SOU’WESTER EVENTS!
See what’s happening during your next stay or plan a visit around our free live music, workshops, wellness offerings and more!
Grand Lake Islands & Snowblind Traveler
“Grand Lake Islands’ sound is something like a midnight drive under the bay of country western stars.” Alt Citizen
Grand Lake Islands is led by songwriter Erik Emanuelson, a Connecticut native who moved to Portland after leaving his career as an English teacher in New York City to focus on music. Their debut LP, “Song From Far” featuring band members Bob Reynolds (drums), Joseph Anderson (bass/keys), and Evan Krogh (guitar) was recorded during Portland’s bleakest months following a sea change that occurred in Emanuelson’s life. His expressive tenor recalls Nashville Skyline era Dylan and delivers lyrics soaked with stark emotional landscapes. Recorded mostly live, the album moves from extremes of ambient texture to more traditional folk-country grooves. The songs break into wide-open brightness with sparkling guitar and swelling lap steel before being swallowed again by interludes of dark, aerial distortion. With one eye to the darkness drifting over the horizon and one eye on the light coming over the other, “Song From Far” is a snapshot of a sky in motion.
Snowblind Traveler, Long Island born songwriter Matt Dorrien, plays the song of the common man. His music is inspired by the rolling expanse of middle America, the fog and lichen draped cathedral of redwoods of the northwest, the lulling whisper of a New England blizzard, the sorely disappointed, the dearly loved, the true and honest, those who are lost and forgotten, the living, dead, and eternal. For those who have ever slept under a blanket of Big Sur stars and drank whiskey until you forgot your own name: This is for you.
Sara Jackson-Holman is a pianist/singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. Emotive and deep, her style has been compared to that of Feist, Adele, and Lana Del Rey.
It was literally from out of the blue that Jackson-Holman was launched onto the national music scene. For the then 20 year-old Whitworth University piano and writing student from Bend, Oregon, nothing could have prepared her for the trajectory her life was about to take; propelling her from student life, to recording her first CD, to hearing her debut single “Into the Blue” (from When You Dream) close out the ABC hit show Castle in the emotional Season 2 finale, all in a matter of months. She has since released another album (Cardiology, 2012) and EP (River Queen, 2014), and her songs been used in episodes of the television series Hemlock Grove, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, Orange Is the New Black, The Fosters, Switched at Birth, and more. Her third album, Didn’t Go To The Party, is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2016.
In addition to employing notable visceral and expert melodic acrobatics, the co-ed sextet of Loch Lomond distinctly incorporates the use of vibraphone, piano, guitars, mellotron, clarinet, flute, drums, bass, and other sonic treatments to foil the even more distinct and arresting voice of lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Ritchie Young. He’s able to switch from high-pitched fragility to alto thunder in the turn of a phrase, yet he knows the power of restraint intuitively, saving vocal tornadoes for emotional apexes buoyed by string swells and moving arrangements.
photo credit Hayley Young
Annalisa Tornfelt & The Tornfelt Sisters w/ Kjirsten Tornfelt + special guests
1st Annual TORNFEST
Annalisa Tornfelt is an Alaska-raised songwriter best known for singing and playing fiddle in Black Prairie. Her parents were orchestra teachers and the Tornfelt sisters grew up listened to mostly Handel and Disney. Singing harmony since the very beginning, Annalisa is proud to have her youngest sister, Kjirsten Tornfelt, opening this special night.
Photo credit: Jason Quigley
And a special treat – full moon asana on the beach after the show lead by Emily!
Hearts Gone South plays true, solid original country and honky tonk. Born out of an unfortunate tale of love gone wrong and ending in a stack of classic country-style hits.
Hailing out of Asheville, NC Hearts Gone South shoots straight from the hip and hits their target dead on. Lead by Tricia Tripp, with a cast and crew of all star country players, Hearts Gone South cranks out tear soaked ballads, heartfelt dance tunes and straight up solid country gold.
Pete Krebs is an American musician from Portland, OR best known as a member of the punk-pop band Hazel, and for a split record with Elliott Smith. Krebs was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2013 along with his band mates from Hazel.
Growing up splitting time between south suburban Chicago and a lake in Southwest Michigan, Brian Bovenizer has always felt the push and pull of the city and the country. This dynamic is apparent in the lyrics and in the airy western groove of the band. While packing the traditional instruments you might find from many country bands, (pedal steel, twangy lead guitar, upright bass and drums) the Koala Cowboys take a loose, off-center approach to the genre.
Residing in Astoria, OR since 2009, Bovenizer has found a peace of mind and home near the ocean. Studying the songwriting style and wit derived from artists such as John Prine and Dr. Hook (Shel Silverstein), Brian has teamed up with a heavy-handed, light-hearted band that carries a vibe the like of masters, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.
Together, with James Greenan (Cedar Shakes), Jeff Munger (Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside), Luke Ydstie (BP, Hook & Anchor, and also Luke Ydstie) and Olaf Ydstie, the band looks to put out their first recordings early this Summer.
Barna Howard was born and raised in a quintessential Midwest town. His youth in Eureka, Missouri was pure Americana – the sort of childhood that inspired E.T.-era Spielberg – baseball cards in his bicycle spokes, flying freely down Main Street and through neighbors’ backyards.
photo by Vincent Joseph
The songs on Barna Howard’s second album, Quite A Feelin’, ruminate on his relationship with home. Now entrenched in Portland, Oregon, many of the album’s tracks immortalize and reflect on the Eureka he once knew, while others focus on the relationships that define his new home out west. Small town life has long been celebrated in country and folk music, but Barna’s knack for capturing his own deeply personal nostalgia resonates in a rarely universal way.
