No public nuisance here
Band of police offi cers to
play New Year’s Eve show
BY NIKKI DAVIDSON
Illuminated by red and blue lights in
a full taproom at Fort George Brewery, a
band of fi ve men grabbed guitars, drum-
sticks and microphones and cranked out a
setlist of crowd-pleasing cover songs.
The gig was quite diff erent from what
they do under fl ashing lights of the same
colors at their day jobs. Each of them
works in law enforcement in Astoria.
Lead vocalist Jason Hoover works at
the Clatsop County Sheriff ’s O ffi ce, while
Kevin Berry, Chris McNeary and Andrew
Randall work for the Astoria Police
Department and bass guitarist Keith War-
ren works as a Port of Astoria security
offi cer.
Getting together to play music is an
escape from the stress of their jobs.
“You don’t think about police work
when you’re up playing the guitar and
singing and listening for the drums,” said
McNeary, guitarist and vocalist. “It’s defi -
nitely putting you out of that zone where
you’re doing police work, which, as many
people know, is pretty stressful right now.”
The men formed the unlikely band on a
whim. Berry had played guitar since col-
lege and was asked to perform at the Clat-
sop County Fair in 2019 after posting a
few cover songs on YouTube . He agreed
under the condition he could perform with
some law enforcement friends who were
also musically inclined. The group formed
plans to put on a one-time show under the
ironic band name Public Nuisance.
The county fair performance was a
fundraiser for the Oregon Fallen Badge
Foundation, which supports families of
offi cers killed in the line of duty. The guys
noticed the group’s work in action in 2016
when Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding
Photos by Nikki Davidson
ABOVE: The Yard Dogs band is made up of
people who work in law enforcement. LEFT:
The Yard Dogs perform in a concert at Fort
George Brewery in December.
New Year’s Eve concert
Yard Dogs
10 p.m. Friday at the Worker’s Tavern
281 W. Marine Drive, Astoria
See Page 9
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