The Who keyboardist joins powerhouse band The Insensitives for potent show

It is no secret, at this point, that the Portland area is home to a large and diverse range of talent. One can hear music of many varied genres on any given night in this fair city and its surrounding areas. This diversity yields performances from musicians ranging from intermediate beginners and serious hobbyists, to seasoned professionals.
   Sunday nights at The Dog House Saloon, S.E.122nd (south of Stark), true musicianship is at work as The Insensitives are joined by studio ace and touring professional Tim Gorman on keyboards.
   Many of the musicians in the Northwest have rubbed elbows with internationally known acts and have proven their abilities on stages across the world. They have provided some great recorded material; however, few can match the credentials of keyboardist, pianist, producer, recording artist and composer Tim Gorman.
 
   Gorman began his musical life studying classical piano at age four, while growing up in the San Francisco Bay area. He furthered his early musical experiences studying orchestration and jazz piano in his formative years. Gorman was first drawn to the Pacific Northwest as a student at University of Portland. There, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition and Theory. After his studies, Gorman began doing session work in Portland and Seattle and performing with local bands Rivergate and Ramm, where he composed originals and performed classic cover songs.

        
   Soon, Gorman’s talent was noticed by big-time British sound engineer and producer Glyn Johns, who has mixed, engineered or produced classic recordings of many legendary acts such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Who, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Eagles, The Clash and Bob Dylan. The

prolific Johns implored Gorman to take a trip across the pond, where Johns introduced Gorman to other talented musicians and offered him a recording contract, performing with Lazy Racer, writing and recording two albums and touring.
   Johns’ introductions also lead the diverse, eclectic and talented Gorman to participate in various studio and performing projects with several well-known and successful artists such as The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, The KBC band, Dusty Springfield and Duane Eddy, to name a few.
His love of composing and working in the studio eventually drove Gorman to the film and multimedia industry. Gorman has worked on major motion pictures, orchestrating and performing music for Mel Gibson’s Braveheart and working on James Cameron’s Titanic, under the direction of composer James Horner. Gorman does various work at George Lucas’ Skywalker Studios and at his own TIMTONE media; he has scored soundtracks for Electronic Arts computer games such as the Sims 3 and Spore.
Gorman has recently released two solo albums: Celtic Loop and Cowboy. The latter is available as an online download at timgorman.downloadsnow.com; this album was recorded using high-resolution techniques and there is an audiophile DVD version for the discerning listener.
   Chris Pain leads The Insensitives, The guitarist/vocalist really knows how to put a great group of musicians together for a good time and a great sound and has no problem laying down blistering leads, while fronting this group. It is apparent right out of the gate that Pain has a raw talent for ripping up the fretboard as he warms up with some two-handed tapping runs and legato licks. Pain lays down the law on an awe-inspiring rendition of Gary Moore’s Still Got the Blues, which leaves no question on whether or not this guy is worthy of sharing the stage with the other talented musicians. Also quite impressive is Pain’s ability to execute the guitar riffs and solos, while providing near flawless lead vocals.
   The great Jimi Hardin holds down the rhythm on drums. Hardin has played with many local artists over the years and is currently playing in a couple other bands in addition to The Insensitives, including his own project Hip Deep. Hardin is a drummer who plays with a deep sense of emotion and does this while keeping perfect time. He also provides lead vocals at times, such as a splendid rendition of Ain’t No Sunshine.
   The other half of the rhythm section is Grady McKenzie on bass guitar. McKenzie is a versatile and hugely talented bassist who plays many different types of music. McKenzie can be heard and seen playing upright bass in a bluegrass outfit called Corral Creek, electric bass in an R&B/ Soul band called Four Point Play, upright and solid body electric bass in Portland Groove Collective, where he writes and performs jazz and Latin jazz originals. He also sits in with many local artists, including Radiophlyer and Jimi Hardin’s Hip Deep. It’s no wonder Hardin and McKenzie play so well together.
   This powerhouse band, The Insensitives, kicks off their performance with a number that gets this writer’s attention for sure; an extremely accurate and stunningly emotional version of the mid-‘70s Alan Parsons Project hit I wouldn’t Want To Be Like You. This song seems to be a perfect introduction to what The Insensitives are all about; they really show the audience that they are a cohesive unit, as well as a group of true professionals in each’s own right. The band then segues into another brilliant performance, this time a version of Turn Me Loose, the mega-hit from late ‘70s/early ‘80s sensation Loverboy (yes, Tim Gorman does all the cool synthisizer parts!).
   Other noteworthy performances include Never Been Any Reason, a timeless hit from mid-western legendary classic rock band Head East and Foghat’s Slowride, where each member of The Insensitives take a solo spot.
McKenzie bends minds with his convertible fretless/fretted Modulus bass, Gorman gets down and dirty on the keys; and Hardin gets as funky as he can on drums before Pain tears up the fretboard over and over again.
   The initial set is enough to get the mood going for an open jam that takes place after The Insensitives wrap up. Mr. Pain is then joined by others such as local bass ace Kit Bohannon and others, as they begin to get into metal mode. This open jam is quickly attracting attention because of the talent that can be found at The Dog House Saloon; and the fact that the backline is supplied, means there is no need to bring amplifiers.
   The Dog House Saloon is a full-service bar and grill with a friendly staff, serene atmosphere and a great variety of food and drink choices and specials. Get there early enough on Sunday evenings for some great dinner before The Insensitives hit the stage at 8 p.m. You’ll be impressed by the wonderful food and drink and entertained by some of the best musicians the area has to offer.