Allan Byer will perform from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at the Schooner Lounge in Netarts, (2065 Netarts Bay Road). He will appear from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Tillamook Farmers’ Market (Second Street and Laurel Avenue), and travels north to Bay City that evening, playing at The Landing (5620 B St.) from 8 to 11:30 p.m. There is no cover charge.

Byer has been playing original Americana music all over Oregon for the past 10 years, delivering a unique blend of guitar, harmonica and vocals solo and with various musical partners. He writes songs about simple things, events and people of everyday life. He can explore the spiritual search, make fun of fast food and politics, and take inspiration from common life events such as the massacre of his chickens by a wandering dog. He also performs a selection of Bruce Cockburn covers.

Byer got his musical start as a spoon-player after meeting Artis the Spoonman at Seattle’s Pike Street Market in 1975. He picked up the guitar a few years later in order to cover songs of his first musical hero, Jackson Browne, and not long after that started writing his own. He made his professional debut in 1978 at Eugene’s Feedmill Lounge with Craig Sorseth as part of the Rhythm Brothers group. He put his musical professional aspirations aside for many years to raise three children and made a career of teaching special education, often using musical spoon-playing and his music to reach troubled students. In 1994 he again took up music professionally. His band has since had several incarnations, and he has recorded three CDs, including 2005’s “Money Talks Too Much,” which featured his youngest daughter debuting on back-up vocals. In addition, his music can be heard on positivemusicassociation.com, wholewheatradio.org, mediapostive.com and ncradio.com

For more about the artist, visit www.allanbyer.com or www.myspace.com/allanbyerband