Oregon Music News

It’s always a joy to make connections with someone you’ve had fun talking to in the past, and who has brought so much musical pleasure to your life. That’s what we’re finding today because sitting across from me in the Artichoke Café at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard is Pink Martini percussionist, founder of Portland’s own Brazilian Marching band, the Lions of Batucada, teacher and world traveler, Brian Davis. He’s been in Pink Martini for over 20 years and could fill several books with road stories. He’s no baby, but he’s a bundle of joy, that’s for sure. He was in town to do some teaching in his youth Samba program. We were lucky to snag him.

Welcome back to Café Artichoke, for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke Music. That’s at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. The emphasis today is on versatility because our guest, Cal Scott, has written music for TV and documentaries, is a singer/songwriter who is part of the Songwriter Circle, appearing here at Artichoke on Monday, February 3. He also was the musical director of the beloved Oregon Trail Band, which fans are missing greatly since they stopped playing a year ago. He has brought his guitar with him today and I don’t think we’ll have too much trouble getting some music out of him before it’s over. So let’s get started. Meet Cal Scott.

Back in the Café at Artichoke Music again, that’s 2007 SE Powell Boulevard for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation at Artichoke Music. Today it’s someone I haven’t had a chance to talk with for a while, multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist Martin Zarzar who you may remember from his time with Pink Martini. He has a new album out of songs in Spanish and French and it’s beautiful. I like to think of Martin as our own version of Arto Lindsay, the composer/singer who came out of the Downtown music scene in New York in the 80s. Not that he’s in any way retro, but he’s versatile like Arto. There are covers and originals in the new album and I’m anxious to talk with Martin about them.

In the Artichoke Café here at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard, we’re talking music movies. Not musicals. And not Cats, but the Northwest Film Center’s annual Reel Music Festival. This year it runs from Friday, January 24 through Sunday, February 16 and it’s got some old favorites among the new films which are all about music. With me in the Café today is Ben Popp, Filmmaker Services Manager & Programmer who had a hand in curating this year's films. He’s here to tell us all about the films in the festival and what goes into choosing them. I know one thing, I can’t wait to see The Harder They Come on the big screen again, just like I did at midnight when it first came out. Meet Ben Popp.

Four of the world's greatest Blues harmonica players join us in the Artichoke Cafe for OMN Coffeeshop Conversations #227. Jerry Portnoy played in Muddy Waters' and Eric Clapton's bands. Magic Dick played in the J. Geils Band, Lee Oskar played in War and Mark Hummel is a two-time Grammy nominee and producer of the Blues Harmonica Blowout Tour, of which Portland was a stop. A show at the Aladdin Theater, a workshop at Artichoke Music and this podcast. Hosted by OMN Editor-In-Chief Tom D'Antoni. Video, audio and editing by Gary Furlow Executive Producers: Bob Howard and Tom D'Antoni Presented by Oregon Music News and Artichoke Community Music.

In the café at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke Music. We’ve got a wild video episode coming up soon with four of the best harmonica players on earth. Look for that. Today Juliana Tabon is with me. She’s the Event Director at The Old Church Concert Hall. She’s worked behind the scenes at some of the more famous and infamous clubs in town including Dante’s and Ohm. Nobody ever talks about the importance of the behind the scenes people at music venues but without them, you would have a lousy time there. So it’s about time we talked with one who has had a lot of time making your club visit better than it might have been without her. So let’s meet Juliana Tobon.

Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music returns for December with Folk singer/songwriter/concert promoter and radio personality Tom May. Both his Winterfolk concert to benefit the homeless and his River City Radio show are in their third decade. Find out the secret of their longevity and listen to Tom May sing three songs in the Artichoke Music Cafe. Winterfolk tickets are available at The Alberta Rose ticket office- Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (503.764.4131), or in person at the box office on any show night. Online at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/8821379... Hosted by OMN Editor-In-Chief Tom D'Antoni. Video, audio and editing by Gary Furlow Executive Producers: Bob Howard and Tom D'Antoni Presented by Oregon Music News and Artichoke Community Music.

Finding it more difficult to promote on social media? We’ve got someone in today to give you some pointers. It’s Will Fries who is in that business. He’s in the Artichoke Music Café for an OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke. By the way, we have shot another video episode, this time featuring singer, songwriter, broadcaster and the person in his third decade of producing the annual Winterfolk. But that’s next week. No matter which side of the music business you’re on, either promoting music or consuming music, the stranglehold on that information by Facebook is becoming more and more problematic. Will Fries has some answers. He does that for a living.

