Clark County Music

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Francisco Garcia, Singer and Graphic Artist

Francisco Garcia does not look like he is in a country band. He lacks the 10-gallon hat, the leather vest and the cowboy boots. Instead, he is sitting in the newly remodeled kitchen of his small Portland house, dressed in a nondescript green sweater and some old jeans. He jokingly offers to swap his glasses for sunglasses in an attempt to look cooler. 

Even if he is not a rock star, he is a native Portlander – something that had an influence on the name of his band, 82nd and Heartache. 

“We were wanting to keep it local and it seemed that the most local thing in Portland that most Portlanders would recognize is 82nd Avenue,” Garcia explains. “Everybody probably has a story about 82nd Avenue in one way, shape or form.” The other half of their name comes from a common theme in country music: heartache. “And since it’s a country band the common theme could be 82nd and drunkards but that didn’t make much sense,” Garcia says with a laugh, “so 82nd and Heartache seemed to make the most sense.”

Garcia is the lead vocalist for 82nd and Heartache, a local band that plays country western rock music. Despite their obvious skill with playing music together, they seem to be perfectly happy with where their band is – playing at bars in Portland.

Garcia also works for Portland Public Schools as a graphic artist. All of the other members of the band have careers outside of music, ranging from working in the movie industry as a prop master to earning a living as a web developer.  

Such an eclectic group of individuals made for an interesting band. Garcia claims that Dan Heller, the lead guitarist is the real leader of the band, since Garcia did not join until the other members had come together. “[Heller] and his friends were a jamming country band that were jamming in our other friends basements and he asked me if I’d like to sing with them” Garcia says, leaning back in his chair. “Country music isn’t really my genre but – ”

“Yes it is,” interrupts his seven year old daughter, Kika. She has wandered over the table to listen to her father talk. Garcia laughs and suggests that she go to the other room if she is going to interrupt. Kika mumbles something inaudible and resumes playing with her father’s iPod.

Garcia resumes his thought. “Country music isn’t really my genre, but I always enjoy singing so I always happy to hang out with my friends and drink a little beer and sing a couple songs.” He later mentions that his favorite genres include jazz and pop standards from the forties and fifties.

Despite not having the same musical tastes of his friends, they have worked on a lot of music together. He remembers one time when they went to their drummer, Steve Kosik’s, apartment to try recording some songs. They used various rooms of the apartment to record the instrumental version of the songs, and once that was finished, Garcia went in and recorded the vocals. He remarks how he knows that some of his other friends in “real bands” would have to pay huge amounts of money to pay to use a recording studio. The only device his band used to record was a Mac laptop, and it still sounded “pretty good.”

For the amount of work that must go into maintaining a band, Garcia is quick to deny that it is difficult to handle his job at the district and singing for the band. “It’s a hobby, like any other hobby,” he says.

What may make being in a band easier is the fact that they rarely play outside of Portland. They know when to decide against performances. When shows start stacking up with too little time in between, they decide to take a break. “Because we are lazy,” Garcia explains, laughing. “I know that’s everything you want to hear. ‘yeah it’s this really great band – of lazy guys.”

Lazy or not, it is admirable that the members of 82nd and Heartache are able to pursue their interests of being in a band. So many aspire to doing just that, yet 82nd and Heartache have managed to take it to a level they are comfortable with.

Being famous does not matter to the members of 82nd and Heartbreak. Dan Heller, the guitarist, elaborates. “I've never really dreamed of being a rock star, I just dream of being a really good musician and it's a rewarding lifetime pursuit.” He later responds to a question about whether or not he would want to open for a mainstream country musician by saying, “Yes, if I was getting paid.” 

Stephen Kosik, the bassist, shares the same opinion on playing on a higher level. “If we were paid handsomely, yes.” While Kosik says he would not mind expanding to a wider audience, he also mentions that he has always considered music a hobby, explaining that “Once you start doing something for a living it becomes less enjoyable.”

The important parts of being in a band are fairly similar for Garcia, Heller and Kosik – especially because of the fact that not one of them mentions monetary gain or fame as their favorite part of the band. The best part for Kosik is “the camaraderie of playing good music with good friends for good friends.” Heller likes the fact that he gets “to play what I really like and people seem to mostly like it.” Garcia enjoys “the actual performing.”

