SEA-TOWN RHYTHM & BLUES PLAYERS

One of Seattle's leading blues bands brings in some big city funk

This veteran group has been a mainstay of the Seattle blues scene for decades and has recently started venturing out of the home town into neighboring states. We are lucky to be close by because this is a group not be overlooked. The band members encompass five decades of blues, heading back to the 60s. The leader is singer C.T. Thompson from  Monroe, La., who been playing music since age 9. He moved to Seattle when he was 18 and while in college his influences were Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Parliament and Earth Wind and Fire. He moved to Chicago and played with Little Milton, The Dells, Clarence Carter and many others, returning to Seattle to help build the blues scene. On guitar is Steve Black, a native of southern Illinois who has played with, Otis Rush and funk bands like Confunkshun, and Lakeside and the Bar-kays. On the Hammond B-3 is Roger Filgo, a longtime force in the Seattle who He has opened for groups such as Earth Wind and Fire, John Lee Hooker, The Stylisties and Otis Rush. On drums, it's Vernon Petry "Cool V", originally from  Spokane, with 30 years experience with rhythm & blues.

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Sunday,
Sept. 2
9 p.m.

THE DIMES

From the Beatles to the present, hard-working indie rock

The Dimes are an up-and-coming band from Portland, masters of the indie rock style that lets the story be told without drowning in sound. Johnny Clay cut his licks in the Austin, Texas, club scene but is happy he made the move to Portland. He runs his band around the country seeking a full-time living from his music. He's close to making that happen. The dust hasn't settled on The Dimes.

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John Michael Young can play them all -- and does: funk, blues and rock

Some performers of the electric guitar stay outside the instrument; others, like the leader of Hookah Stew, go inside. John Michael Young formed this band 10 years ago and gave it a crash course of Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Aquarium Release and the Five Fingers of Funk. Some Stevie Wonder and a lot of Hendrix has rounded the sound in the past few years. The strength of this band grows the more it plays. Heading for the freeways of L.A., the band opens its West Coast tour with a Thursday night show.

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TWO LEG LUCY

Classic rock covers and originals from red hot Eugene guitar band

Roger McConnell and his band Two Leg Lucy are growing with every gig. His covers are sharper and his spooky, evocative guitar originals are starting to move into a leading role. Roger has toiled in other bands for years and is now experiencing a breakout run that comes from getting out on your own. Do not miss this band -- it is on the way up.

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Blues mainstay from Eugene makes his way to the Coast

For the past 15 years or so J.C. Rico has been tearing it up in Eugene, playing all the major clubs, working solo and with others, sticking to the true music of his soul. In July he finally made the trek over the mountains to the Landmark and he liked what he saw and heard and felt. The voice is extraordinary, so we are glad he's coming back. Consistently in the Top Three of the blues bands rated by readers of the Eugene Weekly, any outfit this talented cat is fronting should not be missed.

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Original blues from the Baton Rouge scene, five records under his belt

After quitting his job with Dow Chemical, Larry met and played with such Baton Rouge bluesmen as Silas Hogan, Whispering Smith, Lonesome Sundown, Clarence Edwards, WW Woolfolk, Chuck Mitchell, Arthur "Guitar" Kelly and Raful Neal. He occasionally played in New Orleans at Tipatina’s, Rhythms on Bourbon Street, or with Bryan Lee at the late, lamented Old Absinthe House. After his 1992 JSP debut CD "Double Dues" and his second JSP release "Too Blues", he recorded the classic "You Need to Live a Little" (1995) on Verve/Gitanes. This CD has tunes such as "Keep Four Cars Running," where a father laments about the expenses of heading a large household, and the hilarious "The Preacher Man Stole My Woman." His recent efforts include "Baton Rouge" (Evidence), "Standing Room Only," "Once Upon the Blues" and "Embarrassment to the Blues?" (Ruf).

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From New Orleans!
HARMONICA RED & THE NEW HEARD

Legendary harp player brings in the sounds of New Orleans

This hard working band plays more than 250 dates a year, this year showcasing its release, "Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll." George Heard, AKA Harmonica Red, has appeared on hundreds of recordings, working with some of the true heavyweights of the music business, including Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Little Feat, The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Al Hirt, Dr. John, Bruce Daigrepont, Big Al & the Heavyweights and many more. His band includes the drummer on the last five Little Feat CDs. Red promises to bring along beads from the gutters of Bourbon Street and other Mardi Gras treats.

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THE T CLUB

Positive reggae, hip-hop, and Dub from young Eugene outfit

Here's a band that is just starting out. But with originals like "Catholic Guilt," "Social Responsibility" and "War Junkies," it’s a not the kind of group you usually see. This is a fully urban trip, bringing the sounds of city to the edge of the world. Some come to Yachats to get away from this kind of stuff, but there are those who wish there was a lot more it. Make up your mind as you dance the night away.

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Originals soaked in the blues tradition, from Ashland

This group is the  project of a couple of veterans: Johnnie O. (John Nelson) from Chicago via Denver and L.A., and Grif (Leonard Griffie) from L.A.. These two and their band mates generally stay away from covers and while they have a blues sound, they have a unique sound, dare we say it... an original sound. They call it American roots music and they know what they are talking about. Go for it, guys!

