Opening Round Of The 2017 Journey To Memphis Competition Set For First Weekend In June At The Vinyl Tap

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Journey To Memphis All-Stars

Since 1999, the Cascade Blues Association has sent local acts to represent our organization and region in The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge. Over the years, our competition, the Journey To Memphis, has selected a terrific collection of some of our top talent, including several who have made the finals such as Junkyard Jane, Blind Rhino and Ben Rice & The iLLamtics, and even those who’ve taken home some of the top prizes, Ty Curtis Band – 2nd place 2009, Karen Lovely – 2nd place 2010, and most recently Rae Gordon & The Backseat Drivers – 3rd place 2017.

This year’s field of contestants seeking to reach their place competing in Memphis will come together for the first round at the Vinyl Tap, 2099 SE Oak Grove Blvd, on Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3. Set times for the acts were drawn at random and five will perform starting at 8:30 pm on Friday and the other six beginning at 8:00 pm Saturday. Set times will be 30 minutes long and they will be scored by a trio of judges on blues content, originality, vocals, instrument talent, and stage presence. The two highest scoring acts from each night will advance to the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival for the finals to be held on the Front Porch Stage, Tuesday, July 4.

The acts for this year’s Journey To Memphis are: David Pinsky, Gabriel Cox, Holfar Blue, Jason “JT” Thomas, Julie Amici Duo, Lightning Kings, Louis Creed & The Geezer, Randy Morrison’s Party Bus, Rogue Rage Duo, and The Timothy James Band.

Admission for each night is $10.00, which will be used for the prize money awarded to the winning acts to help defray some of their traveling expenses to Memphis. Winning acts will also be awarded a set at the following year’s Waterfront Blues Festival, and Rae Gordon has once again scheduled a Blues Cruise on the Portland Spirit that will include the winners to assist in raising funds for the trip for the IBC, too.

CBA 30 – A Once In A Lifetime Benefit Concert

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Cascade Blues Association 30th Anniversary Celebration

Cascade Blues Association 30th Anniversary The Cascade Blues Association is proud to present CBA 30 – A Once in a Lifetime Benefit Concert, along with McMenamins Crystal Ballroom and Music Millennium, to celebrate the CBA’s thirtieth anniversary of supporting, promoting, and preserving the blues in the Pacific Northwest. Formed in late December 1986, for the past thirty years the organization has continuously worked at focusing on our local, regional, and national touring talent that has made the Northwest a hotbed in the international blues scene. Our community definitely overflows with an abundance of blues musicians, both past and present and this event is aimed at honoring their creativity as much as the CBA’s involvement.

To help us celebrate thirty years, more than fifty musicians are coming together for this early evening event taking place at the historic McMenamins Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland. Oregon Music Hall of Fame members Duffy Bishop, Lloyd Jones, Norman Sylvester, Terry Robb, Bill Rhoades, and Bobby Torres are only a small part of this extravaganza of amazing artists. International Blues Challenge winners Karen Lovely, Rae Gordon, and Ty Curtis will also be on hand, as well as many CBA Muddy Award winners and CBA Muddy Hall of Fame inductees

Over the years, the CBA has had its ups and downs as any business will go through. Unfortunately, at this point we are seeing a bit of a struggle financially, so this event is also a benefit to bring us back into a stable frame. We do a number of events that are expensive, and most of the cover for these events comes from our membership’s annual dues. For the past few months we have consistently experienced more outcome in funds than we have been receiving and it is catching up with us. The Muddy Awards, member picnic and holiday party, BluesNotes and various events do add up. Therefore, all of the musicians taking part in CBA 30 have offered their performances to help us get back on our feet.

CBA 30 takes place on Sunday, May 21, starting at 4:00 pm. McMenamins Crystal Ballroom is located at 1332 W Burnside Street. Tickets are available in advance through CascadeTickets.com, the Crystal Ballroom box office or by calling 1-855-CAS-TIXX. A limited number of VIP seats are available for $75.00 each, that include a meet & greet with Duffy Bishop, with a personal photo with Duffy and a signed event poster by her, a VIP pass and reserved seating. This event is 21 & over only.

