As the winter rains come to the Pacific Northwest and the days grow dark and chilly, live music in the cozy environs of the New Prospect Theatre becomes essential. Last week, one of those “dark and stormy” Bellingham, Washington nights was warmed considerably when Jeffrey Foucault took the stage.
Accompanied by Erik Koskinen on lead guitar and Death Cab for Cutie drummer (and Bellingham native) Jason McGeer, Jeffrey’s gorgeous (and battered) 1946 or ’47 Gibson J-45 drove the band while still giving each performer plenty of space to breathe. Suffice to say this particular trio configuration filled the intimate room with the full, muscular sound I’d remembered Foucault’s music from his previous Bellingham visit. Perhaps it’s that Gibson J-45 or that he brought his own sound guy, “Ray,” but Foucault’s songs, even the ballads, demand attention. Perhaps it’s the finely crafted melodies and lyrics, or simply his warm, powerful, and evocative voice that lulls the audience, drawing us into his heartland stories.
In his previous visit to the New Prospect Theatre in November 2024, Foucault had joked about the dynamics of a folk music show, “Be prepared to hear me talk a lot,” (as one does if they’re a folk singer). During his performance on Oct. 28, he expounded on how he approaches onstage storytelling. In his trademark deadpan demeanor Foucault said, “when I first started out, I worried I couldn’t play guitar…because I couldn’t. And I worried I couldn’t sing, because I couldn’t. So I would tell funny stories.”
As time went on, and in an attempt to quell his nervous shyness, he would indulge in certain weedy substances and wear sunglasses during performances. That didn’t work out so well: “Wait, how long have I been telling this story, 20 minutes?!” In the end, despite his self-described “mean face” (part of the reason he began telling funny stories in the first place), he’s a classic folk troubadour, singing his songs and revealing the histories behind them.
Stream Jeffrey Foucault’s 2024 release, The Universal Fire, on Spotify:
A Wisconsin native now residing in New England with his wife and fellow musician/songwriter Kris Delmhorst (herself a regular New Prospect Theater performer), is currently on a fall 2025 tour throughout the Pacific Northwest, Montana, and California, ending in the Midwest in December. For this night in Bellingham, he performed songs from his last album, The Universal Fire (2024), as well as songs that stretch back to earlier in his career.
Watch the official music video for “Moving Through” by Jeffrey Foucault on YouTube:
The opener, “Moving Through” from The Universal Fire, began the show with a bang. On the album, it’s a pensive, leisurely song but tonight it rocked, a musical pace that continued with the album’s title track. By the third song, “Solo Modelo,” another uptempo rocker dedicated to his friend and long-time drummer, Billy Conway, who died from cancer in 2021, I got the feeling we were in for an energetic rock show.
I was wrong.
“Monterey Rain” (also from the Universal Fire) slowed the proceedings down as the mournful melody mirrored the weather conditions outside (I half expected Foucault to ad-lib “Bellingham rain”). “Slow Talker,” a slow burner (from 2015’s Salt as Wolves), followed. The lovely “I Love You (And You Are A Fool)” is one of Foucault’s most heartfelt tear-jerkers. Another gorgeous ballad, “Heart to the Husk,” from Horse Latitudes (2011) put us on pace for the closing third of the show. “Des Moines,” “Rico,” and “Blues for Jesse Mae” placed emphasis on Foucault’s bluesy roots before the rocking and cheerfully cynical “Everybody’s Famous” (inspired by “American Idol”) turned up the temperature again.
Watch an acoustic performance of “Everybody’s Famous” and “Little Warble” by Jeffrey Foucault with Billy Conway recorded at the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Music Festival via YouTube:
The show’s finale began with a new song, “Painkiller,” a tune that, between its melody and Foucault’s vocal phrasing, I could imagine Willie Nelson singing. “Woodsmoke” with Koskinen playing its lovely descending guitar pattern to perfection. The uptempo “Nightshift” closed out proceedings but not before Foucault announced, “This will be our last song.” Laughter ensued as there was not a soul in the house who believed him. As “Nightshift” ended, he asked if he should “do one more song.” Following the uproarious approval, Foucault and his companions launched into a two-song encore, introducing the first by hoping it didn’t make us want to “drive off the road on the way home.” A tender ballad with a repeated refrain of “don’t worry” it struck me as a new song (though I could be wrong about that). The 2nd encore, appropriately enough, “Left This Town,” ended the show on a raucous and satisfying note, many of us already anticipating Jeffrey’s return to Bellingham.
Here are some more photos of Jeffrey Foucault, along with Erik Koskinen and Jason McGerr, at the New Prospect Theatre on Oct. 28, 2025. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo.
