The Best Cellar Coffeehouse - A monthly music series (usually 4th Fridays), featuring area and regional performers, usually held at either the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 NW Circle, Corvallis or the First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Avenue. Admission is on a sliding scale of $2 to $10 (kids are free), with coffee, juice, teas, and sweets available at a nominal charge.

The Best Cellar continues its mission of bringing great acoustic music to the community for a price anyone can afford. Our January show will be a good one. Adam Scrumstaad is an excellent player, keeping the sound of "traditional blues" alive and well in the Northwest; and Swing Habit will put a smile on every face in the room... This last month we were especially pleased. Not only was it a fine evening of music, but we raised $360 for CARDV in the process, as we continued our tradition of a winter benefit for The Center... The Cellar has lots of fans and plenty of fine musicians that want to play there. We could use a couple more volunteers. We have enough volunteers right now to make an evening of music happen, but not quite enough to cover if one or two folks can’t make it. The jobs are simple enough. Cookies, coffee, taking admission, and selling the occasional CD for the artists. No heavy lifting. If you’d like to join Diane Roth, Bob Duval, Van Fister, and me in helping to create this community event, please get in touch with me, Mark Weiss, 752-7456. Thanks.

Jan 23, 2009

7:30 — Swing Habit
Michael Proctor (bass), Steve Moore (guitar), and Dave Thormahlen (mandolin) bring the joy of hot, acoustic, swing music back to The Cellar. Loads of fun!
8:30 — Adam Scramstad
One of the Northwest’s finest blues guitarists and singers. Soul satisfying blues done right.
Location: the First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Avenue.

Dec 5, 2008

7:30 — Sid Rosen and Friends
Beautiful finger style guitar instrumentals with great percussion accompaniment.
8:30 — The Bluegrass Transition Team
Hot Pickin' from Mark Weiss, Alex Hargreaves, and David Hargreaves, Linda and Ed Waymire.
Location: the First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Avenue.

Oct 24

7:30 — Madera
(local music group that sings truly beautiful Latin folk songs, with great guitar, to boot).
8:30 — Tom Rawson
(great Seattle based folk singer and long time Best Cellar favorite)
Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship , 2945 NW Circle, Corvallis.

Sept 26

7:30 pm — 35th Anniversary Special Event
Special Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 NW Circle, Corvallis.

The Best Cellar for September 26th promises to be one of the finest programs we have ever had. Some of the very best musicians will be on hand to help us celebrate 35 years of bringing great, acoustic music to Corvallis. We also hope to have most of the "founders" of The Cellar present to take a bow; and for sure, we will have one special founder, Larry Edgar. Larry not only helped create The Cellar, but has done sound, as a volunteer, for 34 of the 35 years the Cellar has existed. Some will remember that we originally scheduled this show for May, but Larry was unable to be there, and there could be no such celebration without his presence. We will take a moment to honor Larry, in particular, and pepper the stage with many of his biggest fans, the musicians that he has done sound for (and helped to sound good) through the years... And, as a special treat, we hope to have the infamous, "original recipe" Best Cellar Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The Best Cellar began in June, 1973, when a group of friends decided the town needed a venue where local musicians could count on a good gig and anyone from the community could afford to come and have a great night of music. In the beginning The Cellar ran every Friday and Saturday night of the year, but it was the 70's and half the people in the world were aspiring musicians and the other half were avid listeners. As music and the pop culture changed, acoustic music became less popular, but just when it seemed that The Cellar might fad away, as so many great small town efforts do, The Corvallis Folklore Society stepped forward to sponsor The Cellar, and it has been going strong, as a once-a-month event, ever since.

April 25

7:30 — Sharon Thormahlen
Beautiful originals on harp
8:30 — Cooper Hollow
Old time, country string band. Foot stompin' fiddle and great vocals

March 14

7:30 — James Wilson:
Celtic influenced tunes on a variety of instruments
8:30 — Yvonne McMillan and the OSU Jazz All-stars
Swing and jazz from the 30's, 40's, and 50's

February 22

7:30 — Creighton Lindsay
Roots music at it's best
8:30 — Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino
Oregon's finest blues duo

January 25, 2008

7:30 — Doggone Divas and Dave
Great vocals and hot fiddle from Loretta Brenner, Jenni Wells-Whitney and some guy named Dave.
8:30 — Brian Cutean
Singer, songwriter, humorist, and a great stage performer

November 30, 2007

7:30 — Adam Scramstad
Blues and really good finger picking guitar.
8:30 — Nancy and Lisa Spencer
The creator of the Corvallis Folkore Society returns with her musical saw, her daughter who sings like a meadow lark, and her first CD. Nancy is the "national saw champion," and has performed on Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor, twice.