rosterma12 - music & miscellany

Boston T-Rex at the Red Room

2011-12-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

One alternative rock group that I've video recorded a couple of times, and think they have a lot of talent, is Boston T-Rex. This is a Portland rock band that plays some great danceable rock music, with great lyrics... Daren Ford is the vocal artist and has a excellent voice...the rest of the band plays well together, and does a good job backing up Daren's vocals. If you haven't heard this band play in person, then you should listen to the latest video from the Red Room...of course the video is red just like the picture...
Boston T-Rex at the Red Room - 12.3.11

the willowdale handcar @ Skidmore Fountain - Portland, Oregon - 7.9.11

2011-07-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

I came across these two musicians down at Skidmore Fountain busking for tips. They call themselves - the willowdale handcar....and they are both from the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. Portland seems to get a number of traveling musicians from all parts of the country, so I wasn't too surprised to hear this, I like it though, because it adds a little something to Portland's music culture that it may not have otherwise....

Sarah, in the picture, is playing the guitar, while Emily plays the accordion.....I was surprised at how good they were at vocalizing, harmonizing together, and playing their instruments. They didn't have a mic, but their voices projected so well, so they really didn't need one either....they did a great job with the two songs I recorded....

I talked to them briefly, and found they travel around the country living a vagabond lifestyle, and sleep in their car. When they get tired of one place, they just move on to the next city, or state....Sarah has been doing this awhile, and has previously hitchhiked, and traveled on freight trains hobo style.....she said she's had a lot of interesting experiences....I'm not sure how long they have been together as a musical team....they have a couple of dogs to keep them company, and probably for protection also....check out the video of them with the link below, or above in the title.....

the willowdale handcar @ Skidmore Fountain - Portland, Oregon - 7.9.11

Wizard Boots @ Red Room - 6.30.11

2011-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Wizard Boots for those that don't know about the group, is a rock/freakpop/metaphysical folk band that's been performing now for about 6 years. The band consists of 3 members: Christopher Elsken; lead guitar, vocals, electronic manipulation, Tony Aparacio; drums, bass, guitars, vocals, and Peter Herres; Synthesizer, Percussion. I happened on them about a year ago at the Backspace in downtown Portland, and at that time I thought they were a little weird. Since then, I've seen them at the Red Room a couple of times, and have change my opinion of them a little. They're still a little weird, and sometimes wear kooky hats, but that is what I've come to like about them....you never quite know what Christopher Elsken or the rest of the band, is going to say, or do, or dress up like, during the show.

Chris interacts sometimes with the audience between songs, in his quick witted way that often makes me laugh to myself, a little surprised at his comeback when someone makes an off the wall comment....he has been known to even mosey off stage, and get on top of tables nearby while playing his guitar.... and his "show off" antics don't stop there, often you can hear him in the audience before, or after he performs, cracking funny comments to the other bands he's performing with.... As for the bands music, I'd say it's very good, and danceable....and the lyrics are good, but a little weird/psychedelic/metaphysical also.... Chris, and the band, are a little unpredictable, and definitely entertaining to watch and listen to.... check out the video of Wizard Boots @ Red Room with the link above/below....it's the whole music set for that night....

Wizard Boots @ Red Room - 6.30.11

Open Mic at Pub at the End of the Universe, Portland, Oregon

2011-06-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Karyn Patridge @ Open Mic

Karyn Patridge, is a fairly regular performer at Open Mic.... She writes a lot of her own songs, and also does some cover songs, usually traditional songs, and is just a very talented musician, in voice, and playing the guitar....she has developed her own style of singing, that tells people who she is as a performer....If you haven't heard Karyn sing before, listen to the video I recorded of her on Open Mic night....

Karyn Patridge @ Open Mic - 6/13/11

Another Music group that was at Open Mic that night was a group called Kozy Soul. I didn't have time to talk to this group, and could not find any information online about them, so I think they might be a relatively new band. I was fairly impressed by their music, as the singer had a style of singing that I had not seen before. I could be she is on the cutting edge of something new in performing.....or maybe not.... anyway, I think it could be something exciting for her to develop further.... I would like to see how far she can carry this style to fruition.... she's about the right age to start another revolution in music, like Elvis was to the 50's.... it's possible....the whole band sounded great by the way....

