groups, Misty River.
All sing leads. Smith usually sings the
After one Bayside rehearsal, she asked
high parts and plays fi ddle, mandolin, har-
Mack and another musician, Teresa Good-
monica and sometimes accordion. Mack’s
win, to sing the parts.
voice fi lls the middle range with what
“We all loved
Krause aff ection-
the song and spent
ately calls “her
months learning
honey tone” and
‘THAT JOY OF SINGING IN
it by ear,” Krause
accompanies with
HARMONY WITH OTHER
remembered. “I
percussion and
HUMAN BEINGS IS LIKELY
believe that Teresa
guitar. Krause
MY HAPPIEST PLACE.’
sings the low parts
came up with the
and plays rhythm
name ‘The Oyster
— Bette Lu Krause, musician and songwriter
guitar.
Crackers.’”
In recent times,
Misty River and
cellist Phyllis
the Wailin’ Jennys,
both all-women groups, provided inspiration. Taylor has added to the group’s variety of
sounds. Guest artists on the CD recordings
After about six months, Goodwin stepped
are Al Price on banjo, George Coleman on
aside. Krause and Mack, impressed by
Smith’s rich soprano and ability to play mul- guitar and Janet Clark on fi ddle.
tiple instruments, invited her to join them.
‘Special’
All said their rapport creates the magic.
Mack is especially keen to resume live,
“We have been close friends through this.
in-person performances.
We enjoy being together,” said Krause, who
“It’s a real joy to perform and connect
has been inspired by songwriting camps and
with the audience and share the stories that
classes. “That joy of singing in harmony
we are sharing musically — lyrics that peo-
with other human beings is likely my happi-
ple can relate to,” she said. “It’s scary to be
est place.”
up on stage, you bare your soul, you worry
They record rehearsals to pinpoint
about the music, but it’s also a real special
improvements.
“We are not afraid to say, ‘I’m not getting feeling. The audience responds in such a lov-
ing way to us.”
the harmony,’” Smith said.
The cover of the Oyster Crackers’ new album.
Continued from Page 6
series at the Columbia Theatre in Longview,
Washington. It is available to view at the the-
ater’s Facebook page.
While they enjoyed open mic sessions
online through Zoom, hosted by the Pen-
insula Arts Center, they began socially dis-
tanced in-person rehearsals at the River City
Playhouse in Ilwaco.
“The acoustics are great and we were at
opposite ends of the theater,” said Smith,
who directs and acts with Krause at Pen-
insula Players’ shows there. “It was a
challenge.”
‘Happy’
The trio had full lives before they were
united in music.
Krause, whose career in oceangoing ven-
tures spans four decades, recently retired
from Lindblad Expeditions, where she spent
25 years as a chief mate, expedition leader
and naturalist, occasionally leading camp-
fi re singalongs on the beaches of Baja, Cali-
fornia. A former gallery owner, she works as
an artist and is completing a mural in Long
Beach.
Smith grew up in Ohio, beginning piano
at age 5. She taught herself the accordion by
listening her mother. Her 30-year teaching
career in Oregon was mainly with third and
fourth graders.
“We started our day and ended our day
with singing — my students loved it. Music
makes me happy,” she said.
Smith taught herself guitar and harmon-
ica to use in the classroom; in retirement, she
learned the violin and mandolin.
Mack was raised in southern Germany by
parents who loved to sing outdoors. A high-
light of her youth was when her children’s
choir sang in a cathedral.
“We often sang hiking songs in har-
mony,” she recalled.
As a fan of folk music, she brought her
guitar when she moved to Long Beach in
1978.
“I have a lot of wonderful memories sing-
ing at Oysterville Vespers with Barbara
Poulshock and performing German songs
with my sister and also my friend Andrea
Patten,” she said.
ORIGINAL FINE ART
on the waterfront
port of ilwaco, wa
Inspiration
Their collaboration grew from performing
together with the Bayside Singers, a Long
Beach Peninsula choir. Krause hankered
to learn “Heather’s Song” by Rory Block,
using an arrangement by one of her favorite
marie-powell.com
360-244-0800
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021 // 7