Sharing vocal and songwriting duties, Birger Olsen, Mike Elias and Tom Bevitori are the heart of Denver, while the rest of the line-up has long included several of Portland’s finest players. Currently, the band consists of drummer Sean MacNeil, bassist Billy Slater (Grails) and the legendary Lewi Longmire on lead guitar. Past and future editions include Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley and Michael Van Pelt, Ben Nugent (Dolorean), Ryan Spellman (Quiet Life), Ray Raposa (Castanets), Tom Menig and many others.

Paste praised their 2012 self-titled debut’s “perfect tunes,” while KEXP hosted a live session and proclaimed, “sweet harmonies and tight arrangements abound.” Statements like these become all the more relevant with their upcoming release, Rowdy Love, as Denver teamed up with Earley and Adam Selzer (M. Ward, Norfolk & Western) for their first trip to a proper studio. Recorded live in just two days at Selzer’s Type Foundry Studio, Rowdy Love certainly showcases all the endless chops at Denver’s disposal.

The record’s true focus, however, lies in the rare way Olsen, Elias and Bevitori’s distinct voices co-exist. There’s a natural melding of styles that’s evolved from afternoons on Olsen’s back porch, late night’s around Elias’ fire pit, and every last time they’ve nailed “The Weight” harmonies at the old Triple Nickel. Denver’s three songwriters may come to the process with varying style and influences, but Denver’s songwriting is universally honest and bare, whiskey-fueled, sweat-soaked, and steeped in working class life. Some might call it country. Some might call it rock. Some might call it a few drunks on a stage. Either way, bullshit and irony have no home here.

Rowdy Love will be released on July 15th, via Mama Bird Recording Co.

http://denvertheband.com/

*

Kele Goodwin has spent his life in three places: in Juneau, Alaska; on the Navajo Nation; and in the misty Pacific Northwest. He makes music that sings from bone marrow, from a life and landscape alternately charted and lost, crushed and rebuilt. It is music made familiar by the experience of pain and its lessons. It is music to live by.
Goodwin’s debut album Hymns was produced by Sean Ogilvie of Musé Méchanique and features guest performances from Laura Gibson, Alela Diane, Ogilvie himself, Douglas Jenkins of The Portland Cello Project, and many others. His lyrics are both observation and prayer, delicate lines built on an architecture of gratitude and disbelief of the world around him.

http://www.kelegoodwin.net/

This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!

Dear Nora Live

Songwriter Katy Davidson (they/them) revived the band Dear Nora in January 2017 when Orindal Records reissued the thirteen-year-old album Mountain Rock on vinyl. The reissue received great acclaim and the band toured the west and east coasts last year. Spurred by the momentum, Davidson decided to create the first album of new Dear Nora material in a decade, Skulls Example (release date: May 25, 2018).

Davidson has been composing, recording, and performing for nearly twenty years. Davidson is from rural Arizona, has lived in Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and currently resides in Twentynine Palms, California. Davidson has played under a handful of monikers, but Dear Nora is the one most widely recognized. Dear Nora originally started in 1999, released a handful of enigmatic, compelling albums throughout the early 2000s, and toured across the United States, Japan, Sweden and Australia. Throughout the years, the Dear Nora live band featured a rotating cast of band members, though oftentimes Davidson played solo. Davidson retired the band name Dear Nora in 2008 and began making music under the names Lloyd & Michael and Key Losers. Davidson also was a touring guitarist/vocalist in the bands YACHT and Gossip. Davidson’s music represents a spectrum of styles encompassing classic rock, experimental music, ethereal pop, new age, punk, and R&B. Davidson writes lyrics with layered meanings that contemplate the vast realms and intersections of wilderness, humanity, morality, technology, late capitalism, and love.

This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!!!

Summer 2019 Wellness Retreat Series

Nature/Nurture:

A Playful Summer Movement Retreat and Campout

with Monicka Koneski and Britt Rhoden

Join Monicka and Britt for this sweet little summer gem of a retreat, where you’ll have an opportunity to move in a variety of ways while enjoying the beauty of the Pacific NW Coast! Both of these yoga and movement teachers share a dedication to smart and functional movement while offering you a chance to reconnect with yourself through yoga asana, somatic movement, meditation, playfulness and time in nature.

