VISITING THE THIRSTY LION...

Well, the Thirsty Lion IS a big place—and a nice one. Big stage (emcee Eric said they have bands on the weekends), decent PA system (not much different from the one Sharma bought for the Portland band’s Red Room show). Stayed for three acts—Eric himself, and two others.

There will be good competition for that paying gig. The guys and gals I heard are not amateurs. (Well, I guess they are amateurs by definition, but some of them have been around the block a few times, are comfortable in front of audiences, and some of them are playing professionally.) I am not sure how this “showcase” is going to turn into a weekend gig if what they have on weekends is bands, and the Tuesday night stuff is pointedly soloists (or duoists—there was one duo). I did emphasize to Eric that I could assemble a band if needed. I don’t know how many of the others could. I got the impression from their styles they had mostly played only with themselves.

(And I wonder what connection these guys and gals have with the Portland Songwriters Assn.? I may have to join to find out So many things I could use money for…)

I’m not going to change the setlist; it is what it is, and it will go over okay, I think, with the mostly younger (and probably college) crowd that frequents the place. I won’t be drawing in the fans like that one duo did, because I know rather few people in the Portland area. This will be an opportunity to MAKE fans instead.

It’s not too discouraging that most of what these guys are playing is folk music; Portland is not a hotbed of country music, and never has been. Neither was southern Oregon, when I moved there—but a lot of people seemed to appreciate it when they were exposed to it (at least, to the way I play it). Maybe it’s that people don’t consider country music an expressive medium. I do, and I can prove it—but I grew into it, too, playing rhythm guitar with (and writing songs for) The Dodson Drifters, years ago.

The mindless pap that passes for “country music” on the radio is enough to turn most people off to the genre, I suppose—but that’s music controlled by bookkeepers, primarily focused on making money, and with most of the imagination part taken out. I think most other genres are probably the same way these days, and that could be why a vibrant live music scene is developing in so many places. The commercial music industry has ceased to have worthwhile entertainment to offer, and people are going somewhere else.

I did get one new gig out of the trip to Portland. The Burgerville (fast-food franchise with ‘50s kitsch, mostly centered in Portland) in the Hawthorne neighborhood, where daughter Kimberly and I had dinner, has started doing live music on Tuesday nights; I gave them a CD, and one of the Thirsty Lion posters, and they signed me up on the spot. A kid band (not sure what else to call them) was setting up as we were leaving, and a crowd was drifting in. So it does work. 2-hour show, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday 25 August, and of course it’s unpaid except for the free food. I’ll blanket the area with posters, get a 6th pressing of the CD (I’m almost out—again), and see what I can do. I’ll need a little amplification—not much; maybe I can borrow Sara-the-librarian’s little 2-channel PA (she decided not to sell it when she got her new one, but said I could borrow it if needed).

Also stopped by the Airway Café; I’d solicited a gig from them a while back (a couple of times, I think), responding to an ad on Craigslist, but never got an answer. They, too, got a CD and a Thirsty Lion poster, and maybe will remember me this time. It is a nice place, good performance area, and professional PA system that I assume belongs to the café. (If not, I guess I’d hit up Sara again. If I’m playing solo, I don’t need much.) An acoustic duo was playing when I went in. They do charge a gate fee for these (and performers get paid).

Music Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week—I’d forgotten about the first-Sunday-of-the-month thing at the Forestry Center. This time, I’ll go. Most of the attendees are from the west side of Portland, and I should be looking for opportunities to play. Three weeks till the Museum concert, and the band needs to practice more, too.

Joe