Interview: Olive Opens the Doors to a New Venue and Makes It a Home
From the end of the block, we could hear a low rumble shaking through the streets. As we slowly approached an unassuming home on a two-way street barely large enough for a pedestrian, we witnessed people of all ages hanging by a white door with a small paper flyer detailing the show we were there to see — In Utero. It was the anniversary of the death of legendary Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain, and the birth of an exciting new venue, Dreamship Community. I’ve gone to many many shows over the years but rarely does something give me chills in the way that this home, more than a venue, filled with warmth and energy gave me that night.
While Bon Appétit may have you salivating from our seaside cuisines, Portland locals know that our musical talent is just as — if not more — exciting than those barside shucked Oysters. With the droves of talented vocalists, guitarists, brass players, and everything in between, the venue has become a natural battleground playing the crucial role of success and vibrancy in our local scene. Our city is already home to many iconic venues such as Andy’s, Blue, Geno’s, Empire, and House of Music, with more recent newcomers, Sun Tiki, and The Apohadion, all the way to the classics of Port City, State Theatre, and Aura.
Well, get ready to add one more to that incredible catalog of venues. Grab a free seltzer at the door, pick your favorite spot on the couch, and commence drum roll as we welcome the newest member of the Portland music scene, Dreamship Community. We recently had a chance to speak with the venue’s organizer, Olive Twombly-Hussey, about what Dreamship is all about, how it stacks up, and where it’s going.
We’ve run into each other a lot at shows, but for people who may not know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your current involvement in Portland’s music scene?
I’m a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. I play in a couple of different bands, am a session player, work the door at Bayside Bowl, and get out to as many shows as possible. You’ve probably met me at Geno’s — I may or may not remember you.
I know you’re always working on stuff, what projects do you currently have going on? And can you tell us a bit about them?
Right now I’m in an all-female Nirvana cover band, and we’re about to wrap up our run of shows and transition to writing our own material under the name, Lake Over Fire, which is a reference to the hexagram for ‘change/revolution’ in the I Ching. In this group, we’ve all been playing for a long time and have a huge range of influences. Each one of us can switch up the musical style markers that indicate genre at the drop of a hat, so I’m really excited to see what we come up with.
Other than my own musical projects, I’m looking to make live music more accessible to a broader range of both performers and spectators through running an all-ages sober venue in the spacious garage of Dreamship Community.
In recent years, Portland has been seeing a lot of venues opening up, which is exciting. I understand Dreamship is more than just a venue. What is Dreamship? What do you all hope to bring to our burgeoning music scene?
Dreamship is an intergenerational intentional community in the west end comprised of two houses where people of varying ages, backgrounds, identities, countries of origin, and passions live together in a safe, substance-free environment. I’ve lived here about a year and a half, and six months or so ago I began work on turning our largely unused garage space into a music venue. Where Munjoy Hill is being taken over by Airbnb’s, our neighborhood is looking at more and more buildings being bought up by Maine Med. I’m doing this in part so that our community can take measures to become a nonprofit and continue to offer not only housing, but also a space for musicians, artists, creators, and folks in recovery to come together and enjoy the benefits of community interaction.
One of the biggest things I love about living in Portland is how much of a music town it is. I feel like if you went through and ranked cities by how many musicians per capita there were, we would be near the top. However, I have noticed some weaker areas in our scene — namely that as gentrification gains momentum, higher rent for smaller spaces and stricter noise ordinances have effectively wiped out house shows on the peninsula. I also remember, prior to being in the bands I’m in now, being an inexperienced performer and not even knowing where or how to begin sharing the music I’d written with people. So I’m trying to use this space to book people like that who are just starting out and need to be able to test drive their material.
Though more and more people are moving to Portland because of the strong and vibrant recovery community that’s appeared here, there isn’t a dedicated venue space that is specifically recovery-friendly with no bar, no BYOB. Particularly for folks in early recovery, that makes it difficult to see live music without putting their health and safety at risk. Also, while there are a handful of all ages venues, I’m doing this in part for my teenage self, who used to find all sorts of ways of sneaking into 21+ venues and did not always make the safest choices. The rise in druggings and assaults in a lot of the clubs in the area underscore a need for a space where people can socialize while still feeling safe and comfortable. In short, I’m looking to take the vision of the community here at Dreamship — a safe, honest, creative, accepting, sober place — and expand upon it so everyone can be part of it.
What would you like to see more of in the Portland music scene?
The longer I’m here, and the more I see, the prouder I am of Portland musicians. I want the same thing for our local music scene as I wish for music everywhere: To hear the voices of more people who have been pushed to the side, like women, LGBTQ+ people, very young or very old people, and people of color being celebrated for expressing themselves as they choose. Rather than what has been deemed acceptable for them to do. I have also been seeing attendance to live shows grow in the last year or so, and am very hopeful Portland will continue on that trend.
We just recently saw Dreamship’s inaugural event with your Nirvana Tribute band, In Utero, performing. The place was packed and high-energy. How do you feel Dreamship’s first show went? What would you like to make better for future shows?
Honestly, that show was such a joyous occasion for me, and it went about as perfectly as I could’ve hoped. People were excited and having a great time, and the crowd was large but totally respectful of the space. After everyone left, I think I picked up a total of 3 seltzer cans that had been left around rather than put in the recycling, and 2 of them were mine. The people are really what makes a show special, and that night for sure attracted the type of crowd I hope will continue to come out and continue to grow. People danced, sang along, and made new friends — it was such a positive atmosphere! The acoustics in there are better than I expected. Down the road, there are definitely some more significant improvements I hope to make. But, at this stage, I’m really happy with the cozy DIY vibe we’ve got going. From what a lot of people have told me, it’s something there’s a lot of nostalgia for, and people love being able to have that experience. I need some better stage lighting, but I’d say considering I was working on a budget of about $15 the space shaped up great.
I know you’ve already had In Utero perform, and you have some acoustic and punk shows coming up. Are you looking to curate any specific type of talent or artists?
I’m looking to do kind of the opposite. Like I’ve said, my own personal tastes do not conform to specific genres, so I’m certainly not trying to restrict the type of acts that we will book. I’m looking to expand beyond just music into other art forms as well — poetry, performance art, and comedy are all on the table. I’ll be adding a visual art component in the near future by turning the right wall into a gallery area. My one priority is to create a space that raises up marginalized voices, but anyone who’s creative and passionate about what they do is absolutely welcome. We’re even considering doing a ‘mystery show’ thing, where the bands on the bill are not announced ahead of time, and you get an eclectic mix of performances.
Being that your venues name is Dreamship, are there any artists you dream could one day play your stage?
Yeah, we want to get Beyonce in here.
Is there anything else you’d like Portland to know about Dreamship?
The timing of our shows, due to noise ordinances, is on the early side. It’s perfect for folks who prefer not to stay out too late or people who want to have time to see whatever shows we’re offering before heading to another event. For the most part, our shows run 6–9 pm or 7–9 pm.
Anyone interested in performing or hanging art here can email me at otwomblyhussey@gmail.com
All our events will be posted on Rad Plaid. Please come see for yourself what we’re doing here!
As Portland continues to grow as a mecca for authentic live local music, new venues and new ways of running them are becoming increasingly important for our community. We are incredibly excited to see Dreamship thrive and to support their efforts in bringing something exciting to our city. Find all their upcoming shows on Rad Plaid, and we’ll see you soon!
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