© 2003
The Nugget Newspaper
Sisters, Oregon
All rights reserved

Send us an email

Display Advertising
This is a PDF file. View with Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Sisters Folk Festival was a big hit
By Tom Chace

The Waybacks, from the San Francisco Bay Area, entertained Sisters Folk Festival audiences with stellar musicianship and an antic stage act. photo by Lynn Woodward

No matter how you measure success in musical festivals, the Sisters Folk Festival last weekend (September 5-7) touched or surpassed all benchmarks.

The "SRO" (Sold Out -- Standing Room Only) sign went up a half-hour before the first group even hit the stage. And that was for all shows for all days.

Sometimes there wasn't much standing room, unless you were outside listening in, as were 200 or more guests milling around the main tent at the Village Green and at the two other venues, Sisters Athletic Club and Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon.

Before Tom May, master of ceremonies, had even left the stage at the Friday night show, The Paperboys had the place swingin' and swayin' with their version of "It Takes So Long Blues."

The "boys" is really a misnomer because one of them is a Paper-"girl." Her name is Shannon Sanders and when not playing fiddle with The Paperboys, she leads her own group, The Splinters.

The group drove down in a seven passenger van from their home base in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"It was one of those used public type things," said band leader Tom Landa.

"You know, with writing on the walls inside. Our banjo player, Cam Saloy, was sitting on the rear set and he leaned back and wrote on the ceiling, "Visualize Air Conditioning."

It was a nine-hour drive in 90+ degree heat. But that didn't slow them down once they got on stage.

They closed their first set with "Four Irish Polkas" that reached an apparent ending numerous times, but never stopped, and had the now full tent clapping in rhythm.

Sanders said that she had only been in Sisters a short while, "and I do like this place. It is so lovely and the people are so nice. I like Vancouver but this is really nice. I want to come back."

Within minutes of The Paperboys' final encore, three ladies of song followed one after the other in a sequence billed as "Women of Folk."

Christine Kane, a teacher at the Sisters Americana Song Academy, kicked off the show.

Next up was Eliza Gilkyson, a member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, with her group; Jeff Plankenhorn, playing both steel and rhythm guitars and Sisco Ryder, keeping beat on the drums.

The evening ended with returning festival favorite,Tracy Grammer, who sings the songs of her musical partner, the late Dave Carter.

On Saturday, The Waybacks put on a show that had the overflowing crowd at Bronco Billy's up and roaring. They are from the San Francisco Bay area.

The five players and singers have a command of acoustical music and their instruments that has taken them to the top of folk musical groups within a short three years.

The members of the group are: James Nash, lead guitar and mandolin; Chojo (Wayne) Jacques, fiddle and guitar; Stevie Coyle, rhythm guitar; Joe Kyle, Jr., bass; and Chuck Hamilton, drums.

Others in this year's festival included The Blue Highway, a bluegrass band from Northern California with Rob Ickes, IBMA dobro player of the year for five years running, and Tom Stafford, formerly guitar player and vocalist with Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Robin and Linda Williams played Saturday evening at Bronco Billy's, as did local favorite Scott Harris. Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen entertained on the main stage Saturday night and again Sunday afternoon. Katie and Doug Cavanaugh, Sisters singers and songwriters, closed the day at Bronco Billy's Sunday afternoon.

Dennis McGregor won the festival's songwriting contest, which was staged at Bronco Billy's on Saturday.

According to contest director Jim Cornelius, several Sisters-area mucisians have made the finals over the years.

This is the first time a local artist has won the $500 grand prize (see related story).

Chuck McCabe, one-time Sisters song writing contest winner, hosted The Night Owl showcase, after the other venues had closed.

His show at Bronco Billy's on Friday and Saturday nights allowed local and professional talent to share the spotlight.

Back to front page