Tunesmith Night, Saturday, April 14, 2018 – 7PM
Sugar Time Bakery, 107 North River Street, Ste. A, Enterprise, Oregon
The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance presents another edition of Tunesmith Night, a monthly showcase of original music. The Saturday, April 14 show features songwriters Michael Henchman, Alexa Wiley and An American Forrest. Venue is Sugar Time Bakery, located in the newly renovated Burnaugh Building on North River Street and will provide the perfect atmosphere for our listening audience.
Well-traveled since childhood, Michael Henchman’s imagery-rich Folk/Americana songwriting reveals a deep-seated fascination with a wider cinematic landscape, of life’s side roads that often beckon, of journeys on the quest for connective meaning that we all share. His songs have been described as a mix of progressive folk, a dash of longing, and a little road dust added for texture. He began writing songs early, falling under the music spell of an eclectic range of artists in folk, jazz, funk, and gospel, eventually embracing and being inspired by such insightful writers as Jackson Browne, John Gorka, David Wilcox, Shawn Colvin, Richard Shindell, and Dave Carter. Whether performing solo or with full backing band, Michael brings a sense of emotional truth to his songs and to the ongoing theme of ‘roads less traveled’.
Alexa Wiley is an explorer and a self-taught artist who grew up in Portland, OR and came to music in her 20’s, driven to find her voice. She has been tracking that voice for over 15 years on the uneven terrain of public performance. The summer of 2018 will see the release of a new Alexa Wiley & the Wilderness album entitled “Planted,” a collection of original songs that borrow from a wide array of genres and musical expressions. Alexa Wiley is the singer-songwriter who nourishes the Wilderness band’s unique blend of meaningful lyrics surrounded by the fully realized Americana-rock of the Wilderness. For Alexa, being an artist is mostly about being inspired and working with others to continue learning. One thing is clear about where Wiley is today. She is hiking along the same path she started out on years ago, producing anthems that deliver their own distinctive call of the wild.
An American Forrest came to Wallowa County three years ago and hasn’t been kicked out yet. He’s spent that time studying horsemanship on Whiskey Creek, running sound at the OK theater, and packing in the canyon country. He’s also written and recorded two albums of his own and played on albums by Bart Budwig, Catskills, and many others. Last summer he sang M.C. Horses with Corb Lund at the Chief Jo
seph Days Rodeo Grounds, and passed out in Wallowa Lake on the 4th of July.
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 (SEATING IS LIMITED), music at 7pm, all ages welcome. Sugar Time will have the kitchen open for soups and sandwiches, in addition to their usual yummy sweet treats (BYO adult beverages).
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Janis Carper
Executive Director
Wallowa Valley Music Alliance
www.wvmusicalliance.org
541-426-3390