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
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CONTRIBUTORS
DWIGHT CASWELL
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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
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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
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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.