Olympia - A True Story | Tom Dyer and The True Olympians

Olympia - A True Story

by Tom Dyer and The True Olympians

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
3 CD box set with 40 songs about Olympia WA plus a detailed 80 page book with the history behind the songs and a plethora of great photos. With over 100 Olympa musicians. Stunning!

Includes unlimited streaming of Olympia - A True Story via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$18 USD or more

1.	Olympia Land Acknowledgement 00:31	lyrics	buy track
Olympia Land Acknowledgement The land where we live in Olympia is the traditional home of the Coastal Salish people, the People of the Water. We are grateful to them for being stewards of this beautiful environment where we work and live. We thank them.
2.	It's The Capitol 04:07	lyrics	buy track
In 1889, Washington was born A territory no more, now a state The territory's capital had been Olympia And that is quite exactly where it stayed It's The Capital, ain't in Seattle It's The Capital, ain't in Vancouver It's The Capital, here in Olympia And that's where it's gonna stay It's The Capital, ain't in Tacoma It's The Capital, ain't in Spokane It's The Capital, here in Olympia and that's where it's gonna stay How many buildings are there? Twenty-three on campus, lots more all around town When was the dome built? Started 1912, finished 1928 How many state employees? Twenty-six-thousand here in Thurston County Where did the fountain come from? The Schmidt family had it brought from Tivoli It's The Capital, ain't in Puyallup It's The Capital, ain't in Walla Walla It's The Capital, here in Olympia And that's where it's gonna stay It's The Capital, ain't in Longview It's The Capital, ain't in Wenatchee It's The Capital, here in Olympia And that's where it's gonna stay The people in this state don't want to pay no income tax The voters always vote those taxes down In our state the poor folks get to pay the biggest share The rich folks' happy tears roll to the ground Who tried to steal it? 1860 Vancouver had a bill to move it lost in court Who tried to sneak it out? 1954 Seattle had some state headquarters The Supreme Court said they must be moved back It's The Capital. Ain't in Bellingham It's The Capital. Ain't in Everett It's The Capital, here in Olympia And that's where it's gonna stay It's The Capital. Ain't in Coulee City It's The Capital. Ain't in Port Townsend It's The Capital, here in Olympia And that's where it's gonna stay Ain't in Aberdeen, Ain't in Hoquiam Ain't in Castle Rock, Ain't in Union Gap Ain't in Anacortes, Ain't in Sedro Woolley Ain't in Colville, Ain't in Omak Ain't in Roche Harbor, Ain't in La Conner Ain't in Ritzville, Ain't in Metaline Falls Ain't in Yakima, Ain't in Tri-Cities Ain't in Neah Bay, Ain't in Sequim Ain't in Winthrop, Ain't in Okanogan Ain't in Colfax, Ain't in Ephrata A little bit of stuff in Tumwater Probably some in Lacey And that's the way it's gonna be! It's Olympia, man
3.	The Land and The Water 06:01	lyrics	buy track
Long ago, long before people There was the land and there was the sea No inland sound, Puget or other That would all change That would all change The Cordilleran Ice Sheet, two million years ago Mile-high ice and a million square miles Twenty-thousand years ago made its last journey Its furthest point south was Olympia Its furthest point south was Olympia At the former Baskin-Robbins at the corner of Custer and Capitol Way there used to be a Chevron station Worked there when I was sixteen, Ivan Lindgren's Chevron Station Pumping gas and checking oil and even checking air The ice sheet carved the Puget Sound out between Cascades and Olympics The Cascades are volcanic In 1980, St. Helens blew its top The Olympics aren't volcanic mountains, rather an accretionary wedge These outline the drainage basin that empties into Puget Sound The Puget Sound has several inlets Including Henderson and Budd and Eld Budd's our main industrial bay Olympia at its southern end Our downtown is built on dredgings Capitol Lake built by design Held back by the 5th Avenue dam The lake is filling up with tons of silt To the southwest we see the Black Hills The second tallest is Capitol Peak 2,659 feet The view of the Sound now obscured by the trees But you might see Tahoma, perhaps Mount Olympus And if you're lucky, perhaps Baker, too. You're probably not going to see Mount St. Helens Since 1980, it's quite a bit shorter Water to the Deschutes River Through the Gifford Pinchot Forest Plus some more from Percival Creek Where we hope the salmon will be spawning Next stop is Capitol Lake They'll probably take the dam down Restore it as an estuary Olympia was once a forest Don't forget our artesian wells It's the Water - that's what everyone says There's still a fountain downtown But you can't buy Olympia Beer Welcome to Olympia Welcome to Olympia Welcome to Olympia!
4.	People of The Water 05:08	lyrics	buy track
People of the Water Navigating on the seven inlets Living here in Steh-Chass They’ve got everything that they need Salmon, shellfish, deer and bear and elk Plants and trees and more to meet their needs Teaching is woven into songs and dances Clothes for dancers made from plants and trees White men first came as traders By 1850, they were here to stay White man’s diseases took many Squaxin lives The Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 took millions of acres of land Indians were soon confined to Squaxin Island White people could shoot them if they left Boarding schools took children from their tribes to assimilate Billy Frank Jr. was first arrested 1945 Fifty more times they’d take him to jail Fighting for their treaty rights the state chose to ignore But in Boldt’s court the tribes prevailed People of the Water Started winning and making gains Squaxin Island moved to Native rule Expanding land and self-determination Building casinos and museums Winning shellfish rights in ‘99 Winning salmon habitat restoration in 2001 People of the Water Navigators of the Seven Inlets People of the Water Holding the spirit of the land People of the Water
5.	The Founding 03:53	lyrics	buy track
