23rd Annual NW Women Rhythm & Blues Christmas Concerts

2020 November, PDX Blues Event

23rd Annual NW Women Rhythm & Blues
Christmas Concerts

The holidays are starting a little earlier this year as The Blue Diamond will host two concerts from the NW Women Rhythm & Blues and their annual Christmas celebration shows.

It’s always an exciting showcase that features some of the West Coast’s very best artists: Sonny Hess, Lisa Mann, Rae Gordon, Angel James, LaRhonda Steele, Myrtle Brown, Lady True Blue, Kathryn Grimm, Mark Steele and Kelly Pierce.

The shows have long benefited children with cancer through The Candlelighters and this year it will assist Struggling Local Musicians as well. Make sure to get your tickets and reservations early as these performances always sell out early. This is an outdoor event.

The Blue Diamond Bar & Grill, 2016 NE Sandy Blvd., Sunday, November 15, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. $24 general admission, $39 with dinner. Tickets available at Bluediamondpdx.net.

Alberta Rose Theatre Presents Live Duffy Bishop Simulcast

2020 October, PDX Blues Event

Alberta Rose Theatre Presents Live Duffy Bishop Simulcast

Duffy Bishop – legend of the Northwest blues scene – performs a full band show especially for her Portland fans.

The event will be live streamed by the Alberta Rose Theatre’s Portland Music Stream directly from the Eclipse Studio in St Augustine, Florida. What truly makes this a special event is the fact that this will be the very first full band performance of music from Duffy Bishop’s newest release, I’m Gonna do What I Want, and the band’s first live show since the outbreak of Covid. Chris and Duffy will host a meet and greet.

Tickets for the Live Stream are $20.00, available at www.etix.com

Alberta Rose Theatre, 4:00 pm

Catfish Lou’s Welcomes The Lucky Losers

2020 October, PDX Blues Event

Catfish Lou’s Welcomes The Lucky Losers

Phil Berkowitz and Cathy Lemons, better known as The Lucky Losers, return to Catfish Lou’s for the club’s official first touring event since the onset of Covid-19. The Bay Area duo showcases great harmonica and enchanting harmonies, as they place their own personal touches on an inventive, hypnotic, spin on ‘60s Chicago blues, vintage R&B, and roots music. 2019 winners of the Independent Blues Awards for Best Blues/Soul Artist, they are currently promoting their excellent latest release, Godless Land, recorded at the famed Greaseland Studios and featuring assistance from the likes of Kid Andersen and Laura Chavez.

Catfish Lou’s, 6540 SW Fallbrook Pl, Beaverton. Friday, October 2, 7:00 pm. $15.00 reserved seating Tickettomato.com. 21 & over.

David Jacobs-Strain, Christopher Worth and Haley Johnsen – New EPs to be Released Simultaneously

2020 July, PDX Blues Event

David Jacobs-Strain, Christopher Worth and Haley Johnsen

New EPs to be Released Simultaneously

Three of the area’s brightest young artists will come together for one special night to release new music EPs at the Alberta Rose Theatre.

David Jacobs-Strain is a fierce slide guitar player and song poet known for both his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon. His live shows move from humorous, subversive blues, to delicate balladry, and then swing back to swampy rock and roll. It’s a range that ties Jacobs-Strain to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne.

Christopher Worth, better known locally as Worth, has become known for his unique style of bohemian blues, which he developed as a street performer traveling across the U.S. and Europe. His songs are timeless and real, tied together by the power and purity of his voice.

Together, Strain and Worth have collaborated with performances the past couple of years and have created new music that they will be sharing and releasing at this show.

Haley Johnsen’s newest release, When You Lit The Sky, is a soulful helping of blues and pop songwriting with nostalgic arrangements, and a window into the great passions of an artist whose dynamic vocals soar and whose heart is eternally, vulnerably, human.

Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Thursday, July 23, 8 pm. $15 advance at Etix.com, $20 at the door. VIP seating (first few rows center stage) available for $30. Minors OK when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

This show has been rescheduled from March 28. If you purchased a ticket to this event prior to the date change and can no longer make this show, please contact the venue for a refund of your purchase.

2020 Performance Venue Project

2020 July, PDX Blues Event

2020 Performance Venue Project

Help a Musician – Give a Kid a Smile

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/2020-performance-venue-project

The shutdown of businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected musicians and venues particularly hard. As we re-open the economy we can see independent music venues struggling; some are trying to balance physical spacing and capacity limits and some are no longer offering live music, while others will stay closed. This has resulted in a shortage of performance opportunities for local talent, especially those musicians who have had their livelihood dry up, and also for music lovers who may not be ready to return to indoor spaces.

OUR PLAN:

The Cascade Blues Association has teamed up with Portland Parks & Recreation Division to address this shortage by offering paid performance opportunities to participating local blues musicians who are current CBA members. Gigs will be assigned by random lottery and availability. This project will provide income for musicians as well as increasing awareness of the CBA to the public.

Portland Parks & Recreation Division has diverted 100% of their Summer Free For All funding to The Free Lunch + Play program that supports families by offering nutritious meals and recreational activities during the summer recess, supporting the thousands of children who qualify for subsidized lunches during the school year. With this partnership, the CBA will be supporting its mission to preserve and promote blues and roots music by providing free entertainment at pick-up sites and other public locations while offering a little financial relief to participating local musicians.

