By Bryel Fyfe
During my first year in Olympia, I had the misfortune of living on campus. This, mixed with a newborn noesis of my current location, made getting my ass to a show an endeavor, sometimes a drunken misadventure.
However, as someone who now very conveniently lives downtown, I have to make a decision on most Friday nights. There are so many venues, the choice is yours!
Amongst the slew of shows sprawled out, in and around downtown Olympia last night, this was one: a benefit punk show hosted at Media Island. If you don’t know where that is then you, my friend, are missing out. I have found a great appreciation for this community center and gathering space. It is, in my opinion, hands down one of the greatest resources in Olympia. They also appear to host their own 24/7 radio show on 106.5 KOWA
Upon walking up to the show I was greeted by a voice in a toy microphone, a trumpeter atop the roof of a van, accompanied by a manned washboard, trombonist, banjo, and guitar. After watching Pigeon Parade perform songs like “Foote Ox” and “Holding Hands with Strangers,” and others, I realized how much I was enjoying myself during this animated performance. Bringing this energy outside was a good tactic, seemingly bringing everyone else to life as well.
Performing after them were The Loud Potions. If you’re new to Evergreen you will probably see them perform at least once, if not often, whether at a school-sanctioned function, house show, or in a local venue. On this night I noticed they constantly tweaked their style to adhere to the atmosphere of the night.
After their set I heard two people that looked like freshmen loudly boasting about the next band with an attitude that teetered on the line of a great idea and entirely annoying. Following The Loud Potions was Ashtray fronted by a singer with a skull painted face and a feral attitude. They channeled an old school style of punk that I feel has been lacking in a place with such a punk rock history. I enjoyed their music and energy, what they lacked in complexity, they made up for in crowd-pleasing entertainment. They grabbed the audience’s attention, even as the front person was on the belligerent side and falling all over themselves.
All and all, the show was great. Unfortunately the rest of the acts fell short of my memory, but in their defense, it was late and I was stoned.
