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!
Drew Tucker & Mark Tegio : Presented by Sou’wester Arts
Two great songwriters join forces at The Sou’wester.
Palm Sunday : Presented by Sou’wester Arts
Palm Sunday is a genre bending Portland based band spearheaded by songwriter Merle Law. They started this project in Atlanta GA in 2018 where they recorded the debut EP “Wishful Thinking” later released in New Orleans LA. They are currently cooking up their first full length record in Portland, OR. The tropical rhythms overlap with personal reflective songwriting. These tunes pair well with walking in the morning or laying in a hammock by a lonely beach. The feeling of being elevated by something familiar or of swooning over hot air balloons. Each current member brings out the melodic rhythmic and southern elements that carry one another.
Weezy Ford & Brittain Ashford: Presented by Sou’wester Arts
“…There is a profound sense of artistic and spiritual liberation throughout Sugarcane; Ford’s talents for recognizing them and using them to her advantage make for an engaging follow-up to her debut EP.”
-Ryan Prado, Portland Mercury
“On “Shakey Knees,” Weezy Ford introduces herself to the world through a wall of distorted guitar and a shroud of vocal reverb. It’s a striking sound, reminiscent of the grimy rockabilly from her native North Carolina (think Flat Duo Jets with a hitch in its step). But the track isn’t without a few surprises, as Ford literally tap dances her way out of the song. It’s a risky and playful choice that ultimately pays off and leaves the listener wanting more.”
-Jerad Walker, OPB Music
TODD DAY WAIT
Official / Instagram / Facebook
Todd Day Wait is a Missouri native with an easy-going, good humored nature that will have you singing along faster than you know the words. We originally met while I was on a trip to New Orleans, and reconnected at Santa’s Pub in Nashville one Sunday evening. We talked of this and that, drank cheap beers and had a good time. He even mowed my lawn the next day. That’s Todd’s secret you see; he’s a good guy.” – GemsOnVHS
KRISTINA MURRAY
Official / Instagram / Spotify / Facebook
Georgia-bred, Nashville-based songwriter Kristina Murray plays Americana and country music rooted and steeped in troubadour storytelling, southern-rock grit and the footsteps of country queens of yesteryear. Kristina’s songwriting springs from a deep and personal desire to share her truth, her opinions and convictions, and the simple joys and tragedies of life. Her songs adhere to the adage “write what you know,” and her delivery is as fluid, rhythmic, and steady as her right hand on her 1963 J-45, a beloved companion whom she endearingly calls Lil’ Sister in a nod to an early musical hero, one Elvis Presley.
Kristina currently lives in Nashville, where she is active in the underground independent country and Americana music scene that pays homage to the jangle of an acoustic guitar, the sting of a Telecaster, tight harmonies and a walking bassline—the sweat and grime and heartache of country legends—rather than, say, the synth and drum machine of contemporary pop country. One listen and you’ll believe every word that drips from her honky-tonk hewn, honeyed vocal style.
Released on her own label, Loud Magnolia Records, her second full length album, Southern Ambrosia conveys a fierce and witty perspective on southernisms, hard truths, heartbreak, and the eternal magical mystery and saving grace of melody, music and song.
Pat Hull : Presented by Sou’wester Arts
Pat Hull is a singer-songwriter from Connecticut currently based out of Chico, CA. His music
intertwines a melodic, soulful, counter-tenor vocal range with a unique finger picking style,
creating a dreamy landscape with unpredictable hooks and turns. Pat’s newest release ‘St. Clare’
showcases his delicate yet raw ability to compose, sing, write, and perform. Prior recordings
include ‘Light’ and ‘Shed Skin,‘ recorded and produced in Bennington, VT with engineer, JJ
Beck and vocalist, Michael Chinworth. This collaborative effort brought a vocally and lyrically
charged center to Pat’s songwriting, and displayed a collection of songs with a detailed and
complex configuration of supporting instrumentation.
Blair Borax is a Portland, Oregon based singer-songwriter, who writes raw and honest lyrically-driven folk songs that are as powerful as they are vulnerable; songs that make you think and feel and laugh and cry; songs that make you feel a little less alone. Blair Borax released her debut EP ‘everything is light work’ in May 2021 and is working on her next. You can find Blair writing in her bedroom, recording at Groundswell Studios, and performing on stages across Portland and beyond.
With rich lyrics and a voice like molasses, Blair Borax makes music that moves you to the heart of being human, offers you a warm cup of tea, and invites you to stay a while.
The Sou’wester Lodge is hosting a full weekend of in-person performances, music and installations, free and open to the public*, on Friday 5-10pm and Saturday 12-10pm April 1st and 2nd as part of the 3rd Annual Sou’wester ARTS WEEK.
Over the past 9 years we have held an event around this time of year to highlight the creative process and the experiential nature of the Sou’wester Residency Program. Each year this event brings amazing artists to this neck of the woods and shines creative light into the darkest heart of winter.
Performances, Installations and Events
Free and Open to the Public*
Friday April 1st
5:00pm – 10:00pm
and
Saturday April 2nd
12:00pm – 10:00pm
All are invited to pick up map and schedule at The Sou’wester and tour the grounds, experiencing in-person what 33+ artists and artist collectives have created after their week-long Sou’wester Artist Residency.
*The entirety of this event will be held in a manner that meets all state mandates and Covid-19 precautions. This event is free and open to the public within safety guidelines.
book a stay at The Adrift or Salt Hotel using promo code “artsweek”
Arts Week 2022 Artists and Art Collectives
Anthony Alvarado & Jason Walker
Kaitlyn Nelson / The Gyer V Project
Bobbie Robinson & Jordan Badger
Fox Whitney / The Gender Tender Experiment
Kate Dinsmore is a singer-songwriter based in Seattle, WA. A dynamic performer and vocalist, Dinsmore brings her songs to the stage with an undeniable presence. She found her passion for songwriting when she returned to the Pacific NW after almost a decade spent in Oklahoma.
Her music is powerful and emotional, with influences ranging from Jazz to Rock to Americana. Dinsmore’s performances quickly gained a following in Seattle, allowing her to open for notable artists such as Colin Hay and the Dip.
Her voice is at one triumphant and intimate. The perfect soundtrack to dropping off the last of your ex’s stuff and driving off into the sunset.
Lucas Benoit : Presented by Sou’wester Arts
Born in McMinnville to an extended family of blue-collar musicians, Lucas Benoit is an inveterate song-maker and a founding member of the NW folk-rock favorites, The Hill Dogs.
Troubadour to the life sick, sidewalk prince of an invisible garden. Peter Pan meets Bob Dylan, they split a Mountain Dew. Donnie falls for Tina and it’s happily hardly after. Artful Dodger, a Midwest wanderer, stealing moments from a day, Lucas’s sing along choruses, jangling melodies and lyrics are junk drawers of metaphor and sweet treasures from the pockets of careless lovers. Tokens of wisdom scratched onto napkins by old friends. Lucas is at home with his arms wrapped round an old wood guitar and with paint and engine oil under his nails. His crooked smile and honest voice are doors and windows to the world.