Sisters Magazine - Folk Festival

SISTERS ARTS | CULTURE | EVENTS

A MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE TOWN OF SISTERS

AUTUMN 2011

Fall

Autumn into

Art at the Ranch September 2-3 Western & Native American Arts Festival September 3-4 Sisters Folk Festival September 9-11 Friends of the Forest Day September 24 Sisters Fresh Hops Festival September 24 Sisters Harvest Faire October 8-9 Photography in the Aspens October 14-15 Endorsed by

Advertising Supplement to The Bulletin

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16th Annual

Sisters Folk Festival

Tickets:

ALL EVENT PASSES Friday Night Saturday - All Day Sunday Student - All Events

Stages:

$95 $50 $65* $55 $45 *

* WORKSHOPS INCLUDED

Village Green Bronco Billy’s Ranch Grill and Saloon Sisters Art Works Angeline’s Bakery

Sisters Coffee Company Depot Café Slick’s Que Co.

Featuring blues, bluegrass, folk and Americana music Friday through Sunday, Sept. 9-11, 2011

by Bunny Thompson, for The Bulletin Like many great ideas and inventions, the Sisters Folk Festival started out as a simple hypothesis.

Dick Sandvik, owner of Paulina Springs Books at the time, and Jim Cornelius, editor of The Nugget newspaper, are both musicians who longed for a Sisters event that would draw in tourists and locals to enjoy good American roots music.

In 1995, they ventured into the project with a one-day event inviting Portland Irish musician Peter Yeates to perform.

The event was successful.

The Sisters Folk Festival was a “what if” that started modestly and evolved over

time, eventually morphing into the worldclass “blues to bluegrass” event that it is today.

For 2011, the festival runs for three days and has seven venues throughout Sisters. It is one of only a few festivals in the U.S. held within the city limits of a small town, allowing festivalgoers to shop, dine and lodge within walking distance of the festival.

Most similar events are held in a big field that is generally a drive to those amenities.

Music is the focus of the Sisters Folk Festival, and the music engages the audience in a way that brings out the best in the artist.

The person in charge of organizing the music is Brad Tisdel, who serves as both executive director and artistic director.

A talent committee works with Tisdel from October until July evaluating music and artists to bring the very best to the festival.

Tisdel attends other folk festivals to stay connected with the music scene and meet new talent.

“Our talent committee consists of a dedicated group of folks whose interest in music varies,” Tisdel said. “We believe strongly that there needs to be a broad diversity of talent and music at the festival, and I think we’ve achieved diversity.”

Dave Alvin will be headlining this year. Called a “roots rock legend” by Rolling Stone Magazine, Alvin is a singer/ songwriter who the Sisters Folk Festival has been trying to book for years.

This year, the stars and Alvin’s schedule aligned to bring him to Sisters.

Premier Sponsors:

All-event passes are $95 and allow you to visit all venues all three days.

Individual day tickets are also available, but development director Katy Yoder encourages everyone to experience the entire festival by buying a badge.

“We have a lot of very famous entertainers at the festival,” Yoder said.

“But, we also have a bunch of artists that you may not have heard of or seen yet.

You’ll find yourself saying over and over, ‘Where have these artists been, and why haven’t I seen or heard of them before?’ The all-events badge will let you experience all of the artists, both famous and not-sofamous.”

Poet/songwriter Steve Forbert, bluesy Southern singer Mary Gauthier, and Willy Porter — the best guitar player this side of heaven — will all leave you wanting more and clamoring to buy their latest CDs. The Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting

Contest, a part of the Sisters Folk Festival, has boosted the careers of many outstanding musicians. The winner of the contest performs on the Village Green stage Saturday evening.

The Sisters Americana Project, the educational outreach program of the Sisters Folk Festival, has inspired musical creativity and historical knowledge for American roots music and culture.

“There have been so many notable successes from our program,” Tisdel said.

“This year, one of our graduates, Laura Curtis, is coming back as a confirmed and booked artist. Laura performed here as a student and now has gone on to develop her singing and songwriting talents as a professional.”

If you’d like to attend the Sisters Folk Festival, visit the event’s website at www. sistersfolkfestival.org, or call the festival office at 541-549-4979.

Artist Sponsors: Yancy Lind

Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |3

The Artists MARTYN JOSEPH DAVE ALVIN

Friday, 9 p.m., Village Green Saturday, 9 p.m., Sisters Art Works Grammy Award winning singersongwriter and self-described “barroom guitarist,” is widely considered to be one of the pivotal founders of the current Americana music scene.

He is one of the last true California troubadours and possesses guitar chops and songs that demand to be respected and admired by all.

Friday, 6 p.m., Village Green Saturday, Noon, Sisters Coffee Co. (Workshop) Saturday, 2:45 p.m., Sisters Art Works Sunday, 11:15 a.m., Sisters Art Works A Welsh singer and songwriter, Martyn has a way of telling a story that seems urgent, important and inspiring at the same time. Martyn moved people in 2010 with a generosity of spirit, electric stage presence and great songs!

TONY FURTADO BAND

Friday, 9:30 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 3 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 2:15 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Tony Furtado has become a force as a songwriter and will perform as a trio. His new album features soaring melodies and excellent musicianship that we have come to expect from this banjo and slide guitar maestro.

JOE PUG & THE 100-MILE BAND WILLY PORTER

Friday, 7:30 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 2 p.m., Sisters Coffee Co. (Workshop) Saturday, 9:15 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 1:15 p.m., Sisters Art Works Willy Porter’s miraculous talent never ceases to amaze audiences worldwide.

We’ve invited Willy back for 2011 because he is one of the most exquisite, talented and entertaining performers in all of music today.

Saturday, 3 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 8:15 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 2:15 p.m., Sisters Art Works Joe Pug writes memorable songs with poignant delivery and leaves you savoring the moment as you appreciate the poetry and vitality of the song. Our fans will understand why this 25-yearold Chicago-based songwriter has a remarkable career ahead of him.

COW BOP

Friday, 11 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 8 p.m., Sisters Art Works Sunday, 2 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Cow Bop is at the forefront of Cowboy Jazz. Led by renowned jazz guitarist Bruce Forman, Cow Bop is the most fun you can have on a dance floor while still wearing your spurs.

Friday, 10:45 p.m., Sisters Art Works (Circle the Wagons) Saturday, Noon, Village Green Saturday, 3:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Sunday, 2 p.m., Depot Café Johnsmith possesses a genius, authentic and genuine quality that cannot be denied, ignored or overlooked.

Johnsmith is a gifted singer-songwriter, moving performer and roaming troubadour who is simply captivating to observe. John will be performing with Radisalv Lorkovic, an amazing accordion and piano player.

SWEET TALK RADIO

RED MOLLY

Saturday, 2:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Saturday, 7 p.m., Sisters Art Works Sunday, 3 p.m., Village Green This New York-based trio performs and writes haunting and uplifting songs, and delivers authentic bluegrass and old-time gospel-influenced songs.

Anchored by beautiful three-part harmonies, each “Molly” brings their own flavor to the band.

STEVE FORBERT

Saturday, 7:15 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 3:15 p.m., Sisters Art Works Steve Forbert is the poets’ songwriter. It is his deep, slow-as-molasses drawl that first invites the listener into his confidence as he continues a conversation with his fans that began over thirty years ago. Each of his songs emerges from an unhurried place and draws people into his vision, crafted by a master.

JOHNSMITH

Saturday, 1:45 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 9 p.m., Depot Café Sunday, Noon, Village Green Kathrin Shorr and Tim Burlingame perform as STR with powerful songs and undeniable chemistry, and create Americana-pop songs full of depth and yearning, delivered with passion and a desire to connect.

