Port Townsend Public Library is providing local musicians the opportunity to preserve their music for posterity as part of a new collection.

“We hope this will be a comprehensive collection of the regional music made here in Port Townsend and the broader Pacific Northwest,” said library assistant Anthony Boruch-Comstock, who is creating the display along with library manager Keith Darrock.  

The Pacific Northwest has provided a fertile musical ground for generations, although it lags well behind prestigious locations like New York, San Francisco, and London.

The library’s new section will include famous and obscure regional acts while providing special attention to sounds originating in Port Townsend and Jefferson County.

The local music section was jointly conceived by Darrock and Boruch-Comstock, a 2003 Port Townsend High School graduate who spent much of his youth performing at the Boiler Room.

“This came out of discussions about when the Boiler Room first started and that local music scene,” Darrock said. “We talked about the local music scene and how cool it would be to get music from that era. That led to a discussion about how to create archives of local musicians.”

The Boiler Room, located in the space that is now Tommyknockers, provided a youth-safe space for 25 years before closing in 2018. It didn’t serve alcohol but was the epicenter of musical creativity. Music made during that time represents the project’s Holy Grail.

Currently, the local music collection has about 100 CDs, although this doesn’t necessarily include regional favorites (like Heart and Jimi Hendrix) which are situated in the regular section. There are two cataloging tracks: CDs are designated as either regional or local. The discs are housed in an end-cap display that can accommodate about 500 items. So there is room to grow.

Releasing music was once a complicated, competitive process involving record labels, publicists and sales figures. It wasn’t so long ago when a musician unable to sell a certain amount of copies would be dropped by their label and lose the ability to connect with the public.

Today’s musicians do it all themselves. They record at home or use one of the professional studios in the region. They commission their own artwork and print the discs for a few dollars each. They sell them at their performances, either at a venue or on the street. They need to finance the process, but all the profits are theirs alone.

Darrock hopes that the library can harness these efforts. It has issued an open call for local musicians who have published a CD. Donations are accepted at the library, 1120 Lawrence St. in Uptown, or through direct contact with Darrock or Baruch-Comstock.

Darrock said there are no limits. They can be professionally published or more rough-hewn CD-Rs, although he is less eager for those contributions. If something is a one-off, it’s harder to replace if it is not returned.

Looking ahead, one-off local discs can be archived in a digital collection, where the music can’t be lost or stolen, he said.  

Port Townsend has its share of capable cover bands, but those groups generally don’t make their own CDs. As a result, the music archive will be a repository for original sounds.

Boruch-Comstock said there is no singular characterization of local music, although the collection’s sweet spot will be acoustic-based originals. There are some exceptions, such as innovative guitarist Usana Luoma and Dr. Light, a punk rock band that includes Port Townsend Mayor David Faber.

“There is no singular Port Townsend sound,” Faber said. “We’ve had some great bands, everything from folk, to hip-hop, punk and metal. We’ve had pretty much everything.”

Darrock said the library isn’t soliciting specific musicians. At present he hopes that word of mouth will keep the channel flowing.

While the staff may listen to contributions they will not be evaluated for content or standards. In that way, Darrock said, it’s the same as a book.

Many musicians will eagerly participate, as they have a stack of unsold CDs in their closet. Others may feel the need to be paid for their work, which Darrock can accommodate as long as the musician has the ability to take a credit card. There is an approximate purchasing budget of $1,000 per year.

A Square or other personal point of sale will work, he said.

Those with extra discs can drop them off at the library. Musicians wishing payment should contact Darrock with website purchase information.

Darrock can be reached at (360) 385-3181 or kdarrock@cityofpt.us.