Saturday ... PDX Bridge Festival and more

Another summer weekend, another long list of live music ... but it won't be here ... check the music calendars for all the possibilities.

Very quickly ... festivals abound this weekend!

The PDX Bridge Festival has music and events going on from 4pm until 3 am (!) at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge.  (drop by the Gulfsongs table while you're there and say hi - between 4 & 9 pm) ... cost is between $4 and $10 depending on what events you go to.

The Hawthorne Theater host the free PDX Summerfest all day today and tomorrow ...  music begins at 3 pm.

....  and the free PDX Pop Now continues at Roture today, too! ... music began at noon and goes until 1 am.

Other shows to check out around town ...

3 Leg Torso does a CD release party at The Alberta Rose Theater for their outstanding new recording, Animals & Cannibals ... 8 pm, $17

Devin Phillips is at Jimmy Maks tonight ... 9 pm, $10

So many more ... but I'm outta here ... 

Friday Gulfsongs show will be a roadhouse rockin' night at Duff's!

Consider this a special request from me to everyone on my mailing list or who reads this blog.  Please come out to tonight's Gulfsongs Oregon benefit event at Duff's Garage (1635 SE 7th Ave, Portland).

It will be a roadhouse rockin' night with the double bill of Rich Layton & Troublemakers and Billy D & The Hoodoos.

The Troublemakers deliver a high octane, harmonica-fueled and swampified sound that comes straight out of a Texas Gulf Coast roadhouse. With Layton's rich vocals and harmonica and the twin guitars of Mark Sexton and Larry McCoy, The Troublemakers will keep the dance floor packed and play every note as if their lives depended on it. Taking their inspiration from bands like The Blasters, Los Lobos and NRBQ, they are keepers of the flame of American Roots music.

Billy Desmond is a recent additions to the Portland music community, moving from his long-time base in New Mexico. With soulful vocals, gritty guitar work, and a range of original tunes that run from rocking rave-ups to blues ballads, this is another band that will keep both dancers and toe-tappers sweaty and satisfied.

The money raised through Gulfsongs Oregon will go directly to support the people of the coastal areas of Louisiana being affected by the oil spill. To leverage the maximum value of the these contributions, they will go to two established organizations in the region that provide ongoing programs in the local communities:  Gulf Aid Acadiana and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans & Acadiana.

Music begins at 9 pm and the suggested donation is $5 - $10.

Join me there ... bring your friends too!

And a heads up for next week  ... Gulfsongs moves to the Secret Society Ballroom on Tuesday evening at 8 pm for Tony Furtado and Friends, with special guests Lewi Longmire, Thad Beckman and Jim Brunberg.

A fine Thursday of music

Choices, always choices ....

Start early and there's Will West at the White Eagle (5:30pm),  Lewi Longmire at the Laurelthirst (of course, it's Thursday! 6 pm) or the Quick & Easy Boys at Edgefield (6 pm) ... no cover for any of these.

Music outdoors on a summer evening? How about Rebecca Kilgore & PDX V at Wallace Park (NW 25th & Raleigh) ... 6:30, free

At Wilf's in Union Station it's Black& Blue with Devin Phillips, Chance Hayden and Friends .... 7:30 pm, $??

The Woods hosts one of the funniest singer/songwriters touring the world - Steve Poltz ... prepare for a very entertaining evening with "San Diego's Most Influential Artist of the Decade" ... 8 pm, $12

KINK's Blues Room Thursday at Jimmy Mak's has the 2010 CBA entrant into the Journey to Memphis competition, Lisa Mann ... great vocalist, excellent band ... 8 pm, $5

And it's a fine indie rock triple bill at the Alberta Rose Theater with Buoy LaRue, Chris Robley, and Leigh Marble ... 8:30 pm, $12 ... and it's Last Thursday on Alberta Street.

Heads up for tomorrow night:  Gulfsongs Oregon benefit show with Rich Layton & The Troublemakers and Billy D & the Hoodoos at Duff's  .... roadhouse rockin' for folks on the Gulf Coast hurt by the oil spill. 

Summer ... Portland ... music .... get out and enjoy it!

First Listen: Los Lobos, 'Tin Can Trust' : NPR

Been looking forward to this ... check out the new release from Los Lobos.

First Listen: Los Lobos, 'Tin Can Trust' : NPR

July 25, 2010
For many of us, it's not a long stretch from Lennon/McCartney to Hidalgo/Perez....

Surprise happy hour show tonight at Duff's

Rosie Flores, who performed at Duff's Garage last Monday, is passing through town on her tour and schedule a surprise happy hour today (6-8 pm) at Duff's.... If you're not coming to the Sallie Ford show at Sellwood Riverfront, I highly recommend catching Rosie.  There will be a cover, but not sure how much.

Sign up for Alberta Rose Theater newsletter and get 2 for 1 ticket pricing for a show

The latest newsletter from the new Alberta Rose Theater has a great deal ... you can buy two tickets for the price of one to a show by printing off the coupon in the newsletter .... sign up here.  There are some excellent upcoming shows too!

Sallie Ford tonight at Sellwood Riverfront Park

Great chance to hear one of the best young bands that makes its home in Portland - Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - tonight in a free concert at Sellwood Riverfront Park (at the foot of SE Spokane St, just north of the Sellwood Bridge).  Ford has been wowing crowds and critics with her unique vocals, bouncy tempos, and a charmingly goofy stage personality. Voted Portland's Best New Band of 2010 in Willamette Week, check out why it is a well-deserved title .... music starts at 6:30.

The park has a secure and monitored bike corral (and the park is right on the Springwater Corridor trail) and parking in the Oaks Amusement Park lot - a very short walk from the park. There are also food vendors (no alcohol is sold) or you can bring in your own food and drink .... Should be a beautiful summer evening on the river!

BTW, right after the show you could drop by the Muddy Rudder (just a couple blocks away) to catch Lloyd Jones' weekly "Blue Monday" gig ... never know who might drop in to join him.

Big Friday

Well if you make it to the Oregon Brewers Festival, you might find it harder to get out to music ... but there's some great choices for tonight ... but these will be quick!

Starting with a happy hour? Check out Ron Rogers & The Wailing Wind at the Hawthorne Theater Pub (39th & Hawthorne) ... and if you talk to Ron, he'll give you a sampler CD with a preview of newly recorded tunes ...  6 pm, no cover

Jazz bassist and vocalist Kate Davis will be doing two shows at Wilf's ... 7:30 and 9:30, $10

Down at the Trails End Saloon in Oregon City, it's the harmonica-fueled and swampified sounds of Rich Layton & The Troublemakers .... 9 pm, $??

Jamaican reggae legend Jimmy Cliff is at the Oregon Zoo ... 7 pm, $24 

The Portland Soul All-Stars (truly a Portland all-star band!) will be doing at Tribute to Romantic Soul - romantic classics by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, The Spinners, Chaka Kahn, Teddy Pendegrass, The Stylistics, etc ... oohhh, baby, come over here and sit close to me .... umm, that's nice .... (if you say that in a Barry White voice, it sounds way better than it reads).... 8 pm, $10

Blitzen Trapper is at the Crystal Ballroom ... 8 pm, $18

Heroes & Villains,  The Lonely H, and The Brothers Young are at the Alberta Rose Theater (you really should check out this great new theater for music!) ... 8:30 pm, $10

The Sons of Champlin are at the Aladdin ... 8 pm, $35

Way too much good stuff!  Get out to some live music!

Manic Music Monday

Usually I don't post much on Monday ... but today's music demands a comment or six ...

First I want to alert you to a beautiful day of music at the coast in September - the DME Big Easy Express - check it out, as this will be a great opportunity to both hear some wonderful music (featuring Reggie Houston) and experience an historic train on the scenic Oregon coast. There is limited seating ... and if you order your tickets today you can still get the special early booking discount of $98 (includes music, train ride, lunch and other goodies). This will be a really unique experience you won't want to miss!


Is it possible to have too many great live music choices on a Monday? Here goes ...

