Ramblings On My Mind – January 2019

Ramblings On My Mind-March 2021

Ramblings On My Mind - January 2019Greg Johnson, CBA President

2019 is here and things are already looking exciting. We’ll be at a new venue for our monthly meetings, at least for the first four months as McMenamins has welcomed us to relocate to the Mission Theater. A larger room that will allow us to have minors attend, with a large stage. Thanks to Terry Currier for working this out for us.

To showcase the talent of our area, we will be bringing in some heavy-named acts for our time at the venue. Starting off with Ben Rice and Robbie Laws in January, we have Terry Robb, Lloyd Jones, Mary Flower, Lisa Mann and Michael Osborn lined up over the next few meetings. This will not continue in this pattern forever, though, so do not miss these special meetings. Our focus as always will be to bring in newer acts to help introduce them to our members, and to offer some of the regular musicians working in the area that you may not see as often as you’d like.

In May, the Mission will probably be switching over to first-run movies full time, so we are looking at other locations if this should occur. We have been talking with McMenamins about other venues and considering other spots also. We’ll have everything figured out by the time this happens, but if you’re a band or artist requesting to perform at a meeting, please hold tightly as I have been waiting to find out what will be happening before going too far into the year.

Another huge change for us will be going into the year with a different look to our board of directors. Four elected officers decided to step down this year after several years of hard and committed work for the organization, so we say thank you and goodbye to Wendy Schumer, Brenda Docken, Fred & JoAnn Morgan. Stepping into the role of Vice President will be Shelley Garrett, while Merry Larsen remains in her role of Treasurer and I will continue as your President. Two positions had nobody run in our election, Secretary and Membership Secretary. At Large member James Kosek ran against me for President, but many wrote him in on the ballot for these other two positions as well, which he would’ve won had he run for one of them. James has chosen to take on the Membership Secretary position, which is a huge undertaking and he deserves a huge thank you doing this. It is a lot of work and greatly appreciated. Kim Allmaras has also joined the board as an At Large member who will focus on assisting Merry with our finances and taxes. Welcome aboard Kim!! And Randy Murphy will also continue in his at large position and also work on the BluesNotes.

We still have the Secretary position open and if you’re interested please plan on attending our next board meeting (third Tuesday after membership meeting every month) and seeing how we operate before declaring. There are multiple At Large positions also open, and we can fill those anytime throughout the year, and currently have a couple people considering taking those on.

This next year we want to look into several important items. Updating our by-laws, setting up investments that’ll keep us financially stable for years to come, looking at new prospects for marketing (possibly even creating a new position for this purpose), and working closer with other music appreciation societies in our area. We’ll look at giving programs like the Christopher Mesi Scholarship, Blues in the Schools and Musician Relief Fund a new jump start, and would like to have people involved with those. We’ll also consider on taking up new events, and finding something that might be able to replace the summer concert in the park/picnic which was dissolved this past year due to extremely low turn-out in the recent past. We had fewer than 100 people attend this year for an event that can cost the organization as much as our annual Muddy Awards at times. It happens during a time when there is so much activity already taking place around the region (including a new blues festival that occurred the same weekend), so we just need to be watchful of not spending large amounts for something people do not attend. We’re open to ideas that you may have for this or any other event that you feel might be worthy to consider.

But we’re looking toward a successful and fun year ahead. Please help us out if you’d like to volunteer or join our board. And as always, thank you for being members of the CBA and helping to support the musicians and venues of our region!!

NEW!!! Check out the full January paper online!

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Now you can actually read the entire paper online!!  It takes a little practice but here are some useful tips to be successful.

  1. click the bottom right corner with the little square to view the paper full screen.
  2. to enlarge the print (on your computer) there is a sliding scale on the bottom
  3. If you are on your mobile device – enlarge as you would using 2 fingers
  4. If all else fails – as a member – you should get a copy of the paper in the mail. As a non-member there are papers delivered at a variety of establishments around town. And lastly, there is always the website where articles may be posted.

Read All of the Digital mags here.

