Saturday, September 30, 2017
7 p.m.
Henny Residence, Sunlight Beach
Sunday, October 1, 2017
2 p.m.
Noorlag Salon, Oak Harbor
Reservations required; address given upon reservation!
$15–reserve ahead but pay upon arrival
Island Consort presents a concert of works for oboe and piano by Michael Head, Carl Nielsen, Camille Saint-Saens, Seattle Composer Jacob Mashak and, of course, Robert Schumann!
With Logan Esterling, oboe and Sheila Weidendorf, piano
Island Consort, Whidbey’s resident chamber music ensemble, is an umbrella program of Whidbey Island Arts Council, a 501C3, not-for-profit organization.
For six days, conductors from all parts of the country will be in residence at the first annual Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute held July 31 through August 5. The PNWCI was conceived and developed by Saratoga Orchestra’s music director, Anna Edwards, and executive director, Larry Heidel.
Internationally acclaimed conductor and composer Diane Wittry will be leading the conducting sessions. “Being able to bring Diane to the Northwest is quite exciting. She is one of the foremost teachers of orchestral conducting and is in high demand around the world for these types of workshops,” says Edwards.
Wittry maintains a dual career as a music director and guest conductor throughout the world and has led performances by, among others, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Buffalo Philharmonic, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, San Diego, Houston, the Sarajevo Philharmonic in Bosnia, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Russia’s Maikop and Sochi symphony orchestras, Italy’s Sinfonia Dell’Arte di Firenze, and Japan’s Osaka Symphony Orchestra. Wittry has been a guest lecturer at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, as well as other universities and colleges; she is a frequent guest speaker at national conferences such as the League of American Orchestras and the Conductor’s Guild. An award-winning author and scholar, her book, “Beyond the Baton”, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has become a standard, both nationally and internationally, in the field. Her most recent book, “Baton Basics—Communicating Music Through Gestures,” is being utilized by conducting classes across the country.
Wittry has been a guest lecturer at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, as well as other universities and colleges. She is also a frequent guest speaker at national conferences such as the League of American Orchestras and the Conductor’s Guild. An award-winning author and scholar, her book, “Beyond the Baton,” was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has become a standard, both nationally and internationally, in the field. Her most recent book, “Baton Basics—Communicating Music Through Gestures,” is being used by conducting classes across the country.
The culminating concert of the six-day workshop will be held on Saturday, August 5, at 2 p.m. at the South Whidbey High School Auditorium. PNWCI’s 2017 Conducting Fellows will lead the Saratoga Orchestra in a program to include Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” Wittry’s own composition titled “Mist,” and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. A pre-concert chat with the participating conductors will begin at 1:15 p.m.
“The orchestra has always wanted to have some type of summer presence, so this is the best of both worlds,” says Heidel. “Not only do we get to showcase the orchestra for the community, but also highlight this beautiful island for the workshop participants. We are thankful to so many community members for housing, volunteering, and helping create something very unique. A special thanks goes to Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle for providing workshop transportation and Langley United Methodist Church for hosting the classroom sessions. Local residents curious about what conductors do aside from waving their arms may register to be day observers.”
General admission tickets for Saturday’s concert are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors/military. Students under 18 are admitted free. Premium seating tickets are available online for $50 and include seating in the Conductor’s Circle as well as a post-concert reception with the participants. General admission tickets are available at Moonraker Books-Langley, bayleaf-Coupeville, and Click Music-Oak Harbor, and online. Cash/check/CC accepted at the door. For workshop, concert information and online tickets, please visit www.sowhidbey.com or call 360-929-3045.
General admission tickets are available at Moonraker Books in Langley, Bayleaf in Coupeville, Click Music in Oak Harbor, and online. Cash/check/CC accepted at the door.
For workshop, concert information and online tickets, please visit www.sowhidbey.com or call 360-929-3045.
