We are getting closer to this year’s Muddy Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, November 6 at the Alberta Rose Theatre. Make sure that you complete your ballots and return them promptly. Remember that if you feel that somebody other than those selected by the nominating committee should be on the ballot, you are free to fill in your own choice as a write-in vote. Voting is a privilege of being a member of the Cascade Blues Association, and usually those who complain the loudest about the results are those who are not members to begin with. So if that is the case where you feel that somebody else should be recognized, sign up and become a member, then you can cast your selection for your those you feel are deserving.

We are also looking for sponsorships for this year’s Muddy Awards to help defray the expense of the event. We have sponsorship levels ranging from $250.00 up to $1000.00 with several perks for the various amounts offered. Ask our board members for more information.

I would also like to take a moment to give thanks to Kent Drangsholt at The Garages Satellite Pub. When The Eagles Lodge had an unforeseen closure for a couple weeks that took place last month we found ourselves in a situation where we needed to relocate our membership meeting with limited time to notify everyone about the temporary change. Kent did not hesitate. He canceled the event already booked for that night and told us the room was ours for the date. Thanks to all of our members who made it out. The Garages is a large room with nice sound and a welcome addition to the West Side blues scene. We hope that those who showed up liked the space and will plan on attending more events there in the future. Kent told us if we ever find ourselves in such a situation again, he is more than glad to help us out. Thank you Kent.

Aside from the Muddy Awards coming up, we will also be moving into an important time of the year for the CBA’s future next year. The elections will take place again this December and if you have an interest in running for one of the officer positions please let it be known by sending your intent to run in writing to us. This can be submitted to any of our board members online or by mail to Cascade Blues Association, PO Box 6566, Portland, OR 97228. We request that if applying for a position such as Treasurer that you have some form of accounting/book-keeping experience; Membership Secretary entails use of spread-sheets and the ability to keep up-to-date with our members’ expiration dates, sending out reminders to renew and issuing membership cards. All officer job position details can be found on our website (cascadebluesassociation.org) within our by-laws in the drop-down menu under “About the CBA.”

If you want to help out without becoming a board member, we can always use volunteers in various capacities throughout the year, such as delivering BluesNotes or helping out at events and meetings. Speak to our volunteer lead Richard LaChapelle or any board member and we can add you to our team.

Also coming up will be this year’s Holiday Party in December, always one of the most fun events of the year. Keep an eye posted in the BluesNotes and online at either our website or Facebook pages for upcoming details. If you would like to offer items that can be placed in a silent auction, please let us know. All contributions are gladly welcomed and appreciated.

Every year during summer festivals and events I am reminded on just how important the International Blues Challenge is to the blues world. We always hold our finals at the Waterfront Blues Festival and that in itself has been a major role player for our local musicians who have been sent to Memphis on a large scale of attention from the blues industry leaders. This year’s finals were once again something special to behold — with Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys taking home the top prize.

The day started out in a bit of a strain, as Johnny contacted me with a health situation out of his control, not knowing whether he could make it on time or even at all. His first concern was if his band could go on without him. Of course, I told him. He then contacted me saying he was on his way, but may not be able to be there himself on time and wanted to know if he could come up mid-set. Again I told him of course.

But what occurred in-between was one of the most heart-warming moments in the twenty years of Journey to Memphis history. The other acts in the spirit of camaraderie worked together and decided that despite their set times being posted online and in the festival schedule would flip to allow Johnny the time needed to be able to play an entire set with his band. This is nothing new that I have not witnessed over the years in Memphis and Portland. Bands come together when it really counts. They may be in competition, but they are also fans of each other and want to see the best they can out of every one with the best chances for all.

The first year I was in Memphis for the IBC, one act had a band member have a major health situation placing him in a hospital emergency room with a lengthy stay, causing his band to have to cancel their participation in the event. During a jam at the Old Daisy Theater, while awaiting the announcement of the acts moving onto the finals, in a room filled with the many performers in the city competing, a bucket was passed around the room and came back with a couple thousand dollars to help their fellow performer. In just one pass of the bucket. Everybody threw in what they could offer. That is what it is all about, people helping people, and bringing musical enjoyment without a cutthroat attitude. Everybody is doing what they do for love of the music and bickering amongst one another should never be at hand.

