The Brown Edition doesn't play the dirty, crunchy style of garage rock or the bedroom indie jams that helped launch Olympia onto the musical map. In fact, their unique brand of jazz/funk can be difficult to find in any town. Self-described as "all the soul, funk and jazz your ass can handle," the Brown Edition's music keeps listeners happy because it keeps them glued to the dance floor. Whether during their weekly set at the Royal or other gigs around town, the band gets people to move their feet. Recently, the Weekly Volcano sat down with lead singer Miguel Pineda and the rest of the Brown Edition.  

WEEKLY VOLCANO: So, Best Band of Olympia, huh?

MIGUEL PINEDA: It's fucking crazy. We're all pretty freaked out.

VOLCANO: Any secrets to your success?

PINEDA: Maybe because we just do it. We do it every week. We try to play hard every time. Also, all of our members have their own strengths. Jeff (Brooks, clarinet player) writes music and he's a teacher. Aaron (Wolf, alto and tenor sax) is an incredible jazz dude. And I'm a PR machine, hitting the streets with fliers and stuff. Have fun and work hard, you know?

VOLCANO: What other bands could have easily won this award?

PINEDA: There's a lot of good bands. Ben (Hawkes, drummer and percussion) runs sound at the 4th Ave. Tav. There's a lot of good talent going through there. You have to check out Elbow Coulee. They're great. Square and the Jimis. They had the Royal gig before us. There's a lot of good jazz and stuff, too. Steve Munger.

VOLCANO: Any plans for parlaying this award into more gigs?

PINEDA: Laughing. Totally, man. We want to lock down Olympia. Officially. We want to play Lakefair, we want to play Music in the Park. We want to build a nice home for ourselves. Then maybe start thinking about Tacoma, Seattle and Portland.

Lock down Olympia? Looks like they're well on their way. ...