- WHAT: “Notes from the Riverkeepers” – an in-progress concert of new music
- WHEN: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 4-6, 2017, doors 7:30pm, show at 8:00 pm; Matinee Saturday, May 6, doors at 4:00pm.
- WHERE: Headwaters Theater, 55 NE Farragut St #9, Portland, OR 97211
- TICKETS: $10 Students/Senior/Artists, $15 General Admission, $25 Reserved/Supporter
- TICKETING: http://notesfromtheriverkeepers.bpt.me
- Parking details.
Holcombe Waller Presents “Notes from the Riverkeepers,” an In-Progress Concert of New Songwriting about Fossil Fuel Transport-by-Rail in the Columbia River Gorge
Notes from the Riverkeepers is an in-progress recital of new music by Holcombe Waller at the Headwaters Theater in North Portland on May 4, 5, and 6. The show is a musical response to Waller's three-month artist residency with the Columbia Riverkeeper, a non-profit environmental organization chartered with stewarding all aspects of environmental health of the Columbia River (the residency was organized and supported by Signal Fire, a local non-profit dedicated to embedding artists in wild spaces and activist spaces to connect more deeply with our natural environment).
Notes will feature extemporaneous storytelling and song, incorporating Waller's own folk, blues and soul inspired music, focusing on the issues facing Columbia Riverkeeper as stewards of the Columbia River - particularly the risks of crude oil-by-rail ("CBR") transport along both sides of the river. The lyrics incorporate the history of the federal railroad system, the nationwide corporate railroad duopoly represented by the northern and southern side Columbia River rail lines, and the phenomenon of train derailments/explosions/emergency response, focusing particularly on the June 2016 oil train derailment and fire in Mosier, Oregon.
Featuring Dana J on drums, Justin Miller on bass and Joshua Thomas on keyboards and guitars.
About Holcombe Waller (Writer, performer): Holcombe Waller is a unique voice in music theater. He is a 20112 United States Artists Berresford Fellow in Music, an award which noted his mournful, folk-inflected style as well as his approach to music as total theater.He is a Creative Capital artist, a three-time recipient of the MAP Fund, and a Joan Shipley Fellow of the Regional Arts and Culture Council of his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Waller has been presented and commissioned by Under the Radar Festival at The New York Public Theater, On the Boards, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Centre Pompidou, the Fusebox Festival, PuSh International Performing Arts shFestival, and many others. Wallers collaboration with choreography includes work with Joe Goode Performance Group (SF), Zoe|Juniper (Seattle), and Miguel Gutierrez, and his film score work includes music for the Sundance-premiered documentary, We Were Here. He has recently toured two interdisciplinary music theater works, Wayfinders and Surfacing, as well as premiered and toured the community-choir-based collaborative project, Requiem Mass: LGBT / Working Title.
About Signal Fire
Signal Fire facilitates wildlands residencies and retreats for artists of all disciplines. Our projects instill self-reliance, catalyze creative energy, and invite interdisciplinary collaboration. We utilize public lands to advocate for access to and protection of our wild places. In the past seven years we have engaged over 250 artists, including our month-long, college-level experiential education program. We have hosted numerous regional exhibits and publish an annual literary journal, Leaf Litter. www.signalfirearts.org
About Columbia Riverkeeper
Columbia Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it, from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. Representing over 12,000 members and supporters, Columbia Riverkeeper works to restore a Columbia River where people can safely eat the fish they catch, and where children can swim without fear of toxic exposure. The organization is a member of Waterkeeper Alliance, the world’s fastest growing environmental movement, uniting more than 300 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide. columbiariverkeeper.org
Funding & Support
“Notes from the Riverkeepers” is made possible by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council. The project was inspired and supported by funding and residency organized by Signal Fire. The work benefited from additional community partner support from Columbia Riverkeeper, Headwaters Theater and the Falcon Art Community.
Additional Links:
Holcombe’s music video for “Hardliners” | Holcombe live on WNYC Soundcheck | www.hwaller.com
