Dubbed the “Future of the Blues” by legendary “Misty Blue” recording artist Dorothy Moore and a “Blues Trailblazer” by Living Blues Magazine, JJ Thames is the leave-it-all-on-the-stage front-woman of the Violet ReVOLT, possessing the mesmerizing je-ne-sais-quoi star-quality of Tina Turner, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Koko Taylor, and Ruth Brown all in one raw, often wistful, always powerful and passionate voice. JJ’s voice and stage presence is one that often incites goosebumps, tears, encores and standing ovations- commanding the attention of any room -whether it be a 100 person capacity Hole in the Wall Mississippi Juke Joint, or a 20,000 seat stadium
JJ Thames appears at the White Eagle Saloon, 836 N Russell Street, on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $12.00, both in advance at Cascadetickets.com or at the door. 21 and over only.
The 7th annual Walla Walla Guitar Festival returns the weekend of March 9 – 11 with another spectacular line-up featuring more than thirty acts on stage throughout downtown Walla Walla, WA. The event will include a Friday night kick-off show, an acoustic showcase, a guitar crawl, and all star jams. Among the performers scheduled are Curtis Salgado, Hamilton Loomis, The Coyote Kings with Tiphony Dames & Tim “Too Slim” Langford, The LaRhonda Steele Band with Lloyd Jones & Peter Dammann, Lightnin’ Willie, Rust on the Rails, Kevin Selfe & The Tornadoes, The Stacy Jones Band, The Randy Oxford Band, and many, many more.
After leaving their native Colorado, The Wood Brothers pursued different musical interests. Chris journeyed to New York and found fame with the jazz-funk outfit Medeski, Martin & Wood, while Oliver took his love for the blues to Atlanta and formed the band King Johnson. It was at family gatherings where the two began to jam and then develop a musical approach that incorporated blues, folk, and rock. Now, nearly eighteen years and a dozen releases later, the brothers, along with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix, continuously tour the country to large and faithful audiences with their unique brand of Americana.
Celebrating its seventh year, the Winter Blues Music Festival will take place on March 10 at the Elk’s Lodge,13121 SE McLoughlin Boulevard in Oak Grove. This year’s event will feature the music of Gabriel Cox, Timothy James & The Portland Blues Revival, Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys, Suburban Slim, The Thunder Brothers, Kris Deelane & The Hurt, plus special guest performers from Youth Music Project.
The 2018 Journey To Memphis first round will be held on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 at The Garages Music & Event Center, 4800 SW Western Avenue in Beaverton. We will be holding the event earlier this year to avoid conflict with Rose Festival events and holiday commitments the weekends of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Also, this year’s competition will take place in the afternoon allowing acts to keep gigs that they may have already scheduled for the evening hours.