Saw a dynamite house concert on Saturday with Rosie Flores ... but if you missed it (most of you reading this), you have another chance tonight at Duff's Garage. Rosie is touring in support of her latest CD, Girl of the Century. The added treat is that Lisa & Her Kin open and the fabulous Chris Miller will be join Rosie on guitar .... 9:30 pm, $ ?? (probably $10)

There's the Join Together For The Gulf benefit at Mississippi Studios tonight to raise money for a group of 20 Oregonians who are headed to the Gulf to gauge the effects on people and environment of the oil spill and help shine a light on what folks there need to do to survive and what the environment needs to recover. Good story about the project here. Reggie Houston, the Midnight Serenaders, Jim Brumberg and Stephen Ashbrook will all be performing ... 7 pm, $10

Out at the Rock Creek Tavern they'll be slippin' and slidin' with Bob Shoemaker and Paris Slim playing dueling National guitars ....8 pm, no cover

The Alberta Rose Theater and guitarist Scott Law host the 3rd Annual Post-Strummit Pick with special guests Darol Anger, Tao Seeger, members of Crooked Still, Republic of Strings, and more.  Crazy amazin' pickin' ... 8 pm, $15

Mary Gauthier does a free set and signing at Music Millennium at 6 pm tonight ... she'll be at Mississippi Studios for a show tomorrow.

Guitarist Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra will be at the Aladdin tonight ... 8 pm, $35

BTW, Neil Young is doing a sold out show at the Schnitz tonight ... 8 pm (you can always show up and see about picking up a ticket out front)

Oh ... and remember we've got a free concert in Sellwood Riverfront Park tonight - this week it's Sanyu, a gospel/R&B band!  More choices!

Saturday picks

Not to be redundant (but of course I will) ... the third of this weekend's Gulfsongs shows is at Biddy McGraw's with the Little Sue Band and Lisa & Her Kin.  Music begins at 9:30 and the suggested donation is $10 (but we'll take less if necessary).

Of course the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival continues today and there are other great shows in and around town. The two big touring shows are Lyle Lovett at Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, WA (7 pm) and the Avett Brothers with Thao (and the Get Down Stay Down) at Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn. (6:30 pm, $38).  There's also the Northwest String Summit out at Hornings Hideout.

Very quickly, other shows include:
A free performance by the Quick and Easy Boys at Music Millennium at 5 pm ...

The Midnight Serenaders and the Andrew Oliver Sextet at Jimmy Mak's ... 8 pm, $10

The Piano Throwers and Lewi Longmire at The Goodfoot .... 9 pm, $??

The Corrine West & Kelly Joe Phelps Duo is at Mississippi Studios tonight ... 9 pm, $17

and tonight is your last chance to catch the Triple Threat Rockwriters Tour with Pilar French, Joshua Slamp and Reina Collins at the Rock Creek Tavern ... 9 pm, no cover

Friday music ... more choices

Besides the Gulfsongs shows at the Laurelthirst tonight (9 pm - James Low Western Front and Miss Michael Jodell), there are a few notable shows you should know about. But maybe drop by the Laurelthirst before or after if you happen to choose somewhere else. We'd love to see you!

In its beautiful setting under the historic St. Johns Bridge, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival begins its annual three day run tonight with a blues evening  ... this year it features Linda Hornbuckle at 6 pm and Lloyd Jones at 8 pm. Critically acclaimed singer Karrin Allyson closes the festival on Sunday. See the full schedule here and there's an excellent article about the festival on Oregon Music News. ... admission to all three days is free.

It will be a foot stompin' night at the Alberta Rose Theater with Truckstop Honeymoon, Chris Chandler & Paul Benoit, and Pancake Breakfast ...  8:30 pm, $15

One of Portland’s newest acoustic folk rock quartets, Wendy and the Lost Boys, are playing  from 8-10 at the Hawthorne Theatre Lounge at 39^th and Hawthorne ... no cover

The fine duo from Brooklyn, Kaiser Cartel are in Portland tonight at Mississippi Studios. Stephen Ashbrook is also on the bill ... 9 pm, $8

The New Pornographers bring their outstanding power pop songwriting to the Crystal Ballroom ... 9 pm, $25

Quasi and Built To Spill are at the Wonder Ballroom ... 9 pm,  $23

And a heads up for Saturday ... if you're interested in attending a great house concert with the fabulous Rosie Flores, please contact mike@hillcountrywest.com.  Mike's shows focus on bringing Texas artists to Oregon, and I've had great feedback from folks who have attended. $15 for a living room show ... potluck and schmoozing start at 6 pm, music at 7:30..

