As he sits in my office, I see it. Before long, he brings it up.

“I’ve developed a twitch,” says Cody Foster, a longtime member of Tacoma’s music scene, alum of countless T-Town rock outfits, and the main catalyst behind Music and Art in Wright Park 2009, which will engulf its green rectangular namesake this Saturday. It’ll be a rock ‘n’ roll spectacle the likes of which have rarely been seen — at least for many moons here in Tacoma.

Ah, but that’s history. We’ll get to the history in a bit…

Right now Foster is in my office talking about his twitch. After working for five months on Music and Art in Wright Park 2009, and putting together a lineup of 16 bands including Zeke, Guns & Rossetti, Post Stardom Depression, Girl Trouble, Broken Oars, Zook, Mico De Noche, and NeutralBoy, Foster’s new manifestation of nervous tension is understandable. He’s put a lot on the line for this festival.
“I’ve been more stressed out about this than I am about becoming a father again,” he tells me.

I nod like I know what he’s talking about, but — in truth — I have no idea.
That’s because I’ve never taken on a task — a labor of love and mild insanity — the size of Music and Art in Wright Park 2009. Few people have. Few people would. You’d almost have to be crazy. It takes a special kind of person to look at Wright Park and have a vision as big as what this festival has turned into.
This is where Foster comes in — and, of course, Bennett Thurmon, Kenny Johnson and just about everyone else who’s worth two shakes in the history of Tacoma rock.

Really, the story of Music and Art in Wright Park 2009 is the story of Tacoma — as a music town and, more importantly, a community.

The History

Flash back to 1993. Things were a lot different. Speaking of Flash, the dude behind Hell’s Kitchen, he was 16 years younger in ‘93, and his band Portrait of Poverty played the first Music in the Park, which happened on Aug. 14 of that year.

Kenny Johnson was the man with the initial plan. As a former co-owner of Mother Records, Johnson long ago established himself in the annals of Tacoma rock. In 1993 he got the idea for a free, all-day rock festival in Wright Park — and it worked its way into his stubborn head and couldn’t be shook.

Before long, Johnson’s vision was reality. The initial Music in the Park bill included Girl Trouble, Katie’s Dimples, Portrait of Poverty and Spuj. Along with Bennett Thurmon, of Wrecking Ball Records at the time, Johnson would produce Music in the Park every year from ‘93-’95.

At some point — though it’s tough to discern exactly when — it became an idea and vision our whole scene rallied around.

“There was a stage in Wright Park on the east side of the pond.  The stage was mostly wood and had been around awhile, but it was still useable.  In fact, it’s its use that brought my attention to it,” recalls Johnson of Wright Park circa 1993. “One evening I think the Tacoma Symphony played a concert there — free, of course.  I was involved with bands, shows and such, and thought, why not me?

“The main reason I did it to begin with was to see if I could. I saw it as a challenge.”

A “challenge” is putting it lightly. After producing three successful Music in the Park festivals, Johnson gave it a rest. But the seed had been planted.

In 2001, Chris “Trashcan” Miller —owner of The Red Hot and also a venerable player in T-town’s rock history — got the Music in the Park itch. Before long, he was bugging Thurmon and Johnson to help him fire things back up. Only this time, they did three shows in one summer. 2001 saw Music in the Park festivals in July, August and September.

The plant originally rooted by Johnson only got bigger.

“Those (first Music in the Park) shows were very grassroots,” recalls Girl Trouble drummer Bon Von Wheelie, a Music in the Park alum from ’93 and ’01 and a player in this year’s festivities.  “(Johnson and Thurmon) knew how to get clearances and stuff from the city.  Nobody had a clue about that kind of thing back then, so it was really a coup when Kenny was able to pull it off.

“Music in the Park, especially with that first show, was very important because Tacoma had hardly any place to play.  1993 was pretty dry. So an event like this was a huge deal in Tacoma.”

Present Tense

It’s been eight years since the last Music in the Park, and much has changed. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Tacoma’s thirst for an all-day, free, all-ages rock festival in Wright Park.

So when Foster revived the idea this year it came as no surprise. Naturally, he brought Thurmon and Johnson in to help. The renewed vision was — once again — something Tacoma could rally behind.

“This music scene, which has been strong, has only gotten bigger,” says Thurmon. “It’s part of who we are. There’s such a supportive scene in Tacoma. It’s just different here. Everybody takes such pride.

“All of my old washed up rock ‘n’ roll friends are playing (this year’s festival). There definitely is that nostalgia.”

Citing a need to bring Tacoma’s music scene and community together, Foster says this year’s festival is as important as ever. He changed the name slightly — to Music and Art in Wright Park — as a way to bring the festival up to date. He also booked bands with a history with Music in the Park.

“I wanted it to be bigger, and I wanted to change the name to give Wright Park recognition. I also wanted there to be more than just music,” explains Foster. “We’re doing this for Tacoma with nothing in it for ourselves. We don’t give a shit about any of that.

“I hope it helps bring back a sense of unity.”

Donny Paycheck of Zeke, the first band Foster was able to sign up to play this year’s festival, agrees. He sees Music and Art in Wright Park as vital to Tacoma.
“I just want to be part of the community,” says Paycheck. “It’s for Tacoma. We need something like this.”

[Music and Art in Wright Park 2009, with Guns & Rossetti, Girl Trouble, Post Stardom Depression, Broken Oars, The Plastards, The Pain Killers, Zeke, C.F.A., Zook, Stone Axe, Starstruck, Tarek Wegner, Tallest Tree, The Coloffs, NeutralBoy, Mico De Noche, Saturday, Aug. 15, noon to 8 p.m., no cover, 501 South I St., Tacoma, myspace.com/wrightparkmusic]