MATT THE ELECTRICIAN JT & THE CLOUDS RITA HOSKING & COUSIN JACK ANAIS MITCHELL

Saturday, 7 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Sunday, 1 p.m., Village Green Anaïs Mitchell sings songs that recall early cabaret coupled with progressive indiefolk, elusive and engaging. Mitchell writes songs that are as intimate as conversations and as rich in detail as short stories.

Friday, 8:30 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 2 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 1:15 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Always fierce and lovely, Rita’s delivery is intense. Her songs are as fragile as a newborn baby, and defiant as a West Virginia coal miner, and with a smoking string band we are in for the real-deal treat.

Friday, 11:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Saturday, 7 p.m., Depot Café (JT Nero) Saturday, 11:15 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Sunday, 4 p.m., Village Green JT & the Clouds hail from Chicago and their music reflects it—rough-edged, sad, hopeful, and shot with soul. With bandleader and songwriter Jeremy Nero, they have style, confidence, and he has a killer voice that has a sense of urgency and poetic depth.

Saturday, 11 a.m., Village Green Saturday, 6 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Sunday, 11 a.m., Angeline’s Bakery Matt Sever is a Texas-based songwriter who does not shy away from clever, tricky tunes that speak to his wry observations of life. Eventually, he quit his job as an electrician, to spend more time writing and playing songs, and the name stuck with him.

HANZ ARAKI BAND HOOTS & HELLMOUTH

MARY GAUTHIER

Friday, 7 p.m., Village Green Saturday, 1 p.m., Sisters Coffee Co. (Workshop) Saturday, 6 p.m., Sisters Art Works With a voice like a grazed hawk, she sings bluesy Southern Gothic tales…Whatever you are doing I guarantee you’ll stop and listen to every word. Mary is an inspirational spirit, as her energy transmits into tightly crafted well-worn songs.

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE

Friday, 8 p.m., Village Green Saturday, 3:45 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 10 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Timeless music with tight vocal harmonies, CCL merges a traditional bluegrass sound with first-class string band picking. A North Carolina foursome, they perform original songs that are stirring and infectious.

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Friday, Midnight, Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 8 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Saturday, 10:15 p.m., Slick’s Que Co. (Acoustic) Sunday, 2 p.m., Village Green Hoots and Hellmouth are a Philadelphia-based roots music act whose music brings together the passion of alt-country and the rustic tone of acoustic folk, merging them with loping jam band grooves.

DALA

Friday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters Art Works Saturday, 6:15 p.m., Village Green Sunday, 1 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Juno (Canadian Grammys) nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, Dala performs original songs that leave the listener breathless with their beauty and grace.

Friday, 10 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 1 p.m., Village Green Saturday, 4:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery The Hanz Araki Band is a force in West Coast Celtic music. Their sound is driven by fierce tunes and tempered by songs both humorous and heartwrenching. Their diverse origins, with flute, fiddle and guitar, blend perfectly to create a sound unlike any other.

BETTY AND THE BOY

Saturday, 6:15 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Sunday, 12:15 p.m., Sisters Art Works Betty and the Boy will steal your heart with memorable and haunting ballads about love and loss. Based in Eugene, Oregon, and performing as a quartet, they play spare, meditative and poetic songs. Betty and the Boy is the 2011 Two Old Hippies & Breedlove Guitars artist.

NATHANIEL TALBOT BAND

Friday, 10:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Sunday, 1 p.m., Depot Café Nathaniel wowed listeners so much last year as an emerging artist, that we decided to bring him back again this year.

An extremely polished guitar player at the age of 27, Nathaniel weaves intricate melodies around soaring guitar lines.

THE ANVIL BLASTERS

Saturday, 2 p.m., Bronco Billy’s The songs of the Anvil Blasters are peopled with border renegades and desert dreamers, poets and pirates and ghosts of the old, weird America. It’s a rollicking recipe of gunpowder, twang and tequila that has earned them a loyal following across Central Oregon.

HEROES OF TELEMARK

Saturday, Noon, Bronco Billy’s Sunday, Noon, Angeline’s Bakery Indie folk rock band The Heroes of Telemark have been making a big wave in Bend lately. Blending old sounds with new, Heroes of Telemark are an up-and-coming act that is sure to excite the ears of our listeners this year.

Emerging

ARTISTS LAURA CURTIS THAD BECKMAN BAND

Friday, 9 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 1:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Sunday, 11 a.m., Depot Café (Thad Beckman) Rippin’ guitar player Thad Beckman has played with such talented folk artists as Tom Russell, Dave Alvin and Bo Diddley.

Thad blew away so many listeners at last year’s Winter Concert Series that we had to have him back as a featured artist.

CAHALEN MORRISON & ELI WEST

Friday, 9:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Saturday, 6 p.m., Depot Café Saturday, 8:45 p.m., Bronco Billy’s With a handful of acoustic instruments and the clear harmonies of bluegrass song traditions, Cahalen and Eli cross the warmth of old-time with the fierceness of bluegrass, and high lonesome harmonies that would fit into any evening at the Opry.

Saturday, 12:15 p.m., Angeline’s Bakery Sunday, Noon, Depot Café At age 20, Laura Curtis, from Sisters, Oregon carries on the tradition of emotive songwriting, rooted deeply in the Americana music she grew up listening to. Laura writes songs through the lens of discovery and insight, and sings them with urgency and poise.

CONSIDER THE FOX SHOOK TWINS

Saturday, 11 p.m., Depot Café Sunday, 11:15 a.m., Bronco Billy’s “The sisters’ voices blend and braid with amazing clarity and depth, their guitars percolate brightly, and the intensity builds to incendiary proportions with layers of percussion gradually added to the mix.” (Spokesman Review)

WILLIE CARMICHAEL

Saturday, 8 p.m., Depot Café Sunday, 12:15 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Willie weaves his tales of everyday people and situations with the precision of a master craftsman. Eclectic, funny and poignant, Willie can make you cry, scared, and rejoice in the small things of life all in one set.

Saturday, 1 p.m., Bronco Billy’s Saturday, 10 p.m., Depot Café Consider the Fox is a unique collaboration of longtime friends Erin Cole-Baker and Chris Beland. Each Bend, Oregon artist has solid solo recordings, and together blend their rootsy folk-pop songwriting styles with harmonies that make you want to listen all day — a bit of sunshine through the clouds.

In its third year at the Sisters Folk Festival, the Emerging Artists’ set at The Depot Café is free, featuring artists from around the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Be sure to drop by, listen to some tunes from regional musicians and get some great food. Here is the Emerging Artists lineup:

MKE BIGGERS

Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Depot Café Saturday, 7:45 p.m., Slick’s Que Co. Mike’s songs reflect everyday life through his personal experiences and observations, often displaying his use of wordplay and sense of humor.

His music has been described as “deeply touching to laugh-out-loud funny.”

BROOKS ROBERTSON

Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Depot Café Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Slick’s Que Co Brooks Robertson has one of the very best techniques in fingerstyle guitar. You can hear the influences of Buster B. Jones, Jerry Reed, and all the great fingerpickers past ... and he’s writing some fabulous new material. An amazing guitar player who’s showing the rest of us how it’s done! Nobody whops Brooks Robertson!

JEFFREY MARTIN

Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Depot Café Saturday, 7 p.m., Slick’s Que Co Writing about things he doesn’t understand helps Jeff Martin make sense of the world around him. The mystery of songwriting is what draws him to the craft, and the mystery that leaves the listener breathless and amazed.

KITES & CROWS

Saturday, 2:30 p.m., Depot Café Saturday, 9:15 p.m., Slick’s Que Co According to The Bulletin, Kites & Crows feature “warm, rich vocals and compelling melodies, solid, swooning cello parts and banjo, which click along like the guts of a well-tuned clock.”

