SOU’WESTER EVENTS!

Vradiazei, plays dark, metal influenced folk music on acoustic instruments. “The realization that the darkest days are yet to come inspired us to abandon the use of electricity in our music. We express the anguish of the past, the desperation of the present, and the uncertainty of the future without it. When the world is left in ruin our sound will echo in the empty streets.”

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Born in an attic “cabin” studio lined with Douglas Fir, The Cabin Project began as a solo act project started by Katie Sawicki, a former-folksinger from Brooklyn who became inspired by electric guitars, keys, synthesizers, and balancing all three onstage. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2008, Sawicki sought out sound rooted in the intimacy of folk, and the arrangements of orchestral rock. While she typically collaborates with her full-time band of percussion, strings, and bass, the solo Cabin Project builds this community of influences and collaborations and cultivates a sound that chimes earnest, reverent, and full of warmth. Her most recent record, released with the Cabin Project, Unfolded, is self-described as, “an album about despair, loss, hope, freedom, heartache, justice and love.”

SPACENESS is a celebration of time, space and the unknown through experimental art, media and performance. Each year SPACENESS takes over the Sou’Wester Lodge in Seaview, WA, as well as the adjacent forest, seashore and wild spaces.

The next celebration of Spaceness is MARCH 2-4, 2018. Spaceness is FREE and welcoming to people of all ages. We recommend attendees secure lodging at one of the many comfortable establishments in the nearby towns of Astoria (OR), Ilwaco, Seaview, and Long Beach (WA) to enjoy the entire weekend of programming.

Follow @spacenesss ( ⏎ 3 s’) on Instagram for updates and special information about the event.

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Spaceness was founded by Portland artists Julia Barbee, Matt Suplee, and Alison Jean Cole and has been awarded funding by the Precipice Fund, Calligram Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Portland chapter of the Awesome Foundation.

SPACENESS 2018 will be accepting proposals from Sept 20, 2017 to Nov 1, 2017.

CALL TO ARTISTS

Entering the twenty-first century we have myriad human theories and logical arguments that explain the existence of our galaxy, the heavens, and the universe; however, that pool of knowledge is insufficient in addressing what we still do not know – the things that baffle and confound our species – truths that may evade us for eternity. These are the concepts that fall under the definition of “spaceness’.

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Wanderlodge are two longtime Portland roots-rockers who weave together musical styles from folk, country and classic rock. Their music features gritty, soulful vocal harmonies, fierce slide guitar work, and dark, vibey songs.
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The Polite Decliners offer spacey introspective country music, performed by members of The Cedar Shakes, The Sound Outside, The New Old Stock, and The Serious River Song Catalog. Songs about food and love.

“Lenore., a project that skirts the edges of folk and pop to create a sound that is earthy and melodic, toned and precise.”

— paste

“a band deeply committed to strong and timeless songwriting, calling upon the husky vibes of Fleetwood Mac, the intimate wonders of Simon & Garfunkel or the ethereal bliss of Enya, all wrapped around the majestic scenery of the Pacific Northwest.”

— tidal

“When they sing you’re transported to a different dimension, an unearthly realm. Here, you’ll find safety and security. Here, you’ll be able to rest, to find peace. And here, you’ll discover the courage you need to start living the life you want.”

— NPR

The coming together of Joy Pearson and Rebecca Marie Miller as Portland’s newest folk outfit, Lenore, is serendipitous, to say the least. After individually hitting rock bottom — Pearson following her divorce and Miller after a period of destitution in LA — the pair separately turned to songwriting in the search for a still point in their turning worlds.

After several years of lending their abilities to other projects, including Saddle Creek’s The Mynabirds, and Portland’s own The High Water Jazz Band, they finally found themselves spinning on the same axis when a chance meeting through a mutual friend, Pokey LaFarge, sparked an immediate connection. A drunken night ensued, and before they’d even scoped each other’s material, they had committed.

Now, just under two years since that fateful night, and Lenore can boast having performed at legendary Pacific Northwest venues including Mississippi Studios, Aladdin Theater, and Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, as well as the Sunset Tavern, Triple Door, and Tractor Tavern in Seattle. They’ve opened for the likes of Eric Bachmann, Laura Gibson, Esmé Patterson, and ex-collaborators, The Mynabirds, and have shared the stage with Peter Buck (R.E.M.), as well as Chris Funk and Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists).

Since Lenore’s formation, Miller and Pearson have gained full-time collaborators in seasoned Portland musicians Edward Cameron (classical guitar) and Jessie Dettwiler (cello), who have contributed significantly to the evolution of Lenore’s sound — a melancholic blend of harmony-driven folk with an ever present silver lining.