In 1792 the British came to Puget Sound Native People were already living there In 1841 Americans came to Budd Bay Native People were already living there Olympia and Tumwater came from somewhere This song is gonna tell you where It's got some names and it's got some dates And it's sprinkled with incidental facts In 1845 Michael T. Simmons arrived at Deschutes Falls, his party included George Bush They'd come north because George was Black and not allowed to settle south of the Columbia Tumwater was born, though it was called New Market then The first white settlement near Budd Bay New Market became Tumwater in 1863 Tumwater means a waterfall in Chinook Olympia and Tumwater came from someone This song is telling you who This song is full of names and dates Many of them probably correct In 1846 Edmund Sylvester and Levi Lathrop Smith jointly claimed the future downtown Olympia In 1848 Smith drowned and Sylvester became the sole owner of the land He named the town Smithfield in honor of his friend In 1853 the town became Olympia One hundred people, three stores, hotel, saloon, and newspaper Soon named the Washington Territory capital Isaac Stevens was the territory's first governor He would be killed in the Civil War The territory's legislature first convened on Main Streetback in 1854 Daniel Bigelow arrived in 1851 He was in the first Washington Legislature He was the first Olympia School superintendent He and wife Ann advocated for women's suffrage Captain Samuel Percival arrived in 1853 Sam built a sawmill on a little creek He built a busy dock down on Water Street The transportation, business, and social center of the town Bush Prairie is named for George Bush, the first Black man who came to the South Puget Sound Sylvester's name has gained some fame as Olympia's oldest park Governor Stevens sports a neighborhood and ball field Bigelow is remembered in a neighborhood, a street, a park and a museum all named after him While Percival's little creek now bears his name His Percival Landing is now a park where people like to walk Olympia & Tumwater had founders This song has told you their names This song is lacking in much detail But it is all on the internet Through the Olympia Historical Society The Thurston County Historic Commission And the Washington State Historical Society
6.	Bordeaux 02:30	lyrics	buy track
Bordeaux Bordeaux Everybody find Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux Where the heck is Bordeaux? Once the fourth biggest town in Thurston County Now that company logging town's gone away Bankers, bakers, laundry takers, postal workers, store clerks Everybody gone by 1942 Bordeaux Bordeaux Everybody find Bordeaux This ghost town's private property on the Bordeaux Road now No trespassing signs are posted everywhere Go a little further and you'll see a county Bordeaux sign Do not follow it because it goes nowhere Bring a loaf of good bread Bring a jug of fine wine Wear your best wading boots We're gonna have a splendid time Bordeaux Bordeaux Everybody find Bordeaux
7.	Little Hollywood 03:03	lyrics	buy track
Hollywood, Little Hollywood Gonna meet Big Nel there tonight Maybe 1924, nobody is sure Little Hollywood grew on the shore of the Deschutes Estuary Floating shacks and those less privileged Above them, the Capitol dome soared Hollywood, Little Hollywood Gonna meet Big Nel there tonight Hollywood, Little Hollywood Everything gonna be alright tonight Little Hollywood was a rough and tumble place A stiff drink could be had there in the prohibition years Joe's daddy was a high school boy in 1941 In Little Hollywood, he became a man In 38, the legislature voted to build Capitol Lake A reflecting lake had always been the Capitol architects' plan They moved some people out of there for the next four years Then they burned it down Hollywood Little Hollywood In 1942, they burned you down
8.	Beer Town 03:14	lyrics	buy track
Beer town, Olympia's a beer town Leopold Schmidt rolled into town, 1895 Built his brewery in Tumwater Beneath the cascading Deschutes Falls Beer town, Olympia's a beer town Olympia Beer was quite successful But Leopold's heirs sold the brewery in 1983 Acquired by Miller, then Stroh's, then Pabst Closed down for good in 2003 It's the water that makes Olympia Oly, Oly, O, in Olympia It's the water that makes Olympia It's the water and a lot more Olympia is full of microbreweries now Well 80, Headless Mumby, and Three Magnets are a few Eighty-three bars serving beer and more in our town According to David Scherer Water's 2019 book Beer town, Olympia's a beer town
9.	Joseph Wohleb, Architect - Empty Buildings 04:08	lyrics	buy track
Joseph Wohleb, architect, Olympia Joseph Wohleb, downtown Wohleb mission-style Downtown Olympia Wohleb architecture, all over town Joseph Wohleb came to town in 1911 From California, said he was an architect Seventeen with no experience, no license But no one really seemed to mind Joseph Wohleb, The man who designed the city Joseph Wohleb, mission-style, it's everywhere He designed over one-hundred-fifty buildings Over the next forty years His first, Cloverfield farmhouse still stands It's on the National Register of Historic Buildings Capitol Theater, Daily Olympian, Lord Mansion, Washington and Lincoln schools, Thurston County Courthouse, First Christian Church His architecture's strong and his buildings still stand Joseph Wohleb, architect, Olympia Joseph Wohleb, mission-style, downtown Joseph Wohleb, the man who designed the city Wohleb architecture, look around Mission-style downtown So many empty buildings in our downtown There's a lot of cool stuff in our downtown Got a live theater Got a record store Got a bunch of bars with live music Got a fancy performance center We got a great toy store We got a olive oil store We got a chocolate store We got a pile of great coffee joints We have an art movie house We have some great restaurants Asian - Mexican - Vegan We got The Spar We got King Solomon's Reef (oops!) We got bookstores We got a guitar store We got a piroshki store, a Russian piroshki store We got a barbershop We got beauty salons We got a farmers' market We have a hardware store We have a welding shop We have a welding shop dammit
10.	Mima Mounds 02:51	lyrics	buy track
Mima Mounds South of Oly down toward Little Rock, the earth goes up and down and round Mima Mounds Prairies full of little hills 1 to 8 feet tall Mima Mounds Flowers bloom and grasses grow Where they come from no one knows Mima Mounds But humans like to make things up and theories on their origins abound Mima Mounds Pocket gophers tunneling for hundreds of years created Mima Mounds Volcanic earthquake eruptions shook that ground and created Mima Mounds Space aliens' artificial tsunami landscape art created Mima Mounds Before the white folk native people buried their kin here creating Mima Mounds
11.	Mothballs and Mosquitos 04:12	lyrics	buy track
Mothballs and mosquitoes In ye olde Budd Bay Mosquitoes and mothballs Have all gone away The roads were not great round old Puget Sound Your own horse and buggy barely got you round town The watery highway was sure hard to beat Scores of small steamers were the mosquito fleet From Percival Landing, the fleet went to sea People and freight moved as far as BC To Tacoma for business, or just to sightsee Cars would replace them by 1930 The mothball fleet had moored there since the Second World War Cargo ships, troopships, fuel ships, and more For 26 years they were part of Budd Bay One hundred eighty-five ships in a tidy array Some folks said the mothballs messed up the vibes But others just shrugged and went on with their lives A team kept them shipshape up to the gunwales So in just twenty days, they'd be ready to sail Mothballs and mosquitoes Where have they gone The bay is still here But the ships have moved on Instead of the water that kept us alive We follow the flowalong Interstate 5
