Kusikia began as a Tacoma duo in 2006 and subsequently became one of the region’s most urgent bands. With splatter-painted post-punk rhythms dancing around dissonant guitar sounds and half-whipsered vocal delivery, they had a reputation for taking unsuspecting crowds on a sonic roller coaster, forgetting where they were. After more than a decade-long hiatus, the group has re-emerged as a trio, developing new material over the last couple of years. This will be their first show in downtown Olympia of the decade, and a beautiful way to kick off our series this year. 

IROIRO is led by the founding members of IQU, Olympia’s dominant trip-hop group active in the 1990s-2000s. Currently based in Seattle, they were joined by a rhythm section and have been forging a new sonic path utilizing theremin, guitar, swirling synths and hypnotic beats. Come see why Dave Segal of The Stranger says they are “currently Seattle’s best rock band.”

Moth Logic began writing and rehearsing about a year before the 2020 pandemic, in which the trio of longtime friends and collaborators Brad, Chad and Christina decided to form a “pod” and continue to seriously hone their craft during the lockdown. Their resulting 5-Song EP is an analog prize that documents the dissonant, angular post-punk sound they had kept under wraps for years. In recent days they have been writing new material for an upcoming follow up that you’ll be able to hear at their Scherler Sundays debut.

The Neighborhood Kids are bringing their revolutionary boom-bap hip hop explosion from San Diego up here to Olympia for the first time. The group emerged from the pandemic as a well-oiled machine speaking truth to power, hope to the hopeless, and rhyme schemes that put them on the map of true heads from the get-go. Upon first hearing the trio of Verde, Amon the MC and DJ JG and what their messaging was all about, we knew that the Olympia community would absolutely vibe with them. They are combatting social ills with the illest of beats and lyrics. 

Temper began performing in 2023 while all of its members were in high school, and they quickly became one of the most buzzworthy punk rock combos in the PNW. Lead by powerhouse vocalist Caetano Ruiz, the group’s debut EP is as poignant as it is timeless–there really are so many things to scream about these days. Cathartic and necessary, we love this band and we think you will too.

Triviot is the only band in the series for their second consecutive year that began as a pub trivia team (at Questionable Music Trivia, 6:30pm on Mondays at Three Magnets Brewing). They play old-school punk en español–their self-titled cassette blasts through 10 songs in 15 minutes. This group delivers a frantic and energetic performance, earning them the distinction of one of Olympia’s most electrifying contemporary acts.

Califone began 28 years ago as Tim Rutili’s solo project after the dissolution of his previous group Red Red Meat in Chicago. (You may have also heard his collaboration with Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, Ugly Casanova.) Tim has continued to do sporadic collaborative efforts over the years, but Califone has been his main squeeze for most of his life. Their experimental take on Americana, musique concrete and indie rock, exemplified on last year’s The Villager’s Companion, is unlike that of any other group around.

Eli Moore has been plotting his debut solo record over the last couple of decades but being a founding member and principal songwriter of the band LAKE (as well as supporting roles with First Aid Kit, Laura Viers, Karl Blau and many others) has kept him pretty busy. The time has finally come, and we are proud to give his new touring ensemble the spotlight in celebration of his terrific new LP The Power Line that recently dropped on Anything Bagel Records.

Yarrow came together when its future members started jamming in their time off working on a farm together up in Kitsap County. Their atmospheric and psychedelic angle on blues and folk rock have earned them a reputation as a leading force in the current Olympia independent music renaissance in just a few short years since the group’s inception. They will be premiering their long-awaited debut studio album at this show, so bring a few bucks to get a copy of your own to treasure.

Toody Cole is a living legend of Pacific Northwest rock ‘n roll. A Portland native, she formed Dead Moon in 1987 with her late husband, Fred Cole. Together they became the gold standard of sludgy, frantic DIY doom rock that influenced countless fans to start groups of their own. In recent years, Toody has returned to the stage performing as “Toody Cole and Her Band,” performing songs from her previous groups Dead Moon and Pierced Arrows. 

Spiders From Uranus are made up from the Olympia music scene’s old guard–Chris and Scott are founding members of 1980s punkers the Young Pioneers, and Colm was in the psych-folk outfit Heliotroupe. All three of them migrated north to Seattle many years ago, and this new band was put together out of the ashes of a brief but impactful Young Pioneers reunion. Their debut LP Blow It Out is a tightly packaged explosion that’s over all too soon. Experience the ferocity of their punk roots fueled by a modern urgency speaking with the voice of experience. 

