2018 - Page 3 of 31 - Cascade Blues Association

Artichoke Café to Host American Guitar Masters Larry Pattis & Eric Skye

On Saturday, January 5 The American Guitar Masters Touring Concert Series will visit Portland. This series offers group concerts featuring compositions and arrangements of Celtic tunes, American Roots, Jazz, Delta blues, instrumental gems, and folk-songs that reveal a devotion to great acoustic music.

Eric Skye – photo by Guy Brooksbank

Often billed as an acoustic jazz guitarist, Eric Skye neatly occupies a unique space amount Americana, jazz, and blues musical traditions. His is an original style, threaded together with a healthy respect for the groove, and a love of unadulterated acoustic tone. Eric Skye has performed live on morning television for NBC and FOX, on National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and performed on many live radio broadcasts all over the United States.

Larry Pattis

Named one of the “Top 10 Best Acoustic Music Artists of the Decade” by the International Acoustic Music Awards, Larry Pattis has been a featured headline performer at such illustrious venues as the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Freight & Salvage, Club Passim, Godfrey Daniels, the Turning Point, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, and many more.

Artichoke Café is located at 2001/2007 SE Powell Blvd. The concert begins at 8:00 pm and tickets are available for $15.00 at Brownpapertickets.com

The guitarists will also appear in Eugene on Friday, January 4 at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette Street. 7:30 pm. Tickets in advance at venue for $15.00, $18.00 door.

January’s General Membership Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday, January 2, 7:00 pm

Cascade Blues Announcement, General Meetings

Please join The Cascade Blues Association as we kick off a new year in a new venue for our membership meetings — The McMenamins Mission Theater. This is going to be the perfect way to begin 2019 since we’re bringing in some of the finest blues musicians of the region for this first meeting at The Mission.

Starting the year off will be a set from our 2018 Journey To Memphis winner Ben Rice, who will be heading to Tennessee later this month to represent us at the International Blues Challenge. A two-time finalist at the IBC and recipient of the St. Blues Guitar Award for best guitarist in the solo/duo competition. This year he was the winner of two Muddy Awards this year for contemporary act and the “Curtis Salgado” male vocalist categories.

Ben’s website explains that “[h]is music is deeply rooted in traditional blues, yet at the same time fiercely original. His guitar playing earns labels like ‘fearless,’ ‘inventive’ and ‘powerful,’ and he routinely brings audiences to their feet with his stunning and emotionally honest vocal delivery. Ben is as much home fronting his electric blues band as he is captivating a crowd solo with nothing but his voice and his resonator guitar.”

For the second set of music, we will feature this year’s recipient of a Cascade Blues Association’s Lifetime Achievement Muddy Award, Robbie Laws, playing with his Swing Trio. Renowned as a master guitarist, Robbie has been the recipient of the Muddy Award for electric guitar nine times and has shared the stage alongside some of the very best blues artists of our time, including Albert Collins and Ronnie Earl. Laws possesses the inherent ability to authentically convey different musical styles such as 1940’s Jump Swing, traditional country blues, Piedmont, Delta, early Texas, and Chicago, yet is comfortable playing uptown jazz as well as progressive rock.

Robbie will be performing at the meeting with his Swing Trio, which teams him with drummer Eric Ching and organist Ben Partain. This is guaranteed to be one groovin’ set of tasty music you won’t want to miss.

And of course we will have our popular free ticket drawing and winner-take-all drawing, so don’t miss out on the chance on your chance to win fun prizes. It is still one of the best blues happening taking place every month — no matter the venue. Great music and good friends, what could possibly be better?

The Mission Theater is located at, 1624 NW Glisan Street. Festivities begin at 7:00 pm and the fun is free to CBA members (please show current membership card at door) and $5.00 for non-members. All ages welcome.

Bluesnotes December 2018

Blues Notes

New Music Of Note – December 2018

New Music To Note

David Lumsden and Friends – Hues Of Blues (Self Produced)
Delta Moon – Babylon Is Falling (Jumping Jack Records)
Diane Durrett & Soul Suga – Live (Blooming Tunes Music)
Fantastic Negrito – Please Don’t Be Dead (Cooking Vinyl)
Jim Allchin – Prime Blues (Sandy Key Music)
Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Katz & Giles Robson – Journeys To The Heart Of The Blues (Alligator Records)
Kirk Fletcher – Hold On (Self Produced)
Lindsay Beaver – Tough As Love (Alligator Records)
Paul Oscher – Cool Cat (Blues Fidelity Recordings)
Sean Chambers – Welcome To My Blues (American Showplace Music)
The Knickerbocker All-Stars – Love Makes A Woman (JP Cadillac Records)
Tony Joe White – Bad Mouthin’ (Yep Roc Records)
Various Artists – Muscle Shoals: Small Town, Big Sound (BMG)

Tony Joe White

CD Review

Bad Mouthin’
Yep Roc Records

Tony Joe White may forever be embedded in our minds for his smash hit single “Polk Salad Annie,” but his final release just may be one of his finest ever. Bad Mouthin’ is an exploration into his past and a taste of the music that inspired him early off. Known for his swampy rock tunes, White digs deep into the blues and covers a number of his heroes while pairing them with five original tracks of his own.