The Sisters Folk Festival

Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest: The Sisters Folk Festival’s songwriting contest has been steadily building momentum since its 1995 inception. From the start, contest judges have been blown away by the quality and quantity of submissions. The first winner was Dave Carter, and he set the bar high. After his win, he and Tracy Grammer were regular performers at the Festival. After Dave’s tragic death, the Sisters Folk Festival chose to honor him by naming the contest The Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest.

The Contest is a showcase for outstanding but under-recognized performing songwriters. Some past winners include Beth Wood, Darryl Purpose, Bob Hillman, Chuck McCabe, Christopher Smith and Dennis McGregor.

This year’s finalists include Ashleigh Flynn of Portland, Oregon; Rachel Harrington of Seattle, Washington; Mark Keller of Sausalito, California; Niki Leeman of Chicago, Illinois; and Alicia McGovern of Salt Lake City, Utah. The five finalists will vie for a $750 cash prize. They will all perform the songs they entered at the Sisters Folk Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10. The winner will perform a short set to open the Festival’s Saturday night show on the Village Green Stage.

Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |5

The Festival Venues Seven Great Stages!

Sisters Folk Festival is a unique musical experience. Patrons and artists are treated to inspired performances and magical moments in seven venues throughout town.

Many of our venues are intimate and require patrons to plan who they’d like to see throughout the festival. We will make every effort to present the best possible experience for our patrons, volunteers and artists each year.

Below is a list of our venues including a brief description and seating capacity to help better inform the decisions you make during the festival. Every official festival venue has seating for patrons unless noted as standing room only.

Village Green (VG)

In the center of downtown Sisters, Village Green is nestled between the Sisters Fire Hall and quaint residential buildings. This tent venue contains food and craft vendors as well as beer and wine service provided

by Deschutes Brewery and Mendocino Wine Co. The Village Green also serves as the primary location to purchase festival merchandise such as posters, T-shirts, water bottles and CDs from your favorite artists of the weekend. The Village Green stage seats approximately 1,000 people.

Downtown Sisters.

‘CIRCLE THE WAGONS’

in memory of

Chuck McCabe

Friday, Sept. 9, 10:45 p.m. - Midnight, Sisters Art Works, led by Johnsmith The Sisters Folk Festival would like to pay our respect to Chuck McCabe for the artistry, talent, humor and insight he provided to the Sisters Folk Festival over the years. We lost a good friend last year. A great songwriter, guitar player, author and recording artist, Chuck won the Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest here in 1998. He was an instructor at the Americana Song Academy twice, and helped conceive and launch our Night Owl showcase.

In his honor, and for the second straight year, we are hosting an intimate songwriter’s round at Sisters Art Works from 10:45 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Sept. 9. “Circle the Wagons” will be hosted by Johnsmith and feature many festival artists.

The event is sponsored by the Roundhouse Foundation, a dedicated supporter of the arts in Central Oregon and the Sisters Folk Festival. Please join us for “Circle the Wagons,” in memory of our friend Chuck McCabe. We miss you, Chuck.

PICKIN’ CENTRAL Friday & Saturday Nights, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Sisters Chamber We invite you to join other pickers and let ‘er rip at “Pickin’ Central” Friday and Saturday nights from 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. at the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, 291 E. Main Avenue. This will be a moderated picking and song session. What we’d like to see is a bunch of folks pickin’ and grinnin’ ... and that includes banjo jokes. If you have a twist on that old “perfect pitch” gag, we’re ready to hear it! If you can pick, plunk, strum, frail, clawhammer, pluck, bite or bow a banjo, we’d like to see you do it! If you can yodel, holler, hogcall, clog, stomp, rap or testify at the same time ... well, we dare ya!

capacity at Bronco Billy’s is 250 and space is extremely limited. 190 E Cascade Ave.

Angeline’s Bakery (ANG)

One of the more unique venue offerings at our festival is the outdoor venue at Angeline’s Bakery. The venue sits nestled between two Western-style buildings, providing a fun “backyard” atmosphere. Angeline’s Bakery holds approximately 140 people, and offers healthy food in a fun atmosphere. Space is very limited. 121 W Main Ave.

Sisters Art Works (SAW)

The Sisters Art Works received a beautiful facelift this year thanks to volunteer energy that included our own Sisters Folk Festival board members and students of the Sisters Americana Project. The SAW stage will offer food vendors as well as beer and wine service provided by Deschutes Brewery and Mendocino Wine Co. The SAW stage seats approximately 800 people, and bookends the north side of town as a perfect walking distance between our two largest venues. 204 W Adams Ave.

Sisters Coffee Co. (SCC)

The Sisters Coffee Co. stage is our free community venue. Dependent on the weather the venue is either inside the coffee shop or outside in the grass lawn provided by Ponderosa Properties. Inside the venue seats approximately 75 people.

If held outside, the grass seating holds up to 300 people. Bring your own blanket or low-back chair. 273 E Hood Ave.

Bronco Billy’s (BB)

Bronco Billy’s offers a fun atmosphere for those who are 21 and over. The venue is a Western-style saloon and gives patrons the opportunity to kick up their heels. Max

Depot Café (DC)

The Depot Café offers exceptional performances from regional artists. Depot Café seats approximately 120 people in an intimate outdoor setting. 205 W Cascade Ave.

Slick’s Que Co. (SQC)

Our newest venue this year is housed inside of Slick’s Que Co. This venue offers some of the best BBQ this side of Memphis and will host the songwriters and small acoustic acts Friday and Saturday evenings.

Slick’s seats approximately 75 people. 240 E Cascade Ave.

Sisters Folk Festival Staff:

Board of Directors:

Executive & Artistic Director: Brad Tisdel Development Director: Katy Yoder Assistant Festival Director Travis Ehrenstrom Operations/IT Manager: Pete Rathbun Volunteer Coordinator: Susan Stafford

Jim Cornelius, Festival Co-founder & Board Chair Jack McGowan Jim Cunningham Debbie Newport Marean Jordan Jeff Wester Jay Mather Steve Mathews

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Finance Manager: Ann Richardson Americana Project High School Teacher: Rick Johnson Americana Project Middle School Teacher & Aesthetic Consultant: Kit Stafford

The Schedule

We hope you enjoy as many performances and workshops as you can, and remember that we present shows at several venues, many of which have limited capacity. There are no reserved seats—saving seats is not allowed—and seating is first-come, first-served. If you get to a venue too late to be admitted, please check out the talent at our other venues.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 9 Village Green 6-6:45 p.m.

7-7:45 p.m.

8-8:45 p.m.

9-10 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 10

Martyn Joseph Mary Gauthier Chatham County Line Dave Alvin

Bronco Billy’s Ranch Grill & Saloon 9-9:45 p.m.

Thad Beckman Band 10-10:45 p.m.

Hanz Araki Band 11-11:45 p.m.

Cow Bop Midnight-1 a.m.

Hoots & Hellmouth Sisters Art Works 6:30-7:15 p.m.

7:30-8:15 p.m.

8:30-9:15 p.m.

9:30-10:30 p.m.

10:45 p.m.-Midnight

Dala Willy Porter Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack Tony Furtado Band Songwriters Round “Circle the Wagons” with Johnsmith

Angeline’s Bakery 9:15-10 p.m.

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West 10:15-11 p.m.

Nathaniel Talbot Band 11:15-Midnight JT & The Clouds Slick’s Que Co. 7-11 p.m.

Song Contest Finalists

Village Green 11-11:45 a.m.

Noon-12:45 p.m.

1-1:45 p.m.

2-2:45 p.m.

3-3:45 p.m.

Matt the Electrician Johnsmith Hanz Araki Band Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack Tony Furtado Band ~ Dinner Break ~ 6-6:15 p.m.

Song Contest Winner 6:15-7 p.m.

Dala 7:15-8 p.m.

