By Molly Gilmore
This is on page 12-13 of OLY ARTS Summer 2024 print edition.
Retro tunes will be in the air this summer in Lacey’s Huntamer Park. Most of the bands playing at the city’s Concerts & Movies in the Park, the foundation of the Lacey in Tune series, is either a tribute act or a cover band focused on decades past.
Creedence Revelation, playing July 19 before a screening of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” is a tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival and plays a few of John Fogerty’s solo hits, too. Mick Hart and the Classic Vinyl Band, playing Aug. 2 before “Migration,” covers music of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and beyond. And then there’s Beatles tribute Paperback Writer, playing Aug. 9 before “Barbie.”
A cappella masters The Coats, playing July 26 before “Wonka,” sing a variety of tunes including originals, but there are plenty of cover songs, too, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (a chart-topper for Simon and Garfunkel in 1970 — also a big year for CCR) and “Don’t Bring Me Down” (a hit for Electric Light Orchestra in 1979).
“We’ve been doing surveys recently during and after Lacey in Tune, and the most requested thing is tribute bands,” said Krzysztyanka Shaffer of Lacey Parks, Culture and Recreation. “Sometimes people will request a band by name, and sometimes they’ll just say that they want more oldies, more tribute bands.”
“It is a great alternative to seeing the real thing, which for many is not possible anymore,” said Glenn Henry, who plays Paul McCartney in Paperback Writer. A tribute, he said, is the next best thing. “I believe it must be done right, and presentation is the key,” he said. “I learned to play the bass left handed after playing right handed for 40 years just to fill the role of Paul McCartney properly. That’s how (seriously) we take it.”
The Friday double features, with concerts starting at 7 p.m. and movies at dusk, draw crowds of 400-900 people, Schaffer said. “It varies depending on the performer and the weather,” she said.
Adding to the appeal of the weekend shows: There are food trucks on hand every week. “We are still getting applications for food vendors,” she said in May. “We currently have ice cream, tacos, kettle corn and a lemonade stand with snacks.”
Shaffer is most excited about Paperback Writer, a Los Angeles-based band that’s playing in the area for the first time. “I’m a fan of the Beatles,” she said. “And I’ve seen Paperback Writer elsewhere, and the band did a great job.”
While the Beatles tribute is making its South Sound debut, Henry played Lacey in Tune in 2023 with his Beach Boys tribute act Catch a Wave. With Wave, he plays Brian Wilson — and there’s more: He founded, manages and performs with four other tribute and oldies bands, including Monkees Mania and Simon and Garfunkel tribute Feelin’ Groovy.
Creedence Revelation, headed up by Randy Linder of Tumwater, was a crowd favorite at Lacey in Tune in 2023, Shaffer said. The band was requested more than any other on follow-up surveys.
Jeannette Sieler of Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation has raved about The Coats, a Seattle-based ensemble that has won a cappella competitions and even sung at the White House. “The Coats is one of my favorite groups,” Sieler said in 2023, when the band headlined Lacey’s Independence Day celebration. “The guys put on a great show.”
Also well known for putting on a great show are Mick Hart and the Classic Vinyl Band, which got its start playing for a dance at Reeves Middle School back in 2006. Over the years, band members have included Olympia School District teachers, faculty, parents and board members. Hart retired in 2022.
Lacey in Tune also offers shows for children at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays July 9-Aug. 13, lunchtime concerts at noon Wednesdays July 10-Aug. 14 and a bonus concert with Wally and the Beaves at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. Wally and the Beaves, by the way, play hits of the ’50s through the ’80s and beyond.
Photos courtesy of Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation.
WHAT:
Lacey in Tune Concerts & Movies in the Park
WHEN:
7 p.m. July 19 and 26 and Aug. 2 and 9
WHERE:
Huntamer Park, 618 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey
LEARN MORE:
https://laceyparks.org/lit