As usual, the key is paying attention. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll see how, like magic, things line up. “Coincide” from its early Latin roots means to “fall together,” something that’s not really random, but two things that fit together perfectly. It’s surprising—although it shouldn’t be—how often two random things have brought me to some good music.
Here are my all-time, top-five musical coincidences:
Musical coincidence number five
In the early ‘90s, my younger brother discovered a Georgia folk singer named Kevn Kinney, who I knew as the leader of the band Drivin’ and Cryin.’ Kinney had a new record out titled “McDougal Blues.” Since it was produced by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, my brother (a big fan) had to have it and sang its praises to me. “OK, sure,” I thought, not really interested. A few days later, at Seattle’s Peaches Record Store with friends Dean and Sherry, I heard a great song being played over the store’s sound system. Then another. After a third interesting song, I was really drawn in as we were browsing records, and even my friend Dean perked up at this couplet:
Not everyone was born with a golden crutch And if you don’t lend a helping hand, do me this much…
I thought, “This is a cool record they’re playing,” and decided to go ask about it. “Oh, it’s Kevn Kinney’s new record. Peter Buck produced it and plays guitar all over it. It’s pretty cool,” the lady behind the counter said. “All right,” I thought, “Little brother, you got me.” I bought the record, and it remains a favorite to this day.
Musical coincidence number four
Billy Joel isn’t exactly an unknown artist, but sometimes he can sneak in under the radar. I have long been a fan and have seen him in concert many times. I remember finding a limited-edition CD of his Russian tour. He was the first big American artist to play in Russia during the Glasnost era, and there is an outstanding documentary of his trip—I still have it somewhere on an old VHS tape. The “Live in Russia” CD lived in my car for a few days, which led me to break out some other Billy Joel music (1976’s “Turnstiles” CD is still a favorite). That Friday, after being immersed in all things Billy, a copy of American Songwriter magazine showed up in my Coupeville mailbox with Billy Joel on the cover. He hadn’t released any new music in a long while, and wasn’t really newsworthy, but just happened to be featured after I had spent four straight days listening to his music.
Musical coincidence number three
I’ve written about Jason Isbell several times (here and here), but I remember first hearing about him in the print world of No Depression magazine. (Named after the 1936 Carter Family song “No Depression in Heaven,” it was the quintessential monthly Americana/Folk music magazine that went online-only for a while and is now back in print as a quarterly.) Isbell was described as the young hotshot who joined the Drive-By Truckers band and quickly gained renown as a guitar player and songwriter. Years later, while listening to music online, in the margins of my YouTube feed, I noticed links for Jason Isbell, the guy I had read about in the magazine. There was a link to a song titled “Danko/Manuel.” Well, I know those names; that song must be about the members of The Band, Bob Dylan’s old group. Click. Amazing song! Another link. “Decoration Day.” Click. Another great song! “Streetlights.” Click. OH MY GOSH, WHERE HAVE I BEEN?! How did I not know about this great songwriting? A few clicks later, I had ordered all three of his solo records and spent an entire summer immersed in his music. Remember the mathematical formula: Music magazines + YouTube = spending money on CDs.
Musical coincidence number two
As I wrote in the “Safe Compilation” blog entry, a great source for music and music journalism is the southern literary magazine Oxford American. There, I read an interesting write-up of a Midwest songwriter Kevin Gordon. The CD that came with the magazine included a great duet of Gordon and the great Lucinda Williams on “Down to the Well.” That was another live-in-my-car-for-six-months disc, and I thought about it often, but never got around to checking out more of Kevin Gordon’s work.
About three years later, a friend of a friend named Karl came to one of my gigs and said, “Wow, your music sounds a lot like this guy I’ve been listening to. I think you’d really like his stuff.” A few days later, he delivered “Gloryland,” a new CD by someone named Kevin Gordon. It had been so long, at first the name meant nothing to me. I popped it in the CD player in my car, and a few minutes in, I realized, “Gaa! This is the ‘Down to the Well’ guy! Finally!” The planets align, especially when you have hip friends like Karl who listen to and share interesting new music.
