Country, jazz, rock at Basin Summer Sounds
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 4 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 14, 2016 1:45 PM
EPHRATA — Country singer Barrett Baber, a finalist on the NBC series “The Voice,” and the country band The Railers will be the featured acts at the Basin Summer Sounds concert Friday and Saturday in Ephrata.
Admission to either night (or both) is free.
The music starts at 5 p.m. Friday and 12:15 p.m. Saturday, with the main stage at the Grant County Courthouse, 35 Northwest C St. Performers range from an acoustic rock trio to “Gypsy jazz,” country to “working man’s rock" to "acoustic pop/punk."
Friday’s concert opens with the Nick Drummond Trio, Seattle. The band members came together 10 years ago as the core of the rock group The Senate and played the Pacific Northwest for about six years. Even after they broke up to pursue solo careers, they reunite periodically to play as an acoustic trio.
Spike and the Impalers take the stage at 7 p.m. Friday. It’s a Seattle band of music veterans, performing straight-ahead rock ’n roll.
Barrett Baber is the Friday headliner and finale, performing at 9 p.m. Baber’s country sound earned him a finalist spot on “The Voice” in 2015, where he ultimately finished third. He performs original music as well the works of other artists.
Saturday’s lineup opens at 12:15 p.m. with central Washington singer and songwriter Rylei Franks. Franks, a solo artist, describes his sound as “acoustic pop/punk.” He performs original compositions.
Ranger and the Re-Arrangers follow at 1 p.m. The Seattle band plays what they call “gypsy jazz.’ Their sound is influenced by Gypsy folk music from eastern and central Europe, the band’s website said, as well as the music of French jazz musician Django Reinhardt and classic American swing.
Solo artist Breana Renea takes the stage at 2:30 p.m. Renea, an Oregon native, focuses on country music, mostly original compositions.
Country Lips follows at 4 p.m. The eight-piece Seattle band “sound and play like classic country’s raucous and rowdy boys,” according to their website. Their repertoire includes original music.
Solo singer Dylan Jakobson takes the stage at 5:30 p.m. Jakobson is from Washington and plays guitar and harmonica – and drums, mandolin and banjo. He performs original country music.
The country band Brewer’s Grade follows at 7 p.m. The six-member band has been playing, in one form or another, for about 15 years.
The Railers, a country band based in Nashville, are the concert finale at 9 p.m. The quartet’s members are classically trained musicians, according to their website.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Moses Lake School District, teachers union reach tentative agreement
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Education Association announced late Friday night that the union has reached a tentative agreement with the Moses Lake School District. Classes will resume Monday, according to a press release from the MLEA.
Priest Rapids Dam oil spill still in cleanup stage
MATTAWA — People downstream of Priest Rapids Dam are being asked to look for evidence of oil on the waters of the Columbia River following a spill of mineral oil at the dam Wednesday. Department of Ecology officials are asking boaters to stay off the river between Priest Rapids and Pasco while crews work to clean up the oil, according to a PUD press release. Absorbent booms were put in the water to collect the oil downstream of the dam and are still there, said Christine Pratt, public information officer with the Grant County PUD, in the PUD press release. The booms will stay there until the Department of Ecology allows their removal.
Royal SD voters to decide on educational programs and operations levy in February
ROYAL CITY — Royal School District voters will be asked to accept or reject a two-year educational programs and operations levy request in a special election Feb. 10. If it’s approved, it would replace the district’s existing levy approved by voters in 2024. Royal Superintendent Roger Trail said the levy rate would remain unchanged.