Please come out to our Gulfsongs shows!

A lot of my time over the past month has been taken up helping to organize Gulfsongs Oregon. I've mentioned it a couple of times on the blog, but I wanted to give you more information about it and tell you about three shows that kick off this music series this week. Please feel free to forward this on ... or the link to the blog. 

Over the next 10 weeks, Oregonians will have the opportunity to assist our neighbors in Louisiana who are being impacted by the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico ... and hear some of the best music Portland has to offer in the process. Gulfsongs Oregon is a music performance series that will raise money to benefit selected non-profit organizations actively involved in oil spill recovery and assistance.  This effort is about helping people in the parishes of south Louisiana who are being directly affected economically.

Thursday kicks off the series at the White Eagle Saloon with Rollie Tussing, Rob Stroup & The Blame, and Miriams Well.  Music begins at 8:30 pm.  Friday moves to the Laurelthirst at 9 pm with Miss Michael Jodell & The Slow Healers, followed by the James Low Western Front.  And Saturday finishes off the weekend shows at Biddy McGraw's (also at 9 pm) with the Little Sue Band and Lisa & Her Kin.  The suggested donation for all shows is $10.  Across the three evenings there's blues, rock, country and a couple of Portland's best singer/songwriters ... music that should appeal to a variety of tastes and schedules.

Proceeds from Gulfsongs will go to two organizations that are providing immediate assistance into the local communities - The Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, and the Community Foundation of Acadiana through their Gulf Aid Acadiana fund.

More shows are being booked weekly as part of the series.  Here's the current schedule. Stay tuned to Oregon Music News and Gulfsongs Oregon for complete information on upcoming events.

Oregon Music News is Gulfsongs Oregon exclusive online media sponsor, and Gulfsongs would not be possible without the great support from the Cascade Blues Association, Amanda Gresham's Delta Music Experience - which provided table space at the Waterfront Blues Festival, music publicist Alex Steininger, Stacy DeHart of Perfect Pitch Booking, artists Tim Huggins and Jay Martin, our local venues and musicians, and a group of dedicated volunteers from inside and out of the Portland music community.

Gulfsongs Oregon is also actively seeking organizational underwriting to provide acknowledgment of the contributions made by the musicians to this effort and to help extend the reach of Gulfsongs Oregon to other venues in the Northwest. So if you know any businesses interested in supporting this effort, we have put together some sponsor packages that they might be interested in learning about.

For additional information, links and resources visit the Gulfsongs Oregon website and/or Facebook page (become our friend too, if you haven't already).

Thanks to all of you who read the blog and get out to support live music .... the combination of live music and supporting a cause you believe in is even better!

Hope to see you at one of the shows ....

   - Jim

A few quick ones ... late on a Wednesday

I've been really busy helping get Gulfsongs Oregon ready for this week's kickoff shows (more on that in the next post), so my recommendations are going to be a little spotty for the rest of the week - besides recommending you get yourselves down to one of the Gulfsongs benefit shows (even though there's a lot of great music going on all weekend that has nothing to do with raising money for two really deserving organizations in Louisiana who are trying to mitigate the economic effects on folks down there) .... I'll mention those other shows if you promise to come by at least one of the Gulfsongs events this weekend. :-)

You can still get out and catch happy hour tonight at Duff's for the fine country sounds of the Chris Miller Band (6 pm, $2), or over to the Biddy McGraw's for Little Sue, who is doing a special 70's set tonight you don't want to miss (6 pm, no cover).

Ron Steen will lead some fine jazz cats over at Wilf's tonight ... down at the train station if you're looking for the place .... 8 pm, $?

Rockin' blues at the Trails End with Big Monti and the Precious Darlings ... 8 pm, $?

It's blues tonight at the Alberta Rose Theater with Debbie Davis and Robin Rogers. Davis, winner of the 2010 Blues Music Award for best traditional female artist, is one of the great female guitarists of all time and Rogers is a singer with a deeply expressive and soulful voice and an infectious enthusiasm for the blues.  Berthaline opens .... 8 pm, $15

Duck! It's the Piano Thowers tonight at the Laurelthirst .... 9 pm, $??

