ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, December 16, 2017
BRIEFLY
Bart Budwig offers
holiday download
ENTERPRISE — In the
spirit of the holiday season,
musician Bart Budwig is
offering a free digital download
of his upcoming release,
“Sabai.”
The album’s namesake
is a cabin located on a bluff
overlooking the Minam River
in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. It
was at that location that Budwig
immortalized his solo tunes.
It includes some fan
favorites, like “The Captain
& the Dreamer” and “Four
Leaf Clover,” and some brand
new songs, including “Two
Night Stands” and “Strong
Coffee.” It also features “Every
Word,” which he wrote but
had forgotten about until
discovering it on YouTube via
a friend.
To get the download, visit
https://bartbudwig.bandcamp.
com by Monday, Dec. 18, click
“Buy” and enter $0 or a larger
amount. Gratuities, Budwig
said, are greatly appreciated and
will be used for warmth and
food for the wintry months. The
album will be officially released
Feb. 1.
Budwig is the resident
sound engineer at Enterprise’s
OK Theatre. For more
information contact Budwig at
bartbudwig@gmail.com.
East Oregonian
Page 3C
MISSION
Chicks with Hits brings top country artists to Wildhorse
East Oregonian
Among the most recognizable
female artists in country music, Pam
Tillis, Terri Clark and Suzy Bogguss
will take the stage together at Wild-
horse Resort & Casino.
The Chicks with Hits tour
welcomes the trio Friday, Jan. 26 at
8 p.m. in the Rivers Event Center.
Tickets for the 21-and-older show
are $49 to $79 and are available
at the Wildhorse Gift Shop or
www.wildhorseresort.com. Active
military personnel and veterans can
purchase up to four tickets at a 20
percent discount by showing identi-
fication at the gift shop.
A no-host bar will be available
during the show. In addition, a
country dance after party, which
includes free line dancing lessons,
will be held in Cayuse Hall
following the show.
The trio has racked up nearly
40 top 10 hits, sold more than
10 million records and received
numerous awards. Each of the ladies
possesses extraordinary guitar skills
and captures their audiences with
amazing acoustic sounds.
Tillis was born with country
music in her blood as the daughter
of country music star Mel Tillis.
Determined from a young age to
find her own way as a singer and
songwriter, Tillis’ decades-long
Contributed photo
Chicks with Hits — featuring Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bog-
guss — will perform Jan. 26 at Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
career has accomplished just that.
Her rise to stardom began in the
early 1990s with hits like “Mi Vida
Loca (My Crazy Life),” “Maybe It
Was Memphis,” “Shake the Sugar
Tree” and “Spilled Perfume.”
She has six number ones and 14
top 10 singles. In addition, Tillis is
a two-time Grammy Award winner
and has received two Country Music
Association awards.
As a songwriter, Tillis’ songs
have been recorded by respected
names throughout all genres of
music, including Chaka Khan,
Juice Newton, Dan Seals and
Conway Twitty.
Clark, a dynamic, no-holds-
barred live performer, is capable of
throwing down some impressive
guitar work. The winner of eight
CMA Entertainer of the Year awards
and five Female Vocalists of the
Year awards, Clark has sold more
than five million albums, with 13
top 10 singles.
Her major hits include “If I Were
You,” “You’re Easy on the Eyes,”
“Better Things to Do,” “I Just Wanna
be Mad” and “Girls Lie Too.” Clark
is the only Canadian female artist to
be a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Rounding out the trio, Bogguss
has sold four million records with
radio hits like “Outbound Plane,”
“Someday Soon,” “Letting Go,”
“Drive South” and “Hey Cinder-
ella.”
But, you can’t peg Bogguss into
one genre that easily. In 2003, she
made an album of modern swing
music with Ray Benson, “Asleep
At The Wheel,” and in 2007 an
album of original music landed her
at number four on the jazz charts.