Steve Forbert 8:15-9 p.m.

Joe Pug & the 100-Mile Band 9:15-10:15 p.m.

Willy Porter Bronco Billy’s Ranch Grill & Saloon Noon-12:45 p.m. Heroes of Telemark 1-1:45 p.m.

Consider the Fox 2-2:45 p.m.

The Anvil Blasters 3-4 p.m.

Joe Pug & the 100-Mile Band ~ Dinner Break ~ 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Betty & the Boy 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Nathaniel Talbot Band 8:45-9:45 p.m.

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West 10-11 p.m.

Chatham County Line 11:15 p.m.-12:30 a.m. JT & the Clouds Sisters Art Works Noon-1:30 p.m. Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest 1:45-2:30 p.m.

Sweet Talk Radio 2:45-3:30 p.m.

Martyn Joseph 3:45-4:30 p.m.

Chatham County Line ~ Dinner Break ~ 6-6:45 p.m.

Mary Gauthier 7-7:45 p.m.

Red Molly 8-8:45 p.m.

Cow Bop 9-10 p.m.

Dave Alvin Angeline’s Bakery 12:15-1 p.m.

Laura Curtis 1:15-2 p.m.

Thad Beckman Band 2:15-3 p.m.

Red Molly

3:15-4 p.m.

4:15-5 p.m.

6-6:45 p.m.

7-7:45 p.m.

8-8:45 p.m.

Johnsmith Hanz Araki Band ~ Dinner Break ~ Matt the Electrician Anais Mitchell Hoots & Hellmouth

Slick’s Que Co. 7-7:30 p.m.

7:45-8:15 p.m.

8:30-9 p.m.

9:15-9:45 p.m.

10:15-11 p.m.

Jeffrey Martin Mike Biggers Brooks Robertson Kites & Crows Hoots & Hellmouth (Acoustic Set)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 11

Village Green 10-11:15 a.m.

Sisters Community Celebration hosted by Beth Wood ~ Lunch Break ~ Noon-12:45 p.m. Sweet Talk Radio 1-1:45 p.m.

Anais Mitchell 2-2:45 p.m.

Hoots & Hellmouth 3-3:45 p.m.

Red Molly 4-4:45 p.m.

JT & the Clouds Sisters Coffee Company Noon Martyn Joseph (Workshop) 1 p.m.

Mary Gauthier (Workshop) 2 p.m.

Willy Porter (Workshop) 3:15-6 p.m.

Song Contest Finalists

Bronco Billy’s Ranch Grill & Saloon 11:15 a.m.-Noon Shook Twins 12:15-1 p.m.

Willie Carmichael 1:15-2 p.m.

Rita Hosking 2:15-3 p.m.

Tony Furtado Band

Depot Café Free Stage/Emerging Artists Until Evening Set 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Mike Biggers 12:30-1:15 p.m.

Brooks Robertson 1:30-2:15 p.m.

Jeffrey Martin 2:30-3:15 p.m.

Kites & Crows 3:30-4:15 p.m.

Song Academy Participants 4:30-5:15 p.m.

Americana Project ~ Dinner Break ~ 6-6:45 p.m.

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West 7-7:45 p.m.

JT Nero 8-8:45 p.m.

Willie Carmichael 9-9:45 p.m.

Sweet Talk Radio 10-10:45 p.m.

Consider the Fox 11-11:45 p.m.

Shook Twins

Sisters Art Works 11:15 a.m.-Noon Martyn Joseph 12:15-1 p.m.

Betty & the Boy 1:15-2 p.m.

Willy Porter 2:15-3 p.m.

Joe Pug & the 100-Mile Band 3:15-4 p.m.

Steve Forbert Angeline’s Bakery 11-11:45 a.m.

Matt the Electrician Noon-12:45 p.m. Heroes of Telemark 1-1:45 p.m.

Dala 2-2:45 p.m.

Cow Bop Depot Café 11-11:45 a.m.

Noon-12:45 p.m.

1-1:45 p.m.

2-2:45 p.m.

Thad Beckman Laura Curtis Nathaniel Talbot Band Johnsmith

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Painting ‘Local Treasures’ Sisters artist Dennis McGregor portrays ‘local treasures’ in annual event poster.

by Bunny Thompson, for The Bulletin What’s a folk festival without a poster?

Festival posters are a first glimpse at the celebration and a lasting reminder of the fun.

Dennis McGregor has been designing and painting the Sisters Folk Festival posters since 2000. McGregor is a well-

known and beloved local icon of Sisters.

You’ll find him supporting many local events, performing at local venues and just hanging out at local establishments, always with a modest smile and an easy-going conversation that makes everyone around him comfortable.

His classic artistic style flows onto the canvas of a folk festival poster freely taking in the local music scene and the amusement of the event.

His first poster in 2000 is a timeless portrayal of hands around the neck of a guitar, aptly called “Guitar Hands.”

There are many hands involved in producing the Sisters Folk Festival. From the Folk Festival staff, to volunteers, to the musicians performing on stage, McGregor’s poster represents a broad display of people involved in this popular event. After several years designing the posters to include specific instruments, McGregor decided to include a person.

“I looked for ideas in books and thought about finding models until it occurred to me that I have a lot of friends in the area

who are musicians,” McGregor said. “I thought I should highlight our great local talent, especially since many of these folks are also very involved and help out in the Sisters Folk Festival.”

McGregor began what is now called “Local Treasures,” and these later folk festival posters have included such local treasures as Peter Heithoff, Lynn Woodward and Patrick Lombardi.

“Most folk festival posters feature the famous headliner on the poster,” McGregor explained. “For Local Treasures, we tip our hats to local talent.”

The 2011 Sisters Folk Festival depicts Bend’s Shireen Amini. This young singersongwriter is as diverse in her style as she is in the number of instruments she plays.

“Shireen is very active with the folk festival and always willing to help out,” McGregor said. “She’s very talented and has a full range of music and instrumental abilities.”

The musicians usually sit for McGregor.

He also uses photos to come up with his depiction that combines the person,

the folk festival scene and the Sisters community. What he provides is a poster that locals can relate to, out-of-town guests want to collect, and entertainers find unique and characteristically Sisters, Oregon. It’s a match made in folk festival heaven.

If you’d like to see some of McGregor’s previous posters and other work, visit his website at www.dennismcgregor.com. If you want to purchase the 2011 Sisters Folk Festival poster, call the folk festival office at 541-549-4979. You can also purchase the poster at the folk festival.

Our Volunteers Make It Happen!

The Sisters Folk Festival engine is driven by countless hours donated by our loyal, hardworking corps of volunteers. Long before the first performance each year, volunteers are hard at work creating an environment of enjoyment, entertainment and safety.

From tent setup to bartending to staffing the numerous venues, several hundred festival volunteers contribute immeasurably to the overall experience enjoyed by our patrons. They come from the local Sisters community and throughout Oregon, the Northwest, and states as far away as Virginia. You may never know their names, but you’ll experience what they’re doing all weekend long.

We’re so fortunate to be supported by people who love good music, Sisters and the festival, and show it by working year after year to support us. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our special volunteers!

An Old-Fashioned Variety Store Sister’s Old-Fashioned Five and Dime

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Felting • Weaving • Spinning • Knitting • Crochet • Beads • Wire Wrapping SUPPLIES • EQUIPMENT • CLASSES INSPIRATION • ONE-OF-A-KIND GIFTS

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Celebrate the changing of the seasons with art, food, drunk, music and culture throughout Sisters throughout September and October.

