At Roots Organic Brewing Co. Artist Flemming displays brilliant vocal style
By Steve Rodin
Marianne Flemming has performed for almost her entire adult life. She took up guitar at age 13 and began performing in front of people while attending college at University of Southern Florida in Tampa.
In the summer of 2006, Flemming and her family moved to the Portland Metro area after she accepted a special education teaching position in Vancouver, Wash. Soon thereafter, she found the Portland Songwriters Association and discovered the Portland music scene.
During the school year, Flemming plays occasional gigs at acoustic venues and songwriter events. During the summer, she expands the frequency of her performances a bit more.
On a Friday in early August, Flemming appeared accompanied by her friend and producer, Yasha Noonberg, at Roots Organic Brewing Company in front of a full house. Flemming calls Roots Brewing a great place to play because she likes "the vibe."
Flemming is extremely comfortable with people. Moving freely around the brew pub talking with friends and fans, she was friendly and down to earth. She has a personable and engaging personality. On stage, Flemming displays energy and versatility. Her songs are diverse, original and cover a wide variety of genres including folk, blues, reggae and sultry jazz. She has a great sense of rhythm and humor. But what really stands out is her brilliant vocal style.
Flemming played a riveting hour set that began when she played a Gretsch acoustic guitar, performing Tom Waits' New Coat of Paint. Then, she moved into three originals, Cathy's Song, Come On Back To My House (with some sweet slide guitar by Noonberg) and My Little Savage, a jazzy tune about children growing up. Next was a sweet rendering of Bob Marley's "I Don’' Want To Wait In Vain".
Flemming switched to a Gretsch hollow body electric, with Noonberg moving from electric guitar to accordion. Next up was a calypso style Grateful Dead song entitled Women Are Smarter. Flemming closed the evening with three more of her originals, a humorous song called Ernest Is Blossoming, a sultry jazz tune Anything Is Possible and closed with Randomly.
Flemming was proud of her accompanist. Noonberg owns and operates Starfish Studios just around the corner from Roots. He is the producer of her soon-to-be-released CD and teaches. His tasty guitar leads and accordion provided great balance to all the selections Flemming played.
During the summer months, Flemming performs the vineyard circuit. She will also perform at The Oregon State Fair. On Sept. 20 she'll be at The Rusty Grape in Battleground, Wash. In October, she has a performance set for Portland Saturday Market. In town, she plays gigs at 1220 Main in Vancouver and Roots Organic Brewing Co. on a regular basis. For a full schedule of Flemming’s upcoming gigs check ad and Bandstand or at Marianne Flemmings Calendar
As Flemming states, "the vibe" at Roots Organic Brewing Company is great. Located at 1520 S.E. 7th Ave. just south of Hawthorne Blvd, it’s easy to find and on-street parking is ample. They feature five great tasting brews of their own; Burghead Heather Ale, Nevermined Pale Ale, Woody I.P.A., Island Red Ale and eXXXcalibur Imperial Stout, all brewed in-house and on tap. Happy hour is Monday through Friday 3-6 p.m. and a reverse happy hour Monday through Thursday 10 p.m. to closing. They enjoy hosting events. For info, call Sarah at 503-235-7668.
The food covers the gambit from vegan dishes to meaty sandwiches. They utilize New Season Organic Breads and wraps. The brew pub is a quaint, smoke-free establishment with a large wide screen LCD HDTV.
The décor is a bit diverse itself. One wall features prints of rock stars like Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth, while another has surf memorabilia. In fact, all of the brews on tap have mini surfboards for their handles. Roots has a great slogan also: "Drink Organic...Save The Planet! One Beer At A Time!"