Backstage Pass: Olympia Acoustic Festival 2017

On 20 May 2017, about 20 musicians and bands took to the stages at Obsidian for a day of music at the Olympia Acoustic Festival. Paul Mauer is the organizing force behind the festival, which is now in its fifth year. Paul describes the festival as a “celebration of the collaboration and the diverse acoustically driven music and artists of the Pacific Northwest.”

Obsidian is a cafe, coffee shop, and live music venue. Obsidian’s layout allowed two bands to play simultaneously, one on the main stage and the other on the cafe stage, which is actually more of an open area well-suited for solo acts or small bands. Obsidian must have invested in some quality sound proofing – the main stage did not drown out the cafe area. The shows were usually a little staggered, though. The festival went from about 1400 through midnight, with people coming and going throughout. (See below for a complete list of the performers. It was a long day. I missed a couple of the performances but will try to get photos of them from other people.)

Performers (from the event’s website):

MAIN STAGE

2.30p sarah st. albin
3.30p marsalis
4.30p fox and bones
5.30p trona
6.30p the mix position
7.30p the ghost pepper collection
8.30p andrew lander and the mainstreet struggle ville
9.30p paul mauer and the silence
10.30p tobias the owl
11.30p gabriel wolfchild and the northern light