Editor 
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS There are unique and quirky aspects of Olympia that are hard to put into words for even the best of authors, yet writer and social commentator David Scherer-Water rose to the challenge earlier this year as he published Olympia, a comedic, nonfiction book combining local history with humorous observations …
by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS Sit back and relax with the soulful sound of a modern jazz legend as part of the Lacey in Tune summer-concert series. Award-winning horn player Dmitri Matheny will conclude the series with his smooth charm and masterful form on the flugelhorn. Born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised between Georgia …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS After a hiatus last summer, outdoor Shakespeare by Animal Fire Theatre is back with the romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, opening June 30 in the Water Garden on the east side of the Capitol Campus. The free production will take audiences back to Hollywood during the Roaring ’20s. …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS With cultures mixing and matching with increasing amorousness, it’s only natural for music to spread like dandelion flowers from one side of the world to another. It’s because of this cross-pollination that we arrive at groups like the John Welsh Band. A multicultural outfit, the John Welsh Band incorporates …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Ideally, duos should possess the kind of magnetism and presence that let you forget the lack of a big backing band. Simon and Garfunkel clearly had that quality. After a listen to Sundae + Mr. Goessl, one can hear their love for each other melding with their musical prowess …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Sometimes it’s easy to hear the connection two artists share with each other, meaning they’re so on the same page that the authorial voice seems to be coming from one mind. Blaze and Kelly have been writing and performing together since 2004, and that history comes across in the …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS The Olson brothers of Olympia, Isaac and Luke, formed a country act in 2011. They won the 2013 Capital Lakefair Battle of the Bands and a national songwriting contest with “Sunrise,” an original song they performed at the Grand Ole Opry. That song was inspired by the natural beauty …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS While there are certainly plenty of talented country artists in America these days, there was a golden age for country music that ran from roughly the late ’50s through the ’70s. It was in these times that the so-called “outlaw country” of people like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Get ready for a toe-tapping extravaganza from old-style-blues band Blues County Sheriff. Band members say they live to have fun and put on a great show. “Forget the myth that blues is sad music,” they say. “Our blues will make you dance. Expect humor and lots of audience interaction. …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Spike and the Impalers, the classic-rock, alter-ego band comprising radio hosts Spike O’Neill and Bob Rivers of The Bob Rivers Show on KJR (95.7 FM), brings pure entertainment to the stage. Along with Rivers and O’Neill, the Seattle-based cover band includes Scott Adams, Steve Hanna, Jeff Kathan, Susan Kendall-Morais, …