Fly Me To The Moon – Live Music For The Golden Agers

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Fly Me To The Moon

Fly Me To The MoonIn order to “rage against the dying of the light” as Dylan Thomas so eloquently instructed us in his poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” we enter the golden years holding our hearts open to the visceral moments that weaved the cords of a good life:  Our families, our loves, the tragedies and triumphs, and our songs.

As we age, the depth of our memories can be strengthened by a familiar tune that takes us back — and full circle — to the people we were, and are, and will be.  So it’s sad to consider that  opportunities to experience live music are diminished for senior citizens who live in care centers and other communities.

Local musician and producer Dean Mueller realized the need for live music in senior communities and formed Fly Me To The Moon, a nonprofit organization based in Portland whose mission is to bring high quality performances directly into their homes — the care facilities.  “Scientific evidence shows the benefit of bringing music to these facilities. But it’s more than that.  Having a positive impact on their emotional state hits you in the heart.  You have to give the music they want to hear. So, we provide music that stimulates memory and takes them to a sweet place, hence the name Fly Me To The Moon,” he explained.

His first performances at senior centers created an impetus to form Fly Me To The Moon.  “We were loading in the gear and there were lines of seniors in wheelchairs and with walkers waiting to get in before the doors opened.  During the show, about a hundred people were singing along and dancing; some were crying.  There was this heartwarming connection, and when we played Crazy, the whole room exploded in love.  I thought, this is having an impact, and we’ve gotta do it again.”

The late Jim Miller was an inspiration to Mueller in forming the organization.  “I heard from many people about the good work by Jim Miller in bringing music to seniors.  His are some big shoes that can never be filled, but if I can carry on his work in the same spirit, it will be an honor,” he said.

Fly Me To The Moon received fiscal oversight sponsorship by the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.  Its focus in 2019 will be to deliver at least fifteen performances in local area senior communities.  “Oregon’s music scene is rich with musicians who deliver a wide array of music that appeals to seniors,” said Mueller.  “Many of these musicians are hungry to give back to their communities by offering their performances to audiences who don’t have access to traditional venues,” he added.

Mueller hopes to tap these musicians by supplementing the limited — or nonexistent — budgets most senior communities can pay for the performances.  “I have gotten plenty of requests to arrange the shows, but there’s not enough money to cover expenses or pay the performers.  So this will let us pull together quality events that benefit the seniors and compensate the musicians for their time.”

Merry Larsen, board member and Marketing Director of Courtyard Village Raleigh Hills, explains it well:  “Listening to music has always been an integral part of life for our seniors. It began with listening to the radio, moving to the melodies on the dance floor, being touched with the emotions it brought in church.  Music has been the fabric that built their relationships with each other and within their community.  They are subsequently losing this ‘fabric’ when their ability to spend time with others is limited.  When they gather for musical performances, they quickly return to those feelings of joy, hope, peace, emotion, and the sense that everything will now be alright with their souls. They deserve for us to give back the gift of musical rhythms.”

Fly Me To The Moon kicked off its fundraising cycle for 2019 with a holiday event at Lake Theater featuring LaRhonda Steele and Julie Amici, and a holiday show at the Juanita Pohl Center.  A Valentine’s Day performance will follow on February 13 at The Springs at Tanasbourne.

To make a donation, find Fly Me To The Moon on Facebook, or go to https://squareup.com/store/Fly_Me_To_The_Moon .

Missi Hasting Baker is the co-leader of Mojo Holler, a Portland-based roots Americana and blues band.

36th Annual Reel Music Film Festival Scheduled for January 18 through February 17

During January and February, the Northwest Film Center will host the 36th Annual Music Film Festival. Featuring a kaleidoscopic of genres, movements, labels, bands, and solo artists, the Reel Music Film Festival offers the latest in music film—from intimate portraits to career-spanning celebrations—alongside archival films ripe for rediscovery. Regardless of whether your passion is jazz, blues, folk, rock, electronic, world, or classical music, you will find something inspirational in this eclectic mix of films that celebrate great artists, sound, and images, while exploring the connections between music and culture.

Some of the films that may appeal to blues enthusiasts:

Friday, January 18 – Mr. Soul! about the groundbreaking television show dubbed as “The Black Tonight Show” featuring appearances by people like Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Muhammad Ali.

