A look back at Timber! 2014 (Photo Slideshows & Podcasts)

Charles Bradley @ TImber! 2014 (Photo by Greg Roth)

Photos by Greg Roth and Christina Leiva

In a couple of days thousand of Northwest music and nature lovers will make their annual pilgrimage across the water to partake in what has become a Northwest music festival treasure, Doe Bay Fest.The festival kicks off on August 7 and runs through August 11th and is brought to you by the good folks at Artist Home.

A little over a week ago, Artist Home whetted the appetites of festival goers by bringing a taste of Doe Bay a little closer to The Emerald City. Timber! Outdoor Music Festival celebrated its’ second year in Carnation Washington the last weekend of July, and like Doe Bay Fest, Timber! 2014 was an event that transcended a music entertainment. What was staged was an incredible, life affirming experience – celebrating community, nature, the cosmos, and of course, some brilliant music by some of the best artists in the Northwest and beyond.

SMI Contributor and roving photographer Christina Leiva captured some beautiful images of the surrounding festival activities and sites.

The first day of in climate weather couldn’t dampen the Timber! spirit. Most of the first night’s music activities took place that the beautiful Campfire stage. The Shumba Marimba Ensemble got things started and followed up by Calico and then an impressive showing by the unique and multi-genre sounds of Julia Massey & The Five Finger Discount. Benjamin Verdoes followed and Horsefeathers closed out the Campfire Stage with a moving performance.

The first night concluded with an after party at Pete’s Grill and featured Rockwell Powers and Postmadonna.

Timber! 2014 Day 2 started off with clear skies and a little something for the kids with a fun performance from Mikey Mike (one half of Mikey & Matty). 1839 Ensemble christened the Timber! main stage with a powerful performance followed by Fauna Shade, Hounds of the Wild Hunt, Tea Cozies, Grynch, Rocky Votolato and concluded with a rousing performance by the mighty Seattle Rock Orchestra.

After the main stage activities Mikey and Matty and Damien Jurado delivered exquisite and moving performances at the Campfire stage.The sun came out again on day three and started with another great kid show courtesy of  Eli Rosenblatt. Over on the main stage Rock and Roll Hall of Fame DJ, Marco Collins MC’d the main stage actives and kicked the day into gear by introducing The Comettes, who transported music fans back 3 decades with their flawless, retro-sounding performance followed by Denver.  The Smokey Brights performed a solid, high energy, vintage pop set, accompanied by their official street team and gaggle of pink and white beach balls.

As always, Cumulus delivered a solid and sonically brilliant set. The festival shifted gears with a spirited performance by The Physics.  Eldridge Gravy and (The Motherfunkin’) Court Supreme brought the Timber! crowd to their feet with their horn driven, booty shaken’ sound, paying homage to P-Funk and Sly and The Family Stone.

The inspiring and incomparable Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaire’s closed out the Timber! main stage by reaching deep down into every ounce of his being and gave Timber! fans an awe-inspiring, show-stopping performance that would make The Godfather of soul himself a proud and happy man.

Included in Bradley’s electric performance was a marriage proposal. Bradley invited the freshly engaged couple up to the stage and serenaded them as they embraced, danced on stage and gazed lovingly into each others eyes. It was one of just many lovely moments at Tmber!

A Timber! Proposal (Photo by Christina Leiva)

The music portion of the evening wrapped up at the Campfire stage, culminating with the delta blues stylings of Lonesome Shack  and the stunning guitar pyrotechnics of J Mascis.

A special thank you!

We at SMI would like to give a special thanks to Kevin Sur, Phil O’Sullivan and the rest of the Timber! crew for putting on a magnificent event and accommodating us with passes and full access to the artists and other activities. One of Timber’s sponsors REI  was more than generous providing us and Timber! goers with gift cards and other goodies.

We look forward to partnering with Kevin and crew for Timbrrr! this winter. For more on this, stay tuned!

Over the course of the last of the last several weeks I had the opportunity to participate in an exclusive series of sessions featuring Timber! Artists. SMI Radio in conjunction with Critical Sun Recordings and Artist Home presented a unique series entitled “Timber! Shows!”  The series featured exclusive artist interviews and live, exclusive music sessions recorded at the Critical Sun Radio studios.

For a little taste of some of the music that you will experience this weekend, check out some of the Timber! Shows! Podcasts below.

To listen to past SMI Radio Shows! featuring some more brilliant artists GO HERE.

Listen to SMI RADIO streaming each week…Thursday 12:00 Noon (Pacific Time) / 3:00pm (Eastern Time) and Saturday night at 7:00pm on: NWCZ Radio