While she can be called a country
singer, that’s just the beginning of
her talents. Bogguss is also a radio
host, author and Grammy Award
winner.
The three musicians are excited
to be on the road together. Clark
said she had been pondering putting
together an all-female package for
several years.
“There is a short list of women
who can play and sing and have the
hits to back it up,” she said
Bogguss agreed, saying each of
them love singing, and have a desire
to make people feel something with
their songs.
“Our music blends beautifully,
we all have an appreciation for
tradition, folk and country rock and
share many of the same influences,”
Tillis said. “Between the harmonies
and the humor, it’s going to be pretty
darn fun.”
WHAT TO DO
Festivals
Christmas Light Show
•Begins Dec. 1; nightly
•SAGE Center, 101 Olson
Road
www.visitsage.com
Free. Light show accompa-
nied by Christmas music (tune
into 106.9 FM on car radio).
Skating with Santa
Contributed photo
One-man cello band
raises ‘Holiday Spirits’
PENDLETON — With
tongue firmly planted in cheek,
Cellotronik is embarking
on a tour featuring hilarious
Christmas songs.
Cellotronik is Skip
vonKuske, founding member
of the famed Portland Cello
Project. The one-man cello
band will give a tip of the
hat and a wink to the holiday
season during performances
in support of his EP, “Holiday
Spirits.” In addition, vonKuske
will perform original music and
covers you’d never expect from
one guy with a cello.
Catch the holiday fun
during the Eastern Oregon
Brewery Tour, which provides
an opportunity to tip back a
glass or two. The tour kicks off
Wednesday, Dec. 20 from 7-9
p.m. at Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St.,
Pendleton. There is no cover
charge for the all-ages show.
The rest of the tour includes
Thursday, Dec. 21 at 1188
Brewing Company in John
Day; Friday, Dec. 22 at Barley
Brown’s Brew Pub in Baker
City; and Saturday, Dec. 23 at
Side A Brewing in La Grande.
For more information about
the Pendleton appearance,
contact 541-276-1350 or
bookpendleton@gmail.com.
For more about Cellotronik,
visit www.cellotronik.com.
‘Elf’ raises money
for Operation
Graduation
BOARDMAN — A special
showing of “Elf” will help
usher in the holiday season and
raise money for Riverside High
School’s Operation Graduation.
The event is Friday,
Dec. 22 at 7:15 p.m. at the
SAGE Center, at 101 Olson
Road, Boardman. People are
encouraged to dress in their
cozy pajamas The cost is $3 per
person, which includes a bag of
popcorn. Additional donations
will be accepted.
The flick features Will
Ferrell as Buddy, who was
accidentally transported to the
North Pole as a toddler and
raised to adulthood among
Santa’s elves. Unable to shake
the feeling that he doesn’t quite
fit in, the incredibly exuberant
adult Buddy (in full elf attire)
travels to New York in search of
his real father.
For more information, call
541-481-7243 or visit www.
visitsage.com.
———
Submit information to:
community@eastoregonian.
com or drop off to the attention
of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E.
Main St., Hermiston or Renee
Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave.,
Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539
or 541-966-0818 with questions.
•Saturday, Dec. 16; 11 a.m.-
2 p.m.
•Roy Raley Ice Rink, 1205
S.W. Court Ave., Pendleton
www.pendletonparksandrec.
com
Free, but kids 10 and under
must be accompanied by an
adult. Pictures with Santa, on
ice activities, bonfire and warm
drinks.
Hermiston Farmers Christ-
mas Market
•Saturday, Dec. 16; 2-6 p.m.;
Sunday, Dec. 17; 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
•Hermiston Conference Cen-
ter, 415 S. Highway 395
www.facebook.com
Free. Includes festivities,
crafts, food.
Pendleton Living Nativity
•Sunday, Dec. 17; 6-9 p.m.
•Roy Raley Park, 1205 S.W.
