Olympia Experimental Music Festival looks to push the envelope
Almost 20 shows will fill the lineup as the Olympia Experimental Music Festival gets under way Friday (June 24) for its 22nd consecutive year.
The three-day show will include genre-resisting performances by artists such as Rachel Carns of The Need, Amy Denio and Emily Hay, the Shoup/Horist/Kikuchi Trio, Mac Dawg, L.A. Lungs, and Joshua Plague, said L. Jim McAdams, festival founder and member of the Dead Air Fresheners.
“Olympia has long been a city with a tradition of envelope-pushing arts,” McAdams said. “The Experimental Music Fest has been a vibrant part of that, exposing people to sounds that inspire while defying explanation.”
In putting together the festival lineup, McAdams said he sought artists, techniques and instruments that vary. But don’t, he said, expect any headline acts. McAdams said you can walk into the festival at any time and see a stellar act.
We want people to do crazy things. Get out of the norm, just break out and get weird. We want them to do things that they haven’t done before themselves at these shows.
L. Jim McAdams
festival founderNew this year will be the addition of the festival’s first outdoor matinee show, Sunday at the Olympia Artesian Well Commons.
“It’s a chance for people of all ages to check out the festival for free in the literal and spiritual heart of downtown Olympia,” McAdams said.
Closing out the show will be an improvisational four-piece band, Creaturing.
The Need was scheduled to be the final performance, but had to cancel because a band member was unavailable, McAdams said. Carns, who also plays for Kicking Giant and The Transfused offered to pull together an act.
“Rachel offered to soldier on, and indeed pulled out the stops and brought in a supergroup truly fit for replacing The Need as the closing band,” McAdams said.
Joining Carns as part of a supergroup of Olympia band members will be Greta Jane Pedersen of Romanteek, Abby Ingram of Wolves the Musical, and Leah Cipolla of Blood Bones and Wolves the Musical.
“I think it’s really cool that we have four really super talented females closing out the festival this year,” McAdams said. “We’ve got a lot of strong female artists this year. It wasn’t some kind of quota we set or anything. We just try to be open-minded about encouraging people to play and getting the best people. This year, it’s quite gender-balanced. It’s cool.”
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640
Olympia Experimental Music Festival
When: Friday (June 24)-Sunday.
Where: Obsidian, 414 Fourth Ave. E.; Le Voyeur Cafe and Lounge, 404 Fourth Ave. E.; Artesian Well Commons, 524 Jefferson St. SE; and The Brotherhood Lounge, 119 Capitol Way N., Olympia.
Information: facebook.com/OlyExperimentalMusicFest.
Admission: $8 at each venue, expect free at the Artesian Well Commons. A full festival pass is $22.
Festival lineup and schedule
Friday (June 24) at Obsidian
7 p.m.: The Giant Worm.
8 p.m.: Fidget/Mantle Duo.
9 p.m.: Serena Tideman.
10 p.m.: Wind Talkers (Amy Denio and Emily Hay).
11 p.m.: Worshprr.
Saturday at Le Voyeur.
8 p.m.: Fischkopf Sinfoniker.
9 p.m.: Shoup, Horist Kikuchi Trio.
10 p.m.: Bad Luck.
11 p.m.: Miserable Monokeys.
12 a.m.: Four Dimensional Nightmare.
Sunday at the Artesian Well Commons
Free and for all ages.
4:30 p.m.: Cyclopsycho.
5:15 p.m.: L.A. Lungs.
5:45 p.m.: Dead Air Fresheners.
6:30 p.m.: Liquid Letters.
Sunday at The Brotherhood Lounge
8:30 p.m.: Derek M. Johnson with Uneasy Chairs.
9:15 p.m.: Joshua Plague.
10 p.m.: Malaise.
10:45 p.m.: Mac Dawg.
11:30 p.m.: Creaturing (featuring members from The Need, Romanteek and Wolves the Musical).
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 2:49 AM with the headline "Olympia Experimental Music Festival looks to push the envelope."