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06/03/08

Secrets of the Season

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Reggae, Rock, Blues and Wine on Central Oregon Coast

Yachats Wine Trader will host a wine tasting each Saturday in June

(Yachats, Oregon) - It's a summer of wine, dancing and song in the tiny town between Florence and Newport, a village already full of magic because of its extraordinary, even unusual shoreline. But little Yachats - on the central Oregon coast - is big on daytime and nocturnal entertainment with a summer packed with live music at the Landmark Lounge and plenty of vino tasting events at both Yachats Wine Trader and at The Wine Place.

All events are over 21 only. This listing begins with Yachats Wine Trader, then Landmark Lounge, then The Wine Place.

Yachats River House & Wine Trader is at 131 Hwy 101. Yachats, Oregon. 541.547.4100. All their tastings happen each Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

June 7. Patricia Green Cellars. This female wine maker has a cult-like following for her small production Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Yachats Wine Trader

June 14: Beers of the World. Give Dad the gift that keeps on giving: Beer. A worldly selection from refreshing to bold.

June 28: Wines of Italy. They say Italians drink more wine than water. See you down the Dolce Vita.

July 5: Sineann. A lineup of crisp whites and bold reds from Oregon and Washington.

July 12: Wines of Greece. Making some of the most exciting wines today using heirloom varietals and new techniques. Lucky for us, our favorite Greek Importer of Domaine Selection, Dino will be conducting the tasting.

July 19th: Carlton Wine Maker’s Studio. A talented co-op of high quality, small production, Oregon wine makers.

July 26: Wines of Spain. Said to be "the world’s most fashionable and newest darling of wine consumers," Spain is bursting into the spotlight.

Aug 2. Zerba Cellars: Flashy Walla Walla reds that make the taste buds say yum.

Aug 9: Ewalt Mosler presents Wines of Germany. Hear it straight from a renowned German wine expert.

Aug 23: Wines of Austria. This nation produces fabulous, dry, food friendly wines that have been gaining esteem for their stellar 2006 vintage.

View from the restaurant portion of the Landmark

The Landmark Lounge is on Hwy 101 in Yachats. (541) 547-5459. All shows are at 9 p.m. and free, unless otherwise indicating a cover charge. www.landmark-yachats.com

June 6. Outpost. It’s urban reggae from a hot new Portland band. A blend of funk-hop and reggae for some organic dance music. Three members are college friends from the Northwest, with the sound rounded out by east coast transplants. This is a new band, only a year away from its debut album, Crack the Pavement. Since then the gigs have stretched from Arcata, Calif., to Moscow, Id., They closed out last year with a sold out Halloween show at The Fez Ballroom. The band members are: tmpILL: Vox, MC; P.Hill: Vox, MC; Chris Couch: Guitar, Vox; Oscar: Drums; Tyler Stauss: Bass.

June 7. Ray & the Shades. T. Ray and the Shades got a great shot in the arm last year with the addition of Matt Zekala, a guitar player from New York who learned his licks in the heady 1990s eastern jam atmosphere sparked by Blues Traveler. He provides a great counter-point to former South County resident T. Ray, the singer and shaker on the stage. And there is also Scott Johnston on the sax, transplanted from San Francisco. And pulling it all together is drummer Matt Murray, who grew up in Waldport.

June 13. The Marci Curtis Band. Originally from Pendleton, Marci Curtis has been singing since age 5, getting her start in the church choir. She has worked with many jazz groups, such as Amack Records’ vocalist, DyAnne, out of Oakland. She helped found Textuur, which played the Los Angeles jazz scene and was featured in the independent film, “LA Blues”. She moved to Salem in 2006 and was an immediate hit, winning “The New Voice of Salem” in a sing off at Lefty’s. Marci is backed up by guitarist Alex Curtis, bassist John Shaw and drummer Bongo Bob Pettit.

June 14. Jesse and the Night. Jesse Young is one of the New Orleans-to-Portland transplants who have managed to find the Landmark. Jesse lived in Mid-City, not far from the Mid-City Bowl, a hotbed of NOLA sound. Katrina, however, put a foot of water in his house and he accepted the invitation of the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival last year. And in Portland he still is, now playing with Steve Kerin, formerly of Lafayette, La., who went from jam to jam across the country before settling on the Portland scene. The band gives the rolling blues treatment to Muddy Water and Howlin' Wolf so that you're not sure if its a cover or not.

June 20. Phamous Phaces. Here is a band with a long story. Originally from different rock bands in Eugene the group started playing together in 1993, writing songs, making CDs and getting along in the local club scene. The brand of music was Beatlesque with the emphasis on the rocking power pop side, leading to a stint in Europe in 1998, then an appearance at the second annual International Pop Overthrow (IPO) festival in Los Angeles. At this festival, there were over 100 bands from around the world playing pop music. Phamous Phaces found a warm and accepting audience there and proceeded to play the third IPO in 1999, leading to another trip to Europe. In 2005 in Liverpool, England, Phaces played the Beatles home ground -- The Cavern Club, The Cavern Pub, Lennon's Bar & Flannagan's Apple. After the event, Creative Flair UK conducted a poll that named Phamous Phaces the best band out of 120 groups that participated at the weeklong festival. Back in Oregon, the band drifted into some changes but is fully back together, with its original members, including Roger McConnell, back at the stand.

June 21. Soulicious. Soulicious strolled into the Landmark a couple of months ago and lit up the place with an upbeat take on the blues groove. It delivered a fresh sound to old school funk and R&B, showing off years of experience in various Northwest bands. Led by Paula Vaden on vocals, rhythm guitar and percussion, the band includes Gerry Rempel on lead guitar, Sharon Greve on drums, Cheryl Camelio on vocals and percussion, JoAnne Lutz on keyboard and Jamie Porter on bass. The band calls it "Rock Mo' Funk.”

