Probable Cause adept at cover material,
very capable of artistic, creative stimulus
Probable Cause
(Photo by Ken Bratz)
As an avid listener and life-long student, this writer is always on the lookout for those few musical gems that exist. They are sometimes lost amongst the clamor and clanging of hype and creative marketing generated by agencies and bands that are competing for the well-paying venues and, ultimately, a dominant market share.
On a recent expedition to a great “hang” in Hillsboro, this writer discovered that Coyotes Bar and Grill was the place to be that night; a superior Portland cover band Probable Cause was one great reason why.
Now many are the reasons why folks leave the comfort and security of their homes in search of lively entertainment. Many go in search of artistic and creative stimulus, while others yearn for something more physical and sociable, like dancing. And dancing is precisely what Probable Cause is all about. While it’s true that many cover bands routinely fall short of actually covering another artist’s material appropriately, it’s very obvious that these guys truly cover the songs that they choose to play. They are very capable of artistic, creative stimulus, while they rock you right out of your chair onto the dance floor. Read More
Local Legend
Lloyd Jones garners international attention
Lloyd Jones
Lloyd Jones is nothing short of a local legend with international credentials and appeal, an overwhelming talent and loyal standard bearer for the blues in its many incarnations! While all of those things are true, it just scratches the surface. His songwriting has garnered the attention of fans and critics alike. His showmanship and crowd-pleasing style have wowed fans worldwide. And most of you know of his early band Brown Sugar that included other northwest greats, Robert Cray, Curtis Salgado and Jim Mesi. Cray and Salgado tout Jones’ talents to this day. There are very few blues legends and luminaries he hasn't played with.
Festival season is in full swing and Jones is smack dab in the middle of it! He's looking forward to the blues cruises and many festival appearances. Everyone is lucky to have some local opportunities to soak up Jones’ swamp-drenched, funky style.
This writer saw him with his quartet; Glenn Holstrom on keys/backing vox; Kelly Dunn on drums and sitting in for Willy Barber, Dave Kahl was on bass/backing vox. Rudy Draco, who plays tenor and bari sax for Jones, was off this night. Read More
High school prodigy
forms polished Stella
Imagine being plucked out of high school at 17 years old, by Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, to play lead guitar.
This actually happened and guitar prodigy Kurtis Dengler has toured Europe and North America since 2006.
When Dengler met drummer John Bolton backstage at a Paul Rodgers concert in Seattle, they decided to form their own band promoting their original style of high-energy music, so Stella was born. The name comes from an old Stella guitar from the ‘50s.
DJ Rusty Hoyle and bartender Elisha "Mouse" Silney
(Photo by Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson)
Prepare to embrace Stella’s polished stylistic and original songs with a rock flair, a bit of Delta blues and British rock. This band is destined for touring, playin’ hard and inking a record label deal.
GC Productions, in partnership with Nemesis Entertainment, proudly presents Stella, Aug. 12, 8:30 p.m. sharp, at the Hawthorne Theatre, S.E. 39th & Hawthorne. For more info, see www.gcproductions.biz with links to www.myspace.com/stellabandrocks.
Mr. WC Cage, "The Jazz Elder": Sunrise May 9, 1927 - Sunset June 27, 2009
W.C. Cage
I’ve always said if you like or appreciate what someone does, find a way to tell them while they’re still alive. Even if you have to embarrass yourself a bit, tell them now; don’t wait. It is not safe to assume that you will always have another chance.
I can’t be sure if I ever said “Thank-you” to Mr. Cage, as we called him. People would ask him what the WC stood for and he always said something like “Nothing,” or “Don’t know.” He was the youngest of 13 children and said his folks ran out of names by the time he came along. Sounds plausible.
WC Cage was probably the first musician to interact with me constructively in the jam line. This is a line of players in a structured jam session affiliated with the PCC Cascade Music Program. We’d be standing there, waiting our turns, and I might play a horn line very softly under someone else’s improvisation, which Mr. Cage often did also. I’d play something and stop, then he’d lean over and say “Play something.” or “Play that thing you just played.” He’d have a harmony line all ready on his tenor, so we came out with some excessively cool horn stuff. Sometimes he’d tell me what to play and when I did, he’d play a part along with me. It’s hard to describe how much fun this is, because it was likely unnoticed by the audience.
Mr. Cage would tell me and other students about his active life experiences, who he worked with, how it went, who else was there in the band and so on. I knew it was all true because my father (Dick Barton) was a jazz guitar player and I recognized certain names and places. Read More
