6.29.2009

Sunday, July 5th Matt Zelzer 8pm

Raised in the smoggy settlements outside Los Angeles, half way through his life, Matthew’s family relocated further North, where endless cities give way to suburbs, farms, and finally the Pacific Ocean. Just shy of 14, Matthew took up surfing and electric guitar, thus extending a lifelong relationship with music (and the sea). Matthew now lives in Portland, Oregon, between traveling off of the map, in search of a world hidden beneath the Formica veneer of the disposable age.

6.24.2009

Mosley Wotta & DJ Mud


Sunday, June 28th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St-Astoria
www.myspace.com/mowotta

Equal parts poet, performance artist and musician, Mosley Wotta has a nasty habit of turning hip-hop conventions on their head. The towering lyricist from the mountain town of Bend, Oregon rattles off cerebral, often brain-wrangling rhymes over beats that are hardly your typical rap music fare. Teaming up with DJ Mud, Mosley Wotta has cultivated a sound that bridges the gap between hip-hop and rock and spans several other spaces between genres – and all of it will have you moving your hips.

Coming to hip-hop through the avenue of slam poetry, Mosely Wotta incorporates challenging lyrics that are as much poetry as they are an element of a hip-hop music. Also a visual artist in several mediums including painting, Mosely Wotta incorporates his artistic sense into his music, oftentimes using his quick-tongued rhymes to paint an entire story to his listener. In a word, Wotta is an artist at heart, and that’s not something that’s likely to change, even as his sound makes its way out of the Oregon mountains and across the country.

On stage, the duo creates an ocean of sound that makes them sound more like a massive rap group that then mere two men they are, forcing even the most shoe-gazing of crowds to take notice. The dynamic Mosley commands a crowd to move when he’s on the mic, and oftentimes they do, engaging with the often-smiling hip-hop artist.


6.16.2009

Lisa Miller and Her Kin Duo

Sunday, June 21st
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.


Lisa and Ian Miller of Lisa & Her Kin, in support of the bands newest release,
“Chicken Shack” have begun performing as a duo to present some new original material. “It’s a thrill (to be) playing to some new audiences in a more intimate setting and arranging the songs in such way that they work in a more acoustic type atmosphere” says Lisa.

Recently, Ian and Lisa established their own music publishing business-Miller Hi-Life Music.This gave them the opportunity to have other performers in search of new music hear what they have to offer.

Both Ian and Lisa are quite prolific and as co-writers have begun to produce some great material that is ready for an audience. In an intimate acoustic setting, their lyrics, song structure, vocal stylings and sense of humor are allowed to fill the room and reach the audience in a way that isn’t always possible when performing with the their full band. This is an act you won’t want to miss.

The bands CDs "Chicken Shack" and “Two Weeks In Texas” will be available at the show for purchase as well as “KIN” t-shirts and bumper stickers…Are You Kin Yet?

6.12.2009

Beer Lover's!!!

Spruce Budd Ale is flowing and the first Fort George Summer BBQ happens tomorrow starting at 2pm. Vortex IPA, Spruce Budd Ale, Coffee Girl Stout and North-II Grand Crüe will be pouring in the parking lot with Cicada Omega playing starting at 2pm. Perfect accompaniment for the 40 pounds of BBQ'd beef brisket that Dana has smoked for 8 hours. The band will be playing until 4pm but the BBQ will go until 7pm. Below you will see the press release for more info on Spruce Budd Ale and in the last blog post you can read up on the band, Cicada Omega. We hope to see you tomorrow.

You’ve heard of Tree-Hugger… Now comes Tree-Drinker
Spruce Budd Ale: Fort George Brewery + Public House’s Latest Eclectic Beer

Fort George brewers finally got a legitimate beer-making reason to venture outside the brewery to enjoy the nice weather we’ve been having. They laced up their hiking boots and set out in the ripe forests of Clatsop County to gather 30 pounds of fresh, bright green, Sitka Spruce buds. The result—what they’re calling the perfect summer ale.

