Filed under: Music
Is it just me, or is October the month for birthdays? Mine included. And Mix’s – as in the Mix Drinks bar in Moscow’s Eastside Marketplace. They are celebrating one year of business tomorrow, and everyone is invited. The best part is that my sister’s cover band, Groovehaus, will be putting on a free, all-ages concert in the mall. They like to call me their most loyal fan, and of course I love to watch Heather perform. But I am just as entertained by the rest of the band, and I enjoy myself every time. Groovehaus plays a variety of music and are always adding to their repertoire, so it is impossible to peg them to a single genre. Some of their signature covers include “Those Shoes,” “Love Shack,” and a you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it rendition of “Billie Jean.” If it has been a while since you heard them, you might be surprised at how much their sound has developed. Or, if you want to check them out for the first time – and I recommend you do – drop by the Eastside Marketplace tomorrow evening (Thursday) around seven o’ clock. See you there!
Groovehaus at the 2009 Latah County Fair
Josh, Jon, Rob, Ryan, and Ben – a.k.a. Ashes Remain – came to Moscow this Sunday for the Nuart Block Party as part of the “Back To the Five” tour. They were first in a lineup of four Christian rock bands, which meant that they played through ninety degree heat in the middle of the afternoon to a meager Main Street audience.
I was blown away. Not only did the band deliver an incredible set minus the synergy of an energetic crowd, their music drew me steadily closer to the stage in a way that a band has not done in a long time. My sister, Heather, and I – being two of the few spectators on their feet – made ourselves easily recognizable and ended up making friends with Jon, the bassist, and later Josh, the vocalist.
My attempted apology for the embarrassingly small crowd was met with gratitude for simply being there. After listening to the band’s exceptional live performance, I was surprised to learn that not only are they unsigned (though currently in a “first right of refusal” agreement with a major label), this is also their first national tour. By the end of the night, after listening to all of the (very decent) bands, I still thought that the best band had played first. On top of that, they came across as really personable and down-to-earth dudes.
So, when I learned that their next stop was in a north Idaho town even smaller than Moscow, I decided they could use the extra support. The following day, I made the beautiful, two-hour drive to Kamiah to see them play again – this time in a church to an even smaller crowd, which was essentially a youth group with parents in tow. Their performance, however, was equally amazing, dealing this time with both a small audience and technical sound issues. Once their set was through, they invited me backstage to join them for dinner, and we spent most of the rest of the evening hanging out and cheering on the other bands.
After two lackluster turnouts, I am sure Ashes Remain is happy to have left Idaho behind. From here, they are on to California, Las Vegas, and Arizona. But they have gained at least one new fan for their efforts, and I dare say even a new friend. It was a pleasure and a privilege to hang out with the guys when they weren’t rocking the stage, and when they return to the Northwest, you can bet that I’ll be making the trip to see them.
Anyone who is prepared for mind-blowing guitar solos can listen to the music of Ashes Remain on the band’s MySpace page. Those who would like to see what my beard will one day look like can watch the couple of music videos I found below (a slow tune, followed by a heavy one – unless you are reading this as an imported note on Facebook, in which case you will need to click on the “View Original Post” link below, since embedded videos never seem to show up). And if, by chance, someone reading this loves their work as much as I do, you can support the band by purchasing their newly released EP, Red Devotion, on iTunes.
This year’s Rendezvous In the Park was a great success. Perfect weather and a selection of talented musicians drew the crowds to Moscow’s East City Park in mid-July for the city’s twenty-sixth annual concert series. I was there to hear local singer/songwriter JT Grauke kick things off on Thursday evening and returned each night until another better known Moscow native, Josh Ritter, brought the festival to its climax. I have written several times before of how much I appreciate Ritter’s music, and seeing him perform live in his hometown was a wonderful experience. It was obvious that he felt the same way.
I have also written about JT’s music in the past, particularly because my sister, Heather, has accompanied him on some of his recordings. I have posted earlier videos on YouTube of the two performing together, and I had the camera rolling again at Rendezvous. In case you missed it, JT’s entire set can now be watched on Vimeo. Unfortunately, the flying insects and low lighting were enough to confuse the auto-focus on a few, but the audio turned out better than expected. A handful of photos are also up on Flickr.
With a little more time on my hands, I have been in the process of going through old videos, including some that I recorded this Summer at Rendezvous In the Park. Those will be coming shortly, just in time for the next music festival: despite traveling back and forth to Norway, I have managed to be in town for each Block Party since it began in 2007, and this year’s third annual will be held in downtown Moscow on Sunday, September thirteenth.
