posts that will be on the front page
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Harold Nelson’s paper collages at the Department of Ecology in Lacey are phenomenal. Some may say they could be seen as gimmicky in a Where’s Waldo kind of way, but solid design and color harmonies elevate them above the merely tricky, not to mention that they are …
By Molly Walsh Between hidden gems and retro hits, Platinum Soul transports listeners to a 1970s funk and rhythm-and-blues dream. It plays throughout the Pacific Northwest, blending Earth, Wind & Fire; Hall and Oates and Rick James into its set. Band leader LaRoi Carter Jr. grew up in Lacey and has always wanted to return …
by Ned Hayes Olympia has professional theater, amateur theater, family theater and community theater. Yet we are often bereft of truly experimental genre-busting theatrical adventures. In late July, on one night only, writer/performer/puppeteer and underground wandering clown-minstrel Donna Oblongata will grace Olympia with her presence and fill your need for an experimental journey to the …
ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS The 2019 Southwest Washington Juried Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College has opened. It is sparser this year than previous shows — and that’s a good thing. It means a larger percentage of the art is of top quality and the show does not look overcrowded. …
By Molly Walsh Hometown Olympia act WineHouse Band is a young, seven-piece, alternative-rock lineup that crosses funk with hints of rock and jazz. It recently released an extended-play album, Le Voyeur. Half the band’s members are teenagers, but don’t let that distract from their especially tight, enthusiastic performances, as on the tune “Midnight.” Dreamy vocals …
For music fans who started collecting albums before the arrival of Spotify, Tacoma Dome has scheduled an epic run of bucket-list concert acts.
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Director Aaron Lamb and the cast and crew of Harlequin Productions’ Man of La Mancha took a calculated risk that is paying off marvelously in their production of the classical musical by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. Lamb has updated …
By Alec Clayton Writing and illustrating a children’s book has been Nancy Thorne Chambers’ dream since childhood, but her passion took an unexpected turn after she retired from a lifetime as an illustrator and family therapist. In a dramatic turn from her plans, she taught herself ceramic sculpture. “I learned by reading books and trial …
By Billy Thomas Recess Monkey is a Grammy-Nominated family music band from Seattle. These teachers-turned-rockers know how to get kids and families excited. Known for prolific, eclectic musical output and their contagiously exciting live shows, Recess Monkey strives to strike a balance between kid-centric ideas and musical authenticity. Lyrically, they weave jokes and puns together …
By NOAH SHACHAR Summertime is coming around, and Olympia Film Society (OFS) welcomes warm weather with a new set of extraordinary films including Olivier Assayas’s philosophical romp Non-Fiction and Eric Becker’s documentary Return to Mount Kennedy. We spoke with programming director Rob Patrick about the screenings. As for Assayas, Patrick said, “The French director’s acclaimed …