Two of the original numbers White presents are not new by any means. In fact, they are two of the very first songs of his that he ever recorded, “Bad Mouthin’” and “Sundown Blues.” First cut onto tape back in 1964 in a small Texas studio near the Mexican border, they have been turned into slow acoustic blues gems, like all of the numbers on the disc. And they fit in nicely with songs from Lightnin’ Hopkins (“Awful Dreams”), John Lee Hooker (“Boom Boom”), Jimmy Reed (“Big Boss Man”), Charley Patton (“Down The Dirt Road Blues”) and Joe Williams (“Baby Please Don’t Go”).

This is very deep blues, often boding in darkness where you can feel the pain that looms inside. The cover of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” has never come across in such a bluesy manner and just tugs on the edge of being a dirge. Bare-boned often just White on guitar and harp, other times with drummer Bryan Owings and bassist Steve Forrest, it certainly shows White as a remarkable bluesman and may be one of his finest moments on record ever. Too bad it came out just shortly before his untimely death.

Total Time: 50:06

Bad Mouthin’ / Baby, Please Don’t Go / Cool Town Woman / Boom Boom / Big Boss Man / Sundown Blues / Rich Woman Blues / Bad Dreams / Awful Dreams / Down The Dirt Road Blues / Stockholm Blues / Heartbreak Hotel

Ramblings On My Mind – December 2018

Ramblings

Greg Johnson, CBA President

Every year in December I devote my column to the blues recordings that have stood out to me overall during the last year. One thing it always shows is that my taste is not founded in just one aspect or direction of blues music. It’s all over the map. These ten recordings were highlights for me, but don’t ask me to place them in any certain order because they can all flip flop at any given time. But they are discs that held my attention and their place on my player for significant time and still do.

Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager – Rough Cut – living in Portland we already knew that Curtis and Alan have the magic touch that flows through their traditional styles with ease and perfection. From the first listen of this disc I knew right away that it was destined to be one of the year’s best.

Ben Rice – Wish the World Away – I’ve said it before, Ben Rice frightens me. I mean how can somebody come across sounding better every time out. And I don’t mean every recording, but every time I see him. And I see him a lot. Wish The World Away is an acoustic masterpiece and if he wasn’t already making his name known globally with his performances, the songwriting and playing here should do the trick. Amazing is too mild a description.

Michael Osborn – Hanging On – I have always loved Michael Osborn’s recordings, but this one is something special. Some of the finest guitar playing of his career and the songwriting and collaborations make this album close to perfect. Well it just may be perfect. Brilliant blues by an unsung master.

Paul Oscher – Cool Cat – Paul Oscher has a phenomenal background as we’re well aware. A multi-instrumentalist, a strong songwriter and superb story-teller, he is the full package whether traditional blues and as seen here a little jazz. Wish he’d release albums more often than he does.

Cedric Burnside – Benton County Relic – Another prime example of how Cedric Burnside is perhaps the finest purveyor of the North Mississippi Hill Country sound. It’s in his blood and this fine recording shows his legacy.

Bettye LaVette – Things Have Changed – This was a brave outing by Bettye LaVette, bringing the music of Bob Dylan into a completely soulful and gritty collection filled with sass and sex appeal.

Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son – after a six year absence from recording, Ry Cooder is back and returning to his natural place as a first-rate historian of traditional roots music while still offering a piece of his own social opinions. Oh, and just in case you’ve forgotten, Ry Cooder is one of the finest guitar players ever . . . ever!! And he throws down some mean mandolin, banjo, bass and keys, too, for good measure.

Marcus King Band – Carolina Confessions – Look out, he’s just 22 and is already the full package as a musician, vocalist and songwriter. A surprise recording where he follows in the footsteps of Derek Trucks and Gary Clark Jr.

Johnny Rawls – I’m Still Around – Okay, anybody who follows my top ten every year already knows that Johnny Rawls is a regular. And if you saw him at the Waterfront you know that he is one of the finest soul voices out there and every one of his discs is filled with his smooth and crafty singing and songwriting.

