The Tornadoes (AKA – ‘A Selfless Act’)
Hello Blues lovers! Just a note to say thank you to our loyal fans and blues jammers!

Allen Markel and I (Don Shultz) have been holding down the fort along with our special guest musicians while our fearless leader Kevin Selfe is away. We appreciate your continued support and patronage of this fine venue, The Blue Diamond. I am excited about July’s special guest line-up as we will have Kevin Selfe back on 7/2, then Ken Brewer on 7/9, AC Porter,on 7/16, Ben Rice on 7/23, and Doug Rowell on 7/30. We are looking forward to seeing you there on Sundays from 6 to 9 PM!

Lisa Mann
Hey blues peeps!  Lisa Mann here, letting you know what’s up for July.  I’m looking forward to playing in a bunch of showcases this Waterfront Blues Fest, including the Sail on Sister Cruise, with Sonny Hess and the incredible Claudette King.  She’s BB King’s youngest daughter, and she is keeping his musical talent alive and well into the future.  Be sure and get tickets to at least one of the Delta Music Experience cruises, you’ll appreciate the camaraderie AND the air conditioning.  Money raised on the Blues Cruises will go to the Oregon Food Bank, just the rest of the fest.

Of course there’s musical magic every year, however the Waterfront Blues Fest is also host to some important causes and services.  Visit the Health Net Pavilion for FREE health screenings blood pressure, visual sight, glaucoma, diabetes and hearing.  Caring Ambassadors does Hepatitis testing as part of these screenings, so if you’ve ever wondered if you might have contracted it in the past, get checked!  I have heard personal testimony from folks who have gotten treatment after getting screened at Waterfront.  So take a few minutes out of your fun day to gain some peace of mind.  Also, there will be 12 Step meetings every morning at 11am at the Health Pavilion too.  You can find the Pavilion on the map they hand out at the gate.

My band won’t be appearing at the fest, however we have gigs in Portland, Boise, Salem and more, and will be performing an important fundraiser on Sat July 29th.  Catfish Lou’s is hosting us for their “Play it Forward” campaign, we will be raising funds for Mercy Corps NW’s Reentry Transition Center.  This program helps people transitioning out of the prison system find jobs, housing, drug/alcohol treatment and so much more.  Help give folks a second chance at a new life by joining us!
Happy summer, everybody!

Lisa Mann

www.lisamannmusic.com

Ashbolt
I hope everyone has a blast at this year’s Blues Fest! I’ll be working at the massage booth Fri. June 30th 3PM-6:30PM and Monday July 3rd 11AM-3:30PM. Half of your donations go to the Oregon Food Bank!

Also, thanks to all the folks that showed up for the 6th Anniversary of the Bolt Upright Jam at Montavilla Station this past month! Thanks go out to my co-hosts over the years and to all the fantastic jammers/dancers/and blues supporters that continue to show up and partake in our tribal stomp! Montavilla Station, 417 SE 80^th, 9PM-1:30AM is the place. I hope we have another 6 years into the future there! Enjoy the summer!

ashboltstewart@yahoo.com

Bottleneck Blues Band
July will be busy month for Bottleneck Blues Band. They are spending the entire month playing shows out of Portland. They start July with a three day run first stopping in Maupin at The Riverside playing in the desert, then journeying on to John’s Alley in Moscow, ID, then reaching their final destination The Wallace, ID Blues Festival where they are a featured act. The band will return to Hood River and perform at one of their favorite venues The River City Saloon which is always a great fun filled evening. Bottleneck is happy to be adding The Cowlitz County Fair to their show list this July 28th. The band has been working hard on the material for their upcoming album Storm Bringer. Currently, some of the new tunes have made it into their live set and have been well received from audiences. Please visit us on line at www.bottleneckbluesband.com or come to a show and see Randy Monroe, Franklin Spicer, Nathan Powell and Noah Bell live. Thanks CBA!

