Mike Moothart Benefit in Portland - May 18th, 2014

NW blues fans - Please see the message below from our friend Bill Rhoades regarding the forthcoming benefit for another one of our friends, the powerful and inspiring harp blower, Mike Moothart. I'm planning on attending this show, how about you?

Mike Moothart - Photo by Greg "Slim Lively" Johnson.

There are many great things about living in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Really way too many to list here. But a couple I will list are the fantastic music scene we have and all the outstanding musicians that pull together when one of us is in need. I know. I can speak from personal experience. I was helped a number of times by the folks here in Portland and in Eugene, when going through health issues. If it wasn't for Randy Lilya, Jan Bisconer, Greg Lively,the C.B.A, Terry Currier, Bill Shreve, Paul Biondi, M.E.M.A (Musicians Emergency Medical Assoc.) and all the musicians, I probably would be living out on the street. 

Well, that time has come up again. One of the Northwest's most outstanding Blues Harmonica players needs help.Mike Moothart was recently diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. It had spread to five tumors on his spine. One tumor was removed and this eliminated him being paralyzed from the waist down. Mike has been receiving hormone/chemo/radiation treatments and the doctor have found the results encouraging so far, saying that he has responded well to the treatments.

I'm not pulling any punches here. The cost of this is huge. Add all this to the fact that two weeks before he was diagnosed, he was "let go" from his job of thirty years. He still has some insurance for himself and his daughter but the monthly costs of that are large.

Mike has been a solid Blues musician and Blues supporter for over 40 plus years. He grew up with Curtis Salgado in Eugene, OR, and played in many bands there. He offered his home to musicians traveling through like Big Walter Horton, Sonny Rhodes and many others. After moving to Portland, he played with the Jim Mesi Band, Jimmy Lloyd Rea & the Switchmasters and has frequently been seen at the Blues Harmonica Blow-Off's and Summit's. At one point he even drove the van for the Paul deLay Band. Mike loves Blues music and is hands down, one of the most hard blowing harp players out there. He used to ask people not to stand in front of him when he played because of the danger of being "sucked up into the harmonica."

Now Thanks to Randy Lilya, Sonny Hess, the Spare Room and an award winning list of Portland musicians, a benefit will be held to help Mike off-set the enormous costs of his treatments. On Sunday May 18th at the Spare Room - located at 4830 N.E. 42nd Ave - here in Portland, OR., an All-Star cast of players will get together and play from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Donations will be accepted throughout the evening and there will a "ton" of unbelievable music and musicians!

Let me throw some names out and see if this gets your attention. Curtis Salgado, Linda Hornbuckle, Norman Sylvester D.K. Stewart, Lloyd Jones, Jim Mesi, Terry Robb, Andy Stokes, Sonny Hess, Steve Bradley, Bill Rhoades, Alan Hager, Jim Wallace, Jimmy Lloyd Rea, Sir Henry Cooper, John Koonce, Doug Rowell, Newell C. Briggs, Randy Lilya and Robbi Laws.

There will be many more players showing up. Way too many to list. A line-up not to be missed!

 

So please put that date on your calendar. May 18th - Sunday 5 pm to 10 pm at the Spare Room. Once again we can show that not only do the musicians here in the Northwest play great together but that they look out for each other and help when the time comes up.

Don't miss this show - like J.B. Hutto used to say "It will be heavy!

Bill Rhoades

Portland Tribute to Muddy Waters

This just in from our pal Bill Rhoades in Portland:

Muddy Waters Birthday / Tribute
Friday April 5th

Duff's Garage Bar & Grill
1635 SE 7th Ave - Portland, OR.

8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight

Admission $12.00 at door

Featuring: Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser, Alan Hager, Lloyd Jones, D.K. Stewart, Bill Rhoades, Jim Wallace, Don Campbell and Boyd Small

"I Got A Black Cat Bone - I Got A Mojo Too" - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man

Muddy Waters during his Guild endorsement days.

April 5, 2013 will be a special day for blues fans here in the Northwest. On this date at Duff's Garage we'll be celebrating the birthday of Muddy Waters - the King of the Chicago Blues!

