Friday, May 31, 2013

Heading into June ... outdoor music is just around the corner

Not posting yet on all of the great outdoor shows coming our way ... but I will soon. Today is just one of those pesky weekly things I'm struggling to keep up ...

Friday
Happy hour? At the Laurelthirst, Lewi Longmire moved his usual Thursday to Friday this week (don't get confused!) ... 6 pm, no cover

The Drive by Truckers' Patterson Hood is at Mississippi Studios tonight for a solo show ... 9 pm, $15

PDX Jazz @ Jimmy Mak’s Presents “Classic Coltrane 1964-65” with The Azar Lawrence Quintet featuring Devin Phillips, Alan Jones, George Colligan, and Eric Gruber ... 8 pm, $18

At Duff's, it's blues mandolin ace Rich DelGrosso joined by friends Lloyd Jones on guitar, Carlton Jackson on drums, Dean Mueller on bass, and harmonica ace Grant Dermody. According to the Duff's site: "This night at Duff’s will reignite the heat and magic of their first concert together in 2006, a concert that gained a Cascade Blues Association award nomination for Best Performance of the Year."  ... 9 pm, $15

At the Secret Society, some fine songcraft will fill the room with Myshkin, Nick Jaina, and Michelle McAfee ... 9 pm, $12

Billy D and the Hoodoos will be at O'Connor's ... 8 pm, $5

And, as mentioned by Marychris in a previous post, at the Doug Fir, it's a great double-bill of Blitzen Trapper and Denver ... 9 pm, $25

Saturday
First, I've gotta give a plug for the Mysti Krewe of Nimbus and our fantastic float in the Starlight Parade! The Krewe's very colorful, musical entry will be towards the later end of the parade, so enjoy the wait ... this is the most fun parade of the Rose Festival ... now if they would only sanction a real second line, we'd be doin' that parade thing right. ;)

Happy hour? Of course the James Low Western Front at the Laurelthirst (limited weeks left to catch the best weekly happy hour show in Portland!)... or try Everything's Jake at the Secret Society ...both 6 pm, no cover

The Portland Interfaith Gospel Choir's 2nd Annual Spring Concert, Joy Unspeakable! will be held at Tabor Space ... 5 - 7 PM, $15-20 suggested donation

My pick show is at Jimmy Mak's with the Lloyd Jones Starlight Review (yep, you can catch the show and most of the parade which is just a few short blocks away). Lloyd is pulling out all the stops with the full band and a special guest from Los Angeles, vocalist Teresa James. One of the best blues/roots singers anywhere, she's now touring as part of Eric Burdon's band (which means you will also catch her in July at the Waterfront Blues Fest with Burdon and her own band). Lloyd is always big fun, so this will be even bigger fun! Hope to see ya there! ... 8 pm, $10

At the Live Wire Radio recording at the Alberta Rose, the featured musical guest is The Builders and the Buchers ... 7:30 pm, $25
 
It's will be swinging (in a vintage sorta way) at the Secret Society with the Libertine Belles and the Bridgetown Sextet ... 9 pm, $10

And check out Oregon Music New's weekend picks ... including Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3  Monday night at the Doug Fir ...

Monday, May 27, 2013

Up and Coming....