12.	Mill Town 05:00	lyrics	buy track
Now I've had my cup of coffee and I'm rowing down Budd Bay 1906, heading for Smyth Landing to put in another day Old Michael Simmons opened his New Market sawmill, 1846 Now I spend my days cutting Olympia trees into cants for San Francisco Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Olympia Veneer, our first plywood mill, opened 1921 A co-op mill owned and worked by mostly socialistic Swedes Thirteen co-op mills once worked upon Budd Bay The original Delson Lumber Company still exists today Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Mill town, we were building the future in this mill town Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Mill town, the future is bright when you're living in a mill town Mills were our top employers until 1941, surpassed then by state government What is the legacy? Many good jobs and many good lives built But with little regard for the long-term future Just putting food on the table today There's creosote, PCBs, and other toxins/dioxins - you can't eat nuthin' coming out of Budd Bay My grandpa said to me when I was twenty-one, you should buy my Hardel Plywood share and work the mill I did not see myself living that life and I turned him down Hardel burnt down in 1996, Olympia's worst fire ever They rebuilt the new mill down in Centralia Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Mill town, we were building the future in this mill town Mill town, Olympia was a mill town Mill town, the future is bright when you're living in a mill town Mill town, Olympia was a mill town But we ain't a mill town anymore
13.	It's Mud 03:27	lyrics	buy track
Everybody say that it's the water Flowin' pure and sweet A perpetual flood Twice a day something else will happen Tide is going out now Baby, it's mud Capitol Lake built for reflection Ain't nobody swimming cuz the snails have won Knock the stinkin' dam down, no more problem No reflection now cuz baby It's mud Habitat ain't nothin baby Money is just where it's at And business is really going down With a little more sea rise Just another foot or two Olympia will have No downtown Everybody say that it's the water Always been that way Feel it in our blood Don't need to dig too deep to get to toxins One shovelful uh Everybody say that it's the water Nothing gonna change Feel it in our blood Bury head neck-deep problems all gone Tide is coming in now uh Baby, it's mud
14.	Exactly Eight Minutes of Olympia Rain and Frogs at Tom's House 08:00		buy track
15.	Let's Have A Parade! 04:27	lyrics	buy track
Let's have a parade, here in our town Let's have a parade, fun will be found Who will come march out in our streets? Everyone's welcome Let's have a parade! The Pet Parade's the oldest Started up 1909 Fun for all the kids with all their pets They dress their dog like Superman and put their cats in hats And at the end, they all get some ice cream In 1957, Lakefair started up There didn't used to be no lake The Queen and all the royalty wave in the Lakefair Grand Parade Lakefair is for every race and class The people! Let's have a parade, here in our town Let's have a parade, fun will be found Who will come march out in our streets? Everyone's welcome Let's have a parade! 1987, Independence Day Tumwater said let's have a parade With their marching bands And football teams Color guards and clowns, Mounted drill teams, hip hooray! The Capital City Pride Parade started in 91 Their festival draws 15,000 people every year This was the first small-town Pride festival in Washington They are always needing volunteers. Procession of the Species came in 1995 The Luminary is the night before Fantastic hand-powered creatures, costumed dancers, and drummers We certainly hope it does not rain Today The day after Thanksgiving there's the Jingle Bell Parade Intended to bring shoppers to downtown At Christmas time there's the Parade of Lighted Ships Promenading in the Puget Sound Let's have a parade, here in our town Let's have a parade, fun will be found Who will come march out in our streets? Everyone's welcome Let's have a parade!
16.	KGY Sports Jingle 00:06	info	buy track
17.	Grandma Caught The Shark 04:58	lyrics	buy track
In 1957, a leviathan was seen Slowly swimming the length of Mud Bay Its fin cut thru the water like a razor blade The tension on the shore grew every day Into that breach stepped Freddie and Faith Kroll Their nerves were steel They were not afraid They grabbed their gaff hook and their .22 And pushed their rowboat off into the bay Faith was the rower Pullin' strong and true Fred took the bow As they approached the beast Down came the gaff hook The monster had been snagged Off they went on one big trip around the bay Grandma caught the shark Grandpa caught the shark Grandma and Grandpa caught the shark Fred and Faith Kroll caught the biggest shark The biggest shark the Puget Sound had ever seen The mighty shark it pulled them zooming round the bay While Fred held to that gaff hook for dear life The shark it slipped the hook and swam quickly away But Fred and Faith were not to be denied Faith pulled on the oars and made up steady ground And once again my grandpa was in range Down came that gaff and pulled the shark's head high He killed the beast with one sure pistol shot Grandma caught the shark Grandpa caught the shark Grandma and Grandpa caught the shark Fred and Faith Kroll caught the biggest shark The biggest shark the Puget Sound had ever seen They towed the shark to shore and brought it to the beach From head to tail it measured twelve feet long And much to their surprise, the shark had not a tooth A toothless basking shark is what they caught Now if it was today when they caught that shark People would say that shark must be saved In 1957, people did not think that way They cheered the shark as it went to the grave Their picture made the headline of the Daily O Quote: Toothless Basking Shark Killed In Bay, end quote The neighborhood kids all came round for pictures with the beast And in their hearts, it's bigger every day Grandma caught the shark Grandpa caught the shark Grandma and Grandpa caught the shark Fred and Faith Kroll caught the biggest shark The biggest shark the Puget Sound had ever seen
18.	Billy Frank Jr. 04:33	lyrics	buy track
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Indian and true American Billy Frank Jr. Son of Willie Frank Sr. Last 100% Nisqually man Billy took his first breath March 9, 1933 Grew up in a small house on the Nisqually River They were not rich, but when the tide was out, the table was set Billy grew up in the natural world of his ancestors Billy Frank Jr. setting nets at 14 on the river Billy Frank Jr. battling the Washington game wardens Billy was a patriot, served in the Marines, 1952 But soon he was back home at Frank’s Landing Leading fish-ins in the sixties Fighting the state every morning for his people’s treaty rights Battling for steelhead with the white sport fishermen In ‘70, the US took Washington to court In ‘74, Judge Boldt ruled the tribes had won Half the catch Billy spent the rest of his life building on that victory He became a bridge-builder helping people find common ground For his work, he received many awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom His statue will replace Marcus Whitman in Washington DC’s Statuary Hall Billy Frank Jr. Billy was a fisherman Billy Frank Jr. Protector of the fish, the environment, his people’s treaty rights Billy Frank Jr. Unstoppable Nisqually Indian and great American
