KNKX Presents: Womxn & Blues: Yonder Come the Blues

Tickets: $20 advance, $25 doors

Advance tickets can only be purchased online-we do not sell advance tickets at the venue. Refunds are not available within 48 hours of the event.

We are now accepting reservations for diners! After purchasing tickets, please visit the Reservations page to book a table. Table reservations require advance tickets, and are for guests who plan to dine at the Royal Room.  We do not take reservations over the phone.

Seating for non-diners is first come, first served. Please arrive early to guarantee a seat!

The Royal Room is All Ages until 10pm. 

Our final session of Womxn & Blues for 2025!

Let the music speak truth of our time and remind us how struggle and triumph is baked into our history. Womxn & Blues explores the incredible range of inspiration in vintage to contemporary blues and lets audiences discover the present day voices influenced by this genre at the heart of American music. Enjoy the music of Odetta, Susan Tedeschi, Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt and more!

Featuring Sheila Kay, Annette Taborn, Sheryl Wiser & Akemi 明海 (aka Reese T)

With house band: Tess Forte (Keys), Georgia T (Guitar), Rebecca Young (Bass) & Anna Mariko Seymour (Drums)

Sheila “Kay” Blackwell, originally from Galesburg, Illinois, is a powerhouse vocalist, storyteller, and advocate with more than two decades of professional performance experience. With roots in broadcasting and a heart anchored in music, Sheila’s artistic journey has spanned radio, theater, film, and live music. Sheila began her career as a radio personality after studying broadcasting and communications in the 1980s. But it was the stage that called her most deeply. She’s since graced countless productions, including Black Nativity (Intiman Theatre), The Color Purple, The Wiz, Hairspray (Motormouth Maybelle), All Shook Up, and The Temptations Revue Show. Her musical presence also shines in the Puget Sound’s live music scene, where she performs jazz, R&B, blues, and neo-soul. Sheila recently celebrated the release of her powerful music video and single, “A Black Voice Crying Out,” at The Royal Room. She’s also featured in tribute concerts such as the Erykah Badu Tribute, sharing stages with fellow soul-driven artists. A proud member of Sistas Rock the Arts, Sheila is also the founder of Inspirational Productions and its flagship event series, Our Stories—a community-focused platform for healing and truth through performance. With a recent degree in Culinary Arts and a passion for local advocacy, Sheila continues to serve her community with voice, vision, and purpose.

www.inspirationalproductions.net
@sheilak_1234

Originally from Michigan, Annette Taborn co-founded the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association in 1994, and created a Blues in Schools program there that same year. She served as Director of the Kalamazoo Blues Festival for it's first two years.  Annette studied Blues in Schools teaching methods at the University of Mississippi, Oxford and received continuing education certification from the Southern Studies Teachers Institute in Oxford in 1996 and 1997. She worked with the International House of Blues Foundation's "Blues School House" program in Chicago as the understudy for the lead singer of the American Music History Performance and as tour guide for the Museums African American Folk Art collection during the 2000/01 school year. In 2003/04 she taught Blues in Schools under the auspices of the Southern California Blues Society. In 2005 Annette moved to Seattle and began working with the late James "Curley" Cooke who was her mentor and later partner in Pacific Northwest Blues in Schools.  Over the past few years Annette has developed a story telling program for children, dressing up as and acting out stories about Stage Coach Mary Fields, a dynamic historical Black Female character in Montana in the late 1800s. Annette perrforms music and storytelling and launched the Blues in Schools program in the Northwest. She is currently living in Nevada County, CA.

Seattle-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Sheryl Wiser has crafted a soulful and uniquely compelling style of Americana, blues, roots rock and jazz. With her signature Parker Fly guitar, she displays a dynamic range of rhythmic textures that blend beautifully with her powerful and vibrant voice. A veteran of the ’90s alt-country/Americana band Somebody’s Daughter, she has become a well regarded solo artist and songwriter, combining keen observations with an emotional richness and depth.The Seattle Times writes "Wiser's music is sharp and clean, featuring her sweet, powerful voice tempered by rich, stunning melody. She writes emotional, rhythmically stirring songs and delivers them with genuine passion and is a gifted singer and songwriter." Sheryl performs through her philanthropic house concert series Pie + Persistence, which has raised over $110,000 for more than 32 non-profits in the U.S. and around the world, as well as venues, festivals and private events. In addition, she works as writer, community activist and has led a career in sustainable agriculture. Sheryl continues her journey of connection and joy through her amplified, soul-stirring blend of finely crafted Americana, roots and blues.

www.sherylwiser.com
@sheryl_wiser

Akemi 明海 (aka Reese T) is a Yonsei artist and activist; born on the island of O’ahu, raised between Hawai’i and Illinois, and migrated to Seattle in 2007. She is the Managing Director of Northwest Folklife, a Seattle-based cultural arts and heritage organization, whose mission is: “To create opportunities for all to celebrate, share, and participate in the evolving cultural traditions of the Pacific Northwest.” Reese been in vast and varied projects like queer folkgrass band, Lavender Lucy, to Rain City Jazz Orchestra, to eclectic electric doomfolk, trashyQ panda. They recently started performing under the moniker, Akemi 明海, their Japanese name. Reese currently serves on the board of Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts In Education, Folk Alliance Region (FAR) – West and as a member of the Advocacy Committee of  the Pacific NW Chapter of the Recording Academy.

@akemimakai