The Voice of Eastern Oregon University

Dribbling with words

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:31:34 +0000

Post season play of the NHL is underway. Many of you don’t care, and that’s fine. A lot of Americans don’t understand the game. That’s fine, too. But even if you don’t care or don’t understand, a good brawl is always enticing.
In the 22 games played so far in Round One of the Stanley cup playoffs, 11 brutal fights have taken place. Each of those games was not necessarily isolated to just one bout. So far it’s the UFC on ice. Most of these fights were not isolated to two players going at each other, more like the entire team vs. team. Benches cleared more than a few times, with even coaches screaming their gravelly voices into oblivion at each other.

Fights start for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes rules are broken. Players get frustrated and take it out on the face of an opponent. Sometimes it’s simply bad blood from the past. Before the puck is dropped, the gloves are off and fists of Canadian fury are rocketing toward one another.
Fights can be very strategic in game play as well. If momentum is gained by a team, the opposition may call for a fight to slow things down. But most times, it’s a player defending his fellow teammate that’s been slashed or checked in an aggressive manner.

For whatever reason a fight takes place, they are always entertaining. I find myself waiting, even begging the T.V. screen at times for a fight to break out. I’m human, and confrontation is interesting.
The two teams most fun to watch are the Philly Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, being they are both in Pennsylvania conjures up quite a rivalry, and in the past both have been known as gangs of hooligans.

On Sunday, April 15, 2012, the match between the two teams ended up with multiple altercations resulting in 148 penalty box minutes. This is incredible being there’s only 60 minutes in a match.
The Sunday game represented the most watched non-Stanley Cup Finals match-up since 2002. With 2.7 million viewers in the U.S.; apparently, I’m not the only one who likes hockey ’round here.

Perhaps there is a downside to this brutal on ice warfare. According to John Shannon, a hockey analyst on Canada TV network SportsNet: “Sometimes, the game succeeds in spite of itself. Somebody said to me, ‘Isn’t it great? The ratings are going through the roof.’ But there’s no accountability. People would actually watch a public execution, too, and we had to outlaw that.”
Agreed. Maybe this game is starting to resemble Roman times. I argue, this is what hockey always has been. The game has been dumbed down with rules and political correctness and has lost it’s true heart.
Either way, I don’t care. Fighting makes it entertaining and is a part of the game.
So if you like hockey, good, watch it for whatever reason you want; but, if not, check out the Ice Capades, you milksop. If you didn’t see Sunday’s match of Philly vs. Pitts, check it out on youtube. Believe me, its entertainment at its finest.

Basketball retrospective

Travares Peterson — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:30:28 +0000

For the fifth straight year, the Eastern Oregon men’s basketball team finished its season in the NAIA national tournament.
As for the 2011-2012 season, underachievement would be the word to describe it. After starting the preseason as the No. 10 team in NAIA Division II and bouncing in and out of the national top 25. The Mountaineers were a couple minutes away from making their fifth straight appearance in the Sweet 16.
The Mountaineers started the preseason ranked second in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Junior Anthony Brown and senior Jamar Johnson on the preseason all-conference team.
Although Eastern’s rocky start tabbed it as the No. 4 spot in the conference were it advanced to the conference semifinals, for the sixth straight year. Johnson and Travares Peterson received conference honors. Peterson was named honorable mention All-CCC. Johnson received All-CCC first team for the second in his two years at Eastern.
Senior Jeff Ranstrom and junior Cody Thurmond received the NAIA-Daktronics Scholar Athlete award. In order to receive this award, the student must maintain a 3.5 to 4.0 GPA.
Eastern graduates three seniors, Peterson, Johnson and Ranstrom. The Mountaineers return seven players for the 2012-2013 season, along with three redshirts.

Currently, Eastern Oregon is finalizing its schedule for the 2012-2013 season. In its home opener Eastern faces New Hope Christian College on Oct. 26 in Quinn Coliseum.

Women’s Basketball Season Recap
History was made at the end of the Eastern Oregon Women’s basketball season.
For the first time in the school’s history, the Mountaineers advanced to the NAIA Division II National Tournament quarterfinals. With 25 wins and a ranking of 11 in the final poll, that is the best finish in the women’s program history.
Eastern Oregon started the preseason as the No. 23 team in the polls and was picked to finish second in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Senior Kyle Miller and juniors Korrie Bourn and Brooke Randall were picked for the preseason All-CCC team.
The Mountaineers cracked the top-10 in the national polls early in the season before dropping three straight towards the end of the year to drop them out of the polls.

