ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, September 21, 2019
East Oregonian
Sofia Talvik bares all in new release
BOOK REVIEW
Motherhood or not?
That is the question
‘Paws of a Bear’
drops Sept. 27
Talvik is a consummate
songwriter.
The tracks on “Paws of
a Bear” also tackle some
Swedish
folk/Ameri- very specific topics. When
cana artist Sofia Talvik is asked about how this col-
prepped to release her latest lection of songs came
album, “Paws of a Bear,” together, she states, “Either
via Makaki Music on Sept. you are really good at cre-
ating a persona, like David
27.
Audiences should pre- Bowie did with Ziggy Star-
pare to hear some of Sofia’s dust, or you put your own
most personal and inti- self on the line and dare to
mate songs on
be personal … it
her eighth studio
was about things
album to date.
that matter to me.”
From the open-
Loving rela-
tionships, failed
ing notes of “Take
relationships,
Me Home,” the
growing
old,
first track on
gifts,
personal
“Paws of a Bear”
reproductive deci-
that details Sofia’s
sions, Idaho/Mon-
hometown,
it’s
J ohnny
tana wildfires and
clear that this is a
V inyl
death all get there
RIDE THE VIBE
very bare bones
due, usually from
affair. Sofia says
a very specific,
that was cer-
tainly an intention from the female point of view.
beginning.
And social shaming is
“When I recorded this more popular now than
album I wanted to keep it ever before. The last track
really stripped down. For on the album, appropri-
a while I thought I’d only ately entitled “Die Alone,”
have guitar and pedal steel deals with how when some
for the songs, but then I decide to remain child-
added some other instru- less, others feel compelled
ments,” she said. “I think to give their unsolicited
I still managed to keep opinions.
it acoustic though, and
“Everything in that song
the pedal steel is still my has been said to me … the
favorite instrument on the only thing I actually hav-
en’t been told is that I will
album.”
When
an
artist die alone … this is defi-
approaches music from a nitely the song that will stir
minimalist perspective, it up most emotions and sto-
focuses all attention on the ries at my live shows.”
She does provide some
song. And “Paws of a Bear”
has 10 tracks that prove Ms. comic relief to the pro-
C3
By RENEE
STRUTHERS
East Oregonian
Contributed by Makaki Music
Sofia Talvik’s “Paws of a Bear” is set to release Sept. 27.
ceedings with the song “I
Liked You Better.” She has
put to music the feelings/
thoughts/emotions
that
come with failed relation-
ships. And she does it with
a lot more class than Taylor
Swift has ever shown.
As if the songs weren’t
enough, Ms. Talvik did all
of the album artwork as
well. For “Paws of a Bear,”
Sofia painted a growl-
ing bear but upon closer
inspection there are images
within the bear including
a very cool self-portrait.
It’s a collage in acrylics.
For those interested in pur-
chasing prints of the album
cover or other related
items, go to https://igg.me/
at/pawsofabear.
Ms. Talvik, who has
performed several shows
at Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co., is currently
on tour in Germany. For
more information about her
music, visit www.sofiatal-
vik.com.
———
A
retired
educa-
tor, Johnny Vinyl spends
his days with Lucifer, a
10-year-old German shep-
herd, reading and riding
the vibe. His column, Ride
the vibe, focuses on enter-
tainment. Contact him via
tmalgesini@eastorego-
nian.com
For Condon native
Jackie Shannon Hollis, it
was never a question of
whether or not she would
be a mother, but when.
Growing up in the small
Gilliam County town,
daughter to a third-gen-
eration rancher, it was the
expectation of every girl
to marry and have a fam-
ily. So why did Jackie,
after years of struggle and
soul-searching, make the
decision to be childless?
“This Particular Hap-
piness” is a memoir of a
woman struggling with her
identity as a daughter, a
wife, a lover, a friend. The
expectations of her fam-
ily to maintain the status
quo warred with Jackie’s
desire for independence.
Her search for happiness
left a trail of failed rela-
tionships in its wake. And
through it all, the question:
Do I want to be a mother?
Was being the “fun aunt”
enough? Was she going
to end up a bitter, lonely
old woman, as her mother
predicted? Finding love
at last, and one that was
worth fighting for, was
almost derailed when soci-
etal and family pressures
rose up against her deci-
sion to remain childless.
Realizing that her hap-
piness, in the end, was her
responsibility and no one
else’s was a turning point.
But the struggle continues,
and the choice to forgo
having children is a com-
plicated and emotional
path that is different for
everyone, men and women
alike.
Jackie Shannon Hollis’
excruciating struggle to be
good enough, to live up to
everyone’s expectations,
is not new. Finding her
own personal happiness
meant putting aside her
people-pleasing upbring-
ing and asking what she
wanted for herself: to be
loved for who she is, not
who (or what) people want
her to be.
