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Photo by Matt Love
Metal Head, a new heavy metal music store, opened recently on Marine Drive.
A G LIMPSE I NSIDE
An occasional feature by MATT LOVE
A Glimpse Inside: Metal Head
Where else but Astoria would an aficionado of
heavy metal music open a record store in winter that
only stocked heavy metal music? Where else but in
Astoria would said store only stock heavy metal mu-
sic played by the likes of Sacred Reich, Helstar and
Angel Witch in vinyl and cassette?
The store is called Metal Head,
and it is located at 1126 Marine
Drive. It just might be the coolest
new old thing in town.
I wandered inside Metal Head
a few days after it opened and
met its owner and operator, John
Gentner. I quickly learned John
moved to Astoria three years ago
and is an illuminated manuscript
of all heavy things heavy metal
music. In fact, he is heavy metal
incarnate in the long-haired rock
flesh.
We struck up a conversation
about the impact of this particu-
lar musical genre, and John said,
“When I first heard Black Sabbath
as a kid, it changed the game for
me.” What else is left to say after
that? John found a passion, and
here he was years later sharing
his passion with others. “I’m start-
ing off slowly and building for the
summer,” he said.
The very thought of summer-
time tourists buying heavy metal
music in a record store in Astoria is
one of the happiest thoughts I’ve
had in years. Thank you John.
On my first visit to Metal Head,
I inexplicably did not purchase a
tape. A few days later, I returned
and asked John to recommend
me a band. He chose Warlock’s
1987 release “Triumph and Ago-
ny.” When he handed me the tape
for inspection, I noticed the cover
featured a buxom blonde woman
clad in black leather. “The singer’s
a mega-babe,” he said.
Sold.
A few minutes later I slid War-
lock inside my truck’s cassette
player and cranked it up. Track
1…”All We Are” exploded through
the speakers. Wow! I thought to
myself: I need more of this.
Now I know where to go to get it.
NW
word
nerd
By RYAN HUME
Ilwaco
>ܼO‡Zܤ‡NRݜ@
noun
1. a city in southwestern Washington,
opening onto Baker Bay on the Long Beach
Peninsula; formerly the site of a large Chinook
village, modern-day Ilwaco was fi rst estab-
lished in 1848 by Capt. James Johnson, platted
by J.D. Holman in 1872 and incorporated in
1890. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the
population was 936
Origin:
Lacking an offi cial spelling, the town was
named in honor of Elowahka Jim, J.D. Holman’s
Chinook neighbor and the son-in-law of Chief
Comcomly, who married one of Comcomly’s
daughters, Elowahka, and was commonly
known by her name. Prior to the offi cial estab-
lishment of a post offi ce in 1876, the town was
also known as Unity during the Civil War era.
“The Ilwaco Railroad, which for about eleven miles ran just a good
stone’s throw from the golden sandy beach that has made the area
famous as a summer resort, was a product of the fertile imagination
of Lewis Alfred Loomis, a business man who came to the peninsula in
1872. Loomis and his associates built a wharf at Ilwaco, organized the
Ilwaco Steamship Company in 1875, and built the steamship General
Canby, which operated between Astoria, Oregon, and Ilwaco.”
—Thomas E. Jessett, “The Ilwaco Railroad,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol.
58, No. 2, June 1957, P. 145
“The story of Ilwaco runs back to 1849 when Dr. Elijah White, realiz-
ing that Oregon City was too far from the sea to be a seaport, decided that
a place near Cape Disappointment could be built into a future metropolis.”
Matt Love is author/editor of 12 books about Oregon.
They are available at all coastal bookstores or through
www.nestuccaspitpress.com. He lives in Astoria.
—Mildred Colbert, “Naming and Early Settlement of Ilwaco, Washington,”
Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 2, June 1946, P. 182
COLUMBIA BAR
4 Spirits Manhattan
By RYAN HUME
Boasting one of the most
striking views on the riverfront, and
a mad chorus of sealife to boot, beer
is obviously king at Buoy Beer Com-
pany and for good reason. Though
since expanding into a full bar last
May, Buoy has also concentrated on
offering basic cocktails with fresh
ingredients and locally sourced
spirits, like Bar Pilot Vodka, when
available.
The addition of 4 Spirits Bourbon
Whiskey to a classic Manhattan places
the provenance of this
particular drink closer
to Astoria, Oregon, than
Astoria, Queens.
Now, while
technically 4
Spirits Bourbon is mashed, distilled
and later imported into the state
from Indiana, it is further aged and
tinkered with at the 4 Spirits distill-
ery in Adair Village, Oregon, which
donates a minimum 10 percent of
all proceeds from the sale of the
whiskey to various in-state veterans’
charities.
Ingredients
2 ½ ounces 4 Spirits Bour-
bon Whiskey
½ ounce sweet vermouth
Ice
Dark cherry for garnish
Directions
Rinse a cocktail glass with
water and ice to chill. Shake
liquid ingredients with ice in
a cocktail shaker until cold.
Strain into a cocktail glass
and garnish with a cherry.
—Recipe courtesy of Monica
Hernandez, Buoy Beer Company
Add a little
Spring
into your
break
this year
This is how
M r. D oobees
Springs ahead!
com e by
and say
high!
O nly prem iu m sm a ll ba tch
specia l reserve ca nna bis from
W a shington’s finest bou tiqu e grow er s.
O n H w y 101 betw een Raym o n d & So u th Ben d
Find us on
2870 O cean Ave Raym o n d W A 98577
O PEN D AILY 11AM -7 PM
m rd o o b ees@ g m a il.co m
360-875-8016
This pro d uc t ha s into xic a ting e ffe c ts a nd m a y be ha bit fo rm ing . M a rijua na c a n im pa ir c o nc e ntra tio n, c o o rd ina tio n a nd jud g m e nt. D o no t o pe ra te a ve hic le o r m a c hine ry und e r
the influe nc e o f this d rug . The re m a y be he a lth risk s a sso c ia te d w ith c o nsum ptio n o f this pro d uc t. F o r use o nly by a d ults tw e nty-o ne a nd o ld e r. K e e p o ut o f re a c h o f c hild re n.
March 12, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 23