by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS When they perform at The Oly Old Time Festival, Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle won’t simply play and sing. They show as much as they tell, accompanying their songs with “crankies,” rolls of fabric or paper with illustrations that move with the turn of a crank. The duo’s music—and …
A longer history, as told to OLY ARTS by festival founders In 2008, a group of people who enjoyed old-time music—music played with banjo, fiddle and other traditional stringband instruments—began jamming in Olympia homes. People played under the band name Grizzle Grazzle, with the inclusive motto, “We are Grizzle Grazzle and so are you!” This motto …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Seattle-based Cajun band Touloulou will play for late-night dancers in the South Bay Grange on Feb. 18. The four-piece band is made up of Elena DeLisle on guitar, John Hurd on accordion, and Karen England and Steve Perry on fiddle. The festival website promises, “They’ll have you joyfully two-stepping …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS There’s nothing quite as Pacific Northwestern as Olympia’s teen fiddle-and-folk band The REDS. Comprised of Eros and Dante Faulk and River and Sage Scheuerell, The REDS have been playing bluegrass and old-time music together for five years. This year, they’ll open the festival at the “Thursday Night Kick-Off Dance,” …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS (Featured ART: Maybelle Carter by Paula McHugh) As an art form, one of music’s most admirable traits is its ability to adapt: Trends come and go, and styles emerge in a sort of call-and-response pattern. New sounds blaze trails in response to old ones, lending us revelations like the …
Concert and Dance Schedule Thursday Night Kick-off Dance (2/16) 7pm – 10pm South Bay Grange Band: The REDS Caller: Carol Piening Saturday Family Dance (2/18) 2pm – 3pm First Christian Church Band: The Bow Weevils Caller: Caroline Oakley Friday Night Events (2/17) …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS For some bands, messiness can be a virtue. Not everyone thrives on the airtight compositions of Robert Fripp or other leaders of compositional tidiness. A band like The National draws its strength from disciplined arrangements and an almost drum-machine-esque rhythm section, but that focus can result in music devoid …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Music is part of the mission of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the annual Service of Lessons and Carols is a shining example. The service is both a religious observance and a musical event that draws a community crowd far exceeding the regular congregation. “Last year, there were at …
Darkness Visible is presented as part of the first season of Emerald City Music, a new classical concert series in the Puget Sound region. Darkness Visible explores the boundaries between two nations historically and musically at odds: England and France. From Debussy and Ravel to Britten and Ades, this diverse, handcrafted performance is where two different …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Bluegrass artist Sierra Hull and accompanying double-bassist Ethan Jodziewicz will perform at Traditions Café and World Folk Art this Saturday night. The musicians are touring through Oregon and Washington this week, playing acoustic bluegrass music from Hull’s newest album, Weighted Mind, featuring Jodziewicz as bassist. Born and raised in …