Mick Schafer’s Voice Will Draw You in and You’ll be Tapping Your Toes in No Time

Mick Schafer

Mick SchaferGuitarist and vocalist Mick Schafer has been singing since childhood, but ventured to Europe when he was 20 to perform for tips and meals. He spent the early 70’s playing music around Europe. He always wanted to perform professionally but when he moved back to the states, he was beset with depression and couldn’t manage it.

In the early 2000’s he started getting paid gigs fronting Blackberry Jam (later known as Tree Top Tribe.) They started in such venues as Spring Creek Coffee House in Milwaukie and Pizza Schmizza in Raleigh Hills, working up to the White Eagle, Buffalo Gap, O’Conners, Laurelthirst Tavern, Alberta Street Pub, the Melody Ballroom and the Brickhouse.

“We also played larger outdoor venues during the summer, including corporate engagements, and some fundraising jobs for regional nonprofits. Now I have the distinct pleasure of playing shows with an array of stellar local musicians as The Mick Schafer Band in support of my new record, One Silken Scarf,” according to Mick.

Influences

“My first relationship with music must have been in utero. Way before I was born, my mother loved playing the piano, especially Mozart and Boogie Woogie. Later, she would play me to sleep at night with that beautiful piano,” Mick said.

“After we moved to California, Dad started a company that manufactured automated radio station equipment. He brought home this amazing jukebox and loaded it up with 45’s. I couldn’t get enough of Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley. Then the avalanche: Dave Clark 5, Kinks, Stones, Beatles, Doors, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Santana, Richie Havens and Bob Dylan.”

“More recently, Tom Waits, Sting, Neville Brothers, Elvis Costello, Lyle Lovett, Los Lobos, Donna the Buffalo, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy and all the other blues musicians from Antone’s: Home of the Blues. Local blues artists that inspire me are Jody Carroll, Karen Lovely and the Thunder Brothers.”

Mick’s work has been compared to a mash up of Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, and Elvis Costello. “They say I have a gravelly soulful voice. I know from my earlier years that I mix roots music with love and loss, in what I hope delivers an inspired connection with my audience and their life experience.”

Musical Training

Mick says his musical training includes a course at PSU (Lisa Marsh on Body Mapping for musicians) and at PCC (Music 101 so he could begin to read charts). He also took a guitar lesson from Joe McMurrian (now Jody Carroll). “And more recently the inimitable Mel Kubik has supported my vocal growth. I’m always learning from musicians around me, otherwise I’m self-taught.”

CD’s in the Works

In addition to his release One Silken Scarf, Mick is getting ready to release a digital 45 EP called Gypsy Blues that Timmer Blakely produced and Dennis Carter engineered at Falcon Studios.

Musicians and Bandmates

In his musical adventures, Mick has played with several musicians, including Dave Captein, Ken “Willie” Scandlyn, John Moore, Timmer Blakely, Jason JT Thomas, Jesse Samsel, Ken Brewer, Edward Coleman III, John Nastos, Thomas Barber, and Duncan Branom.

The Mick Schafer Band hosts many talented local artists at each of their shows. “We are a little different, in that we have a veritable stable of musicians who come play with us. Bob Stark put an outstanding band together for One Silken Scarf: Dave Captein (Oregon Music Hall of Fame) on standup and P bass; Jason JT Thomas (from Lisa Mann’s Band) on electric guitars; Michael Elson (from Excellent Gentlemen) on keyboards; and Jeramy Burchett (world class session drummer) on drums. Except for Jeramy, this group played the Rose Festival with The Mick Schafer Band this summer.

The bandmembers who go back several years with Mick are: Tom Esch on fiddle, bass, banjo, tele; and The Colin Trio, which is made up of Colin Hogin on keyboards and vocals, Brian Link on bass and Matt Ramsdell on drums. When The Colin Trio isn’t available, it opens up the possibility of different and amazing combinations anchored by Timmer Blakely on bass and JT Thomas on strat.

Keyboard players Ken Brewer and Paul Paresa have done some recent shows. Horns are now a part of the Mick Schafer Band equation. John Nastos wrote the horn parts for One Silken Scarf and played alto sax on the record with Dave Evans on tenor sax, Thomas Barber on trumpet and John Moak on trombone. At recent shows other horn players have effectively sat in: Marc Hutchinson or Nathan Carver Smith on sax; Dick Titterington, John Dover, or Kristian Woods on trumpet.

Band members who have moved on to other successful projects are: drummer Alex Yore to the March Fourth Marching Band; cello player Aubrey Webber to the Double Clicks; and harmonica player Garrett Pessin who played with Michael Quinby before heading back to Hawaii.