And now, my all-time, number one musical coincidence
This one is the most recent, and just one more example of two things falling together like magic. For the past two months or so, my listening obsession has been Chris Shiflett’s (guitarist for the band Foo Fighters) “Walking The Floor” podcast. It’s an every-other-Monday series of interviews with country, Americana, and honky-tonk musicians. The interviews have all been great, so I have taken to plowing through the archives in the evenings, listening on my headphones as I’m cleaning up or doing the dishes.
On June 3, after listening to an hour discussion with BJ Barham of the band American Aquarium (both new to me), I thought, “I wonder if this BJ Barham guy is touring around here anytime this summer.” I looked up his website and, amazingly, found Tractor Tavern, Seattle, Washington listed as his next show. On June 4. “Uh, tomorrow? Tomorrow! Holy cow, I guess I’m destined to go to that show!” The next night found me in the front row of the Tractor Tavern, laughing to myself about musical coincidences. I was not disappointed; it turned out to be a fantastic show—solo acoustic, with riveting songs about his hometown from his new CD “Rockingham.”
So, these days, I pay attention. Things come together in a beautiful way. Let me know what you think of any of the above artists, and let me know what you’re listening to or reading. I’m sure it’ll fit together with something of mine.
Erik Christensen teaches at Oak Harbor High School, writes songs and poetry, and is working up BJ Barham’s “Reidsville” to play at upcoming gigs. The Erik Christensen Band plays:
Thursdays, July 20 and 27 at the Clinton Farmer’s Market from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 29 at Flyers in Oak Harbor, 7 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 5 at the Taproom at Bayview Corner, 8 to 10 p.m.
Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at local and off-island retailers or receive in the mail via subscription.
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BY KATE POSS
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
June, 14, 2017
Which do you think is a better way to teach kids about music: having them listen to an orchestra concert or giving them an opportunity to performwith an orchestra? The folks at Carnegie Hall believe that giving kids an opportunity to play with professional-caliber musicians is so important that they created the “Link Up” program, and more than a thousand Whidbey Island third- through fifth-graders participated this year.
Larry Heidel takes a break from playing trombone at the Orchestra Rocks concert. (Photo by David Welton)
A few hard-working members of the Saratoga Orchestra brought the Link Up program to island schools. Larry Heidel, who plays trombone with the orchestra and is executive director of its board, became enamored with the program when he and his colleagues learned about its benefits four years ago. Since then, he and the orchestra’s board of directors have set about raising funds to buy recorders and get the program set up island-wide.
“We’re lucky to have a community that stepped up to help purchase recorders for the kids,” Heidel says. “Grants from the South Whidbey School Foundation, Island Thrift, and the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Funds also helped fund the recorder purchase and enabled us to produce two concerts for the students.”
Magnus Christensen, Emmet Racicot, and Grady Davis learn recorder through Carnegie Hall’s Link Up curriculum. (Photo by David Welton)
Heidel adds, “We had to get buy-in from the schools and music teachers last fall and brought everyone together for a professional development workshop. We trained the music teachers on the material, including those from South Whidbey and Oak Harbor. We are only one of 90 participating orchestras who were selected to use this curriculum worldwide. It’s not meant to replace the existing music teacher’s program but enhance it. This year we did ‘The Orchestra Rocks,’ one of four programs offered by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.”
Island students learned that rhythm is a universal element of music. They learned what timing is, how to create patterns of sound, and how important silence is. The program is organized in a way enables students to fully engage regardless of their skill level.
The Orchestra Rocks repertoire culminated in two performances last month. Performing in Oak Harbor and South Whidbey, the Saratoga Orchestra played to a full house of elementary school students who sang and played recorders with the orchestra during the Link Up theme song, “Come to Play,” and three other classical orchestra pieces.
