central western oregon significant events

[skin daddio]

for those of us that can't make telluride this year, or are passing through the valley, there is beaver and grass right cheer.



Beavergrass 2010

What: 17 great bluegrass acts, 2 stages!
When: August 20, 21 , 2010
Featuring: concerts, workshops, contradance, jams
Where: Central Park, 7th and Monroe, Corvallis, Oregon
Tickets: $55 advance for entire weekend www.beavergrass.net
Benefit for the Corvallis High School District Foundation
More information: Mike Meyer mmeyer@efn.org

Featuring:
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
Tony Furtado
Joy Kills Sorrow
Jackstraw
Alex Hargreaves and Jake Joliff
True North Bluegrass
Brokentop w/Chris Kokesh
Foghorn Stringband
Conjugal Visitors
Manzanita
Gumbo
Green Mountain Bluegrass
Eight Dollar Mountain Band
Alice DiMicele
Roundhouse
Jim Page

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band www.peter-rowan.com
Peter Rowan guitar, vocals
Jody Stecher mandolin, vocals
Keith Little banjo, vocals
Paul Knight bass, vocals

Grammy-award winner and five-time Grammy nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades. From his early years playing under the tutelage of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, and following his stint in Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia and subsequent breakout as both a solo performer and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through his continuous stream of original recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring.

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands www.laurielewis.com
Laurie Lewis - Guitar, fiddle
Tom Rozum - mandolin, vocals
Craig Smith - banjo, vocals
Todd Phillips - bass, vocals
Scott Huffman - guitar, vocals

Legend is not always loud. Particularly in the beneath-the-radar substreams of American folk music and bluegrass, it is bestowed more by whispered word-of-mouth, over years and decades, than by the hurried hype and ballyhoo of the pop mainstream. You can't measure Laurie Lewis's 30-year career with the usual commercial yardsticks. She has won a Grammy ("True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe," 1997), and twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association).

Tony Furtado www.tonyfurtado.com

By the age of 19, Furtado had earned himself a reputation as a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships. Despite the press and praise as one of the most promising bluegrass artists, Furtado decided that one genre wasn't enough for him. Creatively, he had something more to express.Tony is an extremely skilled musician with a riveting voice who blends rock music with elements of Americana, folk, and pop. His musical reach is broad enough to resonate with fans of Ry Cooder, The Band, Bruce Springsteen, CCR, Bela Fleck and Tom Petty, among others. Furtado's extremely impressive, furious slide guitar skills and 25+ years of banjo experience will blow away the musicos; for the lovers of a story in a song, Furtado has a few tales to tell; and to those who are looking for a performance, get ready to be captivated, charmed, and entertained.

Joy Kills Sorrow www.joykillssorrow.com

With its bold new brand of acoustic music, Joy Kills Sorrow pushes right through the envelope and out the other side. The Boston-based stringband brings a decidedly modern sensibility to an old-world sound, channeling the prodigious talents of its individual members into elegant arrangements and well-crafted songs. While the group pays due homage to its Bluegrass roots-its name is taken from WJKS, a radio station that broadcasted the Monroe brothers' show in the 1930s-the band truly excels in its rich and textured treatment of more contemporary material. Boasting a full arsenal of original songs, Joy Kills Sorrow plumbs the entire spectrum of its spare instrumentation, effortlessly merging influences as diverse as folk, rock, pop, and jazz. The music that emerges is dark and often funny, ruminating on modern life and love with eloquence and wit. The result is a radical new strain of folk music, one that bravely breaks with tradition even as it salutes the past.

Jackstraw www.jackstraw.net

Jackstraw's style -- vigorous and muscular as a freight train and sweetened with Appalachian twang -- packs a rowdy bluegrass punch. In the tradition of the legendary White Brothers, Jackstraw's sturdy harmonies bring electricity to a classic sound. The band, made up of Darrin Craig (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jon Neufeld, (lead guitar, vocals) David Pugh (mandolin, vocals) and Jesse Withers (bass, vocals) were reared on acoustic music played by their parents in living rooms and kitchens from Kansas to Rhode Island, Colorado to Chicago. They came together in Portland, Oregon, forming Jackstraw in 1997, and have become a staple of the Northwest's flourishing acoustic music scene.

Alex Hargreaves and Jake Joliff www.alexhargraves.net

Alex Hargreaves of Corvallis, Oregon, excels in a wide variety of styles including jazz, bluegrass, new acoustic, Texas style, western swing and classical. Mentored by some of the greats in progressive acoustic music, he has already toured with Mike Marshall, David Grisman, Jerry Douglas and Bruce Molsky, and shared the stage with many others including Mark O'Connor, Chris Thile, Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush and Darol Anger. Recently released on Adventure Music, his debut album Prelude features Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall, Noam Pikelny, Grant Gordy and Paul Kowert.

