OLYMPIA –September 8, 2017– The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Folk & Traditional Arts in the Parks Program invites the public to a Celebrating Cultures event at Pearrygin Lake, near Winthrop.
The free evening concert is from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, on the east shore of Pearrygin Lake at the park, located at 561 Bear Creek Road, Winthrop. Visitors enter the event through the east campground of Pearrygin Lake State Park. Admission to the performance is free; the Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to the park.
Celebrating Cultures will highlight two diverse musical traditions. Reggae legend Clinton Fearon will give a special solo performance that weaves song, story and guitar virtuosity. Juan Barco and his friends will bring the music and stories of Texas and Mexico to Washington State in a celebration of el Dieciseis de Septiembre (the 16th of September), or Mexican Independence Day, when Mexico won its independence from Spain.
Clinton Fearon
Clinton Fearon was born and raised in Jamaica. He began playing instruments and composing songs in his early teens and started playing professionally at the age of 19.
Fearon became the bassist, vocalist and lyricist for the mythic group The Gladiators, as well as a session musician for Coxsonne Dodd in Studio One and Lee 'Scratch' Perry's at Black Ark, two of the main producers on the island.
After leaving Jamaica in 1987, Fearon started a new career in Seattle and founded The Defenders with other former members of The Gladiators. When The Defenders split in 1993, Fearon formed the Boogie Brown Band with local Seattle musicians. Fearon has recorded eight albums with the Boogie Brown Band and two solo acoustic CDs.
Each of Fearon’s songs is a message from the heart of a man who dedicates his life to help a better world to come. He describes his music:
"My music is roots reggae from the island of Jamaica. I grew up deep in the hills, up in St. Catherine, surrounded by nature, beauty and hard work. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be a musician and began my career singing in church and at school, and eventually I built my own guitar! As a teenager, my journeys took me to Kingston where I met many musicians and began writing and recording music. The Skatalites, Motown artists and Jamaican musicians who came before me all influenced my music.
I write from my heart. The world is full of inspirations... nature, people, politics, love. I write about them all. My music is good for the soul - always with a message of hope and betterment for tomorrow. It's good for dancing, good for listening and I think it's good for all.”
Juan Barco
Juan Barco was born in Coal Mine, TX, into a family of migrant farm workers who followed the crop harvests within Texas and eventually to other states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Arizona and California. Barco taught himself to play the guitar at 6 years of age and later taught himself to play the bajo sexto and bass guitar. His music incorporates all of the differt styles he heard as his farmworker family traveled from place to place, and he composed his own songs about the family migrant experience. He and his band play a lively mix of traditional Tex-Mex music and original compositions.
About the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program
The Celebrating Cultures Concert is part of a broader series of events celebrating Washington’s diverse cultural communities, presented by the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program and funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Washington State Parks Foundation. For a full schedule of Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program events, contact Debbie Fant, Folk & Traditional Arts Program Coordinator, at Deborah.Fant@PARKS.WA.GOV or 360-902-8635.
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About Washington State Parks
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages more than 100 state parks and properties totaling approximately 120,000 acres. The Commission provides a variety of recreation opportunities for citizens and provides stewardship protection for a diverse array of natural, cultural and historic resources. State Parks’ statewide programs include long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation.
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Share your favorite state park adventure on the State Parks’ blog site at http://adventureawaits.com/
Support state parks by purchasing your annual Discover Pass today, and enjoy a whole year of outdoor fun on Washington’s beautiful state-managed recreation lands. For more information, visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
1111 Israel Road S.W.
P.O. Box 42650
Olympia, WA 98504-2650
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