Harlowe is the moniker for the songs of Mark Robertson, often with collaborators from the artist collective Sleepy Volcano in Portland, Oregon USA. The second full length recording titled “Curses” is a lo-fi collection of songs intermixed with eclectic instrumental soundscapes, released October 2017.

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Opening Reception Saturday April 14th, 5pm-7pm

for exhibition

“what the world needs now is LOVE“

by Larry Yes

April 14 – June 24, 2018

This show is installed in the Art Trailer Gallery, a vintage travel trailer, at The Sou’wester Lodge. Free and open to the public.

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“It’s easy to see why Planes on Paper is starting to attract serious attention on the neo- folkie scene.”
— Paul de Barros, The Seattle Times
“There has been no shortage of bands that sound like Planes on Paper in the last 10 years of Seattle music, which makes it simultaneously delightful and frustrating when one of them is clearly a full head taller than the others.
— Sean Nelson, The Stranger
“This is folk music at the highest level.” — Greg Jones, Ear to the Ground Music
“Planes on Paper expertly maneuvers dual vocals to produce this eerie, serene, beautiful aesthetic […] simultaneously mellow and powerful.”
— Fallon Schlossman, WNYC New York
As a one year-old project, Planes on Paper was already receiving high praise from a nearly endless list of media outlets across the country: The Seattle Times, American Songwriter Magazine, KEXP Seattle, WNYU New York, The Revue, Ear To The Ground, and The Stranger, to name just a few. Now 2.5 years into relentless touring, the praise continues, and the songwriting duo finds itself at home on both coasts of the US, and playing some noteworthy festivals… all without yet releasing an album; that unconventional path speaks volumes about the strength of Planes on Paper’s live show.

Eelgrass is an important coastal seagrass that helps store carbon, reduce erosion, and provide shelter and spawning areas for a host of marine wildlife in bays and estuaries across the globe, including right here in the pacific northwest. 
Eelgrass is also the name of a longtime musical collaboration between Lara Pacheco and Dan Swenson, along with new friends Bobby Hayden and Todd Summers. They play folky-tonk with psychedelic vibes and call Portland, Oregon home. 
https://soundcloud.com/eelgrass

Marisa Anderson channels the history of the guitar and stretches the boundaries of tradition. Her deeply original work applies elements of minimalism, electronic music, drone and 20th century classical music to compositions based on blues, jazz and gospel and country music, re-imagining the landscape of American music. Onstage, she is a master storyteller, bringing warmth, wit and insight to her virtuosic compositions and arrangements.

In 2017 Mississippi Records is re-issuing Anderson’s 2013 record, ‘Traditional and Public Domain Songs’. Anderson spent a year researching hymns, blues, murder ballads and American patriotic songs. The resulting record is an exploration of the relationship between evangelical Christianity and state sanctioned violence. Her next record, ‘Cloud Corner’ will be released June 15 on Thrill Jockey Records. 

Originally from Northern California, Anderson dropped out of college at age nineteen to walk across the US and eventually landed in Portland, Oregon, where she currently lives. Classically trained, she honed her skills playing in country, jazz and circus bands. In 2011 she released her first solo guitar record, ‘The Golden Hour’ followed by ‘Mercury’ (2013) and ‘Into The Light’ (2016). She is in demand as a collaborator and composer, contributing to recent recordings by Beth Ditto, Sharon Van Etten and Circuit Des Yeux among others, as well as creating music for short films and soundtracks.

Anderson tours extensively throughout Europe and North America. Her work has been featured in Billboard, Rolling Stone, NPR, SPIN, Pitchfork and The Wire. Billboard magazine named ‘Into the Light’ one of the best records of 2016 and Pitchfork named Anderson’s 2015 split LP with Tashi Dorji one of the top experimental records of the year. Recent festival appearances include Le Guess Who, Moog Fest, Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
www.marisaandersonmusic.com

There is always a hint of menace and reservoirs of force haunting the corners of Eliza Rickman’s voice, whatever register it occupies. Her presence on stage: whether she wears flowers in her hair, or stuffed birds; whether she plays a toy piano or a grand piano; is an enveloping, soft darkness, impossible to ignore. 

It has been three years between Rickman’s first album, O, You Sinners, and her newest effort, Footnotes for the Spring. In those intervening three years, Rickman added the autoharp to her repertoire, fought illness and heartbreak (and won), and turned 30. But mostly, she toured. She is a frequent featured musical act for the live rendition of the popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale, a regular opening act for cello rock band Rasputina, and has organized her own successful solo tours in the U.S. and abroad.

Rickman’s voice has the power to hold the smallest grain of sadness, an intimation that the longed-for innocence depicted in her lyrics has slipped just below the glow of the orchestra and out of sight.
www.elizarickman.com
Photo by Stevie Mada