After winning their last three games of the regular season, the Mountaineers were seeded third in the conference tournament. After winning in convincing fashion in the first round, Eastern lost to rival College of Idaho in the semifinals.

For the sixth time in school history, the Mountaineers made the NAIA Division II National Tournament. Eastern would prove tough until taking a tough loss to top-seeded College of the Ozarks in the quarterfinals.

Korrie Bourn was named to the All-tournament second team for her performance at the national tournament. Bourn was the first player in the school’s history to be named to the NAIA Division II National Tournament team.

Eastern finished No. 11 in the final rankings. Vintea Georges, Nicole Redd, Jessica Kramer and Kyle Miller were named Academic All-Conference. Bourn and Miller were named All-Conference, while Brooke Randall was named honorable mention.

EOU hosts writing workshop

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:28:55 +0000

On Saturday, March 10, EOU’s campus was overrun by 275 students and their chaperones for The Oregon Writing Project Student Writers’ Workshop for young writers in grades 3 through 12.

The day started with Nancy Knowles, Director of the OWP, greeting the youths with an eloquent welcome address in Loso’s McKenzie Theatre.

Knowles has been involved with OWP since 2003, when she became director. “I love the SWW because students get to write for real purposes: fun and communication. Students who find writing fun can bring that energy back to success in the classroom and beyond,” she said.
Like all leaders, Knowles could not do it without the help of others.

Event coordinators included Dr. Ruth Davenport, Mary DeViney, and Patty Hislop. Dr. Aimee Alexander-Shea’s CUESTE and MAT students presented various workshops and writer in residence, Christine Byl, author of “Dirt Work: An Education on the Ground” gave the keynote address and taught high school students the Japanese Haibun.

During the workshops, students were encouraged to create pieces from the various forms of writing.
In the Writer’s Workshop Investigation, or WWI, Brad, Gill, Allie, Rachel and Emily created a lavish crime scene filled with mysterious details for their students to write about.

Mollie Smith, 11, of Greenwood Elementary said, “My favorite workshop so far is the crime scene in the clue room where I could have a visual image of what I was writing about.” Kristen Jones, 11, of Greenwood Elementary also expressed a favorable opinion of the “Clue Room” where 3rd through 6th-graders were taught the craft of mystery writing.

Workshops such as the Viking room, where children were encouraged to imagine that they lived as a Viking and then write a journal entry, showcased memoir writing. The space travel room taught the craft of science fiction writing and thinking outside of the box, and the fairy tale room promoted collaborative writing with each student writing a section of the piece.

Grades 7 through 12 were also treated to a variety of writing workshops. Shannon McClellan used one-sentence prompts to foster right-brain creativity. “One student wrote, ‘When I came home from the Cold War, I had no hand’,” she said with a chuckle. “He thought the Cold War literally meant ‘cold’.”

Sara Dyche, a student teacher in Elgin used visual poetry in her workshop to teach because she had a bad experience in high school and had avoided poetry ever since. “I chose to stop avoiding it and overcome my fear of it,” she said.

Journalist and author, Karen Spears Zacharias, had students interview each other and then write a feature story. Zacharias, a former student of Eastern Oregon University, now teaches Journalism at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Her new book, “A Silence of Mockingbirds: A Memoir of Murder” came out this month to coincide with National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Karly’s Law. “I do this quietly, but I don’t do this every year. I love teaching so I do it when I’m available,” she said. “I love OWP and I owe my career to EOU.”

The adults were encouraged to attend the Basalt workshop for teachers. Basalt editors Dr. Jodi Varon and David Axelrod presented a half- day workshop on flash fiction.

As the day turned to afternoon, the young writers wrapped up their revisions and nervously prepared for the open-mic sessions that were held in both Ackerman and Loso Halls. Teachers and chaperones gathered their group of children and directed them to where they needed to be. Whether it was to sit in an auditorium and listen, or stand at a microphone and courageously read their creations aloud. They are confirmation that in this time of science and technology, the arts still have a strong presence within the youth of today.

