Volume 33 Number 1 Jan 20, 2009

Condition Blue draws fans for both original
and listener’s favorite classic dance tunes

By: Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson

If you look at this story's cover photo, you'd probably think that Condition Blue is a good time party band. But the group is so much more. This is a unit of serious musicians who have more than 35 years of performance experience each! They have performed as both session musicians and backing players for top-level acts both on a national level and here in Portland for many years.

When you go see Condition Blue, you will have a partying good time. But that's because the music and performance skills are at a very high level of professionalism. Not only do they play at top level, but they compose and produce their own original songs that they combine with listener's favorites. The result is dancing, lots of applause, whistles and an outstanding listening experience.

Whether they're playing a blues favorite like Caledonia, an oldie such as Don't Be Cruel or a classic rocker by Pink Floyd, the listener is drawn into the fun. At the time, the audience may sit back quietly and simply appreciate the musicianship and skills of the band's craft.

Condition Blue is Robert Carson on lead guitar and vocals and music composition. On bass is Kerry Rogers. The drummer is John Police; and the final member and most recent addition is Tim "The Deacon" Doyle, who also composes.

Together for about two years, the band hosts a weekly Thursday night jam at Monty's Tavern in Beaverton and gigs regularly at locations such as Pyzano's Bar in Aloha. The band states that, at this time, they haven't any real goals for making it "big", claiming that that part of their careers is a "been-there-done-that thing." Right now, they want to concentrate on the music and make sure that both they and their listeners have a good time.

The founding of the band stems from their weekly jams at Monty's. Lead guitarist Carson explains, "This band is an interesting thing. It's a metamorphosis. Kerry and John and I have been doing the Monty's jam for about five years. Our manager Angela Carey came to us and began to book us as a band. That was her idea. It's a hybrid of a lot of original material, about half original and half cover tunes to keep the crowd interested. We play tunes we love. It's from our hearts. Our goal is to have a great time whenever we play. It's just about playing in this band. We don't have any illusions of making it big. That's in our distant past. We just have a great time as a band. Because we ran this jam for so, long we've pretty much learned to make it run perfectly every time. Monty's jam is integral to the band's operation and performance. Jamming is it. Jamming is in your DNA. We don't do pointless jams. As soon as it starts to get redundant, we steer it somewhere so it ends up being a concept."

Carson also mentions that his musical background influences his playing today. He's particularly influenced by '60s English-invasion bands and discovered the blues listening to a friend's old LPs. Carson has played music since he started at the age of 14.

Drummer Police has played for over 43 years and he had this take; "I met Robert about three-and-one-half years ago at a jam. Robert was playing bass at the time. I played heavy metal and rock. I've been playing blues for about four years. I've been drumming in the jam at Monty's for about four years. Kerry has also played there for four years. I play and sit-in for many different bands around the area. Robert has said many times that I'm the only drummer that really drives the band. It comes from all the years of playing hard rock. I love to play shuffles. I throw all sorts of rock and roll fills and riffs as I play. Kerry and Robert are both great bass players. What I like is that I can always count on him to be there. I'll play with this guy until I'm dead." Police has performed locally with groups such as Dan Hess and recorded on the KGON albums among others.

Keyboardist Doyle gets his nickname from working as a session man at a gospel recording studio. He's been in bands for over 43 years and signed his first recording deal when he was 18 years old. He's primarily a Hammond B3 organ player and that style and sound are readily found in his playing with Condition Blue. He explains his musical role within the context of the band's sound, "I color the music and put in rhythm. I play very rhythmically. I play percussive organ fills and riffs. The crowd likes it. I'm very animated. People ask me to play with my shoes. My theory is that you can hit any note and key you want as long as you put em' in the right spot. It's great playing with these guys. They're all great and creative musicians."

Doyle talks about his creative composition process; "I listen to people talking and someone says something that could be a hook line for songs. Sometimes, just a musical hook line comes."

Carson adds, "Because a good musical hook has two things: An idea and (it) has to be rhythmic or it won't work". He mentions that their favorite key is "D-molished".

Doyle continues, "Sometimes I dream songs and I have to wake up and write it down quickly or it's gone. Also, sometimes somebody will bring a song and we just fiddle around with it."

Bass player Rogers has also played for over 43 years. He had this to share; "Basically, it started as a jam session. We were the host band. Essentially, we found that it was more than we could fit into a jam session. When we added Doyle is when it became a band. Robert and Tim both contribute great originals and we mix those with everybody's favorites."

Rogers continues, "What makes this band different is a fearlessness, a fearless attitude towards playing as a band and listening and contributing all the time. We all lock in with each other. That way, we're able to move as a unit. We have about 160-plus combined years of experience (a frightening thought). You're getting a lot of experience for the price of a cover. And that's value! It's not a leader and backing musicians. We're all essentially sidemen who decided to bust out and form our own band without a leader. We're serious about the music and serious about having fun."

When the music starts, you can tell these are serious musicians. The cover songs are fun favorites and the musicianship is right there. On this visit at Pyzano's, the band led off with a swinging version of Louis Jordan's Caledonia, followed by a throbbing blues number chased with a Freddy King instrumental. The sound was highlighted with Carson's crisp, sharp, bluesy guitar work, pounding and throbbing basslines, tight, locked-in drum shuffles overlaid with hot, sizzling organ riffs and solos that get the audience dancing and whistling. On top of it all are Carson's, Rogers' and Doyle's vocals. The skill, dedication, serious approach and professionalism are clear to anyone that listens and watches. And therein lies the value that Condition Blue brings to any of it's shows.

You can see more of Condition Blue on their website, www.conditionblue.net. (See ad and Bandstand for performance schedule.)