I tell the musicians that go to Memphis that they’re going to meet people that will be forever friends and that they will cross your paths for many years to come, happy to see you. Just the past couple months I have run into many of those musicians that I have met through the IBC, and also the Blues Music Awards, at both the Chicago Blues Festival in June and at the Waterfront in July. Lucious Spiller, Harpdog Brown, Cyril Neville and Lara Price in Portland I worked with at those events. People who have become really good friends that I ran into were Grady Champion and Jarekus Singleton while in Chicago. (Jarekus gave me the biggest hug when he saw me.) In Portland reconnecting with Ori Naftaly from Southern Avenue, Vanessa Collier, and Sugaray Rayford meant the world to both myself and my wife Cherie. Those three in Portland was something more than special and we always try to hang out with each if possible. (Vanessa came into the audience where Cherie stood and gave her a hug while continuing to play her saxophone.) And sharing cigars with Sugaray, Ken DeRouchie and Alastair Greene after the festival came to an end was the perfect conclusion to a wonderful weekend.

I guess my point this month in the long run is that the CBA has held the Journey to Memphis for twenty years and the IBC may be a competition and music should not be considered a competitive sport, but what it can bring is something far more important than just recognition. It offers a lifetime of memories and potential friendships that will carry on forever. I hope that our acts heading to Memphis this year: Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys, Louis Creed & The Geezer, and Generation Headstrong, will all bring home the same.

The CBA held the first-round of its annual Journey to Memphis competition in early May and as usual there were plenty of surprises. For me, one of the best things about this event is the number of new acts that apply. There’s always somebody I haven’t heard before that catches my attention.

This year found three of four winning spots taken by bands from down the Willamette River and outside of the Portland metro area, proving once again that you can find great blues musicians throughout the Pacific Northwest. Another act that caught my eye was the youngest of the entries, Generation Headstrong. We have had young performers in the past, but this group was made up of two thirteen year olds on guitars and a rhythm section made up of brothers aged nine and eleven, and they can easily hold their own with the big people. Fun times listening to what will be yet another fine collection of musicians ushering the blues into a new generation.

In late April, a second memorial celebration was held for the late Jim Mesi. Thanks to the Mesi family and the artists involved, they decided that the CBA would be a beneficiary for part of the proceeds from the event, and we will funnel those funds into the Christopher Mesi Scholarship Fund. The unfortunate  passing of Jim happened shortly after we had decided to revitalize this program and now thanks to all involved we have some seed funds to get it started again.

This is but one of the many advances that the CBA has been working on. This is the second edition of the new-look BluesNotes and we’re fine tuning it to become the best we can produce. Summer time means festivals and events that we will need volunteers for, especially the Waterfront Blues Festival, so catch up with Richard LaChapelle to sign up to help out.

We are also in need of assistance with the Board of Directors. We currently have two vacancies in the officer positions, secretary and membership secretary. These are definitely working roles and with a small board it means people are doing extra responsibilities adding to an overload that we’d like to avoid. If you have an interest in becoming a board member, either filling one of these roles or as an at-large member, let us know. Talk to any of our current board members and find out what it entails and come to a board meeting to see how things work. We’d love to have you join us in supporting our blues community.

An icon of the Northwest music scene is gone, and it is hard for me to believe. For as long as I can remember Jim Mesi has been there. It’s much like with BB King — the thought was that they would be around forever. You knew that there were health issues, but you never actually thought that they wouldn’t survive those. Until it happened.

The Portland blues community didn’t start with the guys in Brown Sugar, but they certainly made it seem that way. It wasn’t Jim’s first band either. I remember sitting down with him many years back for a BluesNotes feature article. He told me his stories about Moxie and the trip to Los Angeles with the thought of becoming stars and a recording contract. About traveling to Europe with his band to play for the troops often in actual combat zones. There was Brown Sugar, the Paul deLay Band, his hiatus from Portland living in Seattle, and his return forming the long-running Jim Mesi Band that continued up until the time of his passing.

There are not many clubs in Portland, past or present, that it seems that I hadn’t seen Jim play at one time or another. He had a way with a guitar that was unrivaled. I don’t think that I ever heard him do the same solo more than once. Not many guitarists that I can say that about, the only other people off the top of my head with that type of creativity would be Chris Cain, and maybe Bugs Henderson. Mighty fine company there, Chris, Bugs, and Jim. Like many of my musician friends from around the country he never called me Greg. A lot of them call me Slim from my photography persona (just too many people named Greg Johnson, so I use Slim Lively). But with Jim it was always Mr. Johnson, no matter what the setting, private or on stage. And he gave me one of the my most proud accomplishments as a photographer by using a photo of mine to grace the cover of his I’m Ready CD.

