Something To Talk About – A Portland Bonnie Raitt Tribute

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie RaittWhen it comes to influential musicians of the past fifty years who have crossed genres between blues and rock, Bonnie Raitt is one who definitely stands out. It seems almost impossible to believe that she has been around the scene for so many years as she comes across as eternally youthful, but since the early 1970s she has been a major force as a more than exceptional guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and performer. Her fan base is world wide, and Portland is no exception.

An amazing group of artists will be gathering once again to pay tribute to Bonnie Raitt at The Alberta Rose Theatre on Saturday, January 28. Like Raitt herself, they easily cross genres. Many of Portland’s finest musicians will be performing the music of Bonnie Raitt: Anne Weiss, Lisa Mann, Bre Gregg, Ara Lee, David Jacobs-Strain, Jean-Pierre Garau, Dan Stueber, and Mark Bowden.

The Alberta Rose Theatre is located at 3000 NE Alberta Street. Show time is 8:00 pm and it is open to all ages with minors permitted when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets may be purchased in advance through albertarosetheatre.com for $15.00 or at the door day of show for $18.00.

Don’t miss out on this night celebrating the Queen of the Bottleneck Guitar. All Bonnie Raitt songs, all night long!

Johnny Nicholas and Scrappy Jud Newcomb – Together At The Lake Theater & Café

Johnny NicholasFor four decades, Johnny Nicholas has showcased his consummate musicianship and vocal skills, having graced live music scenes across the country and abroad. The list of legendary musicians with whom he worked and performed alongside reads like a who’s who for blues and roots music, including people such as Mississippi Fred McDowell, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King, Muddy Waters, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt, among many others. In fact, he gave guitarist Ronnie Earl his first gig, letting him play in his then band Guitar Johnny and the Rhythm Rockers. Nicholas also spent time as the lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the Grammy Award winning band Asleep At The Wheel.

“Johnny Nicholas is one of the best bluesmen ever, black or white.” ~ Stephen Bruton

ScrappyScrappy Jud Newcomb Jud Newcomb is a Mississippi boy who hit Austin in the late eighties as a young guitar virtuoso, and has since evolved into a pillar of the local scene. He became the go-to guitarist in the music city for both studio and on-stage work. He can play anything, with anybody, at any time, and when it comes his turn you’ll want to hear every phrase, every nuance, every lick. He’ll close his eyes and slip somewhere far away, and the beauty will just pour from his fingers like praise from a mother’s lips.

Johnny Nicholas and Scrappy Jud Newcomb will be appearing together at The Lake Theater & Café on Monday, January 23. Admission for this 7:00 pm show is $12.00 and tickets can be purchased online up to 4:00 pm day of show at laketheatercafe.com. The Lake Theater & Café is located at 106 N State Street in Oregon City.

The pair are also appearing in Bend on Saturday, January 21at The Old Stone, 157 NW Franklin at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available in advance for $10.00 through Bendticket.com or $15.00 at the door day of show.

Johnny Nicholas is scheduled to also appear at the Sunday Night Honky Tonk show at The Fixin To, 8218 N Lombard Street, on Sunday, January 22. Contact the venue for further information at 503-477-4995.

Seth Walker Returns To Portland With Show At Duff’s Garage

Seth WalkerA soulful singer, skilled songwriter, and guitarist with a sharp, clear tone, Seth Walker has made a name for himself throughout the country, having lived in both Austin and New Orleans and recorded in Nashville. His upbringing brought him contact with classical music alongside country, rock, and pop, but thanks to an uncle he was introduced to the blues in his late teens and here he found himself under the spell of players such as Snooks Eaglin, T-Bone Walker, and BB King. His guitar work is clean with a classic electric tone, while his vocal skills echo Ray Charles, and Delbert McClinton. A compelling performer, Seth Walker has the skills to captivate an audience with his warm unique feel good style.

“This young man is pure talent, a masterful blues guitarist, a singer with some swing in his voice and a writer whose (songs) sound less composed than unleashed.” – Austin American Statesman

With a handful of highly acclaimed recording, Walker is currently celebrating his latest release, Gotta Get Back, with a tour that will be bringing him to the Portland area on Tuesday, January 31 at Duff’s Garage, 2530 NE 82nd Avenue. Show time will be 8:00 pm and admission at the door is $10.00.

Seth Walker will also be appearing at the Fort Georges Brewery, 1483 Duane Street in Astoria on Sunday, January 28. Contact the venue for more information at (503) 325-7468.