19.	Tumwater Destroyed! 00:38	lyrics	buy track
Some people think that downtown Tumwater was destroyed by I-5 when it came through in 1958 Some others point out Capital Way had totally bypassed downtown Tumwater by ‘38 The business area then became Capitol and Custer, and clear down at Trosper Road, Southgate By the early 50s “downtown” Tumwater was really pretty dead The City Council signed the plan!
20.	KXXO Jingle 00:07	info	buy track
21.	The Evergreen Ballroom 03:19	lyrics	buy track
Going to the Evergreen Ballroom Little Bill and the Bluenotes tonight Sonics, Wailers, Paul Revere and the Raiders Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts Dancing at the Evergreen Ballroom Duke Ellington, that man can swing Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, and Count Basie Dancing to that rhythm it’s everything Built on old 99, 1931 Burned down built again, 1932 By Walter Sholund and his family Built with old growth timbers 1,600 hundred square foot maple dance floor Party at the Evergreen Ballroom Johnny Cash will pick his Teenage Queen Prize - fifty dollars cash Dinner with Johnny Broadcasting the show on KGY Country hoedown at The Evergreen Ballroom Hank Williams, Hank Thompson, Brazo Valley Boys Marty Robbins, Ferlin Husky, Glen Campbell, Bobby Bare Roy Acuff and the Grand Ole Opry crew The Green liked to serve the soldiers at Fort Lewis Ran a bus to Tacoma so they could party hard You could get a decent meal at the restaurant You could get a fight in the parking lot Ownership changed hands many times over its seventy years July 21, 2000, it burned down to the ground Jazzing at the Evergreen Ballroom Charlie Parker - Bird! blowing bebop all night Dave Brubeck taking five as the opener (Bird quote): “There’s no genius, there’s only practice.” Getting soulful at The Evergreen ballroom Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson and The Spinners Ike and Tina Turner, Albert Collins, BB King Marvin Gaye, James Brown and his Famous Flames Rocking with Bill Haley and The Comets Opening up Seattle’s Dave Lewis Combo Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis Richard Berry introducing Louie Louie Going to the Evergreen Ballroom tonight! Everybody gonna dance tonight!
22.	Everybody Needs A Home 05:28	lyrics	buy track
Olympia has always had its poor 1892, County Poor Farm, Boulevard Road Mostly elderly people in fragile health Taking care of each other No place else to go In the late ’20s and ’30s, Little Hollywood grew on the Deschutes shore Hobo Point shacks were across the river All were burned down by police Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to live Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to rest their head In the 60s Olympia, homelessness was rare Edge of town eccentrics with tin foil hats Wolfman Bill out at the garbage dump Tolerated with pity Since 1981 that has got steadily worse 2021, there were 854 homeless people counted Camps at The Jungle, Deschutes Park Way, Wheeler, and Ensign Roads Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to live Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to rest their head In the 50s we had the biggest middle class the US has ever seen We now have the biggest income inequality since the roaring ‘20s Ten percent have seventy percent of the wealth People are living in the streets What will we do about it? Half the people have real issues Half the people are just poor It’s a national problem being addressed at the local level Some people want them to just go away Some people want to lend a helping hand Half are children, veterans, and the elderly Living without my level of privilege Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to live Everybody needs a home Everybody needs a place to rest their head
23.	Runaway Train 04:03	lyrics	buy track
Runaway train March 13, 1959, a crewless runaway train Crashed into the Union Pacific station downtown It smashed right through and crossed 4th Avenue into the China Clipper It killed a man and sent twenty more to the hospital Runaway train A train crew up in Tumwater forgot to set the brake when they unhitched it Fifteen cars of plasterboard and plywood, nine-hundred tons A slight decline soon became thirty-five to sixty miles an hour Its deadly cargo heading downtown Runaway train The train it hit the station at 5:44 pm It sounded like a dynamite explosion, witnesses said Kenneth Dilly was the station’s telegraph operator His body was found in an attic a football field’s length away Runaway train Half a block of downtown was destroyed A quarter million bucks in 1959 dollars The State Public Services Commissionfound Union Pacific negligent in every way Olympia would never have a downtown depot again Runaway train
24.	Olympia Oysters 03:17	lyrics	buy track
O-L-Y-M-P-I-A O-Y-S- T-E-R-S Olympia Oysters Proudest native species in the USA Olympia Oysters Put ‘em on your plate and watch ‘em go away Ostrea lurida is a tasty little bivalve Proudly calling the Pacific Coast its home Fed the native population for a very long time White folks came and nearly made them none Olympia Oysters Proudest native species in the USA Olympia Oysters Put ‘em on your plate and watch ‘em go away In the California Gold Rush 1850’s – one buck each Shipping oysters by the sackload Sad the walrus as he feasts Oyster populations went to decline Japanese Pacific Oysters were brought in Pollution from the mills and boats just made it worse People feared that they would become extinct The oysters, they call me Each little oyster in this bay now whispers my name The beautiful beds, awash with the tiniest pearls I love them, they love me The world can never be the same Olympia Oysters populations are improving Restoration projects in the Puget Sound are on Oyster farms now grow ‘em and leave alone the natives You can get ‘em raw or fried at Olympia Oyster House Olympia Oysters Proudest native species in the USA Olympia Oysters Put ‘em on your plate and watch ‘em go away
25.	Margret McKenny 05:57	lyrics	buy track