Saturday, January 19 – A Bright Light – Karen and the Process, the story about the late Texas folk singer Karen Dalton.

Friday, January 25 – The Ballad of Shirley Collins, a documentary about the UK folk singer.

Saturday, February 9 – Gospel According to Al Green, following the path of the soul superstar who turned his back to fame to turn to gospel music.

For more information on this film festival, go to https://nwfilm.org/festivals/reel-music-36/

Ramblings On My Mind – Greg Johnson, CBA President

Ramblings On My Mind

Greg Johnson, CBA President

2019 is here and things are already looking exciting. We’ll be at a new venue for our monthly meetings, at least for the first four months as McMenamins has welcomed us to relocate to the Mission Theater. A larger room that will allow us to have minors attend, with a large stage. Thanks to Terry Currier for working this out for us.

To showcase the talent of our area, we will be bringing in some heavy-named acts for our time at the venue. Starting off with Ben Rice and Robbie Laws in January, we have Terry Robb, Lloyd Jones, Mary Flower, Lisa Mann and Michael Osborn lined up over the next few meetings. This will not continue in this pattern forever, though, so do not miss these special meetings. Our focus as always will be to bring in newer acts to help introduce them to our members, and to offer some of the regular musicians working in the area that you may not see as often as you’d like.

In May, the Mission will probably be switching over to first-run movies full time, so we are looking at other locations if this should occur. We have been talking with McMenamins about other venues and considering other spots also. We’ll have everything figured out by the time this happens, but if you’re a band or artist requesting to perform at a meeting, please hold tightly as I have been waiting to find out what will be happening before going too far into the year.

Another huge change for us will be going into the year with a different look to our board of directors. Four elected officers decided to step down this year after several years of hard and committed work for the organization, so we say thank you and goodbye to Wendy Schumer, Brenda Docken, Fred & JoAnn Morgan. Stepping into the role of Vice President will be Shelley Garrett, while Merry Larsen remains in her role of Treasurer and I will continue as your President. Two positions had nobody run in our election, Secretary and Membership Secretary. At Large member James Kosek ran against me for President, but many wrote him in on the ballot for these other two positions as well, which he would’ve won had he run for one of them. James has chosen to take on the Membership Secretary position, which is a huge undertaking and he deserves a huge thank you doing this. It is a lot of work and greatly appreciated. Kim Allmaras has also joined the board as an At Large member who will focus on assisting Merry with our finances and taxes. Welcome aboard Kim!! And Randy Murphy will also continue in his at large position and also work on the BluesNotes.

We still have the Secretary position open and if you’re interested please plan on attending our next board meeting (third Tuesday after membership meeting every month) and seeing how we operate before declaring. There are multiple At Large positions also open, and we can fill those anytime throughout the year, and currently have a couple people considering taking those on.

This next year we want to look into several important items. Updating our by-laws, setting up investments that’ll keep us financially stable for years to come, looking at new prospects for marketing (possibly even creating a new position for this purpose), and working closer with other music appreciation societies in our area. We’ll look at giving programs like the Christopher Mesi Scholarship, Blues in the Schools and Musician Relief Fund a new jump start, and would like to have people involved with those. We’ll also consider on taking up new events, and finding something that might be able to replace the summer concert in the park/picnic which was dissolved this past year due to extremely low turn-out in the recent past. We had fewer than 100 people attend this year for an event that can cost the organization as much as our annual Muddy Awards at times. It happens during a time when there is so much activity already taking place around the region (including a new blues festival that occurred the same weekend), so we just need to be watchful of not spending large amounts for something people do not attend. We’re open to ideas that you may have for this or any other event that you feel might be worthy to consider.

But we’re looking toward a successful and fun year ahead. Please help us out if you’d like to volunteer or join our board. And as always, thank you for being members of the CBA and helping to support the musicians and venues of our region!!

