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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2015)
Wi nte r M u s i c Fe s t i va l t o i n c l u d e fo l k a n d a l i t t l e f u n k Formerly known as the Winter Folk Festival, this year’s two-day music fest will see the return of festival favorites as well as introduce some music with a little more edge under its new moniker, The Winter Music Festival. “It’s always been Winter Folk Fest,” said Rachel Pearson, chairwoman of the Friends committee that is shaping the direction of the new Winter Music Festival, which Pearson explained will keep an emphasis on folk while expanding the genre and diversity with new headliners like The Shook Twins and Jonathan Edwards. The goal isn’t to change as much as refresh the popular festival with more variety of sound while keeping the overall fl avor. Ten musicians, singers and ensembles will fi ll the FEC with music on Saturday, Jan. 16, and Sunday, Jan. 17. The folk- focused festival began in the early 2000s, when a Mapleton-based band called The Singing Loggers put on a concert and showcased some of the area’s homegrown talent. Since then, the festival has mainly featured headliners popular in the folk music scene. The Winter Music Festival is focusing on the “ABCs” of the folk genre: Americana, Blues and Contemporary music. Among those performing at this year’s festival will be Crow and the Canyon, Cabin Fever NW, John Craige, Ian McFeron, True North, Bob Haworth and the popular contemporary folk music of Pretty Gritty, who returns for the second year to the festival. In addition, the stage will welcome local performers, such as up-and-coming singer and Siuslaw High School graduate Billy Jones, who will open the music festival Jan. 16. Also, local singer/ songwriter Molly Hardin, who recently sang at Backstreet Gallery during September’s Rods ’n’ Rhodies in Old Town. Pre-sale of Winter Music Festival tickets have begun and continue through Jan. 15. A full weekend pass includes admission to the Jonathan Edwards and Shook Twins concerts, with Saturday and Sunday passes, all for a special pre-sale ticket price of $43. Individual Saturday passes (10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) are $12.50. Sunday passes (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) are also $12.50. Tickets for the Jonathan Edwards and Shook Twins concert (7 p.m.) are $28. Individual tickets will go on sale Nov. 16. And while some things have changed, others — like the opportunity to introduce students to live music — will remain. “In 2000, I heard The Trail Band in a concert put on by Florence Performing Arts, which is now SEAcoast. I thought, ‘We’ve got to get the school kids in to hear this,’” Pearson said. “It seemed like a simple thing, but now this is my part- time job. It is my passion, the music and the kids.” For Pearson, the most important aspect of the festival is the kids’ concert, when 900 area youth from Siuslaw, Mapleton and Reedsport school districts get a “top-quality educational concert in a real theater.” The Trail Band, an Oregon- based eight-piece ensemble that features songs from the Oregon Trail era, will be returning to give the traditional kids concert this year on Jan. 14. After the fi rst successful kids’ concert, the music committee decided to combine it with the folk concert by The Singing Loggers. The kids’ concert will also feature Lynn Anderson’s students in traditional Native American regalia and dances. The artisan fair will continue in the meetings rooms throughout the festival, with the addition of wine and cider tastings. A new caterer will be at the FEC during the event as well. Visit www.eventcenter.org or go to the FEC box offi ce at 715 Quince Street for tickets. S E Aco a s t b r i n g s h e a r t t h ro b vo c a l i s t Ke n L av i g n e t o Fl o re n ce Ken Lavigne. He’s got the looks. He’s got the charm. He’s most certainly got the voice. And now SEAcoast has got him for Florence. “Ken has performed on many world stages, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and in England for Prince Charles. It Page 4 will be a great date night or girl’s night out on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m,” says Sandy Kuhlman, SEAcoast board member and producer for the concert. Lavigne will make an appearance for residents at Spruce Point Assisted Living earlier in the day on Saturday as part of SEAcoast’s community outreach effort. “Ken is a great tenor both in an operatic sense, but also in the tradition and stylings of the all-time great crooners,” adds Kuhlman. “He has been labeled a charmer, a storyteller, a humorist, and an inspiring messenger of hope. He enjoys Celtic favorites, show tunes from popular Broadway musicals, and though he has a fl air for the operatic, no one should pigeonhole him as just an opera singer. He’ll bring it all to the Event Center stage.” Critics around the world write of Lavigne, “His voice seemed to be liquid gold, a pure lyric sound that had surprising undertones in his unforced lower range. While it was always excellent, there were times when the focus was so precise as to soothe and excite at the same time,” and “This is a tenor whose time has come... who has all that is needed to soar to the top of his fi eld. The timbre of his high notes, the strength and mellowness of his low tones, his controlled vibrato and crystal clear falsetto — what a voice! What a performer!” Lavigne is the second in a seven- performance lineup SEAcoast is bringing to the Florence Events Center this season that includes; guitarist Jesse Cook, Jan. 29; Ballet Fantastique, Feb. 20; the Glenn Miller Orchestra, March 18; Shuffl e (a group so multitalented they let the audience pick the playlist), April 7; and gypsy-jazz artists The New Hot Club of America, May 13. “For 35 years SEAcoast Entertainment Association has provided Florence with world-class entertainment at affordable prices – from household names to undiscovered gems,” says SEAcoast president Ernie Doud. “From classics to jazz, from eclectic to electric, from ballet to big band, you will love this season’s variety. There will be something for everyone.” “The best way to enjoy all of these amazing shows is with the $150 season ticket package—if you buy before Ken’s Lavigne’s concert,” says Doud. “Individual concert tickets are $30 each, so that’s still a per-show savings of $5! As a season subscriber you can enjoy all concerts from the same great seats at every performance.” Tickets, artist profi les, show times, video clips, and more information are available at are at SEAcoastEA.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the Florence Events Center box offi ce, 715 Quince Street; or by phone at 541-997- 1994. The Florence Events Center website: www.eventcenter.org
