| |
  |
Corvallis Gazette Times, December 26, 2008 Nancy Raskauskas Another year has passed. Have we learned anything? Will we make new resolutions for the future before diving head first into 2009? Maybe - maybe not, but it can't hurt to take a look back on where we've been this year as a community of art, music and entertainment. Music This year the crew at The Entertainer reviewed more than 55 bands and musicians ranging from The Tasty Trio to The Manimals, Faun Fables, Dapp Theory, Debra Arlyn, Break As We Fall, Berg Sans Nipple, Sideways Portal, Cassandra Robertson, Sugardirt, Tower of Power, Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings, Monica Metzler, Solid Gold, Poitín and Stout, They Won't Stay Dead, The Naysayers, Strings of Time, Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks and Audiophilia. Theater All told there were 37 major theater productions in the mid-valley in 2008, not counting dance performances or high school theater. That is dang impressive and The Entertainer witnessed every single one. A few highlight's of the year (and there were many more) included Corvallis Community Theatre's "The Importance of Being Earnest," Albany Civic Theater's "Diary of Anne Frank," Willamette Stage Company's a "A Walk in the Woods," Oregon State University's "The Foreigner," Linn-Benton Community College's "The Water Engine," Bard in the Quad's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Flinn's Community Players seasonal traditions "Don't Drink the Ginger Ale" and "Who Squealed on the Blind Pig?" Books This year the Entertainer focused its attention on three great local authors: Molly Gloss who wrote "The Hearts of Horses," Ehud Havazelet, author of "Bearing the Body" and cinema owner Paul Turner who penned "Prancing Lavender Bunnies." Both Gloss and Havazelet were finalists for the Oregon Book Award and Havazelet took the honor for the second time in his career. The Tcha Tee Man Wi Storytelling Festival and The Magic Barrel Reading to Fight Hunger were highlights of the year. Film The Entertainer runs two to three movie reviews a week, so you can do the math on that one. A few of my personal favorites of 2008 in no particular order:"Andrus: The Man , the Myth, and the Magic," "Definitely, Maybe," "The Linguists," "Mamma Mia!," "Persepolis," "Sex and the City," "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," "Warren Miller's Children of Winter," "The Visitor," "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" and "Zach and Mira Make A Porno." Yes, I realize "The Dark Knight" is not on this list. Feel free to take it up with me on my blog and don't forget to attend Corvallis' film fests in 2009 including daVinci Days, Crossroads International and Lunafest. Art scene I can't say I'm much of an art connoisseur or critic. Just experiencing art in new and surprising ways has always been good enough for me. That said, we had some great stories on local artists throughout the last year such as wood-worker Jepson Lonnquist and Pegasus gallery owner Bill Shumway. Not to mention, Gateway Gallery in Philomath which joined our many local venues. In addition, local artist cooperatives such as TEAL, Winterlight and the Indoor Holiday Artisans Market made a heroic effort this year to help Corvallis keep it local for the holidays and kept ten-of-thousands of dollars in local circulation as a result. Places to party Earlier this year the Entertainer gushed at the surge of development in downtown Corvallis with the opening of trendy new eateries Strega, Enoteca, Downward Dog, Block 15 and Aqua. We noted the revitalization of Riley's Billiards in Albany and celebrated 10-year anniversaries with Magenta and Interzone. Sadly, we watched a final concert at Sahalie Wine Cellars this fall and watched other venues drop their live music and restrict their hours as the economy tanked in the second half of the year. So, kudos to the venues out there still feeding us a steady flow of local talent: Block 15's "Blues, Brews &BBQ" nights were a hit this summer and FireWorks' Southtown open mic has grown steadily in popularity. Bomb's Away Cafe continues to be a hotbed of developing local talent and WineStyles has been consistent in offering low-key shows in Corvallis' north end. Platinum hosted Corvallis' first two burlesque shows this fall and The Beanery and Old World Deli continue to open their doors to all types of community groups and performers. In Albany, Calapooia remains one of the few shining lights for local bands and Merlin's Bar & Grill in Lebanon, Dixie Creek Saloon in Tangent, and Java Connection in Philomath have kept the outlying areas hopping on many a cold night. Farewells Speaking of leaving, in 2008 The Entertainer said farewell to several of its writers as they moved on to other positions in the wide world of journalism. Linn County entertainment writer Heather Crabtree moved to Arizona in April for a job at a sister paper and long time editor Jake TenPas left in October to pursue job opportunities in the Portland area. Finally, features writer Theresa Hogue took a position at Oregon State University in late November, though she still writes her Reality Bytes blog for the Gazette-Times. Looking back on the past year's issues, their many contributions to covering the local scene are evident.
|
|