by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS Every year in the first week of August, the Thurston County Fair arrives in Lacey for a period of five days. Guests from all over Thurston County are attracted to the event, with about 28,000 attending overall. The fair is a family-oriented endeavor. Crowds attend to experience a lick …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS The International Bob Dylan Tribute Festival, stopping Saturday in Olympia’s West Central Park, was founded not by a lifelong fan of the Nobel Prize-winning folk icon. Rather, tribute organizer and singer-songwriter Dewey Paul Moffitt of Keystone, Colorado, got interested in Dylan only after a stint selling merchandise for a …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Darol Anger and Rushad Eggleston have played together in The Fiddlers Four, The Republic of Strings and other groups worldwide. Olympians can now see them live in a concert for Arbutus Folk School. The concert will be held at NOVA School. Anger performs quadruple duty as composer, educator, fiddler …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS This July will see the return of Seattle rock band The Adarna to Lakefair, playing during the final hours of the last day of the festival. The Adarna describes its genre as “Jet City rock,” because Seattle is the birthplace of both the band and the Boeing company. The …
by Nora Kovacs for OLY ARTS After releasing its debut album Threes this past February, Oklahoma-based, Americana-and-jazz band Harumph brings its vintage-sounding tunes to Olympia’s Music in the Park. Formed by Olympia native Kate Dinsmore, who leads the group with her effortlessly robust vocals, and composer-pianist David Leach, Harumph is a contemporary twist on old-fashioned …
by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS David Correa has been blending Spanish guitar with Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms since 1999, tucking in a bit of Middle Eastern influence for extra spice. His San Francisco-based band regularly tours the western United States, winning three Norbay awards in a row for best Latin band. This March, Correa …
by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS Portland singer-songwriter Nate Botsford has been making music since he was a kid crafting his own guitar from a popcorn box. He made it big in 2015 with a win at the national songwriting competition Project Aloft Star before scoring the help of producer Billy Mann (Cher, Celine Dion, …
by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS Kissy Flick makes its Music in the Park debut with a sound the duo describes as eclectic as Olympia. It’s a blend of Americana, jazz, pop, and roots music that sounds like Jack Johnson himself put it together. Tenino couple James and Kissy Flick met nearly a decade ago. …
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS On August 19, Music in the Park comes to a lively conclusion with The Commanders, the 18-member jazz ensemble of the Air Force Band of the Golden West. The band, stationed at Travis Air Force Base in the San Francisco Bay area, is the only active-duty Air Force band …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS There’s aren’t many bluegrass bands that can rival Misty Mamas in dishing up traditional, folksy music with mesmerizing harmonies and hip-slapping rhythms. Based out of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, Misty Mamas comprises Katherine Nitsch on vocals and guitar; April Parker on vocals, mandolin and accordion; Eileen Rocci on …