Applegate Valley Days – June 23-24! A Spectacular two-day event to showcase the History, the Present and the Future of the Applegate Valley taking place in Cantrall Buckley Park. (Hamilton Road off HWY 238 West of Ruch.)
Singer-Songwriter Christina Duane Headlines APPLEGATE VALLEY DAYS CONCERT
Applegate Valley Days is a 2-day event sponsored by the Greater Applegate Community Development Corporation (GACDC). This family-oriented festival is the first of many annual events that will celebrate the unique culture of Applegate Valley. Among the many different happenings (tri-tip BBQ, food vendors, wine & beer tasting, farmers market, arts & crafts, historical displays, kids events, dog agility demonstrations, athletic competitions, etc.), is a concert produced by Applegate’s own singer/songwriter Christina Duane. Christina’s Oregon songs are featured on her last CD “Oh Oregon, Songs of Oregon.” You can link to Christina’s website and learn more about the festival by visiting the Applegate Valley Days website: www.applegatevalleydays.org
This interview was done as she prepares for the big event on Saturday June 23rd at Cantrall-Buckley Park on Hamilton Road in Ruch. Music for the festival will begin at 11:00 am in Area ‘C’ down by the river. There will be performances throughout the day. The main concert will be held at the pavilion in Area ‘A’ from 4:00 – 8:00 pm.
Tickets for the festival and concert may be purchased at the gate or on line via the website: www.applegatevalleydays.org
JR: When did you arrive in the Applegate Valley and what attracted you to this area?
CD: I first arrived in Southern Oregon as a young mother in the early 1980’s. My second of five children was born here in the Rogue Valley. My favorite place in those early days was Jacksonville and I remember bringing my little toddler, Jessica, to Bella Union for bread pudding. We also loved wading through the autumn leaves near the courthouse and spending time in the Applegate Valley. In 1984, I returned to California and wrote many songs about Southern Oregon, including, “Backroads” and “I Love Oregon.” I returned to Jacksonville in 2005, just in time to write “Oh Oregon” and “Sunset Over Jacksonville” for the 150th birthday celebrations. I was happy to be home!
JR: How would you describe your genre of music?
CD: My music is a hybrid of many influences from melodic folk and folk/rock, to Celtic folk infused with country and jazz influences. “Sunset Over Jacksonville” and “Romancing the West” are folk/rock. And then there are Celtic ballads like “The Heart of Maureen” and “I Won’t Cry.” Yet, “City of Roses,, featuring Patti Moran McCoy on piano, is straight forward jazz. “Top Moon Trader” from my first CD “Velvet Bleu Rhapsody” is a folk/jazz song.
JR: Does this area have an effect on your music?
CD: My writing is very influenced by my “sacred places” and Southern Oregon is my most sacred place. Everything from the type of flora and fauna, the moss and lichen on the trees, the red smooth bark of the Madrone, to the smell in the air, the grapevines and pear blossoms, and the high country granite paths. Most important is the history of the people and their heart and spirit. “The Old Mckee Bridge” is special to me because it is about the people in our lives that give us safe passage, just as the bridge did for the copper miners.
JR: What is the drive behind your latest CD release, “Time Standing Still”?
CD: I remember as a little girl taking country drives with my harmony-singing parents and seeing the old filling stations and diners–then, years later, seeing them all boarded up as urban sprawl took its toll on small town America. A few years ago I was standing in front of an old boarded-up diner with a hand-painted weathered sign that read “Home Made Pies.. I got back into the car and wrote “Time Standing Still,” about a bygone era and rediscovering these amazing places on the open road. I’m about to release a video that features Applegate Store and Cafe, Provolt Store, Applegate River Lodge and the people who make these places so special. Historic preservation is very important to me–remembrance of loved ones, gratitude for generations past, and the reality of eternity and God’s love for us are recurring themes in my music.
JR: Who is your greatest influence?
CD: My greatest musical influence is Judy Collins; the first song I learned on the guitar was “Both Sides Now.” I just wrote Judy on Facebook to share my latest song, “I Won’t Cry” and sent her links to the new music and thanking her for her influence. She responded:
“Christina, I love “I Won’t Cry”–let me know when I can get your new CD–very fine writing and I love your singing.” Judy Collins
After struggling and fighting so hard to do what I love, it was so special to have my work acknowledged by the person who has been my greatest influence–we are still in touch.
JR: How would you describe the Applegate Valley Days Concert?
CD: The Evening concert will begin at 4:00 pm will began with “Sons of the Oregon Trail” songs about the West together and then the group named Oregon’s most innovative band, “The Fret Drifters,” will take the stage fusing brilliant rhythms, and contagious melodies with percussive artistry that is amazing and captivating. Then my band and I will perform many of the songs from the upcoming release including “Romancing the West” which is the theme song for my 2013 concert tour taking concert goers through two centuries of Oregon and California history, featuring many Southern Oregon artists.
JR: How did you select the performers for the concert?
CD: I wanted multi-generational music that would appeal to families and people of all ages. It was important that all the performers have ties to the Applegate Valley.
JR: What do you hope people will experience from this two-day event?
CD: People will be coming from all over to celebrate the beautiful Applegate Valley, it’s incredibly diverse blend of wonderful people, its award-winning wines, its culinary offerings, and to hear the original music it inspired.