Empty Sea Studios

Nice cozy venue for acoustic shows, with a decent selection of beer and snacks for a tiny venue. I definitely plan on returning for another show soon. Fair warning: one bathroom, single stall, which will have a line during intermission for about half the attendees –probably easier to skip it and plan to go when you get home or elsewhere.

Awesome small venue. Get there early to get a good spot, or if you want more than 2 seats near each other. Nice little beer selection, and a very friendly feel to the place.

I’ve spent a ton of time at Empty Sea in the past year. Last summer, my band came here to record and mix our first album. I’ve been here for concerts, both as a performer and an audience member. I’ll be returning to Empty Sea soon for more recording and to see more shows. I definitely recommend that you stop by and check this place out.
Every neighborhood needs a venue like Empty Sea. It’s essentially an old house that’s been converted into a performance venue, teaching space, and recording studio. This is the proverbial «place down the street» where you can drop your kid off for music lessons during the day and saunter by to catch a show at night. Tiny local bands come here to record their albums. It’s small, homey, comfortable. The place has a friendly neighborhood vibe, from the sign outside proclaiming «Phinney’s Home for Acoustic Music» to the audience of locals who actually did amble down the street for some live music.
But Empty Sea also has this secret superhero identity going on. It may be Phinney’s neighborhood music venue, but it’s also quickly becoming a hub for bluegrass/​roots/​acoustic music in the Puget Sound area. I receive Empty Sea’s newsletter, and each month I’m impressed by the line-​up of musicians due to perform. A lot of these folks come from out of town to play here. So when you head down the street to see a concert at Empty Sea, be prepared to have your socks knocked off.
The performance space is like nothing I’ve seen before. What used to be a living room is now occupied by a stage. The stage itself is tiny — fits about four musicians (plus gear & mics) comfortably. But it’s made of beautiful varnished wood, and all the stage lighting is professional quality. The venue seats an audience of only 35 – 40 people, making for a truly intimate concert experience. You’ll be able to see every movement the musicians make and hear every note they play. My only complaint is that it’s difficult to see the stage from the back rows — the level floor makes it so that you’ll have to peer around those sitting in front of you to glimpse the musicians. Risers would definitely help.
I really have to hand it to Michael, the one-​man army who owns and manages this place, for having the knowledge and drive to make his vision for Empty Sea a reality. Michael is a lot of fun to work with. He definitely knows his stuff, whether it’s related to sound engineering, instrument building, teaching, performing, the music business, etc. Not only did Michael record and mix our album with finesse and aplomb, he’s also given us tons of advice on all sorts of music-​related matters, from tips on writing a band bio to ideas for marketing. Give this guy a call if you ever need to record anything!

Great intimate venue. Caught a Tumble Me Productions show here and really enjoyed the closeness of the perfomers to the audience. Since this is a house, the seating is a tight fit and there is only one bathroom which is my only gripe. I’m looking forward to catching other shows here in the future.

Almost everything about this place is fantastic, and if you’re a lean person this will be a five-​star spot for you. My fat ass was numb after two hours on the metal folding chairs. That’s the whole of the bad news. The good news:
A delicious listening space, small and intimate, Michael (owner and host) is a total charm machine and a fantastic musician pursuing a serious musicians dream. Tickets are cheap ($ 10-​$ 12 at the moment), there’s a deep front porch on which the artists often casually step out at intermission for a mingle or a chat and oh, the sound. So nice. Not a buzz, hum, hiss, pop, or crackle in 2.5 hours of performance, including two moderately gasp/​spit-​style spoken-​word artists and a two-​hour concert. As a serious fan of good music, I was a little swoony (still am, it seems).