In Hollywood they have the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Around here, we have the six degrees of grunge. When the Seattle music scene exploded in the early ’90s, Tacoma was directly in the fallout zone. Therefore, it’s not uncommon in our local music circles to encounter someone who played with someone who played with someone who was in one of the famous bands from Seattle.



Jamie Beletz, organizer of the Point Defiance Music Festival held this weekend in the town of Ruston next to its namesake park, is a different story. You might say he was fundamental to making it happen in the first place. Ever since high school, he’s been a close friend of Jonathon Poneman, head honcho of Sub Pop Records. When Poneman wanted to start a record label to promote an unknown band called Soundgarden, he needed someone to help him bankroll his dream. He called his successful businessman and political consultant friend Beletz.



Beletz loaned him the money, and Sub Pop transformed Seattle into a worldwide music phenomenon.



Beletz says he owed Poneman the favor since it was his influence that brought him here from their home state of Arizona. Beletz attended Western Washington University (at Poneman’s urging) where he majored in political science. Beletz is one of the rare poli-sci majors who actually went to work in the field of politics, and it paid off. He worked on several important projects including serving as deputy campaign manager for Bill Clinton.



Beletz now lives and runs his consulting business, Innovial Inc, in Ruston. As chairman of the Ruston-Point Defiance Business District’s events committee, he has organized the annual Point Defiance Music Festival since its conception three years ago. Beletz says one of the purposes of the two-day festival is to raise funds for the city’s beautification plans. Proceeds will go toward things like public art, hanging flower baskets and other community projects. He also hopes the festival will draw attention to the unique businesses in the area like Antique Sandwich Company, Point Defiance Books, Ruston Gallery, Jungle Fever Exotics Nursery and Don’s Ruston Market & Deli.



This year Beletz decided to have just one music stage featuring bands he feels are at the top of the local scene. Each band will play twice as long this year in order to cut down on teardown and setup time between bands. There will be fewer bands this year but more music. Sunday’s line-up includes Kim Archer Band from noon until 2 p.m., Kristin Connell from 2 to 4 p.m., Bruce Smith and the Barcodes from 4 until 6 p.m., and Roger Enders and the Road to Ruin from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Spare Change will perform from noon to 2 p.m., Malcolm Clark Band from 2 to 4 p.m. and Loose Gravel from 4 to 6 p.m.



The festival’s wine garden will feature a wine tasting of local vineyards and fine wines. The wine garden is sponsored by Gateways for Youth and Families (formerly known as the Jesse Dyslin Boys Ranch), an organization close to Beletz’s heart. Profits from the wine garden will go toward an equestrian center and a performing arts center to be built on Gateway’s 30-acre ranch.



[Town of Ruston, Sept. 2-3, noon to 6 p.m., North Pearl Street and 50th Street, Ruston, www.pointdefiancemusicfest.org]