ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, January 31, 2015
MUSIC REVIEW
East Oregonian
Retro Ed and his ‘River of Life’ Go see it
DATE: Friday, Feb. 6
TIME: 9 p.m. to midnight
WHERE: Hamley Steakhouse &
Saloon
COST: No cover charge
A
t its lowest common
denominator, all folk music
has one thing in common:
‘Shadows in the Night’
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan has never called
“Shadows in the Night” a Frank
Sinatra tribute album. The idea
seems nuts: one of the last
century’s greatest songwriters
challenging perhaps its greatest
voice, on Sinatra’s turf. No
wonder it was the butt of jokes
before anyone heard a note.
The fact remains that each of
the 10 standards here, written
between 1923 and 1963, was
recorded by Sinatra. Some, like
“Some Enchanted Evening”
or “That Lucky Old Sun,” are
fairly well known, others more
obscure. Dylan closed his last
few concerts with one of them,
“Stay With Me.”
The precise, and even more
intimidating, comparison is
Sinatra’s superb 1955 concept
disc, “In the Wee Small Hours.”
For these are all songs that
come to mind when the night
gets long, when missed oppor-
tunities, regrets and lost loves
come to mind. They’re the
songs you’d expect the 73-year-
old man sitting at the end of the
bar to request. Here they are
performed in muted fashion,
not with an orchestra, but with
Dylan’s band, supplemented by
a mournful pedal steel guitar
and the occasional subtle horn.
The hushed arrangements
put even more emphasis on
a voice that, let’s face it, was
never considered classic even
before being ravaged by age.
The remarkable thing is that
he pulls it off, with crooning
you’ve heard from Dylan be-
fore. Unlike his holiday album
from a few years back, where
his croak played like unin-
tentional comedy at times, he
works hard to do justice to the
songs and setting. Don’t toss
your Sinatra discs aside. By the
time Dylan reaches for the last
line in the album closer, “That
Lucky Old Sun,” you’re rooting
for him to nail it. He does.
The disc is consistent with
Dylan’s later-period emphasis on
classic American songcraft and
material that evokes mortality. It
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when it’s time to turn down the
lights and pick up a tumbler, you
could do far worse.
stories.
Folk music has survived
hundreds of years of changing
times and cultural pursuits by
consistently
providing stories
set to music. Retro
Ed’s new self-
released “River of
Life” CD is full
of 14 individual
stories that keep
that tradition alive.
Johnny
Retro Ed was
Vinyl
born Ed Merriman
Comment
and grew up in
Pendleton in the
1950s and ’60s. As a teenager he
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rock and roll. He was in several
bands during his teen years, like
Sonic Vibration and the Living
Souls, culminating with his
last band, Spring Rain, which
released a single that went, well ...
nowhere.
Deciding his professional
music career needed to take a back
seat to life, he went to work as a
journalist after obtaining a degree
from University of Oregon. Now
that he has retired from the career
in journalism, he is devoting
much of his current quality time to
Katy Perry Super
Bowl performance to
feature animals
PHOENIX (AP) — Katy
Perry says her Super Bowl
halftime performance will make
you “Roar” — with animals.
The singer told reporters at a
press conference Thursday that
her performance Sunday will
include “a lion and sharks.”
Perry, 30, said she feels
blessed to perform on the Super
Bowl stage “at such a young
age.” She said she enjoyed
past Super Bowl performances
from Beyoncé and Madonna,
and what she adds “is some
lightheartedness.”
Lenny Kravitz will join the
pop star at the University of
Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.
Perry said her performance will
also include an “old school”
female singer.
When asked if Perry had
been checking out football
players this week, she imitated
Seattle Seahawks running back
Marshawn Lynch, saying: “I’m
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Lil Wayne sues
mentor’s record
label for $51M
1(:<25.$3²
Rapper Lil Wayne has had it
with his record label. He’s suing
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$51 million after claiming that
it stiffed him for $8 million on a
record he delivered last month.
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Wednesday, Lil Wayne is
asking to nullify contracts with
the company.
The New Orleans-born Lil
Wayne says his relationship with
the label has been deteriorating
over the last four years.
A lawyer for Cash Money
didn’t immediately return a
message seeking comment.
The label was co-founded by
his mentor, Bryan “Birdman”
Williams.