Headlined by the Duffy Bishop Band, the line-up includes many of our favorites from throughout the years, with nine sets that’ll feature guest artists popping in and out throughout the evening. Time was limited and we had more musicians wanting to participate than we could fit into one night, and we do love and appreciate all. Thank you for being there for us. Here is who you can expect to see:

 

DUFFY BISHOP BAND

TY CURTIS BAND

LLOYD JONES STRUGGLE

NORMAN SYLVESTER BAND

MARY FLOWER

TERRY ROBB

KINZEL & HYDE

BILL RHOADES & THE PARTY KINGS AND QUEENS

TOO LOOSE CAJUN/ZYDECO BAND

THE STRANGE TONES with THE VOLCANO VIXENS

RAE GORDON & THE BACKSEAT DRIVERS

KAREN LOVELY

ROBBIE LAWS

BOBBY TORRES

LOUIS PAIN

DAVE MATHIS

MIKE MOOTHART

AND MORE TBA!!

 

There will be a silent auction and raffle tickets. We are looking for donations for these, please contact one of our board members if you have anything to offer.

A huge thank you goes out to Joey Scruggs, Terry Currier, Greg Johnson, James “Coach” Hurley & his stage crew team, Andy Strange for artwork, and McMenamins for making this event come alive.

Please join us to help the CBA continue our pursuit of keeping the blues at the forefront of the region’s music community and to experience a “Once in a Lifetime” event for the ages.

 

 

 

The Birk Welcomes The Pete Anderson Band

Pete Anderson

Pete AndersonLong considered one of the world’s best-of-the-best Tele-twangers, musical pioneer Pete Anderson has never been satisfied with maintaining the status quo. The last 10 years has found Anderson focusing on his solo career, perfecting his craft, honing his musical vision, and fusing together blues and country to forge a style all his own. Well known as a pioneer in the roots-rock genre, he was an early champion of the Americana movement, where he had a hand in introducing the world to artists such as Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale, Michelle Shocked and Rosie Flores. He is also a renowned band-leader who has appeared on “Saturday Night Live”, “David Letterman” , and “The Tonight Show,” was the musical partner of Dwight Yoakum and has played over 3,000 live shows in upwards of 15 countries around the world. Yet his focus as a solo artist has always been aimed at his first musical love, the blues.

Pete Anderson will be showcasing his guitar prowess for a performance at The Birk on Thursday, April 6 at 7:00 pm.  The Birk is located at 11139 Hwy 202 in Birkenfeld. Tickets are $10.00 advance at Tickettomato.com or $15.00 day of show at the door.

Guitarist Doyle Bramhall II To Visit Mission Theater

Doyle Bramhall II

Doyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall II is one of the most distinctive vocalists, guitarists, composers, and producers in contemporary music. Indeed, none other than Eric Clapton, with whom Bramhall has worked with for more than a decade, lauds him as one of the most gifted guitarists he has ever encountered. As the son of the late Texas music legend Doyle Bramhall, he was raised in a home filled with the blues and rock ‘n’ roll styles indigenous to Texas.  The younger Bramhall – a rare and distinctive guitarist who plays left-handed, but with his instrument strung for a right-hander and flipped backwards – was befriended and supported early in his career by Stevie Ray Vaughan, recruited by Jimmie Vaughan to play in The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and formed The Arc Angels with Charlie Sexton, Chris Layton, and Tommy Shannon. His guitar mastery even led to his being showcased on a few tours with both Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.

His latest released, Rich Man, finds Bramhall exploring an intensive spiritual and musical journey that includes instrumentation he discovered through trips to Northern Africa and India. Rich Man is a watershed achievement for Bramhall, both in terms of the many music styles in the tracks-which begin and end with his fundamental American blues influences and in between follow his global music explorations and arrangements-and the inner examinations resulting in the spiritual growth expressed in the lyrics.

“I read a quote from Charles Mingus,” Bramhall explained upon the completion of Rich Man. “He felt like he was not playing his music as much as creating the sound of his life and experiences through the medium of his music. I looked at his life and related to that, and tried to capture the same thing on the album.”