Performing music is important to all the members, and they always do their best to put on a lively, energetic show.  The band never fails to capture the attention of their audience, usually the customers of a bar. They are attracted to his theatrical singing performance and are inspired to dance to the band's country-western songs. Some are dressed in attire appropriate to the music's style – cowboy hats, leather boots, long skirts. Two or three couples dressed in such a way step out of the audience and dance enthusiastically along to the music. In between songs, Garcia's on-stage banter delivered over speakers incites laughter from the crowd. Despite the fact 82nd and Heartache is a small Portland band playing in a small Portland bar, the captive audience is all Garcia needs. 

82nd and Heartache was always meant to be a hobby. “Not that I just keep it to myself,” states Garcia. “I’m happy to share it with anyone who wants to come [to their shows]. But it never really started as anything like, “Yeah, we’re gonna be the greatest country band in the world.”

When so many are unhappy with their positions in life, it is inspiring to see that it is possible to have a successful career and follow one’s dream – whatever it may be.

   Photos by Brian Christopher.

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Dan Weber

Dan Weber is another musician influenced by country music. His “Artist Bio” section of Reverbnation says that he has been writing music for three years. In that time he has accomplished quite a bit. He claims to be an award-winning artist, and was one of five national finalists in the 2010 Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest. In 2009 and 2011, Weber was the winner of the West Coast Songwriter’s Performing Songwriting Competition, and also won Best Performer and Best Song honors in 2010. He also received the Song of the Year Award in 2009. Weber is backed by guitarist Jerry Towell.

Weber’s lyrics are designed to tell a story. He definitely succeeds in this regard, especially in the song “Sarah Ann”. This song tells the story of a firefighter whose young wife, Sarah Ann, dies in an accident just seven weeks after their wedding. His melancholy-sounding voice is often harmonized with backing vocals provided by an unknown female singer. The guitar stays the same throughout much of the song, simply strumming the chords, but has a brief solo about halfway through the song. It is right after this solo that the firefighter’s story takes a turn for the worse, when he receives a call about the accident that killed his wife. A violin solo follows his discovery, demonstrating the sadness the character feels. Clearly, the awards that Weber has won were well-deserved, as he is obviously a gifted songwriter.

Since he is such a good songwriter, it could definitely be a good decision to take the time to watch him perform. Dan Weber has shows scheduled in Portland three times between March 17th and May 15th. 

http://www.reverbnation.com/danwebermusic

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Michele Drey & Branded Band

Country music is not one of my favorite genres, but so far I have enjoyed listening to this band. It has less of the pop country sound that is all too prevalent in today’s music while integrating influences from rock music. Michele Drey & Branded Band (omission of “the” is intentional), a group of musicians based in Vancouver, write their own music and cover songs and play a fair amount of shows in the Washington and Oregon area. The members are vocalist Michele Drey (the the daughter of Michael Jarrett, a songwriter for Elvis) Eric Montgomery (drums, vocals), Matt Hundley (fiddle, vocals), Rick Bouvette (bass, vocals), and Kevin Jackson (lead guitar).

The band has a fair amount of songs listed on their Reverbnation page online. One of my favorites is called “Broken Hearts and Beer Cans.” The song starts off with quiet guitar and fiddle blended together to create a melancholy feel to the music. The vocalist comes in soon after that. She has a typical country singer’s voice with a slight southern-sounding twang, simply singing the words and relying on emotion instead of vocal techniques to draw the listener in. The song remains steady throughout, not changing much at all in tempo or key until about three minutes in, where it distinctly slows down to a crawl and recaptures the listener’s attention at the last minute.

Their Reverbnation page promises that a performance by Michele Drey and her band is an interesting experience. Michele Drey & Branded Band have shows lined up from March third all the way to June 22nd. All of these shows are in Oregon, but most are either in Portland or at least in the Portland area. They are all in 21+ venues.

http://www.reverbnation.com/brandedband

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Heidi Canfield

There were numerous errors and typos in Heidi Canfield’s biography on Reverbnation (then again, almost all of them do), but she is definitely talented. Her voice is not especially memorable in any way, but she sings well enough and she is able to employ a few vocal techniques to add something more interesting to the songs. Her voice reminds me of Hayley Williams of Paramore or Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge – fairly high pitched, with little vibrato. Canfield has a good voice for the genres of music she sings.  

