Delivering Culture to the Community

Republic Brewing Company Offers World Class Entertainment

By Liv Stecker

It takes special skill to pull off Britney Spears and Johan Sebastian Bach in the same musical set – but it takes pure genius and talent to make Britney Spears sound like Bach. This musical paradox took place on a Tuesday night at the Republic Brewing Company, when the Portland Cello Project took the tiny stage by storm and mesmerized a packed house of music enthusiasts from miles around.

Formed in 2007, The Portland Cello Project (lovingly referred to as PCP by their loyal followers) performs selections from a repertoire of over 1000 songs, from classical composers to Taylor Swift, along with original compositions and arrangements of contemporary composers like Elliot Smith, a Portland native who rose to fame with a song on the soundtrack to Goodwill Hunting. Performing with as few as four cellos and up to twelve, with a full accompaniment of drums and brass, or without any augmentation, the PCP has traveled all over to play for sold-out audiences worldwide.

On the particular Tuesday in question, the PCP arrived early enough in the day to play for an assembly of the Republic Schools as part of a music exposure program that Republic Brewing Company owners, Billy and Emily Burt, have developed. Bringing in world-class musical acts to play in the brewpub, they have tapped local resources from the Kinross Gold Mine to provide for additional shows at schools in Republic and Curlew. Without this generous help from local industry and the coordination of Emily Burt, many of the remotely located students would never have a chance to experience live music of this caliber.

Switching up the set list for their varied audiences, the PCP played the theme from Mario Brothers and a medley of TV and movie soundtracks, including Mission Impossible and Star Wars, winning the hearts of geeks across the generations. Performing Bach interspersed with Taylor Swift and modern composer Elliot Smith, the PCP kept the audience in rapt curiosity throughout the show. Toward the end of the set when the cellos launched into Britney Spears “Toxic” there was a momentary hesitation in the crowd. The haunting strains were familiar, but to the 21 and over crowd, the melancholy refrain might just as easily been from Dvorak’s Winter Season as from a modern pop star.

Drawing from such a large scope of style and background, the Portland Cello Project keeps audiences coming back for a totally new experience every time. For a small town like Republic, hearing cello music from any genre is a rarity, but the eclectic variety that the PCP offers was a great break from the jukebox or karaoke contest. Republic Brewing Company is leading the pack in the live music scene of rural Ferry County. Featuring monthly musical acts of all types, the Burts transform the cozy brewpub into a miniature concert hall. Several dozen music lovers from every generation and traveling from all over the region congregated at the historic fire hall in downtown Republic to catch this once in a lifetime event for the small town. According to Emily Burt, the performance for Republic Schools was met with great enthusiasm from students in all grades. There was an equally gracious reception at the pub the same night, and the cellists visited warmly with customers after the show.

The PCP has released numerous albums, and they are currently touring to promote their latest CD, a tribute album to Elliot Smith, rich with his haunting melodies and connections back to their shared hometown. You can get this and other albums on their website, portlandcelloproject.com, where you will also find touring information and links to videos.

Check out republicbrew.com to find out which world-class act is scheduled at the Republic Brewing Company next and for more information about RBCs fantastic beer and entertainment schedule!