Doyle Bramhall II will be returning to Portland for a performance on Sunday, April 9 at The Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan Street. Tickets for this 8:00 pm, 21 and over show can be purchased through Cascadetickets.com for $20.00 in advance or $22.00 day of show at the door.

Registration Open For 2017 Blues In The Gorge Acoustic Blues Guitar Camp

2017 Blues in the Gorge

Blues In The Gorge Acoustic Blues Guitar CampThis coming September, the fourth annual Blues In The Gorge acoustic blues guitar camp will return to the Menucha Retreat & Conference Center. Presented by Menucha and co-sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association, this year’s instructors will feature world-renowned artists Guy Davis, Mary Flower, Orville Johnson, and Valerie Turner. Guests will immerse themselves in music, enjoying up to four workshops each day, with instructor concerts and jams each night.

It’s not too early to register as participants are limited to only 46 to ensure plenty of instructor attention for all. Happening September 30 through October 4, Menucha Retreat & Conference Center is located in Corbett, Oregon in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, about 30 minutes from Portland. Registration is open at menucha.org/programs/blues.

Cascade Blues Association Schedules Extravaganza For Its 30th Anniversary Celebration

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Cascade Blues Association 30th Anniversary Celebration

30th Anniversary CelebrationIn December 1986, a small group of Portland area blues fans decided to form a society to help support, promote, and preserve the blues and related music. It was named the Cascade Blues Association as it was the only blues society in the Northwest at the time as the former Oregon Blues Society in Eugene had folded. Thirty years later the Cascade Blues Association is still alive. And to celebrate, it’s throwing a party with the aid of many of the local performers who have been stalwarts in our music community throughout our tenure.

The party will take place on Sunday, May 21 at 4:00 pm, at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside Street in downtown Portland, and will feature sets from the following:

  • BILL RHOADES & THE PARTY KINGS AND QUEENS
  • DUFFY BISHOP BAND
  • KINZEL & HYDE
  • LLOYD JONES STRUGGLE
  • MARY FLOWER
  • NORMAN SYLVESTER BAND
  • RAE GORDON & THE BACKSEAT DRIVERS
  • TERRY ROBB
  • TOO LOOSE CAJUN/ZYDECO BAND
  • THE STRANGE TONES with THE VOLCANO VIXENS
  • TY CURTIS BAND

Additional artists will be making special appearances throughout the night including:

BOBBY TORRES / ROBBIE LAWS /DAVE MATHIS / MIKE MOOTHART and more TBA!

Tickets for the CBA’s 30th Anniversary Celebration are available at CascadeTickets.com for $15.00.

A ton of thanks go out to Joey Scruggs who has been piecing this event together for us and to Terry Currier for securing the Crystal Ballroom. Both of these gentlemen have been involved with the Cascade Blues Association since the beginning and continue to show their love for the organization.

Duff’s Garage Last Hurrah

Duff’s Garage

Duff’s GarageWith a great deal of sadness we witness the loss of one of Portland’s iconic blues venues as Duff’s Garage closes its doors in April. During the last fifteen years, Portland’s music community have seen much growth in the number of its musicians, it benefit showcases, and touring artists. And now they will all find it a bit tougher to locate a room to play in the city.

So although it is bittersweet, Jon and Jennifer Wallace will be closing Duff’s with one final celebration of their fifteen year history, going out in style with a night of jumping blues featuring a doubleheader with the Ben Rice Band and The Jumptown Aces on Saturday, April 1.

Multiple Muddy Award winner and St Blues Best Guitar winner at the 2015 International Blues Challenge Ben Rice has had pretty much the length of his career coincide with Duff’s Garage, playing there on many occasions. One of the area’s most popular bands, they are a perfect way to headline this final night.

As also are The Jumptown Aces. Duff’s has always maintained a venue open for bands that offer swing music and The Aces are a natural fit for that. The essence of the band is hard hitting swinging rhythms, honkin’ sax parts, fast walking bass lines, greasy guitar riffs and blues shouting vocals that just makes your body want to move.

Duff’s Garage is located at 2530 NE 82nd Avenue. Show time is 9:00 pm.