Catfish Lou’s
Catfish Lou’s is celebrating it’s 6-month anniversary in July!  Time goes by quickly when an amazing journey is combined with a ton of fun!

We have met so many great people that I couldn’t begin to name half of them here, but we’d like to send a special thank you to a few people that have been at Catfish Lou’s since the beginning and set a musical foundation from which we have grown.

Robbie Laws & Jolie Clausen play their hearts out every Wednesday and Thursday for our jam sessions.  If you think that jam sessions are only for the artists, then you I recommend you check out the shows that they’ve each put together, and I promise you’ll think differently.  You’ll become a jam-fan like us!  Robbie has a heart of gold, he’s a “hoot”, and this cat can play! In fact, we have a video of him in the kitchen using a whisk as a guitar slide! (Did I mention we like to have fun?!) His weekly sets include everyone from Sheila Wilcoxson, Karen Lovely, and more. Jolie Clausen introduced many musicians to our venue when she, Whit Draper and Newell C. Briggs, began Jolie’s Wednesday Jam. When she picks up those sticks, all the musicians come out of the woodwork to play.  A big thank you to the both of you for bringing us quality music week-after-week and believing in the vision we have for Catfish Lou’s.

Likewise, Terry Robb & Ben Rice have brought a collage of collaborations to the stage every Monday since the beginning.  They sometimes play solo, but often bring a variety of duos and trio to kick the week off with intense, rootsy, bluesy, soulful, jazzy, sounds you won’t hear anywhere else on a Monday night!

Lloyd “Have Mercy” Jones, Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester, Andy Stokes, LaRhonda Steele – These are all names you’ll recognize from their decades of creating amazing music Portland metro area.  To borrow a word from Lloyd Jones, it’s SUPER groovy that they are now bringing their awesomeness to Catfish Lou’s.

Recently, Lloyd Jones came to us with the idea of doing a fundraiser for Curtis Salgado.  He’d donate his time and his tip jar (the “love bucket”) and ticket sales.  All we had to do was provide a place for people to gather, great tasting food, and a rocking sound system. No problem on our part. Brilliant, generous and thoughtful on Lloyd’s part. We donated a percentage of sales to the cause and were so impressed by the outpouring of support we thought, “we can do more”. As a result, “Catfish Lou’s Playing It Forward” monthly fundraiser events were launched.  Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for your favorite artists and their charities of choice.

Looking forward to the next six months!

Michelle & Michael
Owners of Catfish Lou’s

Billy D & The Hoodoos
Hey Everyone.. it’s Billy D & The Hoodoos coming out of Winter Hibernation.. Lo & Behold we’ve got a busy Summer.. The Gorge Fest and Opening Day of The Safeway Waterfront Fest right here in Beautiful NW Oregon in June .. followed by a Trip to Cosmic Santa Fe in July, Walla Walla & Chicago in August &  finally California in Oct.. Pretty Awesome.. also after many years of being our go to guy for Bass & Vocal duties “Dapper” Joe Casimir.. the best I’ve ever worked with is retiring from “full time “ duty with us but will come back once in awhile to help out .. he and his  better 1/2  June Howell also a great singer(Actually two of the kindest and best peeps you can ever hope to meet) will be riding off into as many Sunsets as They Can & enjoying their retirements together.. Thank U Joey!!! His last official show with us will be Saturday Aug 19 @ O’Connors Vault.. so please come out and hang with Joe that night .. truly one of the finest anywhere!!!
Keep Rockin!!!
Billy D

Karen Lovely
I’m sitting here in a van heading north to Canada with 2x BMA Winner “Best Bass” Lisa Mann, her husband bassist Allen Markel, drummer Dave Melyan, and IBC “St Blues” Winner for Best Guitar is driving.

Lisa, Ben, Dave, and I have been talking about what a great time we had at our recent sold out shows in Basel, Switzerland, and how excited we are to be performing together again this weekend.  We are all really stoked to be playing again on the main stage at the Waterfront Blues Festival, Opening Day, 6/30.