Kozy Soul & Friend @ Open Mic - 6/13/11

I'm Back....

2011-06-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

After a little over a year, I've decided that I need to get out information about what I am doing and who I am videotaping. So this is the restart of my previous blog that I am guilty of not keeping up.... Part of the reason that I stopped blogging was that I could not take pictures while videotaping a music group. This has now been solved with my new camera that is capable of taking pictures at the same time as I videotape. Problem solved.... so now I'm back....

A lot has happened over the past year, I've added to YouTube a tremendous number of videos, all in the HD 720/30p format. Most of these videos were taken in Pubs and bars, around the Portland, Oregon area. The lighting and sound varies, according to the venue, some are better than others.... most pubs, and bars, don't consider lighting for people that are videotaping, so I have to take what I get.... sometimes I can push the lighting when editing the video, and also, change the sound to make it sound a little better, or clearer.... I have recently purchased a new camera, and if your interested in the details of that, check my YouTube homepage for more information.

My objective for this blog is still the same, and that is to let people know what kind, and how good, the musicians are in Portland, Oregon, and around the Pacific Northwest. I think they're pretty damn good.... and hope you feel the same.

That's about all I have to say at this time about my resumption of my blog, so I will try to post regularly about music groups that I cover.... let me know what think about my posts if possible.... thanks....richard

James Coates @ The Parlour

2010-04-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Ever once in a while I come across a musician that really makes me think, "wow, this guy really has it", and maybe for no other reason than the emotion the song evokes in me, that's what I saw in James Coates last Friday night, a musician that is able to bring emotions to the surface in other people, with his songs by actually feeling the emotion himself, much like an actor would portray an emotional scene, that brings the audience to a high emotional state. This is pretty rare in most musicians that I have heard, but James Coates seems to have the ability to do just that. I think he "stunned" most of the audience that night when listening to him perform that song, I know it did me....

He's a musician from the Tacoma, WA area, that started playing the guitar when he was ten years old. Now at 22, he's been performing in public for 4 years. His performance at the Parlour started out pretty good, and he seemed to be writing his songs from life experiences, and putting a lot of feeling into them, and the lyrics, but when he sang one of his original songs called, "Living On The Other Side", that's when I realized just how good he really could be as a blues artist. The song starts out slow, and evokes emotion, within you, right from the start, and only gets more intense toward the end. Listen to him sing that song and let me know what you think....

James Coates - "Living On The Other Side" - 4/16/10

Sidewalk Musicians at Portland's popular weekend hangouts

2010-03-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about Portland is the number of sidewalk musicians that perform around Portland's popular hangouts on Saturdays, and Sundays.

These musicians, and their music are really great, and they are doing this for tips, and advertisement, so if you would like them to keep coming back to these places where the public congregates on weekends like the Farmer's Market at PSU on Saturdays, and Skidmore Market & Fountain / Saturday Market, on both Saturday, and Sunday, encourage them by giving a small donation. These musicians are a very important part of our cities music culture....

A few of the sidewalk musicians I saw last weekend playing for tips, were cardboard songsters, a band that plays mostly roots and americana music, and has one of the best saxophone players around, at the PSU Farmer's Market, along with The Bellboys, another popular group that plays mostly americana, and folk rock songs, at another location at the entrance to the market. And downtown at Skidmore Fountain. A hangout for all types of people in Portland, a popular band from Eugene called the Conjugal Visitors, that plays americana and folk music. These are all great groups that I encourage you to stop and listen to them if they are playing for tips at one of Portland's hangouts. Here's some of their music that I recorded last weekend....

cardboard songsters - "That's how I got to Memphis"
cardboard songsters - "Mind is Gone"

The Bellboys @ PSU Farmer's Market - (c1)
The Bellboys @ PSU Farmer's Market - (c2)

Conjugal Visitors - "I Just Can't Keep From Crying"
Conjugal Visitors @ Skidmore Fountain - (c2)
Conjugal Visitors @ Skidmore Fountain - (c3)

Saturday Market music stage -- Miriam's Well

2010-03-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

I went downtown to check out the local music scene, which I often do on weekends, just to see if there are any sidewalk musicians, or musicians on the local outdoor stages, that are performing, and that I haven't heard before. While visiting Saturday Market, I happened to come across a music group that I had not known. This is not unusual, because Portland has a large number of music groups, of all types. What was exciting for me is how good this band is.... I love it when I can unexpectedly stumble across a music group that I have never heard before, and have the opportunity to record them.

