Craig Campbell @ Duke's--Portland, Oregon--10-18-12

Craig Campbell made his way back to the Pacific Northwest with a show at Duke's Bar & Grill, In Portland, Oregon,  October 18, 2012.

Lock, Stock & Barrel were orginally scheduled to open for Campbell; though at the last minute local favorite, Kurt Van Meter, filled in for the band instead.

You could tell, even though it was last minute, Van Meter was up to the task, and happy to be there.  He and his band played original songs scattered between cover versions of other tunes.  The whole band was having a great time playing, and joking around with each other on stage.  They fed off each other, and the crowd, and in return the crowd picked up their energy as well.

Towards the end of his set, Van Meter brought Tyler Titus, one of the co-founders of Lock, Stock & Barrel on stage to sing with him.

As it turns out, Titus is leaving Lock, Stock & Barrel, and Portland.  He's heading back to Texas and forming a new band.  This was mentioned on stage, after he and Van Meter sang together.

When Van Meter's set was done, there was a short break while the stage was set for Craig Campbell.   When it was time, B-Dub from KUPL introduced the "Family Man" singer to the audience.

Campbell performed a mix of music from his first CD, as well as new music, and covers of other country songs.

Whether it was tearing through a rocking number; or performing a ballad; Campbell gave each song his all.  Though at times Campbell's voice did get drowned out by the music; during the ballads he shined.

As with Kurt Van Meter, the crowd gathered at Duke's fed off the energy being given from the stage. When Campbell would ask for audience participation, he got plenty of it; which in turn fed his energy level.

Craig Campbell may not be as well known as other country artists; however, don't be fooled, the man has tons of talent, and is very professional at what he does.  He more than proved this at Duke's that night.

"Stars & Guitars" @ Alderbrook Park-9-9-12

Sunday, September 9, 2012, KUPL held it's first "Stars & Guitars" concert at Alderbrook Park in Brush Prairie, Washington.

The concert was to honor all military personnel, veterans and first responders.  Tickets were given free to any of these people.

Alderbrook Park is a beautiful place, and an excellent venue for an all day event like "Stars & Guitars".  Plenty of room for concert goers, and those looking for other things to do as well.  Even the weather was perfect; not too hot, or too cold the entire time.

KUPL's inaugural "Stars & Guitars" concert featured a mix of new and established, local and national country acts.

Ben Rue, from Sliverton, Oregon got things started with a short set of tunes he'd written, as well as a few cover songs; like David Lee Murphy's "Dust On the Bottle".

Rue's voice complimented each song he performed, and judging from the people gathered to meet him after his set, he was a definite crowd pleaser.

Next up was local favorite, Kurt Van Meter.  As always, Kurt was the ultimate professional, and kept concertgoers entertained throughout his set.  From slow songs, to uptempo, and everything in between, Kurt had the audience's attention the whole time.

Unlike some concerts, very little time was spent between acts.  Almost as soon as one artist was done, the next was onstage.  In this case, "next" was another local act, Cloverdayle.

Like Kurt Van Meter, Cloverdayle has been a local favorite for quite awhile; though recently the duo, (Chad and Rachel), has spent some time in Nashville, recording their music.  Among the songs Cloverdayle played was their current single, "Like We Were Kids Again".  KUPL has been playing the song during it's overnights, and you could tell, there were those in the crowd who had heard the song before.

During their set, Cloverdayle played other music from their new CD, and even brought Ben Rue back onstage to sing a duet he'd recorded with them.  Once again, another great set was performed during "Stars & Guitars".

There was a longer pause in the action after Cloverdayle, as the stage was set for that day's first national act, Lonestar.

 When it came time to introduce the band, Earthquake Jake, from "Simon in the Morning", was the man for the job.  As Jake told the crowd, he begged to be able to introduce the band, because they're his all-time favorite group.

Despite some technical difficulties during their set, Lonestar still managed to put on a stellar performance.  They played many of their most popular hits, as well as some new tunes from their latest CD.  Watching them perform, it makes one wonder why these guys aren't still having hits on the radio; they definitely still have the talent for country radio.

