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| ENTERTAINMENT FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Ed Hernandez (left) and Phillip Narte are organizers of the Nooksack River Jammin' on the Hammond Music Festival on Sept. 11 to raise money for Nooksack Tribe youth programs. COURTESY PHOTO
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Linda Kendall Scott, For the Bellingham Herald
Phillip Narte and Ed Hernandez believe in putting their money and time where their mouths - and hearts - are. They've pledged personal business income and resources to produce the Nooksack River Jammin' on the Hammond Music Festival, a benefit concert Sept. 11 for Nooksack Tribe youth programs, such as school supplies, winter clothing and cultural outings.
Narte has been crabbing on his 1937 hand-built boat, Sea Lad, to raise the $5,000 he pledged to produce the concert. Hernandez, who owns Groove Merchant Northwest, will provide sound equipment.
"Speakers, sound reinforcement, microphones, the whole nine yards," Hernandez said. "They'll bring their instruments and I'll make sure they're heard."
Question: Why are you doing this concert?
Narte: I believe our youth is our greatest asset. Without assistance and mentoring, their chance of success is minimized. And it's important to give back to the community, a tradition our ancestors did in the form of the potlatch ceremony.
Hernandez: I got to work with the youth for a week during spring break. It turned out to be the most rewarding time I ever spent here.
Q: How did the idea develop?
Narte: We're both employed full time by the Nooksack Tribe and work at desks next to each other. Ed said he always wanted to do an outdoor music festival.
Hernandez: I'm sound engineer at the Wild Buffalo one night a week as part of my business and at various other locations. Also, I work with local festivals and sometimes perform.
Narte: From my business training - I graduated from the college of business and economics at Western Washington University in 1998 - I said, 'If you want to compete, you need to differentiate your product from other festivals. Why don't we do something with the Hammond organ?'
Q: What's special about a Hammond?
Narte: It's used for many genres of music. It was used at Woodstock by Santana. Jazz and blues musicians made it famous.
Q: Did you have access to one?
Narte: No. I said to Ed, 'Where are we going to get one?' So I bought one. Then I bought two more. More is better. It's the pig principle.
Q: Will you perform at the concert?
Narte: You bet. I taught myself to play a little bit. I'll throw in a 1-4-5 blues progression between one of the sets.
Hernandez: I'll play the Hammond at 2:30 with Gerald Charlie and the Black Owl Blues Band. We opened for Bo Diddley at the Lummi casino.
Q: What else can the audience expect to hear?
Narte: Gospel, reggae, blues, jazz and funk. The whole lineup is good and some groups are world-class. All the groups reduced their fees as a donation to the event. I'm going to ask The Total Experience Gospel Choir to open at noon with "America the Beautiful" in remembrance of Ray Charles, and also of the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Q: Do you plan to make this an annual event?
Narte: If it works out, it will be the first of many. And why stop with the Nooksack youth? It could expand to support other youth groups in Whatcom County and beyond.
More information about the festival can be found at http://www.JamminOnTheHammond.com/.
Copyright © 2004, The Bellingham Herald. 1155 N. State. St., Bellingham, WA 98225, Phone (360) 676-2600.
