Fort George will be continuing its’ Parking Lot Party tradition for the 2013 Astoria Regatta. People on the Fort George Brewery + Public House Block will be able to watch the Grand Land Parade at noon from the patio and parking lot beer garden, see the Boat Parade from 1:00 to 4:00pm, and the fireworks display from 9:30 – 10:00pm. The parking lot stage will be graced by our very own living legend, Michael Hurley, as well as Portland’s Parson Red Heads. Music starts at 6:30 and goes until the fireworks end. From the Lovell Taproom to the Parking Lot Beer Garden, to the Public House and 2nd Level, Fort George is the place to be for Regatta Saturday. The Parking Lot Party is family and family pet friendly and there is no cover charge.
Regatta Sunday will be back to usual with the Public House opening at noon. Wind down your Regatta weekend with Sunday Night Music at 8:00 by Ruby Falls at the Fort George Brewery + Public House’s 2nd Level. All Ages. Never a Cover!
Information about the bands:
Michael Hurley
(Bio and photo courtesy of Light in the Attic Records).
Tracing the lineage and citing the fore-bearers of the New Weird America, one can’t help but mention the music of bizarre folk singer/guitarist/artist Michael Hurley. If you haven’t been following his career since the 1970’s (when he was collaborating with the likes of the Holy Modal Rounders and Jesse Colin Young) then you probably discovered him in the past couple of years via Devendra Banhart’s & Andy Cabic’s label Gnomonsong, who have released Hurley’s recent recordings.
Hurley’s debut album, First Songs, was recorded for Folkways Records in 1965 on the same reel-to-reel machine that taped Lead Belly’s Last Sessions. He was discovered by blues and jazz historian Frederick Ramsey III, and subsequently championed by boyhood friend Jesse Colin Young, who released Hurley’s next two album on The Youngbloods’ Warner Brother’s imprint, Raccoon. How’s that for cred?
In the 1970s, Hurley made three albums for Rounder Records; Have Moicy! (1975), Long Journey (1976), and Snockgrass (1980) which after being out of print for decades are now being reissued on Light In The Attic Records.
In recent years, tours with Son Volt and high praise from younger performers like Lucinda Williams, Vic Chesnutt, Calexico, and Cat Power, have increased Hurley’s legend.
Michael currently lives outside of Astoria and we have the pleasure of hearing his great songs live more than anyone in the country.
Parson Red Heads
While roaming from Portland to Los Angeles and back, the Parson Red Heads have honed a sound that calls in influences like the Byrds, Big Star, Wilco and Jackson Browne. The tight nit group of Evan Way, Brette Marie Way, Sam Fowles, and Charlie Hester have a honed in rock and roll sound that only comes from experience.
From their website, “It is impossible to discuss the Parson Red Heads without acknowledging the remarkable chemistry among the four members, their fans and friends. The band’s generous spirit is inseparable from their masterful songwriting, gracefully finessed guitar lines, precise arrangements and gorgeous three and four part harmonies.
By any definition, The Parson Red Heads are in harmony:
har·mo·ny noun \ˈhär-mə-nē\
1 tuneful sound
2 the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord
3 pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts
4 internal calm: tranquility
5 an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative
Ruby Feathers
As a young girl, Lindsie Feathers grew up listening to all the good ol’ country records while cleaning the house with her mama on Saturday afternoons – years later she formed her very own classic country band that consists of mostly original material and a handful of covers from her favorite inspirations.
“What seems to be missing from much of the current revival of Americana inspired music is a sense of familial unity that originally defined the genre. Happily, local group Ruby Feathers harkens to that essential tenet in their joyful country tinged ditties. Spearheaded by frontwoman Lindsie Feathers, Ruby Feathers are six instrumentalists who make stringband music that is emotionally evocative as well as a joy to hear.”
-Portland Mercury
