Creative Problem Solving, #1

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Layers are an ever-present necessity in Portland, no matter the season. These happy individuals used colorful clips to hang their discarded layers on their low-level chairs at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 5, 2013. I particularly intrigued by how neatly it appears that the woman has hung hers, while the man to her right has somehow twisted his shirt prior to clipping it to his chair.

Labor Day Post -- Kevin Selfe Big Band

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Seen at the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, 2013. What a blessing that these talented folks know how to work those musical instruments. And an even bigger blessing that they willingly share their talents with all of us!

Back to the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, at the FedEx Crossroads Stage

You could hear him before you could see him. The stage, the smallest, most intimate one at the festival, sat beneath some trees off to the south side of the Hawthorne Bridge, enclosed in a chain link fence. Intrigued, I entered through the opening in the fence and found a seat on the front row of the portable metal bleachers. Am I ever proud of myself for doing that!
 

Mesmerized, I stayed and witnessed Lloyd Allen, Sr. gather us all up in the palm of his hand, playing the blues with classy skills honed through the years. Here's what I found on the Waterfront Blues Festival Web site: Lloyd Allen Sr. is a charming, smartly dressed blues practitioner with over six decades of experience with the blues. He began his performance career at age 13 with the Vibratones and later became one-quarter of the blues foursome, the Cannonballs. Allen's guitar and vocal chops have yielded opening slots for the likes of B.B. King, Dinah Washington and more.
 

I took 78 photos. These are my favorites.
 

Easy to see why, right? And how's this for way cool. Mr. Allen played at the Blue Diamond on Friday, August 2! Right near where I live, as some of your realize. I am blessed.

Back to the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, at the Oregonian Front Porch Stage

The Ben Rice Band won the Cascade Blues Association's Journey to Memphis finals and will be at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, January, 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed their entire set. Out of the 156 photos I took, this is my favorite.

Back to the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, gotta wonder how long he lasted

I imagine about the time he ran out of running room 'cause the crowd grew and grew, he ran out of gas, too. Cute little guy in his Syracuse Athletics shirt.

Back to the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, Let's get this party started! And several inadvertent plugs for corporate sponsors

First large-scale sight of the day, right about 10:30 a.m., a welcoming spray from the Portland Water Bureau's fireboat. To me, it doesn't get any better than this--living in a city with a river running through it, populated by all sorts of waterborne vessels, some outfitted with water canons! Well, I have to tell the truth, it does get better, when the water is red, white and blue. Rising above the Willamette River is the north- and south-bound Interstate 5 on the Marquam Bridge. The various shaped roofs you see, and the red chimney, are the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, a great place to visit. The red letters you can see on the wall, beneath the leftmost water cannon spray, spell OMSI. We say Ahm-zee around here.
 

First large-scale sound of the day, the Transcendental Brass Band played their way across the bowl at Tome McCall Waterfront Park on their way to the rest of the festival grounds. Love, love, love those sounds!

BTW, did you see the inadvertent plugs for corporate sponsors? Two are major sponsors, FedEx and Kia, the other is a Safeway Sponsorship Partner, Dave's Killer Bread.

Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4, 2013, After-Hours Allstars at the Marriott

The fabulous music just kept on coming, y'all! And I took some photos as allowed by the light and my momentary ability to stand still. It was not easy to do that because these folks had us all movin' this and movin' that. I had a blast! The party was over around midnight, and I ended up waiting for-ev-er for a cab, which made me some kind of tired on July 5, but it was worth it!
 

Patrick Lamb hosted the after-hours party on July 4. I'm hoping that I have the identities right on these other musicians. Maybe someone will comment if I've made error, straighten me out and all that.
 

Eddie Martinez
 

Ben Jones, with the silhouette of a nearby microphone making like some sort of tattoo. I hope Ben's OK with this photo.
 

Tad Robinson
 

Jennifer Batten
 

Patrick with Andy Stokes.



Patrick getting down on that saxophone, with the nearby microphone thankfully not making a tattoo on his face.
 

Jennifer again.
 

Andy again.


I love this photo because to me it shows the appreciation that one musician has for the efforts of another.
 

This is a much better profile photo of Ben. Yea!
 

A candid moment as the end of the song is near. Love the animation!
 

Tim "Too Slim" Langford
 

Karen Lovely moves a whole lot while singing.
 

