Egan's and Khazak - Two Names to Remember

Ah, it has been so long. To get back in the swing of things after my prolonged neglect, let’s talk about music. I was recently introduced to a hip little music venue in Ballard called Egan's, Ballard Jam House. If you’re looking for a nice little place free of the cattle-call feel of some many clubs that seem to revel in their chipped paint and lack of seating, then this might just be the place for you.

Friday, I joined some friends at Egan’s to hear a local group call Khazak play. In I walked to a small room with roughly half the space occupied by a stage, all shiny and new with fancy-pants colored lights and sound system. The other half looks like something out of a beatnik poetry club; small black tables all crowded (tastefully) into the remaining space, the chairs all pulled close to allow the staff to weave in and out of the milieu.

I’ll tell you one thing; this is the kind of place you had better make reservations. Every table in house was reserved (luckily my friend had our group of 5 on the list) and the unlucky few who tried to walk-in had to perch in the corner, while reserved tables sat empty. That said, there isn’t a bad table in the house; the room is so small and so well wired that you could easily soak in the music from any perspective.

Ah, yes, and that brings me to the music. This is my second chance to hear Khazak, headed up by the melodious and moody Michele Khazak, play. Her vocals are some of the best I’ve heard and she has a stylistic range to blow your mind. I have heard her cover both Bjork and Stevie Wonder, a feat that I suspect few would attempt. She and her talented band were able to transform both styles into their own, making you aware of common threads between the two that were previously unbeknownst. However, it isn’t their covers, impressive though they are, that impress me most. Instead, it is the original pieces that are most pleasing; they are introspective, moody and wryly funny. Michele is a extraordinary talent and I expect that she’ll present a real force to be reckoned with in the local scene, in no time at all. So, if you’re hungry for some local talent I recommend you check out Khazak.