Art at the Ranch

Friends of the Forest Day

Photography In the Aspens

Friday-Saturday, Sept. 2-3 541-595-1506 www.BlackButteRanch.com

Saturday, Sept. 24 541-549-0251 www.NationalForests.org/Volunteer

Friday-Sunday, Oct. 14-16 855-225-8738 www.BlackButteRanch.com/Photography

Western & Native American Arts Festival

Sisters Fresh Hop Festival

Black Butte Ranch

Creekside Park, Sisters

Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 3-4 541-549-0251 www.SistersCountry.com/WesternShow

Sisters Folk Festival Village Green & Sisters

Friday-Sunday, Sept. 9-11 541-549-4979 www.SistersFolkFestival.org

Wychus & Metolius Rivers

Village Green Park, Sisters

Saturday, Sept. 24 541-549-0251 www.SistersCountry.com/FreshHop

Black Butte Ranch

Turn the page for descriptions of each great event!

Sisters Harvest Faire Along Hood Ave., Sisters

Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 8-9 541-549-0251 www.SistersCountry.com/HarvestFaire

Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country | Sisters Magazine | 9

ART AT THE RANCH: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 2-3

Black Butte artists to raise money for schools

by Susan Springer, for The Bulletin With the end of summer comes back-toschool sales and aspen leaves turning fall colors. But Black Butte Ranch has its own event which marks the end of the season.

Art at the Ranch, organized by the Black Butte Ranch Art Guild, has been going on for more than 25 years. This year, the event will be held Labor Day weekend, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2-3.

Ranch residents and visitors who come to the big white tent will see around 25 artists showing jewelry, paintings, wood carving, yard art and more.

“I really like the fact that there are so many artists here at the Ranch,” said

Rosemary Norton, Art Guild member and event organizer.

“I look forward to seeing the artists again every year. I have so much fun seeing what they’ve got that’s new,” said Denise Mariman, also an Art Guild member and event organizer.

Participating artists must be family or friends of Black Butte residents or employees. While artists can ask the Guild to participate, the Guild also finds new artists through its winter series of artist talks. Organized by BBR Art Guild President Lynda Sullivan, the artist talks have become a source for the Guild to find established artists to invite to Art at the Ranch.

Art at the Ranch begins Friday, Sept. 2nd

with a Silent Auction and Artist Reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lakeside Pavilion.

Beer and wine is served.

“Friday night is really fun. It’s quite a party atmosphere,” said Mariman.

Artists donate pieces for the auction which raises funds for two BBR Art Guild projects—scholarships for Sisters school students and art in public places at the Ranch. On average, the Guild raises about $6,000 to 8,000 from the annual event.

“The women who are in the Art Guild have very strong feelings about the scholarship program and want it to continue,” said Norton.

The art show continues Saturday, Sept.

3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WESTERN & NATIVE AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 3-4

Honoring Native American, Western cultures

by Kristy Hessman, for The Bulletin Started a decade ago as a festival dedicated to Native American culture, the Sisters Western & Native American Arts Festival will take place again this year on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4.

“We decided to have a festival based on the Native American culture and blend it with the other events in Sisters during September,” said Jeri Buckmann, event director for the Sisters Chamber of Commerce. “No one else had done it.”

Now in its 10th year, the festival has grown to include a wide range of Native American and Western-themed art, crafts and demonstrations.

Local groups will also be providing demonstrations, including locals who will perform rawhide painting seminars focusing on the Plains Indians custom of painting buffalo hides. The group will also teach people how Native American’s used a stick and earthen clays to “tattoo” the animal hide.

Local Central Oregon spinners and weavers will also be on hand. Teepees will be set up throughout the festival area with Native American enthusiasts explaining various aspects of Native American life.

Alpaca and horses will be on display throughout the event area, and festival goers will be able to see a horseshoe demonstration. The local 4-H group will

also bring in rabbits for display.

A food area will be set up, selling a wide array of traditional Native American foods like fry breads and authentic barbeque.

The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday in Sisters’ Creekside Park at the east end of town. There is no charge to attend, and live entertainment will be held both days.

Central Oregon-based Acoustic Americana roots band The Anvil Blasters will perform on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for a live performance.

For more information about the Western & Native American Festival, visit: www.sisterscountry.com, or e-mail jeri@ sisterscountry.com.

SISTERS FOLK FESTIVAL: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 9-11

16 years of music, from blues to bluegrass In its 16th year, the Sisters Folk Festival will continue to bring some of the country’s best Americana roots music — from blues to bluegrass — to the community of Sisters.

Grammy award-winning singer/ songwriter Dave Alvin, Steve Forert, Mary Gauthier and Willy Porter highlight a lineup of more than 25 artists on the docket for this year’s festival.

10 | Sisters Magazine | Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country

Artists will perform on seven stages throughout the community, the main stage being at Village Green Park. Other stages will be set up at Bronco Billy’s Rance Grill and Saloon, Sisters Art Works, Angeline’s Bakery & Café, Sisters Coffee Company, Depot Café and Deli, and Slick’s Que Co. Food, drink and artist merchandise will be on sale at Village Green Park.

All event passes for the festival are $95, which allow entry into Saturday’s songwriting workshops. Evening and day passes are also available.

For more information, visit www. sistersfolkfestival.org, or see the official Sisters Folk Festival guide within this edition of Sisters Magazine.

FRIENDS OF THE FOREST DAY: Saturday, Sept. 24

Engaging in meaningful conservation projects

by Kristy Hessman, for The Bulletin The third annual Friends of the Forest Day is set to take place Saturday, Sept. 24 in Sisters with a day of conservation projects followed by an art show.

The event is a nationwide celebration of National Public Lands Day put on by the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. Locally, the Sisters Ranger District and Trout Unlimited are also helping to put on the event, which will focus on efforts to restore the Metolius River and Whychus Creek.

“Metolius and Whychus conservation site was chosen as one of only a handful of sites

nationally as part of the Treasured Landscapes campaign,” said Karly Hedrick, Sisters Volunteer Bank Coordinator. “The Friends of the Forest Day invites outdoor lovers to engage in the meaningful conservation volunteer projects and learn more about these important, collaborative efforts to restore the Metolius River and Whychus Creek.”

Volunteers will meet at Sisters Art Works on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. for refreshments and an orientation. Groups will then travel together for their selected project. All volunteer projects will finish by 2 p.m.

Projects include trail maintenance, native seed collection, planting, and more.

Special artwork created as part of the Third Annual Plein Air Paint Out will be featured in conjunction with the Friends of the Forest Day. Sisters Art Works will kick off the showing on Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. Visitors to the gallery can view and purchase the art until Thursday, Oct. 6.

The winning art work, from Patricia Gifford, will be featured on the poster for the Friends of the Forest Day, Hedrick said.

Those interested in volunteering for projects can visit www.nationalforests.org/volunteer to register as a volunteer. For more information contact Karly Hedrick at 541-549-0251 or via email at karly@sisterscountry.com.

FRESH HOPS FESTIVAL: Saturday, Sept. 24

Offering unique beer made with fresh hops

by Susan Springer, for The Bulletin It’s harvest time for an essential beer ingredient: hops. And that means a once-ayear opportunity to drink some of the freshest beer available.

The Sisters Fresh Hops Festival, on the last Saturday of September, features brews from near and far, live music, and food booths.

When the Sisters Chamber of Commerce started the event last year, they were pleasantly surprised that 1,000-plus people turned out to taste fresh hops beer and learn a bit about a major Oregon industry.

Sisters Three Creeks Brewing Co. owner Wade Underwood thinks of fresh hops beer

as his industry’s “harvest celebration” which starts in early September.

“The day the different hop varieties are ready, we go to the field with the farmer and pick the hops that we want. We bring them home and make the beer that day, so it’s pretty unique stuff,” said Underwood, who is planning a pale ale recipe to create a refreshing, summer style beer.

About 10 Pacific Northwest breweries will participate, from local favorite Three Creeks to Portland’s Lucky Labrador Brewing Company.

