SOU’WESTER EVENTS!
Discover what’s happening during your next stay or plan a visit around our free live music, workshops, wellness offerings and more!
The International Konsortium of Harmony & Tonality specialists who make up The Plastic Harmony Band have undergone years of rigorous training in the higher, lower & middle paths of enlightenment. The sensory deprivation of years of aestheticism; the sensual overload of multi-dimensional libidinous ecstacies; the ability to vault over the hurdles of Nihilism with effortless grace; the guile & wit necessary for survival in the ever-present, ever-shifting NOW.
All of this is at their disposal, and now it is at yours.
https://plasticharmonyband.bandcamp.com
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The Shelby Foundation Video Presentation
A series of short original films by Portland OR, filmmaker Shelby Menzel ranging from cultural documentary to stop motion adventures.
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
Susannah Weaver, or Little Sue, as she has been affectionately known since she was a teenager, grew up in West Virginia and moved to Portland in 1992. She has been a fixture in the local folk and alt-country scene in Portland for over 25 years and a big part of the Laurelthirst scene. Her quirky lyrical style, solid guitar playing, and bee-stung voice have won over music lovers of every age and stripe. Sue has released 7 CDs including the 2019 20th anniversary re-release of her 1999 album Crow, and her new CD titled Gold. Sue also has sung harmony on over 50 Oregon releases, including Jerry Joseph, The Minus 5, Fernando, Casey Neill, Lynn Conover, and kindie artist Mo Phillips. She has opened with her own music for Roger McGuinn, Loudon Wainwright III, and most memorably for folk hero Bob Dylan. Sue was recently honored as a 2019 inductee to the Oregon Music Hall Of Fame.
www.littlesue.bandcamp.com
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
Walk down any street in Portland, Oregon and you are sure to encounter a mustachioed Brazilian spaghetti western rock and roll troubadour named Johnny Franco. Recently moving from Sao Paulo, Johnny has developed a cult following in Portland for his high energy street performances and stylish music. Signed by music producer Sterling Fox (Lana Del Rey, Elle King) on his label Blanket Fort, Johnny has put together a debut EP that feels instantly timeless. The debut single “Treated Like Grass” combines Dylanesque vocal stylings with a unique jangly Brazilian influenced beat. The EP Experience Report #1 is due out in early 2020.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JrSPyzLVPKQlEHHpqt4c3
Photo by Sean May
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
The Blank Tapes is the moniker of Los Angeles & Joshua Tree based multi-instrumentalist, Matt Adams, who has produced over a dozen albums of 1960’s inspired folk-rock-surf-psych-soul-pop on Volcom, Burger Records, Antenna Farm, and others. Their latest ’Super Bloom’ EP features Avid Dancer & Will Halsey (Sugar Candy Mountain) on drums, as well as Jason Cirimele (Guantanamo Baywatch, The Donkeys) on bass and was co-mixed by Nathan Sabatino (Dr. Dog, Jim James). The band has toured throughout the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Japan & even Costa Rica. Matt also sometimes plays & records with Sugar Candy Mountain & has produced and/or performed on numerous projects by other artists including The Regrettes, The Pesos & Kath Bloom. Matt is also the artist behind his band’s posters & album covers as well as art for the Grateful Dead, CRB, FolkYeah & more!
“Alternating between dreamy and driving, dappled with delirious solos and seductive harmonies. The Blank Tapes radiated Ultraviolet Californian chords” – Backmatter blog
Photo by Cristian Sigler
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
This show is a part of a Sou’wester Arts Week Benefit Series! Suggested Donation is $5-10, no one turned away for lack of funds, and all proceeds go towards sponsoring an artist in residence at our first annual Arts Week.
BARNA HOWARD was born and raised in a quintessential Midwest town. His youth in Eureka, Missouri was pure Americana – the sort of childhood that inspired E.T.-era Spielberg – baseball cards in his bicycle spokes, flying freely down Main Street and through neighbors’ backyards.
However, much of Barna’s story is not unique to his hometown, and, like most of small town America, Eureka has lost some of that charm over time. Main Street has changed, kids don’t run around quite so carelessly, and in an almost laughably cruel twist, his childhood home was knocked down in favor of a Walmart parking lot.
After high school, Howard moved north to study animation in one cold and windy city and then east for love in another. Years later, he blindly followed two friends to the Northwest, crossing the Rockies for the first time, in search of inspiration, opportunity and a fresh start.
Barna’s self-titled debut chronicled these moves as he struggled with the contrast between his small town upbringing and these big city wanderings. The album was met with critical acclaim and underground success, partly thanks to an opportunely placed song in the hit indie film, Drinking Buddies. One critic even likened him to some “lost genius of the 60s.”
The songs on Barna Howard’s second album, Quite a Feelin’, ruminate on his relationship with home. Now entrenched in Portland, Oregon, many of the album’s tracks immortalize and reflect on the Eureka he once knew, while others focus on the relationships that define his new home out west. Small town life has long been celebrated in country and folk music, but Barna’s knack for capturing his own deeply personal nostalgia resonates in a rarely universal way.
