Featured Shows
Abraham Alexander - The Old Church, PDX
Abraham Alexander on his first headlining tour plays The Old Church in Portland, OR. The debut album Sea/Sons is out now.
photos by Julia Varga
As I crossed paths with Abraham Alexander in the hallowed halls of The Old Church in Portland, his excitement for the upcoming show was palpable, conveyed in the warmth of our brief embrace. It wasn't my first encounter with this remarkable artist; I've had the privilege of witnessing his talent unfurl on stage three times now, each occasion leaving an indelible mark on my soul.
Set against the backdrop of The Old Church's intimate ambiance, Alexander's resounding gospel-esque voice reverberated through the wooden pews, finding its home among the rafters adorned with a majestic pipe organ. It felt fitting that he should grace such sacred ground for his first headlining tour, offering a deeply personal narrative woven into the fabric of his latest album, "Sea/Sons."
The evening unfolded as a poignant odyssey, with Alexander sharing intimate glimpses into his life's tapestry – from his origins in Greece to the tender moments spent with his family by the ocean, immortalized on the album's cover. The audience, hushed and reverent, hung on his every word, the shutter of my camera echoing like a punctuation mark in the solemn silence.
Family, a recurring motif in Alexander's music, served as the thematic bedrock of the evening. Emotions ran high as he delved into the depths of loss and longing, each note a cathartic release of pent-up sorrow. Yet, amidst the heartache, there were also songs of celebration – of enduring love and timeless bonds that defy the passage of time.
As the night unfolded, I found myself swept up in a whirlwind of emotions, grappling with the complexities of my own relationships in the wake of Alexander's soul-stirring performance. And through it all, he exuded a palpable sense of love – for his craft, for his audience, and for the human experience itself.
By the show's end, the once-reserved crowd was transformed, their spirits uplifted and arms outstretched to the heavens as Alexander declared, "I'm taking you to church!" And indeed, we were swept away on a tidal wave of emotion, buoyed by his infectious energy and unwavering authenticity.
The evening culminated in not one, but two encores, with Alexander's impassioned rendition of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games" serving as a fitting finale to a night of musical transcendence. And true to form, he lingered long after the final notes had faded, graciously greeting each fan with a genuine warmth that spoke volumes of his character.
In Abraham Alexander, I found not just a talented musician, but a beacon of hope and humanity in a world often shrouded in darkness. And as I left The Old Church that night, heart full and spirits soaring, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the privilege of bearing witness to his extraordinary journey.
Stand out songs:
(all of them, seriously, all of them)
”Xavier”
”Stay”
”Bella Dawn”
”Deja Vu”
”Blood Under the Bridge”
”Knee Deep”
”Eye Can See”
”Lovers Game”
photos by Julia Varga
Goodnight, Texas - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, Oregon
Goodnight, Texas plays the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon in September 2023.
photos by Julia Varga
Goodnight, Texas. Yep, that is a real place in Texas and when asked how/why they named their band after a city/state that none of the band members are from, I got an even better answer, “Its half the way point between us” says Avi Vinocur, referring to him being on the West Coast and bandmate Patrick Dyer Wolf being on the East Coast. Well, that makes perfect sense, and it’s a super cool name to boot.
I initially discovered them in Denver last year while they were touring as support for Larkin Poe, and their set absolutely rocked then and there was no way I was missing them on their tour this year with Devon and Donavon.
Avi (lead vocals, guitar, mondolin, banjo, awesome dance moves), Patrick (lead vocals, guitar, banjo), Chris Sugiura (bass) , and touring drummer Cody Rhodes have such a fun stage presence while making their way through their folk rock set list. Their energy during their set was filled with good harmonies, rock n roll guitar riffs, blues ruled banjos and a bassist with some really great rock hair one can ask for.
A genre mixing can't-quite-pin-it kind of folk roots rock, the band recently released “Runaways” which features Kirk Hammett of Metallica, so let’s add a bit of metal to the mix.
photos by Julia Varga
Sumbuck - Newport Music Hall, Columbus ,OH
Sumbuck at The Newport Concert Hall in Columbus, OH in June 2023 with the release of latest album Lucky.
Photos by Julia Varga
Nothing beats a good home town show, and then add a record release party on top of it?!?! Yeah, that’s going to be a hell of a show. I got to check out the Sumbuck hometown show in June and he did not disappoint.
The new album, Lucky diverts from the ‘traditional’ Taylor Meier song and into a new era. Songs reminiscent of 70’s with jazzy flutes and beats, sexy sax solos and made me want to put on my jumpsuit and platforms and dance the night away, which is exactly what I did.
