Rock away in Rockaway
Be sure to turn up for the Rockaway Beach Music Festival
It’s always cooler at the beach and the Rockaway Beach Music Festival is keeping the cool vibes going this summer with a free, two-day long music festival hosted at the Rockaway Beach Wayside this weekend.
Hosted by Neah-Kah-Nie Coast Art and Music Cultural Foundation (NCAM), the event will feature 12 live acts: Tillamook Coast bands Mercury Coast and Hope Montgomery and regional bands Glitterfox, Mitch Whitaker, The Dead Lines, Nik Xandir Wolf, Doral Vance, Blaine Heinonen, Sunkicks, Dylan Crawford and members of Typhoon.
“We’ve never had this caliber of music festival here before,” Mercury Coast bandmember Eric Sappington said. “There’s a lot of momentum and support behind it. Come to the coast and support what’s going on; it’s going to be a beautiful weekend.”
Along with the music, the event will feature an artisan fair with products from local artists and makers and a beer garden, offering beverages from Pelican Brewing and 503 Distilling. Grab a bite to eat from the Garibaldi Portside Bistro food truck or Tony’s Beach Bites, or walk to Pelican Brewing’s new tap room location in Rockaway Beach. Just a skip away from the concert venue, Sea Breeze Ice Cream will be serving Pelican Brewing soda floats with a portion of all sales going back to the foundation.
The music festival is free to attend, but VIP tickets are available for admission to a reserved seating area. All proceeds from VIP tickets and merchandise sales will benefit the foundation’s mission to create access to writing, music, arts and cultural programs for people of all ages.
The entirely volunteer-run organization is actively raising funds to build a modern, professional- grade recording studio at Neah-Kah-Nie High School in Rockaway Beach.
“NCAM has been a partner in expanding our high school music program,” Principal Christy Hartford said. “Partnerships like this between nonprofits and the high school are important when we try to build out new programming that doesn’t fall into the traditional track of what schools offer. Their investment of time, energy and resources is a powerful show of support for the future of our local talent and creative industries — something especially impactful in a rural community like ours.”
Mercury Coast accessed the resources pooled together by the foundation to record their album at a studio in north Tillamook County.
“There’s not a lot of access and never has been to a recording studio on the coast,” Sappington said. “We worked with a professional recording setup and [an NCAM volunteer] who was very knowledgeable. If we could get a recording studio for our students, it may help kids get going in
the right direction; it’s going to be huge for them. Keep supporting the arts. The opportunities are going to be incredible.”
The Rockaway Beach Music Festival takes place on Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Rockaway Beach Wayside, with music starting at noon both days.
For more information and to purchase VIP tickets, go to rbmusicfest.com.