News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
For Nick Anthony and Slater Smith, songwriting and performing have become a means of self-expression. Their participation in the Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project has become a driving force in their Sisters school career and has pointed the way to lifelong involvement in music.
The two seniors, along with several other Americana Project musicians, will bid farewell to the program this Friday, May 16, in the release concert for "Root Rhythm," the 2008 Sisters Americana Project CD.
The concert will include professional community musicians Brent Alan, Dale Largent and Patrick Pearsal backing the Americana Project students
"Those guys are so good, they can jump on any song and just shred," said Slater Smith.
Smith told The Nugget that he came into the program after moving back to Sisters from a spell in West Linn.
"I was coming to Sisters and I heard about this program," he said. "I saw a video of (former Americana Project standout) Monica Offield performing and I just thought 'Wow!' because it was really good."
Smith switched out of another arts class and into the Americana Project.
"It was another kind of artistic expression," he said. "I wrote my first song on the bus coming back from a soccer game... Before I knew it, I was performing that song at Bronco Billy's."
Anthony started with the Sisters Americana Project in the eighth grade and has participated in the class each year since, except for this, his senior year. He's still deeply involved, and contributed to the CD.
Songwriting "has become a pretty regular thing for me," he said.
Anthony also plays in Sisters High School's acclaimed Jazz Band and that experience has blended well with what he's learned in the Americana Project.
"I use a lot of the theory and instrumental stuff I learn through Jazz Band in my songwriting," he said. "The different chords and stuff."
Both are unsure whether they will pursue music as a career, but both intend to keep playing.
"There's a possibility of me pursuing it as a career," Anthony said. "I definitely want to study it at least a little bit."
As for Smith: "I don't know exactly where it's going to go. I don't necessarily want to study it, but I want to keep playing it."
He intends to gig throughout college.
In addition to Friday's concert, Smith will play at The Barn at Pine Meadow Ranch on Saturday, May 17, at 7 p.m.
Friday's concert will be held at Sisters High School at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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