Tunesmith Night at Lear's Pub & Grill

The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance continues their monthly songwriter showcase, Tunesmith Night, on Saturday, February 9 with Heidi Muller, Gregory Rawlins and MidLo.
   
  Heidi Muller writes songs with vivid imagery about places and people from the Northwest to West Virginia. A guitar and dulcimer player, she sings with a “crystal mountain air voice” (La Grande Observer). She’s the writer of “Good Road,” Northwest Public Radio’s Inland Folk theme song, and our own national anthem, “In Wallowa.”

As folk as any alternative musician and as alternative as any folk artist, singer/songwriter Gregory Rawlins is tougher to pin down than a feral cat. His inventive compositions, austere language, and homegrown honesty translates to what one coined as, “Alternatively Bestial Truckstop Folk.” With subject matter that crosses the natural reverence of John Denver with the unsettling introspection of Leonard Cohen, Rawlins’ playing style moves from quick, jangly strumming to delicate fingerpicking with a tinge of Southern country/blues. He’s received critical acclaim for his concept album, ELWHA, and released his fourth CD, Bottom Feeder Fellowship, this past September.

Mike Midlo plays American music; songs that'll make you stomp your foot, holler out loud or cry in your beer. He also leads the full throttle roots rock band, Pancake Breakfast. Midlo is a recent transplant to Wallowa County and keeps busy in his role as program manager at Fishtrap.

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.