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
This show is a part of a Sou’wester Arts Week Benefit Series! Suggested Donation is $5-10, no one turned away for lack of funds, and all proceeds go towards sponsoring an artist in residence at our first annual Arts Week!
Hot July is a vintage jazz project fronted by Joseph Appel and Kylie LaCour. With a rotating cast of musicians, the band plays mostly standards—from the classics to the more obscure—with a focus on the 1930s and Billie Holiday.
photo by Megan Eleanor Clark
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
This show is a part of a Sou’wester Arts Week Benefit Series! Suggested Donation is $5-10, no one turned away for lack of funds, and all proceeds will go towards sponsoring an artist in residence at our first annual Arts Week!!
“Kassi Valazza has a viscous, light gold voice. It swirls around in your head like whiskey in a snifter; vaporous, and intoxicating. For most of Dear Dead Days pedal steel and electric guitar lope along at half time, the in pocket rhythm section booming from deep in the low end. Its frequencies penetrate your flesh. The songs reverberate off your bones. Her lyrics drip down the inside of your skull. Kassi will be your peyote coyote; a guide through these psychedelic vistas. Here she’s found a way to trap the world of cheaters, drifters, lovers and leavers in amber. Wander from your own woes, and come walk with Valazza’s.” -Sean Jewell American Standard Time
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!
Winter/Spring 2020 Wellness Retreat Series
Steady & Clear:
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation for the Flow of
Your Life
with Laurel Clohessy
This retreat is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the joy, transformation, and rejuvenation of Kundalini Yoga, sacred chant, and creativity as you discover and return to the HOME that is your true self. Whether you are an experienced yogi, or this is your first time practicing Kundalini Yoga, you can benefit from this practice. Kundalini Yoga and meditation, as taught by Yogi Bhajan is for anyone and everyone. Just breathe, and lean in the right direction and you too will benefit! The best way to know it, is by doing it-so we will experience basic pranayam or breathwork, kriyas or yogic sets, meditations, and mantras that can become a part of your own daily toolbox. Tools to release stress, to unlock creativity, and be your best YOU. Kundalini yoga is often called “the yoga of awareness,” as it is a journey of self-mastery and one that activates all the systems of the body.
We will enjoy the blessings of community-in a few group meditations and exercises, as well as the natural world-taking time by the ocean to practice a walking meditation. There will be a couple of brief writing and art exercises explored post-yoga sets as a tool for self-reflection and awareness. In this weekend retreat, you will get to know the other participants as we share in community. This will also be a time to slow down and listen to yourself in the beauty of the setting on the Washington Penninsula. There will be free time to explore, soak, relax, and enjoy on your own. All parts of the retreat classes are by choice-if you need to rest or skip anything that is just fine. You will leave with handouts and a personal recipe for your own personal practice, as well as a group 40-day sadhana to continue after if you choose.
Kundalini Yoga is a tool to experience your birthright to happiness and greatness as the human being that you are. “Great challenges come to Great people.” -YB
I hope to see you there! Sat Nam
Laurel Clohessy (Deshpal Kaur) grew up with Kundalini Yoga sprinkled throughout her early childhood. She returned to the arms of this practice following the birth of her oldest son. In 2005 Laurel studied with Gurmukh to become a certified Khalsa Way Prenatal teacher. In 2007, she completed the Radiant Child teacher training with Shakta Kaur, and in 2014 Laurel completed her Level 1 KYTT with Sevak Singh Khalsa. She has loved bringing these healing teachings to humans of all ages through the years in Montessori schools, University, birth centers, detention centers, and studios. Laurel is a Cornerstone Childbirth Educator, mother to two boys, educator, and lover of all things ginger. Laurel often incorporates poetry and dance movement into her all-levels classes. It is her joy to share these teachings with others, and she sees the powerful practice of Kundalini Yoga as a compass that can always point us forward, as well as return us to the happiest, truest Self. Laurel teaches currently in Portland, Oregon and is a transplant from Flagstaff, AZ.
SCHEDULE: (subject to change)
FRIDAY
6-7pm
- Check-in, logistics, welcome circle
SATURDAY
9am-12pm
- Morning Kundalini Yoga and Meditation
- Discussion-Sadhana/Developing Personal Practice/Morning Self-Care
- Meditation & Mantra, Reflective Dialogue Practice
Lunch Break and Free to BE Time
2-5pm
- Tune-In, Yogi Bhajan Short video
- Yoga with Self-Awareness Art/Drawing exercise
- Dance Movement
Dinner Break and Free to BE Time
7-8:00pm
- Gong & Sound Relaxation. Goodnight
SUNDAY
4:45-6:45am
- Aquarian Sadhana
8:30-10am
- Walk to the beach
- Group meditation
- Closing circle/Farewell
BEGINS: Friday at 6pm
ENDS: Sunday at 10am
COST: $120 / Lodging separate
BRING: Comfortable clothing to move, Yoga mat (if do not have-there will be a few to loan) and cushion, walking shoes, towel or blanket to sit on at the beach, water bottle, journal or notebook and pen.