Margaret McKenny Margaret McKenny Conservationist, mycologist, environmental activist Author, poet, educator, photographer, landscape architect Olympia native, born in 1895 Her passion was for nature She was not a woman to deny Margaret McKenny Margaret McKenny The daughter of a general, who was wounded in the Civil War By high school, she was writing articles and taking wildflower photographs In the ‘20’s she went to Boston to study landscape design She moved to New York where she wrote nine of fifteen books she published Margaret McKenny Margaret McKenny In 1943 she came back home Became the official photographer of the Washington State Parks Committee In 1955 Olympia was poised to log the old watershed Margaret got fired up and spoke out in the “Daily O” She got hundreds of signatures and brought them to the City Commission The commission said they didn’t care and they were gonna auction off the trees Her group Citizens for the Future filed suit and at first, they lost They appealed and won and then the city just gave up The people voted and today you can visit Watershed Park Quote: “When in exile what I longed for most was the air of home Sweet pure air flowing across my face straight from the ocean” The Savory Wild Mushroom certainly remains her best-known book Helen Keller was a fan, she took her for a mushroom hunt She made a bird park at Percival Cove and then saved Sylvester Park She saved the trees at Squaxin Park, standing against baseball fields She stood for the Nisqually Delta preservation back in ‘47 In ‘64, she told Seattle they could not make it their garbage dump In ‘65, she fought Tacoma when they wanted to make it a port In ‘69 she died. A life well-lived. Margaret McKenny Margaret McKenny
26.	The Null Set 03:54	lyrics	buy track
Going to The Null Set, baby, feeling mighty fine Going to The Null Set, gonna have a good time August 22nd, baby, 1964 Tonight is the first night they open up their doors Making up a folk scene, baby, espresso going down Banjo, washboard, and guitar Hootenanny out! Bonnie, Bob and Pete and Pat were Unitarians They pooled their money and their work A nice little scene was born Going down to Apple Jam now, 1969 Going down to Apple Jam, some bluegrass on my mind And Celtic and Cajun and Blues, whatever Burt and Di can find You can build a guitar there in ten minutes - wow! Fiddle Fest, Centralia Campout Tumwater Bluegrass Festival Contra Dance, Old Time Medicine Show Oly Mountain Boys’ Steamboat Jamboree So much music, so many people Generations learning these tunes They wanna save ‘em They wanna share ‘em They want to make them into something new Going to Traditions, baby, 1996 Local players, touring artists and Carla’s fiddle fest You can get a sandwich there and even a cold beer It’s got some brand-new owners, now we hope they last for many years Going to Arbutus Folk School, 2012 Music and a lot of craft work Olympia Old Time Festival Wood, ceramic, fiber, metal, stone arts and much, much more The 501(C)3 child of The Null Set It still ain’t done
27.	William Winlock Miller 02:59	lyrics	buy track
William Winlock Miller was an early Oly pioneer Got here 1851, he was not rich (no, he was not) Olympia’s firstest mayor (Number 1) He would become really rich (he had millions) Billy boy, he was a player He had a couple newspapers (two), but mostly had a lot of land (got rich from land) William was a power broker in our old town (respected) When he died, his wife she gave (Mary) a plot of land to build a school (one condition) If forever that school bore his name Olympia High school opened 1907 1910, it burnt down to the ground 1912, a new one opened (new school) across the street on Capitol Way (quite nice) Stayed there until 1961 (thirty-nine years) A new school opened up on North Street (smoking pond) On the Cloverfield Farms Dairy land (no more cows) William Winlock Miller remains there today Olympia HS opened 1907 It’s moved a couple times, once it burned down 123 years of educating students Mary Margaret Miller would be proud
28.	Jazz In Olympia 06:48	lyrics	buy track
Jazz in Olympia Finding the groove and building a scene Jazz In Olympia Blowing that groove forever Red Kelly brought his swing to town in 1974 He and wife Donna started the Tumwater Conservatory Jack Percival, piano Ernestine Anderson Wild Nights were the standard Jamming players always came to town Red started the O.W.L. party for more fun and ran for Washington State governor Jazz in Olympia Out with logic, in with lunacy Jazz in Olympia With Chuck and Jan Stentz from Yenney’s Jazz in Olympia Red packed it up in ‘82 Headed for Tacoma Jazz in Olympia Obrador, 1976, started by Olympia friends Instrumental improve dance band for ten years, groovin’ on Afro-Latin jazz They added Connie Bunyer’s vocals, kept ‘em dancin’ They had a thirty-year run Five albums, one recorded in Havana Packing The Rainbow on 4th Ave Jazz in Olympia Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society They’re out in Lacey Playing trad jazz since 1990 Jazz in Olympia Joe Baque brought his swing 1983 Jazz in Olympia Going for broke at All That Jazz Cafe Bert Wilson came ‘79. Wheelchair, every kind of horn Blowin’ both inside and out Wild nights with Jeffrey Morgan Albums with his band Rebirth, Sonny Simmons, Obrador, and more Dig Barbara Donald & Unity - Olympia Live at the GNU Deli Jazz in Olympia Get in the picture at the Old Capitol Jazz in Olympia So many more players than can fit in this song Jazz in Olympia Taking in Bevy at Dr. Wheelz’ Pad Jazz in Olympia Olympia Free Jazz Festival Jazz in Olympia Oly Jazz Central at the Rhythm and Rye Jazz in Olympia Blowing a groove forever
29.	KGY Weather Jingle 00:07		buy track
30.	A Deadly Wind 04:58	lyrics	buy track
It was a deadly wind The 1962 Columbus Day storm October 12, 1962, the mightiest non-tropical storm to strike the West Coast made land North from Corvallis to Vancouver BC, with winds reaching 127 miles an hour It was a deadly wind The 1962 Columbus Day storm There was little early warning That did not much exist At least forty-six people would die Fifteen billion board feet of timber blown down 2.1 billion dollars in damages I was in fourth grade We were not scared My mom let us go outside We laid on the wind at forty-five degrees Nature’s own carnival ride Trees, they were falling Roofs, they were flying I knew a man with a Volkswagen bus One tree before him, one tree behind him He was now trapped but he was not crushed In Eugene, death was coming Larry Johnson took some roofing straight into his chest and died Walli Grub broke ribs and his left arm, but the hospital let him go home Wilber and Susan Archibald were crushed by a tree in their station wagon In Portland, on the next day the UW Huskies won the game It was a deadly wind The 1962 Columbus Day storm
31.	Exactly Eight Minutes of Olympia Birds at Tom's House 08:00		buy track
32.	A Bucketful Of Weird (TESC) 04:30	lyrics	buy track
