By John Pluntze
Smoke gets in your eyes again this week (well, at least if the weather/fire report that I saw last night on KMVT was even remotely accurate, that is), but luckily you'll also have plenty of unceasingly-eclectic and -terrific music to fill your ears with as well -- ranging from the final Sun Valley Symphony concert of the season, to Pink Martini and China Forbes.
The latter concert, in fact, kicks off the week tonight (Monday), at 7 p.m. at River Run Lodge -- when acclaimed Brazilian samba/French jazz/60s-era classics band Pink Martini ( http://www.PinkMartini.com ) join singer China Forbes ( http://www.ChinaForbes.com ) for an evening of boundless musical inventiveness, style and energy. Tickets available at the Sun Valley Center For the Arts ( http://www.sunvalleycenter.org / 726-9491 x10).
Also this evening -- at Hailey's Sun Valley Brewery (202 N. Main St./ 788-0805) -- the "low-down dirty roots/C&W band, The Pistolero Brothers (comprised of members of the Old Death Whisper band) will be the featured block party concert band outside in front of that terrific eatery and watering hole, with music slated to start at 8 p.m. And at the Thursday night block party concert there at the SV Brewery, another seriously high-energy Valley-based band, CakeFaceJane ( http://www.CakeFacejane.com ), which is comprised of members of the much-loved Cow Says Mooo band (including Danae Commons and Henno Heitur), will perform there at the Brewery, with music slated to start around 7:30 p.m. that night. (Ironically, it was only a few weeks ago that the CakeFaceJane band was playing right across from the street from the SV Brewery -- on the outdoor deck in front of KBs and Wiseguy Pizza -- while ANOTHER band was playing outside in front of the Brewery!! (LOL)
(Another SV Brewery note: That always hugely-popular band, The 44s, returns there on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24 & 25. Tickets on sale at the Brewery now ($10 for one night; $15 for both nights).
On Tuesday (Aug. 14), the final concert of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony season takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the SV Pavilion, with a performance of Tchaikovsky's "Symphony #5 in E-Minor, Opus 64". Conductor Alasdair Neale and everyone else who, in some way or another, is associated (either directly or indirectly) with the genuinely stellar array of family-friendly, free concerts we've enjoyed this summer deserves major props all 'round for what they once again accomplished this year!! Really outstanding...
Also worth noting on the SV Pavilion front, on Wednesday evening of this week, the rockin' and rollickin' band, Lonestar (CMA Vocal Group Of the Year, ACM Single Of the Year, ten #1 country hits, etc, etc) will perform a fundraising concert, with proceeds going to cancer and leukemia research. Call 622-2135 or visit seats.sunvalley.com for tickets. Music starts at 8 p.m. Presented by the Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament.
Tuesday in Ketchum also means another free, family-friendly "Ketch'em Alive!" concert, at Ketchum's Forest Service Park (right around the corner from the Magic Lantern Cinemas). This week Naithon Cook is the opening act, and the Jackson, Mississippi-based root Chanman Band ( http://www.Chanmanrootsband.com / http://www.Cdbaby.com/ChanmanRootsBand ) is the featured musical group. Music goes from 7-9:30 or so.
Wednesday's music offerings begin at 5 p.m. -- at Redfish Lodge ( http://www.RedfishLake.com / 774-3536) -- when Cary Judd takes the stage in front of the Lodge (until 8 p.m., or so). On Friday, James Orr will be the Lodge's featured musical offering, while on Sunday it will be Jackalope Saints.
In Hailey on Wednesday, another free, outdoor, family-friendly concert will take place -- this time at The Wicked Spud (305 N. Main St.), during the weekly "Back Alley Party" music fest. that Valley residents Dana DuGan and Heidi Glyph always do such an unceasingly-terrific job of organizing and hosting each Wednesday throughout the summer, with proceeds from the beer, wine and raffle-ticket sales this time benefitting The Senior Connection. Back Pedal is the opening band this week, while the 812 Band is the featured one. Music goes from 6-9:30 p.m., or so.
In Ketchum on Wednesday, be sure to stop by Grumpy's (860 Warm Springs Road) for their second music-filled "hootenanny" of the summer so far, with two bands (Up a Creek, and also the Old Death Whisper bunch) providing the music from 7-9:30 p.m. And while you're there that night happily and eagerly enjoying a schooner or two, be sure to wish Grumpy's owner Pete Prekeges a "verrrry Happy Birthday", because word has it Wednesday's the day for Pete!! :)
Thursday's music includes musical performances by Safety Orange, George DeVore and also the newly-formed Ken Martin-Craig Bernauer duo (Double Wide) that's been a huge, repeated hit already this summer (at The Sawtooth Club), during the Ski Foundation Party that will be taking place in the Ketchum Town Square (right next to Starbucks) that evening, from 5-9 p.m. or so.
