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!

Apr
1
Sat
Palm Sunday + Jonny G: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
Apr 1 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm


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 lofi debut EP “Wishful Thinking” later released in New Orleans LA. They are currently cooking up their first full length album recorded entirely to tape in Portland, OR. The counter jazz rhythms overlap with timeless ethereal songwriting. The effect of being elevated by something familiar. The melancholy, unconventional rhythm and tropical elements carry one another. 

Jonny G and the Music Factory is a Hard Rock and Roll (some times soft) music group from
the PNW.

Apr
8
Sat
Keren: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
Apr 8 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 
 
Soulful-pop songstress Keren Ilan born in Vietnam and currently living and working in Tel Aviv, Israel. Keren has been exploring her musicality since her teen age, when she first picked up a guitar.
she began writing her first songs, influenced by  indie & soul scene, mostly outside of Israel.  
She listened to bands such as Radiohead and Modest Mouse amongst others, slowly developing her musical taste and honing her own style.
Keren began writing because of an inability to express herself, it became a new way to communicate her thoughts, feelings and ideas, much like a personal diary. In 2015 she moved to Florence, Italy, to explore something new and began to play and write non-stop.  Keren Released her first EP, ‘This Morning, Yesterday 19th August 2019.
Since the release of her EP Keren’s songs were played in the famous radio show in London ‘Get In Her Ears’ and a lot of writers all over wrote about her music.
The same year she toured from north to south of Italy. These days Keren is working on her new upcoming album and touring around Israel.
Apr
15
Sat
Craetorus: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
Apr 15 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 

Starting as a solo musician from late 2017 to 2021, Darla Rae (front person of Craetorus) has been making moves to push for inclusivity and diversity in the music scene since. Their lyrics are described as contemplative, with tinges of catchiness, but enough to leave you with catharsis and a yearning for self reflection. Musically sounding in the likes of jazz, r&b, psychedelia, prog rock and avant garde indie, they’ve somehow made a conglomeration of it all to make Craetorus’ sound distinct of others. Releasing their first single, “Ivy” in April of 2019, they’ve been on the path to musical discovery since with the recent support in May of 2022 from Jon Garber, Lychen Gipaya, Ryan Anthony Brooks, Nico Mitchell and Danilo Martinez. Catch them soon with an EP release in 2023 titled, “Odes”.

Apr
22
Sat
Eelgrass: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
Apr 22 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Eelgrass is a marine flowering plant 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 Willapa Bay. Eelgrass is also the name of a longtime musical collaboration between Lara Pacheco, Dan Swenson, Bobby Hayden and Todd Summers. They play folky-tonk-pop with psychedelic vibes and call Portland, Oregon home.

Apr
29
Sat
Kendall Lujan: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
Apr 29 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 

Kendall Lujan: Presented by Sou’wester

The striking talents of rising Portland talent Kendall Lujan will be impossible to miss in the coming year. Her indie-operatic voice stratifies songs through octave runs, making moody, melodic folk rock. Early 2023 we’ll have her first EP. To rise out of Portland’s flush music scene is no easy feat, Lujan has been making herself heard by singing harmonies in AC Sapphire’s backing band The Shoulderpads and now with a new duo with AC called “Caliko”.

In her latest project Lujan steps out in front of the band. Many folks introduction to Lujan will be “Another”, a song of lingering desire that floats Lujan’s vocal range over a small symphony of archtop guitar and strings. Her strengthy voice –which ranges from mountain holler to bird-like warble, seems to hang in the air. She sings a song about retracing steps to the point where love was lost, and resolves to regain that trail in another life.

Lujan opens the moody “Dot My I’s” solo, fingerpicking guitar, giving us a chance to hear her commanding voice. Layered vocals and gentle driven drums join Lujan in a pocket groove. Enjoy her lyricism as she asks “how can these memories be so sweet, and other times only sting?”Lujan comes to Portland from the upper-left-most corner of rural Washington. She’s had bands before but the time of the pandemic created an opportunity for Lujan to do things differently. She moved to Portland, and saw the isolation of relocation and lockdown as a chance to really dig into her own songs. The trained piano player picked up a guitar. 

