Pigeon Pit, Foot Ox and other local bands sell out folk punk show at Arcata venue

By Jess Carey

There’s a line out the door and down the street at Outer Space in Arcata. Mulleted concert goers sport patched up jackets and Doc Martens poking out from underneath baggy jeans. Smoke from cigarettes and weed drift in the crisp cold late winter air. The chatter of the queue is cut through by the occasional bark of a dog or car engine revving. Lonely chords from an acoustic guitarist on the lawn color the scene. The Plaza seems alive, breathing with activity. Outside the venue, a hand-drawn whiteboard sign reads “Pigeon Pit Tonight, Friday March 7th.” The turnout is notably large.

Outer Space is a pillar of the Arcata music scene. Their location at 837 H St. is a relic, having been built in 1900, and have been hosting shows on the Plaza since 2022. Outer Space’s sober space and all ages policy make it a unique and accessible island of culture and community. The space is managed by a volunteer-run and non-hierarchical collective. The venue’s DIY values are reflected in its colorful interior, featuring a zine library, local art for sale and eclectic decor. 

Handmade cloud lights floating from the ceiling colored the room with a faint blue as the crowd trickled into the venue. Per the collective’s policy, no one is turned away for lack of funds. A large crowd eagerly awaited the show while soundchecks were wrapped up. Brandon Hook was the secret superman audio engineer of the night, who skillfully mixed the sound for both the in-house audience and live stream. Recordings can be found on Outer Space’s YouTube channel, @outerspacearcata. 

Local musicians open the show

The chatter cut down as the lights dimmed. Trinket, the opener for the four-band lineup, took the stage and greeted the packed house. Trinket is the solo project of Arcata local Caleb Van Lynn, who can also be found around town selling mushrooms at farmer’s markets and hosting the open mic at Culture Shrooms. Trinket’s gritty, wholesome songs are comforting but edgy, holding space for determined resistance and big feelings simultaneously. He sings and accompanies himself on the guitar with an occasional harmonica break. His heartfelt lyrics and bright presence set the scene, warming up the crowd for a night of down-to-earth acoustic jams. 

Trinket closed the set with a tune called, Feeling All Those Feelings That You Are Feeling. The lyrics invite listeners to be present with big emotions. 

“Feeling bad, feeling sad, it’s natural,” Van Lynn sang. 

Next in the lineup was Wounded Animal, the self-proclaimed bard-core project of Eureka’s Ethan Rubin, whose style is refreshingly unique. The ensemble consists of upright bassist Norm Crawford’s thumping support. Local singer-songwriter Polimana colored the tunes with jangling accompaniment on a handmade fretless gourd banjo. Rubin’s piercing viola playing was the heart of the music, impressively belting strong lead vocals whilst fiddling up a storm. The songs felt dark and alive, like the smell of the forest floor, with lyrics spinning tales of strange creatures and odd happenings. 

Foot Ox was up next. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, their music is spinning and vivid, grounded in folk influences while taking influence from psychedelia and embracing experimentation. As Pigeon Pit’s tourmates, their sounds are very complimentary, even sharing bandmates as the bassist, pedal steel player, and violinist rolled over to the next set.

Folk Punk legends Pigeon Pit take the stage

Pigeon Pit is a poster child for contemporary folk punk, founded by frontwoman Lomes Oleander in Olympia, Washington nearly a decade ago. Folk punk’s appeal is in its rawness, realness and approachability. The anarchist spirit of punk takes on a new acoustic color without compromising any of the volume or attitude. Traditional punk’s typical electric guitars and noisy feedback are replaced with banjos and fiddles, grounded in a DIY spirit. The band’s senior album Crazy Arms was independently released in Jan. 2025, and the show in Arcata was sandwiched between stops in Sacramento and Portland on a West Coast tour. 

The band took the stage met with roaring applause as they launched into a fiery rendition of Bad Advice, the first track off of their new album. Pigeon Pit’s well-polished musicianship and seasoned stage presence shined through their entire set. Oleander’s warbling vocals are simultaneously vulnerable and strong. Her sharp rhythm guitar was the sturdy guts of the ensemble, punctuated by Maddie Bun’s twangy banjo. Violinist Eva held it down on backing vocals while decorating the music with fiddling flourishes. Drummer Olive Hannah tapped out a steady backbone, working together with bassist Jake to ground the vibrant tempo. The sliding spinning riffs of pedal steel were the sonic sprinkles on top.

Pigeon Pit’s songs are grounded in honesty with a punk edge and cutting lyrics that describe sparks of joy punching through the gloom of the world. Oleander’s almost frantic lyricism cascades vignettes of daily life and memories. Their song Soup for My Family was a notable fan favorite. The whole audience sang along to the chorus as a mosh broke out in the center of the dance floor.

DIY sentiments shine through the music 

After a few vibrant full-band songs, Oleander stood alone to pick out some solo tunes while the band took a break. Her music was just as strong without accompaniment, a testament to the power of her songwriting.

“I love local DIY music scenes and one of the coolest fucking things about tours is getting to go to local shows and different scenes every night,” Oleander said, while tuning her guitar in between songs. “It’s really cool to see what other people are doing, it’s really fun for me.”

She expressed gratitude for the venue and its community, cementing the music’s message of resilient joy in the face of struggle.

 “It’s about our collective power, you know, when we work together to make things different in our world, which is what DIY means,” Oleander said “That’s why I love it so much.” 

The band returned to jam out a few more, and the energy was even more electric. Oleander broke a string during a vibrant rendition of Bronco, not skipping a beat. They closed the set with a sparkling rendition of Milk Crates, the song ending with an echoing mantra. 

“No job, no place to get away from / I’ve been to a world worth living in / no rent, no lies to memorize/ No fucked up world to drown out,” Oleander sang. 

An encore brought the band back up for Run Your Pockets, a heart-wrenching number with themes of changing times and fading light, ending the night on a bittersweet note. 

“Support your local DIY music scene and harm reduction collectives and all the cool direct action shit that’s happening here in Arcata,” Oleander said. “Disperse peacefully!”

Jess Carey is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in biology and double minoring in botany and journalism, and the science editor for The Lumberjack. They are passionate about telling stories that are relevant to the community, branching their interests in science, music, and the arts.