Court Ave., Pendleton
www.facebook.com
Free. Features Izzy the Cam-
el. In addition, live animals and
actors portray the Biblical story of
Jesus’ birth. Walk-through only
from 6-7 p.m.; drive or walk from
7-9 p.m.
Melonville Comedy Festival
•Saturday, Jan. 27; 8 p.m.
•Hermiston Conference Cen-
ter, 415 S. Highway 395
www.facebook.com
$35. 21-and-older show fea-
tures co-headliners Kermet Apio
and Derek Richards. Opening
the show is Cory Michaelis. Tick-
ets available at the conference
center. Food available for pur-
chase.
Art, Museums
& Authors
“Season of Magic”
•Saturday & Sundays, noon-
5 p.m.
•Arts Portal Gallery, 508 N.
Main St., Milton-Freewater
www.facebook.com
Free. Holiday-themed art ex-
hibit. Runs through Dec. 17.
The Art of the Gift
•Tuesday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4
p.m.; Saturdays, noon-4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St.
www.pendletonarts.org
Free. Gallery features cre-
ative gifts from craftspeople from
across the nation. Runs through
Dec. 30.
Dean Kindle & the Eastern Ore-
gon Playboys, Lincoln Barr and
a whole host of other local mu-
sicians. Holiday cheer starts at
noon and continues into the af-
ternoon/evening.
21 and older. Eat. Drink.
Think. Teams of 2-8 compete in
trivia contest with other teams.
Live host and prizes, including
$50 gift card for winning team.
Great Gifts Show
“Holiday Spirits”
•Wednesday, Dec. 20; 7-9
p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. All-ages. Features
Cellotronik. Skip vonKuske,
founding member of the Portland
Cello Project, presents hilarious
Christmas songs in support of
his holiday EP release.
•Wednesday, Dec. 20; 8 p.m.
•40 Taps, 337 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton
No cover. Includes ugly
sweater contest and prizes.
•Tuesday-Sundays, 10 a.m.-
6 p.m.
•Peterson’s Gallery and
Chocolatier, 1925 Main St., Bak-
er City
www.petersonsgallery.net
Free. Features hand-select-
ed recommendations for Christ-
mas gifts from new productions
by local favorite artists. Items
include ornaments, vases, pho-
tography and unique pieces that
can be used as stocking stuffers.
“Art of Survival - Enduring
the Turmoil of Tule Lake”
•Monday-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-
5 p.m.,
•Tamástslikt Cultural Institute,
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. Exhibit
probes the complexity of the Jap-
anese-American
confinement
site in Newell, California, during
World War II. Runs through Jan.
7.
Music
The Spirit of the Season
•Saturday, Dec. 16, 4 p.m.
•Echo Community Center, 20
Bonanza St.
•Sunday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m.
•Connell High School, 1100
W. Clark St., Connell, WA
www.inlandnorthwestmusi-
cians.com
Free, donations accept-
ed. Holiday cone of the Inland
Northwest Musicians (due to
limited seating, reservations are
required for the Echo concerts by
calling 541-289-4696).
Debra Arlyn & the Good-
ness
•Saturday, Dec.16; 8 p.m. No
cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission.
Great Pacific Christmas
Extravaganza
•Sunday, Dec. 17; noon-8
p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. All ages. Music
from 3-7 p.m. Get ready to amp
up your holiday spirit with James
Nuketown
Christmas Trivia
Men’s Shopping Bazaar
•Thursday, Dec. 21.; 4:30-8
p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
No cover. Grab a drink and
shop with bazaar vendors.
•Friday, Dec. 22; Saturday,
Dec. 23; 8 p.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission
Wine tasting
Open Mic at GP
•Fridays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
•Thursday, Dec. 28; 7-9 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. All ages are wel-
come during the last Thursday
of each month. Bring your instru-
ment, voice, family and friends.