For such a young event to bill itself as “the Palouse’s largest rock festival” might sound a bit audacious. Small town that it is, Moscow and its surrounding communities play host to several other well-established concert series. Most noteworthy is the University of Idaho’s Jazz Festival, and Rendezvous has been attracting grammy-caliber acts for well over twenty years. Add to this the fact that the Block Party is a free event funded entirely by donation and staffed by volunteers, and its success becomes even more impressive. But is it really what it claims to be?
The key word here is “rock.” Following in the footsteps of past headliners like Sanctus Real and the Afters, this year’s program promises to be the best yet. There will be familiar faces like Moscow’s own Eric E. – who also gets credit as the festival’s organizer – and pioneer of Christian rock, Randy Stonehill, who is no stranger to the Nuart. Joining them will be fellow Northwest acts the Jerry Fee Band (Meridian, Idaho), A Rotterdam November (Eagle, Idaho), and Tooth & Nail’s Ruth (Washington State). Rounding out the list are Ashes Remain, who will bring the heaviest sounds of the evening; and High Flight Society, who recently joined forces with Jerad Griffin (formerly of Anberlin) and is touring on the release of their latest EP, Par Avion.
While the event will pack more than enough punch to put the Block Party ahead of other area rock festivals, there will be fun for the whole family, including a bouncy castle for the kids and a food court offering eats at cost. Main Street between Third and Sixth will be closed for the party, which runs from two in the afternoon until ten in the evening. Check out the Nuart Theater’s website for more information and mark your calendars for a show you don’t want to miss!
Update: Ashes Remain is actually a replacement for the Jerry Fee Band, and they will be kicking things off, which means I’ll be there at two o’ clock sharp to catch the action. The bands will be taking the stage in the following order: Ashes Remain – Eric E. – A Rotterdam November – High Flight Society – Randy Stonehill – Ruth
Lest you think I heard from Bonnie, I did not.
I left work early today to find a sticky note in my Jeep reminding me that I needed to buy a sleeping pad on the way home, since I will be camping out for the second Saturday in a row in honor of my friend, Henry. Last week was his bachelor party, and tomorrow he will be getting hitched in Enterprise, Oregon. The Harbinger pad I used to have was worth its bulk in comfort, which is now being enjoyed by whoever stole my car from a parking lot in Norway last Fall. Snow White was recovered – unfortunately, the pad and about $1,000 of other gear was not. Last weekend’s padless experience convinced me that it was time to invest in a new one.
My first stop was at Idaho’s Most Interesting Store, where I dug a few affordable ALPS Mountaineering mats from a disheveled selection of expensive Therm-a-Rests. Despite the twenty minutes I spent comparing sizes and prices, I received no attention from the friendly folks at Tri-State and decided to try my luck at Hyperspud. On the way, I took a detour into Rosauers, thanks to Z-Fun DJ, Steve Shannon, who was broadcasting live on location to promote the store’s limited stock of Vandal-colored twenty-four packs of Bud Light. (You know you would have done the same.)
On my way in the door, who do I meet but Ian Warnock? Ian (salesman and public relations specialist for the Daily News) enthusiastically volunteered a free copy of today’s paper, which I accepted. His offer was promptly followed up with a solicitation to subscribe, which I responded to by politely relating my recently frustrated attempts to do just that. Ian, who by all appearances was still looking forward to puberty, didn’t skip a beat. Rather than give a confused apology or excuse things with an explanation, he simply existed to solve my problem. Ian was deterred neither by my lack of cash nor my interest in only an online subscription. A quick withdrawal from the Rosauers ATM and a completed order form was all it would take for me to wake up to the Moscow/Pullman headlines on my laptop every morning for the next three months. To sweeten the deal, he even threw in a ten dollar grocery card, a college coupon book, a Palouse dining card, and a 124 page guidebook to Idaho’s state parks. I seriously started to wonder if this guy was for real. To be honest, though, even if I never read a single story, I feel like I walked away with my money’s worth. Ian had made my day, and I was carrying a case of Vandal Bud Light to boot.
On to Hyperspud, where I had barely walked into the jam-packed Main Street shop before the owner was giving me helpful tips on sleeping pads. A well-spent fifty dollars later, I was the proud new owner of a dark red Big Agnes air core sleep pad. Not until I got home did I flip through my newly acquired coupon booklet to discover that with my minimum purchase of thirty dollars at Hyperspud, I could have also walked away with a free Nalgene bottle. I might have gone straight back if I didn’t already have one, but I am looking forward to breaking in my new pad tomorrow night.
