Listen Live
BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – If you take a walk through downtown Bellingham on the first Friday of the month, you may hear the sound of live music echoing down the bustling streets as the sun begins to set.
These musicians are curated and booked by one man: Pace Rubadeau, a trumpet player and cornerstone of the Bellingham music scene.
Since moving to Bellingham 10 years ago, Rubadeau has made a unique impact on not just the music community but on the lives of thousands of Bellingham residents.
Rubadeau spent his early years growing up in the Midwest before joining the United States Army Band. He lived in Germany while in the Army and moved back to the states to pursue a career in music.
Music has taken Rubadeau all across the world, where he has performed for thousands of people at all sorts of events.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in all 50 states and in four continents,” Rubadeau said.
He found himself in Portland, OR, where he collaborated with a fellow artist in the area. There, he found the Swing Dance community and began to branch out into this new style of music. He has since stayed true to this genre of music and continues to be a champion of early blues and jazz.
In 2015, Rubadeau relocated to Bellingham without a job or a place to live. He was encouraged by a friend of his, Lucas Hicks. According to Rubadeau, Hicks helped him land his first job, a place stay and introduced him to the love of his life. Hicks passed away in 2017, and the main room at the New Prospect Theatre is named in his honor.
“To answer your question of where I am from, I don’t know. But I know this is the place I am supposed to be.” Pace Rubadeau
Rubadeau now works at Bellingham Wind Works, where he spends his days surrounded by music equipment and like-minded customers and coworkers. He plays regularly at venues around town, bringing his trumpet along for the ride.
He has recently collaborated with Chuckanut Bay Distillery to create a unique and true speakeasy experience. With the exact location unknown to all except those who attend the events, Rubadeau and the Bellingham-based distillery are bringing old-timey spirits and the sounds of the 1920s back once every month. June’s event has sold out, but Rubadeau says the secret event called “The Pastime” will open back up on July 21.
His strong connection to the community has led him to the role of organizer of the monthly First Friday Busking Program in downtown Bellingham. The program, which highlights local and regional musicians, offers an opportunity to perform on the streets of downtown with the added bonus of guaranteed pay.
The Downtown Bellingham Partnership asked Rubadeau in late 2021 if he would be interested in this new role, which he quickly said yes to.
At the time, he had made local headlines after playing his trumpet every night in a parking lot downtown for 68 days in a row during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a trumpet player, as an individual, I still think about those times,” Rubadeau said. “It just became this tradition like we all had.”
Rubadeau mentioned how the COVID-19 pandemic made him realize that the community needs things like accessible live music, especially with the added financial support given to the artists.
For the fifth year in a row, Rubadeau has announced that the First Friday Busking Program will continue to support regional musicians and offer live music to the streets of downtown Bellingham. Support for this program is donated by local organizations like Allied Arts of Whatcom County, BECU and the Whatcom Community Foundation. This year’s sponsor is the Chuckanut Health Foundation, with funds going straight to the musicians who perform.
To find more information about First Fridays in downtown Bellingham, head to the Downtown Bellingham Partnership website.
We Are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.