Caleb Hunt tunes in to playing the recorder. (Photo by David Welton)
Anna Edwards, a conductor of the Saratoga Orchestra, introduced students to the strings, wind, brass, and percussion sections. Locals Karl Olsen (music minister at Trinity Lutheran Church), Eva Nelson (who starred and sang in “Into the Woods,” a performance at the Whidbey Playhouse earlier this year), and Mara Bush (a South Whidbey High School senior who took a first-place award in clarinet at a regional ensemble last February) acted as emcees and good-natured performers for songs such as Verdi’s “Anvil Chorus” from “Il Trovatore” and “Mars, the Bringer of War” from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst.
“Listen closely to how Holst uses repeating rhythms and find the patterns of music,” Olsen explained. During the performance of “Mars,” students viewed projections of their own planet-inspired art on a screen behind the orchestra.
Chris Harshman teaches band at South Whidbey High School and believes in the power of music. The bassoon player has taught thousands of students over the years, and his jazz bands have won national awards.
“The Link Up program is an exceptional opportunity for students to experience the performance of classical music as musicians in a professional orchestra,” Harshman says. “I enjoyed our students’ enthusiasm and excitement at the performance, and their pride of being a part of such great music-making. Most of all, I loved performing with these wonderful students. Music is at its best when it serves the community, and this was a very sweet collaboration of children and adults coming together in a joint effort to make great music. Bravo to our next generation of musicians!”
1. Vern Olsen leads Calyx School students on the recorder. (Photo by David Welton)
Students from the Calyx School also participated in the program and attended the May concert.
“The Link Up program was a welcome surprise addition to our nature- and arts-based curriculum this spring,” says Lisa Kois, creator of the school. “I was excited by what I read about the Carnegie Hall program, the opportunity for our kids to begin to learn an instrument, and to have a hands-on classical music experience with the Saratoga Orchestra. How cool is that? Learn to play the recorder and then go watch, learn from, and play with a professional orchestra. The entire experience was so positive for everyone, and the culminating concert was amazing. Our kids were very inspired. At the end of the concert, one of the students sitting next to me turned and asked, ‘Do we get to do this again next year?’ Another student dreamily walked up to me and reported, ‘I am all about music.’”
Rose McCord, background, and Sandra Lund Olsen practice recorders at Calyx School. (Photo by David Welton)
Frances Kenney teaches music at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School and plays oboe in the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra. She found that teaching the Link Up curriculum raised her students’ awareness for music.
“The materials from Carnegie Hall are well chosen and presented in an age-appropriate way,” Kenney says. “My students enjoyed the drama of ‘O Fortuna’ and especially enjoyed learning about the piece ‘Mars.’ I am so grateful to the Saratoga Orchestra for giving my students an opportunity right next door to see a professional live orchestra. There is nothing else that can come close to this experience, and I am sure it was inspiring to many budding musicians in the audience.”
Anna Edwards, a conductor with the Saratoga Orchestra, takes a bow following the Orchestra Rocks concert. (Photo by David Welton)
Holly Brown, music specialist at Broad View Elementary School in Oak Harbor says Link Up was enriching for both her students and herself.
“The students were exposed to classical music (some of which they would never have had the chance to hear/study) through the Orchestra Rocks curriculum, and were provided with engaging and fun composition activities, worksheets, and performance rubrics that went along with each song they performed,” says Brown.
Students gather at South Whidbey High School to participate in the Orchestra Rocks classical music concert. (Photo by David Welton)
Does Link Up make a difference in student interest in music?
“I believe it does,” Brown says. “Students were definitely excited to come to class to work on the Link Up music and learn about instruments and composers. Many students went above and beyond, practiced the music at home, and transferred it to other instruments they had at their house. One student said, ‘Mrs. Brown, I learned how to play (Orchestra Rocks songs) on the piano. Want to hear it?’ During this time, students also became more aware of the music that is used in movies, commercials, TV, and the radio, and were able to classify genres and reported back about what they sounded like. After performing with the orchestra and hearing the orchestra live, students definitely gained an appreciation and interest in classical music and were inspired to learn an orchestra or band instrument in fifth grade. This was an amazing opportunity for all involved, and I hope this program will continue in the Oak Harbor School District for many more years!”