In Closing

Upcoming shows for The Mick Schafer Band can be found at https://www.mickschafer.com. You can find them Saturday, Dec. 16 at the Brickhouse Bar and Grill in Vancouver, WA. Then on Thursday, Dec. 21 at Clark’s Bistro and Pub in Hillsboro. Take time out of the busy holiday schedule to enjoy some great music at one of these shows.

Terry Robb Entered Into Best Self-Produced CD Competition To Represent The CBA

Terry Robb - Cool On The Bloom Entered Into Best Self-Produced CD Competition

Terry Robb - Cool On The BloomEvery year, the Cascade Blues Association submits a local performer’s recording into The Blues Foundation’s Best Self-Produced CD competition. Guidelines only allow recordings from artists who have not received a Blues Music Awards nomination or win, and is not released by one of the large, well-established labels such as Alligator, Delta Groove or Ruf for example. Recently, we have submitted CDs from regional artists such as Rae Gordon, Gabriel Cox and Joe McMurrian (whose disc Get Inside This House was named the overall winner in the Best Self-Produced CD competition in 2011). The recordings are judged by professionals from the international blues media on categories that include originality, blues content, sound quality, production, artwork and liner notes.

This year the CBA received eight entries to be considered, all with extremely well-produced recordings, making it tough to choose just one. But we’re only allowed one entry to send to Memphis, so we had to bring it down to one.

The runner-ups were: Big Steve & The Trainwreck’s Lost In The Blues; Holfar Blue’s Heard A Hound Dog Howl; Lady True Blue’s Soul Barin’ Blues; The Lightning Kings’ The Road Is My Throne; King Louie’s Blues Revue’s Live At Riverhouse Jazz; Rae Gordon Band’s Better Than I Was; and Timothy James’ Love = Chaos.

But when it came to making the final choice, we decided on Terry Robb’s Cool On The Bloom, with its tremendous performance, outstanding sound and clarity and originality. We’re obviously not alone in these thoughts about Terry’s disc as it was also recently nominated for the Acoustic Album of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine.

This year’s finalists will be announced prior to the 2018 International Blues Challenge and the winning disc will be named at the IBC finals at The Orpheum Theater in Memphis.

Good luck Terry!!

What’s on Tap for December’s General Membership Meeting . . .

What’s on Tap for October’s General Membership Meeting

Catfish Lou’s, 2460 NW 24th Ave, Portland
Wednesday, December 6 –  7:00 pm
Members always Free – Non-Members $5.00
(Members please show your current cards at the door)
Opening Acoustic Set – Justus Reece
Second Electric Set – Blues Battalion

After a short return to The Melody Ballroom last month to celebrate the Muddy Awards, we’re heading back to Catfish Lou’s for the December General Membership Meeting for another incredible night of fantastic blues and great friends.

Remember, the December meeting is when we hold our annual Board of Directors officer election. Make sure that you have your membership card on hand to receive a ballot. We will be voting for next year’s president, vice president, secretary, membership secretary and treasurer.

Opening the December General Membership Meeting will be Justus Reece. Originally scheduled to play this past August, when we had to find a new location for our gatherings Catfish Lou’s was unable to provide a setting for an under-aged musician. Since then Justus has turned 21 and can now play at all venues in the state, so we’re happy to reschedule him for this meeting.

Justus has been consistently studying guitar while also being aware that he can never know everything, and that the guitar is a lifelong pursuit. He is currently studying with Terry Robb with whom he has appeared at venues such as The Venetian in Hillsboro for his IBC fundraiser and the Old Liberty Theater in Camas. And aside from the IBC appearance on Beale Street, Justus has performed at events including the Blues4MS concerts, Cathedral Jazz Festival and the Waterfront Blues Festival.

The music that Justus performs includes a wide range of styles, not only blues but jazz, folk, funk, jam band, and more. You can expect to see him offer a variety of American music such as ragtime, Piedmont blues, American primitive, Delta blues and other roots music. His inspirations are many, but include among them the diversity of such as Herbie Hancock, Frank Zappa, Blind Blake, Yes, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Hunter, and Funkadelic among them. Certainly a young musician with an open mind and on a quest to learn something new from every direction.

For the band portion of the night, Blues Battalion returns for another lively performance for our members. The band has been together for about 4 years, with original members guitarist Fred Riedel and his daughter Kristi Riedel on vocals, still fronting the band. The band is completed by guitarist Michael Conner, Mike Kelley on bass and Leo Hartshorn on drums.