Mingo Fishtrap at Sellwood Riverfront Park

For the past 10 years or so I've been a part of the neighborhood committee that works with Portland Parks & Rec to organize the summer concerts in Sellwood Riverfront Park. The committee is responsible for raising the money from community businesses that pay for our series of four Monday night shows.  We also get to choose the artists that play and then help manage the events.  It's a little bit of work and a lot of fun. It's especially gratifying when we get a park-full of folks out to a show and having a great time. 

The first concert of this summer happens tonight, and this is the fourth year in a row we've been able to book a band that also played the Waterfront Blues Festival.  This year it's an outstanding soul/funk band out of Austin, Texas - Mingo Fishtrap. This band knocked me out the first time I heard them 6 years ago on Delbert McClinton's Sandy Beaches Cruise (they have been back to that annual event every year since). They finally were able to play the festival this year and so we jumped at the chance to get them for our park show too.

The band did a stellar set at the festival last weekend, and the horn section joined Little Feat for part of their set. Come and check these guys out ... they are a perfect band for a summer evening.  Wear your dancing feet - you will find it hard to sit still when these guys get going.  Bring a picnic dinner or purchase food from our vendors that will be there. BYOB is okay too (no alcohol is sold at the event).  There is also a secure bike corral and additional parking at Oaks Amusement Park.

And if you come down to the park, consider stopping by the Muddy Rudder after the show ... it's just a couple blocks away and the always entertaining Lloyd Jones will be there for his weekly Monday gig .... 

July 10 ... music for a beautiful weekend

Again, this will be fast ....

Today is the Mississippi Street Fair with multiple stages of music beginning at noon and going until 9 this evening.... check out the schedule - should be wonderful weather for braving the descending throngs for this annual event .... beer garden, lots of food and shopping too ...

In town from her home in Florida for a couple of weeks and playing tunes with good friends and music compadres is Reina Collins. Reina will be playing this week around the NW (and sharing a band) with songwriters Joshua Slamp and Pilar French (the Triple Threat Rockwriters Tour). Tonight she'll be at the White Eagle to celebrate the official NW release of her latest CD, Saltwater Soul. ... 9:30 pm, $6

The Linda Hornbuckle Band is at Jimmy Maks for some tasty blues and soul ... 8 pm, $10

Rob Stroup & The Blame are at Biddy McGraw's ... 9:30 pm, no cover

And if you're looking for some summertime music tomorrow, check out Reggie Houston's Box of Chocolates at EaT: An Oyster Bar (11 am) for brunch. Mississippi Studios begins a new fre summer Sunday afternoon series at 3 pm .... and the Doug Fir starts up its Pickin' On Sunday series - also at 3 pm ....

I'll post more about this tomorrow, but if you like your horns funky and soulful, check out Mingo Fishtrap at Sellwood Riverfront Park on Monday evening ... 6:30 pm, free ..... this band from Austin knocked folks out last week at the Waterfront Blues Festival and will have you dancing right out of your shoes (which actually feels great in the cool grass of the park) .... see ya there!

Friday quick picks

Have about 2 minutes to write this, so here goes ...

The Gourds and Ray Wylie Hubbard at the Wonder Ballroom ... some deep Texas fun ...9 pm, $17

Portland Cello Project at the Doug Fir .... stringy in a classy way ... 9 pm, $14

It's a free music night at The Woods with Derby, Kelli Shaefer and Blue Horns ... 9 pm, FREE

Billy D & The Hoodoos are the at Trails End .... rockabilly blues ... 9 pm, $??

and .... it's Berthaline and Brethren Thread at the Spare Room ... Berthaline will be fun, Brethren Thread will blow your mind ... really .... check them out ... 9:30 pm, no cover

Thats it!

Songwriters who rock ....

Two of my local songwriting favorites have shows tonight ... one early, one late ... so you can catch both.

The James Low Western Front subs for Lewi Longmire at the Laurelthirst happy hour tonight ... James' songs run the gamut from sad country songs to bright indie pop ... but they all represent some of the best songcraft anywhere ... hear why James has been at the top of my list for a lBlogger: Jim's Music Notes - Create Postong time ...  6 pm, no cover

Right up there on the list with him is Casey Neill. With his crack band, The Norway Rats (a veritable local allstar group with Little Sue, Jesse Emerson, Chet Lyster, Jenny Conlee and Ezra Holbrook), Casey's songs have a passion and literacy that's hard to top.  He's at The Woods tonight ... 9 pm, $7

Stay cool .... see you out and about!