Heidel says he was happy to be part of a program that brings music into children’s lives. “Music can be a lifelong experience, and I’d like to impress this fact on every student, whether they play an instrument, sing, or just become an educated listener.”
Kate Poss enjoyed her work as a library assistant at the Langley and Coupeville Libraries before retiring. She worked for three summers as a chef aboard a small Alaskan tour boat from 2008 to 2010. She was a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles for many years before moving to Whidbey Island where she likes cooking for new and old friends, hiking, reading great fiction, and writing her second novel with friend Fred Bixby.
David Welton is a retired physician who has been a staff photographer for Whidbey Life Magazine since its early days. His work has also appeared in museums, art galleries, newspapers, regional and national magazines, books, nonprofit publicity, and on the back of the Whidbey Sea-Tac Shuttle!
Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at local and off-island retailers or receive in the mail via subscription.
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, please contact us.
Island Consort is tremendously excited to announce a new annual festival promoting contemporary composition: New Music on the Rock will launch in 2017 on June 18 at Whidbey Institute’s Thomas Berry Hall. This first year’s festival is etitled, Deepening the Silence Within: Music for a New Humanity. It features an afternoon concert beginning at 2 p.m. on the Chinook Lands and leading into the hall, with works by area composers Stuart Dempster, Neil Welch, Huck Hodge, and Kit Mills. There will also be eurythmy performances by Maiko Canard.
Following the afternoon concert will be a composers’ forum (open to the public) in which we will explore the themes of humanity and the creative spark, the role of silence in the process of creation and in listening, the relevance of new music and more. In the evening, we will present a concert of works by Whidbey Composer Jerry Mader, our composer-in-residence for this first New Music festival. That 7 p.m. program features an oboe quintet, a piano quintet, and a set of three vocal motets. Reservations recommended; tickets are $20 for each concert, but $35 to attend both. Composers’ forum included.
To reserve your seat (and pay upon arrival with cas or checks made payable to WIAC) email sweidendorf@whidbey.com or call 360-320-2362. Island Consort is an umbrella partner of Whidbey Island Arts Council, a 501 (c)3, not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit: www.islandconsort.org.
Island Consort presents Like Father, Like Son: The Works of Franz and Richard Strauss with horn player Sean Brown and pianist Sheila Weidendorf on June 24-25. Both concerts are at 3 p.m. The concert on Saturday, June 24, will be held at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island in Freeland. The concert on Sunday, June 25, will be at the Noorlag Salon in Oak Harbor. Tickets are $20. Reservations are required for the Noorlag Salon concert only, due to limited seating.
To reserve your seat (and pay upon arrival with cash or checks made payable to WIAC), email sweidendorf@whidbey.com or call 360-320-2362. Island Consort is an umbrella partner of Whidbey Island Arts Council, a 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit: www.islandconsort.org
Island Consort presents the third annual Luise Greger Women in Music Fest August 25, 26, and 27. This year’s program features works by Amy Beach, Nadia Boulanger, Lori Laitman, Lillian Fuchs, Angelique Poteat, and, of course, Luise Greger! With Gloria Ferry-Brennan, violin; Eleni Matos, mezzo-soprano; Cynthia Morrow, viola; Roxanna Patterson, viola; Fumi Tagata, soprano and Sheila Weidendorf, piano. Luise Greger—great-great grandmother of Whidbey Island regular Elizabeth Derrig—was a prolific and quite renowned composer in Germany, euthanized by the Nazi regime in the ’40s. Our festival celebrates her work as well as that of other female composers past and present.