“This Particular Hap-
piness” is scheduled to be
released Oct. 1, 2019, by
Forest Avenue Press in
Portland.
BRIEFLY
Great Pacific
announces
upcoming shows
PENDLETON — A few
musical acts from Port-
land are cruising into town
on their way to the Modest
Music Festival in Moscow,
Idaho.
The special road trip
stop features Night Heron
(synth and slow guitar jam
brings out the funk), Seance
Crasher (synth+ guitar jams
with soul) and The Shi-
vas (explosive rock ’n’ roll
dance party). The all-ages
show is Thursday, Sept. 26
at 7 p.m. at Great Pacific
Wine & Coffee Co., 403 S.
Main St., Pendleton. There
is no cover charge.
Then, on Friday, Sept. 27,
Holiday Friends are sailing
in from Astoria. The group
offers up-tempo hooks with
shining melodies — along
with some tongue-in-cheek
lyrics. That all-ages show
also starts at 7 p.m.
For more information,
call 541-276-1350 or visit
http://greatpacific.biz.
Mural festival to
create art
ONTARIO — The inau-
gural Eastern Oregon Mural
Festival is planned in Ontario.
Organizers are teaming
up with Invoice PDX and
The Portland Street-Art Alli-
ance to host Eastern Oregon’s
first mural festival. The goal
is to engage the community
through the process of creat-
ing art and interacting with
artists during the process.
The event is Oct. 11-13
with a special focus on Sat-
urday, Oct. 12 from noon to
7 p.m. at Moore Park, located
at Oregon Street and South-
west First Avenue, Ontario. It
will feature live art, vendors
and food.
For more information,
visit www.facebook.com/
events/892711171103082.
For questions, including art-
ist inquiries, contact info@
treasurevalleycannabis.com.
WHAT TO DO
FESTIVALS
Farm to Junk
•Saturday,
Sept.
21;
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
•Downtown Hermiston
www.facebook.com
Free. Entertainment, ven-
dors, food booths, vintage
displays, FFA animal show-
case and more.
Oregon’s Alpenfest
•Sept. 26-29
•Enterprise, Joseph, Wal-
lowa Lake
www.oregonalpenfest.blog-
spot.com
Free/opening day & other
activities; performances: $18-
$20/adults, $9-$10/kids. Cel-
ebration of Swiss & Bavar-
ian culture with polka music,
folk dancing, alphorn blow-
ing, Swiss yodeling, food and
beverages.
Hermiston Oktoberfest
•Saturday, Oct. 5; 6 p.m.
•Maxwell Pavilion, 145 N.
First Place, Hermiston
www.facebook.com
No cover. Presented by
Hermiston Brewing Co., &
Nookie’s Restaurant, features
music with Jessie Leigh, tra-
ditional German food, beers
and lager, and a cornhole
tournament with cash prizes
(541-561-1047).
Oktoberfest Pendleton
•Saturday,
Oct.
12;
noon-9 p.m.
•Pendleton
Round-Up
Grounds, 1205 S.W. Court Ave.
www.facebook.com
TBA. Features food and fun
for all ages, live music and
beer for adults.
ART, MUSEUMS & AUTHORS
“Small
Works
Invitational”
•Tuesday- Friday,
10 a.m.-4 p.m.;
Saturday,
noon-4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St.
www.pendletonarts.org
Free. Features small works
of 14 regional artists in the
East Oregonian Gallery. Also,
“One Summer (of Mother-
hood)” by Lori Sams is on dis-
play in the Lorenzen Board
Room Gallery. Runs through
Sept. 28.
“Savages and Princesses:
The Persistence of Native
American Stereotypes”
•Monday-Saturday;
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Insti-
tute, near Wildhorse Resort &
Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
$10/adults, $9/senior citi-
zens, $6/youths. Features the
artwork of 13 contemporary
Native American artists —
whether using humor, sub-
tlety or irony, the exhibit is
fiercely honest. Runs through
Oct. 19.
MUSIC
Groove City
•Saturday, Sept. 21; 8 p.m.
No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar,
Wildhorse Resort & Casino,
off I-84 Exit 216, Mission.
Night Heron w/ The
Shivas
•Thursday, Sept. 26; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St.,
Pendleton
No cover. All ages. Two
Portland bands with Night
Heron offering a slow jam
and The Shivas serving up
rock ‘n’ roll.
Billy Stoops
•Thursday,
Sept.
26;
7-9 p.m.
•40 Taps, 337 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton
No cover. La Grande-based
band rocks Americana and
more.
Holiday Friends
•Friday, Sept. 27; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St.,
Pendleton
No cover. All ages. The
Astoria-based band brings
joyful pop and up-tempo
melodies.
Expertease Band
•Friday, Sept. 27; Saturday,
Sept. 28; 8 p.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar,
Wildhorse Resort & Casino,
off I-84 Exit 216, Mission.