Heidi Canfield is primarily a vocalist that likes to explore a wide range of genres. Her song “Moving On” has a country influence and “Toxic Love” includes techno characteristics that make it sound like it would be a good song to dance to. “Bring Me Down” has more of a rock influence, and it is my favorite song that she has recorded.

Canfield started out her career with a cover band. Soon, she realized she wanted to be more creative and sing songs that she herself had written. She then met Deborah Louie, who played piano, and they started writing original music together. Louie is now Canfield’s fellow songwriter, as well as her manager.

Canfield has been working on her first studio album since the spring of 2011. 

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Blown

Blown is a rock band located in Vancouver. They are currently signed to Rain Forest Records and released an album titled Slow Burn on that label in 2011. They went on tour shortly afterward but have not performed anywhere since last August.

Blown’s sound is not terribly unique, but most of the music they play is performed well. Their sound has definite grunge and punk influences, leading some people who commented on their page on Reverbnation to compare them to Nirvana. When I first listened to them, vocalist Justin Dipietra’s voice reminded me of Jerry Only’s of the Misfits, specifically on the Misfits’ album American Psycho.

One of the songs I particularly liked was called “Wombat.” In the song, there is a guitar riff repeated throughout. This riff develops into more complex guitar pattern in the chorus still based on the initial riff. The only part I did not like was the guitar solo. It sounded like they just wanted include one in the song and did not put much thought into how it sounded with the other melody lines that were going on.  

The members of Blown are Justin Dipietra as the vocalist, Don Linder and Rich Cornelison playing the guitars, Ric Brown on the bass and Chris Erickson on the drums. All of them have other jobs that range from working as a plumber to working for a coffee roaster. 

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Radiojet

Radiojet is a local artist located in Camas, Washington. His name comes from a phenomenon that occurs in space, a radio jet, which is formed when material explodes out of the center of a galaxy, emitting radio waves as it does so.

Radiojet is one person working under a pseudonym, but in his “Basic Info” section on ReverbNation, it says “All songs written by WEHRING,” making it unclear which name they wish to use. The pictures on the page show one man surrounded by several instruments, including four guitars and a keyboard.

Their sound has a toned-down feel to it – it’s something one might listen to while relaxing after a long day. The blend of guitars, subdued drums, and quiet vocals work together to create a peaceful atmosphere. Most of the guitar is acoustic, strumming along at a steady pace, but oftentimes there will be the thin wail of an electric guitar in the background.

Oddly, Radiojet’s sound reminds me of a song by Social Distortion, “Machine Gun Blues.” Social Distortion could pretty accurately be filed under “punk rock,” a category Radiojet does not really fit in, but “Machine Gun Blues” has the same steady drumbeat and some of the chord progressions sound similar to the ones used by Radiojet. 

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An Interview at Pop Culture

Breaking into the local music scene requires a lot of hard work, but there are some places that make it a little easier. Pop Culture, located on Main Street in Vancouver, Washington, is a great place for beginning artists to start making a name for themselves. According to Katherine McMains, Pop Culture is "a relaxed environment where there is no pressure to be amazing." 

McMains, a manager at the restaurant/music venue, says that performing at Pop Culture provides a chance for artists just starting their music careers to "really show the city what they have." 

"We're all here to let you express yourself however you feel you want to. With no judgment attached," added McMains.

There is a huge variety of genres that perform at Pop Culture, ranging from bluegrass to indie rock. Even wider than the genre range is the age range. While most of Pop Culture's lineup consists of high school bands performing for their friends and family, there are also bands with members that are in their forties. "We're definitely all ages in more than one aspect," McMains says with a laugh. Clearly, anyone with a passion for music has an opportunity to become more well-known in the local music industry when they decide to perform at Pop Culture. 

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A Killing Dove

A Killing Dove is a rock group based out of Vancouver, Washington. They have played shows as recently as February 3rd, with one to two month-long breaks in between shows. Most of these shows appear to be in a bar located in Portland, Oregon, the Ash St. Saloon. Most recently, they played at a venue in Vancouver called Malibu’s, which has a mix of both all-ages and 21+ shows.