Friday’s concert (Aug 25) will be at 7 p.m. at the Noorlag Salon in Oak Harbor; Saturday’s (Aug 26) will be at 7 p.m. at the Sunlight Beach home of Marion Henny. The Sunday (August 27) performance will be at the Ballard Homestead in Seattle at 2 p.m.
Reservations are required for the two Whidbey Island performances. To reserve your seat (and pay upon arrival with cash or checks made payable to WIAC) email sweidendorf@whidbey.com or call 360-320-2362. Island Consort is an umbrella partner of Whidbey Island Arts Council, a 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit: www.islandconsort.org
Coupeville Sons of Norway and Clinton Daughters of Norway join in presenting Lynn Berg, award-winning Hardanger fiddle maker, and Rachel Nesvig, extraordinary violinist and Hardanger fiddle performer.
Lynn will display his fiddles and explain his fiddle-making process and Rachel will play Scandinavian music on the instruments. Both will be wearing Norwegian bunads, traditional attire of Norway.
Date: June 10, 3:0
Place: Nordic Hall, located at 63 Jacobs Road, one mile south of the stoplight at Hwy 525 & North Main in Coupeville.
All are invited. No charge for attendance; donation welcome.
Join your community at the Song as Sanctuary benefit concert on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Proceeds support the Power of Hope Camp Scholarship Fund and the HUB in Langley.
Song as Sanctuary features south Whidbey’s community choir, the Open Circle Singers, led by Peggy Taylor. Special guests include Judith Adams, Sara Lovell, Greg Garbarino, Barbara Dunn, Laurie Julian, Bekah Zachritz, Mark Wahl, and more.
Suggested donation: $10 or more
Tickets will be on sale at the door at 6:45 (open seating)
For more info, click here or email peggy@whidbey.com.
Ah, springtime: when a young music nerd’s thoughts turn to saying, “I know more than you, and I liked that band before they caught on to the mainstream.” I’m ashamed to admit it, but I fall victim to this dread disease; I try very hard to be nice and unassuming, but every now and then, the “cooler-than-thou” feeling deep within me rears its ugly head.
In May, 1994, I was at the much-beloved Crocodile Café in Seattle, waiting to see great Georgia songwriter Kevn Kinney. I was unfamiliar with the opening act, a local Seattle band called, auspiciously, The Presidents of the United States of America. Since I was in the front of the crowd pushed up against the stage, I could see that they had a small drum kit and — wait, did the bass player have only two strings on his guitar? And look, the guitarist with the Fender Telecaster had only the middle three strings of his guitar. Pretty interesting. This power-trio then proceeded to explode into a crazy set — loud, silly, energetic songs that had the 100 or so people in the audience jumping up and down with pure joy. Those minimally-stringed guitars packed a real Ramones-like wallop. “Holy cow,” I thought. “These guys are really great.”
Later, in the break before the headlining set, the Presidents’ Chris Ballew, in a straw hat and sweaty t-shirt, was selling $10 cassette tapes of the band’s unreleased songs out of a cardboard box. They looked to be homemade Maxell dubbed tapes, colored with Crayola color crayons by the band. Actually, he was selling out of the lid of a cardboard box. Very low budget and fun, just like their music. I really enjoyed the band, but thought, “Ehh, ten bucks. I need to make sure I have enough for the ferry boat back home tonight.” I passed.
Shortly thereafter, the band created a local buzz, then released a record, then a tour, and, about a year after I said, “No thanks” to Chris offering me a $10 cassette, I saw them perform “Lump” on the David Letterman show: two minutes and thirty-four seconds of the pogo-dancing bliss I had witnessed at the Crocodile. Their record became huge, and I still mourn the decision to pass on what would have been a nice souvenir.
