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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2017)
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 // 9 ’STACKSTOCK IS RYAN SNYDER’S PASSION PROJECT, UNITING MUSIC, FOOD, BEER AND HOSPITALITY The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy headlines inaugural Cannon Beach concert By ANDREW TONRY FOR COAST WEEKEND F or Ryan Snyder, the ’Stackstock Music Fest on Saturday, Sept. 23 — a full day of live music featuring seven Portland-based acts and headlined by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy — marries passions both longstanding and deferred. Snyder, the president of Martin North, which operates numerous hotels, restau- rants and the Public Coast Brewing Co. in Cannon Beach, fell in love with music early on. “I had a very good friend as a kid,” Snyder remembered. “He introduced me to The Ramones and Black Flag. I was in awe.” That friend, Brant Bjork, would go on to join the seminal 90s “stoner rock” band Kyuss. (Kyuss’ leader, Josh Homme would later helm the Grammy-nominated Queens of the Stone Age.) Snyder followed Bjork’s career close- ly. In 2000 they formed an independent record label, Duna Records. To Bjork’s musical experience, Snyder lent a bur- geoning business acumen. But just as the label was getting off the ground, Snyder faced a crossroads. “My father-in-law became ill,” Snyder said. “I had to choose: Was I going to stay in the hospitality business, or was I going to do the passion play?” Snyder chose family and has no regrets. “I say, thankfully, this is where I was needed,” he said. Woodstock in mind Still, that love of music lurked in the background. “When I bought the Lumberyard in the early 2000s, I wanted it to be the mu- sical refuge of Cannon Beach,” Snyder said of the downtown restaurant. “But the STACKSTOCKFEST.COM The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy PHOTO BY ERICK BENGEL Ryan Snyder, president of Martin North town wasn’t ready for it.” Last year the Lumberyard was trans- formed into the Public Coast Brewing Co., and Snyder took another shot at establishing it as a musical hub, hosting numerous weekly performances. “We ended up having this wonderful summer of music,” Snyder said. “We couldn’t really keep up with the number of requests. We get three emails a day from bands wanting to play.” With the success of relatively small shows at Public Coast, as well the younger demographic tuning in to craft beer culture, Snyder saw the potential for something bigger. Originally he envisioned a predomi- nantly acoustic, singer-songwriter-based music festival. But when Snyder’s Port- land-based creative team suggested the name’ “’Stackstock,” a Haystack Rock play on Woodstock, a light bulb went off. Like the iconic 1969 festival, ’Stackstock would bring together a variety of styles. Artist booking was turned over to the well-connected Portlander Alicia J. Rose, who quickly assembled a roster emblem- atic of the city’s contemporary indie rock scene. The lineup The day kicks off at 1 p.m. with Won- derly, a crisp, sentimental, acoustic duo. (Before arriving at ’Stackstock, Wonderly will also teach a class at Seaside High School.) The Edna Vazquez Acoustic Trio offer full-throated, Spanish-language folk that sparkles and sears. Cardiod play synth-driven pop that’s snappy and moody. The OK Chorale includes Kate Sokol- off, who came up with the ’Stackstock name. With a catalog of contemporary cover songs, they invite audiences to sing along — think karaoke by committee. Ages and Ages, too, employ a choir, though their big sing-along choruses stay mainly within the group. Pure Bathing Culture’s synth-and-guitar pop is misty and hook-fi lled. Headlining is The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy, performing his dense, literary, anachronistic folk solo. Aside from music, ’Stackstock affords Snyder the opportunity to infuse his other passions: food, beer and hospitality. Taking place at the Haystack Gardens outdoor event space, ’Stackstock will be fl ush with food and drink from across the Martin umbrella, including Public Coast Brewing Co. beers, and eats from Way- farer Restaurant’s Chef Josh Archibald’s mobile smokehouse. The offerings won’t be limited to Mar- tin brands. Local and regional producers are joining the fray, including the Cannon Beach Distillery, Sleepy Monk coffee and more. “What we have exceeds my expecta- tions,” said Snyder, referring not only to the musical acts, but the event as a whole. “This is a great thing for us because we can showcase our backyard to some peo- ple that probably don’t know how cool Cannon Beach is in the early fall.” Whether ’Stackstock will become an annual event or, like the namesake Wood- stock, a one-off, Snyder is unsure. “It was such a dream of mine to make this happen,” he said. “I’m so focused on it that I can’t see beyond it to what the future holds.” CW
