‘Gold Rush’ strikes pay dirt in community
By Laura Henkes
Of The Print
Greed may have been the
motivating factor for those who
rushed to the Alaskan
wilderness in the last century in
search of that coveted element,
gold.
But the five gifted
members of Clackamas Coun
ty’s own bluegrass band, which
is correspondingly named
GOLD RUSH, jokingly con
sider their avocation a mental
diversion from their mainstay
occupations (most of which are
in education).
At the beginning of March,
When the agile hands ac
celerate in a lively tune, a labor they will hold a special
of love obviously transcends press/media preview to help
monetary expectations. promote the band and the
However, in order to accom album. They will also be twit
modate their lust for music and ching Harry’s Mustache on
the odd hours that this passion Monday, March 8; and to help
requires, many of the band advance their cause, there will
members are compelled to be no cover charge!
work part-time, which has a
tendency to restrict their in
Their album, “First
come.
Strike,” will be available in mid-
To help alleviate this March in local retail stores (in
monetary problem and also to vinyl and eventually in tape) or
share their very special talents may be purchased directly from
with others, GOLD RUSH will the group on location.
And speaking of locations,
be cutting a record of fifteen
bluegrass songs, five of which GOLD RUSH will be
celebrating its third anniversary
are their own compositions.
of delighting Magellans’ (a
Gladstone eating and drinking
establishment) patrons with
their musical ability and spon
taneous wit on St. Patrick’s
Day! They are regularly
scheduled at Magellan’s every
Sunday night from, 8 p.m.-12
a.m.
Loren Wolfford, the
band’s mandolin player, thinks
that they have the ‘’longest
standing record for a bluegrass
band in the Northwest to play
at one place.” This is quite an
accomplishment, he feels, con
sidering the mainstream is rock
and roll and country. But as is
evident from the many people
who tap their feet to the
rhythm, while simultaneously
crunching into nachos, GOLD
RUSH
has
definitely
developed their, own following.
Wolfford expounded on
their local success: “We are a
real fun band, and I think that is
a lot of what sells us. There are
a lot of bands that are very
good technically, but this is our
fun and entertainment; and ob
viously this comes across to
everyone else.”
GOLD RUSH has
“presence.” Their charisma
emanates from the fact that
they are riot only excellent
musicians, but also enter
tainers. Unabashed, they toss
around colloquial remarks
regarding Rossman’s landfill
and swing their legs up in
unison as Wolfford invites them
to “show them your
Underalls.” (The band
members are all male.) Addi
tionally, they are genuine. And
just plain fun.
Focusing, in performance
order, from left to right:
Greg Baker, who started
out studying classical music at
age nine, utilized the fiddle,
guitar, and his smooth, pleas
ing vocal talents. Somehow,
his dark beard adds to his tran
quil appearance as he glides
the bow lightly across the
fingerboard of his fiddle. Then,
as
he
breaks
into
“accelerando,” the fingers and
arm “fly like the wind/’ and
then he suddenly lets out a big
grin at the peak of his
manipulation.
In addition to picking the
banjo, playing the guitar, and
doing vocals, Bob Misley in
itiates and coordinates
humorous quips with the other
F
hen.you’re packin’
a powerful hunger,
mosey on in to the Rio
Grande Cafe & Bar for
a meal that’s the most
for your money.
)
Enjoy Bar-B-Que
Chicken and Baby-Back
Spareribs, just drippin’
with rich BBQ sauce. Fire
up on our meaty
homestyle chili. Or try a
thick, juicy steak or ham
burger, charbroiled the
way you like it.
And for those with
south-of-the-border tastes,
our popular Chimichangas,
Tostada Supreme, tradi
tional Burritos and other
Mexican specialities will
have you saying “Si, muy
bien!” (Speakin’ of “muy^
W
i
bien’’ — wet your whistle
with your favorite
beverage from our Bar!)
So round up your
appetites and head ’em
on into the Rio Grande
Cafe & Bar — the best
Texican food this side of
the Border.
FortheTexMex
appetite in you!
19212 S. Molalla Ave., Oregon City
(continued on page 6)
page 4
Clackamas Community College