Ramble On Rose - Rosebud Cafe

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

2021 Best Self-Produced CD Competition

2019 Best Self-Produced CD CompetitionThe deadline has passed and now all we need do is judge the entries for the Best Self-Produced CD Competition. The winning disc will be submitted to The Blues Foundation as the Cascade Blues Association’s entry this year to compete against other submissions from blues societies around the globe, with the winner announced at the International Blues Challenge in January.

This year’s entry are: Ben Rice – Wish the World Away; Bottleneck Blues Band – Storm Bringer; Dan Lowe & The Skeletal Remains – No Running From the Storm (Songs of Life, Love and Loss); Hank Shreve Band – Trouble; Joanne Broh – Live!; Michael Osborn – Hangin’ On; Randy Morrison Band – Hard Place; and Tom Gilberts – Grit.

Good luck to all.

Thank You To Holiday Party Volunteers

Thank You VolunteersThe Cascade Blues Association often holds events or places merchandise booths at special events where we need an extra hand on deck, and we greatly appreciate when our volunteers step forward to help us out. Thanks to the following individuals for their assistance at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival and the CBA Concert at The Crossings.

Cathedral Park Jazz Festival:Cherie Robbins

Cascade Blues Association’s Concert at The Crossings: Anni Piper, Belinda Clark, Bryan Olson, Dave Meigs, Ken Johnson, Jeanette Aglipay, Joe Frascella, Jon Pierce, Kathy Kiwala, Kelly Ralph, Mark Von Pressentin, Richard LaChapelle, Ron Thompson, Sandie Wilkins, Sloan Kimball

Please let us know if we may have left anybody out and we’ll make sure to make mention next month.

Johnny Wheels and The Swamp Donkeys

Johnny Wheels and The Swamp Donkeys recently competed in the finals for the 2018 Journey to Memphis. Although they didn’t win the competition, they  made their mark on the crowd at the Waterfront Blues Festival. Johnny describes their music as, “a rock n’ blues soulful experience that makes you feel good all over: any place, any time.”

This band includes: Johnny Wheels, harmonica and vocals; Brandon Logan, guitar, sax, and vocals; Michael C. Rabe, guitar and vocals; Taylor Frazier , bass; and Douglas Knoyle on drums. Michael, Doug and Brandon are true Oregonians, with Johnny transplanting from California, and Taylor coming from Texas.

The bands current line up has been together for about two years. “We often add or play with another person to keep things fresh for all involved and listening. You won’t hear a song exactly the same way twice – that’s what CD’s are for. We like to add some spice of musical exploration,” Johnny said.

Training

Johnny has been around musicians all his life, learning from his family and friends. Taylor was shown basic chords in his teenage years. Doug, Brandon and Michael all have some form of musical education, from middle school to college.

According to their website, Johnny is “the son of a traveling bass player and singer. Johnny ‘Wheels’ Kennicott had music in his blood since birth, but expressing himself musically took on new importance when Johnny broke his neck in a childhood accident, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.”

Johnny has been in various bands for 20+ years and the “Swamp Donkeys” have spent their fair time in other projects  before becoming Johnny Wheels & the Swamp Donkeys.

When discussing what each of these musicians wanted to be when they grew up, Johnny said, “Doug and I have always played music, even as kids, starting at ages 3-4 years old and starting to perform in our teens. Brandon, Michael, and Taylor came into music a little into their teen years and performing in their late teens and early 20’s.

They each have their respective “day jobs”–most of them farming and landscaping, Doug is in the technology field, but music definitely is a huge passion for all of them.

Influences

“We have a wide range of influence from rock bands like, Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kiss, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, etc.; blues sounds of B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Howlin Wolf, Bonnie Raitt, Blind Willie McTell, etc.; among many others including Steely Dan, Backstreet Boys, Eminem, Cake, Conway, Waylon Jennings, Hall & Oats, Loggins & Messina Jaco Pastorius, Weather Report, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Blood Sweat & Tears, and Tower Of Power.

CD’s

Currently the band has a live studio single they are distributing, a cover of Buddy Guy’s, “What Kind of Woman is This?” They are woking on getting the licenses to release a cover CD recorded live at Pyrate Llama  Recording Studio in Sheridan, OR.

