Sierra Solstice Celebration 06-21-14WHAT: The SIERRA SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
WHEN: Saturday, June 21st, 2014, 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
WHERE: MILL CREEK STATION – 150 Mill Creek Road, Bishop, CA
Please join local musical groups CRUISESHIP VOLUNTEERS and SR2 for the first Sierra Solstice Celebration on Saturday, June 21st from 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM at Mill Creek Station, located at 150 Mill Creek Road off Highway 395 about 9 miles north of Bishop overlooking Round Valley.  In addition to each band performing two sets of music during the evening, Mill Creek Station owner Roger Derryberry will be live videotaping CruiseShip Volunteers for their upcoming music video.   Roger and his wife Mary Lou Long have put extensive energy into turning Mill Creek Station into a viable cultural center for the area, and both groups are excited to have the opportunity to perform on Mill Creek Station’s uniquely beautiful outdoor stage at the base of an historical rock quarry.
There is no cover charge for the event, but donations to the bands and Mill Creek Station will be gratefully accepted.  There will be an open BBQ and a potluck starting at 5:00 PM, and all are encouraged to bring something tasty to eat and share.  Or feel free to just come to enjoy the music, which will start around 6:30.
Drawing inspiration from an elemental experience with nature, the eclectic folk rock sound of CruiseShip Volunteers ambles to an altering rhythm and beats with an adventurous heart.  This underground treasure of the Eastern Sierra performs mostly original music scattered with covers ranging from John Prine, Bob Marley and the Grateful Dead to Modest Mouse and Wilco.  CruiseShip Volunteers’ core songwriters Eric Ellis and Jeff Starosta have been working together since Y2K, performing under a variety of aliases in the ensuing years.  Their group has now solidified around the following lineup: Eric Ellis on guitar & vocals, Jeff Starosta on guitar & vocals, Joe Cadotte on bass guitar & vocals, Marty Burgenbauch on drums, and Gilly McChesney on vocals.  The CruiseShip Volunteers’ music fosters imaginative vocal harmonies and acoustic grooves with a dash of the banjo, while speaking lyrically about life infused with the beauty of our local environment.  Kick back and enjoy this extremely talented Eastern Sierra band while “the music hums, we dance all night, and the snow glows under the moonlight.”
The evocative instrumental sound of SR2 is built around the uniquely-tuned electric 12-string guitars of Bruce & Karen Licher.  SR2 creates beautiful & compelling melodic structures blended with an insistent groove, and is a natural progression from Bruce’s past work with his bands Scenic and Savage Republic.  Expressive and mysterious, SR2’s sonic landscapes are an ideal soundtrack for traveling the backroads of the Southwest.  Joining Bruce & Karen for this Solstice performance will be Stephen Ingram on doumbek and African ashiko drum, and Sabrina Nioche on a full drum kit.  SR2’s set will include a version of one of Bruce’s “Owens Valley Driving Music” compositions, an early song from the Savage Republic catalog, and several new songs written by Bruce & Karen here in the Eastern Sierras this past year.  This will be SR2’s debut performance.
A hand-printed commemorative poster has been produced for the Sierra Solstice Celebration, and will be available for sale at the event along with CDs by CruiseShip Volunteers and Bruce Licher’s former group Scenic.  The poster is letterpress printed in four colors at Independent Project Press in Bishop, CA, and features a linocut by Dana Ellis and hand-set type design by Bruce & Karen Licher, incorporating exquisite antique wood type from the collection of Sabrina Nioche.

 

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