Jake Jolliff is Berklee's first full-scholarship mandolin student and a veteran performer, having toured professionally since age eleven and shared the stage with mandolin legends David Grisman and Mike Marshall.

True North Bluegrass www.truenorthbluegrass.com

Kristen Grainger, lead vocals
Dan Wetzel, mandolin, guitar, vocals
Dale Adkins, guitar, vocals
Suzanne Pearce, upright bass, vocals

Northwest indie-grass quartet True North combines traditional bluegrass instrumentation with soulful vocals, fat harmonies and folk-edged songwriting for a decidedly modern acoustic sound. True North's tight and careful arrangements can be alternately big and wild, tender and deliberate. Original songs written by Dan Wetzel and Kristen Grainger give the band a fresh, modern bent, but you can also count on True North to perform bluegrass standards with originality and style, and give classic rock songs like "Free Fallin" a beautiful new identity.

Brokentop www.brokentopband.com
Dale Atkins - guitar, vocals
Chris Kokesh, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Jeff Smith - mandolin, vocals
Suzanne Pearce - bass, vocals

Brokentop may be a new band with a new name, but its members are seasoned musicians, performers and songwriters who have teamed up to form this Northwest acoustic supergroup. If you love Misty River, Frontline, Sam Hill, the Knott Bros, Kate McKenzie, and Leah Larson Band, Brokentop brings the best of all those groups together.

Foghorn Stringband www.foghornstrinband.com

Foghorn Stringband plays old time string band music deeply rooted in the American folk tradition. It's a pre-copyright, post-bluegrass style, but the Foghorns put their own stamp on it. Stephen "Sammy" Lind's fiddle and Caleb Klauder's mandolin play tight unison lead lines supported by Peter Leone's three-finger banjo picking and anchored by the bedrock rhythms of Patrick Lind's rhythm guitar and the bass of Nadine Landry. It's a sound that could be coming to you from a big console radio in a 1930's living room, or an Appalachian front porch; instead it's being delivered by a group of players from the thriving old time music scene of Portland, Oregon. Proof positive that folk music will remain vital as long as there are folks who want to play it.

Conjugal Visitors www.myspace.com/conjugalvisitors
Conjugal Visitors shows are always a hoot. With their unique mix of mountain dance music, bluegrass, jazz, old-time country and jug/folk, The Conjugal Visitors always rage. And judging from the massive crowds that keep showing up to their gigs, and the fact that they were just voted Best Acoustic Band in the Eugene Weekly's "Best of Eugene" reader's poll, it seems like there is an ever growing crew of people who know that there's always a good time to be had with The Conjugal Visitors!

Gumbo www.songvault.fm/artists/gumbo.htm

Gumbo synthesizes the roots of music heard in the American South in the first half of the 20th century. Gumbo's original music draws from the heart and soul of that musical time and place, reflecting the excellent songwriting of that era in new ways.

Green Mountain Bluegrass Band

Dennis Berck - Rhythm Guitar/lead & harmony vocals
Michael Bray - Acoustic Upright Bass/lead & harmony vocals
Chuck Holloway - 5-String banjo/lead & harmony vocals
Tyler Lynn - Mandolin/lead & harmony vocals

Formed in 2006, the Green Mountain Bluegrass Band is a combination of
some familiar faces on the Northwest's music scene. Some of the members
of the band have played bluegrass together, in different configurations,
for over a decade. GMBB is formed of friendships and forged musical
journeys; it is no mystery why these guys are having so much fun
performing on stage. Seasoned veterans, and experienced showmen, the
Green Mountain Bluegrass Band offers audiences tight vocal harmonies,
rock-solid instrumentals, and a musical dynamism which coalesces into a
signature "high lonesome sound," the quality of which is rarely found in
a regional band.

Eight Dollar Mountain Band www.eightdoallrmountain.net

Eight Dollar Mountain rises from the Cascade-Siskiyou Mountain region of Southern Oregon and brings you fine string music from the long standing traditions of excellent bluegrass. The heart of the band is driven by Peter Koelsch who brings his love of the music, his incredible voice, and solid driving bass from the mountains near Salt Lake. Being delighted by live bluegrass music since a child, Mark Lackey, on dobro, brings you fine slide steel and eloquent vocals. Mark hails from the Ozark region of Missouri. Phil Johnson, from Austin Texas, drives the band with a pulsing mandolin and strong vocals. Smokin' guitarist and vocalist Darren Campbell brings his skill set from the Lake Tahoe area. Finally, Stuart Green, a hybrid of species, hailing from all over the country, keeps the tradition alive with his ripping banjo and haunting vocals. Eight Dollar Mountain formed as a group who shares a strong love of the music and can be seen at shows and events around the Pacific Northwest.