Contributed photo
Ed Merriman, AKA Retro Ed, recently released “River of Life,” a CD
that includes several songs written in the 1960s-’70s, while the
rest were penned from 2010-2014.
songwriting and performance.
His style is pretty traditional
folk — a man and his guitar. And,
of course, there are the stories.
Retro Ed will be sharing his
stories Friday, Feb. 6 at Hamley
Steakhouse & Saloon. There’s no
cover charge, but bring along some
cash as Merriman will be selling
copies of his CD. (They also are
available at the Hamley’s gift shop
and at the Pendleton Chamber of
Commerce, as well as online at
CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon).
“River of Life” consists of 12
songs, or really, 12 stories that
have been given a rhythm and
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machinations of god, nights in
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women and the crazy men that
love them. Facebook even makes
an appearance.
The musical accompaniment
is only an acoustic guitar. Folk
albums can get a bit on the tedious
side to listen to since the songs
commonly sound similar. Not the
case with “River of Life.” The
accompaniment is varied enough
from song to song that each track
has its own personality within the
disc.
And the songs come from
multiple spots along the last 48
years. The oldest dates back to
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love titled “My First Girlfriend,”
while one of the more recent,
“Love Found Us on Facebook,” is
about a current as one could get.
If folk music is your thing
or if you are into hearing word-
of-mouth stories, give Retro
Ed’s “River of Life” CD a
chance — some good old stories
accompanied by the warm
sound of an acoustic guitar and a
reassuring voice. Put another log
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time.
ƒ
Johnny Vinyl is a music con-
noisseur. His column, Ride the vibe,
focuses on entertainment. Contact
him in c/o tmalgesini@eastorego-
nian.com
WHAT TO DO
Festivals
Art
Mom and Baby Expo
Kids + Art = Fun!
•Saturday, Feb. 7; 10 a.m.-5
p.m.
•Three Rivers Convention
Center, 7016 W. Grandridge
Blvd., Kennewick
www.momandbabyexpo.
com
$5/adults, free/12 and under.
Donate a package of diapers for
free admission. Vendors, toddler
nutrition, car seat safety, cloth
diapers and more.
Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 1;
kickoff 3:30 p.m.
Mac’s Super Bowl
•Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton
No cover. Includes 32 TVs,
beer specials, two fans in “hot
seat” to win $500, football
squares to win Mac’s gift cards.
Super Bowl Party
•Midway Tavern, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
No cover. Food and drink
specials, win a $150 gift card
plus other prizes throughout the
game. 22 TVs and 100” screen
with surround sound.
Super Bowl Tailgate
Party
•Nookies/Hermiston Brew-
ing Co., 125 N. First St., Herm-
iston
No cover. Games, prizes,
beer specials. Wear your team
FRORUVIRUDVSHFLDOUDIÀHWLFNHW
Super Bowl Party
BRIEFLY
Page 3C
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
1R FRYHU 5DIÀH GUDZLQJV
drink specials, free buffet, free to
enter TV giveaway
Red Zone Party
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at
Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off
Highway 331, Mission.
No cover. Drink specials, raf-
ÀHEHQH¿WLQJ:RXQGHG:DUULRU
Project), prizes.
•Saturday, Jan 31; 1-4 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Insti-
tute, near Wildhorse Resort &
Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
Free. Pepsi Primetime@the
Museum, held in conjunction
with the ArtWORKz youth show
and competition. Kids can drop
in during the afternoon and par-
ticipate in different craft stations
for a hands-on art-making after-
noon. Participants will leave with
one or more of their very own
creations.
Peterson’s New Year’s
Show
•Saturday, Jan. 31; 10 a.m.-
6 p.m. Last day
•Peterson’s Gallery and
Chocolatier, 1925 Main St., Bak-
er City
www.petersonsgallery.net
Free. Features most re-
quested artists in 2014, includ-
ing Paul Hoelscher, a painter
from Baker City; Pattie Young, a
metal artist from Boise; and Terri
Axness, a painter and ceramic
artist from Haines. Runs through
Jan. 31.
First Saturday Spin-In
•Saturday, Feb. 7, noon-4
p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St.
Fiber-obsessed folks can
drop in and bring a project to
work on. Coffee, tea and work
space provided.
ArtWORKz
•Monday - Saturdays, 9
a.m.-5 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Insti-
tute, near Wildhorse Resort &
Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
$10/adults, $9/senior citi-
zens, $6/youths, free/5 and un-
der or $25/family of four. In its
fourth year, the youth art show
highlights area youth artists.