Playing with Lisa, Ben, Dave, and guitar player Mark Bowden is a musical experience like no other…

For the past year, we’ve been fortunate to have done a number of shows together…in Arizona, California, Florida, Washington, Switzerland, and best of all, our hometown of Portland, OR.

The collective joy, creative energy, and connectedness of the band, shows. The Cascade Blues Association membership honored us with a “Performance of the Year” award for last year’s Waterfront Festival set.

It was a killer set…and with Special Guest Jim Pugh sitting in on B3 for the last half of the set, it was simply over the top good.

I can’t wait to play with this band again at the 2017 Waterfront Festival.  Joining us this year, will be Joe McCarthy on trumpet, Robert “Lefty” Head on fiddle, and the Lowrider Band’s percussionist Chuk Barber.

What’s especially exciting for me, and songwriting partner, Mark Bowden, is that we’ll be playing some of original material we wrote for my new album Fish Outta Water– which just debuted at #13 on the Billboard Blues Album chart.

See you, June 30th!

You can also catch my band 7/10 at Holliday Park for a free concert, courtesy the City of Portland, and at Catfish Lou’s, the city’s hip new blues club, on July 14th.

Dave Fleschner
Hello Blues Fans,

I’ve played the Blues Festival as a sideman for years with a number of different bands.  I think I first played a noon show with Gary Burford in the late 90’s, then went on to work with Chris Mayther, Kathy Walker, Karen Lovely, Curtis Salgado and Duffy Bishop. I proudly display my Muddy Award in my studio for the year that the Curtis Salgado Band won the Muddy for Best Performance.  I got to back up Phillip Walker, Andrew ‘Junior Boy Jones’ And Sherman Robertson for a Freddie King Tribute (Jimmy Bott and Willie Barber were killing as the rhythm section – Renato Caranto was amazing on Tenor sax). I have to thank the Waterfront Blues Fest for giving me so many great and memorable opportunities to play music over the years.

This year I’m extremely honored to be leading a tribute to Paul Delay.  I played with Paul just a handful of times, but his influence on me and the Portland music world is immeasurable.  His creativity within the genre has been an inspiration for me, and countless other musicians – not only from Portland, but around the world.  We’re going to have a who’s who of killer musicians paying tribute to Paul’s legacy: Andy Stokes, LaRhonda Steele, Saeeda Wright, Lisa Mann, Hank Shreve, Carlton Jackson, Ben Rice, Freddy Trujillo and myself.  Special guest Duffy Bishop will be revisiting a duet that she did with Paul – just a few years ago.  I can’t thank the WBF and Peter Dammann enough for all the work they do to put this amazing festival on – and for inviting me to be a part of it.

I’m excited to be playing a variety of other shows at the blues fest this year as well.  First off, I’ll be playing the DME Blues Brunches with United By Music North America every morning at the Hotel Rose from 11:00 to 1:00.  We have a brand new set of music, made up largely of the music of our guest mentors (from Marcia ball to Keb Mo’), that will showcase styles from the gutter to the swamp, somehow also maintaining a really positive vibe.  Expect some seriously heavy hitters to be showing up as guests at these Delta Music Experience “blues brunches.”

On the 3rd, look out for a special guest appearance from me on a secret stage to be named later.  I played with this band somewhere in Washington a few years ago, and I think they are building a super secret tunnel to the stage from somewhere under a volcano.

On the 4th of July, United by Music will take the stage at Noon, then I’ll do the Paul Delay Tribute at 2:00.  There will be an interview Q&A Session about Paul at 5:00 on the Crossroads stage, and then I finish out the evening with the Duffy Bishop Band.  This band has been playing around the Northwest this month, and I think we’re playing really genuine music.  Duffy sings from her heart, and that inspires all of us to play with the same zeal for life.

I’m grateful to be able to keep company with all these amazing artists, and what better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with a big helping of American music.

Thank you all for supporting me and all the great artists in this town.  This American music is what makes America great.