About the same time, maybe the early 90s, I was browsing in William James Bookseller, a wonderful used-and-rare bookshop in Port Townsend. (Happy to find they’re still going strong.) My eyes fell on a used paperback called “Crazy Heart,” and, since it had a picture of a guy with a cowboy hat and Gretsch guitar on the cover, I picked it up. The first few pages about a broken-down country singer looked really promising, so I bought it and took it home. I read it in about two days, loved it, and it was my own private secret for years. Other friends hadn’t heard of it or read it. Internet searches showed it to be out of print, so I guarded and treasured my beat-up copy.
My copy of “Crazy Heart” by Thomas Cobb (Photo by Erik Christensen)
Until, in late 2008, I saw the first trailer for a new Jeff Bridges/Colin Farrell/Maggie Gyllenhaal movie. It looked familiar. “No, can’t be,” I thought. Sure enough, it was “Crazy Heart,” the story of Bad Blake, washed up country legend, based on the novel by Thomas Cobb. “Hey! Hey!” I waved a pointed finger at the TV screen. “That’s my book. That’s my favorite book no one’s heard of!” Wonderful film, and still Jeff Bridges’ only Academy Award.
And lastly, an “only there in spirit” discussion: Bruce Springsteen, pre-American icon, before “Born To Run,” back to the circa 1974-75 Bruce, who could maybe sell out a small theater. I didn’t get on board until about 1978, and by then it was already too big. Give me the old Bruce, as captured on many fine bootleg recordings, radio shows, and TV simulcasts. My favorites are the ones recorded in the summer of 1975, while Suki Lahav was still in the band playing violin, and the first draft of “Thunder Road” was still called “Wings for Wheels.”
My favorites from this era are the Columbia-released “The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle,” his studio album from late 1973 — a funky, loose, messy-in-all-the-right-places record, and “You Can Trust Your Car To The Man Who Wears The Star,” a concert recorded in February 1975 on the campus of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. You can hear it’s recorded in a small room, the songs are less anthemic than the 80s hits, and they contain changing motifs, flat-7 chords, drunken sing-alongs, and (as always) great stories. This was when Bruce was still supposed to be the “new Dylan” and also called a rip-off of Van Morrison or The Band — either of which I would take as a great compliment. You can find pretty much everything I love about music on these two records. Later, when Bruce was featured on magazine covers or giving concerts in soccer stadiums? Nah. Not for me.
My copy of “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” (Photo by Erik Christensen)
So why this fascination with “I was there first?” Is this human nature, or getting to feel some sort of moral superiority? Why don’t people — myself included — get more excited about sharing discoveries, rather than feeling “this is mine?” Art and music should be the ultimate thing that ennobles us, makes connections, and helps us rise above our own condition.
So I’m sharing these with you now.
Give the music and accompanying books and film a solid listen and let me know what you think. I’m going out in search of more new treasures, and I promise not to hide them away or brag about getting there first.
Stay tuned.
Erik Christensen teaches English at Oak Harbor High School, writes songs and poetry, and, when in Seattle, tries to be first in line at the Tractor Tavern.
The Erik Christensen band plays at the Penn Cove Brewery Taproom in Coupeville April 28, and at the Evening of Song For Social Change at Blooms Winery in Bayview April 29.
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Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at local and off-island retailers or receive in the mail via subscription.
WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, please contact us.
In the early ‘90s, my younger brother discovered a Georgia folk singer named Kevn Kinney, who I knew as the leader of the band Drivin’ and Cryin.’ Kinney had a new record out titled “McDougal Blues.” Since it was produced by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, my brother (a big fan) had to have it and sang its praises to me. “OK, sure,” I thought, not really interested. A few days later, at Seattle’s Peaches Record Store with friends Dean and Sherry, I heard a great song being played over the store’s sound system. Then another. After a third interesting song, I was really drawn in as we were browsing records, and even my friend Dean perked up at this couplet:
As I wrote in the 
This one is the most recent, and just one more example of two things falling together like magic. For the past two months or so, my listening obsession has been Chris Shiflett’s (guitarist for the band Foo Fighters) “
Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at 
Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at