Friends Parker Louis on guitar, Terrence Charles on saxaphone helped round out the sound for this show, along with a new cast of players: on keys- Sam Fribush, guitar Alex Bingham (an almost comic Taylor doppelgänger), guitar Chris Boerner, vocals and killer tambourine player Devin Mauch and Nick Falk on drums. New players for a new era of love songs and sad songs that make you want to be loved, and Taylor has taken a new spin on his own vocals, reaching his high falsetto in “How Long”, which we’ve heard, and ranging down to a lower bass that feels like he’s literally matured in front of our very ears with “Sugarmuffin”. With “Amigo”, a uniquely different on what is already a uniquely different album, the story telling and cadence reminiscent of a Quinten Taratino movie, evokes visions of trudging through a desert, lonely with only a horse to keep company.
But, that doesn’t mean Sumbuck has changed entirely. The smoked bourbon caramel-y voice that is indicative of Taylor Meier hasn’t disappeared completely, it’s still there with “Hey Honey” and “McKenzie”and I hope it will never disappear.
What’s also been fun to watch throughout the past couple of years, is just how seemingly comfortable Taylor is on stage now. What used to be awkward songs on the mic- he’s even said at one point if he wasn’t holding his guitar he didn’t know what to do with his hands"- have now become a comfortable meander through the crowd, gentle high fives to the fans at the rail and even a good spin with friends in the back.
Truly a joy to watch the man evolve artistically, and can’t wait for the next album to come out later this month.
photos by Julia Varga
John Mellencamp - Keller Auditorioum PDX
John Mellencamp at Keller Auditorium in Portland, OR
photos by Julia Varga
Around here, we don’t get to throw the term “legend” around too often; we feel some artists we’ve seen are legends-in-the-making. I mean, give them 20 years, but current legends? Not often. An artist rarely sees 50 years in their industry, especially one that can chew up and spit out even the most hardened spirits. But John Mellencamp has persevered, never to stray from his own path, in his own way. I hate when people talk about bands/artists like they’re surprised they’re still around…”they still got it!”, oof that makes me mad. Of course they still got it, they’ll always have it. So I won’t say that here. Mellencamp is here, absolutely rockin’.
I’ve grown up listening to John Mellencamp, his music a gentle behind the scenes soundtrack to my adolescence, weaving in and out of life as my musical tastes developed their own identity. I may have drifted away from his music, but there was no way I was missing his show in PDX.
There was no opener for the show, instead a video of clips from various old films was shown. The montage was intertwined with an interview of Mellencamp illustrating his inspirations from such films as “On the Waterfront”, “Hud”, and “Paper Moon” with actors such as (friend) Paul Newman, James Dean, and Marlon Brando; the latter of which became subjects for Mellencamp’s paintings. When the video stopped, the curtain came up and the roaring applause erupted to welcome the singer and his band.
The set list, posted at the bottom, was nothing shy of great. It was a prodigious mix of new and old, and those ones that he just has to do for the crowd, which I’m personally grateful for since this was my first time seeing him live. To hear an acoustic version of “Jack and Diane”, complete with the crowd getting the sing-along wrong and Mellencamp having to stop to correct them through unrestrained chuckling, was a dream I didn’t even know I had until I lived it.
What I loved even more, and I wish more artists would do -but apparently you need 50 years in the biz to do it before *almost * everyone listens- is to tell the crowd to keep their big mouths shut during “the quiet ones”! Of course one woman just had to yell out in agreement and with the irony completely lost on her, Mellencamp told her to take it outside. The rest of the crowd clapped in approving compliance. Light hearted moments allowing for John Mellencamp to show you the human he is, were welcomed, and met with both his and the crowds’ laughter.
Stories interspersed with songs made for a show that was more theatrical narrative than “just” a concert; even the stage, set with a background of movie stills and lights, brought a theater-like experience. Personal situational encounters led to songs born from our very own Portland. “The Eyes of Portland” is one such story. In this one he was in town for lunch and came across an anxious homeless woman whom he just wanted to help. She told him she just wanted to get home so he offered her a bus ticket, but she said she wasn’t welcomed there. He offered her money, to which her first question was if she had to have sex with him. No, of course not, this brought him great sadness that this was the only way she knew in order to accept the money, but that same instance brought her great joy that she would not have to demean herself another night to make it through. The lyrics “all these homeless, where do they come from?”, repeated throughout the song, are now more poignant knowing the backstory.
So many stories shared: of his time with his aging Grandmother, his dream about being at the pearly gates, and stories about his friend Joanne Woodward. Woodward, widow of friend Paul Newman, lent her, now recently lost, speaking voice to create a recording of Mellencamp’s song titled “The Real Life”. Her spoken word track was played for us with an accompaniment of live accordion and violin and brought me deep unexpected chills.
I must tell you, my inner teen was squealing from the pure joy of getting to sing along to “Hurts so Good” live. Mellencamp gave us a two-hour show and an impressive 21 song set list. The man is an unwaivering rock legend.