Past Bands

Johnny Wheels & the Swamp Donkeys have individually and collectively played with: Lee Garrett, Linda Hornbuckle, Tony Coleman, Jim Belushi, Scott Law, Ty North, Carlton Jackson, J.R. Sims, Soul Vaccination, Body & Soul, Lisa Mann, David Williams Band, Ken DeRouchie, DK Stewart, Curtis Salgado,  Damian Erskine, Bob Magnusson (bass for Bobby Shew, Bill Berry Big Band, Peter Erskine), Mt Hood Community College Big Band, Ivan Deprume, Mike “Basil” Ternyik, The Makers, Rae Gordon, Ty Curtis, Ben Rice, Gabe Cox, and The Boondock Boys.

In Closing

“We had an absolute incredible time as part of the Journey to Memphis and being at The Waterfront Blues Fest. We played Run 21 to a record crowd for us of 3,000+. We have some upcoming gigs in the Portland area. Follow us on Facebook at  Johnny Wheels and the Swamp Donkeys or check out our website at www.thejohnnywheelsband.com,” Johnny said.

2021 Best Self-Produced CD Competition

Since 2005, The Blues Foundation has held an annual competition to recognize excellence in independent blues recordings. The Best Self-Produced CD competition is open to affiliated blues societies from around the world to submit one entry each, preferably selected by a regional competition. The Cascade Blues Association has participated in this event since its inception, including submitting the overall winner in 2011 — Joe McMurrian’s Get Inside This House.

The CBA is now accepting submissions for this year’s Best Self-Produced CD competition. All are welcome to enter with the exception of artists who have been nominated for or received a Blues Music Award, or recordings released on labels that have been nominated or received a Blues Music Award. No compilation discs are accepted. Only compact disks from artists in Oregon, Washington, or Idaho released after November 1, 2017 are eligible for the CBA’s consideration.

Entries will be judged by a committee and will be based on the same criteria that The Blues Foundation will later use in their own judging. These are: Blues Content, Musical Performance, Audio Quality and Production Value of the Recording, Professionalism and Visual Appearance of Cover Art and Design, and Credits and Liner Note Information.

After submissions from each affiliated blues society have been received, The Blues Foundation will conduct its judging in three stages, with the first two rounds being conducted by a select group of radio/print media people. The finalists will be announced a week prior to the 35th annual International Blues Challenge and the winning recording will be named at the IBC finals in Memphis in January 2019.

All entries for the CBA must be received no later than the October 3 membership meeting at Catfish Lou’s. Entries can be mailed to: BSPCD c/o Cascade Blues Association, PO Box 6566, Portland, Oregon 97228 or can be delivered in person at the September or October membership meetings.

Thank You To Holiday Party Volunteers

Thank You VolunteersOften the Cascade Blues Association holds events or places merchandise booths at special events where we need extra hand on deck, and we greatly appreciate when our volunteers step forward to help us out. Thanks to the following individuals for their assistance at the Cider Summit and Waterfront Blues Festival.

Cider Summit – Belinda Clark, Karen Lovely

Journey to Memphis Finals Judges – Chris Azorr, Kendra Carpenter, Michael Bard and Tony TC Coleman

Waterfront – Belinda Clark, Bryan Olson, Carol Hamley, Colia Ash, Darlene Winward, Diane Williams, Don Geren, Gary Frogge, Georgann Gieser, Holly Thomas, Jamey Winchester, Jeanette Aglipay, Jeff Hayes,  Jenny Pizot, Jim Miller, Julie Amici, Kathy Kiwala, Katie Ugolini, Laura Lund, Nancy Ferry, Patricia Oshea, Priscilla Miller, Raleigh Pate, Richard LaChapelle, Ron Beed, Sandie Wilkins, Terry Nolan, Tim Lund, Tom Rich, Valerie Grey, Zoe Weber

Ben Rice

They say third time is the charm, and that’s what Ben Rice is hoping. He won the privilege to represent the Cascade Blues Association (CBA) at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) for the third time. He was in Memphis for the IBC in 2007 (Ben Rice & The Youth of Blues), 2014 (Ben Rice & The iLLamatics), and will return to compete in January of 2019 (Ben Rice Band.) He’s hoping 2019 will be his year to bring home the win for himself and the CBA.