Ears still reeling from double fun last night with Fitz and the Tantrums at the Waterfront (it was a good reason to put on socks and go downtown) and then Bombino, Taureg singer/guitarist at The Star last night...but some good stuff on the way..
One of my new fave local bands, Divers will be at The Know on Alberta on Wednesday.  They don't play often, so I highly advise checking them out...and damn them, they only have an EP recorded so far..but hey Scott McCaughey of the Minus Five likes them, too..
May 31, Blitzen Trapper returns to the Doug Fir.  They have a new album in the works, so expect more brilliant songs from the pen of Eric Earley. 
June 1, Dan Reed is at The Star for his new album release, "Signal Fire." I was lucky to hear a lot of this as they worked on it in the studio...great stuff!!
June 3, back to Doug Fir for the wry and sardonic, Robyn Hitchcock. 
June 4, Tom Brosseau is at the Alberta Rose.  He's a friend of a other singer songwriters I know, including John Doe, and I saw him first in John C. Reilly's Americana-style band last year, so looking forward to hearing more of his songs.
On the 7th, another benefit for a musician in need, sparks the return of Fernando Viciconte to the stage after his own health issues; at the Laurelthirst.
June 15th, new father Morgan Geer and Drunken Prayer return from their exile in North Carolina to play at the Secret Society...I could listen to his version of "Ain't No Grave" all day, every day...
...and then it will be Blues Fest....

Friday, May 17, 2013

There's some fine live music to be found in Portland this weekend

Kinda as usual here in P-town ... always something good ... and you don't even have to search a whole lot.

BTW, Oregon Music News has some good picks each Thursday that you should check out ... put together by a few folks with a variety of tastes, so it's a bit broader than what you'll find here. Meester and Meester, Andy Stokes, Cold War Kids, Jeff Baker, Man or Astro-Man? ... good stuff, OMN!

 Friday

Vocalist Karen Lovely will be doing her show, "Stirred & Shakin'- An Evening of Prohibition & Contemporary Blues" at Jimmy Mak's  ... 8 pm, $15

Thad Beckman with Kurtis Piltz on harmonica will be in the cozy confines of O'Connor's ... 8 pm, $7

Chad Rupp with special guests Big Monti and Franco Paletta will lead a high energy blues evening at Duff's ... 9 pm, $8

The Quick and Easy Boys hold a CD release at the Wonder Ballroom ... with Sassparilla and brought to you by KZME ... 9 pm, $12

Saturday
Time for the James Low Western Front happy hour show at the Laurelthirst. Some of you might not know this, but James will be moving this summer to Malaysia ... for two years! He'll be back occasionally to visit and perform, but there's only eight more happy hours, so if you want to catch one of Portland's best songwriters with a kickass band ... get over to the Laurelthirst! ... 6 pm, no cover

Need some Django style jazz? Check out Everything's Jake for happy hour at The Secret Society Ballroom ... 6 pm, no cover ... Followed by a three band swing evening led by the Midnight Serenaders ... 9 pm, $10

Joe McMurrian had put together an ambitious tribute to Portland native, iconoclastic folk music collector, and creative eccentric, Harry Smith. Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, which he put together for Folkways Records 60 years ago inspired a generation of musicians that revived folk music traditions and heavily influenced the development of popular music. A host of Portland musicians will be on hand to perform many of the songs from the Anthology. You can find out more here or in this interview with McMurrian at Oregon Music News ... 7 pm, $20

 Miller and Sasser turn the Landmark Saloon into a boot scootin' honky tonk at 9 pm ... and I heard that Whitey Morgan will be doing a solo set at 6 pm ... the Landmark is THE place for roots country music at its best ...

Sara Watkins and her band will be at Mississippi Studios supporting the release of her new CD, Sun Midnight Sun ...9 pm, $18

The DK Stewart Sextet will keep the dance floor busy at Duff's ... 9 pm, $10 

Sunday
The big weekend show for me is my good friend Steve Kerin's CD release at Duff's. Joy is the long awaited solo recording by someone who, since arriving in Portland from Louisiana eight years ago, has established himself as one of the premier keyboard players in Portland's blues and roots music communities. Joy was recorded in his hometown of Lafayette, and Kerin's affinity for blues, pop, rock, funk, Cajun, and country shines through on twelve original tunes. There will be two sets - the first focusing on tunes from Joy, the second will be a romp through Louisiana styles with a band made up of Kerin's Atomic Gumbo and the Too Loose Cajun/Zydeco Band ... this will be almost too much fun for a Sunday night ... Joy indeed! ... 7 pm, $12