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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2016)
Festival goers watch fi re performers at the 2015 Festival of the Dark Arts at Fort George Brewery. ‘Playfully sinister’ The FestiYal of 'ark $rts is also about attend ees absorbing the spirit of music and performance. Besides a sea of Motorhead and Black Sabbath Tshirts, there’s steampunk attire, masks and glit ter galore, all of which lend a rock ’n’ roll circus Yibe to the proceedings. 3ortland 'J (liot Johnson — aka 'J $li $ht Blood, Beers and Typewriters $ new entry into the FestiYal of 'ark $rts rep — crafts together beats, melodies and Yocals uti ertoire, “Blood, Beers and Typewriters´ seeks to lizing looping and sampling. He thinks musicians bring out dark beerloYers’ inner 'ashiell Ham and artists thriYe inside the festiYal’s dark spirit. “,t’s about celebrating not only great dark mett. $ 1oir ¿ ction freewriting e[ercise, it’s the creation of $storia teacher and author Matt /oYe. beers, but also the arts and music that might be /oYe, who has gathered together si[ Yintage considered fringe to some,´ he says. Johnson, who is a ¿ rsttime performer this typewriters, will hold four hourlong writing ses sions beginning at 2 p.m. Set among the brewing year, thinks the crowd who attends the festiYal barrels and metal apparatus that is the guts of Fort embraces that notion. “The whole enYironment is so George, it promises to be a loud much fun,´ he says. “,t has an al and entertaining gig. most oldtimey carniYal feel with a “&rime ¿ ction is huge it’s OTHER DARK eYerywhere on T9´ /oYe says. ARTS AROUND twist of the playfully sinister lurk ing just below the surface.´ “What better place to e[plore mur THE FORT The term ‘carniYal’ certain der, mystery and mayhem than the Sisters of Fire fi redancing. ly applies to 3ortland’s Bo[ Of FestiYal of 'ark $rts" $nything Trixie the Burlesque Dancer &lowns, performing for the ¿ rst can happen.´ Box of Clowns performance art time at the festiYal. $ physical $t each session, /oYe will start DJ Ali Aht theater company, Bo[ Of &lowns by giYing the contestants a prac Middle Eastern specializes in creating Tuirky, ec tice prompt and allowing them to Dance by Cameron and Derek centric characters. warm up on the typewriters for a Tarot and Belly Dancing by “,f &arol Burnett and the Three few minutes. Jessamyn Grace Stooges had triplets who were “That prompt will be some Daylight and the Minstrels raised by Mr. Bean, you’d get Bo[ thing goofy, like ‘it was a dark and The Cigar Guy of &lowns,´ says troupe member stormy night,’´ he says. The Solstice Blacksmith Forge Laura Loy. $fter warmup, /oYe will giYe PDX Ice For the dark arts festiYal, Loy, the authors the real prompt — Henna Artist Miranda along with Jeff 'esautels, bring the “probably something ,’Ye oYer Karen the Beer Painter dynamic duo of The 3ortland $rea heard in an Oregon diYe bar,´ he Shanghaied Tattoo 3aranormal Society, or 3.$.3.S. says — and giYe eYeryone 10 min Blood, beer & typewriters 3.$.3.S. is a drag piece featur utes to type a story on carbon paper with Matt Love ing Mysteria, a psychic medium, /oYe purchased especially for the and Greg Murphy, cat groomer by occasion. When time is up, eYeryone will read their sto day and paranormal inYestigator by night. “Tarot and belly dance, both elements of my Murphy and Mysteria haYe been “hired´ by upbringing, are sacred to me, and so , haYe incor ries, and judges will determine the winner, who porated ritual in both for the last 0 years,´ she will receiYe a copy of /oYe’s latest book “The the Fort George to inYestigate possible paranor mal actiYity. says. She adds that reading tarot and belly dancing Great Birthright.´ “,t’s comedic, ridiculous and spooky,´ Loy says. 3articipants also take home their story, perhaps help her maintain a meaningful connection both to with dreams of a forthcoming manuscript. herself and to people. /oYe is especially e[cited about using type True to the festiYal’s roots, a sense of the un No rest for the wicked known dwells in eYerything Grace does. “There writers, despite the fact that the majority of ,f festiYal attendance is close to the nearly has always been an element of mystery to tarot and festiYal attendees likely haYe neYer used one 3,000 people who attended last year, a small army belly dance, both in their histories, current manifes before. “They’re such a great teaching tool,´ he will be on hand to take care of them. says. tations and use of arcane symbolism,´ she says. Harris says all his employees and about an $fter seeing