Oregon Coast
Before zillions of Burners mystifyingly head to the broiling southwest desert in the heat of summer, saner music lovers can escape to the Siuslaw National Forest’s cool coastal verdancy for the second Beloved Sacred Arts and Music Festival, near Tidewater. Along with yoga, holistic healing workshops and a variety of spiritual practice seminars, the three day festival, which opens Friday, teems with superb global sounds, including Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Oliver Mtukudzi (who’s also playing in Portland next week), Belize’s Garifuna Collective with Canadian folkie Danny Michel doing the Paul Simon “Graceland”/ “Rhythm of the Saints” thing, singer-mbira master Chris Berry and his trio, Portland Indian music guru Michael Stirling, and many others. We Oregonians are fortunate to live in a fabulously diverse state that really blossoms in spring and summer, and our rich music scene reflects that bounty and beauty.