Jamie & Luke
•Friday, Oct. 4; 6:30 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo
No cover. Eastern Oregon
natives Jamie Nasario & Luke
Basile perform blues and
more.
Camp Crush
•Saturday, Oct. 5; 7 p.m.
•Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St.,
Pendleton
No cover. All ages. New-
wave pop duo from Portland.
NIGHT LIFE
Beer and Bingo
•Saturday, Sept. 21; 6-9 p.m.
No cover
•40 Taps, 337 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton
Karaoke w/DJ David
•Saturdays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
Saturday Night Trivia
•Saturdays; 9 p.m.
•Midway Bar & Grill, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
Free. Show what you know
for fun and prizes.
‘60s Night
•Friday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m.
•Prodigal Son Brewery
& Pub, 230 S.E. Court Ave.,
Pendleton
No cover. Dust off the bell
bottoms and throw on some
love beads. A DJ will spin all
your favorite songs from the
’60s. Drink specials during the
party.
Karaoke Party
•Wednesdays & Thursdays;
9 p.m. No cover.
•The Pheasant Blue Col-
lar Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main St.,
Hermiston
Wino Wednesdays
•Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m.
•Echo Ridge Cellars, 551 N.
Thielsen St., Echo
Karaoke at the Packard
•1st/3rd
Wednesday,
9 p.m.-midnight
•The Packard Tavern, 118
S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton
No cover.
Thirsty Thursdays
•Third Thursday; 6 p.m.
•Midway Bar & Grill, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
No cover. Hosts a local
brewery offering tastings and
food pairings.
Karaoke
•Thursdays, 9 p.m.
•The Pheasant Blue Col-
lar Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main St.,
Hermiston
First Thursday Wine
Tasting
•Thursday, Oct. 3, 5-7 p.m.
•The Gathering Place at
Bellinger’s, 1823 S. Highway
395, Hermiston
Free. Features SuLei Cellars.
Wine tasting
•Fridays, 4-8 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W.
Main St., Echo.
Karaoke w/DJ David
•Fridays; 8 p.m.
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
DJ and dancing
•Fridays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant Blue Col-
lar Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main St.,
Hermiston
Karaoke
•Fridays; 9 p.m.
•Midway Tavern, 1750 N.
First St., Hermiston
Cornhole Tournament
•Friday, Oct. 4; 5-7 p.m.
•Ordnance Brewing, 405 N.
Olson Road, Boardman
No cover. (541-314-8720).
THEATER, STAGE,
FILM & LECTURES
“Newsies”
•Sept. 20-21, 27-28, Oct. 4-5
7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 5;
2:30 p.m.
•Elgin Opera House, 104 N.
Eighth St.
www.elginoperahouse.com
$8-$17. The Broadway
musical is set in New York City
and shares the story of Jack
Kelly, a charismatic newsboy
and leader of a band of teen-
aged “newsies.”
“Aladdin”
•Saturday,
Sept.
21;
2:15 p.m.
•SAGE Center, 101 Olson
Road, Boardman
www.visitsage.com
$4/person, includes pop-
corn. Children must be
accompanied by an adult.
Concessions available for
cash purchase. The 2019
release features Will Smith,
Mena Massoud and Naomi
Scott.
“Murder Among the
Mateys”
•Saturday, Sept. 28; 6 p.m.
•The Break House At
Schoolhouse Village, S.W.
Birch Street, Pilot Rock
www.facebook.com
$35/person,
$60/couple.
The interactive murder mys-
tery presentation includes
dinner and drinks. Reserve by
Sept. 20 (541-975-4845).
“Toy Story 3”
•Friday, Sept. 27; 3 p.m.
•Umatilla Public Library,
700 Sixth St.
w w w.facebook.com/
umatillapubliclibrary
Free. Movie & Snacks. View
the animated movie featuring
the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim
Allen, Joan Cusack and Ned
Beatty.
HOT TICKETS
•Kings of Hip Hop with
Tone Loc, Vanilla Ice, Biz
Markie and Color Me Badd
(18+ Oct. 4, $20-$45 via www.
ticketmaster.com) at Legends
Casino, Toppenish, WA.
•Hells Bells (21+ Oct.
26, free Halloween concert
& party); Urban Cowboy
Reunion with Mickey Gilley
and Johnny Lee (21+, Nov. 23,
$39-$59 via www.wildhorsere-
sort.com) at Wildhorse Resort
& Casino.
•Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas (Dec. 5, $40-$80
via www.ticketmaster.com) at
Toyota Center, Kennewick.
———
Want to get your event listed
in our calendar? Send infor-
mation to community@eas-
toregonian.com, or c/o Tammy
Malgesini, 333 E. Main Street,
Hermiston, OR, 97838.