The Record Stores Of Olympia, WA

For such a small town, Olympia still has a few record stores that regularly get in new product.

My favorite is still Phantom City Records located at 304 4th Avenue East.  It's downtown and shares a space with Dumpster Values.  They carry metal, noise, punk, and indie rock, both new and used.  They probably have more vinyl than compact discs.

Update (Feb 2012): Phantom City has changed hands again, is has been on steady decline ever since then.  They no longer accept plastic.  Their selection has really shrunk.  Most of the K Records and Kill Rock Stars releases are gone, never to be restocked.  The metal section is slowly withering away.  Instead of being excited to come here, I approach the store with trepidation.  It's like watching my best friend succumb to the ravages of drug addiction, and there's nothing I can do about it until it's too late. 

Update (Aug 2013): Phantom City relaunched a few months ago.  No more CDs.  Their vinyl selection grew, and now they are getting some pretty decent material, both new and used.  I hope this trend will continue. 

Update (July 2014): Phantom City is dead. 

Update (August 2014): Funk Fuzz has taken over the Phantom City location.  I went by today and checked them out.  The store is primarily vinyl, but does have some CDs.  The selection is electic:  there is still some hardcore / punk / indie rock, but they also carry mainstream (70's & 80's) vinyl and quite a bit of of odd modern psych.  There is even a small Finnish section where I was able to pick up Ajaton Vie by Aan.  They are cash only.

Located about one block away, at 301 5th Avenue SE is Olympia's oldest surviving record store.  Rainy Day Records used to be on the other side of the bridge before they moved downtown.  They carry a large selection of vinyl and CDs from hip hop to indie rock to garage rock, both new and used.  They also carry a small selection of turntables and skateboards, as well as a dwindling supply of Converse shoes that were made in the USA.  Rainy Day also offers DVD/Video rentals and they specialize in independent and foreign films.

Over in Lacey is Boomerang.  They're located in the strip mall adjacent to Fred Meyer.  They mostly offer used CDs and some used vinyl, as well as a growing supply of used DVDs.  They have a small metal selection.

Update (March 2014): Boomerang has moved across the street to 4129 Pacific Avenue.  They are in the same building that Olympic Cards & Comics used to be in.  They have a little more room, but the prices seem to have risen.  There is even a selection of material that they have listed online, for very inflated prices.

Where to See Bands:

Olympia still has plenty of house shows.  There might be some flyers posted downtown.  The China Clipper and The Voyeur, both on 4th host shows irregularly.  Recently, there have been quite a few shows at The Northern.  It's an art gallery on 4th near Le Voyeur.

Update (March 2014): The Northern moved some time ago to 414 1/2 Legion Way .  

I've been to a few shows at The Hall Of The Woods.  Wolves In The Throne Room have played many shows there.  I've seen Bloodhag perform at both the downtown Olympia library and the Tumwater library.

Located downtown on 5th Avenue is the Capitol Theater.  They show a lot of foreign and independent films.  They host a film festival every year.  Bands play here infrequently, so check their website.  When the Melvins swing through town, this is where they play.

Sadly, most bands still skip the Pacific Northwest when they tour.  There's not too many places to play even in Seattle or Portland, so it's probably not worth the time and money.  Some bands, like The Melvins and Sunn O))), play here on almost every tour.

Iron Lung at The Northern, Olympia WA - 28 June 2010

Iron Lung recently swung through town with Slices and White Wards opening.  Further tour dates are here.  The bands were much louder than the Thou / Moloch show.

Slices photos:

Iron Lung:

Thou at the Northern, Olympia, WA - 25 June 2010

THOU recently came through town and played a show at The Northern, a small space on 4th Avenue in downtown Olympia, WA.  Support for the night came from touring mates MOLOCH and local band BONE SICKNESS.  I took a bunch of photos of THOU - they're all posted below.  The Northern spends time as an art gallery and the band elected to keep the yellow lights on.  Both the singer and a guitar player (armed with a Flying V) turned out blurry in almost every picture.  Even though the music is slow and sludgy, they rocked hard.  It was a brilliant performance by the band - be sure and check them out when they come to your town. 

Exploding Planet Records, Bremerton WA

I visited the town of Bremerton, WA recently.  I didn't expect to find anything too interesting there, musicwise.  There's plenty of trees, the Puget Sound, and the Naval Shipyards.  But whilst exploring the small downtown area, I stumbled upon a small piece of culture on a street of porn stores, pawn shops, and a Christian café.  That gem is Exploding Planet Records.  A small record store located at 320 N Callow Street.  I was there early in the morning, so the store hadn't opened yet.   But that Witch Hunt LP in the window really caught my eye.

The store is smaller than Phantom City (located in Olympia, WA).  It looks like they carry vinyl and CDs.  The wall behind the register was filled with patches, so they've got to be run by Crusties.

According to this article they are the only record store in Kitsap County.  There's a Wall-Mart out in Port Orchard that is probably the biggest seller of CDs in the area.  What a sad state of affairs.

If you're in the area, you should check them out.  According to the sign on the door, they're open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 PM to 10 PM.  There's plenty of street parking and poles to chain your bike to.

Myspace



And across the street is the Charleston Music Venue which appears to be a good place to see some good bands, even if you are underaged.

Myspace