Performances

Live Performances at Bullerville

Brookhaven Lodge is the Resort's venue for music and other live entertainment events.  We will attempt to bring you a varied selection of performing artists, with an goal of providing memorable enjoyment for our guests and Upper Skagit Valley neighbors in a comfortable environment.  This is a chance to meet the performers personally, perhaps getting them to sign their CD during the break or after the performance.

House Concerts are a growing phenomenon, where someone opens up their home for a neighbors to gather round as an audience to enjoy a single performer or small group of musicians.  Many people believe that such concerts will provide much of the livelihood for many musicians in the coming years, not just for those who are just starting out their careers, but also for those who have been unable to break into the "big time" otherwise dominated by the corporate music labels, or those who simply realize that the joy of their profession is connecting with their audience on a face to face basis.

How it works:  Show up at the door with your admission/donation about a half-hour before show time and find a seat. Seating may be limited to 35-40 people, so calling ahead or making a reservation is wise, plus you'll save a few dollars.  Performances will usually start at 7:30pm (check below in the Schedule for specifics), with about an hour of entertainment in the first set.  There will be a 30 minute break about 8:30pm, during which you can get some refreshment or perhaps talk to the performers.  Artists often bring a supply of their CD's for sale, should you wish to take some of their music home with you.  Then at 9:00pm we'll start the second set.  Performers take home most of the door income (10% is contributed to The Bullerville Foundation), and of course, all of their CD sales revenue.  If everybody is just enjoying each other too much to stop at 10pm, we'll pass the hat for additional money for the performers.

Sometimes, we will combine one of these performances with a special dinner at The Eatery Restaurant right here at Skagit River Resort, for those who want to make a full occasion of the evening.  If you are coming from a distance just to attend, you may always make reservations at the Resort for overnight accommodations.  Follow the links in the menu column at the right side of this page to see what's available for your overnight stay.

We provide free coffee, tea and lemonade.  At the break, sweets and other munchies are available for a small price (bring some small bills & change for the cookie tin).  Or, if you like, bring a plate of treats pot-luck style, and you won't have to pay for any of your refreshments.

Our emphasis will be folk, blues and light country music, with an emphasis on enjoyable acoustic performances that can be enjoyed by all ages.  We are members of BIMA, the Bellingham Independent Music Association, from which many our performers come.  Down the line, we hope to be able to fill out our event schedule with other small-gathering events such as readings, open-mike nights and maybe even some comedy club sessions, coffee-house style.  In the summer, some of these events will be held outdoors, where you are welcome to bring a lawn chair or blanket and sit out on the grass to enjoy the show.

As our event calendar fills out, we'll post news of upcoming performances here.  Click on the event date link to view an 8.5x11 event poster in PDF format (which you may save or print out)---

SCHEDULE  

Saturday, 14 June 2008
House Concert:   Rick Gonzales

Rick has been playing guitar and other assorted instruments for many years (bass, banjo, piano, harmonica and just about anything with strings). He started playing guitar at the age of eleven and has continued perfecting his style for over forty years. Rick was born in the Chicago area and grew up in a family with a natural ear for and an appreciation of various musical styles. Throughout his childhood, he was exposed to many cultures and types of music, which were infused with local ethnic flavors. Blues, R & B, Rock, Folk, Country, Jazz and Spanish music all created a lasting impression and are evident throughout his music. Rick’s musical and lyrical influences range from Classical, Big Band, Sinatra and Etta James, to the Beatles, Eagles, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Steely Dan. These and many more inspired Rick’s career and can be heard in his repertoire of music.

During his career, Rick has been involved with a multitude of bands both large and small, and has worked with many musicians, some famous and some not so famous. After all of his numerous musical endeavors, he is enjoying the simplicity of performing solo and the creativity it allows.

7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.

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Saturday, 12 July 2008
House Concert:  Shakeh

Back for her second appearance with us is Shakeh Herbekian. With a voice full of depth and complex emotions, candid poetic lyrics, and a style best described as “Adult Contemporary Eclectic”, singer/songwriter Shakeh spins musical tales that take the listener on a unique journey.   As a live performer, she is energetic and engaging given to making up songs on the spot for children of all ages. With her wireless system she can be very interactive with a crowd and performs as a single, duo, trio, or with a full band.

Shakeh has toured extensively up and down the west coast from San Diego to Seattle playing colleges, festivals, clubs, coffeehouses and bookstores. She resides both in Los Angeles and near-by Arlington, Washington.