Denim strikes back

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:27:04 +0000

Jeans, a commodity of clothing, are something that we often wear,but don’t give much thought to. Jeans can create an overall vibe for an outfit. From the back pockets to the shade of the wash, jeans can also be unique. Take EOU football, Jason Reyes, for example. Reyes wears his jeans with flare- no pun intended. Wearing brands like True Religion and Seven for All Mankind is delightful for Reyes because he is able to flaunt unique styles. In fact, the styles are so unique, that I haven’t seen one other La Grande citizen wearing anything comparable to Reyes’ trendy jeans.
Why buy trendy jeans? At EOU, jeans are a common occurrence, which means that having different and unique jeans are a tribute to one’s consciousness of personal style. Granted, if an EOU student doesn’t have a fashion-forward pair of jeans, it does not mean that they have no style. Jeans are simply one fashion venue; one way of expressing style through a fashion staple. The reason Reyes is being highlighted is because he wears his jeans so well-it’s hard not to notice.

What’s the best part about Reyes and his jean choice? Reyes is sporty, yet he still finds a way to bring style to his wardrobe. His True Religion jeans have racing stripes down the sides. His style is cool and tasteful, yet also practical.

Rock on Reyes.

The Toolshed

Steve Tool — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:26:13 +0000

Rebirth.
I feel so bad, like a ballgame on a rainy day.

R&B song written by Chuck Willis 1953.
Nothing is as sad as a ballpark in winter-unless it’s no longer a ballpark. Then it’s just a disgrace. East of the track, EOU’s old ballpark is a fossilized reminder of its glory days with America’s favorite pastime.

Last year, I occasionally stopped by the baseball trophy case to view the mementos of yesteryear. EOU baseball, once a powerhouse, is now an anachronism.
You’d never know it now. Over the summer someone emptied the trophy case of its remnants of EOU’s baseball legacy.
What happened to the baseball program? They didn’t make money? Give me a break-what athletic program turns a profit here?
Maybe baseball lost credibility with the masses over union troubles and steroid abuse. This is only because baseball is held to a higher standard than other sports.

We look at baseball like we look at religion. We don’t always pay attention to it, but we demand purity from the participants.

Baseball is our link to innocence and pastoral past.

There’s something about mystical playing ball amid the aroma of fresh-cut grass.

We have cow pasture/ballpark here on campus. I walk over once in awhile just to imagine what it was like to be an EOU ballplayer. My visiting daughter, son-in-law and I played ball there recently. All of us noted the difficulty of keeping up the joy of playing baseball while surrounded by its desecration.
The field is in a despicable state. The bleachers are torn out while dugouts are draped with sagging doors and stuffed with maintenance gear and tangled football equipment.

This is akin to desecrating a church. It is blasphemy to the game of baseball and a disgrace to EOU.

I visited the ballpark today, the 17th. I see someone’s been using the field. Maybe intramural softball gets played there. Two of the bases are 5-gallon bucket lids. Is that the best EOU can do for an old ballpark? Tear it down if neglect is the EOU hierarchy attitude toward baseball. It’s like seeing an abused child whose parents don’t care enough to clothe them properly.
It isn’t enough EOU murdered the baseball program, they leave the remains in an open coffin for everyone to gawk and wonder. Do the right thing: close the coffin and bury the remains. Baseball deserves better.

Treeforts aren’t just for kids

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:24:21 +0000

DJs from KEOL-FM, EOU’s student radio station, broadcast live from downtown Boise, Idaho. This past Spring Break as they reported on the Pacific Northwest’s newest event, Treefort Music Fest.

KEOL’s station manager Cesar Herrera and assistant Rocky Gothard organized a team of DJs for the event. With recorders and cameras in hand, they took to the streets of Boise documenting the festival happenings and interviewing band members. DJs also conducted live check-ins to update listeners about the day’s high points.

Treefort was launched this year as a four-day event for emerging musicians. Highlights of the festival included Of Montreal, Built to Spill, Blitzen Trapper and Sally Ford and the Sound Outside, as well as local favorite Sons of Guns and Boise’s Finn Riggins. All totaled, the festival encompassed eight different downtown venues and boasted 130 bands.

DJ Daniel “Kid” Yoshida said, “Treefort had everything anyone could want in a festival; not too big but still pretty big. Everything perfectly executed.”

Yoshida said he recorded 11 different interviews over the course of the festival, including his personal favorite with Tim Blood and the Gut Panthers.

