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Emerald City Gala 2021 mixes COVID-19 and Christmas spirit, gathers clothing for charity

Originally scheduled for three stages — Neumos, Barboza, and The Runaway — Emerald City Gala lost Barboza day-of due to staffing shortages.

Dan Ray December 31, 2021
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Emerald City Gala 2021 mixes COVID-19 and Christmas spirit, gathers clothing for charity December 31, 2021

Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).

J-Key. // Photo by Kyle Fuhrmann

On December 23, Seattle funk-hop group Marshall Law Band (MLB) threw the second Emerald City Gala (ECG), a Christmastime charity event geared toward showcasing the local hip hop scene. In 2019 and 2021, the band brought performers and the public alike — dressed to the nines in gala attire — to Capitol Hill to gather donations for Cozy Connections, a nonprofit that distributes supplies to those in need every holiday season. This year, the gala filled a U-Haul with 200 bags of donated clothing, food, and toiletries. MLB distributed those donations in Occidental Square on Christmas Day.

This year’s lineup was stacked, both in the sense that it featured a lot of up-and-coming Seattle talent and in that each artist only had about 10 minutes to perform. Originally scheduled for two stages — Neumos and Barboza — ECG lost Barboza day-of due to staffing shortages.

“Unfortunately, due to some last minute COVID-positive results in our production staff, we simply couldn’t staff both Neumos and Barboza,” said Neumos/Barboza Talent Buyer Evan Johnson.

B-Boy Fidget. The rapper released a new music video for the single “Golden Child” on December 24, the day after the gala. // Photo by Kyle Fuhrmann

Instead of cancelling those performances, MLB frontman and ECG organizer Marshall Hugh decided to jam-pack everyone onto the Neumos stage. The new lineup was scheduled to start with Terra Nobody at 7:10 p.m., B-Boy Fidget at 7:20 p.m., and Elvis Batchild at 7:30 p.m. Terra left the stage at approximately 8:45 p.m., B-Boy cruised into 9:07 p.m., and Elvis Batchild finished their set at 9:40 p.m.

Around midnight, Sin the Slime took the stage (originally slated for 10:10 p.m.). The event went on until 1:15 a.m. (originally scheduled to end at midnight), but according to Hugh, they got through all of the performers who wanted to play. Some artists sacrificed their sets in order to help with timing. Local rappers Pompeiii, Bryce Bowden, ItsTrent and Seattle songwriter P.O. Boxx were among the self-sacrificed.

“In real time everyone decided to condense their sets. It showed community, and I felt so supported and appreciated. Never has there been that many Seattle hip hop artists on a bill,” said Hugh. “That was probably the craziest day of my life, entertainment wise. Maybe that and CHOP.”

Marshall Hugh and his cousin, Eva Walker, sing “Santa Claus Is a Black Man.” Walker fronts Seattle punk rock group The Black Tones. // Photo by Kyle Fuhrmann

The rest of the lineup featured local stalwarts like The Black Tones’s and KEXP’s Eva Walker (who is also Hugh’s cousin) and True Loves guitarist Jimmy James (playing his signature tongue solos), and several acts to watch, like break-dancing rapper B-Boy Fidget, Bellingham hip-hop artist and cat enthusiast The Rhetorician, Seattle-via-Zimbabwe hip-hopper OG Mambo, rockers Elvis Batchild, rap artist Webb Wavvy, and rapper J-Key. DJ Remi held it down between sets.

The rest of the night was a weird mix of COVID-19 casualties (like Barboza) and Christmas spirit. Hugh said he had people — including his sisters — calling him all day to tell him they would no longer attend the gala due to surging Omicron cases in King county. Several artists cancelled appearances because they felt sick. According to Hugh, the event sold 300 presale tickets and saw 500 people come through the doors, but we’re estimating the main floor never saw more than 250-300 people at a time.

“We’re heading into a very trying time, and it felt amazing to have one last party before the world burns…again,” said Hugh.

Elvis Batchild’s first EP, Batchild Begins, was released in January of 2021. // Photo by Kyle Fuhrmann

But, as they say — and as we’ve seen over the past two years — tragedy tends to bring people together. The Christmas spirit felt alive and well inside the venue as people dropped off donations for Cozy Connections, danced to and applauded performers, and cheersed with their friends. Artists problem-solved a lineup in real time. The Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage and Jackson’s Catfish Corner provided food for the artists and venue staff, and Dick’s Drive-In gave out 75 free hamburgers to the crowd.

Pompeiii, Terra Nobody, Sin the Slime, 52 Kings, and Elvis Batchild won best dressed. MLB drops more ECG awards on New Year’s Day on their IG.

Marshall Hugh, frontman of Marshall Law Band and organizer of Emerald City Gala, stops to take a photo in front of Neumos.
Mallory Holladay.
DJ Remi keeps the music going between Mallory Holladay and Terra Nobody.
Mediums Collective sets up a pop-up shop at the event.
Terra Nobody performs to a light and distanced crowd.
Terra Nobody.
B-Boy Fidget performs “Seattle,” a lyrically dense rap ode to the city.
B-Boy Fidget released a new music video for the single “Golden Child” on December 24, the day after the gala.
The crowd opens up for a quick show of breakdancing from B-Boy Fidget and his dancers.
Elvis Batchild describes itself as dark psych rock.
Frontman Rein Laik of Elvis Batchild.
Elvis Batchild’s first EP, Batchild Begins, was released in January of 2021.
OG Mambo (center), one of the hosts for the night, takes his set with Webb Wavvy (far left), and CHANDO (second from left).
OG Mambo (left) and Webb Wavvy.
Webb Wavvy wears a hoodie from Mediums Collective, a Seattle streetwear brand that set up a pop-up shop at Emerald City Gala.
Originally scheduled for Neumos and Barboza, ECG lost the Barboza stage day-of due to staffing shortage from COVID. All performers were pushed to approximately 10 minute sets on the Neumos stage, but some artists scheduled to play sacrificed their sets in order to help with timing.
OG Mambo (left).
Marshall Law Band Frontman Marshall Hugh in a new outfit and an opera mask.
This is the second Emerald City Gala organized by Marshall Law Band. The first took place in 2019.
Marshall Hugh.
Marshall Hugh and his cousin, Eva Walker, sing “Santa Claus Is a Black Man.” Walker fronts Seattle punk rock group The Black Tones.
A crowd member Snapchats Marshall Law Band.
Taane Jr (center right) and producer J Moe Da Bird (center left) get some time on stage with Marshall Law Band.
Chris King of Seattle Americana group Chris King & The Gutterballs (center) performs with Marshall Law Band.
Marshall Hugh and Torin Frost (left).
Aghen is a Columbian singer and composer based in Seattle and Miami.
Kid Cambo.
52 Kings.
Emerald City Gala filled 200 bags with donations for Cozy Connections, a nonprofit that collects supplies for those in need each holiday season.
Holly Michelle samples Nickelodeon’s “Rugrats” on her song, “Hella Much.”
Everett hip-hop artist J-Key.
J-Key has a show scheduled for January 8 at Barboza.
J-Key.
According to Hugh, Emerald City Gala sold 300 presale tickets and saw 500 people come through the doors.
The Rhetorician promotes his website, therhetorician100.com.
Sin the Slime.

All photos by Kyle Fuhrmann.

For more information on Cozy Connections, click here.

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Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).