Audrey Henley staged her first rock show as a high school freshman in Turlock, Calif., a small town near Modesto.
"At the time, I knew some pretty decent punk rock bands from San Jose," said Henley. "So I invited a bunch of friends, printed flyers and made a bunch of phone calls. I called it 'ChickenFest' and held it at my dad's restaurant. We drew the curtains and had a blast."
Today, Henley runs the Olympia-based Pioneer Music, a concert production, booking and promotion firm.
She books bands for several downtown Olympia venues, including the GO Club and the Eastside Tavern, and heads up the Teen Stage during the twice-yearly Arts Walk. Henley also works directly with several bands, including Olympia's Dirty Birds and Cookie, a Seattle-based trio.
The name of Henley's business pays tribute to Pioneer Chicken, the name of Henley's very first venue.
"Ever since I started going to shows as a kid, I was enthralled with how it was all put together," Henley said. "I loved the music, but I was always curious about what happened behind the scenes."
Henley followed her family from California to Seattle in 1989 and continued to stage rock shows. In 1996, she took a job with the Jimi Hendrix Family Foundation, which later led to gigs with JAMPAC, a nonprofit political action group founded by Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, and radio station empire Entercom Seattle.
In early 2000, Henley began booking bands for the Breakroom in Seattle, an experience that allowed her to work with some of her favorite groups.
"We did a Queens of the Stone Age show that was incredible," said Henley. "But I missed half the show because I was back in the office working."
The Breakroom closed in January 2002, and Henley decided to move to Olympia to be closer to her longtime boyfriend, Dirty Birds member Jimmi Davies.
"My dad passed away, the Breakroom closed, and Jimmi lives here," said Henley. "It was time to leave Seattle."
Henley then established Pioneer Music out of a room in her new Olympia home.
"Olympia has been extremely supportive of me and very accepting," said Henley. "It was a little rough at first, but I've gotten some serious support, especially from local businesses. People really love music in Olympia."
Kenny Trobman, owner of the Clubside Cafe in Olympia, is one of Henley's supporters. His restaurant feeds the bands Henley brings into town.
"She's such a hard worker; she puts in a lot of time and effort," Trobman said. "She is constantly working. Whenever I see her, she's trying to put together another show."
Baurice Nelson, owner of the GO Club, recently started working with Henley.
"Before Audrey, I had five or six people help out in the promotion department and they had this 'Hey, look at me, I'm doing something cool' attitude -- as opposed to actually doing something cool," said Nelson. "Audrey, though, has her heart in the right place. She's very organized, and she does it because she believes in it."
Henley says she would like to see more widely known national bands playing Olympia. "That, and I want to find more local bands to help support these shows," she said.
"I have a huge love for music, but also the human side of music: talking to people, networking, entertaining. It has all just happened all really naturally, from throwing parties in basements in high school to now. I don't ever want to have to get a nine-to-five job."