See what I mean?
 

For a split second, Karen was still enough for me to get a mostly focused photo. Yea!
  Here they are during the last song of the night, two Portland gems, Patrick Lamb and Ben Jones. Most Thursday evenings, Ben hosts Ben Jones and Friends at the Blue Diamond PDX, my neighborhood bar which has live music seven nights a week. Sweet!

Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4, 2013, After-Hours Allstars at the Marriott

I left the Blues Benefactor reserved seating and headed for the party at the Marriott before the end of the fireworks. From the moment I bought my four-day pass One of my main goals for the day was to get inside that room and enjoy more blues, up close and personal. I figured it would end up packed and I certainly didn't want to get left out. Ended up not being any problem for me, at all. I sat on the front row to the right of the stage and patiently waited for the fun to begin. So fitting that I got this "blue" photo of the drum set while I waited.

Something I never, ever expected to see in my life, at the Waterfront Blues Festival on the 4th of July

A flaming trumpet!



Here's a synopsis of the event, as seen through my zoom lens. The Dusty 45s on stage, almost finished with their set. The trumpet player's doing something with his horn. I've cropped these photos as closely as I dared, so that you could get a better look at what's going on here.
 

He lit the trumpet! Gosh! And he's got a microphone in his other hand. Now I realize he's going to play it for us and wants to make certain that we can hear it. Wow. I believe it is "The Lonely Bull," that Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass tune that I've always loved.
  Yep, that's what he's doing! Wow!

Folks walking in the aisle turned their heads to take in the spectacle of a flaming trumpet.
 

Love that grin on the bass player's face!
 

And, he's done! What a finale! Later on, he accompanied Linda Hornbuckle as she sang the national anthem, flaming trumpet and all, right before the fireworks on the Willamette River. BTW, if you're on Facebook, like The Dusty 45s and you can find a clip of this wild event on their page, dated July 22, with this text above the video clip--Getting warmed up for Slim's Last Chance this Saturday (July 27th)!

July 4, Waterfront Blues Fest - serendipitous bubbles and shadows

As I watched this young girl blowing bubbles from my shaded bench, I smiled, remembering fun times blowing bubbles with neighborhood girls on sunny summer days back home in Jackson, Mississippi. We were five elementary-school-aged girls whose houses made the corners of a right triangle, mine at the 90-degree corner. Certainly none of us wore lipstick while blowing bubbles, nor did we paint our fingernails periwinkle. She's very pretty, a young girl of the 21st century, complete with a brown scarf decorated with silver charms, tied around her hips. I imagine the vibrant colors decorating her left arm are the product of a lady I noticed sitting at her face-painting station over the four days of the festival. I wonder if the paint itched in the bright sun. Or if she ended up with a design in her tan.

Do you see the two circles to the right, one on her shoulder, one on her forearm? They are bubble shadows. Honest. No where in the other photos that I took of her do those circles appear. And you can see, if you look closely, a bubble there beside her right cheek which has made the shadow on her shoulder. I've looked and looked and cannot locate the other bubble. I wonder if it burst just as I snapped the photo?
 



No bubble shadows in the very next photo. I am thrilled with the serendipitous capture of those two shadows in the first photo in today's post. And I have to ask if anyone thinks that her fingernails are in the French manicure manner, complete with the periwinkle-colored polish? And do you love how her sunglasses are color-coordinated with her T-shirt and the umbrella?

July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival, Oregonian Front Porch Stage: "Catch a blues buzz"

Franco Paletta and The Stingers, Journey to Memphis 2012 Winners: Band. After catching their set, it's easy to see why they won last year. Wow! Sorry that I don't know who's who. I hope that doesn't cause you not to enjoy the photos. Maybe someone who knows will comment and give me the info. Or I might have the chance to ask the band members myself because I saw on the band's Web site this superb announcement: Saturday, August 31, Blue Diamond PDX. Yea! Within walking distance!

Thanks to Franco for FB messaging me with the names of these great musicians!
 

No. 1 - Franco Paletta on vocals and harmonica
 

No. 2 - Jason Thomas on guitar



No. 3 - Eric Rabe on sax, Miles Thompson on trumpet
 

No. 4 - Jon Barber on drums, Kenny Goldstein on bass, Steve Kerin on keyboards

Found this info at the Waterfront Blues Festival Web site:

Since breaking into the Portland Blues scene in the Mid-1980's, Franco Paletta has become one of the mainstays of the city's blues scene. His dynamic harp style and unique vocals have made him one of Portland's favorite blues personalities.