Welcome back to the Café at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation. We will have another video episode, one with Tom May and an audience even, in December, so stay tuned for that. Happy to have filmmaker/musician Jon Meyer in here today. He’s premiering a new music documentary series called “Kontrast.” There’s a live opening show at Kelly’s Olympian in Portland on Saturday, December 7 featuring some of the bands in the series. Someone called John a “real Bohemian artist,” and I’m going to ask him if he really is. We’ll go out of the conversation with one of his tunes. Meet Jon Meyer

This is the fifth episode of the new video versions of OMN's long-running podcast from the Artichoke Cafe in Portland, Oregon. They have featured couples who are both working musicians. The first was with Kate Power and Steve Einhorn. The second episode featured two internationally known Blues bass players who are married to each other, Lisa Mann and Allen Markel. The third was singer and songwriter Shelly Rudolph and her husband guitarist/composer Chance Hayden. Last this time it was singer LaRhonda and her keyboardist husband Mark Steele. This time it's Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer both of whom play in The Blue Cranes and Swansea. They perform two tunes together here, Rebecca on keys and vocals and Ji on percussion. There's also a home video clip of their 2 year-old daughter on piano! This episode is hosted by OMN's Editor-In-Chief Tom D'Antoni. We'll return to making video episodes after the first of the year. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, visit oregonmusicnews.com for our weekly audio-only episodes. Thanks to

Welcome back to the Artichoke Café at Artichoke Music 2007 SE Powell Boulevard for the two hundred and twenty-first episode of OMN’s Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music. I know we’re a couple of months away from the 2020 Portland Jazz Festival, but there’s been a change at the top at PDX Jazz. As we reported in May, Don Lucoff has parted ways. Replacing him as Executive Director is Chris Doss who is with me today with the grueling task of telling us about all of the performers in the 2020 festival which runs from Wednesday, February 19 through Sunday, March 1. He’s here now because tickets are on sale and you probably need time to make plans and get them. It’s also a really good chance to meet Chris.

I guess we’re in the holidays by now. That’s what advertising tells us, anyway. Another holiday benchmark is the annual visit to Portland by John Waters. This year his one-man show is called “John Waters: Filthier and Merrier.” They also add, “It’ll stuff your turkey.” He’ll be at the Aladdin Theater on Friday, December 6 where, we are told he will answer the following questions, “Are stolen Christmas presents more special than bought ones?”, “Is Mrs. Clause a ‘feeder’ or a ‘chubby chaser’?”, “Is Santa a ‘gainer’, an erotic ‘bear’ or a ‘silver fox’?”, “Can you have Christmas sex inside a chimney?”, and “Are the reindeers paid minimum wage?” Once again, I talked with John about this year’s show. John and I are contemporaries, around the same age and both born and raised in Baltimore Maryland. I am proud to say (and have bragged and name-dropped about for years) that I wrote the first review of “Pink Flamingos,” and was blessed by being asked to be in the legendary, “Who wants to die for art?” scene in “Female

Welcome back to OMN’s Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music, in the cafe which as you know is located at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland. This time we’re with someone who has made beautiful cafes and clubs in Portland for over twenty years. If you were ever in The Green Room, The Empire Room, Saffire Hotel, or Maiden in the Mist, you’ve been in one of her places. She has a new café called The Emerald Line in Northwest Portland. It just opened and she’s waist-deep in getting it off the ground. It’s a very interesting time to talk to Sheila Baraga and find out about all those places she created and what you’ll find at her new one. I was doing a radio talk show in 1998 when I had her on as a guest…and that’s a story.

Back for your ears-only this time. Our next video episode is on the way with Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer. Today it’s one of our favorite people. She led an all-star band at the recent OMN 10th Anniversary show. She is a member of one of families of musical royalty around here. She’s Janice Scroggins daughter, singer and composer Arietta Ward, a true, sure-nuff Soul singer, although she can sing in virtually any genre. We’ll talk about that all-star band, her surprising reluctance, at first, to perform in public and what brought her to the spectacular public performer she is today. And what role did her mom play in all this? I’ll give you a heads-up….it was a very positive role. Check out her performance at the 2019 Waterfront Blues Festival at the end of our conversation. She’s a singular personality…meet Arietta Ward.