Set List:
John Cockers
Paper in Fire
Minutes to Memories
Small Town
Hey God
Human Wheels
Don’t Need This Body
Jackie Brown
Check it Out
The Eyes of Portland
Longest Days
Jack and Diane
I Always Lie to Strangers
The Real Life -read by Joanne Woodward
Scarecrow
Lonely Ol’ Night
Crumblin’ Down (with Gloria by Them)
Pink Houses
Chasing Rainbows
Cherry Bomb
Hurt So Good
photos by Julia Varga
Kitchen Dwellers - The Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
Kitchen Dwellers perform their progressive “galaxy grass” at The Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR
photos by Julia Varga
Montana based Kitchen Dwellers brought their “galaxy grass” psychedelic light show laced high energy bluegrass to Portland in February. In doing some lite research before the show, I wasn’t quite sure what exactly “galaxy grass” meant. I expected the bluegrass aspect, banjo and all, but I had no idea what I was really about to experience until I was standing shoulder to shoulder with the latest incarnations of a tie dyed tribe woozy with specialty infused chocolates.
For a band who’s name refers to their start with after school jam sessions in Montana, they’re now playing in big venues (including Red Rocks!) with amazing dancing lights, and mesmerized fans bouncing along that would make even the most notorious jam bands envious.
So you can call it galaxy grass, progressive bluegrass, jam grass, whatever you want; you’ll be filled with big sky banjos, stand up bass, and guitars that will get you moving and bouncing reaching up for those big spirited skies.
Madison Cunningham- Wonder Ballroom PDX
Madison Cunningham rocks the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR
photos by Julia Varga
Madison Cunningham rocked the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon while touring her new album Revealer. She’s been described as the new spin on west coast folk rock and we are here for it! Her jazzy electric guitar riffs paired with percussions create a sound that walks a fine line between folk, rock, pop, a little bit of alternative and a splash of classical jazz.
photos by Julia Varga
CAAMP at Leader Bank Pavilion- Boston, MA
Caamp is currently finishing up their cross-country headlining tour for their new album, Lavender Days. Taylor Meier, Evan Westfall, Matt Vinson, Joe Kavalec and Henry Allen kicked off this tour on the west coast in July after completing the first half of the summer concert season providing support for The Lumineers. Still to come, the tour will notably make a sold-out two-night stop at Red Rocks next week and conclude with their first hometown arena show in Columbus, Ohio.
The crowd was already on their feet as the band came to the stage, and absolutely exploded as the band began to play “Come with Me Now;” the first song on their new album, and fittingly the perfect invite to the crowd to join them on their journey for the rest of the show.
The almost 20-song set included tracks spanning their entire discography and ended with supporting band Speaking Suns joining them for a wonderful tribute to Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac with a cover of “Dreams”.
The encore brought a solo moment with front man Taylor Meier offering some words of peace and a crowd-silencing rendition of “Sure Of”. Once everyone caught their collective breath, the rest of the band joined Meier on stage for a rocking finish with Meier taking over on drums for “Going to the Country”.
It was a beautiful night for good music, and Caamp delivered on a good time.
photos by Julia Varga
CAAMP at The Greek Theatre Los Angeles
Caamp concert at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles photos by Julia Varga
A new album titled Lavender Days inevitably brings all things lavender; Ohio based CAAMP did not disappoint when they walked on stage at the Greek. Looking Beatles-esque in their lavender suits, the folk/Americana group, led by lead singer/guitarist Taylor Meier, and made complete by bassist Matt Vinson, guitar/banjoist Evan Westfall, keyboardist Joe Kavalec and drummer Henry Allen, opened the show with “Come with me Now”. Also their album opener, the song’s quiet start that builds to a beautiful melodious crescendo is the perfect invitation to listen, live or otherwise. The band roared through crowd-anticipated hits from their previous albums such as “Hey Joe”, “By & BY” and “26” and were rewarded with the packed theater belting out every lyric right along with them.
The album released on June 24, 2022 will have its hits. A current favorite, titled “The Otter”, was played mid-set to a crowd that lovingly sang each and every word and refrain accomplishing the feel-good vibes only a solid summer sing-along can evoke.
The encore brought out a solo Taylor Meier to play the timeless acoustic “Strawberries”. The entirety of the Greek went absolutely silent, so as not to miss a single heartfelt inflection. Meier went on to describe the beauty of how a single voice memo of him playing “Sure Of” made it on to the album as the final song in its raw form; once again, the crowd listened with intent in complete quietude as it was played for only the second time live.
Meier brought the band back out for the final songs of the night and the set turned into a full on rock show with the now famous and brilliantly executed mix of “Believe” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and finally coming to a rock star finale as Allen and Meier switched things up with Meier belting out “Going to the Country” from behind the drums.
Lavender Days tour continues up the coast with stops in Santa Barbara and Berkeley, CA. More tour info at www.caamptheband.com
