New Iberians let the good times roll,
release hot new CD 'Bon Temps Rouge'
by Steve Rodin
The New Iberians
(Photo by Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson)
The New Iberians Blues and Zydeco Band takes its name from the town of New Iberia, Louisiana, the self-proclaimed hot pepper sauce capital of the known universe.
As band leader, Evan Shlaes says, The New Iberians play "stumptown zydeco." He explains that they are a Portland band that combines Louisiana zydeco, New Orleans second line and Memphis soul into a zesty gumbo of unique and infectiously danceable good time or "bon temps" music. Mix that with some great Chicago blues, Northwest rock and over 120 years of combined musical experience and you get stumptown zydeco.
One listen to this group and it's easy to see why New Iberians fans love to hear this group play. A crowd favorite at numerous festivals and fairs throughout the Pacific Northwest, they also play a few local clubs from time to time.
Late last month, The New Iberians released their second CD Bon Temps Rouge with two shows. One was Northeast Portland at the Laurelthirst Tavern on Glisan Street and the other in Southwest Portland's Multnomah Village at O'Connor's Vault.
Wikipedia says that zydeco is a form of American roots or folk music that evolved from late 1800's call and response vocal music of the multiracial French-speaking Creoles of south and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. Zydeco music is usually fast-tempo and dominated by a squeeze box or accordion and a washboard. Zydeco music was originally created at house dances where people of color in south Louisiana would gather for socializing. Read More where are the New Iberians playing ?
Marianne Flemming cuts amazing
new CD, 'Pure & Simple'
by KT
Pure and Simple is this CD's opening number. It's amazing. All the guitar work is by Marianne Flemming. The song is amazing, tingling and spooky, flowing like a stream of electrically-charged particles. Liner notes say, "An ode to the rejuvenating powers of love, put with a solid groove. One of my favorites to sing and play."
Marianne Flemming
(Photo by Bonnie Carter)
Manmade Blues is informed by a view of the Atlantic Ocean from the high point of a bridge in Southern Florida. Flemming discusses "the restorative powers nature holds for us..."
Ernest is Blossoming is a bright and funny song about the different characters Flemming met while working food service jobs.
Ordinarily, this writer will not comment on every tune on a recording, but Pure and Simple is such an extraordinary production, it's hard to leave any songs out. Bonnie and Clyde is about "Star-crossed lovers on the lam, then and now."
It's hard to describe Flemming's singing style. One hears a pinch of Joni Mitchell, a nod to Joan Osborne and a new person that is neither Collins nor Osborne but someone else. Flemming wrote Hills of Baraboo after working within the Native American community in southern Wisconsin. Read More where is Marriane Flemming playing ?
PMA '09 Show
Annual event engages audience w/creativity
By Ginger Caviness
The Portland Music Association 2009 show on Jan. 29 at the Crystal Ballroom opened with Marching Fourth Band, a colorful and very entertaining marching-style band with dancing girls, twirling umbrellas and high-stepping stilt walkers. It created a carnival-type atmosphere, engaging the audience, who were realizing this show had more than three rings going at the same time.
Emcee Chloe Houser (Channel 49 PDX Live) and Dennis Mitchell
(Photo by Kim Taylor)
Aside from the not-so-professional stage setting, up-and-down half curtain controlled by two metal side sticks worked but did not reflect the usual glitz. Then there was the stage itself, poorly lit and shallow in depth.
Local comedic legend talk show host Dave Anderson of AM Northwest and Mark and Dave Show took the stage, delivering a couple good laughs and then took one too many steps; boom, crash, thud ... he fell off the front of the stage!! It sounded like a tall timber falling in one of our local forests and the sound was not "timbrrrrrr" but grey matter hitting the hardwood floor of the Crystal. This consummate performer rose up, dusted himself off, got back on the stage and stated later, "(He had) died on stage before but never fallen!"
Thank God for Anderson's sense of humor. When this writer contacted him the next morning, he confided he was sore but alive and was considering medicating over the weekend with a bottle of Merlot. Read More
