Festival Preview:
Goble Warming Days
By M. Sebenoler
It's summertime again and the Northwest is abuzz with outdoor festivities,
including many music festivals and events, big and small. The Second
Annual Goble Warming Free Music Festival (and tractor show) is slated
for Saturday, Aug. 18 and should be as much fun as last year's inaugural
party, if not better.
Located about 10 miles north of St. Helens on Highway 30, the barn-red
Goble Tavern, a small historic building almost a century old, sits facing
the Columbia River surrounded by a large lot. A replica Viking ship
and a 1930s small yacht once owned by Perry Como adorn the lot and like
last year will be the site of the show.
There will be camping this year (on a limited basis) down by the small
river behind the lot and the music will be better than ever. Several
of last year's top acts will be back and this year's festival boasts
some of the best music locally in all categories - blues, classic rock,
country and "bluegrease."
"Bluegrease" best describes the Goble Tavern house band,
Blind Rootin' Hogs, who will open the festivities around noon and close
Saturday night. Last year, the Blind Rootin' Hogs' nearly three-hour
closing set was clearly the highlight of Goble Warming I, with many
guest musicians sitting in.
Jackson Andrews, folk guitarist and lyricist, will be back again this
year. The Astoria native will play his wide selection of timeless folk
and beat music and unique originals and will be accompanied by Blind
Rootin' Hogs guitarist Guy Live and RiverRatz bassist Michael Esquire.
Live once toured with Joan Baez in the early '60s. He is also well known
as the best magician in the west and will be entertaining folks throughout
the day. If you haven't ever seen him, he is truly incredible and entertaining.
The RiverRatz, who played under the moniker Dave Hoover and the BloozBatz,
will also be back this year with their hard-thumping blues and classic
rock. The group, recently on the cover of the June issue of Positively
Entertainment, will also be the backing band for Sandy Soil and
The Cultivators. Sandy Soil (Linda Myers) is a pro from way back and
although retired from the music business, still can belt out the blues
with the best of them. This lady can sing, and why she isn't performing
professionally is anyone's guess. Accompanied by husband Harvey Wicklund
(once bassist of The Ventures), Sandy Soil and The Cultivators make
a couple of special appearances a year, Goble Warming one of them.
Lisa Miller and her Trailer Park Honeys will also be on the show this
year. Last year, the band had to cancel at the last moment, leaving
many fans disappointed, but promises to make up for it this year with
the Goble Tavern crowd, their CD continually played in the club. Summers
is a gifted guitarist and the unpretentious band prefers to play "in
small town America" venues rather than big city clubs. Tight and
honest, the audience loves this group.
Local groups Rebel Rose and Code Blue are also mainstays of the Goble
Tavern circuit and have their local following of fans. Rebel Rose is
a classic rock duo that also plays country; their vocals and harmonies
capture the essence of the great selection of music they perform. Code
Blue is a loose knit collaboration of musicians and jammin' classic
rock and blues that is infectious and never fails to please.
Heavy Petting Zoo, fronted by eclectic John Mitchell (who organizes
the Vernonia Alternative Stage Music Festival each year), rounds out
the line-up of entertainment with their unique arrangements of folksy-jazz
and blues. All this great entertainment is free!
The beer garden behind the tavern is back this year, fenced off for
adults only, but the stage is very visible from there. Lots of great
food will also be available and parking this year will extend to the
property next to the tavern where a new business, The Goble Trading
Company Unlimited, prevails.
This year parking in the front of the tavern will be reserved for tractors,
big and small. There will be cash prizes of all sorts, including the
tractor traveling furthest to the festival, biggest and smallest, etc.
The dynamic sound system last year, provided and engineered by Motion
Studios (located in beautiful downtown Goble) and run by Ray Ryder and
his crew, will be back again. Ryder pumps out a great mix of recorded
tunes between acts.
Judging by last year's turnout, the earlier you arrive, the better parking
you'll get. This year's free music festival will be bigger and better.
Potential campers should stake their claim by Friday.
The Goble Tavern, owned by Jerry Modin (who also plays with the Blind
Rootin' Hogs) and wife Sindee, has come a long way in the last year.
Live music is the theme and national acts and local musicians of all
sorts have performed in the small club throughout the year. The tavern
crowd is always receptive and if anything, the tavern and Jerry have
put the fun back in live music. The motto "Where the hell is Goble,
Oregon?" seems outdated considering the fact that the Goble Warming
Free Music Festivals and continuous entertainment at the tavern has
put Goble on the map.
Saturday, Aug. 18, the fun begins again - bring the family for a great
day of music and festivities. And remember, come early!
Writer's Note: There is no "downtown Goble." The tavern
and a small convenience store and the new Goble Trading Company Unlimited
are about it. Everyone else lives up in the hills.
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