New Blues Albums of Note:

New music that has come into the CBA office, bought personally or listened to this past month:

 

Doyle Bramhall II – Shades (Provogue)

Gaetano Letizia& The Underworld Blues Rock Band – Beatles Blues Blast (Self Produced)

Johnny Boy Kunk – Back Alley Blues (Octocorn Records)

Larkin Poe – Venom & Faith (Tricki-Woo Records)

Little G Weevil – Back In Alabama (Gee Wee)

Mike Zito – Blue Room (Ruf Records)

Neal & The Vipers – One Drunken Kiss (N/V Records)

Peter V Blues Train – Shaken But Not Deterred (Self Produced)

Shaw Davis & The Black Ties – Shaw Davis & The Black Ties (Self Produced)

The Bones Of J.R. Jones – Ones To Keep Close (Self Produced)

Walter Wolfman Washington – My Future Is My Past (Anti-Records)

Applications Now Being Accepted For 2019 Journey To Memphis

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The Journey To Memphis is the Cascade Blues Association’s regional competition to select the acts that will represent our organization and region in 2020’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Up to 250 acts from around the world converge on Beale Street to perform before the music industry searching for new talent, with the chance to win recognition and prizes that include major festival performances and more. But the only way an act may participate is to win a regional competition held by one of The Blues Foundation’s affiliated societies like the Cascade Blues Association.

The Journey To Memphis competition consists of two rounds. The opening round will be held this year in mid-May at a venue to be determined.  The event may take place over more than one night depending on the number of acts wishing to compete. Acts are scored by a trio of judges selected for their backgrounds and knowledge of the blues. The highest scoring acts from each night of competition (up to four acts) will advance to the finals held at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4th.

Applications to participate in the competition will be accepted from now until Wednesday, April 3 at the Cascade Blues Association membership meeting. No late applications will be accepted. All acts that meet our criteria as described below will be eligible to compete. The performance schedule for the competition is drawn at random.

 

Here’s the application information:

  • Entry fee is $25.00
  • Each act must have at least one person in the band who is a member of the Cascade Blues

Association.

  • Only acts located within the region of Oregon, or Wasshington are allowed to enter the

Journey To Memphis.

  • Any act or member of an act that has been nominated for or received a Blues Music

Awards from The Blues Foundation are ineligible to compete. No exceptions.

  • Any act that has competed in the International Blues Challenge two consecutive years,

regardless whether with the same society or as a solo/duo or band act, must sit out a year

before being allowed to compete again. Acts can only participate three times in Memphis

(acts competing previous to 2017 will be grandfathered and may compete three times

starting from 2017).

  • Along with your $25.00 application fee, send an up-to-date band bio including names of

all members, a 300 dpi photo of the band, full song samples of the band’s music (this

may be used on a radio broadcast to promote the event), and we need to be made aware

of any band member who may be under 21 years of age at the time of the competition so

the venue is aware ahead of time for Oregon or Washington Liquor Commission laws.

  • We require that any act that moves forward in the competition must use the same band

members that they won the rounds with. In other words, if you won with a certain bass

player or drummer at the Waterfront Blues Festival, that bassist and drummer must be in

your band to compete in Memphis. Exceptions will made in rare circumstances when not                           under control of the act, such as health issues.

  • We do not prevent acts competing with the Cascade Blues Association from doing so

with other societies. All that we ask is that if you win another group’s competition before

ours is held, or if you win ours before theirs, please remove yourself from further

competitions to allow other acts the chance to win the right to go to Memphis.

Dave Keller – Every Soul’s A Star

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Dave Keller

Every Soul’s A Star

Catfood Records

 

For several years now, I have been singing the praises of New England bluesman Dave Keller. An amazing guitarist and songwriter with a voice that drips pure soulful honey, every album Keller puts out convinces me more and more of his immense talent — and I am not alone. His past recordings have taken home the prize from The Blues Foundation for Best Self-Produced CD (2011’s Where I’m Coming From), earned him a Blues Music Award nomination for Soul Blues Album of the Year (2014’s Soul Changes) and acclaim from Downbeat Magazine for their best recordings of the year list.

His latest recording, Every Soul’s A Star, continues with the same pace of stellar material that raises the bar every time out. Released on Catfood Records out of Texas, it was produced by the legendary Grammy winning Jim Gaines who brought studio magic to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Luther Allison, Santana, and Van Morrison in the past. Keller is backed by Catfood house band The Rays, made up of some of the finest players from the Lone Star State, including renowned Motown guitarist Johnny McGhee and bassist Bob Trenchard. All of the musicians put forth top of the line performances, but as always with any Keller disc the true star will always be his voice and his knowledge of phrasing his delivery just the right way. His performances can pull at the strings of your heart, filled with emotion that can be deeply filled with love or expressions of such love lost.