FUNDRAISING:

The CBA is contributing base funding for the first round. We have launched a GoFundMe campaign and are seeking additional sponsorships. With additional funds raised, the CBA will be able to expand this project to offer more opportunities at more locations for a longer period.

All funds donated through the GoFundMe campaign will go directly to the performers to provide them remuneration as outlined below.

Any amount you can contribute will help us work towards our initial goal of $5000. The Cascade Blues Association is a 501(c)(3) and your donation will be tax deductible. GoFundMe will provide an immediate tax receipt.

VOLUNTEERS:

Are you missing the Waterfront Blues Fest volunteer opportunity? We’ll need volunteers to help oversee various events. If you’re interested in helping out with this project, please email cascadebluesstaff@gmail.com with the subject line: “Volunteering”.

Seattle’s Michele D’Amour At The Garages

2020 June, PDX Blues Event

Michele D’Amour is a born storyteller and award-winning songwriter who penned her first song at the age of 6 and became a published poet in her early 20s. Her lyrics treat difficult topics with a sense of soulful whimsy and wry humor. Michele sang in her church choir, wrote songs and sang lead for some local bands before honing her craft at several of the blues jams in the Seattle area. Upon the advice of friends, she formed Michele D’Amour and the Love Dealers in 2011. The band features Patrick McDanel on bass, guitarist Mike Kohary, drummer Dave Delzotto, Brian Olendorf on keys and saxman Noel Barnes. They have been recognized with multiple awards and nominations from the Washington Blues Society and were named by LA Music Critic as 2019’s best blues band.

At The Garages Satellite Pub, 4810 SW Western Ave, Beaverton. Friday, June 5, 8:00 pm. $10.00 cover.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd / Colin James Double Header

2020 June, PDX Blues Event

There are few artists whose names are synonymous with one instrument and how it’s played in service to an entire genre.

Utter the phrase “young blues rock guitarist” within earshot of anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the modern musical vanguard and the first name they are most likely to respond with will be Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The Louisiana-born axeman and songsmith has sold millions of albums while throwing singles into the Top 10, shining a light on the rich blues of the past and forging ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has embodied since his teens.

In a 20-year recording career that began when he was just 16, Shepherd has established himself as an immensely popular recording artist, a consistently in-demand live act and an influential force in a worldwide resurgence of interest in the blues.

Opening the night will be Canadian blues icon Colin James. The award-winning guitarist is one of his country’s most-renowned and prolific musicians, with 19 releases and endless touring throughout North America.

Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St, Friday, June 5, 8:00 pm. $45.00 general admission tickets at revolutionhall.com. 21 & over.

Waterfront Blues Festival Cancelled for 2020

2020 May, PDX Blues Event

As with many events scheduled for this coming summer, the Waterfront Blues Festival has been cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Though this was surely a hard decision, it is the correct one and the Cascade Blues Association agrees with it. Since it is unknown now how long the pandemic will endure and threaten the public’s health, it’s simply too risky to attempt to plan for this year’s festival. It is not easy to schedule so many acts and make arrangements to accommodate their needs, as well as planning with the City, staff, and volunteers, as well as the financial challenges involved.

Thank you to the Waterfront Blues Festival staff for making this decision. We will miss the event this year, but know that it will return stronger than ever next year.

2020 Sunbanks Music Festival

2020 May, PDX Blues Event

At the time of this writing, the 2020 Sunbanks Music Festival is still scheduled to occur, depending on Washington Governor Inslee’s decision whether the state’s stay-at-home and limited gathering size order is lifted beyond May 4. Please check with the festival website, sunbanksfestival.com or Facebook page for updated information including possible date rescheduling..

The Sunbanks Music Festival will celebrate its 25^th anniversary with the first of two biannual weekends, with its spring event scheduled for Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17 in Electric City, Washington. This year’s event will feature: Leroy Bell & His Only Friends, Delgado Brothers, Duffy Bishop, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, Junkyard Jane, Rich Layton & Tough Town, Harlis Sweetwater, Felix y Los Gatos, TuN the Band, Ben Rice Band, Coyote Kings, Sister Mercy, Diego Romero, Brooks Forsythe, James Coates, Kristen Marlo & Gina Belliveau, Sherie Roberts Greimes Duo, and Curtis Moore.

Sunbanks Resort, 57662 WA-155, Electric City, WA.

Bay Area Blues Duet The Lucky Losers

2020 May, PDX Blues Event

Danger meets sophistication in the soulful music of San Francisco’s The Lucky Losers. Accompanied by a dynamic four-piece ensemble, veteran Bay Area artists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz deliver a truly signature sound, layering elements of Stax/Volt styled R&B, electric Americana, and psychedelic rock atop a Chicago and Texas blues foundation. The Lucky Losers perform original music about transcending the dark side of the American dream, the beauty and pain of being alive, and devotion in all of its complexities. Lemons has the velvety, gritty-edged voice and rebel conviction of a woman who’s risen from the ashes. Berkowitz has earned renown as one of the west Coast’s most distinctive harp players. The stark contrast between Lemons and Berkowitz makes for a captivating musical union, breathing new life into American songwriting tradition and the vanishing art of duet singing.

Catfish Lou’s, 6540 SW Fallbrook Pl, Beaverton. Saturday, May 30, 8:00 pm.