,” and can be found on YouTube. They are planning on releasing more music in the near future. 

The festival created a Spotify playlist that includes music from all of the bands that played at the event. This can still be found on the app or on Spotify, as well as the music profiles for Mama Llama, Shadow Basket and Magenta Wave.