• Four classes are offered that are full of fluid, mindful, intuitive movement
• Lots of time to dive deep into your inner body space
• Explore fun and creative ways to increase range of motion and cultivate strength in your practice

Monicka has been teaching movement since 1999. She has had the honor of being a part of The Bhaktishop Yoga Center since its inception, and under the gentle and encouraging guidance of Lisa Mae Osborn and Hari-bhakti dasi, as well as a number of other inspired and influential teachers, she has completed more than 500+ hours of yoga education and training. When not teaching or studying yoga, Monicka is either engaged in her work as a licensed massage therapist where she is able to spend valuable one-on-one time with those who are looking to find ease, presence, and balance in their bodies, or wrapped in love and life lessons with her dear little son, Kavi. It is Monicka’s goal as a bodywork practitioner, anatomy and kinesiology geek, yoga teacher, Mama, and student of bhakti yoga to serve and honor each individual that she encounters, whether on the mat or off, in the best and truest way that she knows how. “Movement is still endlessly fascinating to me, but it is truly the connection to Self and Source that we may encounter while engaged in yoga practices that has me hooked.”

Britt’s yoga journey started at age 17. As her body and soul changed and shifted with the ebbs and flows of life’s tides, yoga was the compass that gently guided her into new territory. Now, more than ever before, yoga is the way she shows respect for the beauty of life and the energy of the earth. Yoga is where Britt plays and explores; it’s where she finds a sense of being grounded and a sense of stillness. Britt seeks to meet all students with authenticity, giving them space to explore their own practice. She is a class of 2015 graduate of The Bhaktishop’s 200 Hour Program.

BEGINS: Sunday at 5:30pm

ENDS: Tuesday at 11am

COST: please refer to the Bhaktishop’s retreat page here

BRING: A yoga mat (if you have one)

12 student minimum, 18 students max

Please sign up directly with the Bhaktishop Yoga Center directly at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com 

The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644

This class is part of the Summer 2019 Wellness Retreat Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome.

Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/wellness/retreats to see the full schedule of retreats.

Shag Rock!!

Sallie Ford, Maria Kohler and Amanda Spring present their latest rock n roll outfit!!

This event is free, all ages, and open to the public

Summer 2019 Wellness Retreat Series

Healer’s Respite: Return to Love

with Fawn Williams 

CANCELLED

For those whose life calling is to help others, it is vital to find solace. Delight in the vessel of your own body beside the ocean waves. Commune with other empaths and healers, stoke the fires of your passion to help, and heal yourself by slowing down. Learn about self-care through Ayurvedic wisdom and Yoga Therapy, unlock creativity and inner bliss through somatic play, tap into yoga philosophy as Social Justice, practice therapeutic yoga.

Open to therapists, teachers, activists, caregivers, and other non-professional helpers. Optional to practice silence to rest your voice. Registered Yoga Teachers receive Continuing Education.

Each day begins with movement games, warm ups, and prompts to orient and stimulate your highest self, including a complete Hatha yoga exploration to root you in presence. Afternoons are yours to enjoy the Garden Spa and Finnish Sauna, comb the beach, get a tarot reading, and explore the Peninsula. Evenings are devoted to conversations around applied Yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy, and writing. We close every day with a body-based meditation, and yoga practice to soothe the nervous system, and prepare your body for deep rest.

Catering provided by Seed to Health’s Chef Cally Fruscello

Fawn Williams is a sought after Yoga Therapist and Yoga Educator. She works within a feminist, inclusive, collaborative, weight neutral lens. As a lifelong practitioner, Fawn most enjoys creating community through joyful movement. She is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-YRT 500), and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP).

