fnhrinrji 1fi ~nm warm feelings toward Touchstone as a place to play. “It’s homey and conducive to telling stories. As a performer, it’s nice to play where people are there to lis ten. It’s like a living room,” she says. Rheul, a 24-year-old who organized a suc cessful benefit perform ance for the No on 9 Campaign at Touch stone last year, is a self- described folk musician who writes about heart break, traveling and “whatever’s happen Ajay gives it her all ing.” She’s particularly attuned to the female focus at Touchstone. “It’s nice to play where people aren’t looking at your breasts,” she says. Then, on second thought, she adds, “Well, maybe they are!” Ajay, the ubiquitous one-named Touch stone favorite (rumored to have her fans sitting on each other’s laps while she plays), says the coffeehouse is particularly intimate compared to the bar scene. “It’s hard to play bars as a solo musician. Nobody’s there to listen to what’s going on.” She adds, “A t Touchstone, people come to see what’s hap pening.” Ajay is a percussive guitar player who mod estly describes her music as “the usual ‘my heart got broken’ kind of stuff.” She says she writes about her dreams, love, relation ships, “stuff I’d like to do.” Ajay is proud to write music to which a large group of people can relate; she says her music works regardless of race, gender or orien tation. According to Beth Ramsey, one of Touch stone’s employees, the shop has begun to attract a diverse group of customers. “It’s get ting more and more crowded,” she says. “Even straight couples have started coming on week ends." O n the evening of Hale’s performance, a harmonious mixture of women and men situate themselves comfortably near each other. Rene Corbin, a performer who plays at Touchstone on the first Saturday of every month, says the main reason she digs the cof feehouse is because she usually plays with a group, and it’s a good place to focus on her solo work. “The folks there tend to be a supportive group. I can have personal contact with people there; I can play without a mike,” she says. Corbin’s spin on music is quite a traditional one: She plays old melodic songs from the British Isles but with her own arrangements and interpretations “to keep it interesting,” she says. Her interest in traditional music lies in its universality. “We haven’t changed much in 300 years,” she says. “The rich are still rich, the poor are still poor, the rich still have a handle on who’s rich and who’s poor.” Although she doesn’t categorize her music as “womyn’s music,” Corbin supports Touch J w t mm stone because it is a woman-run business. Bilyeu’s booking policies clearly don’t dis criminate in the gender department— a glance at the Touchstone live music calendar shows a spattering of male performers. But she has remained true to her sisters since the Sacred Grounds days. Coming up in the next few weeks, Touchstone will play host to Maria Webster, Allyn Roberts, longtime favorites Pam and Maggie, Loma Miller, Chris Blount, Maureen Kelly and regular performances by Corbin and Ajay. Bilyeu admits running Touchstone is more of a joy than a chore. “I’m lucky to be able to do this,” she says. “I get to see my friends all day. It’s very homelike; people make them selves at home here.” Girlfriends, one thing is for sure: This ain’t no Starbucks. j n K aty D avidson is a musician who digs neo-m etal prism rock but plays epic folk ballads. (Editor’s note: Only part o f this is true.) "Not only is it an inspirational place, it's really great because it's so small. You can fill the room; it's intim ate," says Juliet Wvers, a perform er who also teaches a songwriting class in Portland. She recently played a gig at Touchstone to a standing-room-only crowd; as a special treat, she also invited some o th e r students along to perform. Auto, Home, Life & Business Look G ood Feel G ood “Your Independent Insurance Agency" [!□□□□ Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker, Inc. Schedule your appointment today with: la p L is a C o s t e l lo 503 - 256-3700 REY REECE DEALERSHIPS ISUZU-VOLKSWAGEN-USED IH E B i H artford M arc Baker • M ary M iller Downtown Portland (5 0 3 ) 227-1771 www.epbb.com ___________ 122nd & East Burnside www. reyreece. com vdublisac@hotmail.com Full body waxing Facials & Make-overs Private Room — Safe & Friendly For Men & Women DOWNTOWN AT 927 SW OAK The NW’s best selection o f gay erotica, including: • Every erotic photo book and art book in print • Every book o f erotic fiction and nonfiction can G inny 503 / 653-3597 •Foreign and domestic mags, always at 10% off •Vintage physique photos and magazines 1 1-6 MON-SAT. 12-6 Si N. 226-8Id 1