Another short break, then it was time for newcomer Andy Gibson.

Though Gibson is new to radio as a singer, ("Wanna Make You Love Me" and "Summer Back"), many have already heard a song of his.  Gibson wrote the Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson #1 hit, "Don't You Want To Stay".

Gibson did all of these songs, and more he's written and recorded for his upcoming CD.  Andy Gibson is someone to be watching for on the horizon; this  talented young man deserves to make it big in country music.

Following Andy Gibson was Dustin Lynch.  From the crowd reaction, Lynch was who the majority was there to see.

During the other performances, concertgoers were sitting listening to the music, or wandering Alderbrook Park.  As soon as Lynch hit the stage however, a swarm of people, (mostly teenage girls),  gathered at the front of the stage, singing and rocking along during Lynch's entire set; and he didn't disappoint either.  Lynch proved to be an ultimate entertainer, playing and singing his best, and interacting with the crowd.  You could tell he was having fun, and that fun was rubbing off on the crowd as well.

After Dustin Lynch was through, quite a few in the crowd left the concert; which was too bad, because more great music was in store.

Following Dustin Lynch, the Mavericks took the stage.

 Though the Mavericks have just recently reunited and are working on a new project out this month; it seems lead singer, Raul Malo was the only original member in attendance this day.  No worries though, Malo played many of the Mavericks early hits, as well as new music the band has been working on.  The only real letdown to the Mavericks' performance was that it seemed much shorter than the other acts, and it seemed most people weren't really paying attention to the music.

Once the Mavericks were through, it was time for the day's headliner, Craig Morgan.

Morgan proved to be the perfect artist to wrap up an incredible day of music.  He was funny, very interactive with the audience, and poured his heart and soul in to every song he sang; which he sang perfectly as well.

From his signature hit, "That's What I Love About Sunday", through all his hits and including his current radio single, "More Trucks Than Cars", Morgan kept the crowd on their feet, clapping cheering and laughing along with him.

All too soon however the show was over.  What a day it had been though! There aren't many concerts like this, where you can see so many great acts for only $20; well worth it for sure!

 During the concert there had been talk about possibly holding KUPL's "Countryfest" at Alderbrook Park.  After "Stars & Guitars, at the venue, I'd have to agree, it would be an excellent place for that event.  Can't wait to see if it happens; and also can't wait to see if there will be another "Stars & Guitars" concert next year.  I sure hope so! 

This Weekend

(Today's word will be in red and bold.)

This Sunday, September 9, 2012 is the big day!  The day country comes to the country near Hockinson, Washington!

By now, anyone who listens to KUPL knows that I'm talking about the station's "Stars & Guitars" concert at Alderbrook Park.  The show features artists, Andy Gibson, Dustin Lynch, The Mavericks, Lonestar and headliner, Craig Morgan.  In addition to this stellar line up, local artists, Kurt Van Meter and Cloverdayle are also on the bill.

I'm excited, not only for the concert, but for other reasons also.  One, a friend of mine is coming from Idaho to see Craig Morgan; and two, the concert is only six miles from where I live!  Never had a concert that close before.

"Stars & Guitars" is a concert in honor of military members and first responders, and several tickets were given free to these people, which is really cool.

At this writing there are still a few tickets left, for those interested in going.  The price is $20 in advance, or $25 the day of the show.

All details of what can and can't be brought to the show, etc., can be found on KUPL's website:  www.kupl.com; just click on the "Stars & Guitars" pic on their home page.

Hope to see everyone there!

KUPL's Honky-Tonk Ho-Ho-Hoedown

Friday, December 9, 2011, KUPL's Honky-Tonk Ho-Ho-Hoedown took over the Roseland Theater.

Before the doors opened to concertgoers, a private VIP party was held for clients and staff of the station.

Once the doors opened to ticket holders, there was a silent auction in the lobby. Up for grabs were prizes ranging from crock pots, to autographed guitars, to ski lift tickets, and everything in between. There was also a raffle for people to have a chance to sit on a couch onstage during the headliners' part of the program.