"With a voice both tender and tough, honest lyrics and catchy melodies, the woman who goes only by the name Shakeh (pronounced Sha-KAY) ... has been compared to singers like Melissa Etheridge and Cher, and one could toss Texas blues belter Angela Strehli into the mix with her rough and slightly gritty alto.

"You will be able to feel the passion and joy as Shakeh sings her tunes unrestrained yet with just enough control to stay focused.

"Lyrically, Shakeh writes straight ahead and from the heart on nine originals and one co-written tune. She never tries to be too pretty or poetic -- just lays it all out, even in the gentler tunes. And although she explores the emotional impact of love lost, an unfailing ability to see the silver lining always seems to emerge. She also has this self deprecating sense of humor that is infectuous."  --extracted from Les Reynolds's Indie-Music.com review of Shakeh's  CD "Running"

7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.

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Saturday, 09 August 2008
House Concert:  Woodrush

Last here about a year ago, we are anticipating another fantastic performance from these talented gmusicians.  Back for their third visit, we'll again move the venue to our outdoor patio so their music isn't confined in any way.  Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy!  Woodrush has been performing in the Northwest for over 6 years and is starting to make their presence known to a larger audience. The single, “road trippin’,” off their debut album, “so far from home,” won “Best Acoustic Single of the Year” at the 16th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards.

Nearly 10 years of friendship and songwriting have led Jim and Kelly to a sound that is polished and cohesive. Their music is representative of West Coast acoustic rock with clean melodies and strong harmonies infused into well-crafted songs. Intimate lyrics reveal the voice of a genuine songwriter while vocal percussion peppers their work and completes the Woodrush sound.

Bits of folk, funk, rock, pop, and a hint of modern country make so far from home the perfect album to listen to during a mellow evening with friends or around the campfire at summer’s end. Keep your eyes open for great things to come from these talented performers.

 7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.  

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Saturday, 13 September 2008
House Concert:  Kahala Halau

Based in the beautiful Skagit Valley, Kahala Halau has portrayed the grace and beauty of Polynesian dance at venues throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1977. Our members come from many different backgrounds and have become `ohana (family), with shared love and respect for the Polynesian people, their cultures, and each other. The halau strives to perpetuate this through the arts of dance, music, and crafts, and we welcome all who wish to learn and share. Professional performances, like this house concert, feature dances from Hawai`i, Samoa, New Zealand, and Tahiti. They also offer group and private lessons in both the Bellingham and Mount Vernon areas.  The troupe has visited us twice before, and we have so much fun when they're here.  If the weather holds, we'll have an evening outdoor performance on the patio, if not then it's inside in the Lodge.

7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.  

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Saturday, 11 October 2008
House Concert:  Karen Fitzgerald

We are definitely anticipating this next visit from this graceful performer.  Contemporary instrumental performing and recording artist Karen FitzGerald brings together a classically trained technique with a deeply personal musical intuition that comes straight from the heart. Her solo piano compositions range from delicate and soothing to passionate and soul-stirring, evoking the beauty of nature, the subtle shades of human emotion and our ever-present longing for spiritual wholeness. According to the Bellingham Herald, “Her soaring compositions are reminiscent of snowstorms and waterfalls. Her musical expression is at once powerful and melodic.”

Karen’s first CD was released in April 1999. Heart of the Rain is nine beautiful piano solos, with tasteful synthesizer enhancement on two tracks.  Karen's love of music has also involved her deeply with singing. She has worked with choral groups both large and small in the capacities of director, arranger and singer, as well as accompanist. Her gospel, country and jazz piano arrangements for the dynamic 85-member Kulshan Chorus have dazzled audiences since 1988. Karen currently performs with the vocal ensemble, Equinox.

Recently, Karen’s music has begun to find its way into film and television, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Best Week Ever, as well as background music for numerous promotional videos and web sites.  She can be heard on a number of Internet broadcasts, including the popular Whisperings Solo Piano Radio show. 

With her second solo CD, Cascade, in the planning stages, Karen FitzGerald is poised for further expansion in her musical career.  As Chris Lunn of the Victory Music Review says, “Here is modern, original solo piano ~ clean and crisp at its most lyrical, warm sense... Very fine piano and composition by a woman who should have national stature.” 

7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.  

