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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2016)
coast March 24, 2016 weekend arts & entertainment 4 9 12 14 COASTAL LIFE In search of the sun “I was tired of getting my vitamin D from the drugstore” THE ARTS ‘SpringSting’ Astoria indie-pop band Holiday friends release new EP FEATURE Astoria Visual Arts This dynamic nonproit seeks to enhance the arts in Astoria DINING Mouth of the Columbia Cheri’s Cafe is a sweet spot for baked goods, traditional fare STEPPING OUT....... .............................................................. 5, 6, 7 CROSSWORD........... ....................................................................17 CW MARKETPLACE........ ....................................................... 18, 19 GRAB BAG ....... .......................................................................... 23 Find it all online and more! COASTWEEKEND.COM www.coastweekend.com features full calendar listings, keyword searches and easy sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. coastweekend.com | facebook.com/coastweekend | twitter.com/coastweekend on the cover Blaine Verley, one of Astoria Visual Arts’ most recent artists-in-residence, has been painting for 40 years but never worked in his own studio until his three- month residency. Photo by Dwight Caswell CONTRIBUTORS: DWIGHT CASWELL COAST WEEKEND PHOTOS: JOSHUA BESSEX LYNETTE RAE McADAMS ADVERTISING MANAGER: BETTY SMITH MATT LOVE ANDREW TONRY RYAN HUME To advertise in Coast Weekend, call 503-325-3211 or contact your local sales representative. © 2016 COAST WEEKEND James ‘Sparky’ and Rhonda Rucker perform in Manzanita MANZANITA — The Hoffman Center for the Arts will host a concert featuring old-time blues, Appalachian music, ballads, slave songs, spirituals and original music by James “Sparky” Rucker and Rhonda Rucker. The concert is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. Ad- mission will be a sliding scale of $10 to $15 at the door. The Ruckers perform throughout the U.S. and over- seas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. They weave histo- ry, traditional storytelling and humor into their concerts, and they have been featured at the International Storytelling Cen- ter and Festival in Tennessee. The duo make music with ¿QJHUVW\OH SLFNLQJ DQG ERW- tleneck blues guitar, blues har- monica, old-time banjo, piano, spoons and bones. Performing for over 40 years, the Ruckers have ap- peared at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festi- val as well as on NPR’s “On Point,” “Prairie Home Com- panion,” “Mountain Stage” and “Morning Edition.” Their recording “Treasures & Tears” was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. James “Sparky” Rucker has been singing songs and tell- ing stories for over 50 years. Growing up in Knoxville, Ten- nessee, Sparky began playing guitar at 11. After graduating from University of Tennessee, Sparky taught school in Chat- tanooga before becoming a full-time folksinger. Descended from a long line of preachers and law en- IRUFHPHQW RI¿FHUV KLV VHQVH of justice stems from both of these traditions. He has been involved with the Civil Rights movement since the 1950s; he participated in workshops at the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee with many prominent people, including Rosa Parks, Myles Horton and Bernice Reagon. He marched shoulder-to- shoulder with SNCC Freedom Singers Matthew and Mar- shall Jones and sang at rallies, marches and sit-ins alongside other folksingers such as Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger. Rhonda Hicks Rucker SUDFWLFHG PHGLFLQH IRU ¿YH years before becoming a full- time musician, author and storyteller. Rhonda grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and has played piano since the age of 4. She is a versatile singer and performer, using her songwrit- ing for social and environmen- tal advocacy. She has created songs about global warming, the broken health care system, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These songs are showcased on the Ruckers’ 2009 album release entitled “One Earth.” Rhonda plays blues har- Submitted photo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker will present a concert of old-time blues music at the Hoffman Center on Tuesday, March 29. monica, piano, clawhammer banjo, and rhythmic bones, and she has appeared on nine recordings with her husband. Both Sparky and Rhonda are writers. Both contributed to the “Encyclopedia of Appa- lachia” and “Team Up! Tell In Tandem!” Coast Weekend welcomes comments and contributions from readers. New items for publication consideration must be submit- ted by 10 a.m. Tuesday, one week and two days before publication. To submit an item, contact Rebecca Sedlak See story on Page 12 COAST WEEKEND EDITOR: REBECCA SEDLAK Hear blues, Appalachian folk and more Phone: 503.325.3211 Ext. 217 or 800.781.3211 Fax: 503.325.6573 E-mail: rsedlak@dailyastorian.com Address: P.O.Box 210 • 949 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103 Coast Weekend is published every Thursday by the EO Media Group, all rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced with- out consent of the publisher. Coast Weekend appears weekly in The Daily Astorian and the Chinook Observer. March 24, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 3