Anthony Geraci – Why Did You Have To Go – One of the most in demand keyboard players in the blues world, Anthony Geraci proves once again that he can put together highly listenable music of his own. And the collection of musicians backing him is like a who’s who of the modern blues scene, from Sugaray Rayford to Kid Ramos to Jimi Bott to Ronnie Earl, and so many more.

If you haven’t heard these discs, I highly recommend every one of them. You can’t go wrong.

General Membership Meeting Slated for Wednesday, December 5

General Meetings

For more than the past year we have been holding our monthly membership meetings at Catfish Lou’s thanks to the generosity of Michelle and Michael Bean who stepped forward when our time at The Melody Ballroom came to a close. In January we will move to The Mission Theater, so this month will be our final meeting at Catfish Lou’s. It is a bittersweet moment, as it has been a wonderful relationship; yet we just needed larger space and a desire to return to an all ages venue. Thank you so much for hosting us for these past months, we could not have done it without you.

So, for the final night at Catfish Lou’s we will be bringing in some long-time friends.

Ken Johnson opens the night. He is a former CBA board member, has produced a number of festivals, and is one of the original founders of the Hudson Rocket Band. These days he can be found working with either a band or as a solo artist as he will do for us. Ken says, “I’m a lucky man living the life. Music is part of who I am. It always has been and I’m sure will always be my safe place to go! Whether it’s dancing, drumming or creating songs on the guitar it’s something I truly love to do. Music has taken me around the world. The stuff that I play definitely has a blues influence and I am looking forward to sharing some music with you folks!”

We last saw Martin Henry & The Freedom Street Band in August playing at the CBA Concert in the Park. Always entertaining and crowd pleasing, the band returns for a membership meeting. Freedom Street is a tight collection of accomplished musicians from the Northwest, providing great high energy entertainment from a diverse set of songs ranging from rock, blues, country, and R&B. Their goal is to provide a unique and fun musical experience for all. Led by the harmonica playing and songwriter Martin Henry, the band includes lead vocalist Cameron Collins, the dual guitars of Jim Presley and Matt “Willie McGee”, bassist Joanne “Grandma Funk” Mead, drummer Bill Ebert and keyboard man Tim “The Deacon” Doyle and backing vocals from Julie Fairless.

So please join us as we have a little party one last time (for now) at Catfish Lou’s. You can win CDs and other prizes just by coming out to enjoy great blues, so don’t forget you free ticket drawing at the door. We will see you there!!

Catfish Lou’s, 2460 NW 24^th Avenue, Wednesday, December 5th, 7:00 pm. Free for CBA members with a current membership card (please show your card at the door), $5.00 for non-members. 21 & over.

Kirk Fletcher

CD Review

Hold On
Self Produced

Just in case it might have slipped your mind for one reason or another, Kirk Fletcher is a bad ass guitarist. Listen to the opening track “Two Steps Forward” from his latest disc Hold On. That’s certainly going to remind you. It has that distinct “wow” factor that is going to blow your mind. And it is only the beginning of an album that burns, sizzles and cooks with fire on every track from there on out.

The eight numbers collected on Hold On all have their very own unique presentation and style that allows the listener to realize that Kirk Fletcher is a man who can easily deliver within any approach with ease and unquestionable skill. “Dupree” offers sensational jazzy guitar, “Sad Sad Day” jumps with a New Orleans keyboard accompaniment, “You Need Me” brings on a funky touch with deliberate soulful vocals (does anybody else get a Lou Rawls type of feel with this one?), “Gotta Right” sounds like it fell right out of a blues joint in Chicago, and “Time’s Ticking” is down-and-churning blues-guitar rock number. You can’t go wrong with any of the selections, they’re all filled with some of the most amazing guitar you’re likely to hear this year or any year. And if you’re truly looking for one piece that going to convince you of Fletcher’s deserved place amongst blues guitar royalty, just jump straight ahead to the eight-minute-plus extravaganza “The Answer.” The song is a slow blues masterpiece with each note given just that right expression to make you feel the passion and hurt the singer is relating.

If you love blues guitar or guitar in general, you don’t want to miss out on this one.

Total Time: 47:55

Two Steps Forward / You Need Me / Sad Sad Day / The Answer / Time’s Ticking / Dupree / Gotta Right / Hold On

Settle Down Easy, Ramble On Rose

Cascade Blues Note

A Conversation with Rosebud Cafe Owner Don Zerr
Missi Hasting Baker

On nearly any given evening, the drive on Highway 30 from Portland to Scappoose is easy and fine. It travels like a Sunday driving road: First, the rail yard and its colored cars fly by, then the gothic St. Johns Bridge appears, and finally a verdant Oregon jungle emerges that belies its close proximity to a big city.

