Music
Oh music festivals, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways: You bring unprecedented amounts of joy to our ears and souls, you pave the way for inspiration and you are a bitchin' reason to party. Thanksgiving week, the 253Heart Music Festival brings us all of the above with
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Heart and Soul racks up the acoustic versions of songs Jamaican roots reggae band The Gladiators performed in the '70s when Clinton Fearon played bass and saung. It's a nostalgic, yet refreshing collection. In a world of mass consumption and more, more, more attitudes, the acoustics
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People, this month's Word 3rd Thursday is packed with hip-hop goodness. Hosted by Mr. Von and Weekly Volcano's columnist Josh Rizeberg, the show at The New Frontier Lounge will be dope. The show is a regional showcase featuring Silent Lambs Project (Seattle), Kept See (Almighty Universal Zulu-Nation), Un Tha Rhyme
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If you picked up last week's edition of the Weekly Volcano, then you know all about Katy Evans and her involvement with the greater good of Tacoma. Saturday, 1 p.m., catch her and other like-minded individuals (yourself included?) in action as they embark on a very special
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Thursday night AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods will play its first show at one of Olympia's favorite venues, the Eastside Club, where dreadlocks, mohawks and ponytails all bob and weave through the dance floor to some of the regions best bands. AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods join the
Features
Olympia Coffee Roasting Company is one of Olympia's Godsends. The roasting house helps state workers crank through Excel files, it adds bounce to college students' steps and it puts a smile on everyone's face that comes through its front door. A staple in the downtown community since 2007, OCR has been
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Heart and Soul racks up the acoustic versions of songs Jamaican roots reggae band The Gladiators performed in the '70s when Clinton Fearon played bass and sung. It's a nostalgic, yet refreshing collection. In a world of mass consumption and more, more, more attitudes, the acoustics are a
Music
Growing up in Olympia, I hit up the Backstage, heard weird little bands come out of garages and had an ear on ska, but it wasn't until I lived a stint in northern California that I got the stroke of true reggae against my soul. Maybe it was the connection
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According to the Washington Center, "Bert Wilson is one of the underground legends of the jazz world - and he lives right here in Olympia. He is a survivor of polio in the 1940s (although it has left him confined to a wheelchair), the New York jazz scene of the
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It's time again for the Olympia Record Show, growing bigger yet again in its fifth year of providing a space for dealers, collectors and amateurs to rub elbows, move merchandise and treasure hunt. "It gets better and better," says Michael Dixon, event curator. "It's getting really big, we
Arts
Since Labor Day, the South Sound has waited with baited breath for the Hands On Children's Museum to open at its new location, 414 Jefferson St. in Olympia. Three locations and nearly 2 million visitors later, the Hand's On Children's Museum is finally at home. This weekend, the museum celebrated its
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Olympia Film Society keeps the drive alive into this year's incredible lineup of screenings, events, guests and kick-ass galas that is the 29th annual Olympia Film Festival. The event runs Nov. 9-18, and while there are many worthy screenings and highlights of this year's festival, I'm getting straight to
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Olympia Film Society presents incredible lineup of screenings, events, guests and a kick-ass gala that is the 29th annual Olympia Film Festival. The Opening Night Gala will match previous year's spectacles. The "Glam Gala" gets fabulous at 6 p.m. with glamorous costumes galore. The gala includes a screening of
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Saturday and Sunday, Patrons of South Sound Cultural Arts (POSSCA), together with Friends of the Olympia Library are once again hosting their juried arts show and sale. Come meet local artists and see works in jewelry, photography, painting, glass, pottery and more - just in time
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After a one-year hiatus, Portland's Hillstomp is back in action, romping from venue to venue and selling out shows with its swamp blues style. Armed with washboards, spoons, buckets and banjos, slide and stomp, the junkbox blues duo Henry Christian, guitar, and John Johnson, buckets - bring an assault of high-energy backwoods
Arts
Riding on the successful (sold out) wave of Night of the Living Tribute Bands, Olympia Film Society keeps the drive alive into this year's incredible lineup of screenings, events, guests and kick-ass gala that is the 29th annual Olympia Film Festival. The event runs Nov. 9-18, and while there are many
Archives
Tacomans must've been on their best behavior lately (aside from that whole Bieber laptop swiping - and hey, it's debatable whether that's even a bad thing,) because the Gritty City's stocking has been stuffed with one of the finest gifts ever - Katy Evans, who like the spirit of the holidays,
Business News
When you walk into Precious Metalsmith in downtown Olympia, you see a regular jewelry store. You see the hustle and bustle of a hardworking family of employees doing what they love, you see many beautiful pieces of jewelry such as Celtic knot bracelets inlayed with jewels, custom gold necklaces and
Arts
I recently met a woman who was beautiful, intelligent, confident and creative. She has a PhD, she is a successful photographer and she is a world-traveler. She is also a visual voice for the people of Olympia. Her name is Jan Lewis, and she just completed Olympia Portrait Project, an 80-page
Music
At 28, Stacy Jones has released five CDs, played hundreds of shows and won multiple awards, including Washington Blues Society's "Best Female Vocalist of the Year" in 2010. Way to go girl! Shoot, by the time I was 28, my finest accomplishments were popping out two little hellions and developing a
