Lucky Dime - The Jewel of Everett’s Music Scene

by Colton King

There’s something magic that hits you the second you walk in.

Step inside Lucky Dime and you’re instantly wrapped in colored light, splashes of devilishly cartoonish Warhol energy, and the wholesome community that fills the space between its walls. LD brings a roaring fire of passion into the heart of downtown Everett where performers, artists, makers, and creatives of all kinds are proud to be a part of something so incredibly special for our community and the different scenes that inhabit it.

Every Lucky Dime show is special.

Why?

We can feel you! 

–Well, your energy to be precise. 

With mere feet between us and your glorious faces, we can feel the energy manifest in a physical way that is hard to replicate on a big tall stage with all the lights shining in our eyeballs. We play harder, you give it back, and the cycle continues. Small spots like LD are the life blood of up-and-coming bands and artists and provide a space for folks to get their stage legs and feed off of some of that incredible positive energy~

“Can you hear that noise all across the room?”

Throughout the years we’ve all played many venues and stages, and “dealt” with countless sound techs. None of them even come close to the resident sound man here at LD, Everett’s own Max Stephens. 

From melting faces in his high school days with the power-punk trio Fuzz Mutt to engineering for dozens of artists at various studios across the PNW, to his experimental electronic music productions, Max knows how to get down and make some serious sound. But he also knows the perfect way to mix the Dime and the many, MANY different styles of acts that pass through its doors. We love Max and you should too! 

(You can always tip the sound guy at a show- promise they won’t be mad)

“You gotta be Better before you can be the Best.”

Straight from the man himself, Alex Vincini. It’s hard to state just how much Alex has helped the art scene in Everett, let alone the music scene. Open Mics, Karaoke Nights, Jam Sessions, and Networking Opportunities all directly support artists who need that extra push to show themselves to the world, and he is always down to support and make sh*t happen! Starting from what was once a barebones art gallery, Alex has turned Lucky Dime into the jewel of Everett -with some help, sure- but his perseverance and passion in making sure that other artists get opportunities they deserve is unrivaled and our city (and our band) wouldn’t be the same without his steadfast presence on Hewitt.

“Okay, but like, when are you guys going back there?”

We’re dealing out hugs on September 26th for their Four Year Anniversary, along with some of Everett’s heavy-hitters from all different styles of genre! Come celebrate Alex & the whole LD team!

Also, we’re coming back in December for FROSTB!TE FRENZY 2025, our second annual, rock-and-roll-soaked holiday blowout. Think wall-to-wall energy, festive chaos, and more surprises than we can fit under the tree. 

Stay tuned for more details and be sure to follow us wherever you use social media!

Photos by @OnSightRetro

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L!NE Crew Highlight

Matt Smith - L!NE Crew Captain

If you’ve been to a FRONTL!NE show before, odds are you’ve seen Matt. We can count on one hand the number of shows he’s missed and it shows when he’s missing! From distributing swords to the crowd (or buying them for us <3), to running our merch table and schlepping our gear in and out of green rooms, Matt is always there with a bright smile on his face and a deep love for the community we’ve all built together. If you see Matt at a show make sure to give him a big high five and tell him how awesome he is!! 

~ Colton

Photo by Kat Isom

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 “All art is good art.”

“No.”

by Steven Pontius

Writing songs can be one of the most fun experiences you will have with music. It could be you sitting in a room writing with a friend, band, recording artist, etc. or even just you hanging out at home writing by yourself (I find myself doing this quite often). You are coming up with chord progressions, licks, riffs, lyrics, melody, etc., finding all of the crucial elements to your song. But sometimes the one thing none of us as songwriters can avoid… writers block. Now is there any actual physical blockage stopping you? I wish, that would be easier. No, it is purely mental. But there are a few things you can try to get out of it, the last one is the most important. 

Here are some of my go to things to try when I start having trouble writing or finishing a song. Try taking a break from that song or even writing songs in general, just for a few days. Listen to different genres of music, learn different styles on your instrument. This can be hugely beneficial for musical growth and ideas. You can be a total metalhead, trying to write metal songs, but you can steal ideas for song structure, chord progressions, etc. from everything. Next time you are writing some metal go take some ideas from Maroon 5 or Taylor Swift. I’m not saying you have to enjoy every other genre, but branching outside of your main genre will help you with your songs immensely. 

Another thing I like to do is take notes regularly about song ideas, I keep a list on my phone, I have an old notebook with a bunch of ideas as well. It’s usually descriptions or song topics, it could be something simple like, “write a song with a key change” or “write something in ⅞ time”. Just a seed to start from, then I have a focus and I’m not thinking things like, “oh what am I going to write today?”, I am already on task thinking, “How am I going to incorporate this key change without it sounding forced?”. Using this list when you have writer's block is a great way to jumpstart the creativity again. 

Let yourself write throwaway songs. I am not one who believes, “All art is good art”. No, some art is bad, some art is good. Some songs are bad, some songs are good. One of the hardest things to do as songwriters is to separate ourselves enough from a song to go, “You know what? This isn’t that good.”. It’s hard enough to even throw away a single riff from a song, let alone the entire thing. However, allowing yourself to think you may or may not keep a song takes some of the weight off of it, if every single song is meant to be the next “Bohemian Rhapsody” that’s a lot of pressure to live up to! So relax, you’ll write songs easier that way. 

Lastly, the most important thing on this entire list, discipline. Keep working at it, taking breaks is not only ok, but healthy. However, have the discipline to come back and finish what you started. Waiting for inspiration to strike is unreliable, if you want to be a good songwriter you have to write regularly. It’s a muscle, use it, train it, make it stronger, faster and more efficient. Motivation is another great tool, but again unreliable. No one can stay 100% motivated all the time. If you could, that would be your baseline and it wouldn’t feel like motivation anymore. We are meant to have highs and lows as humans, but discipline carries you through everything. Tough? Easy? Doesn’t matter, discipline will get you to the other side. It will help your songs. 

If you’re a songwriter I hope at least one of these things helps you in your writing journey, if you are not a songwriter or even a musician, I hope you at least found it interesting. And thank you guys so much for taking the time to read and support FRONTL!NE! 

-Steven Pontius

Photo by Kat Isom