SFF artists shared music at SHS

Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) was a weekend full of extraordinary music, entertainment, and community joy. The Festival didn't only span the weekend; the artists also performed elsewhere during their stay in Sisters.

One of these venues was Sisters High School (SHS). For 23 years SHS has hosted a select number of these visiting musicians to perform in a school-wide assembly.

Brad Tisdel, creative director of SFF, invited three separate bands to share their music. Handmade Moments and Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs came from New Orleans, and the third, Humbird, came from Minnesota.

Handmade Moments featured an acoustic duo playing instruments ranging from the sousaphone to a bass clarinet. The band played three songs, the last one a story-focused tune that shared the tale of how one of the members recovered from a life-threatening car crash. The number was accurately titled "Help Is On the Way."

Humbird, another folk band who have toured full-time across the U.S. and U.K., shared hauntingly beautiful songs, playing with a drummer, electric guitar, and upright bass. Lead singer Siri Undlin was even helping in an SHS class earlier in the week, collaborating with and teaching the young musicians in an Americana songwriting camp.

The final band to visit was Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs, a group of four musicians, who played a mix of New Orleans-inspired jazz, hip-hop, and rock music. Lead singer Shamarr Allen played the pocket trumpet while accompanied by a bassist, drummer, and electric guitar player. The whole school enjoyed the upbeat music and gathered in front of the stage to dance. Even the teachers joined in on the festivities, dancing on the sidelines.

Tisdel expressed his thanks to the artists for taking time out of their days to showcase their talent to the students of Sisters.

"We're so lucky to have world-renowned artists in our midst...I want to advocate for arts and expression that this school and festival have been collaborating on for so long," Tisdel said.

The students were sure to remember the assembly and leave feeling grateful for their ability to experience it.