Tunesmith Night

The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance continues their 16th season of Tunesmith Night - a showcase of original music on Saturday, April 9 at 7pm in the historic Odd Fellows Hall in Enterprise, Oregon. The unique appeal of presenting three songwriters, sharing their original work in an intimate a round-robin format is core to the program, and the Music Alliance is happy to announce this program will be open to a live, in-person audience once again. The show will also be streamed live to WVMA’s YouTube channel and the Music Alliance website. (wvmusicalliance.org) The April 9 show features songwriters Larry Murante, Olivia Awbrey and Brad Parsons.

Singer-songwriter Larry Murante is well known for his soaring, mellifluous tenor, strong rhythmic guitar style, and engaging stage presence. His award-winning original songs feature beautifully woven stories about everyday folks. They combine compassionate, socially conscious lyrics with an upbeat, joyful folk-rock style. Larry’s music is reminiscent of Jackson Brown, Lyle Lovett, and Marc Cohn. In the past 10 years, Larry Murante has won more than 18 awards in US and international competitions for songwriting and performance, including Grand Prize Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. His fourth CD release, Patch of Sky, has garnered critical acclaim and radio airplay in both the US and Europe. For more information, visit larrymurante.com.
 
Olivia Awbrey is a songwriter based out of Portland and the rural Oregon Coast Range. A first-generation musician, Olivia has been performing since 2012 and releasing music since 2014. In 2017, Olivia founded Quick Pickle  Records and released her first EP Fight or Fight. Her debut album, Dishonorable Harvest, was an overseas collaboration with My Bloody Valentine’s touring guitarist, Jen Macro, as well as a cohort of London and Portland-based friends. An old-soul folk songwriter with a modern indie edge, Olivia has played hundreds of shows in the last half decade opening for Japanese Breakfast, The Beths, Mal Blum, Fink, Jonathan Richman, and many others. Her music has been recognized in NPR, Flood Magazine, and Refinery29. As a recipient of grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council in Portland, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the GRAMMY Foundation, Olivia tours regularly throughout the Pacific Northwest and the UK. She is fascinated with the musical process, from the beginnings of a melody through to vinyl production, so in true DIY fashion, she is currently casting vinyl by hand. Her sophomore album is forthcoming. More information at Olivia-awbrey.com.

 Brad Parsons was born in the low desert Lewis Clark valley tucked in the border of Washington and Idaho. In 2008 he moved to Portland, OR and entrenched himself in the burgeoning Americana scene expanding his roots to rock, bluegrass and country music. The next few were years spent traveling, busking on street corners and playing in dive bars, leading to a stint with the band Horse Feathers. He toured with them for three years as a multi-instrumentalist and played on their album So It Is With Us. In 2016, he compiled songs he had written in vans, spare bedrooms and on front porches and enlisted co- producer and engineer Tyler Thompson (Fruition, TK & The Holy Know Nothings) to make his first full length record, Hold True. Recorded with various musicians in studios in Colorado and Oregon, the album mixes heartbreak and haunting social commentary with Parsons’s wry sense of humor. He has toured throughout the country and is a mainstay at festivals like Northwest String Summit and Sawtooth Valley Gathering. Brad relocated to Atlanta, GA where hope the high temperatures would stoke the heat within his heart.
 
Admission to Saturday’s show is $10. No food or drink service provided; BYO. Doors open at 6:30pm.