4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Visual arts, literature,
theater, music & more
�U��S
Sedona Fire Band
with creative energy
By DAN HAAG
The annals of rock ’n’ roll
history are crammed with leg-
endary artists who experimented
with different musical styles.
Led Zeppelin layered their hard
rock with the blues; The Police
dabbled in reggae; Paul Simon
took on zydeco; Blondie recorded
a rap song.
No matter the outcome, the
idea was to stretch and grow as
artists.
“I don’t know where I’m
going from here,” the late David
Bowie declared. “But I promise it
won’t be boring.”
That might as well be the
mantra of Sedona Fire Band, a di-
versely talented ensemble hailing
from the Nehalem Valley area.
Playing an eclectic blend of
genre-crossing music they’ve
dubbed world folk fusion, this
seven-piece outfi t isn’t afraid
to challenge themselves — as
evidenced by the levels of instru-
mentation band members bring
to each gig: Sedona Torres on
vocals and fl ute, Michael Dinan
on guitar and vocals, Bob La
Torre on cornet, Renee DeLight
on cello, Barbara McLaughlin
on bass and percussion, Chuck
McLaughlin on percussion, and
Enya Torres-Ling on percussion.
According to Torres, world
folk fusion is an eclectic combi-
nation of world, folk, rock and
blues.
“We’re very eclectic,” she
says. “We’ve done a lot of di-
verse stuff because all of us have
had different experiences with
different music.”
Growing up in the Midwest,
Torres quickly became a fan of
folk acts like Peter, Paul and
Mary. She also found inspira-
tion in her mother’s huge record
collection. “Local DJs used to
call her if they needed music,”
she says.
Torres and Dinan originally
formed the group as a duo in
2009 and recorded their fi rst
album, “The Spark,” in 2011.
The band gradually grew from
there, releasing “Pages of the
Mind” as the larger unit in 2014.
The group is currently laying
down tracks for a third album,
“Into The River.”
With more band members, Se-
dona Fire was able to delve into
deeper, richer sounds, especially
with percussion.
The McLaughlins, who had
been involved in the local outfi t
The Tsunami Drummers, lent
Sedona Fire a different beat when
they came aboard in 2013.
“I’ve always liked the sound of
hand drums,” Torres says. “They
capture that world essence.”
Torres recalls a gig where
the hand drums gave a familiar
folk song a new feel. “We were
covering ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’
and the percussion gave it kind of
an island beat,” she says. “We all
really liked it and said, ‘Let’s keep
it that way.’”
Torres enjoys the tighter
harmonies of folk music and the
genre’s ability to convey a narra-
tive with rich tones, rather than
just having a danceable beat.
“It’s about expanding the expe-
rience of the music where you can
really fi ll in and not just have a
bunch of instruments make noise,”
she says, adding that the band
rehearses at least once a week.
Sedona Fire has gigged all over
Oregon, including shows in Bend
and at the Lan Su Chinese Garden
in Portland.
This summer will keep them
busy as well, with several shows
lined up, including performances
at the Manzanita Farmers Market
in July and the Astoria Sunday
Market in September.
The show closest on the hori-
zon is a special performance from
HEAR SEDONA FIRE IN CONCERT
2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 5
NCRD Performing Arts Center
36155 Ninth St., Nehalem
$10 for adults, free for children 12 and under
2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5 at the
newly renovated NCRD Per-
forming Arts Center in Nehalem,
where the band will debut new
material.
The gig will include guest mu-
sicians Carl McLaughlin, son of
percussionist Chuck McLaughlin,
and John Ling and his12-year-old
Enya Torres-Ling, the newest and
youngest member of Sedona Fire.
These family members will be
playing together for the fi rst time
on stage.
While the show promises to be
a big undertaking for the close-
knit group, Torres isn’t nervous
about expanding the band’s
already large roster for one night.
“It’s worth it because we’ve
grown as a band and a family,”
she says. “The show honors
what Sedona Fire is about: being
inclusive and making a connection
with the audience without any
separation.”
To learn more about Sedona Fire
and hear some of their music, visit
www.sedonafi remusic.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The seven-piece, Nehalem-based Sedona Fire Band plays world folk fusion music.