A number of years back I created this section of the paper, called Gung Ho for Shows, to give us yet another place to talk about music, upcoming shows and all things glorious about creativity and sound. This week, I’m taking over Gung Ho to talk about one of my personal, favorite collaborations of the year: the Music on the Metolius series crafted as a collaboration between Sisters Folk Festival, the artist and filmmaker Teafly and me, representing the Source Weekly. The series started last year during SFF’s Songwriter’s Camp that takes place at The House on the Metolius in the days before the festival.
The premise is pretty simple: Bring the songwriters who are at the camp together to talk about music and songwriting and to play a tune or two that means something to them. On top of that, the talented musicians who’ve thus far taken part also, basically on the fly, write a little ditty using the words “Music on the Metolius.”
If you want an example of what impromptu magic – and baked-in talent – looks like, then just listen to Crys Matthews sing her rendition of “Music on the Metolius,” which she drummed up in the time she had to spare in between teaching songwriting. Matthews’ lyrics include the line, “great rivers need great friends.”
Or try not to get chills when Olive Klug sings about traveling around the U.S. and the things they feel when trying to sing a song about America. Or, just groove a little while Grammy winner Alex Cuba joins forces with Seth Walker to jam out on the guitar.
Great musicians come and go from Central Oregon nearly every day of the year, and in this series, we make an effort to grab some of their magic while they’re with us, just for a little while. The result this year is four individual videos, filmed from a historic cabin on the Metolius River, with musicians playing and talking about the things they love.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me extra Gung Ho for Shows.
The Music on the Metolius video series will be available on the social channels of the Source Weekly and Sisters Folk Festival, and on SFF’s YouTube channel (and embedded into the online version of this story, as they come out) on the following schedule:
Nov. 13: Ep 1 – Alex Cuba and Seth Walker
Nov. 20: Ep 2 – Crys Matthews and Olive Klug
Nov. 27: Ep 3 – Handmade Moments and Goodnight Moonshine
Dec. 4: Ep 4 – Griffin House and Humbird
Watch now – Episode 1:
This article appears in Source Weekly November 9, 2023.
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