All images by  Chelsea Petrakis

Daily Rhythm (Subject to Change)

SUNDAY

3pm Check In, Sauna, beachcomb, nap

5:30pm Ayurvedic Communal Feast

6:30 Dharma Talk, Introductions, Intention Setting

7:30-9pm Yoga Nidra + Restorative Yoga

9-10pm Sauna

MONDAY & TUESDAY

8am Breakfast Snacks

9am-12pm Embody the Day

12-4pm Ayurvedic Midday Feast + Free Time to explore the Peninsula or simply rest
Optional: Individual Tarot Readings, Massage, Sauna

6:30 Dharma Talk, Journaling

7:30-9pm Yoga Nidra + Restorative Yoga

9-10pm Sauna

WEDNESDAY

8am Breakfast Snacks

9am-12pm Embody the Day, Closing Ritual + Checkout

BEGINS: Sunday at 6pm

ENDS: Wednesday at 12pm

COST: $300, plus lodging ($300 non-refundable security deposit)

BRING: A yoga mat, block and strap; a journal; layers for beach walks; any favorite creature comforts.

This event is for adults and is meant for care providers. 5 student minimum, 16 students maximum.

BOOK ONLINE by clicking BOOK NOW, enter the date range and the access code FAWN

*For SHARED LODGING OPTIONS please contact souwesterwellness@gmail.com

The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644

This class is part of the Summer 2019 Wellness Retreat Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome.

Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/wellness/retreats to see the full schedule of retreats.

S P E C I A L   K I D S   S H O W

Mr. Ben!!!

Mr. Ben plays live music for kids and families in and around Portland, OR. His shows are the perfect blend of entertainment and education. Your child can participate as much or as little as they choose — they are free to explore new musical ideas and concepts at their own pace and in their own way.

So when you come to a Mr. Ben show, you can feel good about the fact that you are taking an active role in your child’s cognitive development, laying the foundation for their musical education, and helping to dispel the myth that only some people have musical potential. Who knew you could do all that just by attending a live children’s music show?

www.mrbenmusic.com

This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!

Art Exhibit

We’ve Never Met Before Today

by artists Becca Van K and Andrew Cortes
August 9 through November 3, 2019

A new art exhibit in a vintage travel trailer turned into a permanent art gallery, at The Sou’wester Lodge

‘We’ve Never Met Before Today’ is an exhibition featuring sensory textiles and fiber landscapes by east coast artist Becca Van K and sculpture-like mosaic-based work by west coast artist Andrew Cortes. This show will also include collaborations in needlepoint and mosaics between these two artists who share similar themes and were brought together by residencies at the Sou’wester that spurred them to become creative partners in this exhibition.

“We’ve Never Met Before Today is the result of two Sou’wester artists-in-residence’s Instagram connection in the immediate aftermath of their respective times at the Lodge in the winter of 2018. Like ships in the night (Cortes one week, Van K the next), the artists never had the opportunity to meet in person, but serendipitously found each other on social media through Sou’wester posts. The two have formed a kinship and collaborative relationship through their mutual reverence for each other’s work. Until the show’s installation, they have never met in person, as Cortes is a resident of Los Angeles, CA, and Van K is from New York’s Hudson Valley. Shipping works from coast to coast, they work together to create elaborate studies in spiritual, meditative repetition and love for the natural world. Each piece contains mosaic mementos from Cortes’s travels and each Van K needlepoint is directly inspired by a landscape that she has visited. This exhibition is a combination of individual works and collaborations.”

OPENING RECEPTION on Friday August 9, 6pm-9pm.

OPEN: Fri/Sat/Sun 9am-9pm (and by request: visit the lodge front desk and we’ll open the gallery for you)

Art Gallery & Opening Reception free and open to the public.

Becca Van K (b. 1991, Chicago) is a mixed media artist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her work is highly sensory, with a strong focus on tactile comfort, the sounds of house & techno music, and vibrant colors & patterns which she explores through various handcraft and fiber art methods. Listening exclusively to dance music mixes when working puts her in a repetitious, meditative rhythm through which she transcribes her sensorial experiences. Her work has most recently been exhibited at Basilica Hudson’s 24-HOUR DRONE (Hudson, NY), Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Geoffrey Young Gallery (Great Barrington, MA), Hastings College (Hastings, NE), and Paradice Palase (Brooklyn, NY). Torn between city nightlife and the woods of the Catskill Mountains, she’d only leave New York if there were techno clubs in the desert.

