ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Pow wow features
pageantry, competitions
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
Young Spirit, a champion
drumming group from Frog
Lake, Alberta, Canada, has
been named the host drum
for the 23rd annual Wild-
horse Pow Wow.
Colorful regalia, drum-
ming and dancing are
featured during the 23rd
annual event. It begins
Friday, June 30 with a grand
entry at 7 p.m. at the Pow
Wow Grounds at Wildhorse
Resort & Casino, located
off Interstate 84 at Exit 216,
Mission. There is no admis-
sion charge for spectators.
More than 300 native
dancers
—
including
youngsters, tribal elders
and men and women of all
ages — will compete for
more than $90,000 in cash
and prizes during the event,
which continues Saturday,
July 1 from 1 p.m. to
midnight and Sunday, July
2 from 1-9 p.m. Also, more
than two dozen groups will
participate in the drumming
competition, which offers
more than $30,000 in cash
and prizes, including a first
prize of $12,000.
Each day starts with a
grand entry with partic-
ipants parading into the
pow wow arena with full
regalia as they prepare to
compete in the dancing and
drumming
competitions.
In addition, there will be a
hand drum contest Saturday
and Sunday.
Young Spirit was formed
in the summer of 2001 at
a pow wow in Hobbema,
Alberta. Their goal was to
empower American Indian
youth through music and
language. The group placed
first during the 2016 Wild-
horse Pow Wow.
Their members hail from
all across Alberta, Saskatch-
ewan, British Columbia, as
well as Arizona and Cali-
fornia. Young Spirit offers
exciting performances that
compliments the round
dance style of singing. Their
music is known for getting
people on the dance floor.
In addition to appearing
on a number of compilation
albums, the group has
released several CDs. Their
latest release, “Young Spirit
‘sâkītohk-Love Each Other’
Pow-Wow Songs Recorded
Live at Apache Gold,” is
available at www.canyonre-
cords.com.
The Wildhorse Pow
Wow also features food
and American Indian arts
and crafts. More than 50
vendor booths will be set up
around the pow wow dance
arena — offering everything
from Indian fry bread and
beadwork to clothing and
jewelry.
For more information,
contact
events@wild-
horseresort.com or visit
www.wildhorseresort.com.
For overnight accommo-
dations at the hotel, recre-
ational vehicle park or Tipi
Village, call 800-654-9453.
BRIEFLY
Grooms brings country to park series
BOARDMAN — A familiar Pacific Northwest artist
that has shared the stage with country legends will perform
during the upcoming Music in the Parks.
Zac Grooms recorded his first single at age 14. Since
that time, he has won several awards and has had success
as both a solo artist, a band frontman
and a songwriter, including with
“If I Had My Way,” which
went all the way to No. 1 on
the Independent charts in
1999. Grooms continues to
be highly recognized in the
Columbia River Gorge music
community.
Grooms will perform
during the free summer show
Monday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at
Boardman Marina Park.
Contributed photo
Those planning to attend
are encouraged to bring a
blanket or lawn chairs. Concessions will be available for
purchase from Judy’s Chuck Wagon.
The free concert series alternates between Boardman and
Irrigon marina parks each Monday through Aug. 14. For
more information, call Tami Sherer at 541-571-0844.
Bluegrass festival offers music and more
FOSSIL — The tiny town of Fossil rolls out the carpet for
the 17th annual Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival.
The free three-day event kicks off Friday, June 30 from
2-9 p.m. on the lawn of the Wheeler County Courthouse,
701 Adams St., Fossil. The event continues Saturday, July 1
from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 2 from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Tent camping ($15), dry camping ($25) and recreational
vehicle parking ($35) is available at the fairgrounds. Also,
Wheeler County parks offer tent and
RV camping spots. Both locations
are first-come, first-served as no
reservations are accepted.
A unique and popular part
of the festival is the “Fossil
Song Contest,” which is
Saturday at 2:30 p.m. As in
traditional song contests, only
original unpublished songs
are allowed, but songs must be
about some feature of the local
area — the place, people,
Contributed photo
history or even imagined
events. Also, there’s a
Gospel Open Mic Sunday at 11 a.m. Those who would like
to perform during it need to register in advance.
In addition to the scheduled entertainers and jam sessions,
there are free workshops and vendors will be on hand
offering a variety of foods and crafts. Also, the event is held
in conjunction with the 13th annual Fossil Cruz-In. Entries
are accepted Saturday from, 9-11:30 a.m. and awards will be
presented at 3:30 p.m.
For more information, including a full schedule and list
of entertainers, visit www.wheelercountybluegrass.org. For
questions, contact Anne Mitchell at amitchell@rdiinc.org or
541-256-0551.
Fiddlers perform toe-tappin tunes
MEACHAM — The Blue Mountain Old Time Fiddlers
are featured performers during the 2017 Heritage Days.
The group will perform Thursday, July 6 through
Saturday, July 8 at 6 p.m. at Emigrant Springs State Heritage
Area. The laid back group from throughout the Pacific
Northwest present an unforgettable three-hour show. They
provide toe-tappin’ music at community events throughout
Eastern Oregon.
The Heritage Days activities run July 7-8 from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. It features the Oregon Trail Travelers, Buck and Suzette
Mining, Oregon Wild, muzzle loaders and working with
wood. There is no charge for the all-ages event.
Emigrant Springs is about 20 miles east of Pendleton off
Interstate 84 at Exit 234. People are invited to come up for
the day or check for overnight camping accommodations,
which can be reserved at www.oregonstateparks.org or by
calling 800-452-5687. For more information about Heritage
Days, call 541-983-2277.
East Oregonian
Page 3C
Thrift store cassette tells tale of
local musician’s brush with Nashville
V
intage cassette
tapes have become
curious cultural
artifacts as of late. No
doubt the resurgence of
the format as a budget
conscious means of
analog music distribution
has fueled some wider
renewed public interest.
The format’s ability for
individuals to dub mixes
and copies at home as
well as inexpensively
produce mass quantities of
recordings for commercial
purposes has led to an
abundance of tapes that
now populate local garage
sales and thrift stores.
For the few people who
still own tape decks or can
get their hands on one,
there are hours upon hours
of listening pleasure just
waiting to be discovered.
Take “Riders Coming
Hard” by Pendletonian
John Johnson as an
example. This six
song demo tape of
Contributed photo by James Kindle
neo-traditional country
“Riders Coming Hard” by John Johnson was released
music dating from 1990
in 1990.
recently dug
up at a local
while loading
in hand, Johnson began
thrift store is a
logs in his truck
trying to land a record
snapshot of a then
he received a call
deal. Unfortunately he was
aspiring country
from his wife
met with many dead ends,
singer-songwriter.
informing him
although he came awfully
Stylistically it
that MCA records
close.
hits all the points
had called and,
Johnson recalled
that were desired
since they didn’t
recently one meeting with
from a country
handle country
an industry executive: “I
J.D.
singer during
music, suggested
got an in with a gal by
Kindle
that era: bluesy
Johnson
go
to
the name of Linda. She
Comment
urban cowboy
Nashville to record was a promoter, manger,
grooves on
another demo.
easy going type gal. I
“Nowhere Train,”
Record industry contacts
went in, played her some
sentimentality for simpler
he had made through MCA tapes, and she was pretty
times in “Mama’s Quilt,”
suggested he work with
convinced that something
romanticization of old west recording engineer Bob
could happen but she said,
outlaws in the original title McKracken at Room at
‘Here’s the deal: I’ve got a
track, and the two step
The Top Studios.
tiger by the tail right now.
honky tonk of “Take Your
The recording of
I can’t do anything but this
Heartache Out On Me.”
“Riders Coming Hard”
guy.’ I said, ‘Shoot, maybe
The circumstances
was a brief affair. Johnson
you could have two tigers.’
surrounding the tape are
played guitar and sang
Finally we get to talking
even more fascinating
on all the tracks by
about it and I ask, ‘Who is
than the music contained
himself with little live
this guy? Have I heard of
within.
accompaniment before
him?’ She said, “No you
Johnson had cut an
booking back home to
haven’t heard of him. His
earlier demo tape in
Oregon. A series of session name is Garth Brooks.’”
Ashland while working in
musicians came in to
“Riders Coming Hard”
the logging industry out
sweeten up the recordings
did land Johnson a gig
of Medford. A copy had
with a rhythm section, lead at the Bluebird Cafe, the
been sent to MCA Records electric and fiddle.
Nashville venue reputed
in Los Angeles. One day
With a fresh demo tape
for helping launch
the careers of many
professional songwriters
like Paul Overstreet and
performers like Garth
Brooks and Taylor Swift.
In a deviation from
their normal routine of
auditioning new talent
before allowing them
on stage, owner Amy
Kurland booked Johnson
on the strength of his demo
alone since he couldn’t
commute to Nashville for
an audition.
Johnson’s further
adventures in Nashville
included brushes with
folks behind the scenes
(Michael Heeney, the
songwriter and publisher
behind Reba McEntire’s
“Have I Got A Deal
For You”), meeting
up-and-coming performers
who were on the brink
of celebrity (Johnson
chatted up Clint Black
in Dallas-Fort Worth
before the latter’s debut
single “A Better Man”
broke), and frequenting
some of Nashville’s more
idiosyncratic locales
(Johnson spent some
time hanging out at The
Castle, a recording studio
housed inside a castle style
mansion).
Johnson eventually
put aside his Nashville
aspirations as it was
compromising his family
life and business back
in Oregon although he
hasn’t stopped performing
altogether. Johnson still
performs locally with his
daughters, both singers,
under the name Rowdy
Fix. Although Rowdy
Fix revolves around
his daughters, John
occasionally takes to the
microphone. Perhaps he
might bust out a vintage
cut from the “Riders” tape.
■
James Dean Kindle
is the East Oregonian’s
entertainment columnist,
the executive director
of the Oregon East
Symphony and a Pendleton
musician. Contact him at
jamesdeankindle@gmail.
com.