For more than four decades here, the soundtrack of summer has centered on the Wait Park gazebo in the heart of downtown Canby — highlighted by the sounds of Slice of Summer, a locally organized concert series featuring primarily local artists.
And this year, Canby’s beloved local concert series is back and better than ever — with a new leadership team, eager to serve their community a fresh lineup of diverse musical acts from the local area and beyond.
“It’s such a great Canby tradition,” says Brian Haines, one of two new co-chairs of the nonprofit concert series. “It’s free, it’s family-oriented, and it happens right here in the heart of town. Everybody looks forward to it, and we just want to keep it going.”
Slice has been a Canby tradition since at least 1985, but the series ran out of gas in 2017 when the Canby Music Boosters — which had previously organized the concerts — was no longer able to run the event.
Fortunately, Canby decided one summer without Slice was enough, and a new group of volunteers stepped forward to revive the series in 2018 under the umbrella of the nonprofit Livability Coalition.
The Sunday afternoon concerts feature local and regional acts and typically draw hundreds of music-lovers to downtown Canby, along with food trucks and shaved ice.
Haines vividly remembers attending the events when he was growing up in Canby, believing the experience helped pave the way to his own future career as a touring musician and the founder and proprietor of Canby Music.
“I still remember seeing Quarterflash play,” he says, referring to the Portland-based rock group that briefly gained a national following with its platinum self-titled debut album in 1981 and Billboard top-10 hit “Harden My Heart.”
“And now, I have kids of my own, and I want them to be able to experience the same things I loved when I was growing up. That’s one of the main reasons we wanted to keep it alive and, hopefully, breathe some new life into it.”
Joining Haines and Carlson on the new Slice committee are treasurer Emily Inskeep, secretary Connie Ables and Laura Sattler, who serves as liaison to the series’ parent organization, the Canby Livability Coalition.
This year’s series kicked off with a bang on July 14, heralding in the dog days of summer with the swing-era stylings of the Willamette Valley Big Band — whose 18-piece ensemble includes Haines’ fellow Slice co-chair, Paul Carlson.
Next up, on Sunday, July 28, will be a homecoming of sorts for one of the most marquee names the series has hosted in years: Molalla native Eli Howard and his country rock-infused folk/Americana outfit, The Greater Good, consisting of Nick Lambert, Mason Judson and Nik Elliot.
Howard and his band have been touring full-time for the past three years, playing more than 200 shows a year across the United States — but Slice of Summer is a welcome first.
“It’s not very often I get to play in the state of Oregon, let alone 20 minutes from my house,” Howard quips, talking with the Current from somewhere on the road in Idaho. “But I’m excited about it. I’m flattered that they asked me, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The sound of The Greater Good is a little difficult to define — Howard is endlessly amused by the most common descriptor, “Southern” rock, considering that he and all three of his bandmates hail from the Pacific Northwest.
“We get told we sound like (Lynyrd) Skynyrd a lot, but I think the closest comparison is one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers,” he says. “I’m big fans of them.”
Howard’s group is also unique for in that they play their own original songs, whereas most Slice of Summer concerts feature acts playing well-known covers of other bands.
“Mostly, life coming at me,” Howard says of what inspires him. “It seems the more I shut up and listen, the more I find things I want to write about.”
Rounding out this year’s Slice lineup are Bridgetown Get Down, a high-energy six-piece band specializing in dance songs and party music (and featuring the saxophone wizardry of Canby High School band director Nick Luchterhand), and returning favorite The Jesse James Band, on August 11 and 25, respectively.
Each concert kicks off at 6 p.m. and will feature edible offerings from Claudia’s Kitchen, Kona Ice and Ragtime Treats, along with TMK Creamery and Papa Murphy’s at select concerts. The Canby Kiwanis Club will be offering popcorn for those feeling peckish.
The shows are free but do include an optional 50/25/25 raffle, with two winners each taking home one quarter of the pot, and the rest going to support the nonprofit series.
For more details, visit the Slice of Summer website or Facebook page, or email info@sliceofsummer.org.