Dave Fleschner

Lloyd “Have Mercy” Jones

Winter is OVER. Everything is new again!

Before I get started though, I must continue to think good thoughts and send all our love to Curtis Salgado! After all he has given us, we gladly cheer him on to a quick and strong recovery on his triple bypass surgery. With all those new belts & hoses, he’ll be good for another 300,000 miles easy!

Returning from a fantastic (and productive) trip to Nashville, I’m excited and honored to be a guest at Cal Scott’s “Songwriters Showcase” Monday, April 3, at O’Connor’s in Multnomah Village, 7pm.

These are truly creative and inspiring events that are not to be missed. Bringing some new notes for this one. Great shows this month: April 15, at Hwy 99 in Seattle with LaRhonda Steele; and a wonderful fundraiser here in Portland on April 22 that Norman Sylvester does every year at the NoPo Eagles. Gotta love the “Boogie Cat”!

Saving the best for last… on Saturday April 29…I’ve got three reasons for ya’ll to come out to “Catfish Lou’s”!

1) Catfish Lou’s is a fantastic new club here in Portland that you should see (2460 NW 24^th Ave. PDX)
2) It’s a “Birthday Party”
3) Lots of special guests and crazy fun!

Happy Spring,
Lloyd “Have Mercy” Jones

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Norman Sylvester Band

Besides our nightclub performances, Norman would like Portland’s blues lovers to know about two upcoming bigger shows. The Inner City Blues Festival was a popular, annual event sponsored by the Portland Rainbow Coalition that began with the “Jam for Jesse” Jackson presidential campaign in 1988, in the old Royal Esquire Club on NE Alberta Street. The Rainbow Coalition continued the festival series through 2003. True to the spirit of the Rainbow Coalition, in 2012 Health Care For All Oregon revived the Inner City Blues Festival with the goal of making known HCAO’s mission to vote-in a universal, affordable, single-payer healthcare system for all Oregonians, and ultimately, all Americans.

This year’s Inner City Blues Festival, the 6th Annual Healing the Healthcare Blues, will return to the North Portland Eagles Lodge April 22, 6:00 pm till 12:00 am, doors open 5:30. The 2017 lineup features two stages of entertainment with the Lloyd “Have Mercy” Jones Band, Steve Cheseborough, Mary Flower, Tevis Hodge Jr., the Strange Tones with the Volcano Vixens, Bloco Alegria, Obo Addy Legacy Drummers, Shoehorn the tap-dancing sax player, the Doo Doo Funk All Stars, rapper Mic Crenshaw, the Mad as Hell Doctors and the Norman Sylvester Band with Lenanne Sylvester Miller, and the Boogie Cat Horns, Peter Moss and Shoehorn Conley. The festival will be simulcast live on KBOO radio, on the airwaves at 90.7fm, and streaming worldwide at www.kboo.fm.

The address of the North Portland Eagles Lodge is 7611 N. Exeter, one block west of Portsmouth on Lombard Street, Portland OR 97203. Cost of admission is $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. All proceeds go to support Health Care For All Oregon. Food and drinks including adult beverages are available, must be 21. Advance ticket sales at Music Millennium, Musician’s Union Local 99, Geneva’s Shear Perfection, Peninsula Station, Cascade Blues Association meetings, or online at www.tickettomato.com/calendar?search=inner+city&city=all. This show has always sold out, plan accordingly.

Friday June 2, Boogie Cat Productions presents the Phenomenal Concert at the Alberta Rose. This unique night of music traces the journey of American music from Africa to the Mississippi Delta and beyond. The art forms of blues and gospel music have been used for communication and inspiration since the days of slavery. Performances by Portland artists will illustrate music from the cradle of birth in Africa, the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, and our urban cities. Join us for this healing music celebration.