In 2015 he and Lucy Hammond represented the Ashland Blues Society, making it to the finals in the solo/duo category. He wowed the crowds with his rendition of “Key To The Highway.” That year he was awarded the St. Blues Guitarist award for best guitarist.

The Beginning

Ben RiceBen began performing in a garage band at the age of 12. The band consisted of his brothers: Andy on drums and Tommy on Bass. He continued to perform and eventually started his own band with classmates and continued to perform though middle school, high school, and college. In those early years, Ben would frequently be seen at CBA events, watching and learning from Portland’s finest.

The current configuration of The Ben Rice Band includes Ben Rice, Calen Uhlig on bass, and Dave Melyan on drums. The band frequently expands to include other players such as Paul Biondi on horns, Dave Fleschner, Ben Partain, on keys and Mark Banner on drums when Dave Melyan is on the road.

This lineup has been together for about 4 years. Ben and Calen met each other at Chad Rupp’s Jam a few years back. Calen played as a substitute for about a year then joined on as the bassist. Dave and Ben met each other at Duff’s Garage during a B3 Organ monthly residential gig called Blues Train. Quickly after that they started performing with Dave Fleschner in a B3 Organ group and started a weekly Thursday gig at The Lodge. This group currently plays every Tuesday at Catfish Lou’s from 7-10pm.

“We all grew up in the Portland area and our music has certainly been inspired by the Portland music scene. We have had many long drives sharing stories about how we got into playing blues music and who inspired us. Often putting in CD’s like Margo Tufo’s Live At the Candlelight, Lloyd Jone’s Trouble Monkey, Damian Erskine’s So To Speak, Paul deLay’s Ocean of Tears, and more,” Ben said.

When asked if he always wanted to perform professionally or if not, Ben said, “I think everyone wants to be a rockstar when you’re 14. I just loved to play guitar as a child. Performing was never the main motivation personally. Especially after I graduated from college, performing definitely was an afterthought, next to writing and learning songs. I think having grown up with three brothers who were all naturally entertaining on stage, I realized I’d have to work hard to be comfortable and appear that it came naturally. For me the choice of playing music professionally came when I started to look at colleges and learned I could study guitar in school. When I learned I could pursue guitar as a major I had found my path.”

Ben plays music full time with very limited teaching on the side. “Over the last four years I had been teaching guitar students privately and an after school mariachi program at the Chehalem Cultural Center. Within the last year and a half though my performing and touring schedule has been very dense not allowing me the time to teach or be consistent enough to hold down regular students. Which has been very difficult to step away from completely because I really enjoy teaching music. I really love helping people grow their love and understanding in music. Teaching has also added a lot more depth to my playing helping students study and work on music that I normally wouldn’t approach myself. Teaching makes me focus on finding multiple ways to think about the same concepts. Right now my full time job is performing and I currently play Monday nights in Gresham at Spud Monkey’s on Fairview, Tuesday nights at Catfish Lou’s with a B3 Organ trio, Wednesday at Voodoo Martini in Newberg, Thursday at Clyde’s Prime Rib with my band as well as playing Fri and Sat night various places on the West Coast,” he said.

Ben describes his music as a blend of blues, funk, soul, and Americana rock. Blues has, and will always be, at the forefront of the sound that comes out when I play or sit down to write a song. That being said, my musical goal currently is to play music that I write and songs that inspire me. I’m also trying to write songs that have weight and meaning.”

Influences

Musical influences have helped Ben become the musician he is. “I believe anything you’ve ever listened to influences the music you create. Growing up my parents listened to people like Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, The Isley Brothers, Average White Band, Marshall Tucker, Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, ACDC, Bob Marley. At age 7 I began finding my own music through guitar lessons.” He says B.B. King, Robert Cray, Jonny Lang, Albert King, R.L. Burnside, John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell,  Keb Mo, among others, were some of those influences.  “When I went to college, I began to study the jazz guitar of Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and Tal Farlow. I also got turned onto people like Sam Cooke, Dwight Yoakam, O.V. Wright, Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Bobby Bland, Jon Cleary, Anderson Paak, and Vulfpeck, among other things.”

