Page 16
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Welcome, Kurz meld guitar, flute for
‘Dreamcatcher’ album unique sound
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
It is often said that good
things come to those who
wait.
Nobody knows this
better than Illinois Val-
ley residents Ross Wel-
come and Sam Kurz,
who are about to re-
lease their first album.
As a two-man
band, Welcome and
Kurz, who call them-
selves “Pacific Aura-
cle,” have been work-
ing on original material
for more than a decade.
But life got in the way,
and the project became
caught in what Kurz
refers to as a “priority
roller-coaster.”
A third-generation
Illinois Valley resident,
Welcome began writing
songs at the age of 12.
Now 46, he has assem-
bled an extensive backlog of
musical compositions.
“There was a time in
my life where I was writing
a song every day,” Wel-
come said. He is a vocalist
and guitarist, as well as a
drummer.
Music also has been a
lifelong passion for Kurz.
His parents, who owned a
pipe organ, would host get-
togethers every Sunday
where people would take
turns playing that instru-
ment. Kurz started playing
keyboards in grade school,
and has been at it since, al-
though now he’s also be-
come a flautist. He also
makes flutes, which have
been widely and positively
received.
Welcome built his first
recording studio in 1981 in
the garage of his Grants
Pass residence. He eventu-
ally set up a storefront at the
north end of town and main-
tained it for three years be-
fore moving back to Kerby.
It wasn’t long after his
return to Illinois Valley that
Welcome began converting
his grandparents’ old myr-
tlewood factory into a studio
and rehearsal space.
Kerz and Welcome had
already cemented their mu-
sical bond by this point. And
though he still played key-
boards, Kerz had become
fascinated by the flute.
“It’s actually become a
really popular instrument,”
Kurz said. “It’s having a
resurgence.”
Somewhere along the
line, Kurz and Welcome
discovered that flutes and
acoustic guitars sounded
really good together. They
began their collaboration in
earnest with “Pacific Aura-
cle” and their other band,
“Paradox.”
Their projects essen-
tially were put on hold when
Kurz moved away. But by
“It’s hard to put in a
genre,” Welcome said.
“That’s what we wanted --
something different and
unique.”
IVFD RECOGNITION PROMOTIONS - Three IVFD (Illinois Valley Fire District) firefighters
were promoted during the board of directors meeting at HQ on Thursday evening, Feb.
8. Chief Harry Rich (fourth from left) cited their devotion to duty and willingness to ac-
cept leadership responsibilities. Volunteer Firefighter Jim O’Grady (from left), who’s
also a reserve deputy with Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, was elevated to lieuten-
ant status at Selma Station 2; staff Capt. Kris Sherman, who oversees all district build-
ing and equipment maintenance, was promoted to battalion chief rank; and Volunteer
Firefighter Kamron Ismaili was given lieutenant position at Takilma Station 6. (Photo by
Dale & Elaine Sandberg, IVFD Media Dept.)
Beeman chosen for Freedoms Foundation
Ross Welcome
the time he returned, Wel-
come’s home studio was
fully operational.
Free from any kind of
deadline pressures, the two
began recording their al-
bum, “Dreamcatcher.”
“We wanted it to be
acoustical composition and
keep electronics out of it as
much as possible,” Kurz
said. He has produced his
own CD of flute music.
For their joint album,
Sam Kurz
the two musicians traded off
between playing and pro-
ducing the album’s 12
songs. Only one track fea-
tures guest musicians.
“Other than that, we did
everything else,” Welcome
said.
He describes the
“Pacific Auracle” sound as a
“cross between New Age
and contemporary instru-
mental,” and a modern ap-
proach to Native American
music.
Since the album is be-
ing released on Welcome’s
own Anyone’s Guess record
label, the duo had complete
artistic license throughout
the entire recording process.
“It’s definitely not com-
mercial,” Welcome said.
“It’s what we wanted to do.”
Now that the album is
nearly finished, a release
party has been scheduled for
April 28 at Taylor’s Country
Store in Downtown Cave
Junction.
Kurz and Welcome
have performed individually
at locations in the valley,
including being featured
artists during Second Friday
Art Walks in Cave Junction.
Welcome said that he
plans to sell “Dreamcatcher”
on the Internet, and that all
proceeds from sales will go
to releasing the extensive
musical archives he’s com-
piled during the years.
Long-term, Welcome
said that he would like to
teach music to middle
school students. He once
served as band director as-
sistant at Lorna Byrne Mid-
dle School, and would like
to work there again.
After being out of
school for many years, Wel-
come decided he wanted a
degree with an eye toward
becoming a teacher. He re-
turned to classes of higher
education, and was awarded
his bachelor’s degree in
composition from Southern
Oregon University at Ash-
land in June 2006. Now he
is working on his teaching
credential.
“This is my home, and
my dream is to be the band
director in my home town,”
Welcome said. “I would
appreciate the opportunity to
do that before I retire.”
Illinois Valley High
School senior Lydia Bee-
man is one of four Oregon
students selected to attend
Freedoms Foundation at
Valley Forge, Pa. in March
2007.
Glenn Morrison Ameri-
can Legion Auxiliary Unit
70, of Illinois Valley, is
sponsoring Beeman. All
four students are being
sponsored by American Le-
gion Auxiliary with the
Dept. of Oregon and at the
national level.
The foundation’s mis-
sion is to increase instruc-
tion in civics and govern-
ment so America’s youth
can understand our nation
and its heritage, as well as
their role as responsible citi-
zens. The Freedoms Foun-
dation’s vision is to become
America’s School for Citi-
zenship Education.
Beeman was October
Masons Student of the
Month. She is the daughter
of Bill and Norine Beeman,
and has maintained a 3.8
grade-point average.
Beeman has held the
offices of freshman class
secretary, and president of
the sophomore, and senior
classes. She is a member of
Cougar Pals, Fishwatch, the
National Honor Society, the
Model U.N. Club and the
IVHS track team. She at-
tended the Girls State track
meet in Salem last summer.
Among other honors,
Beeman has earned a varsity
letter in track, the Skyline
Conference Scholar Athlete
Award, Principal’s Student
of the Month award and was
a homecoming princess.
After graduation, Bee-
man plans to attend a four-
year university and pursue a
business or political science
degree.
Lydia Beeman
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