Refined Under Cover Band brings top talents to Thursday Jam at Grape Vine
In any given city, you can find a dozen cover bands, but you won’t often run across an “Under Cover Band.” It was found just last month at northwest Portland’s Grape Vine. Under Cover Band is an R&B group founded by long-time musician and all-around good guy, Dan Hess. This writer can attest that Hess and his group of Under Cover players is a band worth going to see! You never know what might be coming up in the next set, so you may as well just stay until the end of the show. Like Hess told PE&D, “We can play it all from blues to rock-n-roll, but R&B is what we do best.” The Grape Vine show proved him correct.
Hess’ background in music goes back to childhood; in fact, you might even say it’s in his DNA. As the son of musical parents, his father was a woodwind player in the big band era; his mother, a church choir singer. Hess and his siblings were destined to be in the music business in one form or another. Hess’ career in bands started in high school where he and his brother Rod started their own rock group. This band went on to play the clubs of Chicago and New York in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s, opening for acts such as James Brown at the famed Rush Club in Chicago.
In the late ‘70s, Hess found himself moving to Boise, Idaho. Once in Boise, it didn’t take long for Hess to put together a band that would be a part of the Boise scene for several years. Bitter End was a band that not only would be a nice supplement to Hess’ income, but would also keep the music flowing in his blood. After making his mark on the high desert of Idaho, Hess made the move to Portland where his sister Sonny had already tested the waters of the local music scene. Hess still plays music with his sister on a regular basis, but it’s Under Cover Band that’s his main focus.
Hess says, “I formed Under Cover Band seven years ago; and after several years of revolving players, I’ve come up with the line-up we have now. This group of players has been together for the past two years.” As a multi-instrumentalist, Hess can take just about any role in the band. With the current line-up, he primarily plays lead guitar and he does that very well. Hess has obviously been around the block enough to know his place in the band. Everyone can appreciate the kind of guitarist that allows everyone in the band to have their solo time. There is no stepping on vocals and no over-the-top showboating, just good support and clean, timely solos that complement the song and the vocalist.
Alongside Hess is vocalist Theresa Lowe. A powerhouse of an entertainer, Lowe is the kind of front person that doesn’t turn down the energy knob until the show is over. Lowe showed that she can sing just about any style, from Susan Tedeschi to Stevie Wonder and Robert Plant. It appears she can cover it all, and she does it all with the mike in hand.
Lowe was trained classically in her early teens and continued singing in classical theater, as well as in jazz choir throughout high school. She says, “Singing jazz just seemed to open the door to R&B and blues. After my first blues jam, I was hooked.” Since then, Lowe has had the privilege to work with other great musicians of the era such as Sonny Hess, Linda Hornbuckle and Ellen Whyte. Prior to finding her current home with Under Cover Band, Lowe was the front person for the 2004 Muddy Award nominee (best new act), Inner City Bluze.
The Under Cover Band rhythm section can really hold down the pavement well with this group. Bassist Miyuke Hamanaka has no problem keeping the groove. A native of Japan, young Hamanaka was captivated by the TV show Soul Train (who can forget that show?). Seeing folks like Chaka Khan perform inspired Hamanaka to take up the bass guitar and she eventually joined a James Brown tribute band, Papa’s Brand New Pants and toured Japan.
Hamanaka dreamed of moving to the U.S. to play soul and R&B music. Before she knew it, she was playing in the band Moment’s Notice as their bassist. Since then, she’s played with such northwest greats as Rick Welter, as well as the late Paul deLay.
Hamanaka’s partner in rhythm is Phillip Tucker, who shines as an accomplished drummer. Tucker began playing drums at age 8, when his mother bought him his first snare drum. It seems she was tired of young Tucker beating on her pans, pots, or anything else he could find with a new tone. He played drums throughout school and went on to study with legendary drummer Mel Brown. Like Hamanaka, Tucker also performed regularly with deLay, as well as D.K. Stewart, Janice Scroggins and many other northwest greats.
As a member of the audience, this writer can tell you that Tucker is a pleasure to watch. This guy has the kind of attitude that is contagious. It’s obvious to all that this is not just a job to him, but something he’s really worked hard for and he’s now enjoying the fruits of his labor and having a great time doing it!
As for the Grape Vine, this west side restaurant and lounge has just passed its one-year anniversary. PE&D had the opportunity to talk with owner and on-site manager Irene Pavlatos. She says, “When I opened the Vine, I wanted this to be a real neighborhood meeting place, the kind of place where anyone could come in and feel comfortable. I wanted to be a part of the community and offer a spot where anyone could come in and feel at home, even if they hadn’t been here before.”
When asked if she had accomplished this, Pavlatos says, “Yes, absolutely. This place is part of the neighborhood. If you need help or support, there is always someone here to give you a hand or at least lend a good ear. This isn’t just a bar or a just a place to come to eat, it’s like a community gathering place.” Pavlatos believes that “people need to be face-to-face with other people in these times of texting and electronic messaging…we need to interact as human beings, whether it’s coming in for music, taking a dance lesson, or just sitting at the bar and playing one of our board games.” From what this writer could see (and feel), she’s doing a great job of it.
The Grape Vine has attitude, and it’s not the bad kind! You feel the positive energy as soon as you enter. For icing on the Grape Vine cake, Pavlatos has one of Portland’s very best young chefs working the kitchen. Chris LaMora, a 25-year-old prodigy of food preparation, has already made a name for himself. Even the happy hour dishes arrive with expertise in presentation. People seem to flock to the Vine just to get a taste of the mac and cheese, which, by the way, is on the happy hour menu for $4.
Pavlatos is also a big fan of the arts; whether it’s the wall art from local artists, dance lessons in the banquet room, or live music, you can experience it here. Pavlatos states, “If people like music, they should support it. They need to support it, or it will simply go away. We have live bands every Saturday. We don’t specialize in any one particular type of music, but we do bring in the best we can get. All we ask is you come in and have a listen, give it a chance and enjoy.”
Thursday nights, the Grape Vine has an open blues jam hosted by none other than, you guessed it, Dan Hess. Hess brings some of the areas top talent to spotlight each week and gives everyone a chance to take the stage for a song or two. Saturday nights are for live bands in the banquet room, which by the way, has its own full bar and staff; Sundays are reserved for poker.
As a final note: You can find the Under Cover Band all over the region – from Lincoln City and Carlton, to Vancouver and beyond. Hess and his band are everywhere supporting the venues they play. Everyone should tip their hats to Hess, as well as sister Sonny; as they are also great supporters of finding a cure for breast cancer. (See ads and listings in this issue for future performances.)