Training

Ben began guitar lessons when he was seven and studied music in school through college. “I definitely recommend lessons, but there are a ton of amazing musicians who are self taught. Some of the most important things I ever learned were from watching and listening to people play. Both on the bandstand and off the bandstand,” he said.

CD’s

Ben’s seventh album was released in late June, titled, Wish The World Away. “I recorded it over the last year and a half at Roseleaf Studio. It was recorded and mixed by Jimi Bott who did a fantastic job with it. It is a pile of original songs with one song that I’ve been having a lot of fun playing at my live shows, ‘Higherground.’ I had a really fun time making the album. Each song was treated as it’s own work of art and the arrangements and orchestration of each song is different. This time around I tried to hear what each song was needing rather than playing the song as written. We built arrangements around the story and emotional content of the sounds. So far, reviews have been really great, which I am really excited about.”

Ben also has a live recording called, Live At The Purple Fox Loft. “This was a live release and snapshot of the band when it was sounding the best it had ever sounded at that point,” he said.

No other CD’s in the near future, but Ben says the writing process is always continuous. “There are a few recorded band tunes waiting in the wings for when the summer craziness settles down and we’re able to get back into the studio.”

In Closing

“A huge THANK YOU to everyone who is part of the Cascade Blues Association and local Portland music scene! The band and I travel near and far. We are always grateful to come home to a great city filled with incredible talent that you can see any night of the week and be inspired!”

For all the up-to-date information and where you can catch Ben Rice live, visit his website at https://www.benricelive.com/. Be sure to watch for upcoming fundraisers to help the band make their way to Memphis in January.

Annual CBA Member Concert

WHERE: Columbia Crossings located at 515 N. E. Tomahawk Island Drive

WHEN: August 5 – Noon – 6:00 pm, 2018

LINEUP: AC Porter & The Live Wires with special guest Jim Wallace, Martin Henry & Freedom Street Band, Patrick Stilwell Band, and more TBA

The Cascade Blues Association’s Concert @ the Crossings returns again this year. By now you should all be aware of the new format for this event.  As in past years with our picnic, we will offer limited beer, wine, sodas, and water on site. Dan from Dano’s Dogs will be offering food for sale.  But mimicking the local Concerts in the Park format members will need to bring their own food to the event. We want to thank those members who have expressed understanding the reason for this change.

This is a MEMBERS ONLY event.  A family membership permits 2 adults and 2 children living in the same household.  There will be a charge for additional children.  CBA membership will be available for purchase at the event. So bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic basket and join us for a fabulous day of good friends and some killer blues.

2021 Best Self-Produced CD Competition

Best Self-Produced CDThe Blues Foundation has annually held a competition to recognize excellence in independent blues recordings since 2005. The Best Self-Produced CD competition is open to affiliated blues societies from around the world to submit one entry each, preferably selected by a regional competition. The Cascade Blues Association has taken part in this event since its inception, including having the overall winner chosen in 2011 with Joe McMurrian’s Get Inside This House.

The CBA is now accepting submissions for this year’s Best Self-Produced CD competition. All are welcome to enter with the exception of artists who have been nominated for or received a Blues Music Award; or recordings that are released on labels that have been nominated or received a Blues Music Award. No compilation discs are accepted. Only discs from artists in Oregon, Washington or Idaho will be accepted by the CBA for consideration. Only CDs released after November 1, 2017 are eligible for consideration as the 2018 Best Self-Produced CD.

Entries will be judged by a committee and will be based on the same criteria that The Blues Foundation will later use in their own judging. These are: Blues Content,  Musical Performance, Audio Quality and Production Value of the Recording, Professionalism and Visual Appearance of Cover Art and Design, and Credits and Liner Note Information.

After submissions from each affiliated blues society have been received, The Blues Foundation will conduct judging in three stages, with the first two rounds being conducted by a select group of radio/print media people. The finalists will be announced a week prior to the 35th annual International Blues Challenge and the winning recording will be named at the IBC finals in Memphis in January 2019.

All entries for the CBA must be received no later than the October 3 membership meeting at Catfish Lou’s. Entries can be mailed to: BSPCD c/o Cascade Blues Association, PO Box 6566, Portland, Oregon 97228 or can be delivered in person at the August, September or October general membership meetings.