June 26. Eric Jerardi. This Ohio band has been featured on the Beale Street Caravan, Blues Delux and the House of Blues Radio Show. Jerardi’s last CD “Virtual Virtue” featured legendary keyboardist Chuck Leavell [Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton etc.] and he just released his first ever DVD simply titled “Troubled Places, Troubled Times.” Blues Matters magazine from England recently featured Eric on the cover and had this to say: “Well crafted pieces that take you on a ride of musical styles without fear, without genre, without prejudice...with style, with feeling, with talent, with joy, with funk, with guts and with awesome playing and variation" and the House of Blues said, "Eric Jerardi has exploded onto the national scene as one of this country's foremost blistering blues/rock players!"

June 27. Kolvane. In four years singer/songwriter Kolvane moved the Rose City Kings from obscurity to notoriety, winning Muddy awards, releasing three critically acclaimed albums; touring behind Chicago blues legend Jody Williams and gaining entry into the Top 50 Roots Music Report in the Roots Blues category. Last year the Kings morphed into the band Kolvane and this spring toured the West (from Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco to Highway 99 in Tacoma.) A new CD is due for release in May, so should be available for the Landmark gig. Kolvane is joined by Steve Kerin on keyboards and vocals and Thom Sullivan on drums. $5 cover.

Stunning sights abound on the beaches of Yachats

June 28. Tin Silver. The successor to Rustica, this band brings Tricia Rojas, Alan Bowen and Paul Prato back together with some new songs and renewed energy. Helped along by Texan Matthew Higgins on the drums, the band has a new badge as well as a new sound. More Texas than before with more originals, guitar/banjo/dobro player Bowen provides the bulk of the raw material. Higgins contributes the tight, bright, intricate groove he developed while cutting his teeth on Bob Wills country-swing standards. Paired with Prato’s bottomy electric and upright bass sound and punk-bred attack, Tin Silver’s rhythm section has uncommon fire and dynamic range. Rojas, the band’s other Lonestar State member, brings sweet violin and the aching, rafter-rattling vocals she developed singing in church choirs during her childhood.

The Wine Place is just a few doors down, at Highway 101 & W. 4th Street. Yachats, Oregon. (541) 547-5275. Their tastings are also on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. They will also be open late on Thursdays for live music on the deck with folk musician Richard Sharpless, 6 - 8 p.m., beginning June 12.

The Wine Place in Yachats

June 7. Phelps Creek Vineyards. Phelps Creek Vineyards is located in the Columbia Gorge. Grape growing takes center stage in production of their wines, and vines are restricted to low yields, ensuring quality over quantity. Meet Bob Morus, winery owner, and enjoy a sampling that includes unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, “Hellfire” (a white blend) and “Brimstone” (a red blend).

June 14. Ribbon Ridge Vineyard. Ribbon Ridge Vineyard is a small, family-owned and operated vineyard and winery founded by Dewey and Robin Kelly. They planted their first 9 acres of Pinot Noir in 2001, with the first release being 2003. The estate vineyard is located 8 miles northeast of Carlton in the heart of Yamhill County’s newly designated Ribbon Ridge viticulture area. They make their wines at Carlton Winemakers Studio, and are one of nine resident boutique wineries who share the eco-friendly, cooperative wine-making facility. Meet Caryn Cook in her first tasting at The Wine Place. Caryn grew up in the wine industry and moved to Oregon to work at Carlton Winemakers Studio. She is now representing boutique Oregon wines.

June 21. Pudding River Wine Cellars. Pudding River Wine Cellars is a small home-grown venture, with every aspect of the grape growing and winemaking handled by family members. A four-acre vineyard overlooks the Pudding River and the winery utilizes state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. Wine Spectator has rated the 2006 Chardonnay with 87 points. During the June 21 tasting, meet owner/winemaker Sean Driggers and enjoy samples of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir.

June 28. Sokol Blosser. Located in Dundee, they planted their first vines in 1971, and is family owned and operated. They strive to create wines of world-class quality that are produced sustainably and express the flavors of their distinctive hillside vineyards. Meet Lee Medina, a favorite guest at The Wine Place.

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ASTORIA Where the Columbia meets the Pacific, Land of Lewis & Clark and loads of atmosphere & history SEASIDE The Promenade, Tillamook Head, family fun & broad, sandy beaches CANNON BEACH A mysterious lighthouse, upscale yet earthy, a huge monolith, fine eateries & an art mecca NEHALEM BAY Manzanita's beaches, Nehalem and Wheeler's quirky beauty; laid back Rockaway TILLAMOOK BAY Garibaldi, Barview, Bay City, Tillamook & an oceanfront ghost town THREE CAPES LOOP The hidden secret of the coast: Cape Meares, a lighthouse, Oceanside, Netarts and Pacific City LINCOLN CITY & THE CORRIDOR OF MYSTERY Miles & miles of unbroken beaches, Cascade Head, Neskowin and many manmade attractions DEPOE BAY A spouting horn downtown, freaky hidden cliffs and whales, whales, whales NEWPORT Time-tripping Nye Beach, a bustling bayfront, marine science-central and two lighthouses WALDPORT / SEAL ROCK Pristine, even secretive sands and wild geologic landmarks YACHATS Constantly dramatic wave action, a mix of the rugged & upscale UPPER LANE COUNTY 25 miles of deserted beaches & oodles of wonders FLORENCE A lighthouse, ancient bayfront and miles and miles of fluffy dunes

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