Ian (Vexx)
SPB: How much does location and history (specifically Olympia, WA) influence you?
Ian: I grew up in Singapore but the majority of my extended family lives in Washington, so I would go to shows in Seattle when I came back to visit. Olympia was always in the ethers, kind of haunting literature and politics in my music scene back home and when I would go to shows in Washington.
My sister lives in Tacoma. When I moved from Idaho after college and was living with her I would visit my friends who lived in Olympia and go to shows. It's cheap, has a ton of places to play, and has a college so it is a perfect place to be to focus on self—which accounts for its concentration of hyper-competitive narcissistic whiners, but also nurtured artists.
2011-2012 Olympia had a profound impact on me: Christian Mistress, HPP, Gun Outfit, White Wards, Gag, Bone Sickness, White Boss—Olympia was killing it! Of course past bands like Funerot and Sex/Vid had been things that I was way into, but being able to see those ’11-12 era bands (except White Boss) was exciting. I'm not too concerned with Olympia's ancient history. Bikini Kill was a good band. I don't listen to them anymore but they were there when I was a teen. I think Olympia has that pop-punk scene but that positivist youth group setting mixed with the cannibalistic nature of white, suburban "radical politics" negates my presence. Olympia's location is indicative of its culture, musical and social, water logged, rotting, and grey with moments of salient brilliance.
