Best Cellar

7:30 Curtis and Loretta

Curtis & Loretta’s music comes straight from the heart.   The husband and wife duo’s extraordinary harmonies and proficiency on a parade of stringed instruments create an alluring frame for their poignant original songs, and traditional pieces from America and the British Isles.  The current menagerie includes mandocello, folk harp, guitars, clawhammer banjo, ukulele, and mandolin, plus a bit of kazoo, harmonica, and shakers. Curtis’ down-home sense of humor and Loretta’s theater background engage the audience in an experience that runs the gamut of rolling with laughter to holding back tears, with plenty of side-trips in between.  They rack up countless miles each year, crisscrossing the country to deliver their own unique brand of folk singer/songwriter music.

8:30 Crooked Kate

Crooked Kate returns after a ten-year hiatus. What was a trio is now a duo with Anne Ridlington on cello and Rita Brown on guitar and vocals. Anne and Rita stayed in touch during the last decade while Anne played in the Eugene Symphony among other ventures, and Rita played in the local band, The Flow. But the eclectic, adventuresome Crooked Kate beckoned and the two could no longer ignore the call. Sometimes the sound elegant, sometimes messy, always creative and heart fulfilling.

The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com