6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM FOR ART’S SAKE Brian Bovenizer and The New Old Stock perform at fourth annual Tillamook Head Gathering fundraiser By KATHERINE LACAZE FOR COAST WEEKEND rom a field trip to watch a national tour performance of “Cinderella” in Portland to workshops and assemblies, arts enrichment opportuni- ties at Seaside High School have become more accessi- ble in recent years thanks to the Tillamook Head Gather- ing and its annual fundraiser, coming up Saturday, Jan. 13. “There are so many things in education that are important that you can’t necessarily quantify,” said English teacher Mark Mizell, one of the Gath- ering’s original founders. “Ideally, what schools do when they’re doing their best work is encouraging kids to find things of interest they can access for the rest of their lives.” The arts, he believes, play a big role in accomplishing that. They will be celebrat- ed, and fundraised for, at the fourth annual Tillamook Head Gathering, taking place at the Seaside Civic & Convention Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. F Featured performers Each year, the Gathering features a different perform- ing arts or musical group, COURTESY MARK MIZELL Emcee Ben Chambers, who teaches at Seaside High School or someone who works in another artistic profession. Songwriter and musician Brian Bovenizer, with his backing band The New Old Stock, is headlining this year’s event. The Astoria-based mu- sical group includes pedal steel guitarist Jamie Gre- enan, guitarist Jeff Munger, bassist Luke Ydstie and drummer Olaf Ydstie. In the past, Bovenizer described the band’s sound as “surf country,” although it’s evolved to encompass more rock ‘n’ roll, he said. As a teenager, Bovenizer, originally from the Chicago area, worked for Peterson Electro-Musical Products, a music-electronics company COURTESY BRIAN BOVENIZER Brian Bovenizer (center) and The New Old Stock COURTESY MARK MIZELL Kelsey Mousley plays at the 2017 Tillamook Head Gathering. that specializes in instrument tuning devices, through which he was introduced to various country artists. Since then, he has remained in the music industry, working a variety of jobs, from booking and marketing to performing. “The music industry is constantly evolving, and I’m interested in keeping up on it all the time,” he said. In 2009, Bovenizer “moved to Astoria to launch a songwriting project and started picking up gigs playing drums for bands,” he said, adding that drums were his initial instrument of choice. He got connected with Munger, Greenan and the Ydstie brothers about two years ago. “Right off the bat, it clicked,” he said. “I’m hap- py to be writing songs and have a cool band behind me. … The guys who are with me are all pros.” When it comes to songwriting, Bovenizer is inspired through random cir- cumstances and situations, like surfing or being in the middle of a river in a canoe. “Most of the songs that end up being the ones I per- form just come from stream of consciousness,” he said. In general, the people he’s met in Astoria have “opened up the music” for him. Continued on Page 21