The Unfettered Critic – July 2021

Something’s in the air. Something soothing, as opposed to the scary silence that’s surrounded us for far too long.

Voices can be heard on the street, unmuffled by masks. We hear hellos. Hellos from friends we haven’t seen in a while. Hellos from friends we’re meeting for the first time.

We may still be standing six feet apart, but it’s a minor inconvenience.

One fellow we encountered on J’Ville’s woodland trails enthused, “I read your column twice.”

It took a minute to figure out which column he was talking about.

“I loved what you said about him playing all those instruments,” he added helpfully, “even a synthesizer!”

Then we remembered. Last month our Unfettered column critiqued the individual new albums from former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. We chatted amiably for a few minutes, then moved on.

Several days later, on our usual dog walk, an unfamiliar (to us) homeowner said, “Your column took me back to the Seventies. It was my favorite time.”

Actually, it was the Sixties, we thought, but did not say because, well, The Beatles are timeless. It doesn’t matter when you listened to them.

Next, “We were music majors,” a pair of hikers told us, “and we liked what you said about Paul’s drumming.”

Well, gosh, such compliments make us proud, but there’s more to it than that. Something’s in the air. Friendship. Camaraderie. And love of music.

We’ve always been excited to hear musical currents on summer evenings, drifting upwards from the Britt Music and Arts Festival to our balcony. But that joy was absent last year. Now the Britt staff is preparing to bring it back. Let us all give out a joyful sigh. Yet we don’t have to wait. Local music already has arrived, as we’ve heard the angelic voice of Shae Céline and Nick Garrett-Powell’s immaculate guitar rising above the patio of South Stage Cellars.

A plethora of great musicians make their homes in the Rogue Valley. That’s good for all of us, and for local venues, from the Bella Union, to DANCIN Vineyards to Hummingbird Estate. Over the years, vineyards regularly have opened their stages to musicians, presenting a soundtrack to living here—until, of course, the curse of masked social distancing forced us to pack up our ears and go home.

But now the “pandammit” is being turned around, as we all just say “yes” to vaccines. A couple of simple shots in the arm and voila, we discover that vaccines are a gateway drug to concerts.

What were local musicians doing throughout the pandammit? What musicians do: practice, practice, practice. And lord, are they sounding good. We stopped by Rellik Winery on a recent weekend to hear David Pinsky and Phil Newton pour through the Blues. With their powerful, fluid voices rising above Pinsky’s driving guitar and Newton’s melodic harmonica as strongly as a full band. (If you want a full band, Pinsky and his Rhythm Kings perform regularly at the Bella. And Newton’s Broadway Phil and the Shouters rock around the Valley. Sheer bliss!)

And how can we not mention those preeminent stars of southern Oregon, The Rogue Suspects, with their recent “Motown Soul Revue,” or upcoming “The Girls,” at Del Rio Vineyards in July. You’ll be thrilled by the voices of Shae Céline, Jenni Abdo, and Jade Chavis. We can’t help but grab a palpable sense of celebration, often enhanced by food and wine. And darned if almost every one of us isn’t ready to begin dancing, tossing 18 months of cares to the wind.

Ready? As The Beatles once prompted us: All Together Now!