This is the fourth episode of the new video versions of OMN's long-running podcast from the Artichoke Cafe in Portland, Oregon. The first five video episodes feature couples who are both working musicians. The first was with Kate Power and Steve Einhorn. The second episode featured two internationally known Blues bass players who are married to each other, Lisa Mann and Allen Markel. The third was singer and songwriter Shelly Rudolph and her husband guitarist/composer Chance Hayden. This time it's singer LaRhonda and her keyboardist husband Mark Steele. They perform two deeply soulful tunes. Next time Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer visit the Artichoke Cafe. This episode is hosted by OMN's Managing Director, Scott Cunningham. Thanks to Artichoke's Bob Howard for giving us a home, to Gary Furlow for the production design/editing and audio mixing. Presented by Oregon Music News and Artichoke Community Music.

I know sometimes it seems like each of these Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music is special and I really feel like they are. Some are more special and one of those is today. Sitting across from me here at Artichoke Music at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard is Jennifer Folker who holds a place in Portland’s musical history for a lot of things but especially for her work with Keith Schriener and Jay Bozich in the band Dahlia which had a spectacular run at a club named OHM which they sold out every week. No one can forget her presence, her singing and her lyric improvisation. Those nights were magical. Period. She moved back to Portland from L.A. not long ago. Let’s catch up.

This is the third episode of the new video versions of OMN's long-running podcast from the Artichoke Cafe in Portland, Oregon. The first five video episodes feature couples who are both working musicians. The first was with Kate Power and Steve Einhorn https://www.oregonmusicnews.com/kate-power-steve-einhorn-coffeeshop-conversations208-video The second episode featured two internationally known Blues bass players who are married to each other. Lisa Mann and Allen Markel. https://www.oregonmusicnews.com/lisa-mann-allen-markel-coffeeshopconversations213 This time it's singer and songwriter Shelly Rudolph and her husband guitarist/composer Chance Hayden. How do they both maintain careers and raise 7 year-old Hollis? Sometimes they perform together and sometimes they perform with others. They play and sing two songs here. The next video episode features LaRhonda and Mark Steele, and then Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer visit the Artichoke Cafe. Hosting is OMN Editor-In-Chief Tom D'Antoni Thanks to Artichoke's Bob

Hey, before we get to our guest, Neil Leeborg from the Goodfoot Lounge, I want to tell you that next week we’ll have our third video episode, another spousal unit: Shelly Rudolph and Chance Hayden. They’ll be performing too. That’s right here at Artichoke Music, in the Café 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. We like to bring venue owners in from time to time to hear their side of it. Just kidding. I’ve wanted to bring in Neil Leeborg, co-owner of the Goodfoot Lounge because he’s always been fun to communicate with, one way or the other. It was just a coincidence that the OMN staffer who was booking our 10th Anniversary Show contacted Neil to see about having it there around the same time I was contacting Neil. It's a small town. Anyway that's where it's going to be on Sunday, October 20, 5-9pm featuring Ken DeRouchie Band, Arietta Ward and Metts Ryan & Collins. I'll DJ some too. It's free. Neil claims he has never been interviewed. I told him it’s a conversation, so it’s ok. Ladies and gentlemen, for the first tme any

It's another Coffeshop Conversation at Artichoke Music…that’s at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. We’ll have another video episode up on Thursday, October 17…another spousal episode, this time with Shelly Rudolph and Chance Hayden…yes they’ll also perform. Next week it’s an all-audio episode with Goodfoot co-owner Neil Leeborg and today we have harmonica player and writer Kim Field who leads one of the hottest Blues bands in town, the Perfect Gentlemen. I hear he has a fabulous story on Deford Bailey, the first African-American performer at the Grand Ole Opry, and who you may have seen in the recent Ken Burns series. Kim tracked him down one afternoon. I think Kim brought his harp with him, so let’s meet him.

It's another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke Music…which is located at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. Ever wondered what a music publicist and manger really does? Alex Steininger from In Music We Trust is here to let us in on the secrets. I get a million emails a day from publicists wanting in on OMN and Alex is one of my very favorites and that’s why we’ve invited him back. Next week, we’ll have our second video episode, another couple who are both working musicians…..Lisa Mann and Allen Markel, and they’ll perform for us right here at Artichoke. He'll let us hear a new tune from Sassparilla. Debuted right here at the end of the conversation. Right now, let’s meet Alex Steininger