Picking it up .... July is rollin'

What a fine Waterfront Blues Festival ... the Food Bank not only made it's goal, but every day proved a treat for the ears ... there were some standout performances from touring bands and locals alike .... highlights for me included Galactic with Cyril Neville (one of the best closing sets to the festival I remember), Trombone Shorty, Mingo Fishtrap, Super Chikan, Andre Theiry & Zydeco Magic, Paul Cebar, Chris Thomas King and JJ Grey & Mofro. On the local side, the Too Loose Cajun Band, Bob Shoemaker, Steve Kerin & Atomic Gumbo, Lloyd Jones & Mac Potts, Kolvane, Reggie Houston and, of course Curtis Salgado turned in great sets throughout the weekend.

But now it's past and we've got business to get down to ... what's going on as we look ahead to the week? This post will cover Wednesday ....

If you didn't catch them at the festival, you have a chance tonight to groove to the killer horn-driven soul/funk of Mingo Fishtap.  The had the crowd jumpin' on Sunday afternoon and then in a dancing frenzy at the after-hours jam that night.  They will be in Lake Oswego for a free concert at  Foothills Park ... 6:30 pm

At Willamette Park it's a free park concert with Rich Layton & The Troublemakers ... 6:30 pm ... Remember to check the schedules of all the area park shows - convenient list here ... great music in area parks all summer!

Looking for outdoor music a little earlier ... if you're downtown Music on Main (at SW Main & Broadway at the Performing Arts Center) has Tony Furtado ... 5 pm, free

Or head over to Duff's for happy hour with the Chris Miller Band ... 6 pm, $2

More outdoor music at the Oregon Zoo with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Konono N°1 ....The Carolina Chocolate Drops bring old-time American string-band music up to date, using banjo, fiddle, jugs, and the like to pBlogger: Jim's Music Notes - Edit Post "Picking it up .... July is rollin'"roduce a sound brimming with history and smarts. Sharing the bill is Konono N°1, a group from the Congo that amplifies its traditional Bazombo trance music with homemade electronics. ... 7 pm, $14.50

Like your jazz with the flavor of Brazil? Check out Bill Beach, Dave Captein and Dick Berk at Wilf's ... 8 pm, $??

Andrew Oliver will be tickling the ivories at Brasserie Montmartre ... 8 pm, no cover

Big Monti & the Precious Darlings will be smokin' the Trails End Saloon in Oregon City ... 8 pm, $??

Some very fine country/Americana at the White Eagle with Cory Branan, Truckstop Darlin', and Austin Lucas ... 8:30 pm, $6

Big touring shows in town tonight are The Wailers (bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett being the only original Wailer left) at the Crystal Ballroom (9pm, $25) ... and Court Yard Hounds (sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robson from the Dixie Chicks) at the Roseland Theater ... 8 pm, $50 reserved balcony/$30 floor

... from the Waterfront Blues Festival

The cloud spit didn't make a dent in the good times at the festival on Friday ... wonderful music, smiling people ... good times ... and they are only going to get better today with the sun shining the rest of the weekend.

Sitting at the Gulfsongs Oregon table under the Louisiana tent of Amanda Gresham's Delta Music Experience, listening to some great Zydeco music at the Oregonian Front Porch stage, I'm marveling at how many other groups are sharing this space. Gresham has done a great job assembling a range of Louisiana and southern themed organizations, artists and merchants in one location. Gulfsongs is very grateful that we have space here to talk about our fundraiser club shows that begin in two weeks and run through the end of September.

Sharing the tent is the DME French Quarter Market where you can buy beads and other New Orleans related paraphernalia; Oregon Music News where you can what their crack group of reporters and photographers filing stories as the festival progresses; artists Dylan Kuehl and Stan Street (direct from Clarksdale,MS; Cascade Zydeco and the Washington Blues Society; United By Music, an organization that provides opportunities for writing, performing and learning about the blues for folks with disabilities; the DME Big Easy Express (I'll be telling you more about this soon), a first time train trip that will rock the rails New Orleans style on the Oregon Coast in September; Gresham Gallery Photography, and the DME Blues Break stage, bringing 15 minute performances between the main acts on the Oregonian Stage.