PROGRAM

• The blues history journey
• Chata Addy “African drumming and dance”
• Norman Sylvester, LaRhonda Steele and Lenanne Sylvester “Down home gospel”
• Tevis Hodge Jr. “Back porch delta blues and ragtime”
• Norman Sylvester quartet with Bill Rhoades “Chicago blues”
• Video  A sneak preview of Jeff Dodge Visual Service’s project “Tales from Old Portland”
• Rhythm and blues, funk and soul concert
• The Norman Sylvester Revue featuring LaRhonda Steele, Lenanne Sylvester Miller, and the Boogie Cat horns, Renato Caranto & Peter Moss.
• Finale Chata Addy, Tevis Hodge Jr. & Bill Rhoades jam with the big band

The address of the Alberta Rose Theater is 3000 NE Alberta Street, Portland OR 97211. Showtime is 8:00 pm till 11:00, doors open at 7:00. Food and drinks including adult beverages are available, minors must be accompanied by a parent. Admission price is $20. Advance tickets recommended, online at www.albertarosetheatre.com/tickets.html, by phone (503) 764-4131 or at the box office. Box office is open one hour before any Alberta Rose show.

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Steve Cheseborough

All right! There is finally going to be a grave marker for the great Bo Carter, one of the best guitarists and lyricists in blues history — make that in American music history of any genre.

Carter was one of the stars of the 1930s blues scene, selling records like crazy and recording hit after hit during the depths of the Great Depression, and doing it without moving out of his home in rural Mississippi. He also managed, and often played with, the Mississippi Sheiks, featuring his brother Lonnie Chatmon on violin.

I became enthralled with Mr. Carter’s music many years ago, after picking up a Yazoo collection of his just because I liked the look of his National guitar on the cover photo. Little did I know I would get to play that guitar someday, as I worked on my master’s thesis on Carter and his music as a Southern Studies student at the University of Mississippi in the late 1990s.

And soon I’ll get to talk, sing and play at the dedication of a marker on Bo Carter’s grave, sometime this summer. The Mount Zion Foundation, which has cleaned up many abandoned rural graveyards and placed many stones, has raised the funds to do that for Bo Carter’s grave in Nitta Yuma, Mississippi. (I know there are many worthy charities vying for your donation budget, but if you want to chip in to help with this and other blues-headstone projects, look up the Mount Zion Foundation and send them a few bucks.) And they have invited me to be part of the ceremony, to my honor and delight.

Come hear me at any of my Portland appearances and I’ll be happy to play you a Bo Carter tune or three or four, anytime! And if you want to learn how to play his beautiful music yourself, ask about my Blues & Beer Class!

Steve Cheseborough
www.stevecheseborough.com

Lloyd Jones

Looky Here Everyone,

As summer comes to a close and the holiday season begins, we look forward to “hangin’ with friends and family back home.  This was the best summer ever (got to play at a Castle in Denmark, take the subway to a gigs in Manhatten NY, and play some wild California fests too) but let’s look ahead. way ahead!

Just confirmed Saturday December 17 at Jimmy Mak’s to put on a Special Holiday Show with the “Sweet Angels”. The magnificent Teresa James is coming in from Los Angeles to join me along with LaRhonda Steele, and Lisa Mann!! With Louis Pain on organ and Brian Foxworth on drums, this will officially be a ..”Supergroup’.

The show will include Angelic Features and Sweet Duets to make this a unique and magical event. Get your tickets now at www.tickettomato.com for the early (7pm) or late (9:30) show!

Lloyd Jones

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Harvey Brindell &The Tablerockers

THOSE LOCAL BLUES LEGENDS–Every part of the country has local blues legends, known to everyone in town for decades, whose fame lasts through several generations, but because of a personal choice to stay close to home rather than go out and stay on the road, their name remains unknown to the wider national blues audience. The guys who started playing in bands in junior high and continue throughout their entire lives. Dave Wagner is one of those guys.

