Reflections on '09

Blather alert!

Self-indulgent twaddle ahead!

OK, you've been warned ... proceed at your own risk ...

So I'm NOT going to make a best list - best shows, best CDs, songs - interested in what others say, but ultimately they are just subjective lists that generate a lot of pontificating and meaningless noise.

I've probably forgotten more than I care to admit about the live music I've seen this year, but here's a few notable shows that have stuck for me and a few other mostly random comments.

Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women at the Aladdin in September - not just because of the amazing musical interplay and evident friendship and joy of playing together among members of a stellar band, but because a few short weeks later the band tragically suffered the loss of a key member, fiddler and vocalist Amy Farris. Listening to the fine CD that Dave and the band produced this year is now a bittersweet experience.

Tom Russell at the Aladdin earlier this month (and with Portland's Thad Beckman on guitar) gave a deeply satisfying performance ... and his latest CD, Blood and Candle Smoke is one of my favorites of this year.

Kevin Gordon at the Waterfront Blues Festival, Laurelthirst and Sellwood Riverfront Park. Memorable for a number of reasons. Being a fan of a relatively unknown artist from the other side of the country who had never made it to the Northwest, it was gratifying to see the great reaction to his songs and performances. I was persistent in my encouragement to both the festival and Kevin that there was an audience here for his music ... and glad I wasn't mistaken.

Booker T at Mississippi Studios in May - not just Booker T's set with his crack band, but also opener Tahoe Jackson's incendiary performance set the night's musical bar very high ...

Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller at Oaks Park in June ... they can sit around and swap songs anytime ... I'll be listening. BTW, Buddy and Julie Miller's Written in Chalk is another favorite released this year.

Los Lobos at the Aladdin last January that besides a great performance included an impromptu sing-along through a selection of Frank Zappa tunes in the lobby after the show. Priceless.

Marcia Ball's 60th birthday celebration in Austin in February... my one music journey of the year was an outstanding trip - three days with some of my favorite artists and friends ... wow.

Any number of nights at the Laurelthirst or Duff's Garage ... probably my two favorite venues that feature local music - whether it's James Low, Lewi Longmire, Little Sue, Casey Neill, Lisa and Her Kin, Lloyd Jones, David Vest, Pete Krebs, the Freak Mountain Ramblers, Paula Sinclair, or a host of other great local acts ... but close behind is the White Eagle (Bottle Rockets, month-long runs by The Troublemakers and Steve Kerin & Friends) and neighborhood places like the Muddy Rudder (Sellwood), O'Connors (Multnomah Village) or the Press Club (on SE Clinton) ... all great places to simply hang out, see folks you know and hear the best local music in town. And we all have our favorites ... so keep heading over, tell the owners you love coming out for the live music, and remember to be generous in feeding the tip jar.

It was great to have Mississippi Studios reopen in it's new, larger form in March. Having been closely involved in the venue through it's early years, I have to say I have a nostalgic fondness for the intimate old room - some of the best music I've seen in the last five years happened there - but the reality of the business unfortunately makes rooms like that difficult to sustain, so kudos to Jim Brumberg for having a vision for a bigger room that could keep some of the intimacy while accommodating bigger crowds. It's different but a lot more is possible, and I think they are evolving their programming "voice" that balances between touring and local shows and appealing to a variety of genres and ages ... and to do this during tough economic times too is impressive. Kudos also to Ritchie Young and Vivian Lyons for converting an old Westmoreland funeral parlor into The Woods - another venue that is striving to balance touring and local acts in a creative and intimate environment. The music community really needs venues like these.

It also felt like a year of a lot of loss in music - besides Amy Farris, it included Les Paul, Duane Jarvis, Vic Chesnutt, Willy DeVille, Koko Taylor, Rick Wright, Ellie Greenwich, Mary Travers, Mike Seeger, Eddie Bo, Jay Bennett, (okay, and Michael Jackson) ... and one who I had gotten to know over the past nine years, Stephen Bruton, after a three year battle with cancer. BTW, check out the movie Crazy Heart - the music and Jeff Bridges' performance have a lot of Stephen in them. It was his final music project and a fitting tribute to an immensely talented artist who flew just a bit too under the radar for most folks to notice. But the hole left by his loss will be widely felt.

Our local community wasn't spared loss, with the deaths of singer/songwriter Scott "Scotland Barr" Moritz and drummer Kipp Crawford - two very talented and well-like musicians gone way too soon. You might want to raise a glass to all who have gone as you reflect on this past year.

And finally, kudos to Ryan White, who became music editor this year at the Oregonian - his perceptive writing, insights and knowledge of the Portland music scene (not to mention sense of humor) were a welcome addition to local music reporting. And speaking of music reporting, you should check out Oregon Music News (if you haven't yet) - Tom D'Antoni and crew are trying to establish a solid web presence as a one-stop multi-genre music news location -- you should visit often!

See ... rambling random babble ... but thanks for indulging me to the end of the post.

So get out when you can to support live music and I hope to catch you at a show or two in the 2010!