Meet Your Hosts - Xeres

Robert "Xeres" Shepard

Art and music may reflect and reinforce culture. But innovations in art and music shape and create culture anew. Hey, all you fans of new and weird creations, I'm Robert Shepard, known to my friends and audience as Xeres - that's pronounced "Zeer-eez." As co-host of the Northwest Oregon Different Arts and Music Showcase this year, I am honored to gather together some of the most interesting artistic pioneers for our stage - including both newcomer and legacy iconoclasts alike.

I started playing alto saxophone in sixth grade, and was properly trained in music theory and performance by the public school system. Then I promptly forgot it. Lured into multiple impromptu jam sessions during my college years, I soon learned that electric guitarists tend to change key without warning. So I had to toss out the rule book and scramble to keep up. This prepared me to work next with musicians who scoffed at the very idea of declaring a key, or even a specific tempo. From out of this chaos would occasionally emerge truth and beauty such as none had known before. I have devoted myself ever since to extracting such moments from spontaneous noise making.

I have visited many parts of America and the world, and I've lived in Oregon most of my life. It seems to me that our corner of Oregon attracts, breeds, and encourages a high percentage of unique individuals with a penchant for unconventional creation. This can be seen everywhere around here, from whimsical lawn ornaments, to dashboard dioramas. I am proud to live among the misfits. And I'm delighted now to tap into this creative flow and share some of my favorite NW Oregon oddities with you.

Photo of Xeres by Joe Mabel