Funk Factory
•Friday, Dec. 29; Saturday,
Dec. 30, Sunday, Dec. 31; 8 p.m.
No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off I-84
Exit 216, Mission.
Jam Night with Josiah
•Friday, Jan. 19; 6:30-9 p.m.
•Historic Balch Hotel, 40 S.
Heimrich St., Dufur
No cover. Bring your favorite
instrument and share the tunes.
Extra percussion available for
musicians to play.
Night life
Christmas Charity Pool
Tournament
•Saturday, Dec. 16; 2 p.m.
•Midway Tavern, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
$10/tournament entry; $5/
spaghetti feed. Benefits Hermis-
ton Senior Center. Call 541-567-
5180 for more information.
Karaoke w/DJ David
•Saturdays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
DJ & Trivia
•Saturdays; 9 p.m.
•Midway Tavern, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
Mac’s Trivia Night
•Tuesdays; 7 p.m. No cover
•Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton
•Fridays, 4-8 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo.
Karaoke w/DJ David
Fugly Sweater Party
•Friday, Dec. 22; 8 p.m.
•40 Taps, 337 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton
No cover. Costs $5 to enter
ugly sweater contest. Everyone
MUST wear an ugly sweater to
attend.
DJ and dancing
•Fridays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Karaoke
•Fridays; 9 p.m.
•Midway Tavern, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
Cimmi’s Late Night Martini
Lounge
•Fridays; 9 p.m.-midnight
•Virgil’s at Cimmiyotti’s, 137
S. Main St., Pendleton
No cover. Features martinis,
mixology and music.
Theater, stage,
film & lectures
Live Cinema: “The Nut-
cracker”
•Sunday, Dec. 17; 2 p.m.;
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m.
•Power House Theatre, 111
N. Sixth St., Walla Walla
www.phtww.com
$15/adults,
$10/students.
Filmed live in London, it features
the Royal Ballet. Beer, wine and
snacks available for purchase.
“Elf”
•Friday, Dec. 22; 7:15 p.m.
•SAGE Center, 101 Olson
Road, Boardman
www.visitsage.com
$3/includes popcorn. People
are encouraged to wear their pa-
jamas. Fundraiser for Riverside
High School Operation Gradu-
ation. Additional donations ac-
cepted.
“As the Ball Drops on
Times Square”
•Sunday, Dec. 31; 5:30 p.m.
•Maxwell Siding Event Cen-
ter, 145 N. First Place, Hermis-
ton
$45. Murder mystery dinner
theater presentation features
prime rib or lemon chicken din-
ner. Also, party favors and toast-
ing in the new year with sparkling
cider. Formal wear encouraged,
but not required. For tickets, call
541-571-7293 or 541-567-8774.
Swim Team Talent Show
•Saturday, Jan. 6; 7 p.m.
•Hermiston High School
commons, 600 S. First St.
$10/person,
$30/family.
Raises money for transporta-
tion costs for Hermiston High
School swim team. Intermission
includes a bake sale and a raffle
for an iPad and numerous gift
cards.
Cabin Fever Concert
•Saturday, Jan. 13 & Satur-
day, Jan. 20; 6 p.m.
•Hermiston Conference Cen-
ter, 415 S. Highway 395
$15/show only, $38/dinner &
show. Limited tickets available
for the Dutch oven dinner by
Sharon’s Sweet Treats. John
Wambeke & Friends provide
an evening of music and hu-
mor. Tickets available at Cot-
tage Flowers, 1725 N. First St.,
Hermiston.
Hot tickets
•Dirty Voltage. (AC-DC trib-
ute band) Dec. 31, Pheasant Bar
& Grill. Tickets ($20) via https://
thepheasant.ticketleap.com
•Dancing with the Hermis-
ton Stars. Jan. 13, Hermiston
High School. Tickets ($10-$20)
via www.desertartscouncil.com
•Chicks with Hits (featuring
Pam Tillis, Terri Clark and Suzy
Bogguss), Jan 26 at Wildhorse
Resort & Casino. Tickets for the
21-and-older shows ($49-$79)
available via the Wildhorse Gift
Shop or www.wildhorseresort.
com
———
Want to get your event list-
ed in our calendar? Send in-
formation to community@eas-
toregonian.com, or c/o Tammy
Malgesini, 333 E. Main Street,
Hermiston, OR, 97838.
