October 17, 2007

Portland musicians Tony Smiley and the band OutPost will rock the Bowe Theatre on Saturday, in a benefit concert for the Hood River Valley High School Music Department. Both bands feature former HRVHS music students.

Smiley, who played drums and sang while at HRVHS, is a one-man band; a singer songwriter who plays drums, guitars, and keyboards and fuses them with technology and loop recording to create shows that have drawn a loyal following in Portland and Hood River.

Smiley’s CD, “Sand Paintings,” has been hailed as “mad-crazy loop-ninja skills combined with a wide variety of instruments — from keyboards to vocal beat-box — which layer each song with its own texture. From the finger gymnastics of ‘Done Doggin’ to the frank tenderness of ‘Story Book’ to the rock-n-roll of ‘Confessions,’ Smiley’s debut album is the work of incredible talent.”

Another HRV Music grad, Brian Merz, plays in OutPost, a “Portland band that fuses rock, reggae, funk and hip-hop to create premium dancing music. Their focus is to combine lively music with a conscious message and positive energy. In their short time they have amassed a vibrant following and have played shows from Portland to NorCal.

Outpost is fronted by a trio of Oregonians who met in college. tmpILL (Brian Merz), SpecialGuest and P.Hill push the message with high-energy vocals. With SpecialGuest on guitar, a pair of East Coasters tie the sound together with Oscar Lich on drums and Tyler Stauss on bass.