In 1971, the students first enrolled Nothing typical here, that’s what they were told We shan’t have no grades Design your own degree The faculty are communists that love ecology Bucketful of weird Nothing there to fear Bucketful of weird Every day Bucketful of weird It’s getting very clear The Evergreen State College brought Olympia a bucketful of weird Was this just another classic tale of town and gown Olympia was stodgy, a boring little town From environmental weirdos from Evergreen Procession of the Species grew The Greener culture changed the town into something new Bucketful of weird Nothing here to fear Bucketful of weird Every day Bucketful of weird Hold it close and dear The Evergreen State College brought Olympia a bucketful of weird Matt Groening from the Simpsons Bruce Pavitt from Sub Pop Lynda Barry, Macklemore Their alumni list, it rocks The Evergreen State College in Olympia had race and Fox News problems in 2017 And declining enrollments for the last ten years But remains on the top-forty list for colleges that will change your life Bucketful of weird Nothing there to fear Bucketful of weird Every day Bucketful of weird Made our town a better town The Evergreen State College brought Olympia a bucketful of weird
33.	(I'm An) Oly Bear 03:47	lyrics	buy track
I’m an Oly Bear Class of ‘71 William Winlock Miller High School Probably had a little fun Never saw me at the freshman pond, no Walked through that door September 1968 Gonna play a little football Gonna smack around my brain Never really needed that brain, no OHS our school so dear Colors white and blue You’re the school we dearly love To you ever we will be true What did I really learn? I think that’s hard to say I took my classes Then I went away Ended up at Waddell Creek one night Fate may part us Years may pass Futures all unknown Still our hearts will ever prove Faithful to you alone. I’m an Oly Bear Back in my neighborhood I ain’t looking for no trouble Still trying to be good Never wanted to go anywhere else - no
34.	KAOS Station ID 00:07	info	buy track
35.	It's Still Pretty White (Getting Better) 05:41	lyrics	buy track
Getting better better better It’s still pretty white Olympia, Washington It’s still pretty white Olympia’s first settlers included Black man George Bush Bush Prairie is where the Olympia Airport is now The People of The Water lived where downtown Olympia would be They called it Steh-Chass All Indians were confined to Squaxin Island in 1856 Olympia had a little Chinatown, too Last located down on Water Street With markets and laundries and restaurants Mostly men, mostly Lockes. A grandson of immigrants, Gary Locke would become Washington’s governor In 1942, the U.S. shipped all Japanese to incarceration camps It’s still pretty white Olympia, Washington It’s still pretty white 1963, Tumwater Mr. Scott lived next door Window washer, only Black man that I knew of in our town Black folks from Tacoma worked for the State down in Olympia but drove home to Tacoma every single night Redlining and covenants kept minorities from living in town Redlining finally made illegal 1968 Though not enforced for at least seven years Some covenants still exist ’75 the first Vietnamese refugees arrived It’s still pretty white Olympia, Washington It’s still pretty white 1970 census, 1.5% “Negro and other races” 2010 census, Olympia 82.5% white That’s 8% higher than Lacey And it’s 18% higher than Tacoma In 2020, all elected officials in Thurston County were white It’s still pretty white Olympia, Washington It’s still pretty white Getting better
36.	Clammin' 04:16	lyrics	buy track
There is no day other than today We goin’ clammin’ on Mud Bay We goin’ fishin’ on Mud Bay There is no day other than today We goin’ swimmin’ on Mud Bay We water skiin’ out on Mud Bay There is no day other than today Here comes the sun to the good side of the bay A little mist is rising I can see Heron on the dock Breeze comes from the west I feel complete harmony We goin’ clammin’ on Mud Bay We goin’ clammin’ on Mud Bay There is no day other than today
37.	Arts Walk (Mossy Bottom) 02:50 video	lyrics	buy track
(We’re gonna play) Mossy Bottom Records down at Arts Walk Arts Walk happens in the spring Arts Walk happens in the fall Businesses all over downtown Hang local art upon their walls Mossy Bottom Records down at Arts Walk People young and people old Come down to check it out They close some streets for kids with chalk Come down and check ‘em out The Luminary is on Friday night Procession of the Species is the next day With dancing dancers, drums, fantastic creatures Though not the same ones as the Pet Parade Mossy Bottom Records down at Arts Walk Nick and Eli had a groovy record store Pandemic came and shut their store right down The True Olympians came and rocked the joint The True Olympians always get down Mossy Bottom Records down at Arts Walk
38.	Satan Made Him Do It 05:22	lyrics	buy track
In 1988, Thurston County Deputy Sheriff Paul Ingram was charged and convicted on six counts of third-degree child rape, supposedly committed during Satanic rituals. He pled guilty and served his full twenty-year sentence, despite, or perhaps because of, his attempt to change his plea to “not guilty” before sentencing. Thirty years later, many experts question whether any crime actually took place or if this case, based on recovered memories, was simply a case of implanted hysteria. Paul and his family were fundamentalist Christians His twenty-two-year-old daughter first spoke of her dad’s abuse while at Bible camp Six weeks later, her nineteen-year-old sister said Paul and other sheriff’s deputies had been abusing her since she was young The sheriff called Paul into his office and told him of the charges Paul said his daughters would not lie, so he confessed Even though he could not remember any abuse. He said, (quote) “There must be a dark side of me that I don’t know about" He confessed he did it Though he could not recall he did it He confessed he did it, yes, He confessed to it all The investigators asked Paul if he’d ever had to choose between the Devil and God Then pictures of crimes they spoke of started appearing in Paul’s head Now anything they asked about he would see Like a satanic cult raping and killing animals and babies and burying them in his yard And he confessed They said: Satan made him do it, and now he recalled he did it Satan made him do it, he confessed Satan made him do it He told the cops he did it Satan made him do it, he confessed A cult expert was brought in for the prosecution but switched to the defense Because he thought the daughters were lying and Paul’s confession had been coerced Paul went to trial and tried to change to not guilty - the judge said too late He thought that Paul could not be rehabilitated and sentenced him to twenty years In 1988 Americans were freaked out about satanic pedophile covens that they believed were everywhere Here in Thurston County, police dug up Paul’s yard to look for bodies, but they never found one, no, not even one Satan made him do it Satan made him do it, he confessed He said Satan made him do it, but he probably didn’t do it But the judge ruled that he did it because he confessed He’s Washington’s one and only convicted satanist sex criminal He served his twenty years with no parole and now he’s free Satan made him do it, Satan made him do it, he confessed
