In June Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Shop hosted the first Pickin & Paddlin Wednesday event with local Bend Band Blackstrap. All afternoon folks came out to try out different kinds of canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. Lots of fun on the water, but that was only a prelude to the evening’s entertainment.

Blackstrap set up center stage on the back lawn at Alder Creek and gave a lively performance of some downhome, homegrown, Central Oregon Bluegrass. By the end of the evening everyone was on the grass dancing.

Pickin & Paddlin Wednesdays are great fun for the whole family. Next up in July are The Sweet Harlots and in August The Moon Mountain Ramblers Y’all come out to Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe shop and pass a good time.

Alder Creek hosted the Spring Paddle Fest in April, and is owned by Geoff Frank, and is a primary supporter of the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance.

Kris Allen, the Kid from Arkansas upsets the Rockstar Adam Lambert!

Last night a soft spoken lad from Conway, Arkansas beat out a tall flamboyant kid from San Diego, California to become America’s newest Idol. At least that’s what I heard on the radio this morning because I don’t watch the show. The way the commentators on New Orleans’ WWL radio station were talking the glamrock kid, Adam Lambert, got ripped off in the voting because they thought he was much better than the folksy Kris Allen. The WWL talking heads kept saying that the voting system was rigged and that they needed to come up with a better system.

Ummmm, guys… its a Talent show. The results are completely subjective. If Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert in a vote by the fans then Kris did a better job of it. The name of the show says it all. It’s AMERICAN IDOL not America’s Best Singer.

Congratulations go out to both young men for rising to the top in a highly competitive endeavor. They’ve both got a world of new opportunities out there. For the talking twits on WWL… fortunately I don’t have to listen to them all the time.

Brian Gore, Cecilia Labala, Pierre Bensusan, and Benjamin Verdery onstage at Bend's Tower theater

Tuesday night, February 3rd, four guitarist walked onto the stage of the Tower Theater.  Each artist introduced by the preceding artist was here to entertain Bend with exquisite music.  The first, introduced by Tower’s Marketing Director Katrina, combined a childlike enthusiasm with mature virtuosity. Fingers dancing across the steel strings and tapping on the body of his guitar the music swelled throughout the auditorium with a rush of excitement.  The thrill obvious in his face.  His name was Brian Gore.

The second, a young Argentine playing a seven string guitar, combined voice and instrument to produce heartbreakingly simple and innocent music. The crystal clear notes of her voice harmonizing perfectly with the lush tone of her exotic instrument. Her name was Cecilia Labala.

The third, a professor at Yale, simply astounded the class with his advanced lecture of harmonics. Who could tell if the joy radiating from his face was creating the music, or was created by the music? Fingers flew lightly up and down the fretboard driving the rhythm and beat. Shifting to the machines on the head of the guitar he changed tuning on the fly and closed with a stunning rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine.” His name was Benjamin Verdery.

The final guitarist, a suave frenchman born in Algeria and raised in Paris, entertained us with gaelic humor, impeccable playing, and playful singing. Opening with a story his deep accently voice revealed a talented artist humble and proud of his talent at the same time. “I sing, I do not understand what I sing, but I sing.” he told an appreciative audience. His name was Pierre Bensusan.

After each musician had performed solo there was a short intermission. This was where I learned that Cecilia Labala’s guitar was an exotic seven string. I had noticed that the neck was unusually wide, but it took the luthier’s eye of Kyle Catterlin to note the extra tuning machine on the head. Four on the top and three on the bottom.

Shortly the audience came back to fill the seats once again, and Brian Gore and Cecilia Labala began a round robin of duets which had each musician pared up with each other. The songs were playful and light interspersed with more serious tones. The best part here was that these guitarist from such varied backgrounds were really having a blast on stage playing off of each other.

Brian Gore created the International Guitar Night several years ago as a way to bring some of the most talented guitarist in the world together on a single stage. Once the round of duets were completed all of the guitarist did come onto the stage to play together. Each voice having opportunity to be heard while the others supported rhythm in the background. As the musicians completed their piece they stood for a bow to a rousing standing ovation. Walking off the stage they weren’t gone for very long as the audience’s continued applause pulled them back onstage for an encore.

All together these incredibly talented artists sitting and playing side by side were the offerings of this year’s International Guitar Night. North America’s premier mobile guitar festival.