Underwood said that fresh hops beer is so young that breweries can’t commit to the event until they know their beer will be ready.

For the growing list of breweries who are

attending, visit www.sisterscountry.com.

Also, Festival goers can enjoy food ranging from barbeque to pizza to deli sandwiches.

Hops are usually dried and packed into bales for storage and shipping. With fresh hops beers, whole hop cones are added to the brew kettle within hours of harvesting. The beer styles vary, but fresh hops beers share an earthy, herbal, floral and citric aroma.

The Festival is Saturday, Sept. 24 from noon to 9 p.m. at Sisters Village Green Park.

Admission is free, and children are welcome.

To taste beer, festival goers buy a $5 mug and $1 tickets for a 4 oz. taste. Some proceeds will go to a Sisters High School scholarship program.

SISTERS HARVEST FAIRE: Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 8-9

Harvest Faire the ‘granddaddy’ of fall events

by Kristy Hessman, for The Bulletin Known as the granddaddy of all of the Sister’s fall events, the Sisters Harvest Faire is back for another year. The faire, which has been taking place in Sisters for more than 30 years, is set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 to 9.

“It’s the granddaddy, because it’s the biggest one that we have as far as the number of vendors and the biggest attendance,” said Jeri Buckmann, events director for the Sisters Chamber of Commerce.

In past years, more than 10,000 people have converged on the town to take in the two-day event. Each year, 200 vendors come out to showcase their work. All of the featured

art in the festival is hand-crafted. Items include everything from pottery, metal art, photography, painting, jewelry, clothing, furniture, home décor and more.

The majority of the artists who attend the faire have been coming to the event for multiple years.

“It’s amazing, many of the vendors have been coming ever since the event started,” Buckmann said. “Some have easily come the last 10-plus years.”

Buckmann said up to 90 percent of the vendor applications are from returning vendors.

“It’s a great event for Sisters, and the last of the season for many of the artists,” she said.

The Harvest Faire is focused in downtown

Sisters, just a block off Hwy. 20, from Elm to Pine Streets. There will be live entertainment, a food court and a Kid’s Zone sponsored by the Sisters Chamber of Commerce. In past years, events in the Kid Zone included face painting, pumpkin painting and a bounce house.

But Buckmann said what draws most of the visitors, some from the far reaches of country, is the shopping.

The event hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Attendance is free to the public, and visitors are encouraged to spend the hours around the event exploring Sisters.

For more information about the Sisters Harvest Faire, visit: www.sisterscountry.com, or email jeri@sisterscountry.com.

Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country | Sisters Magazine | 11

PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE ASPENS: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 14-16

Teaching photographers to see creatively

by Andrew Moore, for The Bulletin Just in time for fall colors and foggy riverbeds, snowy peaks and sublime sunsets, is the annual Photography in the Aspens workshop to be held Friday through Sunday, Oct. 14-16 at Black Butte Ranch.

The event — for intermediate to advanced digital photographers — is hosted again this year by Portland-based photographer Rick Schafer.

It includes morning, afternoon and evening field excursions, as well as classroom instruction on composition and digital editing.

Meals are also included.

Schafer, a professional stock and landscape photographer, hopes the workshop will offer a chance for fellow photographers to swap stories and share tricks, but also concentrate on what makes a good photograph.

“The goal is for photographers to go using from using their cameras to document a scene to creatively interpreting the scene in front of them,” Schafer said.

The workshop can range in size each year between 20 to 40 people, but Schafer said he makes it a point to spend time alone with each student.

“Black Butte Ranch is not only a personal favorite location of mine, but it’s a photographer’s paradise,” said Schafer. “There are all these opportunities, from the Metolius (River) to the (Santiam) Pass to Smith Rocks, so it’s easy to find something to shoot.”

Schafer is also the stepson of Ray Atkeson, former Photographer Laureate of the State of Oregon, and manages the Ray Atkeson Image Archive, currently housed at the Knight Library at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Tuition has yet to be determined but

is likely to be a few dollars more than the $275 that was charged last year, according to Charles Kingsbaker, director of sales and marketing at Black Butte Ranch.

Students who stay at Black Butte Ranch for the workshop are also eligible for a 25 percent discount on lodging, though students are not required to stay at the facility.

Photographers interested in attending must use a digital camera, and be familiar with the camera’s manual settings. They are also required to bring a tripod. In addition, a labtop is required, and students need to know how to use photo editing software.

Photographers should also be prepared for wintry conditions, as Schafer plans to get outside as much as possible, he said.

For more information, call Black Butte Ranch at 541-595-6211 or visit www. rickschafer.com.

Festival promotes mountain biking in Sisters

by Andrew Moore, for The Bulletin When it comes to mountain biking in Central Oregon, Bend takes most of the attention, thanks to the popular Phil’s Trail network of mountain biking trails west of town.

But a group of dedicated volunteers is seeking to make Sisters its own mountain biking destination, helped by the completion last year of 30 miles of mountain bike trails south of Sisters, called the Peterson Ridge Trail.

The trail was completed by volunteers with the Sisters Trail Alliance, which is hosting the second

annual Sisters Mountain Bike Festival Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24-25 in Sisters, partly to get the word out that Sisters is a great place to mountain bike.

“It’s the centerpiece of mountain biking in Sisters, but it’s not terribly well-known,” said Ken Serkownek, an STA board member and the festival’s lead organizer.

There are two components to the festival: organized rides, and an allday Saturday gathering in Sisters’ Village Green Park.

The Saturday gathering in the park is free and will be held in conjunction with the Sisters Fresh Hop Festival,

2nd Annual Sisters Mountain Bike Festival

September 24th & 25th

Join the fun!

12 | Sisters Magazine | Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country

which will also be in the park that day celebrating regional microbrews.

The organized rides will be held both days and feature a variety of trips for kids as well as experts.

The longest ride is the “Epic” ride, which will start in Shevlin Park in Bend on Saturday, and cover roughly 40 miles through National Forest land, then wind down the Peterson Ridge Trail back to Sisters.

The “Mid-Epic Loop” is a 30-mile ride through the Peterson Ridge Trail,

and the “Nothing to Prove” ride is a 20-mile guided exploration of the Peterson Ridge Trail.

There is also a ride and yoga class specifically for women, called “Blazin’ Beauties.” It features a 30-minute yoga class in the park followed by either a beginning or intermediate ride through the Peterson Ridge Trail network.

In addition, for those riders with children, the festival has arranged for on-site childcare in the park.

There will also be an organized Kids’ Camp in the park for older children who want to work on their mountain biking skills with instructors.

On Sunday, there are two rides available. The first includes a shuttle ride to Scout Lake and a ride up Cache Mountain. The second is a poker run along the Peterson Ridge Trail, where riders collect playing cards at different stations to win prizes.

Registration is $75 for adults for both days, and $40 for one day if made by Aug. 31. The price increases to $90 for both days and $50 for a single day as of Sept. 1. Kids under 15 years get a 50 percent discount.

For more information, call 541-771-0864 or visit www. sistersmountainbikefestival.com.

The Outreach Sisters Folk Festival, Inc. started in 1995 to bring the finest in acoustic music to Sisters. Over time, it has developed into a year-round culturalarts organization that supports local schools with extensive community engagement.

Beyond the three-day festival, Sisters Folk Festival, Inc. is the nonprofit organization responsible for the wildly successful educational outreach program, the Sisters Americana Project, the exciting community themed arts fundraiser, My Own Two Hands, the intimate Americana Song Academy, a superb Winter Concert Series, the annual membership opportunity that is the Sisters Folk Arts Circle, the Americana Song Academy for Youth, and the newest program, the Americana Arts Outreach Scholarship Fund.

