Entries by Wendy Schumer

Bandstand – September 2016

The Ellen Whyte Plus Sized Band

Hey Everyone!

I want to extend an invite to you all to come out to The Trails End Saloon, 1320 Main St, Oregon City, OR, Saturday night, October 15 for a one-of-a-kind celebration, featuring The Ellen Whyte Plus Sized Band! We’re calling it the “BIG 5!” Showtime 8:30pm.

Why is it called “The Big 5?” Here’s the run down:

 1. It’s the 20th anniversary of our first release, “Different Point Of Blue.”
2. The 25th wedding anniversary of John Mullin and me.
3. John’s pending retirement after 42 years of dedicated advocacy work in …

Ramblings On My Mind

ramblings201306BNGreg Johnson / Cascade Blues Association President

In my opinion, the Cascade Blues Association, or any other blues or music society, has a responsibility to not only promoting all artists equally, one and the same, but to help introduce newer artists to our area to the public. That has always been one of my own pet personal preferences when it comes to booking our monthly general meetings. I love having our members’ most loved and favorite musicians perform for us from time to time. They always bring a big crowd in. But they’re known already, which is why they bring …

The Ted Vaughn Blues Band Plays Blues and A Whole Lot More

The Ted Vaughn Blues Band photo by Peggy VaughnBy Laurie Morrisey

Playing with artists such as John Fogerty, Robben Ford, Corey Stevens, Doug MacLeod, Savoy Brown, and Big George Brock, The Ted Vaughn Blues Band is no stranger to the stage. They have been featured with everyone from John Nemeth to Kenny Loggins to Texas Blues Legends “Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King.

The band is heavily blues based, but they also venture into many other musical territories. “We play a mix of originals, old, and sometimes obscure blues songs that we rearrange, as well as some rockabilly and more modern blues rock. Something for just about everyone,” …

What’s on Tap for September’s General Membership Meeting …

Melody Ballroom, 615 SE Alder St., Portland
Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 pm
Members always Free – Non-members $3.00
Opening Acoustic Set – Steve Kerin
Second Electric Set – Julie Amici

The summer of 2016 may be coming to a close on the calendar, but we’re still not ready to let go of all the great musical happenings around our area. One look at the event’s calendar page lets you know right off that September is going to be a hotbed of blues goings-on and we know that the Cascade Blues Association General Membership Meeting is one of those dates you’re …

Lisa Mann

Hard Times, Bad Decisions
JayRay Records

Lisa Mann CD coverWhatever recipe Lisa Mann is currently using to cook her albums, I hope that she has it written down, because they’re definitely a gourmet taste. Her latest release, Hard Times, Bad Decisions, is chock-full of that same winning flavor that has seen her star rise onto an international level, reaping all kinds of accolades and two consecutive Blues Music Awards.

There is a great cast of players working with Lisa on the disc. Aside from Her Really Good Band mates Jason JT Thomas on guitar, Michael Ballash on drums and Brian Harris on …

Barbara Healy & Groove Too

Been There Done That
McKenna Records

Barbara Healy CD coverBarbara Healy has long been one of the finest vocalists in the lower Willamette Valley whose talent is reflected in her amazing, passionate songwriting and performances. Since the 1980s she has been delivering smoking hot music filled with heartfelt soul in bands such as The Allnighterz, The I-5 Nine and her current outfit Groove Too. Her latest release, Been There Done That, is her sixth recording overall, the second with Groove Too, and it is filled with her own personal experiences.

All of the material on Been There Done That is original with …

Entries For The Best Self-Produced CD Competition Now Being Accepted

Since 2005, The Blues Foundation has held an annual competition to recognize excellence in independent blues recordings. The Best Self-Produced CD competition allows affiliated blues societies from around the world to submit one entry each, preferably selected by a regional competition. The Cascade Blues Association has taken part in this event since its inception, including having the overall winner chosen in 2011 — Joe McMurrian’s Get Inside This House.

The CBA is now accepting submissions for this year’s Best Self-Produced CD competition. All are welcome to enter with the exception of artists who have been nominated for or received …

Journey To Memphis Competition

From the listener’s seat

The Waterfront Blues Festival is my favorite Portland event. Where else can you see a whole year of blues entertainment with 15,000 of your closest friends for a $10 ticket?

We all love the headliners, but I always go to hear the up-and-coming artists. And what better place to catch them than our own Journey to Memphis competition? After my last visit to the International Blues competition, I was hooked. Memphis is my ancestral home, and a visit gives me a chance to see the family and cheer for our Portland band. For 2016, I am …

Mick Kolassa

Taylor Made Blues
Swing Suit Records

Mick Kolassa CD coverMississippi-based bluesman Mick Kolassa is back with his third recording in as many years, and as with those previous two he has hit another winning formula with Taylor Made Blues. Kolassa is an exceptional musician, working his acoustic guitar around his gravelly voiced singing. As a songwriter he is quite sincere. These are honest songs, often humorous, then at times telling emotionally from experiences filled with heartbreak and loss. Exactly the base that any strong songwriter and blues musician should draw upon. It is life and it is real. You have to live …

The Lake Theater & Café Welcomes A.J. Croce – Aug. 1st

AJ CroceFrom his debut as a jazz-influenced, blues-based artist to his evolution into a pop music iconoclast, singer-songwriter A.J. Croce has traveled a circuitous musical road. The son of legendary singer-songwriter Jim Croce, A.J.’s career began with at age eighteen opening for B.B. King. In the span of a twenty-plus-year career, A.J. has headlined festivals, concerts, and major listening venues worldwide. He has performed on shows including Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Austin City Limits, Good Morning America, E!, and CNN, and he has shared the stage with an innumerable list of eclectic artists from Willie Nelson to Ray Charles, …