Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Tower of Song Fundraiser @ Slainte 4.26

Our first fundraiser show for the Tower of Song Festival last Sunday was a success!

We had a great crowd, especially considering Portland often turns into a ghost town on Sunday night. The show opened with Bird in the Rafters and their primal energy. All three of the members took turns at vocals over a bed of controlled mania. They also plugged one of their guitars into a book that had been converted into an amplifier- an invention created by Galen Richmond, who will be appearing as a vendor at the T.o.S. Festival on May 23rd.

Meghan Yates was the next to take the stage, and a hush fell over the crowd as she opened her performance with a mesmerizing song done a capella. Meghan is old friends with Moses Atwoods, Portland's prodigal son of Appalachian Folk who now lives in Asheville, and she sings on his highly recommended debut album. She also is constantly recording new stuff of her own, and I encourage you try to pick up some of her spell-binding work.

Dominic Lavoie was joined by a keyboardist (from the Lucid) and drummer (from the Manes) for another showcase of an incredible voice in an intimate space. He treated the crowd to a wonderful variety of song, including "She's Got A Soul"- a song originally written for the Empire's Valentine's Day Show, a "stoner version" of "Cease to Exist" from the Lucid's most recent album, and an awesome cover of David Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things".

The show closed out with Johnny Fountain & The Manes, who always bring the entertainment. Johnny was clearly enjoying himself as he strutted and strummed his way through songs like "88 Olds" and "Thought Machine". The Manes were also more than up to the challenge of some of the new songs added to the set. It was a wonderful night, full of friends, good vibes, and great music. And, hey, we even made a few extra bucks to help with the Festival.

Our second fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th at the Sylvia Kania Gallery. Line-up TBA.

All Photos courtesy of Hilly Town:


Bird in the Rafters


Meghan Yates


Dominic Lavoie


Johnny Fountain

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