TajMo - Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo'

TajMo - Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo'Celebrating their Grammy and Blues Music Award winning collaboration TajMo, blues legends Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ continue to tour the country with a stop in Portland at the Oregon Zoo. The album garnered wins for contemporary blues at both award ceremonies, as well as the album of the year award at the BMAs, where Keb’ Mo’ was named contemporary artist of the year and Taj Mahal named both acoustic artist and BB King entertainer of the year. These are but only small examples of the accolades both have reaped throughout their careers.  This is a performance you should not miss.

TajMo will be performing at The Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, on Saturday, July 28 at 7:00 pm. Tickets for this all ages event can be purchased at Ticketfly.com with prices ranging from $39.50 to $149.00. Alicia Michilli will open the show.

Bandstand - Bandstand from Froggy - Bandstand - Lloyd Jones

David Kahl and Friends – Too Much Not To Mention

As most of you know, David Kahl continues to have a lot on his plate, musically and personally. While he prepares for bypass surgery, scheduled for July 19th, his professional calendar is hitting critical mass.

The Bayou Boyz have found themselves on a roll, with Sundays at Spirits Pub and their “Family Style” show, featuring a rotation of guest artists, at Mekong Bistro on Mondays. In May, they kicked off the official start of Waterfront Blues Festival season, followed by a performance at the CBA general membership meeting, with a sneak peek at what they’re serving up during festival week. A featured spot on the Front Porch Stage, July 5th, finally brings their unique approach to the Great American Songbook, with a Louisiana-based vibe, to a much wider audience. According to the WBF site, these guys should be a surprise discovery for festival-goers, just a taste of what they’ll present during the “Midnight Rose: Hotel Rose After Dark” series at, you guessed it, Hotel Rose, 50 SW Morrison, from 10pm to 1:30 am, July 4-7.

The events at Hotel Rose aren’t limited to after-hours. DME produced “Blues Brunch”, showcasing United By Music North America, will be held July 4-6, from 11am-1pm. This is a great chance to see a great program at work. UBMNA has quickly become a premier program, using music as a tool that goes beyond therapy. It’s something you must witness to appreciate. Another offering will be the “Happy Hour Acoustic Music Series”, all festival days, from 4-6pm. Solo and small groups will be featured, allowing a break from the crowds and heat, without missing the music.

Soul Cookin has settled into things, quite nicely, at Spirits Pub on Wednesdays. This place is as friendly as can be, a legitimate roadhouse with a great mix of people about as diverse as you’d want. The musical program has been such a hit that they’re working on adding Friday nights to the lineup, featuring some of the finest acts around. Ty Curtis gave it a test run and, from all indications, this looks like a go-to place for high quality entertainment in an intimate setting.

Speaking of Ty Curtis, the more things change, the more they stay the same. David was asked to fill in while the band looked for a new bassist and, for the sixth time, he agreed. What’s different now is the realization that this combination of players is too special to let go. In the past, David felt that age was too much of a concern and, with medical issues arising, things looked too serious to ignore. However, with diagnosis, the problem was identified, and the prognosis is very good. While he will be down for a few weeks, David will be making his way back, so you’ll get a lot more chances to catch these guys, whether as a powerful trio or in a more expanded form. Ty is as prolific as ever, which means more new material, more stories to tell, and more excitement.

The Creative Community Cooperative continues its work to create equity for working-class creatives. While David’s role remains important, a reorganization will allow him some relief and ability to focus his efforts where they’re most effective. A remarkable team of experienced individuals has come together to prepare for a major event in the Fall, to raise funds for this program that will not only benefit artists, but the broader community, its neighborhoods, and schools. Stay tuned for updates. Even though he’ll be laid up for a while, for David, things are just beginning to kick into gear.

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A.C. PORTER

Hello Blues Fans! I’m hosting a double header! Tuesdays now at Mekong Bistro will be a blues jam from now on, but Jammers will be able to share a great stage and s big room as soon as the house band and guests are done! So July is looking great with folks like Doug Rowell, Jim Wallace, Whit Draper, Suburban Slim as Guests, and then who knows!  Please come out and support a killer venue with your friends and family! See the CBA calendar for who’s playing when! 7:30 to 10:30 every Tuesday, No Cover!

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James Clem

Hi friends, I just renewed my CBA membership and if you are one of those that has put off joining just keep in mind the great job the CBA does keeping blues alive. We all need to do our part.

