Would you drive 800 miles round trip to see a music festival?…read more
This used to be called the Southern Oregon Jazz Festival, but jazz hasn't drawn enough of an audience, and they had to broaden their appeal to include other classes of music.
I'm probably one of the few Asian Americans who is a big fan of Cajun, and Zydeco music, along with oldies from the fifties and sixties. My ex from Hong Kong absolutely can't stand Cajun music, which is why she's my ex!
We make hotel reservations in Medford, Oregon for the Southern Oregon Music Festival, unable to get a room at festival headquarters, Inn at the Commons, booked up months in advance.
Friday mid day the parking lot at the Commons is packed, along with the overflow event lot adjacent on Riverside Ave. We park at the 3 hour multi story garage across the street, and go register at the Commons. The festival has obtained unlimited parking at all street and public garage parking from Friday noon through the entire weekend. When you fork over $180 for two all weekend tickets you can park anywhere!
This is one of the very few events without a senior discount. Sacramento once had a half price for seniors 60+ for their Memorial Day weekend music festival, only to find they were losing money, as the majority of their patrons were seniors. And when I turned 60, they changed the half price policy to apply to the shortened final day, having to pay full price the other 3 days. Story of my life -it is what it is.
Two of the five venues are at the Commons, but you need a shuttle to get to the other three locations, two of them a mile away. The wife and I find a 24 passenger shuttle just leaving, belonging to a nursing home. Turns out that is the bus, as many of the attendees are at that age!
On the bus we meet a guy my age, accompanied by his father. We will see the father on the dance floor, still moving at 94 years!
The first events we see are at the NBC Studios 5, across downtown. Looks like an aircraft hanger, with huge hanger doors. Inside, ceilings 30 feet tall, with a 1000+ square foot dance floor.
Tom Rigney, in his red boots, and colorful cape fiddles away, with the group Flambeau, cranking out Cajun music, both blues and fast paced dance music, and the occasional waltz. They finish up with the old favorite "Jambalaya".
Dozens of couples dancing, even some women-women couples. Don't have a dance partner? No problem, there are dance hosts of both genders, identified by their red badges, who will dance with you. That 94 year old man came all the way from the Castro Valley to dance with these gals!
They even have boxes of new dance shoes for sale. Just what the wife needs -more shoes to match up in numbers with Imelda Marcos!
Gator Nation follows, having been here 20 + years in a row. Hard hitting Zydeco (black Cajun music) tunes, accompanied by an accordion player. The pace and volume picks up.
A band called the Young Bucs comes next, with retro music from the 1950s -do wop music.
Hungry? No problem, as the local church serves a great pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on the premises.
We catch the shuttle back to the Commons, this one labeled as a senior assist living bus.
Next day we are at Howiee's bar, 15 minutes before opening time, in a long line of old folks just like us. Sign says nobody under 21, but the bouncer does not check anyone's id for this crowd! Inside, mirrors on both side walls, lined with beer bottles, with record albums glued to the ceiling.
Dave Bennett and the Memphis Speed Kings are playing fifties rock, with Dave doing an incredible imitation of Jerry Lee Lewis on the piano, standing on the piano bench, boots on the keyboard, hands rising a foot off the keyboard, while pounding away in a super paced tempo, with such hits as "Whole lot of shaking going on".
We end the second day listening to Danny Maika playing the ukulele and guitar, and such songs as "Over the Rainbow", and the Righteous Brothers "Unchained melody". Father from Hawaii and mother from Kentucky, Danny calls himself pineapple moonshine!
Final day my wife is into Swing music -music from the big bands of the 1940s, and falls for Carolyn Martin's Swing Band, including western (cowboy) swing music, even though she's not a fan of contemporary country music. Other bands like Midiri Brothers and Wally's Warehouse Waifs are more traditional jazz, and more in tune with the wife.
We're certain to come back next year, hopefully with reservations at the Commons, to enjoy the music and the atmosphere, even though I have two left feet, when it comes to dancing!
