Tunesmith Night, Saturday, December 9, 2017 – 7PM
Gold Room at the Jennings Hotel, 100 North Main, Joseph, OR.
The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance another edition of Tunesmith Night, a monthly showcase of original music. The Saturday, December 9 show features songwriters Erisy Watt, Joseph Hein and Bart Budwig. The cozy atmosphere and warm sound in the Gold Room at the historic Jennings Hotel provides the perfect atmosphere for our listening audience.
Erisy Watt is a Nashville-raised folk artist based in Portland OR. Having toured in several countries over the past years alongside guitarist Jeremy Ferrara, Watt’s blend of folk and soul often compared to Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones is enchanting audiences from Germany to Thailand and across the US. Developing her sound in Santa Barbara, CA where she lived for six years, Watt’s music invites listeners to celebrate the beauty and freedom of wilder places with every song and story. Hear Watt’s most recent EP Foolish Things on Spotify, iTunes, and other streaming services
Joseph Hein sings honestly about good times and the bad and the music bears witness to the road unkempt and a winding trail. Joseph grew up making music in the rural eastern Washington region known as the Palouse. With that small town isolation the multi-instrumentalist gleaned from a range of influences and played with a tight knit group of kids in all sorts of bands that ranged from punk to electronic pop. Hein’s most recently released album, “Following Fog”, holds the energy and sounds of the places it was recorded: from a barn to a church, a garage, cabin, closet, and the span of Washington state. Between touring, recording and collaborating with others, Hein hides out in the hills and plays his new bass.
Bart Budwig doesn’t write the big songs. He writes songs about places between the hills, in the draws and hidden canyons where truth is a little more in focus, stories take their time being told, heartbreak is a place of deep reflection, and melodies don’t have to wear rhinestone suits or drive shiny, new cars to be beautiful. Budwig’s most recent recording, “Paint by Numbers Jesus – Sacrilegious and Spiritual Songs” was released in the spring of 2017, which is described as a “swamp country” concept record pulling from grooves of Motown and the American deep south in the 60s and 70s. As resident sound engineer at the OK Theatre in Enterprise, Oregon, Budwig’s talents are wrapped in a warm and giving spirit, fostering collaborations on stage and in the recording arena, touring relentlessly, and bringing folks together for the love of music.
For Bart, the road is not an escape from his life in Enterprise, Oregon, but a vehicle to dredge the reaches of his own psyche… He is running head-long into an exploration of humanity, loss, religion, and how to find humor to find the things we struggle to talk about. – Kat Parker
Tunesmith Night is presented in a round-robin format, with each musician playing a song, then the next taking a turn, creating an interesting and varied performance. Admission is $10 at the door or by season pass. Doors open at 6pm, music at 7pm, all ages welcome. No food or beverage service provided—BYO.