ODA Office / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Categories: Uncategorized Jonathan Richman Will NOT Be at LoveOly Summer Fest. Event Organizers Were the Target of Elaborate Booking Scam Olympia residents were excited to welcome Jonathan Richman back to Olympia on Saturday, August 28 – the last LoveOly Summer Fest of the season. Richman is an American singer and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, and he has performed in Olympia many times over the past 20 years. The Olympia Film Society (OFS) partnered with the Downtown Alliance to produce the headline acts for the festival. When OFS received a call from someone pretending to be Richman expressing his interest in performing at LoveOly Summer Fest, they booked the act, and the Alliance promoted it.Today event organizers learned that they did not book the real Jonathan Richman but were the target of an elaborate booking scam.“We are shocked that this happened. We’ve been booking bands for the past 30 years, and this is a first for us. We hope this does not in any way hurt our relationship with the real Jonathan Richman and that he will return to Olympia soon,” said Audrey Henley, Executive Director of the Olympia Film Society.Todd Cutts, Executive Director of the Olympia Downtown Alliance agrees, stating, “We are upset this happened, and we extend our apologies to the real Jonathan Richman and to all of his fans who were hoping to see him again.”Richman sent the following statement, “Hello everyone! This is the real Jonathan Richman! I just heard of your wonderful festival and sounds like an ideal place for me to play someday. No hard feelings on my part and no apologies necessary from the wonderful people at OFS who have invited me and Tommy up to play so many times. Did the guy who called you up manage to imitate my voice pretty good? Cuz if he did, you've got to hand it to him, most people can't do it! But seriously now for just a second, I am sad for any disappointments and expenses caused to the Film Society and the fine people of Olympia. Of course I will come back to play for the Olympians!”Oh, Rose!, who was the opening act, will now perform at 5 p.m. in place of Richman and Victory Shoes is playing at 4 p.m.Olympia Police are investigating the charges. Previous Article Why I Go Downtown Next Article Stellar Juices Celebrates Anniversary and Cultivates Community with Local Pop-up Shops Print 4188