“The music was awesome,” Herrera said. “Having the bands join the crowd to see others perform and talk with the people was great. KEOL will definitely return next year.”

Treefort Music Fest has set dates for next year: March 21 through May 24. Visit treefortmusicfest.com for more information.

To learn more about KEOL, visit the Facebook page facebook.com/ KEOL91.7FM.

Perspective is everything

Kendra Kuust — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:22:57 +0000

The National Society of Leadership and Success hosted a video broadcast of UK psychologist Linda Papadopoulos on Thursday, April 12, at 6:00 in Hoke 309.
Linda talked about body image, the correlation of self esteem, and how we perceive ourselves effects our interactions with other people.

You know the old phrase: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” These sayings were kind of Linda’s point and focus during her lecture. She said we are all different kinds of beautiful. The hard part for most people to understand is that you’re the beholder of beauty.

Linda explained that body image is subjective. Some psychologists define body image as a person’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of self. Linda explained that no matter what we look like on the outside, as long as we show people our inner beauty and confidence, they won’t really care what you look like on the outside.
Linda’s main point of this lecture was how you see yourself effects the way you talk to others.
How did she come across such a discovery? During her studying, Linda took three groups of people infected with vitiligo, a blotchy skin pigment disease. One group was given therapy, one was just given normal treatment, and the third was given treatment to boost their self esteem.

Each group had improved immensely that the blotches started to shrink!
Linda suggested that body image and self esteem are highly intertwined. Look in the mirror. Just do it. What do you see? You’re probably thinking, “my nose is too big,” or “I like my lips, but wish my eyes were green.” It’s easier to pick out the negative qualities because we are conditioned to do so.
A sarcastic thank you to advertisers who portray people having to look a certain way in order to be happy was to blame for a lot of poor body image perspectives. Linda gave the statistic that a US teenager on average views 10 hours of media per day.

Some of the trouble, if not all of visual advertisements issue, is that images are computerized or air brushed into unrealistic images of the human form. This leads people in trying to achieve unrealistic body types. Linda said there wasn’t really a connection between beauty and happiness. This is referred to as the beauty myth.
This may be hard to grasp, especially for women. Linda explained that even now, in 2012, women are still underpaid compared to men except in three professions: modeling, pornography, and prostitution. These are three professions that rely on the appearance of the woman.

Girls from the ages of 3-11, 90 percent of them have a Barbie doll. Did you know that if the Barbie Doll was a real person, she couldn’t even stand up and that most of her inner organs wouldn’t function because of the disfigurement?

Ninety percent of women find it easier to pick out what’s wrong with them. Why? Because society first and foremost judges them on their appearance. Linda mentioned famous people, like Cindy Crawford who had the beauty mark, or mole, on her face. She was told by photographers and agents to remove the mark if she wanted to advance her career. She kept her mark because it was a part of her. She embraced it and portrayed that she can be beautiful with the unique mark and soon the people around her found it unique and beautiful as well.

Linda gave the example of how people speak to male and female children. To girls, people are most likely to comment on how “pretty” the little “angel” is. Whereas with boys, they’re likely to comment on his masculinity.

Men, you too are judged on appearance, but in a different way. Linda mentioned that at one time, it was the height of men that mattered when getting hired or promoted. This was referred to as the “height premium”; the taller the man, the more money he was paid.

Linda did another experiment with two scenarios. Scenario one, a person would stand on a busy street handing out flyers, but the person was told that there would be a skin blemish painted on their face. They were to report back what they had found. The second scenario was to do the same thing, same place and time, but without the paint on their face.
The person came back reporting that with the paint on their face, people stayed away and hardly talked to them and didn’t pass out very many flyers. But without the paint on their face, people were smiling and engaging in conversations and they had passed out all of their flyers.
The subject was finally told that there was never any paint on their face. It was the entire attitude the person used and the perception they had of themselves was shows to other people.
How we perceive ourselves greatly affects how we interact with other people.

Linda said finding the result in fixing your appearance should not be sought out through plastic surgery or lip gloss. After confessing her liking of lip gloss, she admitted that these were only short term solutions. If you want to boost your self esteem, it must come from the inside out.

