The daily Astorian., December 06, 2018, Page 9, Image 9

DECEMBER 6, 2018 // 9
R. NEIL HAUGEN PHOTO
COURTESY JOHN DOAN
Harp guitars being played in his undated photo labeled
Knutsen Farm with the high-collared fashions suggesting it is a Victorian-era scene.
In the past 30 years, Doan has per-
formed in China and Russia; more recent
tours have taken him to tiny towns in
England and Switzerland. Although he has
played for an audience of 1,200, he prefers
the togetherness of an intimate concert.
“People spend time face to face with
each other,” he said. “We have taken that
‘face to face’ out of the equation … we
have a curious situation that has evolved to
our present crisis in polarity in our society.”
He hopes people will “unplug” and
embrace personal interactions, noting that
today’s anonymous online connectivity
minimizes personal interactions, perpet-
uating the distancing process begun by
recordings, radio, TV and movies. (He is
not alone. John Phillip Sousa demonized
the phonograph in 1906.)
The Friday, Dec. 7, event will be held
at the Lewis and Clark Bible Church in
Astoria thanks to organizers Lynda and Mi-
chael Leamy. Doan has appeared at venues
like Astoria High School and the Liberty
Theatre, but has played at the more intimate
church once before, said Lynda Leamy.
Doan is an associate professor of music
at Willamette University.
Souls filled with song
The Astoria event likely will be his last
Northwest appearance, however, because
he is moving from his Salem home to San
COURTESY JOHN DOAN
John Doan enjoys collecting zithers and
other rare stringed instruments. This celest-
aphone dates to 1913.
Diego to be closer to family.
Evelyn Laughman, of Astoria, was
introduced by friends to Doan’s music and
now a regular listener to his performances
on YouTube.
John Doan and his 20-string harp guitar will come to Astoria one last time Friday, Dec. 7, before
the Willamette University music specialist moves to San Diego. He encourages people to sing
along in an intimate concert setting to encourage human connectivity.
“He not only is a wonderful musician,
he is a marvelous storyteller taking you to
places most have never been,” she said. She
and a handful of others recently attended one
of his in-home concerts. “John truly lives his
music, and I feel our souls were filled with
song. It’s an afternoon I’ll never forget.”
When touring, Doan collects unusual in-
struments like his harp guitar, autoharp and
classical banjo, plus myriad zithers, many
from Germany and Austria. He delights,
too, in sharing old photos of groups playing
instruments that have gone out of vogue.
One shows the Seaside Band from the turn
of the 20th century; another is a long-ago
Asian mandolin ensemble with coast con-
nections.
“I like having fun and being zany on
stage,” he said. “The professor who is
sharing his ‘research,’ sometimes tongue in
cheek.”
He started the Christmas-themed show
in 1986 highlighting the Victorian era. His
break came when Oregon Public Broad-
casting recorded “A Victorian Christmas
with John Doan” and licensed it to the Pub-
lic Broadcasting Service. It was nominated
for an Emmy for best entertainment special
of the year.
His CD recordings include “Wrapped
in White – Visions of Christmas Past.”
Billboard Magazine wrote, “Doan breathes
new life into musty tunes with his pristine,
intricate picking, which is laced with the
delicacy of a snowflake.”
Touching heartstrings
His presentation for the 2018 “farewell
tour” includes a portable 8-foot-tall fire-
place that provides the parlor-style back-
drop for his storytelling. He encourages his
audiences to sing seasonal songs as a way
of building community.
“It’s an unusual take for a Christmas
program,’ he said. “Sing-alongs are fun, but
to try to tell our story through the music
and reflect on archival photos of people
‘caught in the act of making their own
music’ is fun, too.
“Christmas music is America’s last folk
music. Many people will know the tunes
and we all sing them together. It is what we
did before radio and TV.”
He concludes his concerts by telling the
story of how he was inspired to contin-
ue his musical mission after playing his
20-string harp guitar for American folk
legend Burl Ives as he lay dying; Ives re-
portedly called his sound, “heavenly.”
Writer Michael Leamy, another keen
fan, is sharing in the work to bring Doan to
the North Coast one last time.
“As John Doan’s fingers touch the
strings of his vintage instruments, his music
touches the heartstrings, and stirs the soul,”
Leamy said. CW