I am recording a new CD that should be out later this summer and it is being recorded at Ron Rogers’ studio onto analog tape. Ace upright bass man Craig Snazelle plays throughout and Mary Flower adds her great vocal and guitar skills on some tunes as well. The CD is mostly acoustic, but a few tracks have some electric slide and drums. Of course we will have a CD release party or two. Stay tuned.

One of my sidelines is teaching ukulele and I will be playing a 3 day ukulele festival down in Oakridge, Oregon, September 7-9. These festivals are a blast with workshops, jamming, concerts and more. The uke has really taken off worldwide and is just a lot of fun to play. There is a great camaraderie among the players at these festivals.

On October 1, I am heading over to play some dates in Europe starting in London and some other UK dates and then to Belgium, France and Holland. Mostly I am playing venues I have played in the past and we get some really good crowds and a lot of returning fans so it is all good.

Just a reminder that you can hear my music on Pandora, Spotify, iTunes and CD Baby. Hope to see some of you out on the town at my gigs.

Cheers, James Clem

Dana Fuchs

Love Lives On
Get Along Records

Dana FuchsDana Fuchs’ Love Lives On is her initial album on her own label, Get Along Records. This is the blues with a hand heavily in soulful rock and a bit of Americana. The power of her voice is in full force with the backing of a talented band and the soul tinge of these mostly self-penned selections shine through magnificently. There is a lot of personal reflection in Fuchs’ music, baring testimony to her emotions about those demons she has fought following the loss of family members and the overcoming of that pain with the birth of her child.

The title track, “Love Lives On,” is an understanding that no matter what happens, life will continue. It is a theme brought up again and again on the album, “Battle Lines” and “Same Sunlight” while the covers of Otis Redding’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is a self-admission that some things are brought about by yourself. The Johnny Cash classic “Ring of Fire” is handled acoustically, closing out the disc with her own impassioned take that offers a still even deeper feeling from within her own heart.

Recorded in Memphis under the production of Kevin Houston (North Mississippi All Stars, The Bo-Keys, Ian Siegal), the band includes long-time Stax Records drummer Steve Potts and Hi Records alum Reverend Charles Hodges on organ. Rounding out the group are guitarist Jon Diamond (who also co-wrote a number of the selections with Fuchs), bass player Jack Daley, Felix Hernandez on congas, Glenn Patscha on keys, Mark Franklin and Kirk Smothers on horns, and Eric Lewis handling pedal steel for a number. Dynamic backing vocals are courtesy of Susan Marshall and Reba Russell

Love Lives On is a splendid recording that gives witness to Fuchs in the most soul-baring offering of her career to date. It shows that from the pain of near defeat one can rise again to the top. It is a new beginning for her and a step forward that shows her importance in voice and lyric that has something to say and should be heard.

Total Time: 40:36

Backstreet Baby / Nobody’s Fault but Mine / Callin’ Angels / Sittin’ On / Love Lives On / Sad Solution /  Faithful Sinner / Sedative / Ready to Rise / Fight My Way / Battle Lines / Same Sunlight / Ring of Fire

Blues Rockers ZZ Top

ZZ Top - Billy GibbonsZZ Top is an American icon. The blues-rock trio from Texas specialized in down-and-dirty blues-rock during the ’70s, then scored colorful MTV hits during the 1980s. Formed in Houston in 1970 by Billy Gibbons (guitar), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums), the trio still releases hit albums and continues to fill arenas and stadiums around the world four decades later.

Currently crossing the country on The Tonnage Tour, ZZ Top will be making a stop at the Washington County Fair Complex, 873 NE 34th Avenue in Hillsboro on Saturday, July 28 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available through Bigfairfun.com for $45.00 general admission and $65.00 reserved seating.

There are also two VIP packages available:

#1 is $400.00 per person and includes reserved seating in rows 1-5, a meet & greet with the band, a personal photograph with the band, $50.00 merchandise voucher for their online store, a copy of their new “Live” Greatest Hits Around the World album, and a commemorative meet & greet laminate.

#2 is $275.00 per person and includes reserved seating in rows 6-15. $40.00 merchandise voucher for their online store, a copy of their new “Live” Greatest Hits Around the World album, and a commemorative tour laminate.

