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| Left to Right: Jon Franke (bass), Jim Hockenhull (fiddle), Sally Clark (guitar), Paul Scheerer (melody banjo) |
The halls were alive with the sound of music.
The Benton Center Acoustic Showcase hosted local band Cooper Hollow last Friday, April 22nd.
Over forty people gathered in the student lounge to dance, eat lunch, or simply sit and enjoy the fine stringwork and good vibes of the local quartet.
Cooper Hollow used their decades of collective experience to please the crowd with cohesive covers of folk and blues classics such as the "Pan Handle Rag," and "Nail that Catfish to a Tree."
Without any amplification, the natural vibrations of their strings reverberated through the open atrium, creating an intimate environment of warm tones.
Cooper Hollow used their decades of collective experience to please the crowd with cohesive covers of folk and blues classics such as the "Pan Handle Rag," and "Nail that Catfish to a Tree."
Without any amplification, the natural vibrations of their strings reverberated through the open atrium, creating an intimate environment of warm tones.
Described as a "high-energy mix of bluegrass, old-time, country and rags with a bit of Cajun thrown in for spice," this was Cooper Hollow’s fourth time playing at the
“It’s always a treat to play here, the people are nice and it has great acoustics,” said Sally Clark (guitar, mandolin, vocals).
Clark owns and manages Guthrie Park Community Center near Dallas , OR
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| Paul Scheerer (melody banjo, vocals) has been a biologist for ODFW for 22 years. |
Lead vocalist Paul Scheerer (melody banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, vocals) was unable to sing because of a surgery that requires his jaw to be wired shut for 4-6 weeks, the result of a cyst caused by an impacted wisdom tooth.
“It’s been hard because I love to sing everyday,” said Scheerer, “and everyday I’m reminded that I can’t sing.”
Scheerer has also been a biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for the past 22 years, evident in the customized salmon-shaped inlay on his banjo fretboard.
Jim Hockenhull (fiddle, guitar, vocals), joked “it’s hard for (Scheerer) to talk, which makes the rest of us happy, but unfortunately it’s impossible for him to sing.”
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| Jim Hockenhull is a four-time Oregon Old-Time Fiddler's Senior Champion |
He holds a BFA and an MFA in sculpture and his wife of 45 years, Jo, stands in on triangle for certain Cajun songs.
Plucking the rhythm was Jon Franke (standup bass), a professional luthier who built the great whale of an instrument that he plays. Franke specializes in building violins, violas, and cellos. (Proviolins.com)
Franke began building violins as a hobby in 1985 and was able to leave his work as a master tool and die maker in 1992 to open his own instrument shop.
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| Jon Franke is a luthier who built the bass he plays. |
Cooper Hollow also plays weddings and parties, and can be seen at the Best Cellar Coffeehouse on Friday, May 27th, as well as the Corvallis Saturday Farmer’s Market on July 2nd.
For more info on Cooper Hollow, visit their website @ http://www.cooperhollowband.com/
The next Benton Center Acoustic Showcase will feature Tom & Ellen Demarest on Friday, May 20th. The event is free and open to the public.
At A Glance:
What you missed: Cooper Hollow at the Benton Center Acoustic Showcase April 22nd
When you can catch them: Friday, May 27th at the Best Cellar Coffeehouse
Next at the Benton Center: Tom & Ellen Demarest on May 20th
Why: Because local music makes life better
The next Benton Center Acoustic Showcase will feature Tom & Ellen Demarest on Friday, May 20th. The event is free and open to the public.
At A Glance:
What you missed: Cooper Hollow at the Benton Center Acoustic Showcase April 22nd
When you can catch them: Friday, May 27th at the Best Cellar Coffeehouse
Next at the Benton Center: Tom & Ellen Demarest on May 20th
Why: Because local music makes life better
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