Sammamish Symphony to headline Benaroya Hall
March 9, 2010
The Sammamish Symphony Orchestra is packing it up and leaving the plateau behind for the mainstage of Benaroya Hall for a special one-night performance March 14. Read more
Sparkfarmer’s album debuts after seven years of ‘bowling night’
March 2, 2010
At left, Getty (left) flashes Dave Baumert a smile in the band’s Sammamish recording studio Feb. 4. By Christopher Huber
Members of the Sammamish-based band Sparkfarmer are the first to admit they don’t have any delusions of making it big, signing with a well-known label or touring the country in a fancy bus.
But they certainly love doing what they do.
The band, made up of longtime rockers, camping buddies and family men Dave Baumert, Getty, Steve Leigh and Tim Osborne, recently released their first CD — “Stereo Biplane.” They recorded the CD in Baumert’s Sammamish studio and Leigh produced it in Snoqualmie.
“It feels good. It easily could have languished on a shelf,” Leigh said.
The album took nearly seven years to complete — five years to record and master — and is a collection of such varying styles and sounds that Baumert and Getty said most people will have a tough time defining the band.
“If we have any dreams of success, it’s probably in the songwriting realm,” Baumert said. Read more
Bake’s Place pays tribute to radio icon Jim Wilke
February 23, 2010
Bake’s Place at Providence Point pays a special tribute to Seattle radio icon Jim Wilke on Feb. 26 on Northwest vocalist Greta Matassa’s weekly show, “Fridays in the Living Room with Greta.” Read more
Issaquah grad reprises ‘Falstaff’ role
February 23, 2010
Issaquah native Anya Matanovic stars as Nannetta in the Seattle Opera’s production of ‘Falstaff.’ By Bill Mohn
Reprising a role from her first years as an opera singer, Issaquah native Anya Matanovic will grace Seattle with her voice again in Seattle Opera’s comedy “Falstaff” Feb. 27 – March 13.
“Working with Anya is always a treat. Her intelligence and charm shine through in this role, which also showcases her beautiful voice,” Director Peter Kazaras wrote in an e-mail. “It has been inspiring to watch Anya mature and master the technical difficulties of this intricate score. I think she is a perfect Nannetta.”
While she lives in Manhattan, Issaquah is the city Matanovic said she calls home.
Passion for trains pays off for photographer
February 16, 2010
Issaquah photographer David Honan visits the Train Depot to take more photos of his favorite subject - trains. By Greg Farrar
Trains aren’t just David Honan’s business. They’re his passion.
At 28, Honan is the winner of this year’s Trains Magazine photography contest.
“He’s just a wonderful and a very nice person,” said Bobbie Olin, an Issaquah resident who rides the bus to work with him each day. “This is definitely an honor to get selected for this as the grand prize winner.
By day, Honan works as a civil engineer for HDR Engineers in Bellevue, where he primarily designs railroads and infrastructure related to railroad operations.
“It’s been very rewarding to work on a number of local passenger rail projects, which, when complete, will benefit transit users in the region for years to come,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Honan grew up in New York, but graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana.
His interest in trains developed long before working with trains when he moved here four years ago, as he explained in an e-mail interview.
Q: When did you first have an interest in trains?
A: I’ve liked railroads for, literally, as long as I can remember. As best as anyone in my family can recall, it was my paternal grandfather who exposed me to trains and helped develop my interest. I have fond memories of him taking me to both the local railroad yard and airport to watch trains and planes; obviously the former made more of an impact upon me.
Q: How did you get involved in train photography?
His photo ‘Bridging the Gap’ won first place in a Trains Magazine contest.
A: I come from a family of mostly artists, so the desire to document what I see is naturally ingrained. I determined long ago that the illustration gene wasn’t passed down, and eventually, I started taking photos as a means to preserve memories of what I saw and share those memories with others.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your photography?
A: Photography gives me the desire to explore new locales and, by extension, allows me to meet new people. I would not have seen many amazing places nor befriended numerous wonderful folks if not for my enthusiasm for traveling and experiencing sights yet unseen.
Q: What is special about the locomotive and train industry, that speaks to you as an artist?
A: I’m impressed that there are always inherent challenges to constructing any railroad line. Much of my work does not showcase merely a train, but instead places the subject within the greater context of its surroundings.
