Full Moon Radio makes a splash

When’s the last time an Olympia band made a splash in the Pacific Northwest the way Full Moon Radio has? It’s a hard question to answer, because how do you measure the size of a metaphorical splash? But it’s undeniable that audiences in Olympia and throughout the Pacific Northwest have rallied behind this band in a big way.

If you don’t know Full Moon Radio, here’s the skinny: Ali Baker is the lyricist and singer and rocks the bass. Sarah Lynn gets crazy – really crazy – behind the drum kit. Jessie Jackson co-writes the music and grooves on the electric guitar.

Full Moon Radio has already racked in the accolades, being named “Best New Band”, and “Best Indie Rock Band” at the recent “Best of Olympia” Party, and they’ve turned heads not just in Olympia, but also throughout the Pacific Northwest. In Seattle, FMR have quickly become darlings of the iconic Comet of Capitol Hill. And on their recent tour, they just as easily brought hundreds of fans into the bars, barns, and living rooms that dot the musical landscape of the small towns throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Despite their successes, some might say that FMR has some big shoes to fill. The founding members, Sarah and Jessie were drawn to the Olympia music scene during the tail end of the riot grrl feminist punk rock movement. In some ways, audiences have looked to FMR as the harbingers of a new wave of feminist rock. The members of FMR know that they’re inspiring a new generation of female musicians, as they rock up and down the West Coast.

“At some of our smaller town shows,” Sarah Lynn recounts, “people have come up to me and said, ‘Wow. I didn’t know a girl could play drums like that.’”

FMR hopes to inspire more female rockers. “I’d like to see more female rock coming out of Olympia,” says guitarist Jessie Jackson. “At one show, I had a girl tell me that I was the first female guitarist that she had ever seen.”

Despite the fact that the ethos of riot grrl punk brought 2 of the 3 members to the Pacific Northwest, that’s not the genre that best fits the band. There’s definitely the energy of punk in the driving rhythms of their songs, but the song structures are more reminiscent of contemporary new wave bands like Metric. The angst and rage that imbue Ali Baker’s compelling lyrics is closer to grunge rock. The resulting amalgamation of punk energy, grungy angst, and good old-fashioned hard rock is a lot for any band to take on, but the trio executes their music with powerful energy and heartfelt passion. As a result, FMR is standing on the shoulders of giants, but the combination of influences that they represent takes in all the best elements of music that have emerged from the Pacific Northwest.

FMR were also voted the “Sexiest Band in Oly”. That’s probably a weird description for any band to hear about themselves, but there’s an undeniable swagger in the reckless abandon that the trio channel in their live performances.

What’s next for FMR? The coming year will bring their full-album follow-up to their EP, which you should pick up if you don’t already have it. If you’re in Seattle, you can catch their next show at the Blue Moon on April 20th. At Spring Artswalk, they’ll be playing on Friday, April 26th at 5 pm at the Capitol Theater, when they debut their music video for their song, “The Crowd”. I don’t want to spoil the music video idea that they have, but it’s pretty cool. Then on Saturday, April 27th, they play at McCoy’s Tavern at 9 pm. And you can also hear their music online any time at FullMoonRadio.com. ◙

photos by Winter Teems