This band does not have an especially distinct sound, sounding more like a mix of the bands that they list as their influences. Nonetheless, they play their respective instruments well – and they should, as the members of A Killing Dove have been playing music for around twenty years. The members of this band are Jake Brown playing the guitar and singing, Fred Clark on the bass, and Kyle Garello on the drums.

A Killing Dove claims bands like Soundgarden and Red Hot Chili Peppers as influences, and it is definitely possible to hear elements of these bands’ music in A Killing Dove’s songs. Soundgarden’s influence can be heard through the melody lines of the guitar when single notes are played, instead of chords. When chords are played, it has the harsher, yet blended sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitar-playing technique, which provides the vocalist with a solid, constant sound to sing over.

http://www.reverbnation.com/akillingdoveofficial

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Restruct

Restruct is a Vancouver-based metal band that was founded in 2006 by the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist, Freeman Belmont. They have a fairly unique sound, something that has helped them succeed in the music industry so far. The other members are Colin Ault, Matt B., and Noah Ortega. [I can’t find anything on what instruments they play.]

Some songs have acoustic guitar in the beginning that develops into a stronger sound as the main melody is taken over by the electric guitar, but there are still elements of the acoustic guitar present throughout the song. Occasionally there are breaks without electric guitar – mostly during the verses – in which the acoustic guitar is more prominent. On some songs, the song begins with strong power chords from the lead guitar, effectively capturing the listener’s attention. The singer has a fairly rough voice, but still manages to never miss a note.

Restruct’s sound is closest to that of Avenged Sevenfold’s. Both have elements of heavy metal mixed with the sound of an acoustic guitar. Both also use dark imagery to convey issues faced in everyday life by average people.

Their debut album, Built Back Up From Self-Destruction, was released in 2010. It was followed up by extensive touring, but the band’s last show was back in October, when they played at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, Oregon.

http://www.reverbnation.com/restruct

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Julia's Misfortune

The bands that make up the music scene of Clark County are often very creative and unique, despite their suburban surroundings. For example, the city of Camas is the hometown of the rock band Julia’s Misfortune.

Julia’s Misfortune, made up entirely of recent high school graduates, is a Camas-based band that has a decent list of original songs listed on their pages on various websites, including Facebook, ReverbNation, and MySpace. The band features Matt Hartman’s voice, Adam Peebles and John Doyle on guitar, Joseph Kashas on bass, and Shane Moffet on the drums. They have played a few shows, the most recent being their  January 6th show, performing at Pop Culture in Vancouver. They are one of the bands from Clark County that has also played in Portland at the Hawthorne Theater.  

Their music features a quiet but catchy hook at the beginning of each song that quickly develops into an epic blend of vocal harmonies and guitars during the chorus, returning to the original melody line during the verses. Their style has elements used by bands like Coldplay and Mayday Parade. Their strategy puts them solidly in the category of pop rock, but don’t let that discourage you. They are creative enough to come up with their own unique sound that is sure to get them some attention in the future.

Clearly, even though Julia’s Misfortune comes from such a small town, it does not keep them from having their own sound and style and attempting to follow their dreams. Instead, it seems to inspire them to be more successful, working harder to achieve their goals. 

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Venues in the Area

Since Clark County is made up of mostly suburban areas, people may wonder where one can actually go to hear live music. Most of the venues will be located in Vancouver.  Local venues are great places to start finding out more about the music scene in the area. One such place is Pop Culture, a restaurant located on Main Street in Vancouver, which doubles as a stage for local musicians.

Pop Culture has a wide range of genres of music played by local performers, including alternative, Christian/Gospel, and hip-hop. The venue has openings throughout the week and is available for booking through their website, http://www.drinkpopculture.com.  Showtimes can be found at http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/popculture. 

If Pop Culture is not really your style, then you could always go to The Grind Coffeehouse, where local musicians play during the night for free while you enjoy your coffee. During the day, trance music (for those of you who are not familiar with electronic music, it is a form of electronic music designed for self-expression) is played over the speakers, but at night the range of genres opens up to showcase pop punk, screamo, metal, punk rock, rap, and trance.

Of course, if you’re looking for a venue that’s not in a coffee shop or restaurant, Portland is probably the best place to explore. Venues like the Roseland and Hawthorne Theaters are the places that have more well-known bands that usually aren’t local, but occasionally bands from Clark County play there.