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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1988)
Just entertainment Motherlode hits rich vein Contemporary folk with a mixture of political and current issues, Mother lode’s songs mean something to the audience with a mixture of political and current issues,” the group says its songs mean some thing to the audience. o their fans in Portland, “ Motherlode” “ Our music stays spontaneous,” Collie said. has become synonymous with local success, sellout crowds and the potential for a “ We address issues, yet we all have a note of hope. bright future in the music business. ‘4 We also have a lot of fun together on and off All that is from four women who take to the the stage,'she continued.4‘It’s fun to play with stage to be themselves and play music that has an audience. It feels like we’re all singing to meaning for everyone. With their second album gether; that the circle is complete. selling well — more than 2,000 copies so far— “ I think partly what works is that we are who and a successful California tour behind them, we are; we’re not so different on stage from the way we are in the living room,” Collie added. Motherlode has achieved a real cohesiveness since its members met eight years ago at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, and they attri bute much of their success to the strength of Motherlode comes home to Portland on April their personal relationship and commitment to 23 to play at the Northwest Service Center. You each other. can bet the place will be packed. “ A band is just like any other relationship,” They’re not musicians by profession; Nan Fallon said. "The longer you’re together, the Collie, Kathleen Fallon. Marie Eaton and Janet deeper things g o . . . and so the music has more Peterson all work at other jobs full time. It’s just depth.” that music is their passion — and their music is “ Of course, we have our struggles and our fast becoming the passion of a lot of people in disagreements,” Eaton added, “ but we keep the Northwest. working on it, because what we have is too ” 1 think we appeal to a fairly broad range of precious to give away or to lose.” people,” Eaton said when interviewed just after What they have is a music that grows richer an International Women’s Day appearance in each time they perform — and an increasing March. “ Definitely the women’s community audience to support it. has supported us all along, but because our “ We’re constantly taking risks on stage,” music is inclusive, we appeal to older people, Peterson said. “ We're creating up there. And political people — quite a wide range.” risking is growing: every time we come off the Describing its music as “ contemporary folk stage, we’ve risked a tiny bit more, and we’ve B Y K A T E W E L L S T SHED YOUR OLD SKINS & M otherlode Photo by Ginny Givnen grown.” “ Something happens on stage that makes it work,” Fallon added. “ We have that trust that we’ll all figure it out, that we can get out there and get the message out.” Sales of their albums have helped get the message out, too. Although the decision to record was a difficult one, it’s something band members say they feel good about. “ The step we took to make the first album was a giant step,” Eaton said. “ We had a lot of meetings about it; it was like having a baby.” “ That was the moment we stopped pretend ing and became real,” Fallon added, smiling. “ I think our second album is more interest ing, because we branched out,” she said. “ We used a lot of our own material, but added new pieces by other people.” Making the albums has strengthened the group,too. 4 ‘The process of recording adds glue to the group,” Collie said. “ When you’re in there recording, you’re under a microscope. It felt like family. It was a real cohesive group effort.” Songs such as “ Everything Possible,” “ Walls and Windows” and “ Nicaragua” are familiar ones now to Northwest audiences and are met with a warm reception every time they’re performed. And, of course, there’s always “ Pie Shop.” “ We’ve done ‘Pie Shop’ a million times, but each time it’s like we really get into this song,” Eaton said. “ It’s passionate.” What’s next for Motherlode? “ We aren’t driven by goals, but we would like to expand by playing in some festivals and doing more traveling. Locally and regionally we’re doing well, and we feel good about that,” Collie said. Motherlode will appear at the Folk- life Festival in Seattle in May and hopes to travel “ perhaps in the Midwest and on the East Coast,” she added. 4 4 We continue to write, and our arrangements are getting more intricate,” Peterson noted. “ We’re expanding, and as we get more ver satile, our songs have more depth .” “ I think we really do celebrate life with all its complexities,” Collie summed up. • Set Yourself Free ...AFTER THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON - WHAT NEXT? 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