BOOK ONLINE by clicking BOOK NOW, enter the date range and the “promo code” STEADY
The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644
This show is a part of a Sou’wester Arts Week Benefit Series! Suggested Donation is $5-10, no one turned away for lack of funds, and all proceeds go towards sponsoring an artist in residence at our first annual Arts Week!
ROBIN BACIOR is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Her work has received praise from NPR’s All Songs Considered, Vh1, MTV, NYLON, L Magazine, CBS, Mother Jones Magazine, among other media platforms.
“Robin’s honeyed but vibrant voice hits gentle, bestowing the listener with comfort and calm.” NPR’s All Songs Considered
“Her brand of folk is straightforward at its core, but then nicely fancied up, with piano and strings allowing the intricacies and peculiarities of her massively affecting vocals to shine through.” The L Magazine
“A guitar. A voice. Sometimes that’s all a musician needs to lift the listener to a higher place. Smart lyrics help, too, and Robin Bacior has them.” – Dave Riedel, CBS News
“Carefully woven folk sound and tender vocals, showing that sometimes a quiet power is all you really need.” – Nylon
She is the recipient of a Regional Arts and Culture Council Grant, a nominee for the Independent Music Awards, and a member of the Recording Academy.
Bacior is also an arts & culture writer and has contributed to magazines such as Spin, Under The Radar, Portland Mercury, among others. She is the creator and columnist for “New Eyes”, a series on photographers within music for Berlin-based Majestic Journal, and currently a senior staff writer for Consequence of Sound.
She lives with her husband in Portland, OR.
Photo by Kim Smith
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LORAIN plays woozy American music. Singer Erik Emanuelson’s expressive tenor, which recalls ghosts of Nashville Skyline era Dylan and the late Jason Molina, floats over lush textures and an understated groove.
https://lorainmusic.bandcamp.com/album/through-frames
This show is all ages and open to the public!
Owen Ashworth’s albums have always been about the human condition, and his latest is no exception. That may sound strange, given that it’s called Animal Companionship, but it’s as human as anything he’s done before.
After hearing problems forced the end of his electronic pop project Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in 2010, Ashworth started making quieter music as Advance Base, releasing A Shut-In’s Prayer in 2012, Nephew In The Wild in 2015 and a slew of tapes and 7” EPs in between. After releasing a 2016 live album, In Bloomington, the prodigious songwriter shifted his focus to his label, Orindal Records, and put his efforts into helping other artists release their music.
This break from songwriting gave him time to explore not just how he makes music, but why he’s driven to do so. “I spent a lot of time thinking about why I write songs and what I get out of writing songs,” he said. “It took a while to get back to writing for myself, unselfconsciously.
“The reason I’ve always made music is because it’s therapeutic for me,” he said. “It’s a way of processing my feelings and understanding my subconscious. I love the ritual of writing a song and performing it over and over again until its meaning reveals itself. It’s the closest I get to meditation.”
The meditative nature of Ashworth’s new songwriting process can be heard in Animal Companionship’s spacious arrangements. Blissful drones and lush synthesizer textures envelop soft electric piano arpeggiations and spare drum programming, creating an almost hypnotic backdrop for Ashworth’s lyrical narratives. And the lyrics themselves have found a new focus: dogs.
“There was a while last year when a bunch of different friends of mine were having problems with their dogs,” said Ashworth, “and even though I don’t have a dog, suddenly I was giving all of this dog advice. I was just thinking and worrying about these friends and their dogs all of the time, and dogs just started showing up in my songs.
“When you explain the relationship you have with a pet, it can sound crazy. We all tend to anthropomorphize the animals we love, talking about them as if they’re children, siblings, even spouses,” said Ashworth. “I wrote these songs to help myself understand what pets mean to their owners, how those animal relationships affect our human relationships, and vice versa.”
Unlike the previous Advance Base albums, which were made at home on Ashworth’s trusty 4-track tape machine, Animal Companionship was mostly recorded at Palmetto Studios in Los Angeles with Ashworth’s old friend and former Casiotone for the Painfully Alone collaborator Jason Quever. Animal Companionship still sounds like Ashworth, but Quever’s production adds more depth and clarity than you’ve ever heard from an Advance Base or Casiotone album. The album opener, “True Love Death Dream,” is full of warm synthesizer textures and lush drum machine tones, the kind that sink deep into your soul and take root there. It shows how much time and consideration Ashworth put into Animal Companionship, and how Quever knew exactly how to capture it. From the pedal steel atmospherics of “Dolores & Kimberly” to the densely layered oscillations of “Rabbits,” every movement beautifully frames each song’s narrative. Animal Companionship’s production is expansive but always deliberate, allowing Ashworth to speak volumes through subtle, emotional gestures.
Taken as a whole, Animal Companionship is not just a step forward for Advance Base—it’s the culmination of everything Ashworth has been building for the past two decades. It’s a record that’s gentle in approach and endearing in practice, the kind of thing that only Ashworth could create.
Animal Companionship was co-released by Run For Cover Records & Orindal Records on September 21, 2018
Advance Base: http://www.advancebasemusic.com
Claire Cronin: http://www.overandthrough.com/
Ruth Garbus: https://ruthgarbus.bandcamp.com/
This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!