Awards reception is Saturday,
Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. Runs through
Feb. 28.
“All Things Bright and
Beautiful”
•Monday-Thursdays,
11
a.m.-2 p.m.
•Betty Feves Memorial Gal-
lery, BMCC, 2411 N.W. Carden
Ave., Pendleton.
Free. Gallery also open by
appointment by calling 541-278-
5952. Runs through Feb. 19.
Heritage Station Museum
•Tuesday-Saturdays,
10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
•108 S.W. Frazer Ave.,
Pendleton
www.heritagestationmuse-
um.org
$5/adults, $2/student, $4/se-
niors, $10/family.
Music
Fusion
•Saturday, Jan. 31; 7:30 p.m.
•Vert Auditorium, 480 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton
www.oregoneastsymphony.
org
$20/adults,
$15/students
and seniors, $45/family. James
Dean Kindle & the Eastern
Oregon Playboys reunite with
the Oregon East Symphony &
Chorale for an evening of lush,
symphonic pop country. Dakota
Brown opens the show.
4More
•Saturday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m. to
1 a.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at
Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off
Highway 331, Mission.
Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off
Highway 331, Mission.
Night life
Adam Kessler Comedy
Show
•Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
•Sub Zero Restaurant &
Lounge, 100 W. Highway 730,
Irrigon
$10. Doors open at 5 p.m.,
comedy at 7 p.m., live DJ at 9
SP 5DIÀH DQG SUL]HV 'LQQHU
VSHFLDOV RIIFRXSOH ZLWK
comedy ticket). For reserva-
tions, call 541-922-4374.
Mix It Up
•Tuesday, Feb. 10, 5:30-7:30
p.m.
•Plateau, Wildhorse Resort
& Casino, off Highway 331, Mis-
sion.
$20/tastings and food pair-
ings. Three cocktails made
tableside, showing you how to
create the perfect cocktail. Res-
HUYDWLRQV UHFRPPHQGHG
966-1610).
Wednesday Night Wine
Club
•Wednesday, Feb. 4, 5:30-
7:30 p.m.
•Plateau, Wildhorse Resort
& Casino, off Highway 331, Mis-
sion.
$18/tastings and food pair-
ings, $40/four-course wine din-
ner. Features Naked Winery.
Wednesday Night Live!
Comedy
•Saturday, Jan. 31; 9 p.m. to
midnight. 21 and over. No cover
•Hamley Saloon, 8 S.E.
Court Ave., Pendleton
•Wednesdays, 8 p.m.
•Feb. 4: Ron Osborne
•Feb. 11: Leif Skyving
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
Joshua Best
Digital Karaoke
Lively Music Company
•Friday, Feb. 6, 7-9 p.m. No
cover
•Obie’s Express, 540 S.
Highway 395, Hermiston
Expertease
•Friday, Feb. 6; Saturday,
Feb. 7, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at
•Thursdays and Saturdays,
8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Mac’s Trivia Night
•Thursdays, 8 p.m. No cover
•Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton
21 and older. Teams of 2-8
compete in trivia contest with
other teams. Live host and priz-
es.
Wine tasting
•Fridays, 4-8 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo.
Open Mic
•First/third Friday each
month, 8 p.m. to midnight
•The Packard Tavern, 118
S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton
www.facebook.com/groups/
pendletonopenmic
Karaoke
)ULGD\V SP SP LI
game on)
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
DJ and dancing
•Fridays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Theater, stage &
film
Koontz Manor Murder
Mystery
•Saturday, Jan. 31; 7 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo
Single/$25,
couple/$40.
Wine, hors d’ouevres, intrigue.
Seating is limited, contact 541-
376-0421, info@snoroadwinery.
com
“Memphis The Musical”
•Tuesday, Feb. 3, 8p.m.
•Toyota Center, Kennewick
www.ticketmaster.com
$47-$67. From the under-
ground dance clubs of 1950s
Memphis comes a musical that
bursts off the stage with explo-
sive dancing, irresistible songs
and a thrilling tale of fame and
forbidden love.