Franco’s Harmonica influences include Sonny Boy Williamson, Paul Butterfield, James Cotton, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, Kim Wilson, William Clark, Rod Piazza and others.

As good as his harp playing is, Franco's strong vocals are what thrills the listeners. He has a unique vocal style that lets you know that you are listening to a true bluesman.

In 2007 and 2012 Franco & The Stingers won the Cascade Blues Association's "Journey to Memphis" Competition and was privileged to represent the CBA at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee. Franco has received several Muddy nominations for “Best Harmonica Player” from the Cascade Blues Association, and won the Muddy Award for “Best New Act” in 2007.

In 2010 Franco & The Stingers released their first CD “Can’t Kick Love.” Franco’s newest CD released in 2013, “I Like It Just Like That,” gained attention at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis from several radio stations and has been in their Top 20 Charts since its release.

Franco has also been seen at festivals regularly around the Northwest including the Waterfront Blues Festival, Winthrop Blues Festival, Tri-Cities Blues Festival, Big Sky Festival, Grey Sky Festival, Walla Walla Guitar Festival, and the Bronze Blues and Brews Festival.

July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus

So, when I lucked out and found myself on the sidelines of the scheduled "Off Street Processional by The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus," I figured I was a shoe-in for some beads. See me to the right in this photo that I took when I paused the video that I had found on the krewe's Web site--I was shocked to see myself--with my camera in one hand, taking photos, and the other hand held out to gracefully accept strings of beads?
 

Let me tell you, that wide-brimmed straw hat thought I bought years and years ago in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and moved up here with me to Portland, Oregon, really came in handy at the festival! And my black fanny pack, veteran of my last trip-with-students-and-teachers-to-Europe-in-2000 bit the dust--the zipper coil separated from the zipper cloth. Rats. Now I have to figure out something else to take to Las Vegas on Saturday when I go for the first time ever!
 

I knew that I'd never catch that string of red beads flying by that man's brown fedora.
 

Someone must have caught them! Look how happy that lady is who tossed them!
 

Ah, here comes my chance!
 

Alas, I fell victim to the dreaded tease which I call "Here you go. Why don't I drape some beads over your out-stretched hand--psyche!"
 

There she goes, twirling those beads. I'll bet lots of folks caught 'em once she let 'em fly! Not to worry, though, 'cause I wore my own strings of beads on the 4th of July, red, silver (for white), and blue. 

Wondering about The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus. Here's a bit I found at their Web site:

The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus brings the traditional Louisiana Mardi Gras experience to Portland, Oregon. We give Louisiana expatriots an opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras in a traditional manner, as well as to extend the tradition to people from here in the Northwest who have a Joie De Vivre and affinity toward Louisiana culture.

The source of the word Nimbus in Greek Mythology means a cloudy radiance said to surround a diety when on earth. We find this name particularly appropriate, since it also is a rain cloud — and we live in the rainy Northwest. We have even changed the traditional “Mystic” to “Mysti” to further reflect this rainy condition. Mardi Gras falls during the rainiest time of the year, but this gives us an opportunity to bring together family and friends and celebrate as if it were the middle of the summer. Laissez les bon temps roullez! Bienvenue!

About them at the Waterfront Blues Fest

July 4th 2013 Look for Mysti Krewe of Nimbus Mardi Gras “Processional” second line parade at the Safeway Waterfront Bluesfest July 4th. We’ll parade around 3:30 – 4pm. Bring your hanky, parasol, and joie de vivre! Watch for the Skull and Bones Gang, Transcendental Brass Band, and The Brass Roots Movement. We’ll have beads and, please, don’t show us *anything* to get them.

And for more about The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus, found on the Waterfront Blues Festival Web site: 

The Mysti Krewe of Nimbus is a Portland based social and pleasure club that brings the traditional Louisiana Mardi Gras experience to the Pacific Northwest. We extend the tradition of Mardi Gras to people here in the region who have a Joie De Vivre and affinity toward Louisiana culture. We also give Louisiana expatriates an opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras in a traditional manner. Since forming in 2011, we have thrown three Mardi Gras Balls, won the best community float our second year at the 2013 Starlight Parade, held a foot parade along Mississippi Avenue last Mardi Gras day, and second-lined across the festival grounds the last two years at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival, Fried Chicken.