MOVIE REVIEW
‘The Last Jedi’ a welcome disturbance in the Force
By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer
A welcome disturbance in the
Force, Rian Johnson’s “The Last
Jedi” is, by wide measure, the
trippiest, scrappiest and most rule-
breaking “Star Wars” adventure
yet.
Not the exercise in nostalgia
that was J.J. Abrams’ “The Force
Awakens,” Johnson’s Episode VIII
takes George Lucas’ space opera in
new, often thrilling, and sometimes
erratic directions while finding the
truest expression yet of the saga’s
underlying ethos of camaraderie in
resistance to oppression. Though
there are countless familiar broad
strokes — rebel escapes, Jedi soul-
searching, daddy issues — “The
Last Jedi” has discovered some
new moves yet, in the galaxy far,
far away.
As the second installment in this
third “Star Wars” trilogy, “The Last
Jedi” is like the inverted corollary
of “The Empire Strike Back” (long
the super fan’s favorite). While it
is, like its part-two predecessor,
often murky and weird, Johnson’s
frequently comic film distinguishes
itself by upending the traditional
power dynamics of heroes and bit
players in the Star Wars galaxy.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
★★★☆
PG-13, 152 minutes
Lucasfilm via AP
This image released by Lucasfilm shows Daisy Ridley as Rey in
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Here, the odds-defying daredevil
flyboy (Oscar Isaac as Resistance
pilot Poe Dameron) is an impetuous
chauvinist, at odds with a female
commander (a purple-haired Laura
Dern). “Get your head out of your
cockpit,” admonishes Leia (the late
Carrie Fisher, to whom the film is
dedicated). The master-apprentice
relationship — previously Yoda
instructing young Luke Skywalker
(Mark Hamill) on a swampy
remote planet — is now tilted more
toward Rey, the young Jedi (Daisy
Ridley), sent to stir a monkish
Skywalker from a windswept,
Porg-infested isle. And instead of a
Tauntaun’s guts being spilled, there
are even moments of animal rights
reflections creeping into the galaxy.
About to bite into his rotisserie
dinner, Chewbacca, with a sad
groan, is struck by pangs of doubt.
Abrams’s finest touch in his
zippy and nimble reboot was in
his diverse casting — in particular
Ridley and John Boyega, as Finn,
the Stormtrooper turned good guy.
But Johnson, who also wrote the
film, has gone further to shake up
the familiar roles and rhythms of
Star Wars. Scattershot and loose-
limbed, “The Last Jedi” doesn’t
worship at its own altar, often
undercutting its own grandiosity.
Those breaks of form —
formerly mostly reserved for a
smirking Harrison Ford — will
throw some diehards. Especially in
the surreal isolated scenes of Rey
and Luke — where Luke, with a
thick gray mane and a hermit’s foul
manner is seen drinking a creature’s
breast milk and pole-vaulting from
rock to rock — “The Last Jedi”
teeters on the edge of camp.
It’s not surprising that Johnson,
the director of the twisty time-
traveling noir “Looper,” has made
a movie full of clever inversions.
What’s jarring is that he’s made
a “Star Wars” film that tries to
not take itself too seriously, while
simultaneously making it more
emotional.
Yet before its considerable
payoff, “The Last Jedi” feels
lost and grasping for its purpose.
Unlike the earlier films, the
less tactile “The Last Jedi” isn’t
much for world building, and its
sense of place isn’t as firm. As
an intergalactic travelogue, it’s a
disappointment.