Listening to Cate and Starla

I was inordinately pleased that our House Concert yesterday featured Cate and Starla Gable who are our friends, who are local (mostly), and who have the sweetest voices this side of heaven. It seemed fitting to have them here for the last concert of the season. We had a full house which must have meant that many of our ‘regulars’ thought so, too.

Our ‘season’ is September through May… usually. Yesterday, June 1^st, was pushing it a bit. Here at the beach, things rev up beginning with Memorial Day and don’t slow down until Labor Day and beyond. Everyone gets busy with summer visitors and with helping at the various festivals and tours and outdoor markets. It’s hard to get an audience, so we are dark during High Tourist Season.

Cate and Starla grew up in a musical household. Their father sang tenor in an award-winning barbershop quartet and their earliest memories involve singing those close harmonies with their mom and dad as they traveled between their home in Yakima and vacations here on the Peninsula. So, in addition to what has been termed ‘genetic harmony,’ there are strains of those wonderful barbershop arrangements in much of what they sing.

Center Stage

But yesterday they fooled us. During the first set, they each did a few songs independently – to give us a glimpse of their individual (as opposed to together) styles. Both women have taught music, have been in bands, and have had a music involvement far beyond their family connection. It was fabulous to get a peek into their separate musical techniques and interests.

As usual, I was too immersed in the moment(s) to get any good pictures. Most of what I did get are dominated by Starla’s bright pink music stand. Her almost throw-away reference to it was “I seem to be all about pink lately” to which Cate added softly, “Starla is a breast cancer survivor.”

And, I really ought to caution our musicians not to wear white. Cate, in her crisp white blouse, almost faded into our white-ish woodwork and wallpaper – but only in the pictures. Fading into the background is not something either Cate or Starla do in real life. It was not only their music that left us all feeling enriched. Their strength and warmth and caring always take center stage right along with them.

I also meant to get some photographs of the food. As usual, people outdid themselves with their contributions to the feast (yes, feast!) that culminated the evening. In fact, Margie Cochrane suggested that we should do a “House Concert Cookbook” sometime. Not a bad idea! I can almost see it – photographs of yummy dishes interspersed with pictures and information about the musicians… But we already know not to count on me for the photographs!

We ended the evening by sitting out in the garden (another missed photo op) with Cate, Starla and a few lingering guests. We talked and laughed and hated for the evening to be over. It was a marvelous ending to the Oysterville House Concert Season!