Before then, I have a ten dollar grocery card to use on hors d’oeuvres for my ten year high school reunion. I had ruled out any chance of attending both the reunion and the wedding, but the timing is working out so that I will be able to drop in for a lunchtime barbecue in the park before hitching a ride to Enterprise. To see my old classmates tomorrow will not be too much of a trip – many of us have stayed in the area and have more or less kept in touch. What is strange to think about is that ten years ago, the eighteen of us graduated from high school. We were liberated, empowered, and the world was ours to make what we wanted of it. We went to college, got a job, made a family, or all of the above. A decade later, most of us have a career or kids or both. In May of 1999, I saw myself taking the same path.
Instead, when I walked out of the office to the parking lot today, I was leaving my job at SEL. For the second time. The first time – back in August 2007 – was a little easier, since I had an answer for everyone who was asking what I would do. I would travel in pursuit of my dreams and in celebration of my freedom. Little did I realize at the time how much I would experience over the next two years, and I never had a single regret about leaving behind what was a very promising career. But the road eventually led back home, and when I received an offer to pick back up where I had left off at SEL – if only temporarily – I was happy to accept.
To limit the opportunity to a Summer job versus returning to the company full-time has been my prerogative, only this time I don’t have an answer to the equally inundating questions of what is next. Part of me really wants to have an answer – even to make one up – when everyone else my age has settled on one option or another, and God knows I have tried. But the rest of me appreciates still having the same sense of independence and opportunity I did walking across that stage ten years ago, and I am getting comfortable with not knowing. So, ask me about my plans, and over a Vandal-colored beer can, you will hear about this sweet new sleeping pad I’ll be breaking in.
window gazing, outside in
at some elusive american myth
i know you want to believe they’re at peace
safe from life’s uncertainties
but would they agree?
take your time, make your mind up and
tell the world to wait
take your time, live your life
you’re the one that has to live it anyway
after the sound, the fury, the noise
has stifled the simplest of joys
the clock keeps spinning on and on
and once its gone, the time is gone.
the time is gone…
all you’ve built and done
is just a fraction of the you we love…
lyrics to World to Wait by Stavesacre
That is today, Saturday, June 27. If you are like me and have not had the chance to pitch your tent yet this Summer, today is the excuse you have been waiting for, and you don’t even have to leave home. Yes, it is a nationwide camping celebration right in your own backyard, and the weather here could not be better. It should tide you over until your opportunity for a free camping trip in one of the 100+ national parks that are waiving entrance fees on select weekends this Summer. The first was over Father’s Day – the first official day of Summer – but there are still two left.
Speaking of Father’s Day, my family plus Josh took dad out to Red Lobster in Lewiston last Sunday.
Josh, Kristen, and I followed that up with some shopping at Eddie Bauer, which was holding a bankruptcy sale where Kristen scored a sweet umbrella.
On our way back to Moscow, the three of us took a detour-turned-wild-goose-chase to find a Swedish Summer festival that I had seen advertised downtown. Unlike here, midsummer is a widely celebrated holiday in Scandinavia, where the longest day of the year means it never gets dark. We were unsure what to expect, except that it was being held at the oldest Lutheran church in Idaho and would feature some traditional fiddle playing. Despite the wet and chilly weather, we were glad we decided to stop by, no matter how it may seem from my facial expression in the following video.
More photos of Cordelia Church, as well as recent sunsets, rainbows, and homemade Indian dinners are up on Flickr.
We woke up on Friday to a rainy morning in Kristiansand. Karl Sigve and I made eggs and bacon for breakfast and hung out at the apartment, since he was afforded a half day off following his business trip to Oslo. Around eleven, Runar and Tina arrived with their kids (my third cousins) and better weather. We visited for a while before saying good-bye to Karl Sigve and setting course for the zoo!
Despite their excitement and anticipation, Ida Sofie and Tor Martin (and us big kids) were a bit apprehensive about how near we could get to some of the animals, even bursting into tears under a close encounter with a curious ostrich. Zooming in on those apes, though, will reveal that the ring-tailed lemurs didn’t have a care in the world. This one posed motionless until the zookeeper entered with a bucket of freshly chopped apples, carrots and cereal.
The Kristiansand zoo is the largest in Norway, and since it is not yet high season, we had only a few hours to spend there before they closed. Otherwise, we certainly would have visited the park’s “Cardamom City,” which I remembered from my family’s trip while living here fifteen years ago. This poster of the famous “Cardamom Law” still hangs in my parents’ home.
After navigating our way out of the zoo (which was not quite a walk in the park), we crossed to the other side of the highway for an early dinner in Sørlandsenteret, the sprawling shopping center that has attracted most of the city’s music shops. After having given up hope, Tina and Runar helped me finally get my hands on a copy of Medea.
