ENTERTAINMENT
The Proper Way
The Proper Way frightens most sound engineers when they show up for load-in at any venue for the first time. As piles of instrument cases begin to stack up on the stage, sound guys start fretting about their cable inventory and hoping they have enough open channels on the board for what increasingly appears to be a 7- or 8-piece band.
A couple of guitars, a banjo, and a mandolin appear first, and seasoned venue operators immediately think, “Okay…a bluegrass band.”
However, subsequent trips to the touring vehicle during load-in reveal a ukulele, a piano, a dulcimer, a drum pad, and a bag of hand percussion, and their next thought is, “What the hell is happening?” or “The rest of the band members must be running late.”
But the tight-knit collective of three multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriters that is The Proper Way quickly assures them of their simplicity, and by the end of the night, The Proper Way typically becomes a house favorite.
Standing off stage, Scott Rogers, Shane Osguthorpe, and Carrie Myers look like a stereotypical trio of folkies: Two older dudes with varying degrees of facial hair, a road-worn Stetson, and a younger woman in a floppy hat and flowing dress with pockets (pockets are crucial, according to Carrie).
Upon first impression, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting a quiet evening of soft, acoustic dinner music…and The Proper Way can deliver that in spades with haunting three-part vocals backed by reverent instrumentals.
While ever-growing crowds around the western U.S. hang on every note of The Proper Way’s slow-burn performances, they seem to come for the unexpected explosions of energy that the trio brings.
The band’s typical performances run around three hours, with no breaks. (They’ve gone as long as seven hours for a private party that simply wouldn’t die.) Don’t ask for a setlist at the end of the evening…they never use one. No two shows are ever the same.
“We like to plug into the vibe of the crowd and let that vibe guide what we do,” says Osguthorpe. “The only time we use a setlist is at festival performances where we need a tight 45 to an hour, and even then, we’ll be swapping things in and out on the fly.”
In addition to a pile of original music that can be found on virtually all of the streaming platforms, TPW is adept at covering a seemingly infinite number of songs; but they virtually never play a single one as a straight cover. Their unique spin on songs keeps just enough familiarity to encourage singing along or dancing, but in ways that you’ve never heard. Think Prince or Lizzo with a banjo.
The group will often do all-request shows and is known for throwing down better-than-passable versions of songs for the first time right in front of audiences.
That’s The Proper Way.
Malialole
Malialole (Mah-lee-yah-loh-lay) is a Polynesian Music, Dance and arts school, ensemble and entertainment group. Malialole’s mission is to perpetuate the Polynesian culture through song and dance while promoting cultural awareness of all Pacific Island People sharing stories of the past and present.It is the goal of Malialole to teach, build and connect the youth with the beautiful Polynesian culture and tradition of respect and love.
Standards Substandards
Standards & Substandards is a quartet (vocals, piano, bass, and drums) with roots in jazz and branches reaching out to everything else. The band delights in finding ways to re-create a pop song with a swing rhythm or a blues scale, the more ironic or whimsical the better. And we love to perform classic jazz standards along with the rest of it. We’ll play George Gershwin, Dua Lipa, Stevie Wonder, and Duke Ellington compositions all in a row and just catch our breath long enough to string together an Etta James classic with Radiohead. All the while, we love to work improvisationally off of one another, so even we aren’t exactly sure what’s going to happen next.
The band formed in an improvisational moment as well, a testament to seizing moments when they arise. Children brought us together by accident, and there we were next to a piano and Caryn’s statement that she’d always wanted to play with a jazz ensemble. And now here we are, playing gigs and recording our music and having a good time. If you’d like to hear more of us, follow us around, or book us for an event, look us up at https://substandards.band.
Caryn Crowley (vocals/diva)
Caryn happily steps into her professional role as a junior high history teacher, but at her core she’s always been a vocalist (and diva). Creating Standards & Substandards with the guys helped reignite her passion for music, and she can’t imagine a better way to spend her spare time than jamming in Tim’s basement and playing gigs.
Adam Johnston (piano)
Adam turns to a piano to find solace or vent frustration, so practicing and playing S&S gigs makes him a better human being. When he’s not learning riffs and chord changes, he teaches physics and works with teachers in science education.
Tim Herzog (bass)
Tim has the expertise to remodel a kitchen, remake a camping trailer, or reform a chemistry teaching lab. He’s also grown up playing bass and has accompanied jazz groups throughout his life, and his fretless bass and playing draw attention for all the right reasons.
Ian Marshall (drums)
Ian is the member of the band with real credentials and a degree in music, as well as a long list of performance credits. He’s an inspiration and mentor to lots of budding musicians, including the members of S&S, a long list of grateful high school students, and his own children.
