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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 26, 2005 Siblings put Ashland on the map for Christian rock By Ryan Pfeil Tidings Correspondent In 1997, Sasha Timen and her brother, Joel, would not have stood out in a concert hall. Their goals would have been the same as everyone else’s: see a great show, crowd surf and maybe even touch a band member’s pant leg while other sweaty bodies pressed against theirs under a frenzy of lights, drum beats and guitar licks. Seven years later, these goals have not changed. They have simply been added to. They are still the same kids, longing for great shows, but their roles as concertgoers carry a bit more weight than before. Sasha and Joel, now 26 and 22 respectively, run their own venue, and it is gaining more attention with every day that passes. Rivergate Church , on the corner of Iowa and Garfield streets, has been a venue for dozens of acts, some nationally known, brought to Ashland by the production duo of Sashas and Joel Timen. Photos by Mark Luebbers | For the Tidings It is called Revolution. The venue began in 1999, when the siblings got the idea to book their own concert. Both were devoted concertgoers, but after their move to the Rogue Valley, they noticed something different from the Bay Area. “We were able to go to shows fairly regularly down there,” Joel said. “When we moved here there wasn’t anything going on, and we were kind of bummed out about that. We figured the only way it would happen is if we did it.” Solution: go behind the scenes. “We thought it would be totally awesome to do shows and be promoters,” Sasha said. “We had absolutely no idea what that meant.” They had the vision, now they needed a location. They decided on the large room on the side of their church, Rivergate Fellowship, in Ashland, located at the corner of Garfield Street and Iowa Street. After getting permission from the pastor of Rivergate (who also happened to be their father, Ron), as well as approval from the church board, the offers started coming in. First was Christian punk band Slick Shoes. Unfortunately, they were declined because of short notice. “We sent out an e-mail to a random [promoter], and they were like ‘How about this band in two weeks?’ We really freaked out,” Sasha said. “We were like ‘We’ve never done this, and this is a pretty big band.’” Still, the dream of booking their own concert lingered. Both had had a previous relationship with Christian hard rock band Dogwood, as well as the band’s booking agency. Dogwood said they would come. They pulled it off, with 120 people attending the show. “The kids really seemed to like it because they didn’t have to drive [five hours] to see a band they wanted to see,” Joel said. “It was really fun.” Six years later, Revolution has grown. Considerably. The once plain, white walls are now a shiny black. A wooden stage, littered with amplifiers, cords, microphone stands and foam padding, lies under a simple display of lights. Joel purchased a majority of the equipment from Guitar Center in Medford. All funding comes from the money earned at shows. Rivergate donates bottled water and soft drinks for sale at the concerts. The venue books both Christian and secular bands. “The church has been awesome and supportive of us,” Joel said. “They’ve allowed us to do all of this. They’ve seen what we’ve wanted to do and backed that vision.” After six years, Sasha and Joel had learned a lot. They still book together, and Revolution has played home to dozens of popular Christian rock and alternative acts. At times, however, they still feel ignorant to the business. “[The process] is totally evolutionary,” Sasha said. “Every show there’s things where we’re like, ‘Woah, we really messed up on that,’ or ‘Woah, we’re awesome in this area now.’” They have also found other concertgoers that share their vision that are willing to help for no money. Several of the high schools in the Rogue Valley have street promotion teams to hand out flyers. The Internet and word of mouth between bands on the road has also helped their cause immensely. Matt Baird, lead singer of Spoken, a band from the Midwest that has played at Revolution multiple times, credited it as one of the band’s Top 10 favorite venues to play at. “If we’re in that area, we’re going to try our best to play there,” Baird said. “It’s not a place we want to openly pass up.” As for the future, Sasha and Joel hope to purchase another facility outside the church. They feel this will attract more people, as well as more bands. “We’ve actually had people walk up and be like, ‘This is a church?’ and turn around and leave,” Joel said. “We’re trying to establish something that’s not just about the church. It’s about community and about friendship and accepting people.” Other goals building up a bigger fan base, and better establishing Faceless Empire, Sasha’s production company. She hopes to put out a magazine within the next year, in addition to helping produce and promote local acts. Joel’s band, Lightbreak, another regular act at Revolution, is also currently in talks for a recording contract. Both of them want to start keeping the facilities open to 1 a.m., so concertgoers can stay after shows and meet the bands. “We want the kids to have fun and be impacted by the music for Christianity’s sake, that they will see Christianity in a different light,” Joel said. “We want to develop a scene and make Southern Oregon known for music.” “There’s a lot more under the surface that we don’t know about yet,” Sasha said. “This is a God-given vision for my life. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t feel like that.” DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams