Imagine honest and finely crafted folk songs. Then imagine Iron & Wine covering an MTV Party 2 Go compilation. That’s kind of like the Bob Schwenkler
Experience

“Briana Marela is a vocalist and sound gatherer from Olympia, WA. Recently graduated from The Evergreen State College with a focus on Audio Production and Music Technology, she is now devoting her energies on developing as a composer/performer.
Her work revolves around processed vocals and audio samples through Max/MSP, cassette/vocal loops, and whatever keyboards and synths she can get her hands on. Inspired by the high precipitation of the Northwest, and being awaken from dreams.” -Electrogals

A prolific songwriter, Chris “Sandman” Sand has produced fifteen musical recordings, including ten CDs. His music is fusion in the raw–country/ hip hop/ folk/ rap/ cowboy/ punk. Whatever you want to call it, it’s unique, fresh, sexy, and distinctly western.

Sandman has toured the country many times, sharing bills with acts ranging from Devendra Banhart to Kimya Dawson to Michael Franti &
Spearhead. Selling “Sandman” t-shirts and pillowcases (recycled items slapped with the Sandman brand), worn leather belts, and old cowboy shirts, Sand keeps his audiences entertained during the breaks as well as on stage. He stays in touch with fans and friends between tours through his blog journal (www.rappincowboy.com).

Olympia, WA, warble-songbird Eleanor Murray weaves songs from ferns and yarn. Music that is like looking into a glittery glass terrarium; each track is a miniature world of fog and trees. Her new release, “Oh Thunder” is an album of country-folk dreams to make you swoon for a forest. It pushes the boundaries of “folk,” eager to explore new and majestic territories. Eleanor’s music teeters between the careful crafting of a folk song to full band explosions, with drums, violin, bass, and electric guitar accompanying the ride. “It throws you through loops; one moment you think you have Eleanor Murray figured out, but then she shows you that she’s not an easy catch. You cannot draw a square around her and call it good – she is undefinable.” – Fensepost

Organic, gentle northwestern folk with genuine 80’s pop sensibilities and introverted sotto voce vocals; has played alongside Damien Jurado, Little Wings, Norfolk and Western, Mt. Eerie among others. Langly, WA native Eli Moore also performs in LAKE. He specializes in island music, bedroom recordings, and unspoken desires.

“Like a flightless bird that tries to fly again / somehow I want love so bad even though I don’t want love.” Jenny confronts the subject of love with bravery, brutal honesty and a cast of talented olympians including Derek Johnson (Le Ton Mite, Unwound), Andrew Dorsett (Lake), Jen Kliese (Superduo), and Vince Brown (Tune Stranglers).

Joe builds his albums like log cabins, made of well-polished driftwood. Country-tinged pop from an Olympia, WA, alt-country darling (The Pasties, Blackberry Bushes). This album is a perfect Autumn record, to remember the sunny summer.

June Madrona is the name of a musical project based on songs written and played by Ross Cowman with various line-ups over the band’s history. They use at various times the guitar, cello, harp, melodica, flute, glockenspiel, banjo, and of course, their voices. Topics range from mental illness, gender standards, and male privilege, to the celebration of relationships and place.

kind of like an Ursula K. LeGuin novel; electro-folk for the animal skeleton in you. This album is a total laid-back dance gem. RIYL: The Blow, New Order, Figurine, Steam-powered computers and mossy

Three people. One adventure. Cosmic alignment? Polka Dot Dot Dot, based in Olympia, WA, formed when three travelers (Jordan O*Jordan, Onyx of Olympia, and Colleen Johnson or Twig Palace) met on the treefern-speckled shores of New Zealand.

Was a pilgrim doll in past life. Small fry for weird fashion. Likes long beaches and walks on talks. Classically trained misfit.

Beautiful folk ballads steeped in all the heartache and yearning of the Northwest winters. Whether in collaboration with fellow Olympia musicians Eli Moore, Adam Oelsner and Dan Swier, or all by herself, “No More Danger” showcases an artist clearly in command of her craft as a songwriter and a guitarist. Robin Cutler will break your heart and stitch it back together again.

From the Finger lakes region in Central NY, Rye ‘n Clover isn’t just your average cover crop. This is Folk punk banjo songs. He’s singin’ for the damn love of music and the passion of livin’ free. Singin’ for the trees and the water and the mountains.”, We gotta win!

The music of You Are Plural is so immediately,vibrantly engaging that it can be almost jarring. The first song on Hand it Over,the band’s debut LP,is a spryly shuddering meeting of strings and bubbling electronic instrumentation that sweeps along the lovely vocals of the female lead. The rest of the album is similarly entrancing –tuneful,Sufjan Stevens-esque chamber pop laid gently over a bed of fluttering keyboards. Even as the album floats along smoothly,a tension begins to arise from the restless twinkling of those keys. Listening to You Are Plural becomes a waiting game,wherein one uneasily anticipates the moment when a song may come crashing off the tracks. It makes for an exciting listen and,I’m betting,an intriguing live performance.

“With a singing style akin to Bjork, Cat Power and Joanna Newsom, Maring’s utmost control over her vocal range allows her the precision to hypnotize audiences with soft, gentle whispers and surprisingly overpowering song. ”
Performer Magazine – San Francisco, CA – 10/08
Yes Please dosen’t perform anymore but you can catch Lily in Grass Widow.