By Felix Asherah Chrome Any given night walking around in downtown Olympia one is likely to encounter a group of people gathered on a corner eating pizza or pastries, drinking coffee, and digging through piles of clothes and blankets. This is the scene surrounding the volunteers who ride for EGYHOP, or […]
Fringe Music Hopes to Expand
More Festivals and a Record Label Coming Soon
By Kathryn L. Casterline People of all ages flocked to the Track House in downtown Olympia on Saturday, Sept. 27 to attend FringeFest 2014, where local hip-hop, punk, metal, and folk acts performed. I sat down with the founders of Fringe Music, husband and wife Paul and Sarah Wildey, to […]
Washington-based Activist Imprisoned in Mexico
By Miriam X. Padilla Nestora Salgado is a naturalized U.S. citizen who grew up in the small indigenous village of Olinala in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. She moved to the United States in 1991 at the age of 20, working as a maid, nanny, and waitress. She split her […]
Best New Music: 2013-14
Here’s what we think you should be listening to. By ISSAC SCOTT While everyone fawns over Portland, Chicago and Austin as hot spots for new music, Olympia quietly ferments the kind of sublime weirdness that has contributed disproportionately to overall “alternative culture,” whatever that means. Obviously, themes established by riot […]
Best New Music: Naomi Punk – “Television Man”
NAOMI PUNK – TELEVISION MAN (Captured Tracks) By JOSH WOLF Confidently jarring, meticulous and formulaic, Naomi Punk’s composition is down to a science. Consistent songwriting is what defines their sophomore album, Television Man, as the guitars punch and drive syncopated alongside anti-drumbeat drumming. The vocals yell, as if stuck in […]
Best New Music: VEXX – “VEXX”
VEXX – VEXX (M’Lady Records) By BLAINE EWIG Vexx’s self-titled EP answers the question “Is punk dead?” with a loud and adamant “NO.” Their argument for that assertion sounds pretty convincing, too; the EP is cohesive, powerful, and more calculated than one might expect from a debut. Vexx is well-versed […]
Best New Music: Oh, Rose – “1919”
OH, ROSE – 1919 (Guest Records) By JOSH WOLF Lead by frontwoman Olivia Rose, Oh, Rose is one of Olympia’s most promising bands. After practicing for less than three months in late Spring 2014, the group embarked on their first tour: a 10 thousand-mile journey across 28 states and 28 […]
Best New Music: Slouch – “Sick Man Demo”
SLOUCH – SICK MAN DEMO (Self-released) By BLAINE EWIG Slouch is classic hardcore punk; loud, fast, and sometimes startling. They take their breakdowns seriously, and their live performance is just as explosive as their recorded one. However, diverting from classic hardcore motifs and as a self identified “queer hardcore punk […]
Best New Music: LAKE – “Circular Doorway”
LAKE – CIRCULAR DOORWAY (K Records) By ISSAC SCOTT LAKE assembles a cabal of talented players for laid back, vintage-sounding grooves in what is arguably most quintessentially Olympia band imaginable. Nearing a decade since their first release, Circular Doorway shows that the quartet has settled comfortably into their offbeat pop […]
Best Study Spots
Cooper Point Journal employee, Felix Chrome, studying at Caffe Vita downtown. BLAINE EWIG By SERENA IMANI KORN They call it “homework,” but for many students, studying and completing coursework can be challenging at home. I can’t seem to concentrate enough to finish work at home. There’s something too relaxed and […]