What’s on Tap for the October General Membership Meeting . . .

Melody Ballroom, 615 SE Alder St., Portland

Wednesday, October 2^nd, 7:00 pm

Opening Acoustic Set – Robert Richter

Second Electric Set – Barbara Healy & Her Groove Too Band

 

It is that time of the month again, to head on over to The Melody Ballroom for our monthly membership meeting. Two sets of great blues music to start the month out right, and we’ve got a terrific pair of performances for you that should bring an exciting and fun night for all.

Opening the night will be singer/songwriter/guitarist Robert Richter. An energetic performer creating music that blends different genres from folk to blues to rock to Celtic played with passion and energy as solo, duo or with his band. His credits include hosting his own radio show on KUMZ-FM in Salem called “Local Roots” that features the music of Northwest musicians on all genres; appearing on Tom May’s nationally syndicated NPR program “River City Folk;” teaching slide guitar at NW Folklife; his music was played on Sirius XM’s “Bob Dylan Radio Hour;” he released a live CD in 2012 titled A Change Of Heart; and in the summer of 2013 Richter was filmed performing live as part of a documentary film produced by a German television network. The documentary filmed in Gold Beach, Oregon will air in November on German television. He recently performed on “Live at 7,” seen on Portland’s NBC affiliate KGW.

“Robert Richter is a charismatic entertainer that gives his all every time he performs and is a stellar musician.” Morry Feldman, WQED-FM Pittsburgh, PA.

For his performance for the Cascade Blues Association, Robert is planning on performing several songs on slide guitar and may feature a special guest vocalist on a song or two. It has been a little more than three years since he last performed for us, so he is highly anticipating this show. And so are we. Don’t miss this outstanding artist.

For our electric portion of the meeting, we will be featuring one of Eugene area’s premier vocalists and songwriters, Barbara Healy, with her latest outfit The Groove Too Band. For more than thirty years, Barbara has been a true force on the regional R&B and blues scene and has recently released her fifth recording Shades of Blues, which nicely combines a jazzy feel alongside her soulful and bluesy vocals. Barbara has performed at many of the elite festivals and venues along the West Coast, including the Waterfront Blues Festival, the Eugene Celebration and the Corvallis Fall Festival. She has also been a guest on stage alongside such artists as James Cotton, Robert Cray, Curtis Salgado, Paul deLay, Mary Wells and The Temptations. While touring acts would also stop by her shows and often sat in, including The Neville Brothers, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

The Groove Too Band is a collection of top-flight musicians: guitarist Mickey Beach, keyboardist Michael Mendenhall, Corey Culberhous on bass, Phil Shupert on drums and horn players Jason Montgomery and Tony Johnson. Fusing R&B, soul, funk, folk, gospel, jazz and blues into a sound all her own, Barbara has taken a lifetime of experience working and playing with many of music’s legends, channeling it into an infectious stage presence that has people dancing, smiling and having as much fun as she does.

In between musical sets, we will let you know about upcoming events to our area and will hold our popular free ticket drawing. We will also have another winner-take-all multiple-CD raffle for your chance to win for only a $1.00 per ticket.

So head on down to The Melody Ballroom to gather with good friends and listen to some of the finest blues artists in the State. Always a fun time that you just don’t want to miss.