Eric Johnson Solo – An Evening of Acoustic Guitar & Piano

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson, long hailed as one of the world’s preeminent electric guitarists, celebrates his acoustic side with his new release EJ. While this album emphasizes Johnson’s formidable skills as a singer-songwriter, his first completely unplugged album is also his most immediate and intimate. For Johnson, the creation of sublime music has always been about the journey inward, an approach shared by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hendrix, and other visionaries.

Over the years, his unwavering devotion to perfecting his art has become as legendary as his attention to the instruments he plays. This is evident in his songs, interviews and the way he plays guitar and piano. As Stevie Ray Vaughan put it, “The guy has done more trying to be the best that he can be than anybody I’ve ever seen. He plays all the time, and tries to get his instrument in perfect shape all the time. He works hard on his tone, sound, techniques. He does incredible things with all kinds of guitars – electric, lap steel, acoustic, everything. Few people understand that when the guy was fifteen, he was playing Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery stuff, and he was doing it right – that’s pretty cool. Eric is a wonderful cat. He’s always been one of my favorite people in the world, as well as one of my favorite guitar players.”

Eric Johnson will be appearing at the Aladdin theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Avenue, on Tuesday, January 31. This is an all ages show starting at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $25.00 with advance sales available at Ticketfly.com.

Modern Day Troubadour Jeffrey Foucault Comes To Doug Fir

Jeffrey Foucault

Jeffrey FoucaultMartin Chilton, culture editor for London’s Daily Telegraph, calls Jeffrey Foucault “an original, beguiling songwriter with a marvelously expressive voice.” With ten albums under his belt, this skillful troubadour is currently touring across the country with drummer Billy Conway. Poet and writer Chris Dombrowski describes Foucault’s music as “a tough, spare collection of darkly rendered blues and ballads, like a field recording of a place that never existed. In a series of letters to lovers, friends, heroes, and family, Foucault deftly weaves together disparate strands of sound and experience, raw love, and hard wisdom.” He has been compared to legends like Townes Van Zant, John Prine, Steve Earle, Bruce Sprinsteen, and Bob Dylan for both his poetic lyrics and his stage presence.

Foucault will be bringing his rugged folk rock with a dash of blues to the Doug Fir Lounge on Wednesday, January 16. Show time is 9:00 pm and is open to those 21 & over only. Tickets range from $8.00 to $12.00 and are available in advance through Ticketfly.com.

All Star Line-up To Appear In Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout !

For twenty-six years, two-time Blues Music Award winner, Grammy nominee and harmonica ace Mark Hummel has been organizing his Blues Harmonica Blowout showcase and touring it around the country to great reception. Over the years he has offered the absolute best harmonica players in the blues, but this year’s version is so spectacular and offers a variety of artists known through various genres that he’s renamed it “The Ultimate Harmonica Blowout.” This not-to-miss event will be coming to Portland on Tuesday, January 24 at The Alberta Rose Theatre.

The harp players lined up for this event aside from Hummel himself include: Jason Ricci, Howard Levy (Bela Flek, Kenny Rankin), Corky Siegel (Seigel-Schwall, Chicago Blues Reunion), and Canada’s Son of Dave (Crash Test Dummies).

And if this line-up was not incredible enough, Hummel will be bringing along renowned award winning guitarist and producer Duke Robillard (Roomful of Blues, The Fabulous Thunderbirds).

The Alberta Rose Theatre is located at 3000 NE Alberta Street. Show time for this event will be 7:30 pm. Minors are okay when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets may be purchased in advance at albertarosetheatre.com for $30.00 or at the door day of show for $35.00. This is a Cascade Blues Association co-sponsored event, so use the code “CBA” when ordering online and receive a $2.00 discount .

Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout will also appear in Eugene at The Shedd Institute, 868 High Street at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 25.

Albert Cummings – Blues Rock Guitar Master, at Alberta Rose Theatre

Albert Cummings

Albert Cummings“The blues is best served up live, with an enthusiastic audience and a killin’ band, and that’s exactly what guitarist Albert Cummings does. Cummings effortlessly shifts from chimney subdued stylings to raucous roadhouse raunch to soaring yet stinging lead lines, driving his audience to frenzy in all the right places.” – Guitar Edge Magazine

Albert Cummings is a masterful blues rock guitarist whose soulful and explosive style many have compared to greats like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Freddie King, and Jimi Hendrix. Onstage, he is a magnetic front man and singer and infuses modern creativity into everything he does. Cummings has toured with blues legends like B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and others, and these shows exposed him to audiences grateful for his hard-rocking shows. Cummings performs live like man who very life depends upon every tune.

