Tigard Rock with the Sinners Club
June 30, 2008
Living in Portland offers a lot of great things, including great coffee, micro brews and music. With so many options to choose from, on this Saturday night travel took this writer into the best live music venue in Southwest, The Manila Express. If you have not visited this venue, you are missing out.
Under new ownership, the Manila Express is booking quality acts and providing customers a clean and safe place to spend an evening. The wait staff sets this place apart from the norm. Ben works the floor with professional skills and a sharp sense of humor. He appears ready to handle any situation with a smile. Behind the bar, Dave is mixing drinks and running the show. Good music and good folks equal good times. Dave is also the contact for booking bands.
The band this evening was a personal classic rock favorite, The Sinners Club, "Music that's sinfully good." This writer first met Dan Golden, the front man and leader of the band, years ago at the Harley dealership where they play on most weekends. Golden is the nicest guy in rock and roll. He is able to meet folks and chat a few moments and make you feel like you are long-lost friends.
As a valuable teammate, Golden handles the lead vocals and bass guitar jobs. His skills on his vintage Hofner bass allow him to play with ease as he puts effort into the vocals and showmanship, during and between songs. Younger bands should take notice that what happens between your songs is as important to your overall performance as the riffs you spent hours working out. If you hear the glasses clinking behind the bar between songs, your band is lacking a front man. Golden performs his duties with ease.
A favorite thing about the Sinners Club is the exchange between Golden and lead guitar player Jade Stone. These two players work off one another and have a genuine affection that only comes from long-term friendship.
Stone has played professionally for 30-plus years and it shows. His guitar tone is phat and sassy even at a low volume (not a simple achievement) and his use of foot-controlled effects is tasteful. Just when you think the show revolves on center stage, your attention will be drawn back to Stone as he takes on lead vocals and sings a killer version of the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running. He's a true pro that seems to have it all figured out.
Move your attention to stage left and you will find guitarist Brian Jones. Teaching guitar by day must allow Brian to stay close to his instrument, as he plays with such ease. His mama must have placed a guitar in his bassinet. Jones is what this writer calls a point-and-shoot player. Point to a place in the song and he hits the mark. He's always putting in notes where they should be and cascading out of a solo at just the right spot, a pleasure to watch and listen.
Move behind the front line and you find Greg Raschio on the drums. It appears that Raschio knows how to play anytime, anyplace. He gets the job done with ease and always seems to know when to pump up the volume and when to play with a whisper.
The Sinners Club would appear to get all the good gigs. Well, listen up new guys because getting good jobs comes from doing good work. You pay your dues in this world and in music; it seems you keep on paying. The best shows come from doing the hard work and getting top show promoters to rely on you for a good solid performance.
When your band is the KGON house party band you are doing the right thing, putting in the effort to play the A.B.A.T.E of Oregon’s Fossil Run puts you in front of a mass of folks that know how to party, respect and support one another. A standing engagement at Chinook Winds Casino, as well as hosting an open jam at Mojo’s in Vancouver, makes these guys the hardest working band in the Northwest.
Invest your time in a visit to the Manila Express and be sure to catch the Sinners Club at one of the many shows during the month; you won't be disappointed. (See ads and listings this issue for schedules.)