Anni Piper

Anni Piper“Anni Piper, fresh to the US from Australia, is a vixen, a vamp, a tease, and every woman scorned….Thing is, what strikes me most about Anni Piper is her incredibly fun sense of humor, a trait that shows itself from beginning to end of her latest release: More Guitars Than Friends.” Wolfmann’s Music

I first heard that sexy, sultry voice of Anni Piper on stage in the small town of Joseph, Oregon, and it can now be heard at local venues. Fans are blessed to have this Aussie blues sensation call Portland home.

Anni was born and raised in Sydney Australia, although she spent some time living in the USA as a child. “My father was a professor and taught at the University of Illinois and UC Davis during my elementary school years. I have been living in the USA continuously for about four years, and Portland has been home now since last fall,” she said.

Starting with the flute when she was eight and bass when she was fourteen, Anni always wanted to be a musician. “I had music lessons as a child and completed a Bachelor of Contemporary Music at 19 years of age.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan was a huge influence in terms of blues and she said she dearly loves that Texas style. “You have to keep in mind that, growing up in Australia in the ’90s, there was no internet so I still had to go to a local record store to buy CDs. Often their blues selection was limited. I enjoy Freddie King and Bobby Blue Bland, if I’m in a more retro mood. I also did a lot of study of Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke in my early bass learning years.”

Her musical style may be attributed to her unique history. At 17 years of age she started performing professionally. “I moved to an area near the famous Byron Bay surf beaches that is known for its’ alternative lifestyle. I lived in a hippie commune with solar power, rain water, and kangaroos hopping around my front lawn….I’m serious. There were many students in the area, so there was a lot going on musically for such a small town,” she said.

Anni describes her music style as fluid and malleable. “I get different moods as a human being and as an artist. My life is shaped so much by my environment and varied stimuli can produce interesting compositional outcomes. Texas Blues is often how I am pigeonholed, but if you listen to my 2010 album, Chasin’ Tail, it is, without a shadow of a doubt, blues rock. Having said that, I adore jazz too and would like to explore more of that vocally in the future.”

Anni’s talent has won her numerous awards, including:

  • 2004 – ABC radio national Fresh Air contest winner
  • 2005 – Winner – Best New Talent at the Australian Blues Music Awards
  • 2005 – Finalist – best female vocal at the Australian Blues Music Awards
  • 2005 – Musicoz awards top 5 finalist
  • 2005 – Australian National songwriting contest 2nd place
  • 2009 – APRA professional development awards finalist; finalist best female vocal at Australian Blues Music Awards; Rudy Brandsma nominee at Australian National Song Contest
  • 2015 -Top 5 finalist UK songwriting contest

She currently has five recordings out: Jailbait – 2004,  Black Market Music; Texas Hold ‘Em – 2007, Black Market Music; Chasin’ Tail  – 2010, Black Market Music; Split Second – 2013, Blues Leaf Records (this was the label Janiva Magness first signed with); and More Guitars Than Friends – 2016,  Sugar Daddy Records. Anni says she hopes to record more in the future.

In the Portlasnd blues scene she has played with Karen Lovely, Ben Rice, Kris Deelane, and Dan Hess. “I’m currently looking for a guitarist based in Portland to do some shows with me.”

I think Jeremy Loome of The Edmondton Sun, Canada sums it up best, “Piper has the kind of voice that lulls men to their doom. It’s soft and sweet when it wants to be, scared and vulnerable a moment later, then ripping through you like a razor… Piper commands songs utterly.”

She’ll be touring around the USA part of this summer, but be sure and catch her when she makes it back to Portland. For more information about Anni and to find out where you can find her performing, check out her website at http://www.annipiper.com.

Gary Hoey

Gary HoeyGary Hoey has explored many styles in his career, from hard rock to rock to surf to prog, and with 2013’s Deja Blues he came home to the blues. His latest, 2016’s Dust & Bones, is an exuberant fusion of blues and rock. But whatever style he plays, one thing is certain, Gary Hoey is a fiery, charismatic player who connects with the crowd. Whether he’s playing scorching originals or rock classic covers, his solos are thrillingly reminiscent of Clapton or Stevie Ray in their fiery youth. One thing that remains consistent is Hoey’s impassioned command of the guitar. He can attack his instrument with feral intensity and then play something very soft and achingly beautiful. This ability to mix feeling, phrasing, technique and tone is the true mark of a master guitarist.

The Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, welcomes Gary Hoey back to Portland on Saturday, July 28 for an 8:00 pm show. Tickets are available through Ticketweb.com for $20.00. 21 & over.