(MT) - (In anticipation of Timberline Lodge’s Mountain Music Festival on Monday, Sept. 5, The Mountain Times and Jon Tullis, Director of Public Affairs, had a question and answer session to get a better understanding of what the event is all about.)

MT – This is your 20th year presenting music at Timberline, how has the
process of putting the lineup together evolved since you started?

JT – We started the Timberline Acoustic Music Series in 1995. Evening
concerts were held in the Lodge’s main lobby on Wednesday evenings in
October when things were otherwise very quiet. I purposely reached out to
some of my favorite singer/songwriters, mostly of the rootsy, folk music
genre, or what has become known as “Americana.” The lineup over the years
included such chestnuts as Tom Russell, John Gorka, Steve Forbert, Dave
Mallet, Steve Young, Mary McCaslin, Katy Moffatt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Eliza
Gilkyson, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar, Kevin Welch, Bill Morrissey, Dan
Hicks... I could go on and on. For me it was about bringing great music to the
mountain, in this great intimate setting that the Lodge provides. These folks
were the troubadours of their day, poets of the people, and extraordinary
performers. The audience was always very attentive and appreciative. It was
all about the songs. The songs had the ability to move people, and pull them
together. I’ll tell ya, there were some magical evenings listening to those
performances around the fireplace. I have lots of fond memories. Sharing
Timberline’s top notch hospitality with the artists was always a source of pride
for me, and I enjoyed getting to know them as we ate dinner before the show.
Back then Portland wasn’t nearly as hip as it is today with live music galore,
and live music on the mountain was even rarer. These artists often skipped
Portland while touring the West Coast, so this gave the local audience here a
chance to see them, and it gave the artists a great little gig in between shows

say at the Freight and Salvage in San Francisco and the Tractor Tavern in
Seattle.

Portland is full of great live music now, and there are great live music venues
on the mountain like the Skyway. The final Acoustic Music Series was in 2005.
Nowadays we have moved the music outdoors in the amphitheater so I focus
more on presenting larger bands, and new, younger talent, folks who are out
on tour and playing the summer festival circuit. Our festival is just a few days
before the Sisters Folk Festival, so I often feature some of the artists who are
headed that way. It’s a win/win for everyone, and I have been able to present
some really tasty acts such as Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, Eli
West and Cahalen Morrison, and the amazing quartet called Darlingside who
went on to be named Folk Alliance Artist of the Year in 2016.

MT – How has the event itself changed over two decades?

JT – Well, as I was saying, after Timberline’s historic outdoor amphitheater
was restored, we brought the Acoustic Music Series to a close and started
presenting summer shows out there. Then in 2012 we decided to produce a
big free all day festival on Labor Day to celebrate Timberline’s 75th
Anniversary. We called it the “Tribute to Tradition” and in addition to some
incredible barbeque, and a nice speech by Senator Merkley it featured Sarah
Lee Guthrie and an amazing line up of folks playing Woody Guthrie songs ,.
Over 7000 people came out that day. It was so cool we decided to make it an
annual event; The Timberline Mountain Music Festival.

MT – What stands out about the musicians for this year's festival?

JT – This year’s festival will be opened by Eric Kallio, a fantastic local guitar
and dobro player who has written some wonderful songs about life on the
mountain. Next up is a local favorite bluegrass band, Jackstraw, back by
popular demand you might say. They have their own unique brand
of bluegrass music that I sort of see as Cascadian. We are also presenting
two singer songwriters that just need to be heard! The first is a rising star
based out of Nashville, Caitlin Canty. Her music is catchy and gritty and
soulful all at once and I guarantee she will charm the audience. Next, Sam
Baker, who hails from Austin is perhaps one of the most personable and
powerful performers of the day. You just have to check him out to
understand, He too will have the audience in the palm of his hand. Our
headliner is a tried and true Americana band named Marley’s Ghost. They
have been pleasing festival crowds for over 25 years, and have recorded with
everyone from Emmy Lou Harris to John Prine, and they are soon to release a
new CD produced by Larry Campbell. I am sure they will have everyone on
their feet by the time they close out the show around sunset.

MT – Bluegrass/Mountain music and Timberline Lodge are both unique
American creations; how does the festival's setting and the music complement
each other?

JT – That’s a great question. Again, the phrase “tried and true” comes to
mind. Timberline Lodge and the rustic sort of music that we present at this
festival are both tried and true, honest, authentic, and yes, uniquely
American. As songwriter Guy Clark once sang, “Its stuff that works. Stuff that
holds up. Stuff you don’t hang on the wall. Stuff that’s real. Stuff you feel.
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall.”
The festival is also a huge team effort for us here, and that brings out the
best in Timberline. Our amazing staff is dedicated to creating a very genuine,

enjoyable, casual, family-friendly festival scene. We’ll have food and drink on
the back patio, the Taborgrass Players will lead folks in impromptu jams
(bring your own instruments) and we will have free face painting for the kids
as well. Various vendors and non-profit groups will be sharing interesting
information, and all the while the beautiful mountain is right there on the
horizon. The musicians always comment that our stage is one of the most
beautiful settings they have ever played!

MT – The festival, offering world class musicians, is free. What does it mean to
you and the festival sponsors to be able to present this event to the public for
no charge?

JT – It seems like a fitting way to give back to the community. After all, the
Lodge was built to be enjoyed. It’s the people’s place. And thank you for the
opportunity to recognize our sponsors! We couldn’t throw this party and
present such great talent without The Boyd Coffee Company, The Mt. Hood
Brewing Company, and of course RLK and Company, operators of Timberline
Lodge. And while I’m at it, I’d like to give a shout out to Stew Dodge Sound
who has been providing excellent sound mixing and lights for our shows going
back all the way to 1995.

MT – You've experienced 20 years of festivals – the musicians, the music, the
attendees - is there one memory or story that stands out for you?

JT – There are so many. I’ll never forget Peter Rowan’s spirited performance
of Land of the Navaho. The temperature had dropped 10 degrees from earlier
in the show and a cold thick cloud rolled in across the stage like God’s own
smoke machine. Peter sounded a conch shell and he and his band just sort of
leaned into it and reveled in the moment. But if I had to choose my personal
favorite, I guess it would have to be when last year’s headliner, the very
gracious Jonathan Edwards, a personal favorite of mine since high school
days, invited me up on stage to sing a couple of songs with him. I was a little
nervous at first, but I couldn’t let that opportunity pass me by, and it was a
blast.

Of course, I promise I won’t do that every year!