When a national act comes through the Zoo Bar in Lincoln NE and for one reason or another needs to find a bass player to fill in for a night or two, or sometimes longer, the locals tell them “call Wags”.  And whether you know him as Wags, or Shakey, or simply as David, if you’ve ever been to the Zoo Bar, you’re likely to have seen him either up on stage subbing on bass with a national act or playing bass and singing in one of the many local bands he’s been part of.

When Magic Slim’s brother, Nick Holt, first got sick, Slim called Dave and asked him to fill in for an extended period of time. When Sherman Robertson came into town and needed a bass player, he called Dave. The list of players that Dave has either helped out locally or gone on the road to play with also includes Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone,   Chris Duarte, Jon Lawton (The Headhunters), Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, Taildragger and others.

I had the chance to play with Dave on and off for twenty five years in several iterations of   The Honeyboy Turner Band (Honeyboy Turner & Cryin’ Heart, The Blues Orchestra featuring Honeyboy Turner, The Honeyboy Turner Band.)  I also had the opportunity to record two studio albums with Dave.

Dave Wagner is the standard by which I judge bass players. The bar is set high and if you’d like to see and hear for yourself, Dave will be in Portland playing with my band, Harvey Brindell & The Tablerockers, at Jo Bar on NW 23rd Street on Friday Oct 28th.

So here’s an opportunity to see, hear and meet one of those “local blues legends” right here in Portland.

Harvey Brindell & The Tablerockers
www.harveybrindell.com

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The Ellen Whyte Plus Sized Band

Hey Everyone!

I want to extend an invite to you all to come out to The Trails End Saloon, 1320 Main St, Oregon City, OR, Saturday night, October 15 for a one-of-a-kind celebration, featuring The Ellen Whyte Plus Sized Band! We’re calling it the “BIG 5!” Showtime 8:30pm.

Why is it called “The Big 5?” Here’s the run down:

1. It’s the 20th anniversary of our first release, “Different Point Of Blue.”
2. The 25th wedding anniversary of John Mullin and me.
3. John’s pending retirement after 42 years of dedicated advocacy work in Human Services work.
4. 20 years of friendship, songwriting and making great music with Garry Meziere
5. My birthday

The 10 piece band will be there with our great friend and special guest, Renato Caranto! Put it on the calendar and circle it in red! See you soon!

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The Thunder Brothers

Hello “Thunderheads”,

We just returned from the Sunbanks Blues Festival.  We can’t say enough about the great work Billy Stoops does. A big “Thunderthanks” to Billy and the Sunbanks staff for a job well done and a “Thunderful” time.

Then on to The Spar in Tacoma for a “Thunder packed” evening of music and friends, old and new.

The Festival coincided with the release of our EP of original songs, as well as our new line of “Thunderwear”, which includes men’s and woman’s t-shirts, tank tops, and decals.  Hats and more are on the way.

Our EP and all of our “Thunderwear” will soon be available for order on our now up and running “Thundersite” at www.thethunderbrothersmusic.com.

This is where to find out our schedule and keep up on The Thunder Brothers projects, as well as on our Facebook page.

On Friday, October 14th, we will be storming the historic Trails End Saloon in Oregon City with a special opening acoustic solo set by Ben Rice.  And if you can’t make it to the show, please be sure to stop by and visit our Facebook page or check out the website  and leave  your email address there if you would like to be on our mailing list.

Thank you for your support.

The Thunder Brothers

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David Kahl – Soul Cookin’, Bayou Boyz, and More

There have been some major changes and a bit more than usual in my life since March 20th when so many came together for “A Life For Lynn” at the Rose Room. 71 musicians performed that day and at least another 35 offered their services! We could have put on a festival with such an outpouring. As it stands, I find myself grateful for the efforts of all the volunteers, contributors, and the venue, but, in particular, for Ty Curtis and Tracy Turner-Pain, who spearheaded such an overwhelming labor of love. It made the transition to a less active career a lot easier, at least for now. I do miss playing with Ty and, most certainly, hanging with him, Jerry Jacques, and Louis Pain, but, as they say, life moves on – and, boy, has it moved.

