Bandstand Dec 2013

Kevin Selfe and The Tornadoes

Hi everybody!  Just wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Cascade Blues Association and its members for the Muddy Awards this year.  We are grateful, humbled, and deeply honored to be recognized amongst the world class talent here in Portland, and the NW.   Your support means the world to us, and we are so proud to be part of this community, and proud to be ambassadors of the CBA wherever we travel.

Speaking of traveling, last month was a fun one as we had the opportunity to play the blues at some legendary clubs in Chicago, San Francisco, and Sacramento.  December finds us Read more

BandStand

The Jim Mesi Band

Hey Kids!! We want to thank you for the great response to our new CD, I’m Ready, and a very heartfelt thank you to Greg “Slimlively” Johnson for the outstanding photo’s and also Mike Strickland for the great artwork. Hope to see you all soon and continue the great work you all do supporting live music. Thanx again.

The Jim Mesi Band

Tracey Fordice and the 8-Balls

Hi Everybody! Well, summer is over, but things are still heating up with Tracey Fordice and the 8-Balls! We had a lot of fun all summer long, playing throughout the Portland area and a small tour in Montana that took us to Great Falls, Kalispell, and Whitefish. While we were there we were able to take in some of the majestic scenery of Glacier National Park. If Read more

BANDSTAND

The Strange Tones

Hello Everybody,

Well summer’s in full swing, and it’s so nice to be playing and seeing friends in the great outdoors! We have such a variety of fun summer shows, from Pioneer Square to Willamette Park to Ilwaco Blues Fest, to name a few, and it’s always great to have a wider audience join our beloved usual suspects!

And when not gigging, we’ve also been spending a lot of time underground in the volcano, working on our top secret recording sessions. In fact, we just finished wrapping up the project and have sent it out for CD production!

And we have BIG NEWS: We’ve found the perfect location, and set the date for the official CD release! It’s going to be on Friday, September 20, at the Bossanova Ballroom. Located a few blocks from the Melody Ballroom, this historic Portland venue has been beautifully Read more

Tracey Fordice and the 8-Balls

Happy Summer everybody!

We’ve been real busy this past month, playing gigs around town, rehearsing, getting our website and Reverbnation page up and running. We’ve worked hard at the Reverbnation page (thanks to Rudi-bob Spain) and thanks to all of our fans, we have moved up the Portland Blues charts to #9. Also, we are getting ready to go on a little tour this month, taking the band to Montana to the great towns of Kalispell, Whitefish, and Great Falls. It’s going to be fun and we look forward to taking our music on the road!

Of course the Waterfront Blues Festival is about to happen and we plan on being there everyday to soak up the sun and the blues. If you see us running around groovin’, stop and say hi. It’s going to be a great festival this year!

The other great news we have to put out there is our new Hot Jam we are having at the Lehrer in west Portland every Tuesday from 8:00PM to 11:00PM. We have a full stage set up with everything a jam needs; lights, a killer sound system, a Hammond B3 and Leslie, Piano, Drums, Bass and Guitar Amps, and a great new venue that has been featuring Portland’s greatest Blues artists and more. All we need is you! We are overjoyed to be a part of this musical venue and really want to see it succeed, so come on out and check it out, you’ll be glad you did! Oh yeah, also on the last Tuesday of the month we make it special and present “The Ladies of the Lehrer”. Recently our special guest was Karen Lovely and she rocked the joint! Last month we had Nico Wind and this month we’ll be featuring Beth Britton.

Don’t forget to check us out at our website, www.traceyfordice.com and on Reverbnation, http://www.reverbnation.com/traceyfordiceandthe8balls. Become a fan and check out our music, performing schedule, and more!

Blues to You!