Q: What do you hope others gain from your photos?
A: I would hope that viewers of my work experience the same sense of awe I feel when seeing a beautiful scene.
Q: Do any other types of photography interest you?
A: I enjoy taking advantage of unusual lighting conditions to create unique images; perfect sunlight is absolutely not a requirement for making interesting photos, and working outside that supposed requirement is always a delightful challenge.
Q: What does the honor in Trains Magazine mean to you?
A: Trains Magazine has been publishing the work of the best railroad photographers — Richard Steinheimer, Ted Benson, O. Winston Link — for seven decades, and to have my photo featured on the same pages as those legends is an incredible honor. This is without a doubt my greatest achievement as a photographer.
Q: How and where can other people see your work?
A: The March 2010 issue of Trains Magazine featuring the photo contest winners is currently on newsstands.
Honan also maintains a portfolio featuring his work on Flickr and contributes photos with a railroad in them to RailPictures.net.
The award-winning photograph, “Bridging the Gap,” was taken at 9:30 p.m. in March as an example of how engineering can create a solution to overcome an obstacle, Honan said in the description in Trains Magazine. In this case, Honan captured a train crossing the Foss River Bridge, which connects the railway over a valley in Skykomish. It was a challenging piece of engineering, because it had to keep the trains moving at a steady grade, he said of the photo.
For his photograph, Honan won a Canon EOS 50D digital SLR camera with an EF 28-135 millimeter lens. He will also attend the 32nd Winterail Railroad Photography and Railroadiana exhibition show in Stockton, Calif., on March 13. While in California, he’ll spend a day railfanning with Brian Matsumoto, from Cannon U.S.A., and Kathi Kube, managing editor of Trains Magazine.
On the Web
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dwhonan
RailPictures.net: www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=33955
Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
XXX unveils biggest car show schedule yet
February 9, 2010
If you have a car club and missed out getting on the 2010 calendar of shows at the XXX Rootbeer Drive-In, you’ll have to be quicker next year. This year’s list is filled. Read more
Free film series invites solving the mystery of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’
February 9, 2010
A free film series continues Feb. 13 with “Murder on the Orient Express,” the 1974 big-screen adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie mystery. Read more
An eye for directing
February 2, 2010
Local filmmaker looks to ride low-budget horror movie trend to success with ‘Eyes in the Dark’
Reading the script and discussing a scene for ‘Eyes in the Dark’ are (from left) actress Melinda Ausserer, assistant director Robyn Scaringi, actor Jason Robison, director Bjorn Anderson, actor Wayne Bastrup and actor John Symonds. Contributed
On his 26th birthday, Issaquah resident Bjorn Anderson walked into work at the Home Depot and gave his two weeks’ notice. He wanted to pursue his dream of making movies. He started his first script the same day.
“I figured I was young enough that if I was ever going to do it, it would have to be now,” Anderson said.
He never had any formalized film training, but said he watched movies with a critical eye for years.
“I could pay money for film school or pay money for actual film and learn as I go,” Anderson said.
He chose the latter. Read more
Musician presents ‘anti-radio’ CD ‘Rum of Faith’
January 19, 2010
Jeremy Owen strips down to just his voice and his guitar in his new CD, ‘Rum of Faith.’ Julianne Masters
Jeremy Owen has worked hard to train his voice to be his best instrument. If, instead, he’d allowed his career track to be influenced by his failures, he might not be releasing his fourth CD, let alone his first.
“I have been humiliated off more stages on open mic nights than I can count,” said the Issaquah resident. “And each time, I said I’d never do that again. Then, one day, no one was complaining.”
Having performed for just about every type of audience, Owen said his latest CD, “Rum of Faith,” marks a return to the music best enjoyed by a smaller, more intimate audience. That’s why he chose to debut it at Vino Bella, with its intimate café setting.
While “Rum of Faith” is a return to an all-acoustic set, Owen described his music that can be tweaked to be enjoyed by any crowd, from heavy metal to country. Read more
Come to ‘Twilight’ convention with The Issaquah Press this weekend
January 12, 2010
Join us — and fellow Twihards — when the ‘Twilight’ convention comes to Seattle. Read more