Read it all--you'll find out about the fried chicken, I guarantee it.
 

For my first ever Waterfront Blues Festival, I decided to take advantage of the Blues Benefactor Pass option.

• I wanted four-day early entry (turns out that I could arrive as early as 10:30 a.m., if I had the energy which I did on July 4 and July 5--hey, two outta four aint' bad for an ol' lady); 
• I didn't have to use priority re-admission (in the case of the festival having been closed due to the size of the crowd by the fire marshall--I never left until I was actually ready to be gone)
• I wanted a seat and shade (turned out to be a metal bench with a back in the Benefactor Tent with the walls rolled up and tied out of the way on all sides except to our backs, therefore shade and a breeze when one arrived, plus the tent's central location between the Miller Stage and the First Tech Stage meant I could hear everything from whichever stage had an act performing, plus the fireworks went off right in front of me on July 4--I managed to get a seat on the front row each time I came back to the tent from the Honeybuckets or the other stages);  
• I wanted to go to at least one of the Waterfront After Hours All-Star events across the street at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom (turns out I had access to all three but only had energy for one--July 4th Patrick Lamb Allstar Revue--waiting until 2:45 a.m. to get a cab wore me slap out); 
• I didn't know that I wanted Smart Park parking garage validation (until I rode with a friend in her car on Saturday);
• I wanted plenty to eat and drink that I didn't have to bring with me to the park or have to carry around the whole time (turned out to get four meal tickets, four beverage tickets, one Sunday a.m. omelette with Dave's Killer Bread minus the included mimosa because I desired no alcohol headaches, as well as Frito Lay snack bags, iced Pepsi products and bottled water for the taking, at a table at the back of the Benefactor Tent in front of that closed wall); 
• I wanted a festival T-shirt and poster (turned out to get the size I wanted and that the poster was rolled up in cardboard tube after having been signed by the artist Gary Houston because I purchased an additional poster from him which he also signed); 

All of that to say that after my first early entry on July 4 and the discovery of how the Benefactor Tent would work, which by the way should be renamed the Benefactor Oasis, in my humble opinion, I took advantage of picking up my merchandise early on, then walked over to see where the other two stages were, the FedEx Crossroads Stage and the Oregonian Front Porch Stage--they were, respectively, nearer to or north of the Hawthorne Bridge. 

That's when I discovered the Jackson Square food vendor, complete with a huge banner emblazoned with Fried Oysters, Fried Chicken, plus a menu that included sweet iced tea and ice cold watermelon, along with other items. It was too early for cooking to be going on, but I liked the look of the place and determined to come back later on. After all, I had ended up buying a wonderful soft-sided cooler with an adjustable strap in which I put a bit of cheese and crackers, applesauce, some peanut butter and crackers because I really had no idea what sort of snacks were provided, plus I knew I'd be at the festival way longer than one included meal ticket would take care of, and I had no desire to spend money on food--whew!

So, I stopped by a few hours and loads of great music later to take a look at the fried chicken. Yep, a look. While I was not the least bit interested in waffles, even less in syrup, all it took was a quick glance to make up my mind to try the chicken. It was the right brownish-golden color and coated-crispy texture. So, I handed over my meal ticket to Nick, the personable young man at the cash register. In a moment I had the paper plate you see in the photo above. I had handed back the little container of syrup. Why anyone wants waffles and syrup with fried chicken, I'll never understand. Thank goodness I was able to find a seat at a nearby table and chow down! The best fried chicken I've eaten since I was in McComb, Mississippi, in 2009! For real. Tasted like my Mama or my grandmothers had cooked it--me, even, back in the day when I fried food. And you don't get yourself messy by dropping anything from fried chicken on yourself, so I made up my mind to return again and again, a decision I didn't regret for one second, period.

I still don't regret eating fried chicken for my main meal of the day for four days in a row. And I'm planning to go back next year to the Waterfront Blues Festival; I'm hoping that Jackson Square will be there with this fried chicken. Anyway, I walked it off going back and forth at the festival and didn't eat all of the waffles.

