MATT DRISCOLL: I WOULD TOTALLY MARRY THIS BAR >>>

If only it was February, not December, and Valentine’s Day was right around the corner instead of Christmas. Then the open love letter to The Brotherhood Lounge in Olympia that you’re about to read would make more sense.

You see, The Brotherhood isn’t just the best bar in Olympia, it epitomizes Olympia. The asses that fill the stools and booths at The Brotherhood are the same asses that make Washington’s most endearingly liberal community tick. Olympia is a beautiful place â€" a town not weighed down by too much backwoods redneckism or dollar-centric, blind conservatism. Whether this is because Olympia is home to the Evergreen State College â€" or, rather, this is why the Evergreen State College calls Olympia home is not important. What is important is Olympia is a diamond in the rough of Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm and all the track home filler in-between.

And The Brotherhood is a big part of that.

Tonight the Brotherhood will celebrate its sixth anniversary, and this will be one party you don’t want to miss. With music from Oly favorites Spider and the Webs along with Broken Water and Ten Little Indians â€" tonight's anniversary shindig will be hotter than a smoking game of shuffleboard or a political debate (both of which you’re also likely to find at The Brotherhood).

If you’re thinking to yourself “Wait a minute. The Brotherhood has been around for a lot longer than six years,” let me explain. The Brotherhood’s current owner and all-around nice guy, Pit Kwiecinski, purchased the bar in 2002 and revamped it â€" transforming it from a struggling watering hole to Oly’s coolest bar. That’s where the six years comes from. Kwiecinski’s research suggests the Brotherhood â€" which he describes as a “cozy, dark, warm cave” â€" has been around since the ’30s. He realized the building’s history when he bought it, and maintaining that history is something Kwiecinski has done with loving skill.

“I wanted it to be all Oly bands because we wouldn’t be here without Olympia,” says Kwiecinski when discussing the lineup for Sunday’s anniversary show. Despite current economic troubles, Kwiecinski reports business at The Brotherhood has maintained steady â€" surely a sign of both the continued need for booze (especially in times like these) and The Brotherhood’s spot in Oly’s heart.

“Ultimately, a physical space is inviting because of the people who come there and the people who work there,” says Kwiecinski. “I owe a lot to the staff.”

And Olympia owes a lot to The Brotherhood. Show your love this Sunday.

[The Brotherhood Lounge, Spider and the Webs, Broken Water, Ten Little Indians, Sunday, Dec. 21, 9 p.m., free, 119 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.352.4153]