Tunesmith Night Season Opener

The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance is pleased to announce the opening of the ninth season of Tunesmith Night on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at Lear’s Main Street Grill in Enterprise. Held every second Saturday, October through May, this monthly showcase of original music is an opportunity for songwriters to present their work to a supportive listening audience, sharing insights with the listeners and camaraderie with their fellow tunesmiths. The show is presented in a round-robin format, with each musician playing a song, then the next taking a turn, creating an interesting and varied performance. Doors open at 6pm, music at 7pm, all ages welcome. Saturday’s songwriters are Kory Quinn, Bill Valenti and Eric Sinclair.
Songwriter Kory Quinn, a DIY contemporary hobo intellectual, has a refreshingly homespun take on Americana. The just released second full-length album, At The End of The Bar, boils down red-dirt basics in a freewheeling roadhouse stew. Quinn’s songwriting is adroit and surefooted, offering sturdily constructed country, folk, and Cajun-tinged songs for his ensemble to really sink their fangs into on this instant jukebox classic.

Bill Valenti often introduces himself as a “submerging artist”, having only started songwriting after having escaped to Bend, Oregon 6 years ago with an AARP card in his wallet.  His songs are proof that it is never too late to court the muse:  clever, humorous, satirical, poignant, thought-provoking, reflecting a life of adventures around the globe (20 years living in Europe and Asia).  Many of his songs are a form of musical commentary (usually satirical) on the burning issues of the day, and he focuses his more “political” songs on the common ground that crosses over the left/right divide in America.  

Folks may recognize songwriter Eric Sinclair from the Wallowa County based band, Saigon County, one of the acts featured at the recent Juniper Jam music festival. Sinclair takes this opportunity to showcase some of his original material that the band has yet to add to its repertoire.