Guitarist Steve Arriola, far left, and keyboardist Skip Jones, far right, are the leaders of the Steve Arriola Band, which hopes to make more frequent appearances at Village Green.
COTTAGE GROVE – When Don McLean sang about “the day the music died” in his mega-hit song “American Pie,” few believed that such an occurrence could actually happen.
Then COVID-19 reared its ugly head, and sure enough, live music – for all intents and purposes – was dead.
It’s been a long drought, more than a year, but finally, there is some good news to pass along …
LIVE MUSIC IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Village Green in Cottage Grove, which until recent years used to host live performers seven nights a week, is doing shows every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Bar manager Angelica Clark said she envisions going back to every-night entertainment once the state’s mandates ease up a bit more.
“It may still take a while, but I can see us getting back to seven nights a week in the coming months,” Clark said.
The Steve Arriola Band graced the stage at the Village Green on Saturday night, reminding the socially distanced audience that southern Lane County is a hotbed for top-flight musicians. The five-piece band out of Eugene features an eclectic sound, as the band members have such diverse backgrounds.
“We all like similar music, but we have our own styles,” said Arriola, a former Creswell resident who played frequently at the B&B Lounge. “(Keyboardist) Skip Jones brings the boogie-woogie, traditional blues feel and (drummer) Theo Halpert can play anything. My taste is a little more country, but I enjoy playing with these guys because it’s such a nice mix.”
Sometimes, the group goes by the name “Skip Jones & Spirit of New Orleans.”
“We’ll go back and forth, it’s just whoever books the gig,” Arriola said.
Arriola, the lead guitarist, said the pandemic has given him an opportunity to expand his horizons.
“I’ve been playing guitar for 35 years,” he said. “Having all of this extra time has given me a chance to pick up some new instruments, so I’m learning how to play drums, bass and steel guitar.”
Jones also has Creswell ties, as he was “somewhat of a regular” performer at the Blue Valley Bistro. “I know they have a second shop now in Coburg, so I hope to start playing there again, if everything works out,” he said.
Jones, who describes his style as “N’awlins boogie-fied R&B,” certainly injected plenty of Cajun flavor into the show, and standards such as “Bring It On Home To Me,” “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” “Wasted Days & Wasted Nights” and “Feels Like Rain” kept the crowd rocking, even though dancing is still prohibited for the time being.
“My heart is in Louisiana,” Jones said. “A lot of people think I’m from New Orleans, but I’ve only spent a grand total of six days there my whole life.”
Jones will never forget his first trip to The Big Easy.
“I grew up in California and Eugene, so I was extremely green to New Orleans,” he said. “I got hit with all that culture all at once and I felt like an alien. … It was Mardi Gras and everyone’s celebrating. Then I run out to look because Lady Godiva is coming down the street.
“Then in that instant, I got ripped off of some of my equipment. It was an incredible learning experience.”
Before that first visit to New Orleans, Jones was a pretty devoted vegetarian for 36 years. But N’awlins cooking has a way of altering one’s palette.
“Ever since then, I haven’t been nearly as strict,” said Jones, who has also been a longtime performer at Mac’s in Eugene, where he hosts the Rooster Blues Jam.
Jones said he too has enjoyed spreading his wings this past year with all of the downtime.
“I’ve been working on my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), spending most of my time with that,” Jones said of the electronic device that’s used to record, produce and edit audio files.
“I’m also getting close to making another CD because I’ve had all this extra time. It’s been horrible for so many businesses and musicians, but the silver lining has been all this free time we’ve had to be creative.”
His first album, called “Snapshot,” was released in 2012.
And the Steve Arriola Band’s inspired showing Saturday night – now that we finally have music again – was picture-perfect.