39.	FreeForm Northwest Show Promo (KAOS) 00:27	info	buy track
40.	Gronk! (If You Love Dinosaur) 03:39	lyrics	buy track
Gronk if you love it Gronk if you need it Gronk if you are a dinosaur Back in ‘72, Washington rock festivals were dead Jeff and Chuck started a club Kinda like the Odd Fellows and the Elks The club was outside Rainier on Chuck’s undeveloped land You had to be a card-holding member to come rock out with the bands Gronk if you love it Gronk if you need it Gronk if you are a dinosaur The club members were hippies. They were smokin’ LSD The cops came out to shut it down The townsfolk were quite pleased Jeff went to the county Jeff threatened to sue The county said, you dinosaurs must do what dinos do Dinosaur got bigger for the next few years The big one, Memorial Day Tacoma bikers came and changed the whole vibe The money got funny And Chuck pulled the plug Gronk if you love it Gronk if you need it Gronk if you are a dinosaur
41.	Death At Mounts Road 03:20	lyrics	buy track
Amtrak hurtles 501 Blazing the new Cascades route Bank the curve in double time Passengers strewn all about Death at Mounts Road Speed thrills Coffee kills Positive train control Death at Mounts Road The voyage full to the brim The coffee piping hot New curve, new crew, new begin When 501 collides with fate Death at Mounts Road Speed thrills Coffee kills Positive train control Death at Mounts Road The passengers were there to celebrate Until the train flew onto the freeway So many were injured So many were dead Fate, fate go away, strike your bargain with some other train To shave time off the route The Amtrak engineer Pushed to accelerate Now there’s less to celebrate Death at Mounts Road Speed thrills Coffee kills Positive train control Death at Mounts Road
42.	Puget Sound Flatland Blues 04:17	lyrics	buy track
Staring out of the window These scenes reveal nothing that’s new This late-model Corvair makes its own weather Through the floorboards, a marvelous view Beside me, there’s un-scratched ticket Some hope that I can’t bear to lose This teaspoon of gas if it gets to the top I could crawl into town on the fumes Will time unwind when I get there? Is it as bad as they say on the news? I’ll find a way to mint trouble, my friend And find something better to do There’s waves on the puddles I’m drenched to the bone Clouds left with the moon They’ll find you out when they find you down With those Puget Sound flatland blue
43.	Love Rock Revolution 03:13	lyrics	buy track
Love Rock Revolution Calvin went to England He got some punk rock records there Calvin went to K-A-O-S radio He met John Foster there (that changed everything) Calvin made a various artist cassette called Let’s Together Thirty total cassettes from 1982 to ‘86 Including Beat Happening (almost eighty records) Love Rock Revolution Candice loved K and joined up when she was just eighteen She took care of the day-to-day stuff and she helped the label grow In ‘89, she became a partner, but everything still wasn’t great Finally, she’d had enough She pulled her plug in 1998 Love Rock Revolution The International Pop Underground Convention happened in 1991 Candice and Calvin had pulled off together an unbelievable success Calvin helped Slim Moon grow Kill Rock Stars that weekend with their first LP Kill Rock Stars put out Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Heavens to Betsy and other great Riot Girl stuff (and Elliott Smith) Love Rock Revolution In 2016, Kimya Dawson said I wanna be paid Calvin owed her and others lots of money so he had to sell his Dub Narcotic Studio In 2018, Calvin put out his delightful record Wonderful Beast In 2021 the future still remains unwritten, but Calvin - he ain’t done yet Love Rock Revolution
44.	Rachel Corrie (Activist) 02:28	lyrics	buy track
Activist, she was an activist Rachel Corrie was an activist She gave her life for her beliefs A Greener born in Oly 1979 Member of the International Solidarity Movement In Palestine she tried to stop destruction of Palestinian homes She was killed by an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer Activist, Rachel Corrie was an activist Supporting Palestine She gave her life so others could live Activist, in front of armored bulldozers On the Gaza Strip She gave her life for human rights The Israeli courts said her death was an accident Her family did not agree She’s got a book There’s been a play and songs about her Rachel was an American citizen with Palestine blood Activist, she was an activist Rachel Corrie was an activist She gave her life so others could live
45.	Lacey's Now The Biggest 02:34	lyrics	buy track
Olympia’s better than Lacey Olympia’s better than Tumwater Olympia’s better than Lacey It’s certainly better than Yelm Lacey’s now the biggest but Olympia’s the best Lacey’s now the biggest but Olympia’s the best Lacey’s now the biggest but Olympia’s the best The best, the best, the best Y’know, I grew up in Olympia, Washington And I always thought that Maybe people in Tumwater thought that Maybe people in Lacey thought that I don’t know I went to Olympia High School In my senior year, my mom moved to Tumwaterand I sure as hell was not going to transfer and go to Tumwater High School That was not going to happen Because … Olympia’s the best, right? Well, y’know, it’s a couple million years laterand maybe it’s just time to chill out on that and give a big hug to everybody in Thurston County We love ya!
46.	Let It Rain 05:56	lyrics	buy track
One-hundred-sixty-seven days in every year Olympia, Washington will see rain That’s the most precipitous days in these United States Olympia, Washington has the rain Let it rain Back when I was thirteen, delivering the Daily O It seemed every afternoon would bring rain My bike knifed through black puddles The spray flying high Olympia, Washington has the rain Let it rain Sometimes it’s a sprinkle Sometimes a deluge Once in a while, you’ll see a little hail or snow But mostly it’s a lot of rain I have a wife and children Grey is in our soul They will go and dance out in the rain We found our beautiful home in the midst of a downpour Olympia, Washington has the rain Let it rain
47.	Olympia My Home 04:30 video	lyrics	buy track
For so many years I wandered Looking for the inside track Always looking forward Never looking back I’d hear a voice from somewhere Maybe it was just inside I’d turn my head to listen The years kept slippin’ by Olympia my home I have not forgotten I’ve come back to you Your skies are fleecy cotton Floating high above the bay The Olympic Mountains send their love The herons greet the day The Black Hills rise to greet us As we roll down State to town Above all else our Queen Rainier She wears her snow-capped crown Olympia my home Our Capital stands on the bluff Look north, the Sound survey In the west the sun retires and ends another day Somedays I think you’re my mother Holding me so warm and tight With a simple love and beauty What could be more right? Olympia my home