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Sunday,
Sept. 16,
9 p.m.

THE CO-STARS

Indie pop and rock from Eugene

Here comes one of those Eugene bands known for its high energy, tight harmony, ripping rock riffs and fast change lyrics. Led by drummer Micky Fuchs and lead vocalist  Sassy Fuchs, this is power punk from start to finish. Every once in a while things calm down but that just allows Shawn Notdruft, he of a snazzy lead  guitar, and bassman Joe Pettit, Jr.,  AKA The Wave Generator, to get in a string of rugged riffs.

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Guitarist, singer and songwriter -- part of the top echelon of American blues players

His mother was a blues singer. His father played jazz guitar. He formed his first band in the seventh grade and by the age of 17 he was touring the country. Today he travels the world, keeping the foundations of the music alive night after night. He's had three releases on HighTone Records and two WC Handy nominations. He credits Jimi Hendrix and Robert Cray as singing influences and Albert Collins, Albert King and Eric Clapton as guitarists who constantly inspire him. After a near-fatal incident in 1998, he became more of an introspective player, introducing a variety of moods and atmospheres into his shows.

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KITA MONTGOMERY & THE LB 4 LB. BAND

Blues and soul from a favorite Northwest songstress. With John Pound.

Kita tore the Landmark up a couple of years ago with her Koko Taylor-style renditions of blues classics. She went into a bit of a hiatus but is now back in full force, playing with her old band, the John Pounds-led funk mainstay. Expect a few surprises in the new set lists and also expect plenty of cheers.

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J. R. SIMS & TEXAS SPECIAL

From SRV to Hendrix - those rippin’ blues from the south

J.R. is the consummate blues guitar player who can recreate the sound of the tradition as well as anyone. Stevie Ray rewrote the Texas blues of the 40s and 50s into the high-flying guitar styles that last today. J.R. was there when Stevie Ray invented this stuff and J.R. brings it right into the Yachats living room for your listening pleasure.

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From the caravan to the café, another world sound of the Gypsy

This group sports quite a list of instruments: violin, saw, accordion, shamisen, flamenco guitar, contrabass, percussion and voice. Romanian folk music forms the bulk of the material with a healthy helping of flamenco, Swedish folk music, klezmer, Gypsy jazz, other folk sources as well as original songs. The band formed in San Francisco in 2005 around the French fiddler Fabrice Martinez, who spent  seven years traveling around Europe in a mule-drawn caravan learning and playing folk music, often in Gypsy villages.

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Special National Attraction!
MEM SHANNON & THE MEMBERSHIP

One of New Orleans' hottest performers, funk dug from deep in the French Quarter

For 15 years, Mem Shannon drove a cab in the French Quarter of New Orleans. In 1995 he turned the experiences into "A Cab Driver's Blues," a record that launched a career. Shannon has put out four more albums and solidified a place in the top strata of the New Orleans scene. The Washington Post called him "the blues field's finest social commentator." He had a hit record with "S.U.V." in 2002, earning Living Blues Magazine's Critics Poll Best Song of the Year. He has expanded the definition of the blues with performances at the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival. He's shared the Kennedy Center stage with Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and John Hiatt. He's performed with Robert Cray, Karl Denson, Taj Mahal, Toots & The Maytals, and RL Burnside. And for 14 years in a row he has performed at the invitation-only New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

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Legendary Eugene band reunites to play some alt pop ala the late Beatles

Here is a band with a long story. Originally from different rock bands in Eugene the group started playing together in 1993, writing songs, making CDs and getting along in the local club scene. The brand of music was Beatlesque with the emphasis on the rocking power pop side, leading to a stint in Europe in 1998, then an appearance at the second annual International Pop Overthrow (IPO) festival in Los Angeles. At this festival, there were over 100 bands from around the world playing pop music! Phamous Phaces found a warm and accepting audience there and proceeded to play the 3nd IPO in 1999, leading to several more trips to another trip to Europe. In 2005 in Liverpool, England, Phaces played an impressive four shows at The Cavern Club, The Cavern Pub, Lennon's Bar & Flannagan's Apple. After the event, Creative Flair UK conducted a poll that named Phamous Phaces the best band out of 120 groups that participated at the week long festival!! Back in Oregon, the band has gone through changes and will play the Landmark with its original members, including Roger McConnell, back at the stand.

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Eugene rockers bring a mix of blues and originals

Blue Moon Society is a three-piece band consisting of Jason Anderson, vocals and lead guitar; Dan Pacheco, drums and vocals; and Brian Beck, bass and vocals. Thinking he could learn to play in one day for a grade school talent show, Jason got his first guitar when he was  seven. Playing at the talent show didn't work out, but getting that first guitar started an obsession that's lasted to this day and only grown stronger. Jason's musical style has changed a lot throughout the years, but the blues always seemed to be at the core. Within the last several years, he fully realized his true passion for the blues and has yet to look back.

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Layers of funk from a rising Portland band

Here's the band's description of itself: "Layered funk and progrock, soaring vocal harmonies, instrumental dazzletation,and all within the framework of catchy, hooky songs... the ultimate technologofunkical groove that will gnaw away at you till you hear more." Well, we'll have to see in this debut performance by a band that has been getting noticed in Portland.

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