8 Hours! 4 Bands! 5 Unique Burgers! 26 Southern Oregon Microbrews!
Medford, OR – Tap into the best of the Rogue Valley’s food, drink and music at the third annual Brews, Burgers & Bluegrass as THRIVE kicks off Medford Beer Week: 12-8pm Saturday June 13 at beautiful Eden Valley Orchards. This family-friendly event is brought to you by Thrive and sponsored by Basil & Berries and Green Hammer; event proceeds go to THRIVE’s local food programs.
“Thrive’s Brews, Burgers, & Bluegrass brings to the Rogue Valley another stellar music line up for 2015! From local favorites such as Sage Meadows and High Country to regional dynamites like Steep Ravine and Moon Mountain Ramblers, this summers festival is not to be missed!” says event organizer Mark Lackey of $8 Mountain. “What better way to round out the day than with five talented bands bringing some down home bluegrass. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and stay the day with the best Rogue Valley food, brews and music!”
The event features the talents of five local bands. Times are approximate:
12pm Sons Of The Soil https://www.facebook.com/sonsofsoil?fref=ts
Sons Of The Soil is a self-described raucous hillbilly country band from Douglas County. The band was born after Dusty Cowart placed a Craigslist ad for old time and bluegrass musicians. That ad was answered by Rob Gandy. They shortly realized the only chance they had at musical stardom was to head to the crossroads and sell their mortal souls. The first crossroads they came to, they found Aaron Calaway playing his guitar. “Are you the devil?” they asked him as he was playing some hot jazzy number. “No, but I was waiting here for him” was his reply. That was a couple years ago. They never did find that ol’ trickster lingering at the crossroads, but they have had a heck of a ride playin’ bluegrass and ol’ timey music their way, with a whole lot of spit and spunk just like it should be.
1:45 Sage Meadows & High Country http://www.sagemeadows.info/
Sage Meadows has been called “Oregon’s Emmylou Harris” by the Ashland Free Press. Her luxurious, soothing voice, instrumental skills, and brilliant, one of a kind songwriting have made her a coffeeshop staple, indispensable band member and front woman. She has played everywhere from Forks of Salmon to the main stage of the Siskiyou Golden Fair with acts as diverse as the Southern Oregon University Chamber Choir, Little Thom and The New Autonomous Folksingers. Her musicianship and passion are evident as she sings songs about nature, times past and the human condition. Joined by her “small band” Sage Meadows is truly one of the best musical acts Southern Oregon has to offer.
3:20 Honey Don’t http://www.honeydont.net/HoneyDont/Home.html
Honey Don’t is the musical union Bill Powers and Shelley Gray, also well known as one half of Paonia, Colorado’s esteemed old-time bluegrass band Sweet Sunny South. Their music is based in the folk tradition and takes many cues from a bluegrass and old time background, but also stretches into the more inclusive arena of “Americana” including elements of blues, swing, honky tonk and dare we say, Rock and Roll.
Over the past ten years touring and recording with SSS, Bill has established himself as one of the leading songwriters in the Colorado acoustic music scene. His songs have been described as immediately catchy, engaging, and funny to hard hitting, sad and lonesome. Add Shelley’s lilting harmony vocal style and solid bass chops and you’ve got the core of the “Honey Don’t” sound.
5pm Steep Ravine http://www.steepravineband.com/
Steep Ravine’s soulful tunes and fiery instrumentals take roots and acoustic music in compelling new stylistic directions. Blending equal parts poetic lyricism and string-playing ingenuity, the San Francisco-based band has been racking up rave reviews for its debut album of original music, Trampin’ On. During the spring and summer following its release, Steep Ravine gave notable performances at festivals including High Sierra Music Festival, Four Corners Folk Festival, Outside Lands, Strawberry Music Festival, and many more.
Principal lyricist Simon Linsteadt (guitar, lead vocals) and Jan Purat (violin, vocals) began playing music together back in high school in Marin County, later moving on to study music at UC Santa Cruz and the California Jazz Conservatory. They fortuitously met bassist Alex Bice (bass, vocals) through jam sessions in Santa Cruz. Leading into 2015, Steep Ravine has been hard at work with their new record, The Pedestrian, set to be released this summer!
6:30 Moon Mountain Ramblers http://www.moonmountainramblers.com/
This increasingly popular band has consistently been one of the hardest working and most successful bands in Oregon for a decade. Even in Bend, which has a strong and fast-growing music scene that brings in plenty of tough outside competition, the band continues to sell out the hottest venues in town. The Moon Mountain Ramblers have had the honor of sharing the stage with such great acts as: The David Grisman Quintet, Del McCoury Band, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Asleep at the Wheel, Jackstraw, the Gourds, Hot Buttered Rum, New Monsoon, Sneakin’ Out, Taarka and others.
At first glance, the Ramblers may look like a traditional bluegrass band, with the classic instrumentation of fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar and upright bass. However, with the addition of full percussion and musical inspirations with no boundaries, this band has truly found their own unique niche in the world of acoustic music. If you attend a show, or listen to any of the band’s albums, it won’t take long to recognize the variety of musical influences this band uses to create their ever-growing library of original music and creative covers. With tasteful flavors of Celtic, Bluegrass, Jazz, Latin, Rock and more, MMR can most closely be labeled as an Acoustic Americana, Jamgrass Band.
Brews, Burgers & Bluegrass is part of THRIVE’s mission to bring together business owners, workers and community members to cultivate a vital economy that is socially, financially and environmentally sustainable, promoting local resources and public awareness of the individual’s role in shaping the economy. THRIVE, the Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, is a 15-year old economic development organization working to cultivate a more sustainable local economy, focusing on community food security. THRIVE publishes the Rogue Flavor local food guide and coordinates Eat Local Week every September.
Meet local brewers & ranchers, sample brews and mingle with local music lovers!
Participating breweries include: Bricktowne, Standing Stone, Walkabout, Wild River, Southern Oregon Brewing, Swingtree, Rusty Bucket, JD Sports Bar, Griess Family, Apple Bandit, and more! Each brewery will offer two varieties of beer for tasting. Root beer and From the Earth Soda Co. sodas will also be available for purchase along with burgers, dessert and a vegan option.
Local ranchers are providing food for this fun event. The beef will be provided by Plaisance Ranch and Salant Family Ranch. Bison will be supplied by Full Circle Bison. Umpqua Valley Lamb will provide lamb. Goat will be sourced from Willow-Witt Ranch.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Admission includes commemorative pint glass and tasting tickets. Music-only tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Children 15 and under are free. Buy tickets online at www.roguebbb.org
Brews, Burgers & Bluegrass is sponsored by Green Hammer, a unified design-build company creating healthy and inspiring buildings for life and Basil & Berries, a new locally focused restaurant in the Rogue Valley Mall food court.
THRIVE, the Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, is a 15-year old economic development organization working to cultivate a more sustainable local economy, focusing on community food security. THRIVE publishes the Rogue Flavor local food guide and coordinates Eat Local Week every September. Brews, Burgers & Bluegrass is part of THRIVE’s mission to bring together business owners, workers and community members to cultivate a vital economy that is socially, financially and environmentally sustainable, promoting local resources and public awareness of the individual’s role in shaping the economy.
The Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, 340 A Street, suite 305, Ashland, Oregon 97520; 541.488.7272; www.buylocalrogue.org.