Spruce Budd Ale, is now flowing at the Fort George Brewery + Public House in Astoria, Oregon. This style of beer replaces hops with spruce. For this particular batch, Fort George brewers used about two-thirds of their handpicked spruce buds in the initial boil, and during fermentation, “dry spruced” it with the rest. The aroma unmistakably reflects this walk in the trees, while the flavor of citrus comes through in tasting.

“This completely organic beer is the perfect companion for long hikes in our city parks, or sitting in the sun out in front of the pub,” said Chris Nemlowill of the Fort George.

Spruce ale has a rich history of sailors drinking it to prevent scurvy, as fresh spruce shoots are a natural source of vitamin C. Captain Cook gave spruce beer to his crew and the Vikings, who then passed their love of this beer to the Scottish.

Spruce Budd Ale Ingredients (Source: Fort George):

· Gambrinus Organic Pilsner Malt
· Cage Free, Free-Range, Happily Grown, Clatsop County Spruce Buds
· Fort George Ale Yeast

6.11.2009

First BBQ of the year on June 13th!


Cicada Omega
Saturday, June 13th-2-4pm No Cover
BBQ in the Fort's Parking Lot
(first of the summer series-every second Saturday through August)
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St. Astoria
http://www.cicadaomega.com

This is the Fort George's second summer of parking lot BBQ's. The festivities run June through September on the second Satruday of each month with an extra BBQ on Saturday, August 15 that will coincide with the Regatta Parade. Kicking off the first BBQ is Portland's Cicada Omega playing from 2 to 4pm on Saturday, June 13th. Cicada Omega is a southern original. The music is a continuation of blues, country, gospel, R&B and rock traditions. It is an other-wordly blend of pounding rhythm, southern evangelism and electrified junk. With two drummers, a home-made upright bass, and electric guitar, mixed with the chants, screams, and preaching of a snake-handling front man, their music takes traditional music, puts it in a blender, and turns it up to the breaking point. They have been described as "southern goth" or "gospel
punk," but they defy categories by reinventing musical traditions rather than simply following them.

As strange as it all may sound, it comes from the most honest of places. It is the music of four Kentuckians who have a 15 year history. People have come and gone, band
names have changed, and the music has evolved. But the root is still the same. They write songs that get you moving while telling you stories about lost souls, indians,
aliens, sex, the Devil, and the mysterious, strange south. It is juke-joint music deeply rooted in blues and gospel, but also takes off into other realms. If asked for influences
you would find not only John Lee Hooker, the Staples Singers, and Dr. John, but also Black Sabbath, Prince, and Hank Williams.

The group is fronted by preacher-guitarist sooth-sayer and harmonica man Reverend B.D. Winfield. With a wide vocal range and sometimes rage in his tone, he acts as a
catalyst much like an auctioneer selling soul. The drums are split and doubled. Dave Rue plays a traditional kit that keeps everything in line. And Salim Sundiata Sanchez mixes it up with latin percussion and found objects. The two combine to work like a voodoo machine producing hypnotic rhythms with endless energy and style.The bass is played by Daniyel Hicks. Well, that is, if you can call it a "bass." He plays an electrified oil drum upright bass. (You just have to see it to believe it.) He likes loud, dirty low tones that carry a solid rhythm in between everything. The vocals are split between Sanchez, Hicks, and Winfield, with the Reverend taking lead. It often comes down to call and response type vocals with stomping and yelling, each member displaying his own style. The name comes from the insect cicada. The cicada is a loud, flying insect that lives in the south. It is a cousin to the locust mentioned in Revelations. Cicada Omega stands for that last plague. They're sort of the unruly ones bringing up the rear.

As a whole, the group gives a refreshing sound to the music of the deep south. And when you see them live, you take away an experience like you've never had, and that
you'll never forget. So come prepared to shake, holler, laugh and be intoxicated, for they, "are Cicada Omega and they bring new age, old age, space age transcendental
junkyard blues form the dark and bloody ground of Kentucky."