Volume 33 Number 9 , September 29, 2009

Power trio Bolt Upright continues with

passion-filled originals, new CD release

by Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson

Bolt Upright is a fun-loving power trio known for its versatile entertaining selection of blues-rock, rock, R & B, straight traditional blues and funk-inspired dance tunes.

Formed in 2001, the band is constantly in demand and gigs regularly all throughout the northwest club circuit from southern Oregon, the coast and Willamette Valley, to Seattle area and Portland. They host two weeknight jam sessions; Tuesdays at Monty's in Beaverton and Sunday nights at the Steinhaus S. E. 82nd.

Bolt Upright changed personnel over the years and has now arrived at its present line-up.

The trio is bandleader, vocalist, composer and deluxe drummer Ashbolt Stewart; on bass is his lovely wife Suzie McDonald; and on keyboards and lead guitar is the talented Ken Brewer. All of them sing and compose; each brings many different facets to the band.

Stewart is the frontman (even behind the drum kit) and hosts their shows and jam sessions. He chit chats and cracks jokes with the audience and gets them involved in the action. A strong singer, his voice is ever present on either songs he loves or new ones he's composed himself. The same goes for McDonald's and Brewer's vocals. They all are strong and filled with the passion and honesty of the original music. Each is a very experienced player, with McDonald the newest at the musician craft.

Early band line-ups included Chad Rupp on slide; Delta guitar and harmonica Adam Zwig; and Guttman Phillips on blues harp, guitars and vocals. Later, Lynn Axtell manned the guitar and harmonica slot. The present line-up came into being about three years ago when Ken Brewer came over from Robbie Laws' Hoodoo Nation.

With the present line-up, the band has appeared at the Waterfront Blues Festival for the first time, alongside Kenny Blue Ray. Their jams attract musicians of all levels who sit in and share slots along with the regular band members. They even had piano legend Pinetop Perkins show up at the Steinhaus jam one Sunday night.

Stewart has played drums since he was four-years-old. He has performed professionally for over 35 years, originally from Detroit, but later moved to MIiwaukie, Wisconsin. Stewart moved to California in Sonoma County and ended up moving to Portland. He eventually became drummer for Norman Sylvester and continues to gig with him regularly since the 1990s.

McDonald originally played the flute in grade school and high school, studied fine arts and did some modeling. She played in a Caribbean band on steel pans and then learned electric bass. McDonald came up with the name Bolt Upright and has recently begun to sing and compose original music for the band. As Stewart’s wife, she has an unusually clear connection with him, musically.

Ken Brewer is a pianist, organist and guitarist for many years. He's played with all kinds of blues bands around Portland. Primarily a pianist and organist (B3), Brewer’s playing with Bolt Upright reflects that. He will rarely, if ever, play his keyboards other than as a piano or traditional blues organ. You will almost never hear him playing "electronic" keyboard music.

The band is working on a new CD release for this fall and Christmas season. This writer was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on their final mixing session for one of the original cuts. On Woodstove Blues, the lyrics are clever, the vocals strong and the overall musical presentation is clean, clear and concise. They began recording in March of this year and expect to have a limited preview edition ready for Stewart's 60th birthday party show at Trail's End in Oregon City Friday, Oct. 23. The show will feature numerous special guests.

Stewart talks about the new CD, his approach to composing and what he tries to accomplish musically, “I try to be the frontman from the back. My name is Ashbolt and Suzie made the band name Bolt Upright. It's a play on words. With the new album, we hope to go to a new level. Up to now, it's been a working band and we've played hundreds of gigs." He talks specifically about the CD; "It's all original, written by the band. Suzie started singing about two-and-a-half years ago, then started writing songs. The idea of the CD is to promote the band to a festival-level band. We cover a lot of ground on the CD like on The Girl With The Dirty Smile, which includes some country with pedal slide."

Stewart explains the band's creative process; "The songwriter presents a song on piano. On this CD, Suzie went in and recorded 12 songs just with bass, drums and vocals, but it didn't get completed. But this new CD starts with a tempo and a structure and chord changes." He mentions what he brings to the band onstage; "I bring soul experience and energy. One thing at my jams, I can come up and dance around the drums and stage and sing, which I couldn't do in the past. Being married to the bass player is a gift. We lock in together and provide a simple kind of groove for Ken to embellish with all his talent." Stewart continues, "From my perspective, music today, a lot of times I miss the story behind it. I can't hear the lyrics. I like music about the celebration of life. With today's music, I haven't caught a lot of it."

McDonald talks about her role in the band and composing process; "It comes from words first, but takes shape slowly. They can both influence each other. The words are the most important for me. For some songwriters, it’s the music. But the words are most important to me. I've been playing with Ash for 14 years. I love playing the bass. I feel more comfortable being at the bass. With me, playing with Ash, we have a real similar feel. It's easy for us to work together. Sometimes I feel guilty since it feels so good and we're getting paid for it!"

Brewer had this to say about his function within the band; "I play guitar first, keys second, sometimes both at once. I try to contribute...I try to be accurate and true to the musical form that we're playing. I bring energy that comes from the instruments and my voice to the band. I play piano and organ. You won't hear crazy, electronic stuff from my rig!"

When it all comes together, particularly on their new CD, it locks right in and grooves. With clever tongue-in-cheek lyric compositions, it keep the listener's attention and keeps you on your toes. The backing music is tight, with crisp rhythm work, nice fat bass tones and lines and fiery, sizzling guitar and keyboard work. Add in the full, solid vocals and it makes for a polished and professional sound. The Portland blues community should be looking forward to this one. Bolt Upright’s live shows and jams are even more fun and are not to be missed! You can see more of them at their website: www.boltupright.net or on Myspace at www.myspace.com/bupright and see Bandstand this issue for schedule.