Paris Slim Tours Oregon In April

Paris Slim

Paris SlimFormer Portland resident and Delta Groove recording artist, Franck Goldwasser, aka Paris Slim, will be heading back to Oregon for a spring tour that will be making stops at numerous venues and will also feature special guests along the way. Without doubt, Paris Slim is one of the finest and most creative international guitarists. He has a handful of critically-acclaimed solo recording and a WC Handy Award (Blues Music Award) nomination for his disc Blues For Esther. Since moving to the United States from France in the 1980s, Paris Slim has been a mainstay of the West Coast blues scene working with artists such as Jimmy McCracklin, Troyce Key, Curtis Salgado, Alastair Greene, and The Mannish Boys.

Bassist John Mazzocco and drummer Brian Foxworth will join Paris Slim during his current Oregon tour on Saturday, April 1 in Hood River for a show presented by Squrl at The Pines Tasting Room, 202 Cascade Avenue. Admission for this 7:00 pm performance is $20.00 and may be purchased in advance at the venue.

On Monday, April 3, Paris Slim will be holding the court at The Muddy Rudder filling in for Lloyd Jones’ regular acoustic showcase. This is a solo appearance, but Slim says that he’d love to have some friends drop by to join him. Located at 8105 SE 7th in the Sellwood neighborhood, this is a free event, beginning at 8:00 pm.

On Tuesday, April 4, AC Porter & The Live Wires featuring Jim Wallace will welcome Paris Slim to the Blue Diamond, 2016 NE Sandy Blvd, for a special free evening in tribute of blues legend Muddy Waters, at 8:00 pm.

Then, on Saturday, April 8, Paris Slim will be appearing in Eugene alongside Henry Cooper at Mac’s At The Vet’s Club, 1626 Willamette Street. Show time is 8:00 pm, contact the venue for admission information at 541-344-8600.

 

The Aladdin Theater Welcomes Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Robert Randolph & The Family Band“Robert Randolph is an American Original,” says Blue Note Records’ President Don Was. “He has mastered what is, arguably, the most complex instrument in the world and developed a unique voice that is equal parts street-corner church and Bonnaroo.”

Robert Randolph & The Family Band first gained national attention with the release of the album Live at the Wetlands in 2002. The band followed with three studio recordings over the next eight years which, together with tireless touring and unforgettable performances at such festivals as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, won them an expanding and passionate fan base. Randolph’s unprecedented prowess on his instrument garnered him a spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list, and also attracted the attention of such giants as Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, who have collaborated with him on stage and in the studio.

Robert Randolph brings his intensely driving live performance celebrating his latest release Lickety Split to The Aladdin Theater on Saturday, April 1 for an 8:00 pm show. Tickets are $25.00 advance through Ticketfly.com and $27.00 at the door day of show. This is an all ages event. The Aladdin Theater is located at 3017 SE Milwaukie Avenue.

New Orleans Bluesman Luke Winslow-King Returns to Oregon

New Orleans Bluesman Luke Winslow-King

New Orleans Bluesman Luke Winslow-KingLuke Winslow-King is a New Orleans-based guitarist, singer, composer, producer, and songwriter. His work is an eclectic mix of Mississippi delta blues, folk music, traditional jazz, and roots rock & roll. His alchemical songs blend contemporary ideas with styles from bygone eras producing a sound that is rustic and urbane, elegant, and entirely his own. Like the warm tones of an old gramophone, Luke Winslow-King makes it possible for us to lose all track of time and century.  It is a sound that looks to the past to move to the future. This along with his burgundy voice, dapper attire, and versatile guitar playing have earned him a reputation as a musician who delivers soulfully energetic and dynamic performances which earned him a New Orleans Blues Artist of the Year award in 2015.

Luke Winslow-King last toured through Oregon this past and he will be returning to the state for a couple shows in early April.

On Sunday, April 2, Winslow-King will be playing at The Trillium Café in Hood River. Located at 207 Oak Street, contact the venue at 541-308-0800 for show time and admission.

On Monday, April 3, he will appear at Portland’s The White Eagle Saloon at 7:00 pm for a 21 and over show. Tickets are $8.00 in advance and can be purchased at Cascadetickets.com, or at the door day of show for $10.00. The White Eagle is located at 836 N Russell Street.