Randy McAllister Band – Performance & Workshops
Roustabout, maverick, spiritual, gritty, amazing, genius, wild, bad-ass, soulful… These are some of the words used to describe this Texas bonafide blue blood. He’s been flying in the face of convention his whole career. No smoke, no mirrors, no choreography, no industry machines. One of the most versatile bluesmen on the scene today, Randy plays driving drums and world-class harmonica (sometimes at the same time), writes incredible songs and sings like no one else. This is East Texas roadhouse soul by one of America’s true blues/roots originals.
Randy McAllister will be returning to The Birk, not only for a performance, …
The Blues Foundation’s 33rd annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) was held in Memphis over March 31 through February 4, with more than 260 acts from fourteen countries performing on Beale Street before fans and industry personnel representing blues festivals, recording labels, agents, promoters, venue owners and others, for a chance to gain recognition and potential performance gigs. The IBC has been called the closest thing to a convention for the blues, with multiple showcases, seminars, jams and the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards taking place over the week of activities.
This year’s event certainly turned out to be fruitful …
G Love & Special Sauce return to Portland in celebration of their newly released album, Love Saves The Day, with a performance at The Hawthorne Theatre & Lounge on Thursday, March 23. Love calls the new album, “the fullest realization of the hip-hop blues” that he first pioneered with Special Sauce in the early ’90s. Filled with their down and dirty “trashcan blues” sound, G. Love making his guitar snarl and his harmonica moan, bassist Prescott bringing nimble funk to the bottom end and Clemens’ drum work crackling with power. “The music,” G. Love enthuses, “jumped off the tape.”
In 2016, Laith Al-Saadi won America’s hearts and a spot in the finale of NBC’s “The Voice.” Now he’s poised to bring his authentic blend of blues, soul and classic rock to audiences around the nation and the world. Laith Al-Saadi has always had the perfect combination of Midwestern hustle and incredible musical chops – honed at the University of Michigan school of music in his hometown of Ann Arbor, and on stages across the country working with legends like Taj Mahal, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Gregg Allman and B.B. King.
The 2017 Inner City Blues Festival returns to the Eagles Lodge Saturday, April 22. Originally in the 1980s and 1990s, the festival was a community event for various civil rights and social justice causes. Since its return six years ago it has been a major supporter of the cause Health Care For All Oregon, the campaign to bring universal health coverage to everyone (
Greg Johnson / CBA President
The Owl Magazine states, “One would have to be in a pretty foul mood not to be entertained by the mysterious awesomeness of Bob Log III. Sure, his musical skills are something to behold, his one-man-band brand of blues/Americana displaying dexterity, creativity, and plenty of good old rock ‘n’ roll, but then there’s his wacky persona.”
Nick Schnebelen has blues in his blood. Nick and siblings grew up with their parents who played music full time in the Kansas City blues scene. Along with his sister Danielle and brother Chris, they formed the band Trampled Under Foot which took the blues world by storm winning the International Blues Challenge in 2008. Nick was named the Albert King most promising guitar winner of the event. After playing together for several years, the siblings went their own ways pursuing solo careers.
Former Portland resident and Delta Groove recording artist, Franck Goldwasser aka Paris Slim will be heading back north for a spring tour of Oregon that will be making stops at numerous venues and featuring special guests along the way. Paris Slim, without doubt, is one of the finest and most creative guitarists internationally who 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 …
From a very early age, vocalist Lorna Bracken Baxter knew that she was going to devote her life to singing and music. “It has always been in me, from the earliest times I could remember sitting at the piano with my dad at home.”