We arrived home in Skien three hours later. Along the way, all flags were out in honor of the national holiday celebrating Norway’s liberation in 1945, and it seemed as though each was waving me a fond farewell. I am intrigued by churches wherever I go, and we drove past one that catches my eye every time I road trip to or from Kristiansand. Upon our arrival in Skien, we made a detour by another church that I last visited in 2001. On Flag Day, I ironically found myself walking past the headstone of Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician who was executed as a traitor on October 24, 1945.
As much as this churchyard might look like Ireland, I would not arrive here until the following day. Yesterday morning, I packed my bags and said good-bye to Runar and the kids as Tina carted me off to the airport to catch my flight to a new adventure in Dublin.
With less than one week until I am scheduled to arrive in Moscow, I am counting down the days. It will be an interesting journey home: I had anticipated being able to use this time in Kristiansand for planning my three days in Ireland, but due to various reasons – including a paycheck that is late in coming – I will be winging it once I arrive in Dublin. Besides, I have received such a warm welcome here that it is beginning to feel like home, and I have been connecting with new and old friends on a daily basis since I arrived. Picking up where I left off yesterday, here is a quick summary of my final week in Norway:
Sunday, May 3: Karl Sigve finally has a day off following a church conference, and we take a relaxed afternoon hike through the woods that border his neighborhood. We talk about life, family and the future and enjoy another incredible view over the city. At several points along the way, I am forced to pause just to take it in. It is beautiful here, and I am going to miss Norway. We make our way home in time for Karl Sigve to go prepare for the evening’s worship service, and I follow on foot a couple hours later. I have heard so much from him about his congregation, and now I finally have the opportunity to join them. I recognize several more faces from the camp last Summer, and I feel welcomed by the fact that many of them also recognize me. When we arrive home, Karl Sigve showcases his ability in the kitchen with a delectable lamb fillet dinner, and we pass the evening over another bottle of wine.
Monday, May 4: We are up early before Karl Sigve is back to the grind. He works for a small outfit that delivers and supports measurement and diagnostic tools for automobiles. You might remember that I had the chance to join him on the job a couple of years ago.
Karl Sigve on the job - November 15, 2007
Happy with the day's work
Karl Sigve invites me to join him and his colleagues for lunch. I make the fifteen minute walk to the office (the walk I made to church the day before, since they meet in the same office/shopping complex). I rendezvous with him and Henning at the store for their daily lunchtime ritual of grocery shopping, taste sampling, and chatting it up with baker Berit. We climb the stairs two stories to find Torbjørn, both boss and pastor, and the four of us make smalltalk over open face sandwiches, pastry and coffee. Before returning home to the apartment, I make another round in the grocery store and emerge with two rather heavy shopping bags and an unwieldy bouquet that was even more unmanageable thanks to the wind that hasn’t seemed to stop blowing since I got to Kristiansand. The flowers make it home in one piece, and after Karl Sigve gets home from work, we arrive fashionably late for Åshild’s early birthday BBQ, followed by Swedish jokes and coffee.
Tuesday, May 5: Apart from Karl Sigve’s circle, I think it is safe to say I know only one other person in Kristiansand, and I could not visit the city without meeting up with her. From my first day at Kvitfjell, Anette and I have had a special connection, and we spent many good times together during my first season on the mountain. Last year, however, she made the move to Kristiansand to study journalism, so I have missed having her around.
Tuesday, I take the bus into the center for the first time since Karl Sigve picked me up at the train station. Anette finds me shortly after, and we take a walk to the fish market, past some of her local hangouts, and eventually to Herlig Land for a bite to eat (which, coincidentally, is the last restaurant I dined at with Karl Sigve during my Christmas visit in 2007). We enjoy catching up over lunch, then go on an unsuccessful hunt for a music store, all but one of which have apparently moved to a large shopping center outside of town. With better luck, I would have hoped to snag a copy of Medea, the sophomore album from Oslo’s Jenny Hval and her project, Rockettothesky. I first learned of her when Janne posted this mystical video for the single “Grizzly Man”:
Mr. Boklund picks me up and gives Anette a lift on our way to a tasty lasagna dinner with his wife, Ruth Silje, their two children, Noah Emil and Matilda, as well as the Feed sisters and Maria’s son, Jonatan. Between remote control helicopters and wind-up race cars, we follow up mealtime with coffee and Norway’s best shot at American chocolate chip cookies before Solvor and I join Henning on the way to his brother and sister-in-law’s home for house group. We sing, share and pray together (over coffee, of course) before I hitch a ride back to the apartment with Siv and her sister, Lisbeth.
