Moxee Hop Fest Features Final Performance from the Band, PHLOX

This weekend is the Moxee Hop Fest, a tradition proudly held for the city of Moxee. Bands like Yakima’s very own Leviticus will be rocking the Yakima Federal Family Stage on Saturday night at 8:30.

Phlox will take the stage Friday night at 6:30. This will be their final show in the PNW before they take an official break from the music scene.

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WHO IS PHLOX?

My first run-in with Phlox was about a year ago at Chainsaw Cat in Yakima. Phlox stole the show with a sound that I can only describe as something very similar to Of Monsters and Men—a rare indie folk-rock powerhouse that you just don’t always hear.

Phlox is made up of four members: Katherine Easterling, Andrew Shipman on the guitar, soundscapes, and backing vocals; Kurtis Ross, bassist (and engineer of their recent album Follow Water); and Isaiah Montelongo, who brings the might and power of the drums.

Phlox began as early as 2008—a group Katherine formed in her home state of Florida. Katherine moved to Yakima in 2021 to work in the hop industry in the Yakima Valley.

Through fast-growing friendships within the local scene, i.e. performances at Bearded Monkey and various open mics across Yakima, she recreated her band with a motley crew of new Phlox bandmates. Phlox blossomed into a Pacific Northwest band with a new local lineup and a fresh PNW vibe to go along with it.

Two years later, after multiple shows across Washington and a released EP, we are now here at the final show of Phlox.

Phlox: The Final Curtain Call...for Now

Katherine says she is eager to get back to her family and roots in Florida, with hopes of one day reuniting Phlox to play there—and ideally to return to Central Washington to grace the PNW with their talents once more.

An Interview with Katherine of Phlox

Katherine gave me the scoop and an inside look at Phlox.

Katherine, what got you into this? What were your dreams regarding music?

Writing and playing music has always been a way to process and express my huge feelings, and also a way to preserve fleeting moments. For example, on our recent record, Glass Widow—I was hiking alone, heard the coyotes, and the first spring wildflowers were blooming. But beneath those descriptions is a more personal, thinly veiled story and a philosophical question about risk and wilderness, and our relationship with nature.

We have played lots of benefits and fundraisers around the Yakima Valley, but even just going to shows and hanging out with people is the whole goal.

Any closing words or shout-outs you or your bandmates wish to say or thank?

We want to thank the venues that have hosted us! Lance Reese at Bearded Monkey, for being our home stage where we first played as a band at open mic. And many others—Chainsaw Cat, The Seasons, Sports Center, Ray’s Golden Lion and The Emerald in Richland, Wally’s in Wenatchee, Bale Breaker, and Moxee Hop Fest, just to name a few! Thank you for creating spaces where people can come together and enjoy live music."

The Show May Be Over, However the Final Note Has Yet Been Played

While Phlox may be playing their last show this Friday, this is not goodbye forever. It’s rather a break—a time to rejuvenate, to relax, and enjoy what life has to offer.

Katherine seems determined to one day see Phlox rock the airwaves and the stages of Yakima again, and I, for one, will be waiting until we can enjoy their music once more.