Gulfsongs Oregon

Free show tonight starting around 9:30pm

Donations gladly accepted.

Hope you can make this one … will be a great night!  Silent auction, PDX 2 Gulf Coast presentation, and (of course) great music!

Gulfsongs Oregon has been collecting items to be sold via a silent auction at the Mississippi Studios show on September 2nd.  In addition to the auction and great music by some of Portland’s best indie pop/rock artists (Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights, Rachel Taylor Brown, Leonard Mynx, and Buoy LaRue), there will be a presentation by the PDX 2 Gulf Coast team on their trip to the Gulf and what they learned about the effects of the oil spill on the people and the environment of the region.

The silent auction will raise additional funds to send to Gulf Aid Acadiana and the Second Harvest Food Bank.  A number of Portland artists will have work displayed in the auction including Chris Haberman, Jennifer Kenworth, Ron Rogers, Jennifer Mercede, and award-winning poster artist Gary Houston. There will be a list of artists and items posted next week.

This is a timely documentary about what the Gulf Coast of Louisiana has been going through since the storms five years ago and now the oil disaster … you can watch it online here.

In the late summer of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita churned ashore wreaking havoc upon the already endangered coastline of Louisiana. Washing Away: After the Storms chronicles Louisiana’s recovery through the personal accounts of six very different survivors whose homes, livelihoods and communities were shattered in their wake.

Witness the devastation through their eyes as they face the daunting task of rebuilding, more devastating hurricanes and an unfolding environmental catastrophe that could forever change their land and way of life.

Learn what’s at stake for the state and the nation as Louisiana’s coastline gives way to the Gulf.

Two time Emmy-Award winner, Academy-Award nominee and New Orleans native Patricia Clarkson narrates the program, which also features the music of Emmy-Award winning composer Mike Esneault.

Last Thursday, Gulfsongs Oregon raised over $350 at the White Eagle. Big thanks to Morgan Geer, Hearts of Oak, and Palatine Hill for a fine evening of music and to everyone who came out to hear the bands and support Gulfsongs.

The next Gulfsongs show will be on Thursday, September 2nd at Mississippi Studios with a great Portland indie-rock lineup of  Chris Robley & The Fear of Heights, Rachel Taylor Brown, Leonard Mynx, and Buoy LaRue.   There will also be a special presentation by the PDX 2 Gulf Coast team about their trip to the Gulf.  Also planned is a silent auction of some wonderful items (stay tune for the list next week).  Admission will be  $10 and all proceeds go to our two Louisiana Gulf Coast recipient organizations – Gulf Aid Acadiana and the Second Havest Food Bank.

The full Gulfsongs Oregon schedule of shows can be found here.

The PDX to Gulf Coast team has posted some excellent writing, video and photos from their ongoing trip.  You should check out their daily posts and other materials to get a growing picture of the current situation on the Gulf Coast.  Check out reporter Steve Duin’s columns in the Oregonian too – he’s been writing this week from the trip.

Just to keep folks up to date on our fundraising efforts, checks were sent this week to the Second Harvest Food Bank and to Gulf Aid Acadiana (for distribution to Bayou Grace Community Services). The Food Bank received $540 and Gulf Aid Acadiana $1260.  We distributed $1800 of the $2000 we’ve collected so far at our five events.

The next Gulfsongs Oregon show is next Thursday at the White Eagle with Morgan Geer,  Hearts of Oak w/Merilee Hord, and Palatine Hill.  Please come out and support our neighbors on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

We have a big September planned with five shows. Full schedule here.

The team from PDX 2 Gulf Coast have assembled in New Orleans and are spreading out through the Gulf Coast region to collect information for the next 10 days – meeting and talking with scientists, fishermen, naturalists, etc – to report back on lives and systems affected by the spill.

This is a committed group of Oregonians who want to see firsthand the ongoing situation for the people and environment … and then help move us to long term action – for both the economic and environmental recovery of the Gulf Coast, and to implement the social and policy changes necessary to lead to a more sustainable future.

We are pleased that at Gulfsongs Oregon’s Sept 2nd show at Mississippi Studios, the team will present some of what they learned on the trip and the next steps in their efforts.   Please check their website or follow them on Twitter and/or Facebook for daily updates and reports.

Tuesday night at the Secret Society Ballroom we raised enough to bring our total for five shows to $2000!

Tony Furtado, Lewi Longmire, Thad Beckman, Stephanie Schneiderman, and Ivan Rosenberg

Tony Furtado with his special guests Thad Beckman, Lewi Longmire and Jim Brunberg put on a musically inspired evening that had the 80+ folks in attendance very glad they came out on a Tuesday night.

Tony Furtado

Jim Brunberg

A big thank you goes to Tony, Jim, Thad, Lewi, and the folks at the Secret Society Ballroom for making this possible and donating their time and the proceeds of this show to Gulfsongs.  Special thanks also to Stephanie Schneiderman (vocals) and Ivan Rosenberg (dobro) for participating too!

You can see more great photos from the show (taken by Annaliese Moyer) at No Depression.

The next Gulfongs Oregon show is Thursday, August 19, at the White Eagle with Morgan Geer,  Hearts of Oak w/Merilee Hord, and Palatine Hill.  Hope you can come out and catch that one!

Just a quick reminder that the fifth Gulfsongs show is tonight at The Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Street) with Tony Furtado and Friends.  Tony’s very special guests tonight are Thad Beckman, Lewi Longmire and Jim Brunberg.

Gulfsongs extends a big thank you to Tony and his guests for making this first night of his August residency gig at the Secret Society a benefit for Gulfsongs.  Music starts a 8 pm and admission is $7.

You can find the full schedule of upcoming Gulfsongs Oregon shows here.