Think Oregon

brad-irwin-landing-page-sized

Best Band

Winner: Pink Martini Pink Martini may be Oregon’s own homegrown band but its music, lyrics and fans are global. Thomas Lauderdale, a classically trained pianist, founded the group in 1994. Shortly thereafter, he teamed up with Harvard classmate and vocalist, China Forbes, to write songs. It was a fortuitous pairing as their first song, “Sympathique,” became an overnight sensation in France, where it was nominated for song of the year. Since then, the ten- to twelve-member petite orchestra has recorded six studio albums in thirteen languages on its own label, Heinz Records (named for Lauderdale’s dog). Its worldwide sales have topped two million. “A Retrospective,” released in 2011, is a mélange of old favorites and unreleased tracks. The band recently completed a tour of Japan with singer Saori Yuki and is currently performing throughout the United States and Europe, including at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. In April…

2013-january-february-1859-portland-oregon-artist-in-residence-joe-wirtheim-victory-garden-of-tomorrow-wirtheim-standing-cropped-2

Power & the Poster

Portland artist Joe Wirtheim mixes art with health advocacy.

Concert_AcousticGuitarSummit_11_13_12_Photo4

An Original Take on Holiday Music: Acoustic Guitar Summit

The Acoustic Guitar Summit is comprised of Mark Hanson, Terry Robb and Doug Smith, three virtuosic players who just released their new album “O Christmas Three” for the holidays. They’ll be playing a number of concerts around Oregon over the next few weeks in support of the record, including appearances in Portland, Wilsonville and The Dalles. Get more specifics on Acoustic Guitar Summit shows below and on the group’s website.

jennifer-cossey-1859-wine-blogger-willamette-valley

Harvest Hands: Part III

My crush on winemaking has started to fade. I am tired, my body hurts in places it shouldn’t and I’m spending more on physical therapy than I’m earning. Now that all of the fruit has come in, much of what is left to do at the winery is, shall I say, a bit tedious. But, just when I was thinking about breaking up with winemaking, I dug out my first tank and kinda fell in love with winemaking again.

2012-oregon-1859-november-wine-blog-jennifer-cossey-winemaking-internship-hand

Harvest Hands: Part I

Three years ago I visited Oregon from Kansas City and worked for a few days doing harvest activities at Lange Estate Winery with winemaker (and patient and gracious friend) Jesse Lange. I loved it. I loved the work, and most importantly—I loved Oregon. So immediate was my connection with this state that I moved here. My intention was to work a harvest, trying my hand at winemaking to see if that was my true calling. During my first year in Oregon the timing wasn’t right; the second year, fear of failing got in my way. This year I decided: no excuses. It’s now or never, so I jumped in.