Debbie and Toby Strotz of Arlington are organizers of the StrutzFest classic rock music festival July 28 to 30 at the Darrington Music Park on Highway 530.
Toby is the drummer in his longtime band Strutz (yes, the names are pronounced similarly) and he has invited bands such as Heart by Heart, Whiskey River, Spike and Impalers, Joe Slick Band, El Loco, the Michelle Taylor Band and the Led Zepplin Experience.
Learn more at www.strutzfest.com, and look for the story in Friday’s A&E section of The Herald.
The upper Stillaguamish Valley has been honored as a great community. StrutzFest is a part of that. What does this area mean to you?
Debbie: It means everything. We grew up in Darrington and Arlington, and our families are all here. It’s a beautiful place to live, grow and raise your family. Everything you could want is all here. And the communities are close and tight-knit. There’s a bond and level of pride and support of one another that you rarely find anywhere else.
How many times have you put on StrutzFest?
Debbie: This will be the sixth year. We started in 2008, then took a three-year break between 2013 and 2015. The Darrington Music Park is one of the most beautiful venues around. You’ve got Whitehorse Mountain, the Stillaguamish River, beautiful camping spots, world-class amphitheater. It’s extraordinary. You just can’t beat the location for a fun weekend getaway. And we love that it’s a family friendly event.
When did Strutz the band form?
Toby: Most of our members have been together for about 28 years, so a long time! We are Deanne Bracamonte, Carol Harvey, Dave Pettigrew, Paul Christie, Mike Brandvold, Lynn Sorensen and me, Toby Strotz.
What is the focus of StrutzFest? Music, fellowship, fundraising?
Toby: Fellowship, definitely! It’s a way to get a bunch of musicians together, sort of like a family reunion of bands. We all support each other. And then you add in a bunch of people who love classic rock, camping and having a good time, it’s a win-win.
And to top it off, we donate to charities that are dear to us, specifically Special Olympics, local youth sports and Children’s Hospital. StrutzFest was inspired by the memory of a great friend who I miss dearly and who was loved by so many people. Mike Turner was born Oct. 9, 1959, and passed in boating accident on March 29, 1997. Will never forget that day. Mike was an avid fisherman, musician and all-around great guy. So, our friend Quinton Tanner and I decided to create The Mike Turner Memorial Foundation and promote a classic rock music festival in his honor where we can donate money to charities that he would have supported. A very giving, loving man who will never be forgotten. The foundation is our way of keeping his memory alive.
Who are you two looking forward to hearing during the festival?
Debbie: Strutz, of course!
Toby: I’ve heard them all, and they are all very very talented musicians and performers. Some of the musicians are literally in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that. That is a question I just can’t answer.
What is the appeal of classic rock?
Toby: Oh, man, classic rock covers every generation. You go from The Beatles to James Taylor to The Who, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Aerosmith; it just goes on and on. It doesn’t end. To see the younger generations enjoy and appreciate classic rock, to me just says it all about how timeless that genre is.
Who is your fan base?
Debbie: All ages. We have the “older generation” that resonates with the older classics, and the younger generations that appreciate and respect the classics. Even the little ones enjoy classic rock. Our kids are involved, too. We wouldn’t be able to do this if our entire family wasn’t 100 percent involved. All of our personal time is devoted to planning and preparing, so our family has to be all in. It’s part of the bond of our family.
Debbie, were you a Strutz fan before you were Toby’s girlfriend?
Toby: Honestly, she wasn’t. She was never a “band groupie” or attracted to the band life at all. I had to mold her into that one — ha!
How long have you been married?
Debbie: We’ve been together for 30 years, but we will celebrate our 25 year wedding anniversary on Aug. 10. We just love to be together, no matter what we’re doing, whether it’s a drive over the North Cascades or binge watching Netflix.
What is something always in your fridge?
Toby: Pickles. Not sure where that came from, but it’s the first thing that came to mind!
If you could share a meal with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
Toby: Steven Tyler, because I’d like to know if he chews with his mouth closed.
Debbie: It would be interesting to know what JFK has to say about the world today.
In the midst of turmoil in our country, is music something that can bring people together?
Toby: Absolutely! Music can take your mind elsewhere, so you’re not focusing on the crap that’s going on around you.
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