Also on Thursday -- in Bellevue -- Mahoney's Bar & Grill (104 S. Main/788-4449) will host a concert featuring a return visti by Austin's own George Devore ( http://www.MySpace.com/Georgedevore ), with music slated to start there at 6:30 (but be sure to get there early for a good seat, because they tend to fill up verrry fast there at Mahoney's on concert nights!!)
In Ketchum on Thursday, at Whiskey's ( http://www.WhiskeyJacques.com / 251 N. Main St./ 726-5297), the California surf-rock/punk band, Safety Orange ( http://www.MySPace.com/SafetyOrange ) will be the featured musical offering there, while on Friday evening at Whiskey's, it'll be Marinade ( http://www.MarinadeMusic.com / http://www.reverbnation.com/marinade ), with special guest Pool Party (a hip-hop.funk band), and on Saturday evening, the featured stellar musical attraction will be The Whales ( http://www.Whales.bandcamp.com/ http://www.MySpace.com/WhalesSounds ). And on Sunday AFTERNOON at Whiskey's, Joe Cannon will be the music offering there.
Thursday evening at The Silver Dollar Saloon (101 S. Main St./ 788-2900) will give you a chance to catch The Bermuda Cowboys, while on Friday evening at The Silver Dollar, you'll have one more chance to catch George Devore before he heads back to Austin. Music runs from 9-midnight, or so.
By the way, The Silver Dollar on the weekends operates a six-person, free van shuttle service to and from Bellevue to various addresses throughout the Wood River Valley for patrons who maybe need a little help getting home safely. Call 720-3171 for details.
Among some of the other upcoming music for the week you may want to make note of: Dave Manning performs on the newly-remodeled and -expanded outdoor deck there at Lefty's here in Ketchum (231 6th St. E./ 726-2744/ just down the street from the Globus restaurant) on Saturday, from 6-9 p.m. or so, while Sunday's featured musical act will be none other than Ethan Tucker!!
The always extremely energetic and invigorating reggae-blues phenom Ethan Tucker ( http://www.MySpace.com/etuckermusic / http://www.Soundcloud.com/tracks/search?q=EthanTucker ) -- an incredibly-talented young musician whom Sawtooth Club/Roosevelt/Elevation 486 owner Tom Nickel first began booking in the Valley some four years ago (after first seeing Tucker singing one night at a small venue in Twin Falls), and a musician who has already happily played to packed audiences at a myriad of venues here in the Valley during the past four+ years now (at The Roosevelt, Lefty's, Papa Hemi's Hideaway, The Mule Shoe Tavern, the Sun Valley Pavilion, etc) -- will also be performing at The Sawtooth Club ( http://www.SawtoothClub.com / 231 N. Main/ 726-5233) this coming Saturday (Aug. 18) night, with music slated to start around 9:15 or so ... part of The Sawtooth Club's ongoing (no cover charged) "Live Music For Thirsty People" concert series that's already this summer likewise featured some seriously kick-ass awesome musicians, including Caitlin Canty, and also Heaters members Craig Bernauer and Ken Martin (aka, the Double Wide duo).
And at the weekly Farmers Markets ( http://www.wrfarmersmarket.org ), Travis Ward performs on Tuesday (during the Ketchum one) ... and Dan Freeman performs on Thursday (during the Hailey one).
Finally -- and on a decidedly more personal note -- I want to fervently thank Will Caldwell, Tom Nickel, Kaz Thea and also Redfish Lodge manager Jeff Clegg for giving visiting/New York-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Caitlin Canty ( http://www.CaitlinCanty.com / http://www.soundcloud.com/tracks/search?q=CaitlinCanty ) so many terrific opportunities to shine (musically) during her recent, extended stay here -- at the Ketchum Town Square, The Sawtooth Club, the Hailey and Ketchum Farmers Markets and at Redfish Lodge, respectively; I think Canty was genuinely humbled and moved by the generosity you showed her while she was here ... and so was I. Really hope she gets a chance to "shine" here again NEXT summer...
And that's just some of the musical fun that eagerly awaits avid music lovers here in the Wood River Valley this week. Enjoy!!! :)
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Questions or comments regarding this (local music scene-oriented) "Harmonic Convergence" column can be sent to John, at: lovesbiking2001@yahoo.com. And to read any of John's previous "HC" columns -- which include raves on local faves Paul Tillotson, Bruce Innes, Gayle Chapman, Ethan Tucker, Steve Eaton, Molly Venter, Josiah Venter, Sheryll Mae Grace, Cow Says Mooo, CakeFaceJane, All-Night Diner, and FOX's award-winning musical-dramedy, "Glee" -- simply type "Harmonic Convergence" (and/or "John Pluntze") into the SVO search engine here.
