Hal Ketchum show rocks Sisters

"Is that really you Hal?"

Katie Cavanaugh's voice rang out in the darkened Sisters High School Auditorium as the veteran country music singer-songwriter took the stage.

Ketchum looked up from tuning his guitar, nodded, then ambled to the

microphone.

"What's left of me," he said.

Then his band ripped into a driving version of "Past the Point of Rescue" to kick off a 90-minute set that covered Ketchum's career from the hits of the late '80s to his most current work.

The Saturday night crowd at the season's closing Starry Nights concert was already primed for musical excellence, dazzled by an opening act featuring four luminaries from the Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project.

Laura Curtis, Austin Erlanson, John Moton and Matt Cartmill performed in the round. The three songwriters played their original songs, with Cartmill accompanying with soul-stirring cello.

The quality of the playing and singing dazzled the

audience, while the depth of the songwriting left a powerful impression.

"Amazing," said local artist Nancy Becker of their performance. "Over-the-top amazing." Becker was

particularly knocked out by Morton's songwriting.

"There wasn't anybody like him when I was in high school!" Becker said.

Another audience member, fiddle player Steve Lundgren from Redmond, said that "their musical maturity is unbelievable."

Curtis, Erlanson and Cartmill would return to the stage for Ketchum's encore. Erlandson played lead electric guitar and Cartmill played cello as Curtis lent her vocals to a soaring version of Ketchum's "5 o'clock World."

In the middle of Ketchum's set, he was joined on stage by a group of cape-clad fifth and sixth graders: Allie Spear; Noah Eckstine; Robert Merola; Emily Cristen; Molly Boyle; and Olivia Narro.

"We're going to render you a little tune called 'Hang In There Superman,'" Ketchum said.

The well choreographed performance brought down the house.

Ketchum's performance was in contrast to his acoustic duo offering seven years ago. This year, the Texan brought along his powerful band, featuring Christopher Nieto on drums, Keith Carper on bass and George Rarey on

guitar.

The high-octane band put drive in Ketchum's upbeat radio hits like "Hearts are Gonna Roll" and "Small Town Saturday Night" while putting just the right amount of punch behind ballads like "I Know Where Love Is" and the powerful new song about a down-and-outer,

"Invisible."

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the night was an a capella rendering of "Trail of Tears," where Ketchum mourns the destruction of native America, where "Jackson has the Mississippi and the $20 bill."

Like all the Starry Nights performers, Ketchum and his band donated their time and talents, allowing the event to maximize its fundraising potential. With heavy sponsorship support from the Sisters community, the event has raised more than $840,000 for the Sisters Schools Foundation while providing top entertainment to the Central Oregon community.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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