AMERICANA PROJECT SUPPORTERS

Roundhouse Foundation, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, TJ Education Fund, Ward Family Fund, J.G Edwards Fund, Black Butte Ranch, Sisters School District, Gerald & Joan Griffiths, Lois Ball, Cris Converse, Mike Ilg, Oregon Arts Commission, Bank of the Cascades, Two Old Hippies & Breedlove Guitars, Mike Biggers, Bea Zizlavsky, Pat Kennedy, Roland Atkinson, Robert Lawton, Rodney & Diane O’Dell, Thomas Osborne, David & Jennifer Sheldon, Doro Sokol, John & Carolyn Soutter.

The Americana Arts Outreach Scholarship Fund

was started through a partnership with Sisters Folk Festival Inc. (SFF) Year-Round SFF Sponsor Bank of the Cascades and Family Access Network (FAN). With a $1,000 donation from Bank of the Cascades, SFF and FAN set up a scholarship fund that is managed by FAN. “Family Access Network was a great partner for us, because they are already assisting low-income children and families in our community,” said Development Director, Katy Yoder. “Sisters Folk Festival wanted to reach those children who really need our help so they can take part in arts-related classes and programs.”

The Sisters Americana Project is the highly successful educational outreach program started by SFF in 2001. “We want to make sure no child feels like that program is beyond their reach,” said Yoder. SFF already gives scholarships to graduating seniors and students who participate in My Own Two Hands by donating art for the annual fundraiser. “It’s another level of giving that we’re so excited to be doing,” said Yoder. “The Central Oregon community has been so generous and supportive of us. Our organization is dedicated to bringing the arts to everyone in Sisters.”

So far scholarships have been used for pre-school age children through high school. Classes that include any kind of creative expression are eligible for scholarships. SFF hopes to add more money to the scholarship fund through donations and sponsorships. If you’d like to make a donation contact Katy Yoder 541-420-6408 or email her katy@sistersfolkfestival.org.

Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |13

Songwriting Academy Annual academy offers instruction to aspiring songwriters while instilling energy into the Folk Festival

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin

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In the late 1990’s, Brad Tisdel attended the the Song School, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival’s songwriting camp in Lyons, Colorado.

Tisdel, the executive/artistic director of Sisters Folk Festival Inc., knew the lessons learned at the camp were important enough to spread to all songwriters. So in 2002, two years after Brad was hired to create and run the Americana Project, he was able to offer the program as the Americana Song Academy, in conjunction with the Sisters Folk Festival.

“The original vision was to use a couple of the artists from the festival as a way to extend their visit to Sisters and share their songwriting knowledge,” he said. “We started with four instructors and 12 participants. It has far exceeded my original expectations.”

The 10th annual Americana Song Academy, to be held Tuesday through Friday, Sept. 6-9, now boasts 11 instructors and upwards of 70 would-be songwriters.

Also in attendance will be six to eight Americana Project High School students on scholarship.

All campers will be trying to improve their songwriting, lyric development, guitar technique and accompaniment. But, the lessons learned at Caldera stretch well beyond how to play guitar and sing.

“It has taken on a more community feel.

Now, many of the attendees take what they’ve learned from The Song Academy back home to their own communities.

They spread the word.”

The inspirational Caldera is located a few miles northwest of Sisters in the Cascade Mountains.

“This will be our eighth year at Caldera, with two rescheduled locations due to forest fires in the area,” says Tisdel.

With pine trees littered throughout the site and snow-capped mountains in the

distance, it’s easy to see why aspiring songwriters and instructors alike flock there to learn and share their knowledge.

A partial list of this year’s instructors include Willy Porter, Willie Carmichael, Mary Gauthier, Martyn Joseph and Tony Furtado.

Staff includes Victor Johnson, Beth Wood, and of course Brad Tisdel. The instructors bring with them combined decades of songwriting skills, guitar mastery, as well as stories and scars from the road.

One of the greatest illustrations of the Academy’s impact on songwriters comes from Bend’s own Willie Carmichael.

Carmichael attended the very first Academy back in 2002. He arrived with his guitar to play, homespun lyrics to sing, and an inability to do both at the same time.

Fast forwarding through the lessons learned at the camp and

countless hours of practice, Carmichael has transformed into a true singer/songwriter.

He has released two albums, “Whistling Past the Graveyard” and “Serious Business,” won The 2010 Sisters Folk Festival’s Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest, will perform at this year’s Sisters Folk Festival and will be one of the instructors at the Song Academy.

The Song Academy is truly designed for aspiring musicians and songwriters of all ages looking for a thorough course in Americana music. For more information on the camp, including a full list of instructors and past participant’s reviews, please visit www.sistersfolkfestival.org/asa.

Americana Song Acacemy Staff Brad Tisdel Beth Wood

Victor Johnson Sean McGowan

Chris Kokesh

Amer Am ericana icana Alumni Three former students of the Americana Project, an outreach program of The Sisters Folk Festival, are applying their experiences for the betterment of this year’s festival.

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin For the past decade, the Americana Project has dedicated itself to making a positive impact on children through music.

“It’s a self-confidence builder. It also gives them some real world skills in music such as songwriting, guitar skills, and recording,” says Brad Tisdel, program director and cofounder of the Americana Project.

As a collaboration between the Sister Folk Festival, Sisters School District and Creative Educational Resources, LLC, “the Americana Project gives [the students] a sense of self and an opportunity to voice what they think and feel,” Tisdel added.

This year, three graduates of the Americana Project will apply lessons learned through the program and their personal experiences to try to improve the already immensely popular Sisters Folk Festival.

Benji Nagel

For Benji Nagel, working for The Sisters Folk Festival, “allows him to marry his two passions, music and sustainability,” Tisdel said.

As an Americana Project graduate, Nagel learned lessons that apply to all facets of life.

“The Americana Project gave me a sense of purpose and community,” Nagel said. “[It gave me] a sense of empowerment to do what I want to do, whether it be music or whatever.”

A student in environmental studies at Southern Oregon University, Nagel will steer the festival’s recycling and composting programs.

“We’re doing composting through High Country Disposal, and my main goal is to eliminate all plastic water bottles and cups,” he said.

Travis Ehrenstrom

Central Oregon music lovers will recognize the name Travis Ehrenstrom as a performer who has made the rounds through Central Oregon’s music venues. A graduate of the Americana Project through Sisters High School, Ehrenstrom has spent the last three years living the life of a touring musician based out of Portland and Seattle.

“I’m excited to get back to the very supportive music community of Sisters,” he said. “I’m looking forward to rediscovering my creative identity in my hometown.”

The role of assistant festival director provides Ehrenstrom an opportunity to play a supportive role in the music community.

He will pair his experience as a musician with first hand knowledge of the festival to help shape its direction.

“He brings a youthful energy to the festival,” said Tisdel. “Because he has been around the festival for quite some time, he was able to step right in and have a real impact on how it’s run.”

Blacksmith Shop Laura Curtis

The appearance of Laura Curtis on the list of this year’s Sisters Folk Festival performers should surprise no one in Sisters.

“She brings strong guitar skills, vocal skills and overall presence to her performance,” said Tisdel.

Last fall, Tisdel produced Laura’s album, “Loving A Ghost,” at Richtop Sound Studio in Aptos, Calif.

Through the Americana Project, Curtis has had the opportunity to work with many well-respected musicians. In turn, she has given back to the community through teaching at the Americana Song Academy for Youth camp and performing at this year’s festival.

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Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |15

Six-String Instruction Sisters High School program teaches students how to build their own guitars.

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin You wouldn’t expect a humble high school shop class to impart life lessons.

Nor would you expect the class’ teacher to apologize about getting philosophical when discussing it.

You might feel differently, however, if you had witnessed guitar making in action in Tony Cosby’s not-so-ordinary shop class for juniors and seniors at Sisters High School.