James Maeda has been playing music in Olympia since he was a teenager in the early 1990s, and is an assiduous historian of the local music scene beyond his years. We’ve noted in the past that performances of his own solo material come few and far between, and we’ve been aiming to change that narrative. This will be his fourth performance at Scherler Sundays, a series he inspired with the first of several outdoor concerts at the brewery with the belated legend Michael Hurley. This year, he’ll be joined once again by Sara Pete and Olivia Ness on packaging vocals.

Mazigazi began in 2015 as a large indie/afrobeat ensemble fronted by Olympia farmers Matt and Mercy. During the pandemic, the founding members reworked their format into an unstoppable Afrohouse format with a hint of rock and roll. Bring your dancing shoes and a water bottle, we did not give this band a curfew.

Rainbow Bridge began in 2007 shortly after the members had respectively moved to Olympia. Bridget moved into the Phoenix House and found herself immersed in a cast of characters in the local punk and indie scene, where she met Adam who happened to have a million top-quality songs in his back pocket. They found a bizarre synchronicity and an affinity for creating dozens of infectious bops that got the locals moving and singing along about magic, surfing, regional anomalies. Most of the tunes were recorded but are nearly impossible to find since the group dissolved in 2011. So don’t miss this very special reunion concert and relive the era of Rainbow Bridge.

Grupo Impecable are a young trio from Lacey performing in the tradition of música norteña

Oh, Rose formed about 12 years ago and has since become one of the most beloved bands in the region this side of the 21st century, and it’s no wonder why- Olivia’s deeply personal songwriting is carried by one of the most dedicated, tight-knit and talented ensembles, who Olivia says are basically family. Their latest EP For Art finds Oh, Rose in a contemplative jangle-laden phase of their evolution.

The Flying Leaves became a band last year when siblings Dylan and Duncan learned that rock and roll bands were invited to perform at a festival for which they were the audio technicians. Jumping on the opportunity, they enlisted they friend Ali, with whom they had been jamming for about a decade, to join them playing a slew of songs they rapidly composed for the event. The rest is history. This will be the Flying Leaves’ Scherler Sundays debut, and your chance to catch them in their element–outdoors.

JoAnn Thorn has lived in Olympia for most of her life, but she got her first big breakthrough in the music business while visiting Texas in 1981, where she recorded her first (and only) 45rpm single, “Children Raising Children.” The song’s poignant message about unplanned teenage pregnancy and the lack of support systems for those affected was coupled with JoAnn’s haunting vocal delivery, becoming a regional hit in the Dallas/Forth Worth area. Nine years later JoAnn’s most recent studio album The Elephant and The Owl was released back here at home, and while she doesn’t often perform publicly, she hasn’t slowed down her creativity. Prepare to be regaled by stories from a beloved local folkie.

Dean Wareham first entered the underground rock zeitgeist with his trio Galaxie 500, pioneers of “slowcore” that made a lasting impact in their brief existence. After that group’s dissolution, he formed the cherished dream pop ensemble Luna, followed by the duo Dean and Brita and a handful of excellent solo records. Today, Dean and his band (Britta Phillips on bass, Roger Brogan on drums) will play a set of Galaxie 500 songs and more. Talk about royalty!

Dean Wareham first entered the underground rock zeitgeist with his trio Galaxie 500, pioneers of “slowcore” that made a lasting impact in their brief existence. After that group’s dissolution, he formed the cherished dream pop ensemble Luna, followed by the duo Dean and Brita and a handful of excellent solo records. Today, Dean and his band (Britta Phillips on bass, Roger Brogan on drums) will play a set of Galaxie 500 songs and more. Talk about royalty!

Fern Spores is a self-descibed “mossy rock” trio formed a few years ago through the open mic community at Rhythms Coffee in downtown Olympia. Powered by sisterhood and whimsy, their songs (as heard on their debut LP The Understory) have taken them all around the Pacific Northwest and West Coast, with plans to head further east later this year before they enter the studio this autumn to record their sophomore album. For their Scherler Sundays premiere, they’ve got a special string band arrangement planned for us.