You should get on down ... great day for a music festival!

Waterfront Blues Festival

One of my very favorite annual events in Portland starts on Friday afternoon. The four-day Waterfront Blues Festival is that for many reasons. It's not just the music, but the quintessentially Portland vibe (even when packed the crowd is pretty easy-going), the fact that it's the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Oregon Food Bank, it's inexpensive (full days of high quality music for $10 and a few cans of food), has an amazing setting on the river downtown, the social interaction (seeing and hanging with friends from around town and out of town), etc, etc.

I could go on and on about performers, etc ... but I'll give you some of the best resources for your exploration and make a few recommendations.

Of course, there's the main festival site. Lots of info on artists, schedules, and activities.

Oregon Music News is doing a great job of previewing the festival and will be reporting from the site all weekend (find them at the Delta Music Experience pavilion by the Oregonian Stage - the one north of the Hawthorne Bridge). They have descriptions of every artist and previews of some of the headliners and more obscure, but outstanding performers.

The Oregonian and OregonLive have a series of articles posted about the festival including this handy guide that was published in last Friday's A&E .... invaluable for tracking who's where. Check out their Blues Festival radio to hear an assortment of this year's performers and this story and interview with festival talent coordinator Peter Dammann.

My thoughts ....
So much talent coming .... and with four stages (sometimes with three going at once), there are plenty of choices to make as to what to hear.  Plus, there's the DME river cruises which are a ton of fun and post-festival jams each night at the Marriott, just across the street.

Personally, my favorite stages are the Oregonian and Workshop stages. At the former you'll find a dance floor, benches, Zydeco (virtually all day on Saturday) and Swing music, and lots of the best local acts ... plus good food, the wine bar, and shorter beer lines.  At the latter you can get up close and personal with performers and presentations that are often intimate sets and/or fascinating looks into the history and techniques of making music. There's a give and take between performers and artists you won't get anywhere else.

If you have the energy for a late night, you should definitely try to take in one of the jams at the Marriott or head over to the Hotel 50 for jams led by a host of great local talent.  If you skip the jams, there's also some great festival-related music at Duff's on Friday (Lloyd Jones) and Saturday (Sultans of Slide) and Jimmy Mak's on Saturday.  Joints will be jumpin'.

And, of course, don't forget the big fireworks display on the 4th.

So here's my picks for acts you might want to catch ... check the schedules for times and stages (some of these will present conflicts - so try to catch a little of each):

Friday
Moreland and Arbuckle
Colin Lake & Chance Hayden
PorterDavis
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm (also Saturday)
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue  (don't miss!)
Too Loose Cajun Band, with Reggie Houston, Steve Kerin & Portland All Stars (local faves of mine)

Saturday
The I-5 Nine: Healy, Miller, Bott, Pain...et al
Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band (heck, catch any of the Zydeco all day at the Oregonian Stage!)
Northwest Women in Blues, w/ special guests Tahoe Jackson and Nicole Fournier
Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks
Bobby Rush

Sunday
Journey to Memphis Finals (from noon until 4pm at the Oregonian Stage)
Billy D and the Hoodoos
Linda Hornbuckle & Janice Scroggins Old Time Gospel Hour, w/ special guest Lucky Peterson
Mingo Fishtrap (one of my favorite bands out of Austin, TX)
The Twisters
Kara Grainger
Curtis Salgado (featuring Lloyd Jones)

Monday
North Mississippi by Northwest: McMurrian, Lemhouse, Shoemaker & Bott
Baskery
Chris Thomas King
Little Feat (with the Mingo Fistrap horns!)
Reggie Houston's Crescent City Connection
GALACTIC with Cyril Neville and Corey Henry (from Rebirth) (what a great closer for this year!)

I'm planning to be there all four days - spending some of it at the DME Pavilion at the Gulfsongs Oregon table where we'll be telling folks about our July - Sept fundraising concerts for folks on the Gulf Coast. Stop by and say hi .... or just find me wandering the festival with sunglasses and a smile.