Wednesday, May 6: Of all the travel decisions I have had to make, the hardest has been whether I would be able to swing a trip to Feda. Karl Sigve’s schedule has not allowed for it. In fact, this morning he is off to Oslo for an overnight business trip. Today, I break the news to Bjørn and Marit, who have always treated me like a son, that I will not be joining them at Håland, where they are busy with work on the farm. Marit expresses that they will forgive me this time, as long as I promise to return. I need no convincing. There are several reasons why I decide to skip what is probably my favorite place in Norway: despite the fact that I am now on “vacation,” the past month has been chock full of work, packing, planning and traveling. As relaxing as life is in Feda, I need a chance to simply catch my breath, so I spend my first full day alone at the apartment, except for a welcome visit from Åshild, who drops by for an evening stroll.
Today, Thursday, May 7: Karl Sigve returns from Oslo tonight. I sleep in for only the second time, thanks to the construction crew that has been drilling, sawing and hammering out a foundation for a new garden on the other side of my bedroom wall. (All bets are on that the finished flower bed will be more aesthetically pleasing than it sounds.) As much as I enjoy updating this blog, even simple updates like this one take me hours to write, so that is what I have done today. Tonight I plan to join the rest of the house group for coffee (!) downtown, and any extra time left in the day will be used for getting ready to leave Kristiansand.
Tomorrow, Friday, May 8: Tina and Runar will be in town for a trip to the zoo with Ida Sofie and Tor Martin. They have invited me to come along (which will only be in keeping with the theme of the past week) before accompanying them on the drive back to Skien for the night.
Saturday, May 9: The bittersweet day of my departure. If all goes according to plan, Tina will drive me to the airport on Saturday in time to hop an afternoon flight to Dublin. I will need a lot of prayer and a little bit of luck for things to work out there. Of course, they always seem to. Besides, it’s Ireland!
With all that Stereopathic has been up to lately, I’m anxious to get back to the live music scene in Moscow. But beyond the “Heart of the Arts,” I’ve got my heart set on a couple of Summer concerts with my two favorite bands: Stavesacre and DMB.
Stavesacre is slated for a late night performance on Thursday, July 2nd at Cornerstone: a week-long festival in Bushnell, IL that will be bringing together hundreds of performers, including acts like (in no particular alphabetical order) Anberlin, Bradley Hathaway, The Chariot, Copeland, The Crossing, The Crucified (!), David Bazan, Emery, Family Force 5, Glen Kaiser Band, Haste the Day, KJ-52, Living Sacrifice, Los Lonely Boys, mewithoutYou, Project 86, Relient K, Shiny Toy Guns, Showbread, Spoken, Starflyer 59, and Underoath. See the complete lineup here.
Then there is the Dave Matthews Band, who will be touring in support of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King – a forthcoming tribute album to late saxophonist Leroi Moore. I’m considering three tour dates: Alpine Valley (Wisconsin) on July 19, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival (San Fransico) on August 29, or the Gorge (in George, Washington) on September 6. If I can fit one or more of these into a Summer that has just been chained to a desk job, I will be looking for concert buddies. Anybody game?
For those who live in Moscow, there are a handful of happenings on the horizon that you don’t want to miss. I am writing this because I wish I was there myself, so if I were you, here’s where you would find me (yourself) over the course of the coming week:
Tonight, for example, you would find me at the front door of Mikey’s on Main Street asking how I could possibly be allowed in to hear Pablo Trucker and Laura Gibson perform for a mere eight dollars. I would be posing the question at roughly nine o’ clock.
Tomorrow night at seven-thirty, you would find me at the University of Idaho’s Hartung Theatre, happily paying the non-student admission of eleven dollars to be duly impressed by my youngest sister in one of several weekend performances of Dancers, Drummers & Dreamers.
Fast forward to Tuesday night, and you would find me back on campus, but this time at the Student Union Ballroom a bit before seven hoping Molly could sneak me in to hear former Norwegian prime minister Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland deliver the keynote address for this year’s Borah Symposium.
Finally, on Wednesday evening, I would be attending a double-header at the Nuart Theater beginning at seven o’ clock, when Graeme Wilson kicks things off with the premeire of Abstract Thought’s latest production, This Contains. After securing my own copy for (as his brother put it) the “cheap as free” price of ten dollars, I would be heading back in as Low Red Land took the stage. Of course, I would be glad they made it after all the bad luck they’ve been having, and I might even tell them how their sticker has been traveling the world on my Nalgene ever since I saw them play with the Magic Mirrors at Mikey’s, which would surely bring back fresh and fond memories of last Friday night.