Scappoose, a mere half hour from downtown Portland, is home to Rosebud Cafe. The restaurant, bar, and music venue is gaining popularity from local bands and fans who appreciate the commitment its owner, Don Zerr, has made to offering live music three nights a week. Indeed, his background and experience in music production (he mixed live bands for KBOO for many years) and as a working musician (he has performed in local and Montana-based bands for over twenty years) lend him some definitive expertise.

So, your building was formerly The Wayside Tavern, not known for its live music. What got you interested?

I lived in Montana for fifteen years prior to buying. I moved back to the Portland area and was trying to buy a house. The tavern came with a house, so I figured what the heck? What could go wrong?

I love the backlit roadside marquee outside; there are shades of Route 66 in the facade. The same goes for the interior. There’s something really “throwback” about the vibe — the pool tables, the decor — how’d you choose the name?

I’ve always loved “Rosebud Cafe” and almost opened a tavern in Montana and called it that. It brings in the famous roses of the Pacific Northwest, and of course, the rose meme from the hippies and the Grateful Dead . . .

Wasn’t Jerry’s guitar named Rosebud?

Just a coincidence with Jerry’s guitar. I don’t need the band suing me for trademark infringement!

There’s a nice range of musical genres represented by the bands who play Rosebud. I do notice there’s a fundamental circling-back to the blues.

Yeah, it seems nowadays that styles of music have melded together where a band may play a blues number followed by a folk song. The lines between genres have really merged together lately. That said, I went to college in Eugene and spent many a night at Taylor’s Bar & Grill listening to blues bands like Terry Robb and Big Monti Amundson. I finished college at PSU, which at that time saw The Candlelight Room hosting seven nights of blues a week.

Rosebud has hosted Tracey Fordice Band, Kode Blues Band, and Billy Hagen, among other strictly blues bands, plus a lot of others who cross over into blues. I’m open to booking more.

Well, it’s actually not that easy to fill a room that will in turn pay for live music. Sometimes people don’t understand that.

There’s a ton of great musicians playing here in the Northwest, but consistently drawing in a good crowd can be very tough. Of course, it helps when bands promote themselves. Bands that book a gig and then don’t promote it might be my greatest frustration in offering so many nights of live music. I definitely lose money some nights, but I’m trying to build something here that I know will take some time, so I’m willing to take a loss for a while. I also knew I’d be giving up every single weekend night, so I book many of the bands that I’d go see if I had the night off!

I get so many requests from great bands who want to play, and there aren’t enough dates in the year to support all of them. I feel bad about that, but hope to get them worked in as time progresses.

Hopefully you’re getting to play some yourself. You ever sit in on sets?

I do sit in with bands on rare occasions, and my own band plays a couple of times a month so I can get some stage time. It’s in my heart.

The Rosebud Cafe is located at 50316 Columbia River Highway in Scappoose. They offer a full bar, lunch and dinner menus, and breakfast at 11:00 am on weekends. Live music Thurs. 6:30-8:30, Fri-Sat 8:30-midnight. Find them on Facebook or at www.therosebudcafe.com .

Missi Hasting Baker and her husband, John Baker, are co-leaders of Mojo Holler, a Portland-based roots Americana and blues band

NW Blues Legends Too Slim & The Taildraggers Headed to Alberta Rose

Past PDX Blues Event

Too Slim - Too Slim & The Taildraggers Return To Billy Blues

Tim “Too Slim“ Langford is a monster guitarist and unabashed blues rocker whose influences run the gamut from Lightnin’ Hopkins, Freddy King, Duane Allman, and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Robin Trower. Langford is a prolific singer/songwriter whose songs have now yielded an impressive thirteen studio albums for Too Slim and the Taildraggers, two solo albums and several live CD’s all on his own Underworld Records imprint, including his latest High Desert Heat. Langford is one of the most heralded performers from the Pacific Northwest, a Hall of Fame member in three blues societies in Oregon and Washington, and after spending time in Nashville he has returned to his roots and currently lives in Idaho. Too Slim and the Taildraggers are Tim “Too Slim” Langford on guitar/vocals, Zach Kasik on bass/vocals and Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes on drums/vocals.

Alberta Rose Theater 3000 NE Alberta Street, Friday, December 28 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $20.00 advance at Ticketbiscuit.com or $24.00 at the door. Minors okay when accompanied by a parent or guardian.