On Saturday, January 27th the Community Center for the Performing Arts proudly welcomes Judy Blue Eyes to the WOW Hall.
Judy Blue Eyes
Celebrating the musical life of David Crosby, Portland’s finest musicians perform the songs of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with CSN guitarist Jeff Pevar! Featuring members of Nowhere Band, Saloon Ensemble, Love Gigantic and more!
How often do you get to see / hear the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) live? Judy Blue Eyes is a new project birthed during the lock-down. Says singer John Averill “I’ve always felt that the music of CSN – in particular the vocal harmonies – have held some kind of mystical quality for me. About 6 years ago I had the idea of diving into CSN material and dissecting the harmony parts and perform it live, but there was never the time do devote to it.”
Enter 2020, when all live music stopped. Feeling the acute void of singing with other people, Averill (along with fellow Nowhere Band-mates Sarah King and Jason Wells on vocals, and David Langenes on guitar and vocals) met casually in Averill’s backyard. “After less than a dozen rehearsals scattered over a year, we realized we had learned 12 tunes. Since then we’ve begun diving into Neil Young material for a longer show.”
In July of 2021 word of Judy Blue Eyes leaked out and the yet-not-completely-formed band was offered a private gig, and other members were brought in fulfill the sound. “In terms of lead guitar, the most unexpected thing happened when I was contacted by Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles, David Crosby, Joe Cocker, James Taylor, etc.). He lives in Ashland and actually plays lead guitar with CSN!, so the fact that he was available and interested blew my mind.”
Since then, the band has expanded their show to over two hours of material. Rounding out the band is a stellar cast of musicians, featuring Ned Failing (Mexican Gunfight) on drums, Carl Tietze (Solovox) on keys, Greg Hyatt (Berthaline) on bass.
For fans of CSN&Y, and for those who have witnessed the vocal harmony prowess of the Nowhere Band’s Beatles (White Album Xmas, etc) shows, this is a must see/hear evening. The show will feature familiar CSN&Y favorites, as well as deep cuts for the die-hard fan.