Lujan’s song’s concentrate on growing up, and figuring it out, and she  turns experience into a story to make the point. The natural singer and songwriter put together a band with Micah Hummel (drums) Sam Arnold (bass) and recorded at the Map Room in Portland with Dominik Schmidt producing.

Lujan is peaking on “Forget Me Knots” , a crossover capable song incorporating elements of country, indie, folk, and pop. Crooning clearly over vibrato, reverb, pedal steel asking, romantically, “how long will it take for you to be sitting next to me?” with a release date of February 10th.

Lujan’s first self titled, EP Kendall Lujan is out march 2023. 

~ Sean Jewell

American Standard Time Records

May
6
Sat
Matt Mitchell: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
May 6 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Matt Mitchell Music Company is an original Americana/Folk/Rock project hailing from the Pacific Northwest. Matt‘s songs are deeply heartfelt, original and engaging. The lyrics are the heart and soul of the tunes; informing the arrangements to create compelling and relatable narratives. Stylistically the songs are reminiscent of “The Band”, leaning heavily on harmony, soulful grooves and psychedelic lead guitar. MMMC performs in a variety of formats; solo acoustic, acoustic duo or trio and a rockin’ full band. 

May
13
Sat
Music: Forest Veil @ The Sou'wester
May 13 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Forest Veil is the solo work of Portland, Oregon multi-instrumentalist/producer Monica Metzler. Following the echoes of her elusive muse, Forest Veil makes mystical psych-folk that maps the emotional terrain of humanity and its place in the cosmos. Melding a voice that sounds like smokey quartz with psychedelic guitar riffs and enigmatic lyricism, Forest Veil’s sound evokes a haunting nostalgia for other worlds. Though she primarily writes on her own, Forest Veil records and performs with others. An avid guitarist for over 20 years, Forest Veil’s music showcases virtuosic guitar shredding and dynamic musicality.  Forest Veil’s music has been placed in Coach ads, movies, and TV shows such as Blacklist.

May
20
Sat
The Barbaras: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
May 20 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
 

The Barbaras is a country/doo-wop band, featuring sisters, Weezy and Sallie Ford.  They released a full length record “Oh My God Barbara” in September 2022. They will be playing at The Sou’wester with Jeff Munger (guitar), Jamie Greenan (Pedal steel), and Mark Robertson (bass/ producer). 

May
25
Thu
Singing in the land Workshop & Experience @ The Sou'wester Lodge
May 25 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Singing in the land:  earth magic, song, and the body 

Thursday, May 25 5-7 pm
 
Join bodyworker, musician, and animist priest ell rieke (they/them) in residency at the Sou’wester for a magical, musical exploration of connection with the earth, our ancestors, and the world of spirit.  Part workshop, part participatory sonic experience, we will spend the first part of our time in conversation, talking through questions like:  what is magic and why does it matter?  Where do songs come from?  Is the earth talking to us?  How can sound and rhythm help us navigate this complicated, painful, beautiful world?  
 
In the second half of our gathering, ell will guide participants in using voice and body to connect with spirit and the earth.  They will teach some songs of the season, from both folk and modern traditions, and then guide a gentle ritual of reverence and celebration for the coming of summer.  You will be invited to sing or hum and move your body, and are also welcome to just sit and experience.  All bodies, voices, and backgrounds are welcome, including kids! 
 
Please bring something to sit on, and cozy layers in case the evening is cool.  You may want to bring a journal and pen, if you like taking notes, and are also invited to bring a special object (that will return home with you) and/or flowers for the group altar. 
May
27
Sat
Yawa: Presented by Sou’wester Arts @ The Sou'wester
May 27 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 

Yawa, also known as Amenta Abioto, is a songwriter and producer from Memphis,TN and currently based in Portland, OR. In her one-woman performance, she builds vocal and instrumental loops from synth, drum machine, and kalimba creating atmospheric textures. Yawa surprises and tantalizes audiences with mind bending ideas while skipping vocally from soul-shaking gospel to smooth jazz. Her music is boldly mystical and soul-fired, and her raw live performances invoke elements of both theatrical and magical surprise. “