“Beauty and the Beast”
•Register by Friday, Feb. 6
•Hermiston Parks & Recre-
ation, 180 N.W. Second St.
www.hermistonrecreation.
com
Want to get your event listed in our calendar? Send information to tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com, or c/o Tammy Malgesini, 333 E. Main Street, Hermiston, OR, 97838.
SAG win sends ‘Birdman’ Oscar hopes soaring
Because actors make up the larg-
est portion of the Academy of Mo-
tion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the
SAG Awards are considered one of
Oscar hopes for “Birdman” got
the most telling Oscar previews.
an enormous updraft over the week-
Individual acting winners usually
end with big wins from the acting
mirror each other exactly, or very
and producing guilds, possibly
nearly. Last year, the top four win-
sending the comedy soaring over
ners — Matthew McConaughey,
the perceived Academy Awards
Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong’o,
front-runner “Boyhood.”
Jared Leto — all went on to win
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s
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elegantly crafted backstage romp
ing up SAG awards.
won best ensemble Sunday night
The predictive powers of the
at the 21st annual Screen Actors
SAGs have been more checkered in
Guild Awards, a day after it also
matching its top award with eventu-
won the top honor at the Producer
al best-picture Oscar winners. In the
Guild Awards. Both guilds are seen
last six years, SAG best-ensemble
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and Academy Award best-picture
will triumph at the Oscars, which
winners have lined up three times
will be held Feb. 22.
Twentieth Century Fox
Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” Michael Keaton, left, as Riggan in a scene from the film, “Bird- (“Argo,” “The King’s Speech” and
“Slumdog Millionaire”), while di-
the acclaimed indie made with the man,” directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
verging just as often. Last year, the
unprecedented real-life time-elapse
of 12 years, has long held as the to “The Theory of Everything” star “As the World Turns,” in which she actors chose “American Hustle”
over eventual Oscar winner “12
awards seasons favorite. But “Bird- Eddie Redmayne, whose exceeding played twin sisters, good and evil.
“Then I realized it was super bor- <HDUVD6ODYH´LQWKH\SLFNHG
PDQ´¿OOVWKHUROHRIDFODVVLF2V- technical performance as Stephen
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car winner, like “Shakespeare in Hawking has equally drawn raves. ing to act by myself,” said Moore.
Accepting the award for most in 2009, “Inglourious Basterds” de-
Love,” as a celebration of showbiz. Looking down at his blue statuette
Its fortunes look especially bright — “this very wonderful skinny outstanding supporting actor for his feated “The Hurt Locker.”
So Sunday’s SAG Awards made
considering the last seven Produc- man,” he said — Redmayne dedi- performance as a domineering jazz
ers Guild Awards winners have also cated the SAG Award to sufferers teacher in “Whiplash,” Simmons two things clear: the Oscar race
thanked all 49 actors who appear in will be a nail-biter that likely pits
won best picture at the Academy and victims of ALS.
The other Oscar favorites — Ju- the drama.
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Awards.
“All of us actors are supporting the other best source of drama will
“Actors love this movie for lianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and
showing the courage actors have to J.K. Simmons — all cemented their actors,” said Simmons, a veteran probably be Keaton and Redmayne
kind of go out there and lay it on front-runner status in a glamorous, character actor. “Each of us is essen- vying for best actor.
Sunday’s show kicked things off
the line,” “Birdman” star Michael self-congratulatory ceremony that tial, completely crucial to the story
Keaton said backstage at the SAG can serve as a test-run for accep- because if there’s one false moment, ZLWKDSDLURIZLQVIRUWKH1HWÀL[
the train comes off the rails.”
prison series “Orange Is the New
Awards. He accepted the best en- tance speeches.
Moore, widely considered the
“Boyhood” star Arquette added Black,” honoring it as best ensem-
semble award with his co-stars in-
cluding Emma Stone, Edward Nor- best-actress favorite, won most out- the latest in a nearly uninterrupted ble in a comedy and naming Uzo
standing actress for “Still Alice,” in string of supporting actress awards. Aduba most outstanding actress in
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<HW .HDWRQ DOVR ORVW DW WKH which she plays an academic with “This little movie is about human a comedy series. Aduba won over a
SAGs, held Sunday at the Shrine early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. beings and it’s about bringing real number of veteran stars, including
Auditorium in Los Angeles. In- Accepting the award, she recalled life onto the screen,” she said back- Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) and
Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”).
stead, most outstanding actor went an early lesson on the soap opera stage.
By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer