It’s here! Tomorrow, Saturday February 3 at the Aladdin Theater, doors at 6, show at 7pm.  Tickets are available at Ticketmaster outlets, and the Aladdin Theater (503) 233-1994.  Tickets cost $26 advance and $28 on the day of the show, plus there may be fees: the Aladdin box office charges $1.00 for cash/check transactions and a $2.00 fee for Visa/MC; Ticketmaster charges $4.00-$7.00.

Get your guitar raffle tickets today before 4:30 at Sisters’ office at 618 NW Davis or the night of the show. The raffle is as important a fundraiser for Sisters as WinterFolk itself, and we thank Artichoke for their wonderful participation in the raffle this year.  Read more raffle information in the column at right.

This years’ edition of WinterFolk features some new faces and old friends.

Making her third appearance at WinterFolk (her last performance at the event was in 2001) is genuine folk legend Rosalie Sorrels, (above) the “Traveling Lady from Idaho.”  Nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album, “My Last Go Round,” Rosalie has been performing throughout the U.S. and elsewhere for more than 40 years.  From appearing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1966, to recording more than 20 albums and writing three books, Rosalie is the living embodiment of the folk tradition in the U.S.  Living in a cabin outside of Boise that her father built more than 70 years ago, she has recently decided to come out of retirement to once again sing her songs and tell her stories.  “It is precisely that directness and honesty in Sorrels work, that level of personal authenticity, that have influenced so many other peoples work, and that has kept her in the front ranks of folk stardom since she ventured from her southwestern home to play at the Newport Folk Festival in the 1960s.”  —Scott Alari, The Boston Globe

Mary Flower will kick off WinterFolk this year. She has performed through the U.S. and overseas, and recorded her newest album “Bywater Dance” in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit.  Mary relocated to Portland just a couple of years back, and has quickly become a sensation in the Rose City.  Her technique, interpretation, and heart with which she plays the blues is incomparable.  “With her immaculate guitar playing and warm contralto, Mary Flower finds the sweet spot between modern and rootsy in tunes bred of back porches, parlors, streetcorners, juke joints and country churches.”  —Acoustic Guitar

Also new to the WinterFolk stage will be Dan Wetzel and Kristin Granger.  Hailing from Salem, their bluegrass-influenced compositions are draped in tasteful guitar arrangements.  Kristin’s voice and songs will remind you the distinctiveness of an Allison Kraus, and her songs are pristine vignettes of real people and places.

Returning from Eugene to play at Winterfolk will be Mark Ross, a walking compendium of American Roots Music, and who has shared stages with David Bromberg, Steve Goodman, Malvina Reynolds, and many others.

Tom May will emerge from his emcee and director’s disguise to play a few songs with his trio.  Tom was featured on Oregon Public Broadcastings program “Artbeat” this past year, using some of the footage from last years’ Winterfolk concert as well as studio footage of him working on his national radio broadcast “River City Folk”.  Now in its 22nd year, “River City Folk” is heard on over 160 public stations, and four times weekly on XM satellite radio channel 15 “The Village”. Tom also released a new CD in 2006, and has a book, “Promoting Your Music; The Lovin’ of the Game”, due to be released by the New York publisher Routledge in early 2007. 

After a two year absence, WinterFolk is proud to announce that Kate Power and Steve Einhorn will once again favor the audience with their heartfelt, elegant songs.  Since their last appearance on the WinterFolk stage, Kate and Steve have appeared on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion; won a prestigious award from the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas for their moving composition about a young man from our area who was one of the first soldiers to die in Iraq, “Travis John”, and have just completed a series of concerts at their Artichoke Music store on SE Hawthorne that will be released as a live CD.

Casey Neill is one of the most dynamic and interesting young singer/songwriters in the U.S., and he will bring the acoustic version of his ensemble to take us out of “Winterfolk 19” in grand style. Nashville’s Steve Earle says of Casey; “These are songs with stories well told-This is what it is all about!”  Casey Neill forges roots along with country, punk, and Celtic styles to create a truly unique form of folk music.  His energy, thoughtful lyrics, and provocative tempos will take us out of what is always a memorable evening of music, ideas, and community.

Thank-you to these great performers who are generously donating their time, and to our Creative Director Tom May!

We are thrilled to announce that we will break ground on construction of our new Personalist Center on February 20, Fat Tuesday, 3:30-5:30!

There will be free gumbo and Mardi Gras mask-making; all are welcome to this event. Portland’s celebrated female impersonator and Old Town/Chinatown cornerstone Darcelle XV (at left) will swing the hammer at the ground-breaking!

The event will be held in the future Personalist Center, located adjacent to the café at 137 NW Sixth Ave., cross street is Davis.  Click here for more information about the Personalist Center.

There are still seats available for Breakfast for the Soul, Thursday, February 15th 7:30 am to 9:00 am in the Cafe (133 NW Sixth Ave.)  The breakfast is free and will be an important opportunity to learn about the new report, “Without Housing: Decades of Federal Housing Cutbacks, Massive Homelessness and Policy Failures.”  This vital report could have national significance as a jumping-off point for federal legislation and a real certified effort to reverse the destructive and catastrophic housing trends that have put Americans on the streets for 25 years.

The report was released in November 2006 by the Western Regional Advocacy Project of which Sisters became a founding member because of a mutual, passionate commitment to ending homelessness and changing the system that creates it.

Come find out what you can do to help end homelessness in your very own community!  You must RSVP to attend this event (we are a wee-small Cafe) by e-mailing Monica at sistersoftheroad.org or calling her at 503-222-5694 ext. 19.  Thank-you.

We are pleased to announce that our book based on our research project is in production and will be for sale May of 2007.  An advanced reader copy (ARC) just went to print this week.  We will spend the next two months collaborating with publisher Gray Sunshine on the book’s final editing.

To become a book supporter today, click here to donate; for Donation Type find “Book Sponsor” in the pull-down menu. Or, mail your check to Sisters Of The Road, 133 NW Sixth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97209 and write “Voices” in the memo line.  Thank-you!  If you would like to pre-order the book, due in 2007, click here.  All books pre-sold will help Sisters raise money for final printing costs.  Thank-you for your continued interest and support.

The guitar is a brand new L-00V Woody Guthrie-style guitar donated by John Greven.  It is an exact replica of the 1934 Gibson L-00 that Woody Guthrie played and loved best; retail value is $3,200, winner need not be present at the concert to win.  Features include: mahogany back and sides, authentic vintage (1958) sitka spruce top straight from the Gibson factory with a dark sunburst finish; vintage fire stripe pickguard made with Greven’s famous tortis-shellTM; and a travel-lite case.  You can see this beauty below and learn more at John Greven’s website. Thank-you John!