The news of his death came to me like it did to so many others. A message sent to me on my phone. A sudden expression of shock at the news. It was the same feeling I had when I was informed of the deaths of Paul deLay and Janice Scroggins. With deLay it came by a phone call early in the morning. It was a text with Janice just like with Jim. All three caught me off-guard. I guess it is the way things are nowadays, with social media being damn near instantaneous. I guess that may be the reason why when I put out word to a group of people about the tribute to Jim in the BluesNotes I wanted to put together, not everybody responded. When I did this for Paul it had to be spread out over two issues, one local artists and one national. So many people wanted to share their thoughts. But there was no such thing at the time as Facebook. People can now make their memories and thoughts conveyed at the spur of the moment it comes to them. I also realize that many may not have responded because they aren’t able to talk about the loss of a close friend and peer just yet. I can accept that.

I hope that the memories of those included in the paper can share a little bit extra about Jim and who he was. Not just as a musician, but as a friend and somebody they felt was as close as family. I wish that we had more space in the BluesNotes. I would’ve put the word out to everyone to share their stories and thoughts, but I reached out to a small handful knowing the limitations we have. I hope that everybody who knew Jim or maybe just his music will have the chance to attend one of the two Celebrations of Life scheduled in April. Gather with those who share your admiration and love for Jim Mesi. Tell one another your own special stories. Everybody who knew him will have something to say. We lost one of the best. Goodbye Jim, may you forever create new licks that will enchant everyone in the hereafter. And I’m sure you’ll still be dressed in the finest matching outfits, shiny Italian shoes, and playing those LED-lit guitars. You’ll always be playing within my mind whenever I think of you and it will always make me smile and hear your sharp laugh. Or was it just the grizzled “HA!!” that brought us all along with your humor. Going to miss you Mr. Mesi.

Greg Johnson, Cascade Blues Association President

It really is something of an issue of pride when you see a young performer that has been a part of the Cascade Blues Association’s family since he was an early teenager become recognized amongst the best players in the world. It seems that Ben Rice has always been there as a part of the CBA and at times it is hard to believe he is still only 31 years old.

For the past two decades we have watched his evolution. Taking part in CBA youth jams led by former Blues in the Schools (BITS) director Fast Jimmy Hale. Sharing the stage in BITS fundraisers alongside Kenny Neal. His first trip to the International Blues Challenge with The Youth of Blues years before there was such a thing as the Youth Showcase – yes Ben won the right outright to be part of the competition at age 18. Graduating from the University of Oregon, touring with Bay Area harmonica man Phil Berkowitz and more recently with local BMA nominee Karen Lovely and winner Lisa Mann. More IBC trips making the finals representing the CBA with The iLLamtics and again for Eugene’s Rainy Day Blues Society he made the finals as a duet with Lucy Hammond, winning the St Blues best guitar award. He was planning on doing the same for the CBA again this year, where we were all holding hopes of his bringing home a prize once again, but fate stepped into play.

Ben Rice found himself nominated for three Blues Music Awards. The Best Emerging Artist nomination may not have been too unexpected. But those for Acoustic Artist of the Year, and Acoustic Album of the Year simply laid the foundation that this young man that we’ve watched grow and improve almost daily over the years is now one of the elite musicians of the blues world. When you look at those he is up against in these two latter categories it says a lot of the impact he has achieved: Rory Block, Guy Davis, Joe Louis Walker, Eric Bibb, Hadden Sayers, Harrison Kennedy – these people have been the leading forces of acoustic blues and more for many years. A huge congratulations to Ben Rice and good luck with the awards and the future. Unfortunately, with these nominations Ben is no longer eligible to compete in the International Blues Challenge. But despite that step-back, this is a forward motion as BMA nominations will bring more focus upon him and should bring with it more gigs across the country and internationally at venues and festivals.

But Ben is not our only local musician up for the BMAs. Jimi Bott is right there again in a position that he seemingly always represents in the Instrumental drums category as well as being a part of The Proven Ones all-star band. And Curtis Salgado is no stranger at the awards either, taking home the biggest of prizes in the past. But it’s great to see Alan Hager receive the nod alongside Curtis this year for the Album of the Year for their Rough Cut release. Alan has long been one of our most cherished guitarists, a man who can hold his own against anybody on the planet with either an electric or acoustic guitar. Their album was one that I was certain would receive a nomination from the first time I listened to it at the beginning of the year. It was just that exceptional. The cream always floats to the top and this disc was the beginning of the young year’s cream.

Best of luck one and all of our blues nominees this year!! Well deserved honors one and all!!