Or so the lyrics go. So, these aren’t kids, but The Who lyrics popped in my mind after meeting the incredibly talented and ambitious musician, festival-creator and entrepreneur Olive Kuper. Read through the interview below and let me know what you think about this amazing generation emerging on the music scene right now.  

Tell us about how you got into music:  

Music has been the center of my universe for as long as I can remember. I was singing full songs before I could even walk. I really took an interest in pursuing music as a career in middle school, around 7th/8th grade. I picked up a bass for the first time at 13 and absolutely fell in love, and I’ve never looked back since. That was about 5 years ago now and I couldn’t imagine my life without the ability to play and create music.  

Tell us about your current band:

Spanghew (established in 2023) is made up of Elliott Enos (drums/vox), Olive Kuper (bass/vox) and Madeline Wright (guitar/vox). Madeline and I had already been playing music together for years and had recently met Elliott through some extracurricular music activities. After seeing them play on stage, I immediately noticed their unique flow and feel, truly unlike any other drummer I’ve seen before. I kind of just knew I had to play with them after that, so one day Madeline and I walked up to them and asked if they wanted to be in a band. After the first practice, it was already abundantly evident the three of us had some kind of special musical chemistry. We consider ourselves sludge metal, with influences from many different genres. Here’s a description of our sound given by our drummer, Elliott: “Our sound is an eclectic mix of deep-south sludge, west coast stoner and psych, and doom from all over. I think a big part of why we sound the way we do also has to do with where we’re from. Washington’s a very gloomy state, especially once you get more west of Seattle, and I think that has really bled through in the form of ink on paper.” 

What is your music goal?   

As a band, we have a ton of collective goals. A big one would be getting signed. There’s so many amazing labels out there we’d love to be a part of. Personally, I’d love for us to play a show in the New Orleans area, alongside some of the pioneers of sludge and doom metal like Thou, Eyehategod, Crowbar, etc. Getting to play with any of them in the birthplace of sludge would truly be a dream come true. But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Really my goal is just to make, release and play as much music as possible for the rest of my days.  

What are you trying to bring to the Edmonds area?  

It’s been a goal of mine for a long time to help make my hometown a more musically diverse space. I hold Edmonds near and dear to my heart, but there’s never punk or metal shows happening, I always have to go to Seattle (or elsewhere) for that. I’ve felt some momentum recently from the passionate musicians within the Edmonds community, and especially after the opening of Musicology, I’ve been starting to see real potential to make some moves in a new direction. I got this idea, to hold a music festival in downtown Edmonds, promoting underground metal bands/artists from the PNW, showcasing the heaviest most gut-wrenching sounds around, and bringing new and familiar faces together to enjoy a day of music this place doesn’t get to hear that often. I figured I’d test my luck and broach the subject with Rachel from Musicology, and to my surprise, she was completely on board. Now we’re in the beginning stages of planning this thing, and I’m so excited to be helping coordinate Edmonds’ first “Sludge and Guts” fest happening in the summer of 2025.  (Editor’s note: The Local Music Scene writer Rachel Gardner also owns Musicology Co in Edmonds.)

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians? 

My advice to aspiring musicians is to never ever stop making music. The hard truth about being a musician is that 1) music is subjective and 2) people are unfortunately very judgmental. Being a musician/writing and playing music, means there are going to be people watching you and listening to you. People are going to love you and people are going to hate you. You’ll mess up on stage and you’ll feel like giving up sometimes but the most liberating feeling in life is creating art that is yours. It’s something that is so precious and exclusive to you and who you are, and no one can take that from you. Stick with it, and never stop being yourself. You’ll be happy you did.  

When is your next show? 

Our next show is coming up on March 21 at Lucky Liquor with some other really cool bands, BaptationN, Energy Pyramid and Mantle Collapse. It’s going to be an absolutely brutal and epic show. We also have an EP we’re releasing around that time, which we will be playing the entirety of at our show.  

Best of luck to Olive and Spanghew; it’s truly amazing to see the talent and musicianship happening in our community!  

More Music Happening Around Town: 

Wednesday, Feb. 12 : 4EachOther and friends at Aurora Borealis 6:30-10:30 p.m.; Ken Reid at Engels 8-11 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14 : Matt Dusk sings Tony Bennett at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 14: DJ Modish Mark at Bar Americano 8-10 p.m.; Lone State at Engels 9 pm.-midnight.

Saturday, Feb. 15: Joe Cook Band at Engels 9 p.m.-midnight; Acoustic Avenue at Salish Boathouse 7-9 p.m.; A.R.O.S. & Kin at Musicology Co 6-7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 19 : Supaflowers & Tickels at Engels 8-11 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 20 : Big Band Night at Edmonds Opera House 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Bill Derry & The Sidekickers at Salish Boathouse 7-9 p.m.; Alash at the ECA 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 21 : DJ Modish Mark at Bar Americano; After 4 Band at Engels 9 p.m.-midnight.

Saturday, Feb. 22 : Ben Myer Jazz Trio at Vinbero 7-8:30 p.m., Rocket Bleach at Engels 9 p.m.-midnight; Denny & The Jeffs at Salish Boathouse 7-9 p.m.; Utopia Dope at Musicology Co 6-7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 26 : Lori Hartman band at Engels 8-11 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 27 : Sphinx Virtuoso at the ECA 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 28 : Jake Bergevin & John Sanders at Dusted Valley 5:30-7:30 p.m., DJ Modish Mark at Bar Americano 8-10 p.m.; Midnight Snack at Engels 9 p.m.-midnight.

— By Rachel Gardner

Rachel Gardner has a heartfelt appreciation for art in all forms and believes everyone is an artist, some just don’t know it yet. A dedicated and involved Edmonds resident, she can often be spotted onstage cracking jokes between sets or in the audience enjoying local live performances. She enjoys being playful with her art and finding unique ways of expression, like forming a boho-grunge-folk ukulele trio with local Edmonds moms.