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The Flow
- Rita Brown: vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, pennywhistle, banjo
- Bill Smyth: electric guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Mike Grattan: bass
- Jed Irvine: drums
The Flow is the union of an acoustic duo and a hard rock band. Rita Brown (Corvallis Gazette-Times favorite female vocalist, 2010) and guitarist/songwriter Bill Smyth toured the Pacific Northwest between 1997 and 2003, playing everything from children’s shows to retirement centers. They recorded two CDs and during this time managed Oregon’s longest running folk coffeehouse. Rita was also the guitarist and lead singer for the eclectic all-girl trio Crooked Kate, while Bill played with popular Albany band 49 Fingers and contributed guitar, keyboards and cross-dressing to “Rocky Horror Show” and other local theater productions. Bassist Mike Grattan and original singer-drummer Don Thorp were members of the powerhouse rock outfit Knockout John, and met Rita and Bill while gigging together in a Joe Cocker cover band. In 2008, Rita, Bill, Mike and Don formed The Flow. Don moved on in 2009, shortly after the completion of the band’s first CD, All Things Flow. Fortunately, virtuoso drummer Jed Irvine had just arrived in Corvallis and The Flow snapped him up. In the bargain came Irvine’s wife, the singer Laurie Barshay, who joins in on harmony from time to time. The Flow’s quest for a permanent keyboardist is epic and eternal. The role has been filled at different times by Susan Peck, Charlie Parker and Fumi Funahashi, and is presently shared by Rita and Bill using bionically enhanced prosthetic limbs. The Flow took a hiatus in 2011 as Rita and Bill spent the year working and playing in Europe and aboard a research ship on the Indian Ocean. Inspired, the band re-united and began the 16-month task of producing its second CD, Spring Wind. The Flow is now firmly in performance mode, raising the roof at local venues and on winery stages (which admittedly don’t have roofs) around the Willamette Valley
“We’ll be playing a concert/dance at the Unitarian Fellowship this coming Saturday. It’s an “originals only” show, so we’ll be pulling some new and old things into play that you likely haven’t heard before. Some snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.”