Jody Carroll (McMurrian) may have moved from Portland to the East Coast, but he continues to immerse himself into authentic American roots styles and expand his boundless creative work. His music is original and deeply situated within the past and the modern.

The L.A. Times stated, “No cliché stuff here. No predictable, typical blues schlock here – only smart, eloquent, modern music that is at the same time well soaked in old weird American traditional music. Daring, original, deep, sweet, dark, exciting are some of the adjectives that come to one’s mind when listening to him. You are greeted with a whirlwind of sounds that he creates with his guitar and voice. Deep as the wood’s and delta where he comes from, dark as the river water he grew up swimming in and uplifting as the traditional American melodies and stories he was raised with.”

His performances are a sight to behold as he effortlessly creates modern interpretations of old Blues masters, his own amazing songs and stories or improvisational musical journeys. It’s like watching a Robert Johnson or Son House of old if they had been influenced by everything that came after them. He is a Finger style/slide guitar master and amazingly soulful singer like no other. His ability to freeform in the moment to create constant new renditions of traditional songs and original material sets him far apart from others. He blends flavors of old country Blues, Folk, Hill Country music, Jazz, and Rock all together into a true American gumbo.

Jody Carroll will be returning home to the Portland area for a night at The Lake Theater & Café, 106 N State Street, Lake Oswego, on Monday, August 21 at 7:00 pm. He will be performing music from his upcoming release Back To The Country along with favorites from his earlier albums.Tickets for this show are available in advance for $15.00 at Laketheatercafe.com. VIP tables situated closest to the stage, seating four, are $80.00.

Australian-born blues singer/guitarist Kara Grainger may draw initial comparisons to Bonnie Raitt — both play slide guitar and sing soulfully, but Grainger offers her own distinctive style that evenly balances the blues with soul and roots rock. Kara Grainger’s music career began in a small suburban town of Sydney, Australia and since then has taken her on an incredible journey throughout the globe.  She has a heartfelt approach to songwriting, with a truly unique sound that will leave you uplifted, inspired and always wanting more. Now living in the United States, Grainger has appeared at major festivals and events such as the Waterfront Blues Festival, Colorado’s Blues From The Top and Austin City Limits. She has four critically-acclaimed recordings, including her latest L.A. Blues.

Kara Grainger is an exciting performer and she will be performing at The Birk on Friday, August 25 at 7:30 pm. The Birk is located at 11139 Hwy 202 in Birkenfeld. Admission is $10.00 at the door.

Doyle Bramhall II is one of today’s most distinctive vocalists, guitarists, composers, and producers in contemporary music. Indeed, none other than Eric Clapton, with whom Bramhall has worked with for more than a decade, lauds him as one of the most gifted guitarists he has ever encountered. As the son of the late Texas music legend Doyle Bramhall, he was raised in a home filled with the blues and rock ‘n’ roll styles indigenous to Texas as well as having close ties with the Vaughan Brothers, Stevie Ray and Jimmie. In addition to his work with Clapton, Bramhall became an in demand composer, guitarist and producer and has worked with major artists including T-Bone Burnett, Elton John, Gary Clark, Jr., Gregg Allman, Dr. John, Robert Randolph, Allen Toussaint, Derek Trucks, Sheryl Crow, and many others. His latest release, Rich Man, is a watershed achievement for Bramhall, both in terms of the many music styles in the tracks-which begin and end with his fundamental American blues influences and in between follow his global music explorations and arrangements and the inner examinations resulting in the spiritual growth expressed in the lyrics.

Witness the guitar mastery of Doyle Bramhall II for yourself at McMenamin’s Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan Street, on Saturday, August 26. Show time is 8:00 pm and tickets can be purchased in advance at CascadeTickets.com for $20.00; admission is $22.00 day of show. This is a 21 & over event.

It’s clear that soul-blues is her calling. At age 30, JJ Thames stage presence and vocal delivery are more reminiscent of singers from the golden era of the art form than they are of most blues belters on the scene today. Her delivery is never rushed, and her ability to express deep emotion is on par with someone twice her age as she delivers everything from down-home juke joint stylings to full-blown torch songs, all containing messages of positive affirmation. Both classically and jazz trained, JJ began performing at the tender age of 9 years old and became a blues-shouting banshee by the time she was just 18 years old. She cut her teeth after moving down to Jackson, MS, where she performed with the celebrated “Chitlin’ Circuit” superstars such as Marvin Sease.

Thames’ live shows are the stuff of legend. Part revival meeting and sexual celebration, Thames will deliver a Mississippi juke joint-tongue-in-cheek blues tune or a soul ballad. She honors the bold blues women of the past with both feet firmly planted in the now. With her heart on her sleeve, she belts, growls, shouts, croons, and moans from a place deep within her soul that harkens back to the days of Chess, Bluebird, and Stax Records. She uses music as therapy and often writes from her own life story, and chooses material with positive affirmations that leave the audience feeling healed and exhilarated.

Touring in support of her latest release, Raw Sugar, JJ Thames returns to Oregon following her strong performance at the Waterfront Blues Festival for one show only at The Birk, 11139 Hwy 202, BIrkenfeld. Happening on Tuesday, August 29, this show is open to all ages and starts at 7:30 pm. Advance tickets can be purchased through TicketTomato.com for $10.00, $13.00 at the door.