This is how society can fix our negative perspectives of body image. Dispel of the beauty myth. Beauty does not equal happiness or success; teach the youth how to look in the mirror and see themselves, not the advertiser’s version of how they should look. Develop a self esteem not focused on self appearance; learn to challenge negative thoughts and media. Emulate your own beauty; don’t have polar views of our appearance, meaning, don’t say “I’m either a size 2 or I’m not worth anything.”

Lastly, Linda left her lecture by saying, “You, not your looks dictate your destiny.” Perception is everything.

Young guitarist at EOU

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:20:15 +0000

La Grande, Oregon isn’t a place that springs to mind when thinking of guitar virtuosos. I have since revised that opinion.

While walking my dog awhile back, I saw a young man with a guitar gig bag standing at the 6th Street EOU entrance. I’d been thinking of writing a Voice musician’s feature for awhile so I stopped to chat for a few minutes.
The young man is EOU student Davon Dunajski. Within two minutes I realized the 17-year-old Computer Science major already far surpassed my entirely Bob Dylanesque guitar skills.
I immediately scheduled an interview for the following week at the EOU Voice office. Not only to interview Davon, but hopefully to learn some shortcuts to guitar greatness.
Davon arrived reasonably close to on time. He’s friendly and well mannered without being obsequious.
He doesn’t have the gig bag this time. His Les Paul Special is wrapped in a blanket. The Les Paul looks worn but well cared for-like a guitar should. After exchanging pleasantries we get down to business.
Davon got his first guitar at the age of six. “But I didn’t really start intensely playing until I was 13,” he says. He did not learn guitar from books or videos. “I taught myself to play pretty much. I think the one song that really made me want to pick up guitar was hearing “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce. Three months later I had it down on my little Peavey T-68,” he laughs.
Like every other player, Davon has his own guitar heroes. Steve Vai (The movie “Crossroads”) and Joe Satriani (“Surfing with the Alien”) are my favorite players,” says Davon.

Like most other guitar players Davon has GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome). “I love my Les Paul Special, but I really want one of the 7-string Ibanez Jems that Steve Vai plays.

Other guitars Davon owns include a 1960 Danelectro. “I feel like I should be playing Johnny B. Goode on it,” he says. Davon had a B.C. Rich which he gave to a friend who was guitarless at the time. This guy has class.
Davon doesn’t normally give guitar lessons but one player on the streets of Las Vegas was too much. “This guy on the street was god-awful. I was listening to him thinking “Oh no. if you’re going to play this, you need this chord and this chord.’ It wasn’t even in tune. I ended up taking control,” Davon laughs.
He plays through a Line 6 amp he calls “The Park Bench” because it’s so big he can sit on it. He’s not playing live yet because, “I’m working on a set-list to get that perfect flow going.”
Although Davon reads music, he’s minoring in music to learn music composition. Steve Vai’s “Visual Sound Theories” is the inspiration. “Vai wrote all the music, including the orchestra parts. That’s what I want to do.” Davon says.
The computer science major is Davon’s back-up plan. “I want to try my hand at music, first. I can always use the computer degree if things don’t work out.”
Unfortunately for me, Davon has no shortcuts for guitar greatness. “I practice at least two hours a day. Right now it’s a 51-49 split between school and guitar. “If I’m not working on the computer, I’m playing guitar.”
The only hobby Davon has is martial arts. “I need it for the discipline. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to get out of bed in the morning.”
His parents are supportive of his guitar efforts although, “Sometimes I wonder about my Dad,” he laughs.
Guitar design is a passion of Davon’s. He carries a large notebook of interesting guitar designs, including a double-neck guiar/bass along with a little notation book full of music scales-including some scales he’s composed himself.
Davon plays several of his custom design scales before launching into his own compositions. His fingers are a blur. Even unplugged the guitar playing sounds great.

After I take a couple of pictures we discuss the future of guitar. I ask him if he ever wonders if there’s anything new left to discover on the guitar in light of Satriani’s and Vai’s accomplishments.
“I don’t think like that. There’s always a new level to discover, someplace else to go with guitar,” Davon says.
If anyone can find that place I’d put my money on Davon.

The Collage Idiot

Kendra Kuust — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:18:32 +0000

The Voice is a voice for the students. Duh, that’s why it’s called, “The Voice.”

