The Hoot Hoots headline Bainbridge Island Summer Music Benefit

Local teen, Jordan Sell, organizes summer indie music festival.

By Richard D. Oxley • August 3, 2012 2:04 pm
Christina Ellis
Christina Ellis

In their four years together, Seattle’s The Hoot Hoots have impressed audiences with their amusing and rock-synth crafted songs.

Now with two albums and an EP under their belt, the group has amassed a canon of songs about talking to dolphins and robots, visitors from outer space, and Scully from the “The X-Files.”

The witty, and a bit goofy, nature of The Hoot Hoots combined with their style of rock-pop tunes layered with synth interludes has played well with audiences. The band will bring that unique sound to Bainbridge thanks to an island connection.

That connection is Jordan Sell.

At 17 years old, the Bainbridge High School senior has accomplished quite a lot. She handles lighting for stage productions on the island, and in Seattle when she can pick up a gig. Her interest in theater technical direction has even earned her special instruction with directors from Cirque Du Soleil last April.

Now she has organized a summer music festival at Bainbridge Performing Arts with The Hoot Hoots filling the headlining spot.

Island musicians will take the BPA stage starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 9.

Sell has lined up island indie groups, duos and solo acts such as Synchronized, Chris Purdy and Daniel Harmon, Liam Blunt and Joe Midgett.

Bainbridge Bakers will be providing food and refreshments for the event.

A suggested donation of $10 is all that is required for admission. Sell intends to donate the profits from the festival to one of her favorites causes, the One Drop charity. One Drop works to provide clean water to areas of the world where the vital resource is scarce.

“Water is life, it’s such a needed resource that not everyone has,” Sell said. “It’s crazy that not everyone has access to clean water.”

Sell hopes that the festival will help foster a younger music scene on Bainbridge, something Sell says the island lacks.

With the event fast approaching, she is excited to see her hard work make music on the stage.

“I am (pleased) with the support I’ve gotten and how fun it’s been to plan something completely from scratch,” Sell added.