“A delightfully intimate affair, Barna’s 2012 self-titled debut showcased an array of delicately finger picked odes to love and loss. Steeped in traditionalist folk of yesteryear, Howard’s voice and delivery echoing a young Dylan circa 1964 just before he made the leap from protest to (accidental) punk.” Rich Thane / 13 MAY 2015 – thelineofbestfit.com
SUMMER ART CAMP For Adults (and kids) Program*
Writing & Zinecraft Workshops with Melissa Favara & A.M. O’Malley
*AS OF JUNE 1ST THIS WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS GUESTS STAYING AT THE SOUWESTER!
Place and Time: Experiments in Writing and Zinecraft
Each day of this three-day series, team-taught by Melissa Favara and A.M. O’Malley, will provide participants with the opportunity to experiment with writing several short works of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Participants will be provided with writing prompts and their own vintage manual typewriter to use for the writing process, feedback sessions, and materials and guidance for creating one-of-a-kind artifacts (zines) of their favorite creative writing pieces.
Three One-Day Workshops: RSVP for 1 or all 3
Tues June 21 10am – 2pm (please bring sack lunch for break)
Day A: Experiments in Poetry and Prose This workshop will include writing from prompts and time for sharing; each writer will generate several small pieces. After a break for lunch and revision/feedback time, we will engage in zine making.
Wed June 22 10am – 2pm (please bring sack-lunch for break)
Day B: Flash Fiction / Micro Essay Writers will generate several small pieces of writing, engage in workshop with peers, and make zines after lunch.
Thurs June 23 9:30am – 1pm (with lunch break if possible – bring lunch or snack)
Day C: Poetry for Everyone Writers will generate several poems, share work with the group, and after the break, polish with a partner and craft zines.
Melissa Favara writes creative nonfiction, poetry, and nonfiction, teaches writing and literature at Clark College, collects typewriters, and curates the 1,000 Words reading series. She is a member of the board of directors of the Independent Publishing Resource Center and writes the zine teen sleuth, and seeks every opportunity to promote reading, writing, and the printed word.
A.M. O’Malley lives in Portland, OR where she is the Executive Director of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Her writing has appeared in Nailed Magazine, Poor Claudia and The Burnside Review, among other publications. Expecting Something Else her first full-length book of poem-memoir is out on University of Hell Press.
Cost $75 for all three days or $30 each day paid to Sou’wester. Plus $5 material fee separate and paid to instructor (for those who take more than one of the classes, one $5 material fee covers all days).
Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided. Workshop for teens and adults. All skill levels welcome. Max # of students: 20
Cost $75 for all three days or $30 each day paid to Sou’wester. Plus $5 material fee separate and paid to instructor (for those who take more than one of the classes, one $5 material fee covers all days).
Please bring a sack lunch and/or snack. Hot tea and coffee provided. Workshop for teens and adults. All skill levels welcome. Max # of students: 20
Please RSVP by June 17 souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360 – 642 – 2542
**AS OF JUNE 1ST THIS WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS GUESTS STAYING AT THE SOUWESTER! Currently Our SUMMER ART CAMP Workshops are Only Open to Guests Staying at The Sou’wester and they may fill up fast! Plan ahead.
SUMMER ART CAMP For Adults (and kids) Program*
FILM SERIES with Eric Isaacson OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Tues June 21 8pm – 9pm
A COSMIC AND EARTHLY HISTORY OF RECORDED MUSIC
ACCORDING TO MISSISSIPPI RECORDS
This admittedly whirlwind presentation attempts to sum up the entire history of recorded music starting with the birth of all stars in the universe and ending in the dark ages of the 1980’s. To tell this story, Mississippi Records representative Eric Isaacson uses 45 minutes of film, 166 slides, and many audio samples. Also being shown are many novel and strange pieces of film that drive home how high and low culture can fly.
Wed June 22 8pm – 9pm
INCLUDING A SHORT PRESENTATION ON ECSTATIC TRUTH
Mississippi Records presents one of the most influential films on its philosophy, The Secret Life of Plants! A beautiful film, originally released in 1978 featuring a tripped out Stevie Wonder Soundtrack, stunning stop motion photography showing the life of plants, deep in sites into the meaning of life and much more! After the film, Eric Isaacson from Mississippi Records will give a very short slide show and film presentation on Waylon Green (the director of Secret Life) and the concept of Ecstatic Truth.
Thurs June 23 8pm – 9pm
I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE:
Film, stories & images from the Mississippi Records and Alan Lomax archive
A film, music and aural presentation by Eric Isaacson of Mississippi Records. Featuring archival film, images & stories spanning 1890 to the present day. The live footage performances are culled from rarely seen film shot during Alan Lomax’s North American travels between 1978 to 1985 and Mississippi Record’s own enormous library of folk blues, gospel, esoteric, international & punk music.
Mississippi Records has produced over 200 releases on LP & 100 releases on cassette tape. They have managed to do this on a shoestring budget, without ever advertising or engaging in promotion of any kind & distributing only through DIY avenues. Eric Isaacson is the founder of the label & is responsible for much of the graphic design, editing & producing of its releases. He also owns & operates the Mississippi Records retail shop in Portland, Oregon.
Cost: Each Film $2 and includes POPCORN BAR! Hot tea and coffee provided.
Please RSVP souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360 – 642 – 2542
**AS OF JUNE 1ST THIS WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS GUESTS STAYING AT THE SOU’WESTER! Currently Our SUMMER ART CAMP Workshops are Only Open to Guests Staying at The Sou’wester and they may fill up fast! Plan ahead.