the spirit of the festiYal last year, eTual number of Yolunteers will be ready. OYerall, Grace enjoys being around likemind /oYe says he really wanted to get inYolYed. ed and genuinely supportiYe people. “(Yeryone’s been told months ahead of time not He does hope, howeYer, that the weather will to eYen think about asking for that day off,´ he says. “The indiYiduals , haYe had the gift of reading for haYe been wonderful, and the crowd has been be more suited to noir ¿ ction than the mild weath One element cannot be preplanned: The kind and supportiYe of my performances,´ she er of 201. “, hope it’s just ripping rain,´ he says. weather plays a huge factor in festiYal’s layout, something that is determined almost at the last minute. 2015 was warm and mild, while 2014 saw heaYy rain and wind. Still, Harris thinks people enjoy the noYelty of the eYent compared to the traditional style of other Noon The Resolectrics: rhythm & funky blues from Portland beer festiYals. 2 p.m. Skamokawa Swamp Opera: historical rock opera from Skamokawa, Wash. “,t’s not just a bunch of guys sitting around un 4 p.m. Jackson Boone and the Ocean Ghosts: psych folk from Portland der À uorescent lights drinking beer,´ he says. 6 p.m. The Builders and the Butchers: twangy roots rock from Portland The hardest part of the weekends’ aftermath" 8 p.m. The Thermals: power pop from Portland “&leaning up all the glitter,´ Harris says. WELCOME TO THE Photo by Joshua Bessex says. “, feel that the dark arts festiYal honors this mystery that is reYerent in a way that is communal and celebratory.´ Grace adds that the festiYal is an opportunity for her to repay the support the Fort George lends the programs at $$M& during the year. DARK SIDE: O Submitted photo At the festival, beer paintings by Karen Eland will include familiar North Coast scenes. FORT GEORGE BREWERY’S FESTIVAL OF DARK ARTS TAKES PLACE SATURDAY, FEB. 13 STORY BY DAN HAAG Submitted photo Attendees of the festival are encouraged to bring out their dark side. Photo by Joshua Bessex Fort George staff serve thirsty patrons in the Lovell Taproom during last year’s festival. 12 | February 11, 2016 | coastweekend.com On Saturday, Feb. 13, strange and magical IRrces cRmbine tR cRnMure uS a truly magni¿ cent spectacle on the Fort George Brewery block: the ¿ Ith annual FestiYal oI 'ark $rts, part oI the brewery’s annual Stout Month. +ere, loYers oI some oI the 1orthwest’s dark est beers gather to reMoice amid the clang oI anYils, the swirl oI ¿ redancers and the rapid¿ re clatter of typewriters. :hile the constantly À owing dark beer is the star of the show — 60 to choose from — the eclectic Yariety of artists and entertainers contrib ute to the eYent’s beating heart. “We really look for acts that compliment the festiYal,´ says Fort George coowner and head brewer Jack Harris. iar 1orth &oast scenes, such as the 3eter ,redale wreck and early logging crews. She will be on hand creating her work — with dark beer only — and will also haYe an area set up where the public can make their own beer paintings. “Some of my subjects are a little dark, like shipwrecks of the Oregon &oast,´ she says. 1ow in her third year at the festiYal, (land is thankful for the chance to showcase her signature style. “7he eYent is so uniTue and tasty,´ she says. “,t’s also made the list as one of my most success ful sales eYents.´ ,t’s also just plain fun for (land, who doesn’t hesitate when asked what comes to mind when she hears “dark arts´: “Harry 3otter,´ she laughs. Beer as art ,n her third year at the eYent, Jessamyn Grace of $storia is eager to share the mysterious side of dark arts to festiYalgoers. Grace, founder and e[ecutiYe director of the $storia $rts and MoYement &enter, is a tarot reader and belly dancer, two skills she will display at the festiYal: She’ll read tarot all day long and perform belly dancing in the eYening, both in the /oYell Showroom. $sk any selfrespecting beer a¿ cionado and they will tell you that beer is already art and can not be perfected. $t the FestiYal of 'ark $rts, that’s open to interpretation. Just ask Bend artist and renowned beer painter .aren (land, whose uniTue art is a ¿ [ture at the festiYal. (land, who creates paintings using only beer and water, has fashioned portraits of famil Exploring mystery Photo by Joshua Bessex Jamie Brown sits on a bone altar while modeling for a painter during last year’s Festival of the Dark Arts. UPSTAIRS LIVE MUSIC Submitted photo Tarot card readings are on hand for brave souls at the festival. February 11, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 13
