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Misty River Band draws big crowd to Kiwanis benefit concert

By Dave Kern
Published: March 14, 2011, 12:00am
3 Photos
Misty River welcomes Grammy-winning guitarist Doug Smith, right, to the stage Sunday.
Misty River welcomes Grammy-winning guitarist Doug Smith, right, to the stage Sunday. Photo Gallery

Money goes to more than 30 charities and causes including the Clark County Food Bank; Vancouver School District Foundation; Battle Ground School District Foundation and YWCA of Clark County. The event was sponsored by the Salmon Creek Kiwanis and Columbia Credit Union.

The group’s last scheduled Clark County concert is June 11 at the Old Liberty Theater in Ridgefield.

Misty River Band

Misty Mamas

Chris Kokesh

If you closed your eyes, the harmonies of the Misty River Band on Sunday took you to a place warm and welcoming.

At least that’s what audience members said.

And the Salmon Creek Kiwanis concert at Skyview High School was noteworthy because the group says this was the last Vancouver appearance for a while. As of summer, the four members say they will go on a hiatus and can’t say when they will perform again.

Money goes to more than 30 charities and causes including the Clark County Food Bank; Vancouver School District Foundation; Battle Ground School District Foundation and YWCA of Clark County. The event was sponsored by the Salmon Creek Kiwanis and Columbia Credit Union.

The 800-plus crowd gave the band rounds of appreciative applause.

“Their music is personal,” said Susan Cole of Vancouver, an artist and teacher. “It reminds of happy times in Ireland. Happy times during the folk heyday when growing up.”

“It’s real down-home, real folksy,” said Linda Heller of Salmon Creek. “There’s just something comforting about their music. And sweet. Sweet voices.”

The group is so popular that this was their seventh concert for the Kiwanis. After expenses, those concerts have raised more than $86,000 for county charities, said club member Gregg Herrington.

The concert ($18, or $20 at the door) also featured Grammy-winning guitarist Doug Smith of Portland. He won shouts of approval for his intricate guitar picking, including on the theme for “The Magnificent Seven,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

Misty River has sold more than 65,000 recordings, said the band matriarch, Carol Harley, 61. They’ve been performing since 1997. The repertoire includes folk, Celtic, bluegrass and Irish tunes.

Harley is a survivor of CML leukemia, a deadly and rare disease. She credits the miracle drug Gleevec, co-invented by Dr. Brian Druker of OHSU Hospital, for saving her life. “It’s kept me in remission since March 2004,” she said.

So, why the hiatus?

Harley is busy with her other band, Misty Mamas, and says she is focusing on staying healthy.

Her daughter, bassist Laura Morin, is pregnant and now lives on a ranch near Maupin, Ore.

The group's last scheduled Clark County concert is June 11 at the Old Liberty Theater in Ridgefield.

Accordion player Dana Abel, who lives in Eugene, Ore., says she wants to spend more time with her family, including 7-year-old son Baird and 5-year-old daughter Edie.

And Chris Kokesh of Portland, who plays fiddle and guitar, is pursuing a career as a solo artist. She is leading a musical tour in Ireland later this year.

Asked about the success of the band, Harley said, “It’s our harmonies. Next would be our rapport with audiences. … We come out as strangers but we end up feeling like family.”

During their busiest, the band was playing 70 concerts a year, Harley said.

Harley said she’s loved everything about the band, including playing with her daughter. She said she’s had some sympathy for Laura because, “Can you imagine playing in a band with your mother?”

They’ve taken a hiatus before, so are they breaking up this time?

“We are not calling it a break-up, because in our hearts, we hope we will come back and do some shows at some point,” Abel said.

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