Messy Jessy’s show must go on without Redact Records

By Matthew N. Wells • May 22, 2024 5:30 pm
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill, has hosted many acts and even with a flaming drum from Jason VanEss, drummer from ANTIHERO, it was hard for Jessica Knutson to pinpoint her favorite show that her venue has hosted and Redact Records brought since April 2023. “My favorite show is hard to say,” Jessica said. “Each one had an amazing performance. All the bands have been a blast to have on our stage at Messy Jessy’s!”
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill, has hosted many acts and even with a flaming drum from Jason VanEss, drummer from ANTIHERO, it was hard for Jessica Knutson to pinpoint her favorite show that her venue has hosted and Redact Records brought since April 2023. “My favorite show is hard to say,” Jessica said. “Each one had an amazing performance. All the bands have been a blast to have on our stage at Messy Jessy’s!”

Chris Haley, owner of Redact Records, announced in May the end to what was a successful business relationship with Jessica Knutson, owner of Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill — 212 S. I St., in Aberdeen.

“Sadly, our one-year contract with Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill was up last month,” Haley said in a Facebook post just days before the last scheduled Redact show at the bar. “The time has flown by! We have decided not to renew the contract. However, we have agreed to stay on through the end of May to help fulfill the existing bookings and allow the club to take up the reins and build off of the foundation and template we created for live events. We wish them the very best as they go into the future and take over all aspects of event production.”

A lot of people loved watching the concerts that started popping up in April 2023 inside Jessica Knutson’s bar and grill, Messy Jessy’s. It seems a lot of bands enjoyed themselves on the stage the bar’s co-owner Dustin Knutson built himself. And it’s clear from all of the photos that have been posted from professional photographers — Redact’s Johnathon Cave, and local media — and amateur photographers alike that a lot of memories were made through the last year. The gigs featured bands from the genres of rock, metal, blues, punk, rockabilly, country and alternative rock.

Throughout the long list of shows Redact and Messy Jessy’s threw, it included a few more noteworthy ones, including the benefit celebration for a dear friend who was killed, an appreciation night for a respected journalist, the one-year anniversary show for the bar itself, and a few others that were noteworthy because of how successful they were.

The good times rocked and rolled over there as the brother-sister combination of Haley and Jessica brought a lot of fun to Grays Harbor. But they’ve come to an end, at least for the time being as Messy Jessy’s resets and prepares to host its own shows.

Haley, who’s rooting for the club’s continued success, explains what led to the decision in February for Redact to stop.

“Essentially, the burden of expense on both parties, it’s a consideration in all of it,” Haley said. “But the reality is we were there kind of as an advisory company, as a production company, to get them up and running to the point where they could take over. Realistically, it was always going to be somewhat temporary so there’s no bad blood or nothing. But it was just we did our one year and we have a lot going on (with) festivals this summer, we use our PA for a ton of events.”

Haley, who pointed out that Redact works all over Washington state, said it was time for Redact to “do our own thing.” Redact is an independent record label and production company out of Seattle.

“(It’s) time for the club, they wanted time (from) us to help them create the foundation for all these shows and then so they could buy their own gear and eventually do in-house productions. That’s where we are right now. It’s the right time for them to take over their own productions. As far as Redact goes, we operate statewide so we have a lot going on. Working at a distance, that really is a contributing factor. And because we’ve tried to do this so cost-efficient for the club, we haven’t really profited a ton or anything. This has all really been done as a family thing to help my sister and get that club started so that they can prosper.”

Jessica, for whom the bar was named after she decided to retire the name Game Day Sports Bar and Grill and re-brand to match her own style, said her mission was to be be “a beacon for quality, live music, greasy spoon home-cooking, and amazing cocktails in a unique environment.”

The mission hasn’t changed since then. Why should it after all of the success in the past 13 months?

“We will be continuing live music just a little different,” Jessica said.

She explained how the club is “slowly” getting its equipment to “fulfill a whole band’s needs.”

“As far as open mic, that will continue with the help of some amazing locals and artists,” Jessica said. “They have come together to help us continue Twisted Tuesday open mics.”

As far as the next live, scheduled concert, Jessica addressed that concern as well.

“You will see a short break for the next couple months without much for live performances as it is summer and it does get hot with us being an upstairs venue, but we hope to come into the fall with some shows trying to stick to a similar idea with what we had been doing with Redact Records.”

Jessica sounded thankful for the work Haley and his team did to help Messy Jessy’s.

“Working with Redact definitely helped us get known and helped us learn the different sound equipment, plus we got to meet amazing singers, artists and bands,” Jessica said.

For any future bands or artists, the club will do its best to continue the live music and bookings.

“If anyone is interested or has questions, feel free to email me,” Jessica said. “(Use) tommyboyjh@gmail.com, or contact (Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill) on Facebook Messenger.”

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World While Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill will not host live concerts, like the one seen here, for the foreseeable future as the club gets its own gear, the goal that Jessica Knutson, owner of Messy Jessy’s, set in April 2023 has not changed. “Our mission is to be a beacon for quality live music, greasy spoon home-cooking, and amazing cocktails in a unique environment.” That said, the Open Mic Nights there will remain a staple.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World While Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill will not host live concerts, like the one seen here, for the foreseeable future as the club gets its own gear, the goal that Jessica Knutson, owner of Messy Jessy’s, set in April 2023 has not changed. “Our mission is to be a beacon for quality live music, greasy spoon home-cooking, and amazing cocktails in a unique environment.” That said, the Open Mic Nights there will remain a staple.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Earle Thunders, left on guitar, and Jeromy Leonard, right on bass, of The Swaggerlies, hammer and scream their hearts out as part of the closing act, of Redact Record’s last scheduled show — Saturday night — at Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill. Their set provided the venue an ’80s-era metal sound, which made Thunders’ Motörhead shirt all too perfect for the four-man band.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Earle Thunders, left on guitar, and Jeromy Leonard, right on bass, of The Swaggerlies, hammer and scream their hearts out as part of the closing act, of Redact Record’s last scheduled show — Saturday night — at Messy Jessy’s Bar and Grill. Their set provided the venue an ’80s-era metal sound, which made Thunders’ Motörhead shirt all too perfect for the four-man band.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Joel Dillard, guitarist and lead singer, and the rest of Gonzo’s Attic slowed down the tempo of Saturday night’s show at times. But that’s not to say they didn’t rock out and give the crowd, including their friends from Hoquiam Brewing Company, one heck of a show. “This might be the best show we’ve had yet,” said Dustin Knutson, husband of Messy Jessy’s owner Jessica Knutson. People loved all three bands that night, which included an intense, riff-heavy and energetic singing performance from Atrocity Girl. After Gonzo’s Attic finished, Chris Haley gave their set an excited review. “I’d say that rocked,” Haley said.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Joel Dillard, guitarist and lead singer, and the rest of Gonzo’s Attic slowed down the tempo of Saturday night’s show at times. But that’s not to say they didn’t rock out and give the crowd, including their friends from Hoquiam Brewing Company, one heck of a show. “This might be the best show we’ve had yet,” said Dustin Knutson, husband of Messy Jessy’s owner Jessica Knutson. People loved all three bands that night, which included an intense, riff-heavy and energetic singing performance from Atrocity Girl. After Gonzo’s Attic finished, Chris Haley gave their set an excited review. “I’d say that rocked,” Haley said.