Each year since 2006, with the help of Cosby, Breedlove Guitars and three aides, 30 lucky SHS Outlaws will build a fully

functioning guitar from start to finish. Fifteen students start in the fall and winter trimesters; all finish their instruments in the spring trimester.

Cosby and Jayson Bowerman of Breedlove and Bowerman Guitars have a running argument about whose idea it was to start the program. There’s no disagreement about its success, however.

“Jayson and I are always having an argument about whose idea it was; I think it was his,” Cosby said. “He’s the catalyst really.

Without him it would have been a great idea dead in the water.

“When we first started, Jayson would give us the steps to do on Monday. When they were done with that step, he’d come back and give us the next one. And in 12 weeks we had 15 guitars. It was a magical bit of teaching.”

The students pay about $200 (about half of the total price) for their share of the guitar making materials. Grants from various organizations and from Breedlove make up the difference.

Cosby tells them at the beginning of the year that the guitars should take about 48 hours to build.

“Most of them take about 80 hours, some 120,” he said. “Some kids want everything.”

Thanks to some new shop equipment, “everything” can mean custom inlays made of pearl or ebony which the students pay extra

16 | Sisters Magazine | Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country

“You work, you sand, you glue, you put strings on it and all of a sudden it makes a sound. It involves all of the senses.” for. This is where the life lessons come in.

“The best lesson of the class is time management,” Cosby said. “You only have so much money and time. They have to think, ‘Do I really want to put the extra time and money into this?’ It is a most valuable lesson and will stay with them.”

The message stayed with Scott Salgado, a member of the inaugural guitar making class, who now builds guitars for a living at Breedlove.

“It shows the benefits of sticking to a deadline,” he said. “You have to get it over before the class is done, just like in the real world.”

Cosby said that the composition of the class has changed through the years, going from almost all boys to a 50-50 mix.

“I think they were reluctant to walk across the hall from art class because it just felt like a boy thing,” he said. “Now that they have started, it has gotten really popular with girls.”

Cosby said that guitar making is his favorite class. You can understand why.

“You work, you sand, you glue, you put

strings on it and all of a sudden it makes a sound,” he said. “It involves all of the senses.

The kids just eat it up.”

Sisters Folk Festival acknowledges luthier instructor Bill MacDonald and his volunteers for all the hard work they put into helping students produce these heirloom-quality instruments.

Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |17

Festival Sponsors

Community Sponsors:

Allen Reel Ltd.

Premier Sponsors:

BEND FINANCIAL Group,LLC

Bend Broadband Black Butte Ranch Two Old Hippies & Breedlove Guitars The Bulletin

INVESTMENT CONSULTANTS

Deschutes Brewery KLRR Clear 101.7 FM KOHD 9 Oregon Public Broadcasting The Roundhouse Foundation

Artist Sponsors:

Captive Media Solutions

Angeline’s Bakery & Café Bank of the Cascades Columbia Sportswear Co.

Dennis McGregor

Slick’s Que Co. Yancy Lind - Merrill Lnch

Meal Voucher Providers: Irrigation Man

Jim Guild & Nunzie Gould

The Sisters Folk Festival is very grateful to the following local restaurants for making sure that our performing artists are well-fed while here in Sisters: Angeline’s Cafe, BJ’s Ice Cream, Bright Spot Juice & Java, Depot Café, Los Agaves Mexican Grill, Martolli’s Pizza, Melvin’s Fir Street Market, Mountain Coffee, Navigator News, Ohana Hawaiin Takeout, Papandrea’s Italian Bistro, Poppie’s Garden Market, Rancho Viejo Mexican Bar & Grill, Sisters Bakery, Sisters Coffee Co., Sno Cap Drive-in, Takoda’s, The Gallery Restaurant, and Three Creeks Brew Pub. As you enjoy the festival, stop by and sample their food and beverages.

Thank you to our Meal Voucher Providers for your generous support!

SPECIAL THANKS: Pamela Burry, Kathy Deggendorfer, Erin Borla, Stew Dodge & Crew, Sage & Lynne Dorsey, Fran Willis, Patrick Lombardi, Rima Givot, Laura & Dave Hiller, Rick Johnson, Joe Leonardi, Jeanne & Fred McCaulou, Benji Nagel, Jack Nagel, Kit Stafford, Tiffany Tisdel, Susan Johnson, Mimi Graves, John Soutter, Gary Bowne, Sonic Solutions

FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL

High Country Disposal, Central Oregon Environmental Center, FirePro, Paulina Springs Books, The FootZone of Bend, Wall Street Storage, Mission Linen Supply, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store

Van Handel Automotive - Where the standard is EXCELLENCE • 541-549-0416 ASE Servicing All makes - All models Certified Open Monday thru Friday 8 - 5 Master

Technicians 18 | Sisters Magazine | Fall Into Autumn in Sisters Country

www.vanhandelauto.com

Breedlove Guitar DRAWING This Breedlove Revival D/AM Vintage guitar includes a dreadnought body of Adirondack red spruce with Honduran mahogany back and sides, herringbone purfling, and a custom SFF inlay.

Tickets: $5 each or 3 for $10.

This guitar retails for $4,999.

Deering Banjo DRAWING Longtime sponsor Deering Banjo donated one of their famous Good Time Banjos, the most popular selling American made banjo in the world. Tickets are $2 or 3 for $5. The drawing will be held on the Main Stage, after the Sunday morning Sisters Community Celebration. You don’t have to be present to win, but we will ask you to pick up the tab for shipping. All proceeds go to the Americana Project and the Sisters Folk Festival.

This banjo retails for $576, including gig bag

Furthering the Cause for

Sustainability in 2011 Joining forces with the Environmental Center and High Country Disposal, the Sisters Folk Festival will continue working toward the “greenest” Festival possible.

Again this year, all of our food vendors will use only recyclable and compostable utensils. Deschutes Brewery will continue to serve their beer in corn-based compostable cups and all the wine sold will be served in compostable cups.

The wine offered for sale this year is Parducci’s Sustainable Red and White. Both wines are organically produced in the “First U.S. Carbon Neutral Winery.”

Our Sustainability Team, headed by Americana Project alumnus Benji Nagel will work hard to make sure all waste is disposed of in the most eco-friendly way.

Thanks to all the folks who are helping us to do a better job for our environment.

Check out our bikefriendly program this year, with bike rentals and parking available at Sisters Art Works and Village Green, compliments of Blazin’ Saddles.

Sisters Folk Festival 2011 | Sisters Magazine |19

Find your pioneering spirit in

Sisters Country.

Similar to settlers years ago, we invite you to discover for yourself all of the outdoor adventure that Sisters Country has to offer. Most visit Sisters to enjoy the award-winning art, world class outdoor recreational activities, cultural shopping, events and restaurants, but some see past the obvious in our destination.

Come discover your pioneering spirit and explore all the opportunities Sisters Country has to offer.

Visit us at www.SistersCountry.com.

36th Annual

Sisters Harvest Faire For 36 years, Sisters has been celebrating the changing season with this great celebration of arts and crafts. The annual Harvest Faire boasts two full days — Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 & 9 along Hood Ave in Sisters — of hands-on activities, live entertainment, educational opportunities, great food and good old fashioned fun not found anywhere else.

Local artists, Michael and Linda Soeby, will be featuring their handcrafted Father Christmas figurines will be at the event this year.

Leslie King from Abigail’s here in Sisters will be selling amazing scented soaps and lotions, handmade magnetic jewelry and clothing.

And don’t miss Dee Adams with his amazing pottery! Another popular artist, returning to the Harvest Faire this year is Char Oulette with her beautiful handmade jewelry. And that’s just a sample of our fine vendors this year!

Sisters Country Photography

866-549-0252 • www.SistersCountry.com • 541-549-0251