I’ve had a few gigs with Terry Robb, Fiona Boyes, Mitch Kashmar, Too Loose, Karen Lovely, and others that help ease things. Then there are Wednesday nights at Blackwell’s with Soul Cookin’ – Lloyd Jones, Brian Foxworth, Dover Weinberg, and, when they’re out, some incredibly talented special guests. It’s hard to single them out, but I have to, considering the announcement of a new group that has grown out of these Wednesday night socials and celebratory get-togethers.

Steve Kerin is well known and loved, as person and performer, by most of you. This guy’s infectious energy and deep Louisiana roots are more than enough to bring out a crowd that’s ready to party. What a lot of people don’t know is how incredibly diverse his musical taste and talent ranges. This is a plus that we’re going to put to good use.   Shark Schatzkamer has worked and recorded with some of the biggest names in music, among them Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, John Trudell, and Bob Dylan. He is an acknowledged master of stringed instruments and tunings. His reputation is strong and well respected enough to have garnered a commission by Taj Mahal to transcribe his work. As varied as his work is, Mark has a strong love for Louisiana-based music. Pairing him with Steve Kerin was something that just happened and the result was good enough to revisit a couple more times on Wednesdays.

Response was overwhelming, from both the audience – who suggested that it should be a band – and the owner of Blackwell’s, Jan DeLorme, who offered us another regular night of work. With Brian Foxworth and me holding down the rhythm section duties, we are excited about this project. On Sundays, from 5:00-8:00pm, we’ll be bringing some good times, good music, and good vibes to Blackwell’s, 1815 N.E. 41st Avenue, in the heart of the Hollywood District. Although there was a lot of good-natured clamor to call it “The Dave Kahl Band”, we settled on a name that we think is more properly descriptive, The Bayou Boyz is going to set itself deep in swampified, funky, hot and humid Louisiana roots, while exploring new realms and discovering new voices. This is looking to become quite the adventure for all involved. We’d love to have your company.

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James Clem

Hi friends, I just got back from playing a lot of dates in Europe. In fact the whole trip lasted five weeks. I started off playing a two-day festival in Ireland and then several gigs in SW England. From there I had a nice welcome playing a sold out SRO show at a studio in London. The next day I did a slide demo for Diamond Bottlenecks at the huge London Acoustic Show in central London.

As I write this I am getting ready to play a show in Antwerp, Belgium and another here in two days. From Belgium we are off to play a cool jazz club in Paris, France (with a gypsy jazz group opening) and then two workshops in Amsterdam, Holland. Except for the Irish festival these are all small venues so no one will get rich playing these places but the experience of meeting people, seeing new places and getting such a great audience response you cannot put a price on. I have had lots of days off for sightseeing as well.

In other news, I got word from Pandora radio that both of my new CD’s Sugar Moon and Road’s Gettin’ Muddy are now on their playlist so submit my name on their site and give a listen. You can also pick those CD’s up at Music Millennium and on iTunes. Hope to see some of you out there at my gigs and keep me in mind for any events you have planned and guitar (and ukulele) lessons.

Cheers,
James Clem
www.jamesclem.com

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Ashbolt Stewart

Hello fellow Blues Lovers~

October is my birthday month! I’ll be showcasing tunes from my CD Beats Workin’ on Saturday, October 15 with an all-star band at The Montavilla Station, then going coastal to Lincoln City on my actual 67th birthday at Snug Harbor on Saturday, October 22. Then throwing my Portland party at Montavilla Station at the Sunday Bolt Upright JAM on Oct. 23. All shows free from 9pm-1am. I hope to be swinging the drums with both hands and singing some new originals. Hope to see my blues family at these shows!

Also, I want to give a very heartfelt thank you to my Portland community, especially my blues family for all the emotional encouragement that I’ve received since my shoulder injury July 1. My whole world has been turned upside-down this summer and you’ve given me SO much encouragement I know there will be a brighter day ahead very soon. Thanks to each and all of you from my heart.

Ashbolt