The whole band performs great together, and Mir German shows her powerful voice, and great guitar strumming, and has the voice, and body language to bring back memories of the past... Mir does a great job of ad libbing the lyrics in the song "Garden Song". Steve Kerin, on the keyboard, is totally "on fire" when he performs in the song "The River", and Dave Fleschner, on the organ, is equally good as well. Take a listen to these songs from Miriam's Well, and see if you agree... and if you want to see the other two songs I recorded that day, click on my YouTube homepage link, and scroll down under the uploads section.

Miriam's Well - "The River" - 3/20/10

Miriam's Well - "Garden Song" - 3-20-10

Portland's "Farewell to Kate Mann" event at the Artichoke Music Backgate Stage - 3/13/10

2010-03-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't ever been to the Artichoke Music backgate stage, they really mean what they say about "backgate stage". The entrance is on the side of the building near the back of the parking lot. I hadn't ever been there before, so I wasn't sure I was at the right door when I tried to enter at around 7 PM. It turns out they keep the door locked, and covered, and except for the musicians, until 7:30 PM. Luckily, I was let in early and got to talk to the Musicians a little before the show. When I came into the room with the stage, Kate, and her accomplices, Bernardo Gomez (standup bass), Dan Lowinger, (lead guitar), were performing a sound check with the song, "Rattlesnake On the Road", while Richard, the sound technician was making the adjustments. Matt Meighan was there also, so I introduced myself, and talked to him for a few minutes while Kate was onstage.

When the doors were opened, the people started filing in at irregular intervals, and by around 8 PM, the stage seating was pretty much filled. I would say, between 75 - 100 people were present. There were other musicians present, and a lot of fans, and friends.

Matt Meighan started his performance first, and played three songs solo, then Chris Kokesh; violin, accompanied him on the third song, "Long Way 'Round". On the last four songs of the set, Bernardo Gomez accompanied him also, with the standup bass. Matt's songs are folk songs about life, and some of its hardships, as in the song, "Keep On Working", about being a worker in a factory, in hard economic times. In the song, "Long Way 'Round", is a melancholy song, about a widower reflecting back on life, and the loss of his loved one, and finally attaining what was their goals, in life, alone. In the song "Fall Down", the title track of Matt's new CD, by the same name, it's a faster tempo, about a man that make some bad decisions in life, and is fearful of the demons closing in around him, and the outcome at judgement time. The words in the song, "Fall down and kiss the ground below you", I take to mean, that he's still alive, and there's still time to make some changes in his life... There's some great guitar playing in the middle of the song, the accomplices, Chris, and Bernardo, have a chance to show some of their skills also.

Matt Meighan - "Keep On Working" - 3/13/10

Matt Meighan - " Long Way 'Round" - 3/13/10

Matt Meighan - "Fall Down" - 3/13/10

Kate Mann performed 2 sets without a break, with Chris Kokesh, and Bernardo Gomez, and in a couple of songs, Joe Powers; harmonica, accompanying her. Seven of the songs were from the CD, "Things Look Different When the Sun Goes down"; "Robert Johnson Knew", "Here Again", "Needles and Pins", "Funny Thing", "Bird In My House", "La Llorona", and "In a Movie", and four of the songs were from the CD, "Devils Rope"; "Devils Rope", "Cowboys Are My Weakness", Random Observations", and Orange Dress". Then there are a few others that I don't think have been recorded yet, like, "Stolen Ghost", "What Would My Mother Think", "Rattelsnake on the Road", "Spend Some Time", "Mirror", and "La Bruja". Kate gave a great last performance for her associates, friends, and fans....

