Seen at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, No. 13, July 3, 2014 - Kevin Selfe himself performing with The Bone Pickers

Lots of Sunday evenings for over a year I've been at the Blue Diamond, my nearby neighborhood bar, enjoying the Sunday evening blues jam. Kevin Selfe and his band The Tornadoes host. It is a special treat to see him singing and playing at a different venue with other musicians, his talent and skill and love of music readily evident for every moment he's featured during The Bone Pickers' performance. They are a T-Bone Walker Tribute Band of great talent.

Here are some other candid shots of their performance. Sorry that I don't know their names.

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.

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.

Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4,2013, downtown Portland at Tom McCall Waterfront Park

I've only had time to upload 45 pictures--a very late night after a long day of music, music, music, people-watching, fireworks, and the best fried chicken I've tasted since October, 2009, at The Dinner Bell in McComb, Mississippi! Here you see Lisa Mann and Her Really Good Band. I've seen them at the Blue Diamond, too. Fabulous, all-around fabulous. A bunch of talent packed into that woman. Now, I've got to get this posted and head out for today's music! Bye! Oh, I'll be at the Blue Diamond Saturday night for "Ladies Sing the Blues - Women of the Blues Festival." Can't wait--I'll have to leave the waterfront early--who cares! I might leave early tonight to the Blue Diamond's "Guitar Slingers of the Blues Festival." After an hour-long wait for a cab last night, being able to walk home after the music, all of 600 feet, sounds mighty fine!

Degrees of separation, count them. Six. Yea!

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My connection to Thursday's Blues Music Awards in Memphis may seem tenuous. Nevertheless, I claim it, wholeheartedly as a lover of the blues. Here we go. Sunday, April 7, at the end of my most music-filled day in Portland (Portland Art Museum's Members Gospel Brunch, Patrick Lamb's matinee concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall), I stopped in at the Blue Diamond for the Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes Blues Jam. More live music. Yea! What a good idea that turned out to be! Great music, and I got to take a few photos. I wish I knew everyone's names, but I don't, doggone it. UPDATE: Just found out that the musician on the far right is Allen Markel.

Fast forward to April 20 and the Concert for Sandy Relief at the Keller Auditorium. Curtis Salgado and his band opened for Aaron Neville. For me, that show could be put on one of those Ground-Hog-Day-repeats. My goodness, but that was fine, fine, fine. Stay with me, now. Thanks to being a Facebook friend of Kevin (on guitar on the left in these photos), I found out that Curtis Salgado had won the B. B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. So, there's my somewhat tenuous connection to the Blues Music Awards held in Memphos May 9. Salgado also won Soul Blues Album for "Soul Shot," and Soul Blues Male Artist.

Now, back to being at the Blue Diamond on April 7 and those few photos. When I finally got around to uploading them to Flickr today, lo and behold, there with Kevin Selfe on guitar and other musicians stood Curtis Salgado's guitar player! I recognized him from the April 20 concert--I had a front row seat practically right in front of him. Wow!
 

Me - Blue Diamond - Kevin Selfe - Vyasa Dodson - Curtis Salgado - Blues Music Awards!
 

In the middle, Vyasa Dodson, Curtis Salgado's guitar player. On the left, Kevin Selfe, a right fine musician. And I'm sorry that I don't know the saxophone player's name.

Felt good enough to go to the Portland Farmers Market Saturday

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Saturday evening I ate a small, fresh-baked baguette--no kidding, I got it at the Dollar Tree in a package of two which you're instructed to bake on the oven rack for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, imported from Holland, of all places--a sensible amount of Pearl Creamery Artisan Goat Cheese, a sensible amount of Rose City Pepperheads' Mango Madness, a sensible amount of Chop's Farmhouse Country Style Pate, and a sensible amount of Unbound Pickling's Bread & Butter Pickles. Wow. Then for a late lunch today, after a laundry marathon, I ate a sandwich on Pearl Bakery's honey wheat bread--with, once again, sensible amounts of goat cheese, pate, pepper jelly and pickles. I eat sensible amounts of these goodies because I want them to last all week. I cannot get over living in Portland where I am allowed to happily spend my hard-earned cash on products produced with pride by locals. I am blessed. See more details about my purchases below. I'll bet your mouth will water, maybe your stomach will growl. Let me know, OK?


My friend Sarah, a recent graduate of University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, has found a great job with the Portland Creamery. She sweetly posed for this photo holding my purchases. I bought Artisan Goat Cheese, Sweet Fire Artisan Goat Cheese (the addition of marionberry preserves adds the sweet, habanero pepper adds the fire), and Cajeta, Artisan Goat Caramel. Swoon city, y'all. Creamy, flavorful, spreadable yumminess. I am very excited to have these products in my frig, even more happy to have them on my plate!
 

Sarah didn't know that I stopped to take this photo. I love the look of concentration on her face as she listens, ready to answer questions and offer tastes of Portland Creamery's products.
 

I bought Bread & Butter Pickles, pure perfection. From their Web site, every word the truth in my opinion: sweetened with blueberries and pear. Bread and butter pickles, subtracting out large quantities of sugar from the formula while adding fresh Willamette Valley blueberries and pear juice to sweeten the taste equation. Perfect on sandwiches and cheeseburgers or add a flavorful and joyous touch to your tuna or chicken salad.
 

I bought a loaf of totally wonderful, great textured honey wheat bread (see the one still there with the big white label in the low basket to the right) and one satisfyingly sweet little pastry called a rugelah, I think that's how they spelled it. I decided to eat it slowly; it's small enough to be gone in two bites, but that would be plain stupid. I made it last for five bites. Yea for me! It's in the case on the top shelf, right, as you look at the photo. The lady had just helped me and had a smile on her face--I caught her in this photo with what I'm sure was a passing moment of farmers-market-been-there-since-probably-6:30-a.m. fatigue. I took the photo at 1:03 p.m. 
 

I bought my all-time-favorite pepper jelly, Mango Madness. My gosh. That stuff is so good! Sweet and spicy, a nice-to-the-tooth-and-tongue consistency. Spreads like a champ!
 

I bought a couple of pears, green and red anjou, if I remember right. I know they're going to be good because every other single piece of fruit I've bought here over the years has been. I trust fruit from Draper Girls.
 

When I go to the Farmers Market, I have to have enough money with me to get a box of Cherry Country Dried Cherries & Milk and Dark Chocolate. So outta sight good, melting chocolate and chewy cherries. I can eat them one at a time without cheating myself by eating them more quickly. I really can! There are 20 in the eight ounce box. I like to get the mixed chocolate because variety is the spice of life. I also got a jar of Montmorency Tart Cherry Jam. I shall have Pearl Bakery honey wheat toast and Cherry County jam for breakfast this week. I am blessed.
 

I bought Farmhouse Country Style Pate, to which I readily admit I am addicted. You can see tidbits of it there on the edge of the cutting board, right in front of the Chop man. In my haste to get into the package, I tore through the label, rendering it unreadable. To tell you the truth, I'll be buying it again before too long; I'll be more careful so that I can share the ingredients with you--I'll even take a photo of the slab inside the butcher paper.
 

Finally, I bought a bunch of both the yellow irises and the purple irises. I stopped by the Blue Diamond on the way home and left them for the sweetest bartender in town, Janessa. Her birthday is this Wednesday, so those flowers are her birthday happy from me.