Andrew Philip Cortes is a first generation Southern California Native, who in growing up split his time between the rural suburbs near rolling cow pasture hills where his parents settled and the city of Los Angeles. He attended University at California State Long Beach followed by a move to New York City where he lived and worked in Gowanus, Brooklyn for several years expanding his creative vision into woodwork, installation, and sound art. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he came full circle settling in the neighborhood of Cypress Park, where his family had immigrated to in the 60’s. His practice was re-imagined in his grandfathers old workshed and does not shy away from a deep often spiritual like connection to his past and its entanglement with the natural world. A marriage of painting, sculpture, mosaic, and textile materials, his reference points for his work grows from ongoing travels through the west coast of America, the deserts, mountains, and forests he explores collecting stones, driftwood, and taking photographs as he travels. He has developed a system in which he is even able to work on sculpture while on the road to directly be able to connect with his surroundings on site. Ultimately though, his traveling ideas materialize fully when they make their way back to his studio and abode where their energies find a new home to live. Andrew lives and works in Los Angeles, California with his two cats Mosh and Peatree. He spends his time surfing and rock climbing when he’s not in his studio always adhering to a strict code of pursuing the fleeting moment.

This trailer is a 1960’s Aloha made in Aloha, Oregon. It was rescued from a neglected RV park in the northern part of the Long Beach Peninsula. Now repaired and transformed into an art space, this art gallery is part of our Artist Residency Program and our non-profit organization, Sou’wester Arts.

Spring/Summer 2019 Workshop Series

How the Light Gets In with instructor Suzie Kassouf

It can feel unbearable to carry the pain of our world in this unprecedented era of social upheaval and ecological destruction. Luckily, the task of tending to our broken world can infuse us with life-affirming purpose, connection and joy. Through vinyasa, meditation, group activities and time spent in nature, we will learn to honor our pain as a precious signifier of our compassion and care for our world. Most importantly, we will develop in ourselves a robust and muscular hope, rooted in the very unpredictability of these times. Leonard Cohen implores us, “ring the bells that still can ring/ forget your perfect offering/ there is a crack in everything/ that’s how the light gets in.” I look forward to sharing this with you.

Suzie Kassouf is an educator, yoga instructor and climate justice activist. After 10 years of personal practice, she completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training at The People’s Yoga with Suniti Dernovsek in 2018. She has worked extensively on multiple campaigns including Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential Run and the 2018 Portland Clean Energy Fund. Suzie believes strongly that our world is desperate for healing on multiple levels, and that true liberation can be found in community and service to others. She is passionate about marrying activism and spirituality and strives to courageously live the path of nonviolence in her life and work.

COST: sliding scale $40, $30, or $20

BRING:Pen, paper, yoga mat and a reusable bag. Please wear clothes comfortable for practicing yoga, walking on the beach and in the woods, and sitting for meditation. *optional: meditation cushion, blanket, yoga props. Sharing food is a powerful tool for deepening connection and building community. Please bring a dish to share as you are willing and able as well as an individual plate/bowl and utensils. Hot tea and coffee provided.

12 students max.

RSVP: souwesterfrontdesk@gmail.com or 360-642-2542 between 9am-9pm

The Sou’wester Lodge at 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA 98644

This class is part of the Spring/Summer 2019 Workshop Series. All classes are open to the public and all skill levels welcome. Visit www.souwesterlodge.com/art/workshops to see the full schedule of artist-led workshops.

Following the release of his latest album, Pearls to Swine, and his I Came to Sing the Song EP, both via Fat Possum in 2016 and 2017 respectively, Adam Torres has established himself as a powerful and poignant performer and songwriter. His explorations find him sitting equally within psych-folk and indie, and flavored by his affinity for his family’s roots in the U.S. Southwest. The resulting music offers deep, introspective journeys, both intimate and memorable.

This event is free, all ages, and open to the public!