Alice DiMicele www.alicedimicele.com

The first thing you'll notice about Alice DiMicele is her voice. With a five-octave range that is intense, sensual, rich and soulful, DiMicele has been known to turn a noisy bar silent within a few notes. Her warm presence and humor disarm and create a rare intimacy between audience and performer. Whether singing a jazzy-folk number, belting a sassy blues, or rocking out on one of her trademark rhythmic earthy grooves, Alice is a vocalist that moves people. A kick-ass guitarist as well, whether playing solo or with a band her acoustic guitar conjures percussive poly-rhythms, bass lines, and melodies that perfectly frame her vocals.

With ten solo recordings to her credit her songwriting has covered a lot of ground. Inspired by activists and folks doing good things for the earth, her songs reflect the beauty of this planet with a voice that reminds some people of Phoebe Snow, others of blues musician Rory Block and others, of a female Ben Harper. It's no surprise that her influences include Delta Blues artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson but she also grew up listening to classic rock like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin. Folk singers Odetta and Kate Wolf were instrumental in shaping her performance but her biggest vocal and songwriting inspirations are Stevie Wonder and jazz singer Abbey Lincoln.

Manzanita
Steven Remington - Guitars, mandolin
Daryl Davis - Guitars, bass
Jim Boydston - Mandolin, percussion

Contact: Steven Remington stevenremington@gmail.com

Manzanita, a musical trio of unusual depth and versatility, has been performing a blend of folk, bluegrass, jazz and country in the Pacific Northwest for over 30 years. The Manzanita sound is derived from its unique original compositions, stylishly tasteful instrumentals and tight, three-part vocal harmonies arranged and presented in an energetic and humorous style.
Manzanita's spare, distinctive lyricism is driven by their command of the instruments; the sensitive and eloquent mandolin of James Boydston - sweet and powerful in the best tradition of today's jazz-bluegrass mandolinists - the exuberance and explosive forthrightness of Steven Remington's acoustic steel string guitar; and the unique style, polish and wit of rhythm guitarist/bassist Daryl Davis' lead vocals and prolific songwriting -- together presenting a musical force that is both practiced and spontaneous, familiar yet new.

Manzanita's self-described "blue-wave, jazzgrass, heavy-wood originals" are complemented by thoughtful covers from the popular American songbook, creating a fascinating music that draws the willing listener in. Built and road-tested in Portland in 1980, over the years Manzanita has been featured on live radio, performed at many of Oregon's outdoor festivals, colleges, and nightclubs, entertained dignitaries and acted dignified at more weddings than they are willing to admit. During the thriving club scene in Portland, Ore. in mid-1980's, it is rumored that they were someone's favorite band on at least one occasion! To prove their obsessions with acoustic music were not pathological, the trio each has amassed a 30-year work history as an art director, an educator/technology consultant and an events producer. Go figure.

Roundhouse www.roundhouse-band.com

Roundhouse was founded in 1994 by Ron Leavitt and Kim Jones. Both Ron and Kim have played music since childhood and have performed with regional bands in Oregon and Washington. Ron started his musical career on trumpet in the junior high orchestra and developed an unerring ear for harmonies. He switched to the mandolin in college, inspired by both Seals and Croft and Bill Monroe. Kim grew up with country and bluegrass music, although piano was her first instrument. The mandolin was her instrument of choice while playing with her father's band in the 80's, then when Roundhouse was started, she switched to bass. She writes many of the original compositions and enjoys singing "high harmony" above the guys.

The third founding band member, Joe Denhof, has similar long-time experience performing a variety of music styles in Michigan, California and Oregon. Joe is comfortable on guitar or bass and has played each of these instruments in different bands. He also contributes original material to Roundhouse's song collection. His distinctive rhythmic guitar style gives Roundhouse it's edge. The newest member, Donn Whitten, performed as a soloist in San Diego, CA, and has been a student of the banjo for many years. Guitar and harmonica are additional instruments Donn enjoys playing. An able lead and harmony singer, his contributions give the Roundhouse repertoire added dimension and texture

Jim Page www.jimpage.net

After seeing him perform at the High Sierra Music Festival in the summer of '97, Rob Bleetstein of Gavin wrote:
"Jim Page is a lyrical genius with a guitar. This man personifies the word 'free-flow.' Page takes to the mic and the song invents itself on the spot; his talent is a natural wonder."