Imagine a college campus without a student newspaper. Sure, this change may not cause the Earth to shift rotation; however, it is important in the ways of practicing writing, having written work published, gaining journalism and editing experience, and informing the students, faculty, and community members of upcoming or reviewed events.
Did you know that The Voice has five paid, working editors, and spends about six to eight hours copyediting and approving layout design for each paper?
Not to mention spending time visiting on- and off-campus events for stories, interviewing people, writing the stories, and gathering photos- on top of our own private lives. I’m not looking for a pat on the back; I’m just informing you.
The Voice is like a small business. We have advertisers pay for slots in our newspaper. We also have various groups asking for stories to be written, instead of the other way around. The chain of command from the editor-in-chief down to the other editors, to the staff writers keeps The Voice full of informative stories.
However, The Voice is not like a business because we operate under a state university. We are financially controlled by a different group of students who are not involved in The Voice or journalism degrees. If so, they should be writing for The Voice. Also, The Voice is not like a business in its portrayal of the community and of the student body.

It is a shame that some stories do not make it into The Voice. We honestly don’t have enough space. The Voice is a 16 page- eight color, eight grey- layout. This will decrease with a lower budget, which will only cause more groups to get upset because their story isn’t in the newspaper.
Every winter term, student clubs begin to create a budget for the following year to be presented to the Student Funds Committee. From here, the budgets are reviewed, and it is up to SFC to grant a budget.
The Voice’s first budget proposal was $40,000, but was awarded only $10,000. The Voice cannot function as it does now with the massively reduced budget proposed by SFC for next year.

If a club disagrees with the granted budget they can appeal, thus proposing a new budget.

The SFC reviews the new budget and organizes all budgets into a final group to be confirmed or denied by the university’s president. The amount of funds SFC has to grant each club depends on the fluctuation in student attendance each year.

The appeal budget for The Voice was $20,000.

The reasons that The Voice is not being awarded a higher amount of funding, is because of the past editor-in-chief’s mal budgeting procedures and rapid transitions of editor-in-chiefs The Voice has had.
What some people and the SFC don’t understand is because The Voice is a business; this means that it would be appropriate to train its employees. Unfortunately, we cannot do that in the middle of the year and without the original editor-in-chief to train their predecessor.
Also, a lot of people change their major in college. If they change their major their interests lead them to a different path. Also, some people transfer because they either don’t like the school or some of the people here; whatever the case may be, that is the adjustment the current editors need to make when staffing The Voice. At least we’re able to adapt and manage without The Voice completely falling apart.
The Voice is on its second editor-in-chief this year. Not their fourth, like stated in the SFC rationale.

Needless to say, The Voice will need to make sufficient cuts in the quality and production of The Voice.

Open mic bonanza

Steve Tool — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:16:28 +0000

I enjoy getting out and seeing local bands playing various venues. La Grande certainly has its share of professional music groups and performers to spend a pleasant evening with.
Open Mic night is different. No one is being paid to entertain, so you don’t know what to expect.
I recently attended two open mic nights; the first at LG Brewski’s and the second at Ten Depot.
Both venues reflect the panorama of talent and atmosphere available for those wishing to dip their feet into the depths of performing waters.
LG Brewski’s open mic takes place the last Friday of every month. We arrived a half hour early with some of the prospective musicians already set up and tuning their instruments.
Brewski’s is a friendly venue. The audience is very engaged and encouraging to the performers.
Nearly everyone is there to hear music or try their hand at performing. The atmosphere is not competitive at all, more like a living room jam session among friends.
A musician can make a mistake and the audience laughs with you, not at you. I don’t mean to say the place was rife with rank amateurs, either. I saw some very good musicians that night. I particularly enjoyed the way the musicians worked with and supported each other.
The music was heavy on acoustic Americana although I noted the occasional use of an electric guitar.
Musicians with instrument cases walked in at various times through the night. Each was met with appreciative greetings from the entire audience. How often do you find that kind of camaraderie?
Ten Depot’s open mic night takes place 8 p.m.to 10 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month. The event is hosted or MC’d by Luke Basile.
The vibe is different at 10 Depot. Not in a bad way at all, just different.
I sensed a bit more of a competitive edge among the musicians. This is not a bad thing. Competing musicians can make great music.
The atmosphere was more formal. Acts were introduced and many performed more than one song at a time. I was reminded a bit of a talent show.
Incidentally, a shout out to the guy who performed “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” acapella. I haven’t heard that one since grade school.
I recognized several of the musicians from other venues or bands and heard some great performances. Overall, the performances were a bit more honed at Ten Depot.
Where to go? It depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re out strictly for professional entertainment value, try Ten Depot. If you’re out for a good time and enjoy engaging with the performers, LG Brewski’s is your ticket.

