Eugene Symphony to observe
Mount St. Helens’anniversary
courtesty of Eugene Symphony
Kristen Halay will be featured on the flute in ‘Nature’ this Thursday with the Eugene Symphony.
■ The symphony will
premiere ‘Nature,’ a
musical depiction of
a volcano’s eruption
By Eric Pfeiffer
Oregon Daily Emerald
Now you can relive the ex
citement of the Mount St. He
lens eruption without choking
on the smoke.
This Thursday, the Eugene
Symphony will premiere “Na
ture,” a tribute to the 20th an
niversary of the famed Mount
St. Helens eruption.
“Nature” will feature guest
conductor Takao Kanayama in
a multi-part performance that
explores an array of emotions
and interactions associated
with the volcano’s monumen
tal eruption.
The symphony will also fea
ture Kristen Halay on flute.
Halay has been playing the
flute since age eight. She is
currently the principle flute
player for the Eugene Sympho
ny, Oregon Mozart Players, Eu
gene Opera, and the Oregon
Festival of American Music,
according to the Eugene Sym
phony Web site.
Seattle composer Alan Hov
haness will recreate the events
surrounding the eruption, fea
turing his own music as well
as movements produced by
other composers.
Other compositions featured
include Beethoven’s “Pas
torale,” which opens the con
cert. Hovhaness’ symphony
“Mount St. Helens,” and a
flute concerto by Japanese
composer Toru Takemitsu are
also featured. Haley is fea
tured soloist.
The symphony’s second
movement, “Spirit Lake,” at
tempts to capture the beauty of
the mountain’s lake with “gen
tly vibrating, liquid-sounding
bells and expressive melodies
for English horn and other solo
winds,” according to the Eu
gene Symphony Web site.
After the more intense
movements are completed, the
dawn hymn returns in what
Hovhaness describes as “a
hymn of praise to the youthful
power and grandeur of the Cas
cades, the volcanic energy re
newing the vitality of our beau
tiful planet, the life-giving
power that builds mountains,
rising majestically, piercing the
clouds of heaven.”
Guest conductor Kanayama
and featured soloist Halay will
host an informal talk and per
formance highlights after the
show.
“Nature” premiers at 8 p.m.
today at the Hult Center’s Silva
Concert Hall. Tickets are $12
36 and $10 for students and
youth concert goers.
Tickets are available at Hult
Center Box Office, 682-5000,
and at the EMU Ticket Outlet.
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Locals spring in
to play one show
courtesy of Mare Wakefield
Mare Wakefield and her band have received critical acclaim for their second CD,
‘Factory.’ The band will perform Friday at Sam Bond’s Garage.
■ The Mare Wakefield
Band released its
second recording and
will be in town Friday
for its only spring show
By Eric Pfeiffer
Oregon Daily Emerald
Local musician and outspoken
artist Mare Wakefield will be
performing with her band this
Friday at Sam Bond’s Garage.
The Mare Wakefield Band re
cently released their second
recording “Factory” to critical
acclaim. Their appearance at
Sam Bond’s Garage wijl be the
band’s only local appearance
this spring.
For those unfamiliar with the
band’s sound, the Mare Wake
field Band can best be described
as acoustic rock with a sociopo
litical flare.
“The first thing you’ll notice
at a Mare show is her laid-back
style and down-to-earth stage
presence,” said a press release
from Seedling Productions.
Now, a laid-back approach is
not something entirely unique
to the Eugene scene, but Wake
field offers a diverse array of
sounds on her new release,
“Factory.” The album is a intro
spective departure for Wake
field and the band but still pro
vides much entertainment for
her audience.
“If Wakefield’s lyrics don’t
bring a smile to your face, then
the rhythm will definitely set
your foot tapping to the beat,”
said Rory Leweling, a reporter
for the Daily Barometer in Cor
vallis. “Factory” opens with
“Be the One,” a funk-infused
song that finds Wakefield
lamenting on previous relation
ships. Many of the songs are
rhythm based, including the
next song, “Fighting.” From
there, the album moves into a
country mode, with the track
“New Boy,” which recounts
Mare telling her mom about a
new boyfriend. “Comfort” is a
blues-driven track with myste
rious lyrics that are left to the
listener’s interpretation.
The Mare Wakefield Band
doesn’t shy away from combin
ing influences on this album ei
ther. “Compound” is a mixture
of both country and reggae
sounds, which can invoke multi
ple images and feelings in the
minds of listeners. There are
more emotionally driven tracks
as well, such as “Sewing Ma
chine,” a touching piece about
Wakefield’s grandmother. The al
bum ends with more country in
fluence, including the album’s
closing track, “Ghost of John
Denver.” As one might expect,
“Ghost” is a heart-felt tribute to
the late folk master.
Recently, music critics have
lavished the band with critical
praise, including Rocket reporter
Scott Lewis who wrote, “Wake
field has a clear, energetic and
confident voice that bounces off
the band’s thick walls quite well
and even holds humor.”
Beyond Wakefield, the band
consists of other local, talented
musicians. Drummer David Bur
row received his bachelor’s de
gree from the University School
of Music. Since graduating, he
has performed with artists such
as Dizzy Gillespie, Peter Erskine
and Ben Wilfe.
Bass player Ari Lindgren was
born and raised in New York
City. Lindgren joined Mare
Wakefield in 1998. Other guest
musicians on the album include
local artists Chris Funk, Laura
Kemp and the band Honeybuck
et.
Those interested in hearing
the band before their perform
ance can pick up their new al
bum or catch them on local
music stations KWVA and
KLCC. Also, the Mare Wake
field Band will be performing
this Friday, April 14, at Sam
Bond’s Garage, 407 Blair Blvd.
The show starts at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $4.