Tracey Fordice and the 8-Balls

Lisa Mann

Greetings, blues people! The band and I would like to thank the many among you who supported our Indiegogo campaign for tour sponsorship, and all the rest of you who sent us well-wishes. While we were sadly forced to cut the tour short, it was an adventure to travel the western states with Jeff Knudson, Brian Harris and the hilarious Dave Melyan. And thank you from Allen and I for the condolences on the death of his father. Hank Markel was a loving father and husband, a Korean War vet and a Yankees fan, he will be sorely missed.

The show must go on, as they say, and in July it is going on outside… July 4th we will be competing in the Journey to Memphis Finals at the Waterfront Blues Festival, the competition is from Noon to 3pm. Congrats to the Mojoblasters, Ben Rice Band and Tevis Hodge Jr for also making it to the finals! Then later that day, I will take the Read more

Robbie Laws

Greetings friends! Hope all is well in your world. I can hardly believe festival season is upon us once again. I have been very busy with teaching, writing, recording, gigging and somewhere in there, finding some balance at our beautiful new home in the country. From all of this hard work does come the fruits of our labor and I am so happy to let you all know about what’s been going on.

Start your Waterfront Blues Festival day out right on Thursday, July 4th where you’ll find the Robbie Laws Band on the North Stage from 1:15-2:30 pm. It’s always such an honor and a thrill to perform at the best blues festival around and I look forward to seeing you there. We’ve also got an amazing event happening at the outdoor amphitheater on top of Mt. St. Helens (Johnston Ridge Observatory) on Saturday, August 3rd from 3:30-8:30 pm. This is a special benefit concert for the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. The SLC is a great resource for schools, education groups and researchers interested in taking field trips and doing research at Mt. St. Helens. We’ve got quite a special line up for you with the Robbie Laws band featuring Dover Weinberg and Willis Moss, the fabulous Karen Lovely and one of our longtime favorites, Lloyd Jones. The mountain setting is unbelievably spectacular and this is a day you don’t want to miss, so come on up to the mountain and have a great time with us.

In other big news, I am super excited about the recent launching of my brand new website at www.RobbieLawsMusic.com. Of course you’ll find the standard fare of a music website, but what I’m most excited about is the introduction of ‘Online Live with Robbie Laws’ one-on-one web guitar lessons in addition to several new guitar classes and workshops held at my private studio in SE Portland. I’ll be holding a Songwriting for Guitar class every first Sunday of the month as well as several options for one day guitar workshops at the studio. Please do me a favor and check out the new site and let me know what you think. I want to give a special shout out to my man Chad Boston of designsbyboston.com for doing such a great job on the site. Highly recommended!

Lastly, the final touches are happening on the new album and we’re coming into the home stretch (“Thank God”). Between all of our hectic schedules, it’s been challenging at times to get this project completed. Fingers crossed, it looks like we’ll have an August release date later this summer, so keep your eyes out for that. I am feeling really good about this one.

I look forward to seeing you out and about enthusiastically supporting live music at our great local venues. Have a great time at the Waterfront Blues Festival!

Robbie Laws
www.RobbieLawsMusic.com

James Clem

Hello friends, Just a heads up that my new CD is nearing completion and should be out in the late summer. This is being recorded at Ron Rogers studio in SE Portland. This is an all analog “live in the studio” recording with a great line up of musicians that includes Mary Flower, Don Campbell, Ken West, Stephen “Sammy” Lind and my buddy Jeff Masters came up from Los Angeles to play harmonica on a few tunes. Although I usually play solo live, this CD is very much an ensemble affair with a lot of different instruments. Of course, we will have a CD release party or two when it is out. Stay tuned.

Although I consider the ukulele just a small part of what I do, it has been very, very good to me in that I have played several ukulele festivals (yes Virginia, there is such a thing as a ukefest!) nationwide and my uke videos for some reason are very popular in Europe. Here are two upcoming workshop / festivals that do not fit into the Blues Notes Calendar. August 2,3 and 4, I will be part of the Oakridge Ukulele Festival in Oakridge, Oregon. Three days of workshops, jamming and concerts. Should be fun time as the entire town is turned into three days of uke mayhem. Also, August 11 thru 17, I will be giving a week long in depth ukulele workshop with everything from blues, ragtime, swing and even rock n roll in a wonderful forest setting in the Columbia Gorge in Menucha, Oregon. This class is almost a sell out as we go to press. Go to www.creativeartscommunity.org for more info. Do not forget that I give private guitar and uke lessons, so contact me through my website if you are interested.