about

"Olympia: A True Story," a 40-song, 47 track, 3-CD album with 80-page book, is a loving ode to Olympia, Washington. It tells the story of Olympia going back 2 million years, with over 100 guest Olympia musicians. Recorded over 4 years thru the pandemic, it is Tom Dyer’s usual heady brew of eclecticism writ large.

It is monumental. Dyer: This is the tale of the greater Olympia area told through the lens of a third-generation Olympian who left town after graduating from Olympia HS in 1971 and who finally returned in 2016. The oldest song on the album is “Olympia, My Home,” written in late October 2018, a couple months after The True Olympians released our first album, "12 New Recordings". When I moved back to Olympia in 2016, I was most impressed by the Sylvester’s Window collection at the downtown Olympia Library, a series of eight Olympia cityscapes ranging from 1841 to 2001. These drawings really got me thinking about Olympia on some sort of time continuum in a way I probably hadn’t before. I was at least partially inspired by David Scherer Water’s entertaining little Olympia book, first encountered in the spring of 2017, where I first learned about things like Bordeaux and the 1959 downtown train station crash. I grew up here and had never heard of either. We tracked our first five songs for the album in August, 2019. Three years, three drummers, three Tom Dyer solo albums, and a True Olympians Christmas album later, it is done. This is not any sort of complete history; it is a collection of sonic sketches reflecting my particular take on the many-headed beast that is Olympia.

We hope our little entertainment will inspire people to dig deeper into the story of our hometown. I’d like to give a giant thank you to all the Olympia musicians who donated their time and skills to this undertaking - on their behalf, we will be donating a portion of our proceeds to the not-for-profit Olympia Arts + Heritage Alliance.

The True Olympians for this album are: Tom Dyer - Vocals, Guitars, a few Keyboard bits; Joe Cason - Keyboards and Vocals; Gene Tveden – Bass, Vocals and a bit of Guitar; Michael Stein - Drums, Percussion and Vocals; and Lisa Ceazan - Vocals. Auxiliary Olympians: Kat Dyer - Vocals; Virginia Sorrells – Vocals and Whistling; Nicholas Vroman - Vocals and Acoustic Guitar.
Joe sings lead on "Little Hollywood" and his composition "Puget Sound Flatland Blues". Lisa takes the lead vocal on "People of The Water", "Let’s Have A Parade!","The Null Set", "The Evergreen Ballroom", and "Beer Town". Virginia sings lead on "Mothballs and Mosquitos". Nick sings lead on "Satan Made Him Do It". Tom sings the rest.

Mastered by Steve Turnidge, Ultra Violet Studios arsdivina.com

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released October 14, 2022

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Tom Dyer and The True Olympians Olympia, Washington

The True Olympians were formed shortly after Tom Dyer moved back to his hometown Olympia in 2006. Their focus is primarily recording, though they do play yer occasional live show. Current members: Tom - vox, guitar etc,, Gene Tveden- bass, b-vox, Joe Cason - keys, b-vox, Lisa Ceazan- vocals, and Jeff Parkhurst - drums, b-vox. Jeff is the band's 4th drummer. ... more

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