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Saturday, 08 November 2008
House Concert:  Lincoln Crockett

All this resulted in a songwriter with a rare skill: the ability to honestly express himself in wide range of styles and still always sound completely, unmistakably unique. Listening to Lincoln's songs you have a solid sense that this is a guy who has gone to the bottom of the well and come back realizing there is no well: he sings, plays, thinks and is what he does because nothing else remained when the rest fell away.

Lincoln's voice is unmistakable on any instrument. Lyrically he gravitates toward hard-to-hear subjects that are still easy on the ear, songs that are very personal and very accessible all at the same time. "I’m not writing ‘new traditionals’, ya know, new songs in the old style. I am only writing if I have something to say. I like to think I help modern people navigate meaninglessness. Inside of each of us we have our own piece of the puzzle, the unique pattern of chinks in our armor, the hand-prints of our struggles and triumphs. I love that in people.

There's a gentleness and a strength to Lincoln Crockett, like your best friend if he was kind & forceful, with a long hug and a sock in the shoulder, and who'd rather talk about the weather last, after all the real stuff. His songs touch the mystery and other people with it. Sometimes profane, sometimes profound, always lucid, perhaps the best description is no description at all but to say... ...there it is.

 7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.  

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Saturday, 13 December 2008
House Concert:  Amy Hindman & Michael Warmuth

Amy so enjoys the holiday season and loves to share her repertoire of seasonal music that we love to have her here with us too.  Once again she and her friend Michael Warmuth, of hammered dulcimer fame, will delight us.  Perhaps they will also avail themselves of a song-filled hayride, and we're waiting to see what new surprises are in store this year.

Amy Hindman of Shelter Bay just outside of La Conner says "I believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. My music is an expression of my journey on this earth walk, created through the challenges and blessings that have formed who I am today.  As I ever expand, grow, and open to the Mystery, I will not be the same tomorrow.  We are, each one of us, creating a beautiful symphony with our lives.  Blessings on your journey!"

Amy says she's been influenced by songwriter-performers James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, and her own songs that appear on her CD's Beneath the Surface and the recent Beyond the Edge are truly music from her heart.  She performs regularly at weddings and in local venues, concerts & festivals and her own songs are always well-received.  When asked, she reveals her repertoire to also include lots of old standards.  She does a fine job of getting audiences of all ages to sing along with her, and this ability has her much in demand with churches, schools and retirement communities.

 7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.   Suggested contribution:  $10.00 per person at the door ($8.00  in advance, or if you are an overnite guest at the Resort). Pricing is for adults & teens (children up to 12 years are $4.00).  10% of all concert admission income will benefit The Bullerville Foundation.  

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This is a non-profit activity for us, and we are working to fill up our calendar so house concerts and performance events happen on a regular basis.  As performers commit to dates, we will post them here.

Follow these links to info & photos of previous events:

2004:

2005:

2006:

2007:

2008:

Performers:  If you have a entertaining talent that might be appropriate for our venue and have a repertoire that will fill about two hours or so, we would love to hear from you so we might consider working you into our schedule.  We are attempting to make the second Saturday of each month our regular house concert night.  Stop by or send an email to Judi at the Resort Office introducing yourself and describing your performance skills and booking availability.  We'll need to hear a sample of your work, so send a weblink to playable samples of your music, attach some audio files to your email, or send us a tape or CD.

• Performers receive a generous percentage of the door as compensation (10% of the performance receipts is a donation to the non-profit Bullerville Foundation) -- and, we'll pass the hat if performers want to play beyond 10pm
• Free Dinner for artists at the Eatery Restaurant before the performance (or, free breakfast the morning after if you'd prefer)
• Free Refreshments for performers at Brookhaven Lodge B&B
• Free Overnight accommodations for artists the night of the performance (companion $15.00)
• $60.00 per night for any entourage accommodations (double occupancy; extra persons $9.00 each)
• No parking problems, we are well beyond the city sidewalks here in rural NW Washington
• Welcoming Host and Hostess (Bob & Judi Brooks)
• You may set up on one of our tables to sell your CD's before, after and during the break
• Lots of fun -- we're sure you'll probably want to come back in the future too
• We have home sound system to hook up to, as well as a Peavey PA system available for use
• If you have mailed us a CD of your music, we will play it at The Eatery Restaurant in the weeks leading up to your performance, to promote your music and your upcoming concert

Contact

Local telephone: 360-873-2250    Toll-free: 800-273-2606    Fax: 360-873-4077

Postal address

58468 Clark Cabin Road, Rockport, WA 98283 USA

Highway address

Milepost 103.5, North Cascades Highway, Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington, USA