I also recommend Brewski’s if you’re a musician struggling with playing for a live audience. It’s hard to imagine a more musician-friendly and encouraging crowd.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either venue.

Cash Mob strikes La Grande

The Voice Staff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:14:47 +0000

On a brisk day in La Grande, Ore., a group of community members gathered near a small business with signs in their hands and cash in their pockets. The group was not here to protest, but rather to support a business by mobbing it with their money. This was La Grande’s first “Cash Mob.”

“My goal was to bring awareness of the goods and services available in the downtown,” said Jeffrey Clark, La Grande Cash Mob organizer and local realtor. “I feel [the downtown] is the heart of a small town and key to economic survival.”
Recently, Cash Mobs have been springing up all over the country. Individuals seeking a creative way to support their local “mom-and-pop shops” have turned to Cash Mobs as a way to create buzz and aid business. In a time when many consumers shop at chain stores, Cash Mobs aim to keep small niche businesses alive.
The overall concept is simple: gather a group of people and walk into a store together. Everyone makes a purchase, large or small, and learns more about a local business. Business owners gain new customers and get a little extra income from the deal.

Jeni Kayoa, of La Grande, said that she feels many merits exist in Cash Mobs. “I think it can be quite effective just by virtue of calling attention to how vital it is for brick-and-mortar business owners to have their friends and neighbors purchase from them.”

Cash Mobs have many different goals for their communities. Some aim to gain a certain number of participants. Others want to spend a specific amount of money at particular businesses. Most desire to raise awareness for local goods and services.

Beckie Jones, a member of the Lane County, Ore., Cash Mob, said she imagines that her group will make the public more aware of the shopping and dining choices they have. She said, “I’m as guilty as the next guy of one-stop shopping at the big box stores. But over time, we can build a culture of people who automatically choose small when making their purchases,” she said.

Wenatchee, Wash., Cash Mob founder Alex Fox echoed those sentiments: “There are a lot of local shops that are tiny. You don’t realize they’re there, and those tiny ones are often the best ones around.”
Cash Mob events even turn into fun social affairs.
“I like the fact that it bonds a group of like-minded individuals conscious about the hometown business vitality and turns into somewhat of a social event between shoppers and proprietors,” Kayoa said.

Clark said, “The social fun of the cash mob is something that you have to experience. Meet people, shake hands, introduce yourself to the business owners, let people know what you do in our community.”

White House resurrection

Steve Tool — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:12:37 +0000

EOU coffee fiends rejoice! White House Coffee recently reopened the doors. Mike Mathisen of Mad Mike’s food which produces Ketchup, relish and barbecue sauce is the new proprietor and he’s ready for business.
Don’t come in for girly-man/sissy coffee, though. Mike is all about real coffee.
“We do a double-shot 12 oz. for everything. We’re not chasing the 32 oz. milkshake dairy product or the 20 oz. blond vente’.

We’re traditional. We make good, organic free-trade coffee here. We use a couple styles of beans. We use whole milk, skim milk and real cream. We want people to get back to experiencing what good coffee is truly about. It’s not being a milkshake.”
If the coffee shop entity doesn’t work out, Mike’s not too worried.
“Our main goal is to sell barbecue sauce, ketchup and relish and grow that side of our business.
The coffee shop just helps pay the rent,” he says.
Mike has several special events coming up: April 26 features a Farmer’s Table Dinner which is a family sit down style dinner for 40 people.
A Hootenanny during La Grande’s May 18th and 19th SpringFest event is in the works as well, said Mathisen.

“We’re closing off the streets around here. We have Hillfolk Noir on Friday night and we’ll have the Wasteland Kings on Saturday night. We’ve got distilleries, wineries and breweries coming. Friday night it’s from 2-9 Saturday it’s 10-9.”
“This is a good time to come out and celebrate La Grande. We’re just going to do it a little louder,” he laughs.
If you’re in the mood to celebrate, get on down to the White House. The coffee’s great and lunch is served daily from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.