HANDMADE, HIGH-ENERGY AND HAPPY >>>
Want to see happy faces? Hightail it to the Olympia Ballroom tonight. Artisans and musicians will be communing with each other, sharing craft ideas and artistic visions, during an Artisan Market inside the downtown Olympia space. Shoppers won't find grandma's doilies or puffy paint sweatshirts, but exotic, high-quality goods, including Oly Girl Photography, a tea station and raw treats. Sponsored by Buy Local South Sound, it's a global humanitarian happening above the Urban Onion restaurant.
What excites the Weekly Volcano, are the two bands scheduled to perform during the market, which runs 7 p.m. to midnight. The Blackberry Bushes Stringband bluegrass instrumentation draws from the deep roots of American folk music with influences from Appalachian old-time, indie rock, jazz and pop. And traveling up from Northern California, the Dead Winter Carpenters will perform its rollicking, high-energy, Americana roots-infused music. Part of the show will also feature segments of the pop oracle and music divining method, Radio8ball by Andras Jones.
The Weekly Volcano caught up with Dead Winter Carpenters's guitarist Jesse Dunn on the road.
WEEKLY VOLCANO:Who's in the band?
JESSE DUNN: Jenni Charles on fiddle and vocals, Sean Duerr on acoustic and electric lead guitar and vocals, Ryan Davis on drums, Dave Lockhart on upright and electric bass as well as vocals and me on acoustic and electric guitar and vocals.
VOLCANO:Where did you all meet?
DUNN: We met through some mutual friends at a little music festival in the hills of Northern California in the summer of 2009. We slowly cultivated our relationships and began playing as Dead Winter Carpenters in the spring of 2010 in North Lake Tahoe.
VOLCANO: Please describe your music.
DUNN: We play a unique blend of rockin' Americana drawing from deep within the roots of American folk music. We pride ourselves on original tunes that both make a listener reflect as well as dance their ass off.
VOLCANO: What covers do you play?
DUNN: We play a range of covers from funk to classic rock, from traditional pickers to modern rockers. Some artists include Neil Young, Paul Simon, Gillian Welch, The Band, The Presidents of the United States of America and the Scissor Sisters.
VOLCANO: After a show nothing tastes better than?
DUNN: Preferably something cold and hoppy to drink, and something warm to eat. Usually, this amounts to Pabst Blue Ribbon and leftovers from dinner, which is also very satisfying.
VOLCANO: Do you think your music saves lives?
DUNN: The ultimate goal is to write music that someone can relate to, and that makes him or her happy. We're doing our best to make that happen!
[Olympia Ballroom, Friday, March 30, 9 p.m., $10 advance at Rainy Day Records, $13 door, 116 Legion Way SE, Olympia, 360.259.1589]