Oregon Music News

Since the music industry is shut down, although I know musicians are continuing to make music…and performing…particularly online and especially on Sundays at 6pm on the OMN Live series…and since Artichoke Music’s doors are still closed, how about we get back to talking to people who were and are big parts of OMN. One of them is on Skype with me. Her name is Stephanie Salvey. She was a club owner,...

We’re Skyping our way through another Coffeeshop Conversation (Not) @ Artichoke Music and hoping for the day we can sit in the Café across the table and talk the way we used to. But here’s the next best thing. Last fall we did a video episode with Shelly Rudolph and Chance Hayden, two musicians who are married to each other. Thing is, I had promised Shelly we’d do an episode with her when her long...

This is more than a Coffeeshop Conversation not at Artichoke Music with Art Levine our National Editor when he’s not being an author and one of the best investigative reporters on earth. He’s going to talk about the current phenomenon of musicians and comedians live streaming performances from their homes. I hope you’ve been catching ours, OMN Live which streams every Sunday at 6pm on our Facebook...

About his new album "Sasquatch", Lord Russ and the failure of our Skype Recorder.

Hello once again from not at Artichoke Music. Hopefully we’ll be back there when this is over. One of the busiest people during this thing who is not a first-responder is Jim Brunberg, who I’m sure you know is a musician and owner of Mississippi Studios, Revolution Hall etc etc etc. I thought that combination of things would make him the perfect person to talk to about the current situation where...

Another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation but not at Artichoke Music and not sitting with a guest…and waiting for the day we can do both again. This time I’m talking with Storm Large, the only real star Portland has produced in this century. I don’t need to tell you anything else about her, you already know. Since the pandemic she’s been putting up live performances on her Instagram which have been ever...

Welcome again to the OMN Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music Not at Artichoke Music because it’s closed because you know why. Rather than wallow in the misery of the moment, I thought I’d like to bring back singer/composer Andrew Paul Woodworth for a fresh and funny distraction. We’ve had some very funny episodes with him, and that’s what we need right now. That’s why I put up those April F...

Well, hi there. We recorded this episode before we all got told to stay home. So it’ll be the last one until the time we can sit in the Artichoke Music Café again. Until then, as we did last week, we’ll make do with Skype and phone. Today I’m with composer/pianist Jasnam Daya Singh who has a new album on the PJCE label…that’s Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. It’s called Ekta: The Unity Project. S...

Needless to say, we’re not in the Artichoke Café for this episode, but we’re going to keep doing Cofeeshop Conversations until the doors open again. On the phone with me is Jeremy Wilson who has just launched the COVID-19 Oregon Musicians’ Relief Fund. At this moment there are no venues open for musicians to play and no pay for no play. Of Course, he runs the Jeremy Wilson foundation which helps w...

One of the most joyous sounds you’ll ever hear in Portland is the Afro-Beat band Jujuba. Sitting with me at Artichoke Music 2007 SE Powell Boulevard is Norjeem Isisi their leader, he of the talking drum…which he has brought with him. He’s from Nigeria and he toured with King Sunny Ade, the man who helped make Afro-Beat music popular throughout the world. Just a word about the temporary closing of...

Bob Howard CEO of Artichoke Music, Portland's iconic music store/venue, announced today that it will close it's doors temporarily until safety returns.

I always look forward to this and it’s become almost a yearly pleasure to sit across from Liv Warfield and visit. She’s with me in Café Artichoke at Artichoke Music 2007 SE Powell. She was in town for an appearance at the 2020 Portland Jazz Festival. Apparently it’s been a busy year for her, a year of moving forward. And in talking to her before we started recording she mentioned something about a...

I’ve got someone in the Artichoke Café who I’ve never met before. I like those Coffeeshop Conversations. I get to be nosey with a stranger. Articoke Music is located at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard and we’re very happy to be there. Tate Peterson of the Resolectrics is here. They’re an up and coming band who have been around for ten years. I think we’ll find out how a ten year-old band can be up and co...

Archie Shepp in a Jazz Conversation with Jazz journalist Ashley Kahn on February 22, 2020 in the Art Bar at the Portland Jazz Festival 2020.

Jazz Conversation between guitarists Stanley Jordan and Ashley Kahn, February 21, 2020 at the Art Bar during the 2020 Portland Jazz Festival.

If you’ve been going out to hear music in Portland for a long time, you’ve probably seen Norman Sylvester and if you’ve seen Norman Sylvester, you’ve seen his bass player of 30 or so years, Rob Shoemaker. Rob is in Café Artichoke with me now at Artichoke Music 2007 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland. Veteran musicians are vintage treasures. They’ve made their homes here and are important parts of our...

Welcome to Coffeeshop Conversations at Artichoke Music that’s 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. Six-plus years ago, pianist/composer Andrew Oliver, the central figure in the emerging new Jazz scene left Portland and moved to the U.K., to London where he became a figure in the Traditional Jazz scene in London. We’ll find out how that happened and why he’s moving back to his Portland hometown because he’s s...

It’s always a joy to make connections with someone you’ve had fun talking to in the past, and who has brought so much musical pleasure to your life. That’s what we’re finding today because sitting across from me in the Artichoke Café at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard is Pink Martini percussionist, founder of Portland’s own Brazilian Marching band, the Lions of Batucada, teacher and worl...

Welcome back to Café Artichoke, for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke Music. That’s at 2007 SE Powell Boulevard. The emphasis today is on versatility because our guest, Cal Scott, has written music for TV and documentaries, is a singer/songwriter who is part of the Songwriter Circle, appearing here at Artichoke on Monday, February 3. He also was the musical director of the beloved Or...

Back in the Café at Artichoke Music again, that’s 2007 SE Powell Boulevard for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation at Artichoke Music. Today it’s someone I haven’t had a chance to talk with for a while, multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist Martin Zarzar who you may remember from his time with Pink Martini. He has a new album out of songs in Spanish and French and it’s beautiful. I like to thi...

In the Artichoke Café here at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard, we’re talking music movies. Not musicals. And not Cats, but the Northwest Film Center’s annual Reel Music Festival. This year it runs from Friday, January 24 through Sunday, February 16 and it’s got some old favorites among the new films which are all about music. With me in the Café today is Ben Popp, Filmmaker Services Mana...

Four of the world's greatest Blues harmonica players join us in the Artichoke Cafe for OMN Coffeeshop Conversations #227. Jerry Portnoy played in Muddy Waters' and Eric Clapton's bands. Magic Dick played in the J. Geils Band, Lee Oskar played in War and Mark Hummel is a two-time Grammy nominee and producer of the Blues Harmonica Blowout Tour, of which Portland was a stop. A show at the Aladdin The...

In the café at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Boulevard for another OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke Music. We’ve got a wild video episode coming up soon with four of the best harmonica players on earth. Look for that. Today Juliana Tabon is with me. She’s the Event Director at The Old Church Concert Hall. She’s worked behind the scenes at some of the more famous and infamous clubs in town...

Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music returns for December with Folk singer/songwriter/concert promoter and radio personality Tom May. Both his Winterfolk concert to benefit the homeless and his River City Radio show are in their third decade. Find out the secret of their longevity and listen to Tom May sing three songs in the Artichoke Music Cafe. Winterfolk tickets are available at The Albe...

Finding it more difficult to promote on social media? We’ve got someone in today to give you some pointers. It’s Will Fries who is in that business. He’s in the Artichoke Music Café for an OMN Coffeeshop Conversation @ Artichoke. By the way, we have shot another video episode, this time featuring singer, songwriter, broadcaster and the person in his third decade of producing the annual Winterfolk....