Each of the members have extensive backgrounds in music. Michael Conner is an educator by profession and also is the founder of MYConner Sound. He played with numerous bands around Eugene and Corvalis and has also released his own recording in 2002 titled Connected. Kristi Riedel  has been involved in music since she was young and works for Young Audiences. Mike Kelley, aside from being the band’s bassist, has also been a guitarist for many years and can often be found playing alongside Joe DeFoney. Leo Hartshorn has drummed for over 50 yeaers and was co-founder and co-director of Drumming for Peace, an organization that teaches publicly for peace through drumming, rhythm, storytelling and music. Band leader Fred Riedel recently retired as a music teacher and has been playing music since he was twelve. In the early 70s he played with a touring group called Questor and also led a band called Fred’s Garage before forming Blues Battalion. He is a prolific songwriter, with several of his compositions appearing on the Blues Battalion CD released a couple years back.

Always a popular act when they have performed for the CBA, this will be no exception. Expect to have a fun time with Blues Battalion.

Remember, Catfish Lou’s can fill up quickly for the meetings, so arrive early to find a good spot and to grab dinner. We will do our regular drawings so don’t forget to pick up your ticket at the door and purchase some winner-take-all raffle tickets too. The funds all go to support the CBA.

Stanton Moore

With You In Mind: The Songs Of Allen Toussaint
Cool Green recordings

This is a nicely done tribute of Allen Toussaint. Stanton Moore is an established drummer on the New Orleans music scene and he is partnered up with two of the city’s best-loved artists, David Torkanowsky on piano and James Singleton on bass. They cover a wide selection of Allen Toussaint’s tunes that span the late songwriter/pianist life’s work. It ranges from funky to jazzy, to soulful and melodiously soft and sensual.

Add into the mix some of today’s top musicians from the Crescent City: Trombone Shorty, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison Jr and Cyril Neville and you have an outright hometown extravaganza worthy of leading a second line in Toussaint’s memory. Throw on top of that the presence of Maceo Parker and it has added an extra amount of wow!

Song selections include well-known pieces like “Night Life,” “Southern Nights,” Everything I Do Gone Be Funky,” and “With You In Mind.” Plus they take you all the way back to his very first hit instrumental “Java” from the debut album The Wild Sounds Of Toussan (yes it was actually spelled this way).

With You In Mind is a very fitting homage to one of the all-time greats of New Orleans, brought to you by a handful of musicians directly influenced by the master.

Total Time: 62:51

Here Come The Girls / Life / Java / All These Things / Night People / The Beat / Riverboat / Everything I Do Gone Be Funky / With You In Mind / Southern Nights

Portland All-Stars Gathering For Robbie Laws & Family Medical Expense Fundraiser

Robbie Laws is a widely recognized Pacific Northwest musician and guitar instructor from Portland Oregon.  Robbie has been, and continues to be, a pillar in the blues community.  He has given back to the blues community for over 20 years.  Now it is time for us to help him.

Robbie’s wife Jerri has been ill for the past few years due to complications from an autoimmune disorder which has left her unable to work outside of the home. Medical bills have been piling up causing a great deal of hardship and stress. Jerri has gone through an extensive and costly series of tests and treatments with high insurance deductibles and out of pocket expenses maxed out over the past two years, while her health continued to decline.

The good news is that Jerri is now beginning to turn the corner and is getting stronger through her efforts of working with a very good naturopath doctor.   She is finally starting to feel better, but it’s going to take some time. The naturopath is not covered by insurance and has been a high out of pocket expense as well, but it’s worth it because Jerri is finally responding to a positive treatment plan. She is determined and inspired to keep going to build her health back up and have quality of life again.

Robbie has been working seven days a week doing his best to get the back medical bills paid off and could really use your help and support so that Jerri can continue focusing on her dedicated journey back to health.

As a main force on the local music scene for so many years, Robbie and Jerri have many friends. And they’re coming out in force to help out. A benefit concert will be held at The Trails End Saloon on Sunday, December 17 from 2:00 until 10:00 pm. Scheduled to appear at the event will be a virtual who’s who of Portland’s best: Lisa Mann, Rae Gordon Band, Ben Rice, Doug Rowell, Grace London, Jimi Bott, Kevin Selfe, Dave Kahl, A.C. Porter, The Lightning Kings, Dave Melyan, Chad Rupp, Timothy James & Portland Blues Revival, Garry Meziere, Robbie Laws, Jim Solberg, Marty Henninger, Ed Neumann and more!

The Trails End Saloon is located at 1320 Main Street in downtown Oregon City. Admission is a suggested donation of $5.00. There will be a raffle with tickets for $5.00 each or three for $10.00. If you’re unable to attend and would still like to help Robbie and Jerri, you can make a personal donation by visiting http://www.gofundme.com/robbie-laws-family-medical-fund.

This event is sponsored by the Trails End Saloon, Cascade Blues Association, Centaur Guitar and Old Town Music.

