For the last three years, Matt Driscoll has covered the Olympia Experimental Music Festival.  Each time, he’s interviewed Arrington De Dionyso, who for the past 12 years was the festival’s curator.

This year things have changed.

Not only did Mr. Driscoll, probably wearing a cardigan soiled with baby urine and shopping online for life insurance and mini vans, decide to hand the Olympia Experimental Music Festival off to Bobble Tiki this year, but De Dionyso is nowhere to be found. After being the brains and muscle behind the festival for 12 years, De Dionyso has decided to focus his energy elsewhere, leaving the Olympia Experimental Music Festival in the hands of original cofounder Jim McAdams and KAOS DJ Domenica Clark.

“After 12 years, I think you need a break,” offered De Dionyso last year, in a quote that ran in Driscoll’s story.

“I’ve got some other projects in the works I’d like to dedicate more attention to.  I’m sure the festival will survive and continue in some organic and unexpected way.”

It sure has.

The biggest difference Bobble Tiki notices is this year’s bill. In the past, Bobble Tiki has been left wondering “who-the-hell?” when faced with an Olympia Experimental Music Fest lineup. There were always a number of bands from strange places, like Japan, Italy, and even Canada. Since Bobble Tiki has only a vague knowledge of the world of experimental music, most of the names Bobble Tiki saw scheduled he’d never heard of. This year, under the direction of Domenica Clark, the lineup features a Portland-heavy mix of groups, and performers from the Northwest and California. This year the lineup is a lot more recognizable, and rightly or wrongly, this year Bobble Tiki is a lot more intrigued. The festival will be held at Olympia’s Eagle’s Hall, Thursday, June 21 through Sunday, June 24. Bands set to perform include: Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, Shitty Vibe Smasher, Mood Ring, Dead Air Fresheners, Argumentix, L.A. Lungs, and Eric Ostrowski. There’ll even be an after-party, at Le Voyeur on Sunday night featuring Mattress and Your Drugs My Money. More info can be found at the festival’s Web site.

“Right after last year’s festival, (De Dionyso) asked me to do it,” explains Clark.
“(De Dionyso) wasn’t involved at all this year. It’s been me and a gentleman named Jim McAdams, who founded the festival back in 1994. Jim’s been helping me, and has been my main line of support. I don’t know what Arrington’s up to. I think he’s on tour.

“When Arrington asked me to do it, he didn’t tell me I had to do it a specific way. I told him I don’t exactly have the same taste as you, so it’s probably going to be a bit different than the past few years. My taste goes more towards the noise, electronic and post punk.

“There are a lot of bands from Portland, as you may have noticed. I think it ended up that way because I was more aware of the artists in Portland. I think there’s a lot of experimental music going on down there,” continues Clark.

“I’ve been a DJ at KAOS in Olympia for the last four years, and that’s really what has introduced me to the world of experimental music. In this festival I wanted to create an amalgamation of my interests. I tried to think of this festival as a live version of my radio show in some ways, so I picked music that was really interesting to me and that I wanted to share with people.”

In Bobble Tiki’s humble opinion, Clark has done a stunning job putting together this year’s Olympia Experimental Music Festival, especially considering this is, basically, her first experience with such an endeavor. While she admits to a few mistakes along the way, like overbooking slightly, she says she’s learned a lot and has enjoyed herself. Bobble Tiki has heard slight rumblings around Olympia, from people upset about a relative lack of Olympia artists on this year’s bill, but Bobble Tiki passes them off as unimportant footnotes in a bigger picture. The Olympia Experimental Music Festival continues on, albeit under different guidance and a slightly different vision.

That’s the real story.

“The festival is about exchanging musical ideas. It’s about like-minded people getting together and having music in Olympia that’s not really that heard,” says Clark.

“I get the sense that there might be some people in Olympia that are unhappy that there aren’t enough Olympia bands. I feel bad about that a little bit, but my thinking was I wanted to bring in a bunch of people who haven’t played Olympia before. I hope most of all that the festival is inspiring, and then more experimental bands will pop up in Olympia, like weeds.”

As always, Bobble Tiki doesn’t care what you do this week, because he doesn’t even know you.  Bobble Tiki’s got other things to worry about, like what’s up with vegan barbecue and how to get the smell of booze off his breath after lunch. Unless you can help Bobble Tiki with either of the two, Bobble Tiki is absolutely positive he doesn’t want to meet you. Besides, Bobble Tiki is no fun. He’s a sloppy drunk, and if he runs out of Ageless he turns into a real asshole. Stick with the friends you have, and keep your relationship with Bobble Tiki to strictly toilet reading material. 

[Eagle’s Hall, June 21-24, 7 p.m., $25 full pass, $7 a night, 805 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia]