Canby Herald Online

Play that funky music

Canby's Slice of Summer music series set to blast off

• By: John Baker  
• Published: 7/14/2009 10:24:12 AM

A slice of music
Pepe & the Bottle Blones take the Wait Park gazebo on Aug. 2.

Warm summer air will meet the cool sounds of music during the annual run of Canby’s “Slice of Summer” concert series.

The event, which runs four consecutive Sunday beginning July 19 from 6 to 8 p.m., is organized by the Canby Music Boosters, a group of parent volunteers, and is made possible by financial donations of local Canby businesses.
As always, the series will be held at the Wait Park gazebo and will feature food from local vendors.
This year’s musical performers are:

Sneakin’ Out -- Sunday
Critically acclaimed “Sneakin’ Out” is a “high energy acoustic rock-n-roll and classical fusion injected with a sense of humor.” David Gerow, Mike “Cheddar” Schmitt and Don Henson came together as migrating native Michiganders who found their musical inspiration under the gray clouds of perpetual Oregon rain.
They cut their teeth busking at gas stations, in coffee houses, on street corners and buses.

After long hours of rehearsing and careful conceptualization, the trio dubbed themselves “Sneakin’ Out.”
The trio created a musical flavor that was at once intoxicating and eye-opening, and began playing regular club gigs. Their mandolin melodies, eccentric percussion and “dog house” bass lines soon drew many performance opportunities.

Sneakin’ Out was invited to open for k.d. lang at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall and collaborated with Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale on a special arrangement of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Shortly after that they debuted their delightfully-warped adaptation of the entire iconic Beatles album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The band has recorded several CDs and performs extensively throughout the Northwest and beyond.

The 204th Army Band — July 26
Based in Vancouver, Wash., these soldiers perform throughout the Northwest. Under the command of Chief Warrant Officer Robert Nicholas and Band Master Warrant Officer David Vosler, the band performs an eclectic mix of traditional marches, patriotic standards, classical selections and even some pop favorites.
Performances this summer have included events in Billings, Mont. and Seattle, Wash.

Pepe & The Bottle Blondes — Aug. 2
Pepe & The Bottle Blondes was created in October 1995 to showcase the “Copacabana style” dinner theater enhanced with the costuming, make-up and the percussion beat of Latin rhythms.
Pepe Raphael’s talents have taken him from Madrid (where he was born) to New York City (where he performed) to Portland (where he now lives).

Born in Madrid, Spain, Pepe began his dance career with the National Ballet of Spain. He then worked with Ballet Liceo of Barcelona and upon moving to the United States, danced with Ballet Hispanico of New York, Princeton Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and, most recently, Oregon Ballet Theatre.

The Coats — Aug. 9
A Canby favorite, the Coats vocal band began on the street corners of Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. Singing for tourists, locals, fish vendors and fellow buskers, their humble ambitions of earning a few clams to fight off the tuition bills quickly evolved into a full-time international performance career.

Members Keith Anderson, Jamie Dieveney, Doug Wisness, and Kerry Dahlen have since won national vocal competitions, sang for the President of the United States and have been fortunate enough to share the stage with many entertainers.
They can be heard most recently in commercials for the Washington Lottery, as the singing group, The Match 4’s.

About Canby Music Boosters
Canby Music Boosters are a non-profit organization whose purpose is to support the Canby School District instrumental program. Focusing predominately on Canby High School’s award winning Band, the organization is a volunteer group of parents and concerned adults who meet monthly to plan fundraisers, concerts, events, and much more.

Their goal is to raise money to support the band program and provide funds for educational trips for students. In the last 5 years they have purchased over $20,000 worth of musical instruments to replace or augment the instruments at Canby High School and Ackerman Middle School. Recently they finished their biggest project yet: raising over $30,000 to purchase (for the first time in 40 years) marching uniforms for the Canby High School Cougar Marching Band!

These were proudly worn as the band performed in Disneyland during March of this year. In addition to the “Slice of Summer” concert series, the group also presents the yearly “Christmas with The Trail Band” concert in November at the Richard R. Brown Fine Arts Center.

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