Albert Cummings brings his dynamic guitar pyrotechnic blues to the Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta Street, for a show on Wednesday, January 18. This 8:00 pm performance is open to all ages with minors accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets can be purchased for $17.00 in advance at Albertarosetheatre.com or at the door day of show for $20.00.

The Aladdin Theater Welcomes The David Bromberg Band

David Bromberg

David BrombergDavid Bromberg has played with everyone and toured everywhere. He can lead a raucous big band or silence an audience with solo acoustic blues. Bromberg’s sensitive and versatile approach to guitar playing has earned him a coveted position as the first-call, “hired gun” guitarist for many recording sessions, ultimately playing on hundreds of records by artists like Bob Dylan, Link Wray, The Eagles, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, and Carly Simon. His range of material, grounded in the folk and blues idioms, continually expands with each new album to encompass bluegrass, ragtime, country, and ethnic music.

An extremely captivating performer, David Bromberg will be returning to Portland on Friday, January 13 for an 8:00 pm full band show at The Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Avenue. Tickets for this all ages event are $35.00 and can be purchased in advance through Ticketfly.com or at the door day of show for the same price.

Canadian Guitarist Jesse Cook Plays Salem’s Elsinore Theater

Canadian Guitarist Jesse CookOver the years, Jesse Cook has tried to cross-pollinate his music with music from different parts of the world. After two decades of crisscrossing the world in restless pursuit of inspiration, innovation, and collaboration, the Paris-born, Toronto-raised Cook changed course for his ninth studio album One World. Instead of exotic locales, he stayed home in his studio, and instead of a foreign legion of performers, he relied on his own devices. And as an alternative for exploring musical cul-de-sacs — flamenco, classical, rumba, world beat, pop, blues or jazz — he united them. He’s earned 11 Juno nominations and one win for 2000’s Free Fall. A classical guitarist as a child, he then studied flamenco, then jazz; weaving three musical and guitar traditions in his background. For Jesse, music is a constantly evolving thing.

Jesse Cook will be appearing at The Elsinore Theater, 170 High Street SE in Salem on Wednesday, January 25. Tickets for this 7:30 performance range from $27.50 to $45.00 and available at TicketsWest.com.

Experience Hendrix Returns With Biggest Line-Up Ever!

Jimi Hendrix

Lauded by critics and fans alike, the multi-artist Experience Hendrix Tour is set to return in 2017 to celebrate one of music’s greatest innovators: Jimi Hendrix. This latest edition of the annual tour will kick off on Friday, February 17 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland.

Now in its second decade, the tour celebrates the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix by bringing together a diverse array of phenomenal musicians. Billy Cox, bassist for both the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys, anchors a rhythm section that provides the foundation for exciting renditions of numerous signature Hendrix favorites such as “Purple Haze” and “Little Wing.” Artists scheduled to appear in Portland include Buddy Guy, Keb’ Mo, Zakk Wylde, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dweezil Zappa, Chris Layton, Mato Nanji, Noah Hunt, The Slide Brothers, and Henri Brown.

Jimi Hendrix was a pioneer in both rock and blues; he expanded the possibilities of what could be achieved on his instrument and in popular music. Likewise, the Experience Hendrix Tour continues to expand as Jimi’s legacy grows. In 2004, the first tour came to fruition with a three-date string of shows on the west coast, starting in Hendrix’s hometown of Seattle. By 2008, the Experience Hendrix Tour had become a full-fledged, coast-to-coast expedition and continuing to date without showing any signs of slowing down. Audiences are presented the opportunity to see great artists paying homage to Hendrix while collaborating with each other in ways they’d never do in their own live shows.

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album Are You Experienced (released on May 12, 1967) as well as the follow up album Axis: Bold as Love (released in the UK on December 1, 1967). 1967 was also the year Jimi Hendrix rose to intercontinental prominence when he made his U.S. debut at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, lighting his guitar on fire to a mesmerized audience. The repertoire from this stage of Jimi’s career serves as a cornerstone in Experience Hendrix Tour sets, as songs like “Fire,” “Manic Depression,” and “Are You Experienced” are played by various musicians on a nightly basis.

Experience Hendrix at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway Avenue starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets range from $42.50 to $95.00 and can be purchased online at TicketsWest.com or at the Portland’5 Box Office.

Every pair of tickets purchased comes with one (1) physical CD of the new Jimi Hendrix album, Machine Gun. You will receive an additional email with instructions on how to redeem your CD.