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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
OCTOBER 6, 2016 // 3 Ara Lee brings gospel, soul, blues to the peninsula will perform gospel, soul and blues with bassist Julio Appling. Raised in the deep South, in a church where instru- ments were not allowed, Lee grew up shape-note singing, learning to make music only with the voice. “Harmonies were a part of daily life. Music wasn’t music without three parts. We would sing songs from our old blue church hym- nal — it was the one place where everyone could meet without agreeing on dog- ma,” she said. A move to New York City as a teenager gave her the chance to use her vocal chops beyond her front porch, and she began a 10- LONG BEACH, Wash. —Ara Lee, when pressed, calls herself a singer-songwriter. But the image of a wispy, soft-voiced, guitar strummer that might come to mind couldn’t be farther from what she does. Call it soul, call it folk, call it gospel, Lee sings like a woman with something to say, in a voice that makes you stop and listen, with lyrics that make you remember why you decided to be human once upon a time. Known for her commanding stage presence, Lee’s shows, often called “musical church,” cut straight to the gut. Hear her perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Peninsula Arts Center. Lee coast INSIDE THIS ISSUE weekend year incarnation working as a backup singer and studio vocalist. Now based in Portland, Lee’s roots in Appalachia color the songs she writes. “People say I sing gospel, and maybe that’s true, but I prefer to call it secular gos- pel. I don’t identify with a specifi c faith; I sing about the things that I think are simply human. To me, live music is the place where you taste something truly sacred. It’s why I sing, it’s why I write, it’s why I do what I do.” Double bassist, educa- tor, techie and coffee shop loiterer Appling lives in Vancouver, Washington. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in music from the University COAST WEEKEND EDITOR REBECCA SEDLAK COAST WEEKEND PHOTOS DANNY MILLER arts & entertainment ADVERTISING MANAGER BETTY SMITH ON THE COVER CONTRIBUTORS DWIGHT CASWELL NANCY MCCARTHY RYAN HUME The Astor Street Opry Compa- ny’s production of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” centers on newlywed couple Corie, played by Alicea Settlemoire, left, and Paul, played by Ben VanOsdol, adjusting to married life. PHOTO BY DANNY MILLER To advertise in Coast Weekend, call 503-325-3211 or contact your local sales representative. © 2016 COAST WEEKEND See story on Page 10 4 10 14 COASTAL LIFE ‘Oregon Visions’ Printmaker Stirling Gorsuch shows artwork in Cannon Beach FEATURE ‘Barefoot in the Park’ ASOC presents Neil Simon’s romantic comedy this fall DINING Mouth of the Columbia Saigon Deli serves Vietnamese food in Seaside FURTHER ENJOYMENT SEE + DO...............................12, 13 CROSSWORD..............................17 CW MARKETPLACE...........18, 19 MUSIC CALENDAR ..................20 GRAB BAG ..................................23 Find it all online! CoastWeekend.com features full calendar listings, keyword search and easy sharing on social media. Coast Weekend welcomes comments and contributions from readers. New items for publication consider- ation must be submitted by 10 a.m. Tuesday, one week and two days before publication. TO SUBMIT AN ITEM 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 without consent of the publisher. Coast Weekend appears weekly in The Daily Astorian and the Chinook Observer. of Redlands and a Master of Music in musicology from Bowling Green State University. As an educator, Appling has served as an instructor of both music and technology courses at BGSU Firelands, Tiffi n University and Clark College. The Peninsula Arts Cen- ter is located at 504 Pacifi c Ave. N. Wine, beer, and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Ad- mission is $12 at the door, online through brownpap- ertickets.com, or by calling Bill at 360-901-0962. Concerts benefi t the Long Beach Peninsula Acoustic Music Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofi t charitable organi- zation. SUBMITTED PHOTO Portland musician Ara Lee will perform Oct. 8 in Long Beach.