Until next month, keep diggin’ the blues and stop by and say hi at my gigs.

Regards,

James Clem
www.jamesclem.com

Bolt Upright

Hello-Bring on The Blues! The members of Bolt Upright—Ashbolt, Lynn and Susie—want to extend our thanks to the Cascade Blues Association for the continued support of Portland’s local blues scene! We just celebrated our 2nd anniversary of hosting our Sunday Blues JAM at Montavilla Station! We’ve welcomed so many great jammers from/San Francisco/Spokane and Denver, but it’s the local folks that make it real every week and those are the folks I’d like to personally thank for the support! Portland knows the Blues!

Ashbolt Stewart
www.boltupright.net-

Lloyd Jones

 Lloyd Jones Tours Netherlands in July!

 First of all I would like to thank Greg and everyone at the CBA for your kind support of Teresa James visit to Jimmy Mak’s last month, and the enormous effort ya’ll put into supporting this music during festival time (and all through the year)! You help make this a vibrant and healthy music community!

 This July I will miss the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival for the first time…but, it’s exciting!

I will be playing seven shows in 12 days in Denmark & Norway! On the 4th of July I will be at an open air concert in Blaavand, Denmark called “God Bless America”! Wow, what’s that all about?!

 Then Saturday July 6th I will be at the Trandal Blues Festival in Aalesund, Norway. As it turns out, my ol’ pal Curtis Salgado will be playing that festival, too. Two Portland fella’s in NW Norway at the same festival! What are the odds of that? Your international diplomats are on the job baby!

 Please check other dates at www.lloydjonesmusic.com

 Also, I’ll be back at the Muddy Rudder on Mondays starting July 15th.

 Have a wonderful Waterfront Blues Festival here in funky P.O.!

 

Lloyd Jones
“Groove Merchant”
www.lloydjonesmusic.com

 

 

David Kahl

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davekahl

DAve Kahl

The last month has given me a lot to be thankful for. In light of my wife’s emergency, the outpouring of concern and love was astonishing and our family thanks you all. Add to this the news of my hearing-related issues and, again, the remarkable support and offers – I am breathless and affirmed. This is one incredible community.

Suggestions have been made and I’ve acted on all of them. I am certain that this old guy will see – and hear – some positive changes very soon. Thanks, again for your love. There are just too many of you to name, but you know who you are.

I’d like to take the opportunity to mention the two week night gigs that have held me up, have offered some great moments and memories, and that I’d like to see you attend. Tuesdays at 9pm, the Dover Weinberg Quartet at Duff’s Garage (corner of S.E. 7th Avenue and Market Street), with Chris Carlson, Kelly Dunn, and me, along with special guests, is happening. Looks good for this one to last through the end of the year, but it is certainly better when there are people to share with.

On Wednesdays, Blackwell’s (1815 N.E. 41st Avenue) hosts Soul Cookin’ with Lloyd Jones, Carlton Jackson, Dover Weinberg, and, again, me. Killing, stinky, greasy, funky blues and soul. Need I say more? Okay, how about some very talented guests, who just all happen to be musical friends. We’ve met some new ones on this gig, so the circle is getting bigger. We’d love to have you support this wonderful group of guys and this very cool venue.

I’d like to thank Ty Curtis and Bill Rhoades, especially for filling my calendar. Looks good for me to hook up for one night in September with Fiona Boyes and Jimi Bott. Although it’s in Illinois, hopefully we can find some compelling reason for Fiona to come to Portland.

That is all for now, but it’s more than enough. Thanks again.

David Kahl