Some of the finest blues musicians from the Pacific Northwest will be combining on this night for a celebration of the great bluesman Muddy Waters and his influence on any and all who play blues music!

Our special guest from Santa Barbara, CA. will be the the fantastic French/American Bluesman Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser.  Franck is a guitar player and vocalist extraordinaire, who honed his chops in the infamous Eli's Mile High Club house band in Oakland, CA for well over 15 years. Franck will be playing both solo and in a band setting at the show.

From here in Portland will be a man well versed in Muddy's songs and style - Alan Hager! Over the years Muddy's songs have been a staple of Alan's live shows and set list. Alan will also be playing solo and with the band and stinging that slide guitar!

Blues pianist and vocalist D.K. Stewart is on the bill and will have his Otis Spann/Big Maceo licks ready to burn. A perfect compliment to any Muddy Waters' songs were his great piano men and D.K. fits right into that 88 keys spot!

Two harmonica men who were greatly influenced by Muddy Waters and his fantastic harpmen will be blowing the blues at this show. Bill Rhoades and Jim Wallace (2012 Muddy Award winner - Best Harmonica) grew up hearing Muddy's tunes with Little Walter,

Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells, James Cotton, George "Harmonica" Smith and others, writing the book on how to play blues harmonica while backing up Muddy on his tunes. They'll bring their own Northwest roots and styles to this show!

Another blues guitar giant on the bill is Portland favorite Lloyd Jones! On this night Lloyd has his own Muddy Waters bag of tricks, both solo and band wise. Lloyd has been playing Muddy's tunes since his introduction to blues - many years ago! Solid stuff!

And no blues band would be complete without a dynamite rhythm section. Don Campbell is well acquainted with the Willie Dixon school of bass and a veteran of many Northwest blues bands! And back to the USA from the Netherlands is percussion expert Boyd Small.

Boyd has been a sought after drummer here in the Northwest for many years and over the last decade has been woodshedding with the Dutch blues players. Great chops and vocals!

One thing that Muddy Waters did in all of his fine groups was to let his sidemen step out front and do their thing! That's what will be happening on this show, with all the artists playing their favorite Muddy tunes and paying tribute to one of the greatest bluesmen who ever lived. A happy birthday celebration to Muddy Waters!

See you at the nightclub, kids!

You can check out the Boneyard Preachers here.

My two worst days in music.

 

By "Uncle" Ray Varner

In 1978 Bill Rhoades, Jim Wallace, and I tried to start up the Oregon Blues Society. After a couple of tries at grass roots beginnings, that sputtered out, I decided to throw a public party to get the momentum moving in our direction.

I produced a concert featuring Robert Lockwood and Johnny Shines. Bill Rhoades’ Party Kings also performed, for no pay I should add. I lost around four hundred bucks, but it was a success in my estimation because fifteen people signed up as members of our fledgling society. That was not a bad day in music.

The OBS was largely dedicated to producing concerts during it’s life. In 1980 when Professor Longhair died, we put together a benefit for Fess’ widow. The bill included Albert Collins and the Robert Cray Band. Our promotion included radio and print ads, even a performance by D. K. Stewart on “Good Morning America” playing “Tipitina”. The cover was four bucks, as I recall. We lost hundreds. No good deed goes unpunished. I was crushed. At the time, I didn’t have a pile of money, but I did manage to send a check to Alice Byrd for a hundred bucks. That was my worst day in music.

The OBS mostly lost money on our shows, but one that we did make money on was my second worst day in music.

We hosted Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Lousiana Band for two nights at a Eugene club called The Place. We paid Clif $3000.00 plus rooms. We had good houses both nights. I was high as a Georgia Pine, until I stood up at the end of the second night to announce that the (non-profit) OBS had cleared $35.00 for the performances. I was greeted by boos and shouts of “rip-off”. This was my second worst day in music.

Mike Lynch and Uncle Ray Varner, somewhere in Portland, OR, 2012.  Photo by Lauri Miller.