July 4, Waterfront Blues Festival

Portland Police Bureau Chief of Police Michael Reese on stage with the band The Usual Suspects.

Here's the info about the band that I found at a link on the Waterfront Blues Festival's Web site:

The Suspects number around eight pieces on a good day and play an eclectic blend of blues, country rock and classic rock and roll songs. Their original compositions are thought provoking dissertations on daily life, love and finding bail money.

The Line Up

• Mike Reese: Various tattoos and scars tell a sordid tale of life on the edge. Mike is the Suspect’s founder and songwriter/guitarist, and most definitely the “Most Wanted” member of the band. 
• Kari Pearson: Kari is the Suspect’s smooth voiced lead singer with many years experience playing penitentiary gigs. She has a great vocal range and can cover a variety of musical styles according to her probation officer.
• Mel Tellinghusen: Mel just got back from his recent tour of northwest financial institutions where he proved he is a master of the sticks as well as stick-ups. He also loves laying down the groove on people deserving of it.
• Mike Kuykendall: Also known as the “Bass Man of Alcatraz”, Mike has fought the law since getting his first guitar at age 12. His favorite movies are “O Brother, Where Art Thou” and “The Longest Yard.”
• Tracie Andrusko: A concert violinist with a burning desire to jam in a rock band with convicts and play free concerts at local jails. Tracie has added a new dimension to the sound of the band with her subtle fills, soaring solo’s and arrest-free record.
• Steve Andrusko: Steve drove wife Tracie to practice one night and abruptly announced he had a trumpet, could carry equipment and drive the getaway car. He was hired on the spot. Steve and Tracie are the Bonnie and Clyde of the Suspects, making this a truly unique family experience. Steve’s favorite quote is, “I’m just along for the ride.” 
• Nathan Andrusko: Yep, you guessed it. Son of Steve and Tracie, Nathan is recognized state-wide in Oregon high school competitions as a master trombone player, and he recently got time off from the principal’s office for good playing.
• Chris Azorr: Chris is the most recent band member to post bail and brings to the line-up a great keyboard. He loves to play the rockers when he is not actually breaking rocks.

You’re going to love this band….

And I did!

Waterfront Blues Festival, July 5, 2013

It's Friday, July 5, and I'm sitting in front of the Front Porch Stage--on July 4th, the home of all-things-local-blues-wise and the Journey to Memphis' International Blues Challenge next January and on July 5th the makes-your-body-move sounds of zydeco, actually the best of the three stages if you ask me 'cause you can get so close to the music and there is a huge, well-laid, dance floor beneath gauzy, shade-making cloth stretched from here to there. I'm taking zoom-lens-photos of strangers taking a zydeco dance lesson on the well-laid dance floor when a known face dances into my camera's viewfinder from the left, but a profile I know and love. Malcolm White!
 

That first second, though, I don't recognize Malcolm. It wasn't until this second photo that my synapses clicked properly and hollered at me, "It's Malcolm," sort of like Cat Deeley does on "So You Think You Can Dance"!
 

The two of them glided across the dance floor, right in step with the music!
 

Turning his partner, Malcolm dances out of the frame--too many other zydeco-lovin' folks between the two of us.
 

The music stopped. How many times have we who know, love, and appreciate Malcolm seen him animated like this?
 

For me, this photo is the best metaphor for Malcolm White that I could have ever hoped to shoot. Pointing upward toward a vision he wants us all to share, that's Malcolm, currently chairman of the Mississippi Blues Commission and the head of Tourism for the Mississippi Development Authority. Right after I took this photo, I waved madly at Malcolm who grinned and waved back. Bliss. A kind couple agreed to watch my seat on the metal bench and I quickly walked over to say, "Hello! Come on over and join me when you're done dancin'!" Malcolm's reply, "It will be hard to sit down with this music!" No surprise there.

He introduced me to Bev and I bade them good-bye. Later on Malcolm and Brandi Katherine Herrera, whom I had texted with my discovery of Malcolm on the dance floor, joined me and we rocked it out to Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band until we were completely out of gas. I could still hear them tearing it up as I waited a couple of blocks away for my first bus on the homeward commute. Last Waterfront Blues Festival sight of the night, looking from the eastbound bus window down on the Front Porch Stage, just north of the Hawthorne Bridge.