Ryan Oyer
Jeff Hoffinger
Young Geezer
Two musicians from two classic eras will perform side-by-side at Heritage House this fall as the first installment in the Generations Music Series on Friday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. The focus of the series of concerts is to create a form of musical counterpoint and collaboration by juxtaposing two complementary singer-songwriters from distinctly different eras. In the process, audiences find a creative nexus at the intersection of musicianship and life experience, said officials.
Performing Sept. 27 will be Ryan Oyer and Jeff Hoffinger inside the large neo-Georgian mansion located at the heart of Jack Benson Heritage Park, 1428 Jenkins Road in East Brainerd. The band Young Geezer featuring clarinetist Gordon Inman and accordion player Ed Bergin will open the concert.
The performance will be held as an alcohol-free event and presented in a ‘listening room’ format so that all may gain as much as possible from the experience.
Review for Ryan Oyer:
Mr. Oyer has been leader of the Ryan Oyer Band since 2010, and also performed a short stint in Mike McDade’s Neil Young Tribute band – Lazy Horse. Venues which Ryan has performed in have included Eddies Attic, the Red Clay Theatre, JJ’s Bohemia, Rhythm & Brews, Songbirds Guitar Museum, Tremont Tavern, the Nightfall Music Series, and Chattanooga’s annual Riverbend Festival.
Review for Jeff Hoffinger:
New York born and raised Jeff Hoffinger has been playing (and collecting!) guitar(s) since the
age of 15. An early member of the Greenwich Village folk movement in the mid-1960s and 70s, Jeff’s nights frequently consisted of playing a series of ‘pass the basket’ coffee house gigs in the course of an evening. As he made the most of a series of 20 minute sets, he quickly made the rounds of the performance circuit in the heart of the legendary bohemian neighborhood. After about five trips around the block, he realized the sun was rising, and it would soon be time to do it all over again. Like many a guitarist of the time, the musical epiphany which launched Jeff’s musical journey was Bob Dylan’s single, “Blowing in the Wind,” from Dylan’s second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963).
“We felt like we owned him,” recalls Jeff, especially, it seems, after Dylan was shunned early in his coffee house career by a city that, apparently, was not quite ready for him. Says Jeff of the atmosphere at the time of the “Blowing in the Wind’s initial release: “I’d be at a private party and ‘Blowing in the Wind’ would come on and the whole room would come to a dead halt . . . SILENCE. And people would just listen. That’s how powerful the effect of his music was on everyone at the
time.”
Among the bands of the era with which Jeff performed were The Unicorn Tapestry and The Chase Manhattan Band, with the venues hosting him including Gallo’s Psychedelic Underground, Zig-Zag, and The Olive Tree, among many, many others.
Children who are happy to be quiet and attentive during such an event are more than welcome; however, no texting, phones, or video games will be allowed during the event. In addition, the event will be recorded as well as streamed live. Admission is free, however, patrons will be able to support the artists via either a traditional ‘passing of the hat’ or via the purchase of artist CDs after the performance.
Light refreshments will be available courtesy of Chris Holley and the Heritage House pantry.
The series is made possible by the Chattanooga Department of Youth & Family Development and the staff at Heritage House Arts & Civic Center. For more information, please contact the Heritage House Arts & Civic Center at 855-9474 or view further information on their main Facebook site at:
https://www.facebook.com/HeritageHouseArtsandCivicCenter/