Blues, Brews (And a Couple of Boos)

I’ll preface by saying that the reason for this event is a worthy one. It was a benefit for the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, a downtown theater that has bucked the trend of what happens to old theaters and is still relevant in hosting everything from classic films to concerts to plays. In that sense, I feel good that our 20 bucks each went to a good cause. We need to keep more "Lincoln Theaters" alive.

Having said this though, I’m wondering if the organizers of the Porterhouse Brewfest would be able to kick things up a notch in the future regarding a couple of things.

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Some of the action under the tasting tent

First, consider the physical location of the event. It was held on a small street of approximately one block in size. I understand the desire to keep downtown business open for business on a nice Saturday afternoon, but have they considered holding the party at nearby Edgewater Park or another area with more open space?

Next, it would have been nice to have had somewhere close to the twenty breweries that were advertised to have been there. A source in the know told me that breweries are required to donate their product to the event which could explain the low turnout. It could also explain why many were pouring their darker (and too heavy for hot weather) holiday ales in August along with much of their “second tier” products.

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The Alice Stuart Band performs at Brewfest '09

As for the blues end of things, the Chris Eger Band started things off at 2pm. They were decent enough with their covers of tunes such as “Crossfire” by Stevie Ray Vaughan but sagged somewhat when they went to their own material. Local blues legend Alice Stuart and her band followed and sounded great but we had to leave in the middle of the set.

It was a great charitable idea that I can get behind, but unless the festival shows signs of improving its execution I’ll probably be just as glad to give $20 to the theater directly and call it good.

Still Crooked In Kenmore

Around a year ago, when I first started this blog, I wrote about the book group I was asked to be a part of in (I think) 2004. Or maybe it was 2005. The guys are always reading good things and listening to interesting music, which I’ve concluded has added a positive dimension to my life.

Two of many kids who enjoyed the concert

With this in mind one of the guys, Steven, and I hit the concert trail last Thursday to check out a band called Crooked Still at St. Edward Park in Kenmore. But in the spirit of “first things first” I took Steven on a quick tour of a two Snohomish County brewpub cathedrals. First was Scuttlebutt Brewing near the Everett marina, followed by Diamond Knot in Mukilteo (next to the Whidbey Island ferry terminal). We had IPAs at both with some pub grub at Diamond Knot. He agreed that Diamond Knot’s IPA was superior with its hoppy floral qualities and more complete body.

On to Kenmore! It was our first visit to a show there. They have a nifty little free summer concert series in an open field with a minimal but functional plywood stage.

We easily found our way toward the front rows and plopped down on the grass as the surrounding crowd opened picnic baskets while their kids burned off some energy on the expansive site.
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Steven enjoying the scene

Crooked Still, by their own definition, are an alternative bluegrass band. The 5-member ensemble (vocals, banjo, cello, fiddle, bass) mainly play their own material but occasionally dip into some stuff by music legends such as Robert Johnson and Bill Monroe.

The first thing that struck me after they took the stage was how young they looked. Couldn’t be because I’m getting older, right? Right. They are in fact young. Picture bluegrass musicians in your mind for a moment and chances are you’ll conjure up an image of Roy Clark. These kids are in their twenties. In fact, the cellist was celebrating his 23rd birthday that night.

Intermission on the big stage
The music was upbeat and lively after a false start or two with the guy who was at the sound board, the weather was warm but overcast (not that I’m complaining or anything since I’m the kind of guy who’s liable to make his retirement home in Nova Scotia), and the crowd was obviously having a good time even if most weren’t familiar with the band.

The 2 hour performance ended promptly at 8 pm and we were back in Marysville by nine. I’ll have to keep this place on my radar screen for next year, too. Free is good. Free high quality live music in a nice outdoor venue is better. Good on ya, Kenmore.


Here's a sound clip from the show. Unfortunately the sound quality on my Pentax digital camera is severely lacking (hey, that's not what I bought it for though) but I'll post it anyway.

Guemes Island Gathering

Every summer since well-before BowlingJoe’s hair started to turn grey, BowlingWidow’s family has had a summer gathering at her dad’s place on the west shore of Guemes Island, WA. August 1st was the sunny date of this year’s edition and somewhere around 35 people showed up.

It seems like just the other day that we were twenty-somethings going to this event with Muffinheadedboy toddling around. Now many of the grandkids are busy in high school, college and careers of their own. There are still a few tykes running around to keep us “mature adults” amused though.

Activities have changed somewhat, too. Gone are the days of those horseshoe bracket tournaments that were organized. The last few years have seen a guerrilla soccer game break out in the yard by the beach. A sign of the times, I suppose. Kids (under 21) vs. adults. Who won? That depends entirely on who you ask.

One thing is a constant, however. The barbecue grills are always peaking at full capacity during the lunch hour. This year my co-Grillin’ Guy, Earl (known to many as Grey Squirrel) and I put on some salmon filets instead of the usual burger and hot dog combination. It turned out pretty well and, like last year, no cases of food poisoning were reported. Although bear in mind that it’s been less than 24 hours as I write this.

The only casualty that can be reported, in fact, is a sunburn to my neck and face. It seems that the SPF 30 sunscreen powder that my sister-in-law Jill claimed to be effective was little more than foundation makeup. It would have worked successfully if I were filming a scene but was rendered ineffective against those cunning ultraviolet rays.

Here are a few pictures and a video clip from the day. From top to bottom:

Blake (left) and Kick (my father in law, as always an enthusiastic host) pose for the camera…..The Grey Squirrel with everything he needs for a good time…...Group photo of whoever happened to be around at the time…...Soccer video clip.