posts about live music, performance of music, concerts, etc.
By ADAM McKINNEY Blessed with a clear, strong and achingly vulnerable singing voice, Mikaiah Sawyer is one of the brightest spots in the Olympia music scene. Drawing inspiration from blues and folk, smoothed with a penchant for crowd-pleasing pop-rock, Sawyer possesses the ability to get listeners to rise to their feet or shed a tear …
By TOM SIMPSON For the past 15 years, the Jimmy Vegas Band cover group has entertained audiences at special events and festivals. The band’s repertoire is enormous, ranging from rock hits composed by John Mellencamp and Tom Petty to country standards by Johnny Cash, from soul classics by Marvin Gaye and KC and the Sunshine …
By Adam McKinney The very first track on Alex Creamer’s latest LP says it all: titled The Wallpaper Song, the lyrics immediately paint a picture of a restless artist in search of something to break her from the comfy banality of everyday life. As our narrator details time wasted staring at the wall when she …
By TOM SIMPSON Las Vegas performer Justin James comes to Lacey in Tune for a Saturday evening family-friendly performance. James combines a sharp comedic wit with the skills of a hypnotist for an enraptured performance like no other. As a national touring artist for over twenty years, James has created unique evenings for corporations, college …
By ADAM McKINNEY Washington is no slouch when it comes to quality and quantity of jazz bands, but some lack a sense of self-awareness and infectious fun. It’s a fate that can befall anyone who spends a lifetime mastering a craft. That’s not the case with Hook Me Up, a Puget Sound quartet that approaches …
By TOM SIMPSON Since the age of five, Vikki Gasko Green has been entertaining live audiences with singing, dancing, and acting. An award winning ventriloquist and songwriter, Green provides a unique blend of magic, ventriloquism, educational songs, dramatic reading and more. Her puppet companions range from dogs to giant frogs and all the way to …
By TOM SIMPSON Jazz artist Darren Motamedy has played with Ray Charles, Kenny G, Steve Oliver, Paul Taylor, Grover Washington Jr. and many other notable musicians. This month, Lacey in Tune will feature Motamedy on its noontime stage for a set of smooth-jazz standards and improvisational saxophone. Live a Special Day, Motamedy’s 10th studio album, …
By MOLLY GILMORE Melissa Etheridge is known almost as much for activism as for such hits as “I’m the Only One,” but when she plays July 17 in Olympia, the singer-songwriter plans not to educate or advocate but simply to rock. “We’re calling it ‘The Rock Show,’ because it’s rocking,” she said in a phone …
BBQ, Bands, and Family Fun at Rainier Vista Park by TOM SIMPSON On Tuesday, July 3, the City of Lacey hosts a pre-Fourth-of-July family event at Rainier Vista Park. The entertainment lasts from 4 p.m. until after the fireworks at 11 p.m. The afternoon and evening includes an oversized inflatable bounce house and slide for children, a …
By ALEC CLAYTON This summer Harlequin Productions celebrates 30 years of music by Bruce Whitney, who started as a rock musician and has arranged, conducted and performed music for the company since its beginning. “As of August this year,” says Harlequin cofounder and Bruce’s sister-in-law, Linda Whitney, “Bruce will have been composing music for theater …