Kate Mann - "La Llorona" - 3/13/10

Kate Mann - "Robert Johnson Knew" - 3/13/10

Kate Mann - "Orange Dress" - 3/13/10

Laurelthirst Pub on 3/5/10

2010-03-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

(Baby Gramps)

I had the opportunity to video record The Underscore Orkestra for the 2nd time in the same week, at the Laurelthirst Pub on 30th and N.E. Glisan, so I took it. I had previously recorded The Underscore Orkestra on February 28th, at the Mississippi Studios, but I felt that the lighting was too low, and seemed to get lower as the night progressed, to make the good videos, and this was a different venue with different lighting, and also, I had never been there before and I wanted to see what it was like....

(Loubins Richard: tuba player, for Cirkestra)

Besides The Underscore Orkestra, Baby Gramps, and Cirkestra were playing there also. I usually get the bands agreement on video recording beforehand, and in this case, because of business reasons, Baby Gramps said no. I was a little disappointed but that's the way it goes sometimes....

Cirkestra is a great band that is lead by Peter Bufano, and they are based in Allston, MA. They play lively music similar to what you might hear at a circus, and the bands music, as you can tell by some of the song names, reflects Peter's experience of working as a circus clown, before he became a composer/accordionist. They play some great danceable music as can be seen by the audience dancing, in some of the videos of that night. In the video, "Hats and Bags", it's not hard to imagine 12 clowns getting out of the "crosley" automobile, then running around chasing each other, and then finally getting back in the "crosley" and driving off.... or some other scenario. In the video "Briulle" you can imagine the circus elephants, with the lions, and tigers, in cages, parading into the arena in a big circle before stopping in the center of the tent....

Cirkestra - "Hats and Bags" - 3-5-10

Cirkestra - "Briulle" - 3-5-10

The Underscore Orkestra, plays a combination of baltic dance music, and some early jazz, and swing music. They had a lot of their fans in attendance at the Laurelthirst that night, which is always good for the band, and consequently, everyone involved had a boisterous and rollicking good time that night. Jorge Kachmari, the band's leader, is a master at entertaining an audience, and usually has a great rapport with the audience, which makes it all the better for both. You can see how much fun the audience is having in my videos of the Underscore Orkestra titled: (the dati dati song), (audience dancing), and (balance game). Of course, this is in a Pub, which helps.... it just might not be quite the same in a coffee shop, or bookstore.... but then, who knows.... also, in these videos you can see how crowded it was that night, and I'm surprised I only got bumped twice the whole night. I thought that was very considerate of everyone....

The Underscore Orkestra - (the dati dati song) - 3-5-10

The Underscore Orkestra - (audience dancing) - 3-5-10

The Underscore Orkestra - (balance game) - 3-5-10

Kate Mann "Lantern of Hope"

2010-03-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to meet Kate Mann, and talk to a little, and then video record her performance at the Alberta Street Pub. I didn't talk to her a lot, or get to know her very well, but she did tell me a little of her personal life, that she used to be a teacher. That night, in just meeting her, she struck me at the time, as a very open, and honest person, and by her music, I get the feeling that she is a very emotionally deep, and compassionate individual. In an email she sent out to everyone on her email list, she said she was selected as a finalist in the Americana catagory of the International Songwriting Competition, for her song, "Bird in My House". I'm happy that she was selected as a finalist, but I'm not surprised, because she has some very good songs, with very good lyrics.

What I really wanted to write about today, is a song by Kate, that is a very beautiful song, but a very sad song at the same time. It is a true song, and very personal song about her grandparents lives. It is one of the best songs I have heard this year by a solo performer. Take a listen to this song by clicking on the title, and I think you'll see what I mean.... and the depth of this song....

Kate said in her email, that she could barely play the guitar when she came her from New Mexico 14 years ago, and had never written a song at that time. Now she's a very accomplished Musician, singer/songwriter with three albums to her name. I wish I could get to know Kate a little better, but she also said in her email that she is leaving Oregon after her final show on March 13th, to go back to New Mexico, so that probably won't happen... I'm a little sad that she's leaving, but I'm also happy that she will be pursuing her goals, and doing what she really wants to do....