Chris Daniels and The Kings

Blues With Horns Vol. 1
Moon Voyage Records

Chris Daniels and the Kings have been a Denver-area mainstay for the past thirty-three years, with fifteen recordings under their belt and have performed throughout the United States and into Europe. Led by guitarist Chris Daniels, the band also features the soulful vocal talents of Freddi Gowdy.

Their latest release, Blues With Horns Vol. 1, is a throwback to a time when horn-backed bands were more the norm than they are now. There is a lot of power behind the sound that recalls the blues and soul of the sixties and seventies from acts like Bobby Bland, James Brown, Johnnie Taylor and others. It is quite evident in the choice of songs performed here.

The band ignites new takes of Johnny “Guitar” Watson on a couple tracks, “Baby’s In Love With The Radio” and “You Can Stay But That Noise Must Go. Bobby Bland’s “Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me),” Buddy Miles’ “Them Changes,” Sam Cooke’s “Soothe Me Baby” and Elvin Bishop’s “Can’t Even Do Wrong Right” are also presented in fine, pumped-up fashion.

The band offers three original numbers. Opening with Daniels’ penned “Sweet Memphis,” it kicks off the disc with those superb horns and the addition of guest guitarist Sonny Landreth supplying some tasteful slide. “Get Up Off The Funk” also delivers the horn goodies, but the album takes a different route with their third original, the closing song “Rain Check.” That last piece finds Daniels on acoustic guitar, joined by The Subdudes John Magni on piano, in a somewhat tribute to his mother who told him to live every day for the day and to stop worrying about dying.

Overall, Blues With Horns Vol. 1 is truly an enjoyable recording. It should have you easily jumping and dancing along with the band. Deserving to be heard, don’t let this one slip under the radar.

On another note, this disc has to have some of the most creative packaging I’ve ever seen. It is put together in a gatefold manner that has a shadowbox, 3D effect. Very impressive, just like the music it offers.

Total Time: 42:01

Sweet Memphis / Fried Food Hard Liquor / Get Up Off The Funk / Soothe Me Baby / Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) / Baby’s In Love With The Radio / Can’t Even Do Wrong Right / You Can Stay But The Noise Must Go / Them Changes / Rain Check

Bandstand December 2017

Bandstand - Bandstand from Froggy - Bandstand - Lloyd Jones

Harvey Brindell
Dark Tale From The Road
Volume 1, Number 1
Back in the early 90s I was playing in a band based in Lincoln, NE. This was during a time when the club scene in the midwest was strong and blues was drawing great crowds.
Back in those days, because there was no social media, you had to do your booking either face to face or by phone. We booked a gig in Hastings, NE about ninety miles up the road from Lincoln. After sending a demo through the mail to the club owner I called him. After we agreed to a date and price he told me that he wanted at least a dozen posters to hang in his club. I agreed to get them out to him ASAP and I did.
We played the first set to kind of a light crowd. During the break I was talking with the bartender and mentioned it was kind of a light turnout and asked if the club owner had done any local advertising. He said he wasn’t sure if he had. I also mentioned that I had sent a dozen posters as the club owner had requested but hadn’t noticed any of the posters hanging anywhere in the club. The bartender told me I must have missed the one hanging right inside the front door. I walked over to the front door. There was a bulletin board that was about three feet high and five feet wide hanging on the wall right inside the front door. The only thing on the bulletin board was a piece of paper curled up like a scroll around one thumb tack stuck right in the middle of the piece of paper. I unscrolled the piece of paper and sure enough, there was our poster.
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles Harvey will be writing regarding his experiences on the road as a musician.

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Rich Layton & The Troublemakers

Hey, y’all! It’s Rich here with a huge thank you to the CBA membership for my Muddy Award nomination (and your votes). I was honored to be included with fellow harp players Franco Paletta and award winner Mitch Kashmar. My lifelong journey with the “Mississippi saxophone” has spanned rock and roll, folk, country and the blues – but it’s all soul music to me!

I’m also grateful to The Rae Gordon Band for the honor of playing on the title track of their Muddy Award winning album, “Better Than I Was.”

I want to let you know about a couple of holiday shows we do each year that have become a great way to celebrate with dear friends before the family obligations kick in. On the Friday before Christmas, Dec. 22nd, we’re at Catfish Lou’s stirring up a little “Trouble in Tinsel Town.” On Saturday, Dec. 30th, we celebrate “The Eve of The Eve” at McMenimans Rock Creek Tavern. Grab a table by the roaring fireplace while we dig deep into into our Texas Roadhouse song catalog. Hope to see you and one or both of these holiday throw-downs.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from me, Larry McCoy (guitar), Eric “Haus” Krabbenhoft (bass) and Troy Stutzman (drums)… Peace and good cheer, everybody!