The Olympia Music History Project is a local nonprofit whose mission is to document and make public the music history of Olympia, WA through oral histories, images, and ephemera. They are co-presenting today’s event, focusing on artists who were active in the local scene between 1980-2002.

The Blow began as Khaela Maricich’s solo effort in 2001, but for nearly 20 years it has been a collaborative effort with bandmate Melissa Dyne. Since the group’s inception, we’ve been blessed with a bunch of terrific recordings, but to see them live is another experience altogether, with the duo incorporating elements of performance art and spoken word into their setlist. This will be the Blow’s first major Olympia appearance in a very long time.

Witchypoo is dead–that’s what the project’s founder Slim Moon told us when we asked if a reunion was possible. He said in order for that to happen, we would need a time machine… and he managed to find one to bring us all back to the 1990s and experience a performance they never got around to realizing. Witchypoo is not exactly a band, but rather a wide-ranging spectacle of conceptual art that lasted from 1990-2000. Previous participants in the project have included members of the Make-Up, Unwound, Nirvana, The Melvins, and countless others. Who will show up when the time machine is activated? 

C Average has been Olympia’s foremost garage-prog duo for the past 30 years. Their knack for melting faces with pure sonic force has won them the respect of onlookers and rabid fans alike. Jon and Brad would like you to know they are indeed still alive, and for their special set at the Olympia Music History Showcase, they’re going to try to repeat a set of songs they first debuted on the late great Diana Arens’ KAOS radio program Free Things Are Cool–including music they haven’t revisited since the turn of the century.

Chris “Sandman” Sand is a Montana native who has been serving up his observations on the state of the world for over three decades. Sandman blends country music, hip hop, cowboy poetry and humor to address social ills with kindness and goodwill. He used to live here in Olympia once upon a time, and our community managed to keep ownership of a chunk of his big ol’ heart, so it was only a matter of time before he rolled back into town to share some old favorites along with new material from his latest record Non-Judgement Day.

Tall Toad was formed out of the ashes of the Yelm band Trepan. In 1989, Scott and Mike found a kindred spirit in Tony, and over the course of the next decade, they became one of the most prominent bands in the bustling Yelm rock and roll scene. They released three albums (cassettes) and recorded several more that have recently begun trickling out on the until-recently-defunct group’s Bandcamp page. Their participation in the Olympia Music History Showcase will mark their first public performance since 1999!

The Mona Reels are turning 25 this year, and we are so excited to have them return to Scherler Sundays on this momentous occasion. In anticipation of their newest offering, a double album You Might Just Make it After All, expect to hear some fresh instant classics along with a smattering of familiar favorites from the Mona Reels’ songbook. 

The Rumba Madre may play more genres of latin music than you can name in 60 seconds, but they’re a punk band in spirit. Formed out of the Nashville Latinx music scene and currently based in the Bay Area, they will take you on a ride through Latin American history with a soundtrack that will make it impossible for you to sit still. Expect a full-blown fiesta.

Arrington DeDionyso’s Malaikat Dan Singa (that’s Bahasa Indonesian for “angels and lions”) was founded in 2008 during a hiatus from Arrington’s legendary psychedelic punk combo Old Time Relijun and has been pushing its own boundaries for nearly two decades ever since. Combining no-wave and post-punk with Gamelan and dancehall rhythms, they beckon you to embrace your inner dragon.

The Bee Hees are returning to Scherler Sundays for the second consecutive year. Brahim Hikmi, the group’s singer and songwriter, was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco. After following his heart to Olympia, he began taking a music composition program at Evergreen, writing what he describes as a “joyful homesick blues” songs for the guembre–a traditional Moroccan three-stringed bass, sung in Darija, a Moroccan form of Arabic. The result is a uniquely Olympian experience, featuring a cast of local heavy hitters bringing the songs to life. 

Old school wood smoked Bbq goodness with a modern twist!

A family owned and run Gelateria located in the heart of Olympia’s downtown.

Downtown Olympia's premier candy store will be setting up shop at Scherler Sundays 2025!

$6 cans of Scherler Easy Premium Shitty™ Lager and other draft options.

Draft Red Cap cider or bottled heirloom variants.

Wine options for those not into beer or cider!

$6 cans of Scherler Easiest Premium Shitty™ Non-Alcoholic Lager and other draft and can options.

Brewing and bottling deliciously curious, refined yet funky kombucha in Olympia since 2006.

Cans of Nitro Cold Brew.