And in any of the many countries, from the countless tours and stages he has played people say the same. "A truly amazing man...one of the great originals. Ignore him at your peril." - Hot Press, Dublin

Jim has been on the scene for more than twenty years and his reputation continues to grow. He has shared the stage with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Dan Bern, Michelle Shocked, Leftover Salmon, Mickey Hart, J.J. Cale, Robert Hunter, Chuck Brodsky, and John Hammond. His songs have been performed by Christy Moore, Michael Hedges, John Trudell, The Doobie Brothers, Joanne Rand, Casey Neill, and (yes) David Soul.

Often cited for his biting political pieces he is in constant demand by the social movements of the day.
"More reminiscent of the Woody Guthrie I heard as a boy than anyone I've listened to in the intervening years" - Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner

[skin daddio]

http://www.oregoncountryfair.org

country fair in veneta early july. tickets on sale.
friday looks good at shady grove with a main stage break for moonalice.

[hambone]

peaches in the summertime
Man I gotta get down and meet yer ass and hang out with the rest o' you guys. Talk is cheap, however. I Will Make the Effort by Bob.
"what kind of crap is this?" -Rolling Stone

[skin daddio]

talk is cheap. that's why my greatest grandparent invented paper. then came uncle george orwell's number nine idream.

imo portland is a straight shot from florence, w'you could be here in the time it took me pull out my push mower. otoh we need billy schmoel on here to write 'where's the fire, what's the hurry about'. git here and well talk about it.

is rfk jr speaking in pdx? he is in eugene during the moon of peaking swimming hole. not at the univ., but the historic mcdonald. i think this looks to be a fair place to have a eugene/TED conference?

[skin daddio]

hey now, one extra ticket is available for tonight's zappa plays zappa.

http://www.mcdonaldtheatre.com/eventCalendar.html

[hambone]

PS the fair is July 8-11. May be able to make it, not sure. Doing a lot of travelling the week before, hopefully.

[patayres]

Beavergrass looks great... gotta love Peter Rowan! We saw him over here at the Sisters Folk Festival not too long ago.

Speaking of bluegrass festivals, I'll put a plug in for our local High & Dry Bluegrass Festival http://www.highanddrybluegrassfestival.com -- $10 for admission and camping the whole weekend! Great laid back crowd & usually at least a couple buses.

[skin daddio]

any ladies and gents innarested in an iac day for discussing rainwater harvest?
let's see what the teacher looks like before we talk accreditation.

Cascadia Green Building Council presents:
Level 100 - Aug. 30, 2010 | 8:30AM-5PM | Oregon City
Level 200 - Aug. 31 & Sept. 1 | 8:30AM-5PM | Oregon City

Level 100 workshops are one day introduction courses open to anyone
interested in learning more about rainwater harvesting in non-potable
applications, such as landscape irrigation. This course will provide
an overview of rainwater harvesting, history, uses and applicability
to conserving rainfall as a natural resource. Cost is $50.

Level 200 two-day are open to the public, or any industry professional
looking to attain the ARCSA Accredited Professional designation. The
courses are designed for individuals desiring to pursue a career in
rainwater management. The cost to attend this workshop is $295. If you
are seeking ARCSA Accreditation, the total cost for the workshop and
accreditation program is $445.

for more information: http://www.arcsa.org/conferences.html

[Cascadia_Green_Building_Council@mail.vresp.com]

[skin daddio]

shunned bluegrass last night in lieu of the cracker/cvb show at the historic.. wow hall. one of those massively underattended things. playing the aladdin tonight. seats though, ugh. if you're nearby, attend.

http://crackersoul.com/tourdates/2010/08/21/2.shtml

[skin daddio]

any extra dylan tickets out there for the troutdale shows? thinking of delivering some hard-to-deliver vw parts to pdx, and would complete a three way trade with bob. great show reviews from oakland.

[hambone]

Thot about it but $65 too costly. Gone are the days of affordable big acts. What's up Bob? You shouldn't have to charge so much...

[skin daddio]

here's a fairly good look at the three-pointer furthur show.

http://www.ohkeepahblog.com/2010/09/set ... hbert.html

[deschutestrout]

Thot about it but $65 too costly. Gone are the days of affordable big acts. What's up Bob? You shouldn't have to charge so much...

It's likely not Bob, it's the cost of the venue and friggin' TicketMasterShiester. Come see our band while we're still affordable...playing tonight and tomorrow in Maupin