Kate let me take a picture of her tatoo because of my interest in body art. I'm not sure what it means.... but I like it....

The Strangled Darlings - "Black Girl"

2010-03-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Strangled Darlings does a great rendition of the song "Black Girl". I like all the songs that they perform, but this song in particular, is one of my favorites, and it must be a good song since it's been around for about 140 years, or longer.

The song "Black Girl" is an old traditional Appalachian folk song, dating back to the around the 1870's, and has gone by three names: Black Girl, The Pines, and Where did you sleep last night. This song was recorded by Leadbelly in 1944, and by many others since. There are several versions of the lyrics by different musicians.

Some versions talk about “where did you get that pretty little dress, And those shoes that you wear so fine”, and other versions talk about a train engineer losing his head at the drivers wheel, and his body was never found. It’s and interesting song that has some mystique to it, since it seems to have been passed down through time, and the real facts concerning the song may have been lost.

Take a listen by clicking on the title of the post. It may become one of your favorites also....

Jessica in prison? -- no way...

2010-03-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

I think I may have accidently started a small controversy amongst the fans of the Strangled Darlings, by posting a song, "The Blue Sailor", that they performed at The Parlour, on 1/29/10. I've heard a couple of disclaimers from George since then, at two different performances. In reality, it was just a joke by George, that has no basis for truth to it, and got a little attention from possibly the posting that I put up, for that night. Anybody that knows Jessica, knows that would be 180 degrees out of character for her, she is so sweet...So, sorry Jessica if I've given you any grief.... and I'll pull the song if you give me the word.... Click on the title to listen, it's about 2/3 of the way through....

The Bad Mitten Orchestre - "Albatross"

2010-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

This song by The Bad Mitten Orchestre was written by Jessica Kieras, and shows some her strengths as a fiddle player, and also, has some great accordion playing by Naima Muntal, along with the usual great skills of the rest of the band. The song starts out kind of melancholy, but changes to an upbeat, and lively tempo, very quickly, and the band gives a few sharp yells during the performance, that increases the intensity. Give a listen by clicking on the post title, it's a great song.... and kind of a very danceable, Scottish "Jig" type music, especially toward the end...

Mississippi Studios performance

2010-03-01T03:43:00.000-08:00

I went to the Mississippi Studios tonight to video record three groups that were performing there. This was the first time I have been there, so I wasn't sure what to expect. As it turned out the Mississippi Studio is one of the best places I have experienced yet for a musician to perform. The sound, and light system, was exceptionally good, with what looked like a state of the art control panel. Tony, the sound, and lighting technician, really is good at what he does... The studio itself was set up like one large rectangular room about 80 - 90 feet long, separated into two rooms, by a bar towards the front end. When you go into the larger section, on the other side of the bar, it is about 50- 60 feet long, with a large stage about 3 feet or so high, taking pretty much most of the end of the room with a few benches on one side, and plenty of room to dance in front of the stage. Upstairs fron the music room is a good sized balcony that wraps around the right side, to about the stage area. The groups performing last night were: The Bad Mitten Orchestre, Strangled Darlings, and The Underscore Orkestra. All are excellent bands, as you can judge for yourself, at my YouTube homepage (rosterma12)

under uploads, after I get them uploaded in a couple of days. The Underscore Orkestra, had a couple of entertainers to perform to the music, while the Orkestra played. Danielle Smith, did a great belly dance routine, and Juniper Anderson did a great dance using a hat a her prop. The audience loved all three performances last night, and showed their appreciation. The last performance ended with a couple of extra songs played by The Underscore Orkestra, as the audience danced.... I met a lot of people also, Jorge, Josie Wallace, Juniper Anderson, Danielle Smith, Dave Hill, Naima Muntal, Ila Kriegh, Jessica Kieras, and a couple other I can't remember their name, sorry... and because of the light conditions on the last set, I had a little trouble of capturing the entertainers, audience, and some of the band members.

Pictures:

Top Center: Danielle
Top left: Sound & Lighting control panel

Bottom: Left: The Underscore Orkestra

Top Right: Jessica, Amy, Karamy

Bottom Right: The Bad Mitten Orchestre