posts that contain mini-bios of our writers
by Tom Simpson for OLY ARTS The Oly Old Time Festival is not only a musical showcase for new, emerging and established musical artists. It’s also an experiential activity. Every evening of the festival hosts an interactive square dance with a fantastic live band and callers who provide clear direction, organization and a sense of …
By Christian Caravajal and Ned Hayes for OLY ARTS For over 20 years, “This American Life” has given public-radio airwaves an unusual perspective on current events, offering insightful commentary from such writers as John Hodgman, David Rakoff, David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and of course, the inimitable Ira Glass. Recently, “This American Life” has taken steps …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Being the daughter of a musical legend can open doors, to be sure, but it multiplies the difficulty of forging a career apart from his shadow. Consider, then, the talent of Rosanne Cash. After the Man in Black recorded a song she wrote, Rosanne formed a partnership with singer-songwriter …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Grammy award nominee Mary Lambert will be featured at this year’s Pizza Klatch “Gayla” celebration at Olympia’s Washington Center. Lambert worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the song “Same Love” on their multi-platinum album The Heist. She also performed the song at the Grammy Awards with Madonna and …
Visual Art Review: the annual postcard show at South Puget Sound Community College ART REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS You’ll find the good, the bad and the you-gotta-be-kidding-me at the annual postcard exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College. There are professional artists in the show, including many of Olympia’s best, and there …
Visual Art Review by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Jennifer Lauer’s Color and Light at All Sorts Gallery is a little gem of a show of still life and landscape painting in a classical modernist tradition. Lauer lays on lush layers of paint reminiscent of Wayne Thiebaud, with colors such as seen in Wolf Kahn’s …
by Christian Carvajal for OLY ARTS Time is of the essence in English playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s 1995 thriller Communicating Doors, opening this weekend at Olympia Little Theatre. The title is a British phrase meaning a passage between two adjoining hotel suites. The story begins 20 years from now, when executive assistant Julian procures the services …
THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS I carried delicious anticipation and a measure of trepidation to the opening of American Idiot at Lakewood Playhouse – anticipation because it is such a highly praised musical, and trepidation because what little I had heard of Green Day’s music seemed ear splitting with garbled lyrics. I …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS There aren’t many popular musical institutions more respected or longer lasting than Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They’d already been around for over 20 years before they found an international audience through their contributions to Paul Simon’s genre-mixing masterpiece Graceland, and they’ve continued to amass gold and platinum albums since. Their …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Two accomplished musicians, their acoustic guitars, and some front-porch tales—that’s what audiences can expect during An Evening with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen on The Washington Center Main Stage, Saturday, Jan. 27. Lovett and Keen, both singer-songwriters with impressive discographies spanning decades, will provide an evening of down-home songs …