Aside from Keller’s superb voice, his craftiness for putting together meaningful lyrics is a true gift. The title track explains that you should look at everybody as an individual, everybody has something to offer and to just be who you are. “You Bring The Sunshine” is a love song that sings about the happiness finding the right person can achieve. In “Old Tricks” despite all the misgivings and pain he has suffered from his partner before, he keeps falling for the same old thing from her again and again. “This Is Gonna Hurt” is a break-up song and “Freedom Is Ours” discusses social issues such as immigration and protest.

The lone cover on the album is Ronnie Shannon’s “Baby I Love You” best known through Aretha Franklin’s stunning presentation. Keller pays tribute to the Queen of Soul yet makes this song all his own with a nice slower and funkier pace.

If you’re not hip already to the wonder of Dave Keller, it’s high time to take a good listen. Every Soul’s A Star rates high amongst this year’s top recordings and make no mistake, Dave Keller is one of the top modern soul bluesmen of our time.

Total Time: 42:06

Don’t Let Them Take Your Joy / Every Soul’s a Star / Baby, I Love You / Old Tricks / You Bring the Sunshine / Freedom Is Ours / This Is Gonna Hurt / It’s All in Your Eyes / Kiss Me Like You Miss Me / When Are You Gonna Cry? / Ain’t Givin’ In

Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues

Boz Scaggs

Out Of The Blues

Concord Records

This is the third album in Boz Scaggs’ triology of recordings that showcase the songs and styles of the music that first influenced him. Following in the successful footsteps of Memphis (2013) and A Fool To Care (2015) Scaggs ventures into the sounds of Americana, R&B, soul and the blues once again on his latest, Out Of The Blues. And he’s definitely directing his aim at the blues as the title suggests. Though it may seem odd for some to think of Scaggs as a bluesman, you should remember that was exactly where he got his start, growing up around the scene in Texas and playing in the Steve Miller Blues Band in the 1960s.

Of the nine tracks offered on the disc, five are covers that take on music made famous by the likes of Bobby Bland, Jimmy McCracklin, Jimmy Reed, and even Neil Young. The other four tracks were written by Jack “Applejack” Walroth, a long-time harmonica player and friend of Scaggs from San Francisco. Scaggs co-wrote one song with Walroth, the very Chuck Berry inspired number “Little Miss Night And Day.”

Playing alongside Scaggs is a very impressive group of artists that offers guitar players (aside from Scaggs himself on guitar and bass) Charlie Sexton, Steve Freund, and Doyle Bramhall II, keyboardist Ray Parker Jr, bassist Willie Weeks, and drummers Jim Keltner and Ricky Fataar.

Boz Scaggs has certainly reconnected with his roots and all three of this series should be heard. Out Of The Blues is a true description of where he originates and it still has a big hold on his heart.

 

Total Time: 39:29

Rock And Stick / I’ve Just Got To Forget You / I’ve Just Got To Know / Radiator 110 / Little Miss Night And Day / On The Beach / Down In Virginia / Those Lies / The Feeling Is Gone

Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager Acoustic Duo Coming to The Lake Theater

Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager

On Monday, January 28, Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager will preform at the Lake Theater. With Salgado’s inspired singing and world-class harmonica playing and Hager’s spellbinding guitar, the award-winning Rough Cut is the album the pair have always wanted to make together — soulful, sparse, haunting — a blues lover’s dream come true. The music is a moving exploration of the joyful, emotionally uplifting power of passionately played and soulfully sung acoustic blues, giving their fans a taste of what Alan calls “American Classical music.” “This type of music moves us the most,” says Salgado. “You believe it when you hear it.”

 

The Lake Theater & Café, 106 N State Street, Lake Oswego. $25.00 general admission, $130 VIP Tables (seating four, closest to the stage) at Laketheatercafe.com. All ages welcomed.