KUPL's entire air staff was in attendance that night, making their way on stage for announcements, and to introduce the evening's first act, local artist, Kurt Van Meter.

Van Meter, and those backing him, took the stage and did a few cover versions of songs; in addition to Van Meter's single, "Gypsy Road". For a "band" who'd never played together on stage, (the musicians were from other local Portland bands), they got the crowd in a definite party mood.

After Kurt Van Meter, afternoon DJ, TicTak, and "Simon in the Morning" member, Earthquake Jake, came onstage for more announcements and introductions. The original line up was supposed to have Sunny Sweeney take the stage then; instead though, Steel Magnolia was introduced.

When "Steel Magnolia" came on, it was member Joshua Scott Jones, and another guy. Before singing, Josh made the comment that his "partner" had forgotten her wig that evening; (in reference to Meghan Linsley being no where to be found). He then kicked into one of Steel Magnolia's hits, going on to other songs after that. The audience was calling out, "where's Meghan", and "where's the girl" the whole time; yet Jones didn't acknowledge the questions the entire set.

He did keep asking where the fiddle player that had been wandering around backstage was. He wanted the fiddle player from Kurt Van Meter's set to come up and play with him. Yet, when the fiddle player came out, Jones would play songs the guy didn't know. You could tell the fiddle player felt a bit out of place, and eventually wandered backstage again; only to be called back by Jones. This happened a couple more times, until finally Jones broke into a song that Van Meter had done earlier in the evening, Dwight Yokum's "Fast As You". The fiddler played along, exiting the stage as soon as the song ended.

The rest of the Steel Magnolia set was much the same. Jones would stand up once in awhile, from the stool he was sitting on; though he wouldn't go too far before sitting down again. He just seemed really scattered that evening and did mostly songs he'd written, or cover versions of songs. He did a decent job of singing, though the entire set just seemed awkward. Over all, from talking with others in the crowd, it was agreed; something was wrong with Josh. What it was, no one can honestly say; though it was definitely noticeable to the crowd.

After Steel Magnolia, another break with announcements and the like from the KUPL staff, and t-shirts being thrown out to the audience. You could tell everyone on stage was having as great a time as the crowd. They were all laughing, being silly and having fun.

Next up, Sunny Sweeney. Sweeney came on stage, sang her songs that have been played on the radio, and a variety of other songs she's written as well. She seems to have a bit of a sassy attitude and a quick wit.

She had the audience laughing several times with the stories she told about the songs. Most notably was the story of how Christmas songs really don't fit her style of singing. Instead of singing the usual holiday fare, she wrote her own Christmas song. She said it was the true portrayal of her family and how they are when they get together. This included how when her family drinks, eventually they start doing the "Sweeney Sway"; instead of standing straight, they start kind of swaying back and forth. Sweeney said it was a trait of her family. She then launched in to "One More Christmas Beer". It's a similar, yet different take on "Merry Christmas From the Family"; cute song.

With Sunny Sweeney's set done, all the KUPL staff made it to the stage again. In addition to more announcements, t-shirts, etc., it was time for the raffle drawing. Two tickets were drawn, and each winner, and a guest went onstage to sit on the couch for the final act of the night.

Once everything and everyone was in place, it was time for headliners, Montgomery Gentry. The two hit the stage running and never really slowed down all night, except for a couple of songs. For the most part though, their set was high energy and running at full speed. Besides singing, the two were interacting with the audience and the four people on the couch, as well as with each other. You could tell they were happy to be there, and were genuinely having a good time. Their enthusiasm was catching, and though it seemed the crowd couldn't get any rowdier, they did.

Keeping things in a holiday mood, the duo did "Merry Christmas From the Family", though it was mostly Troy, as Eddie had decided to join the four on the couch.


Eddie and T-Roy came, they rocked, and were the perfect capper to an already electric charged evening.

Except for the one slight hiccup in the show, (Steel Magnolia), over all the evening was totally awesome. Time will tell if next year's KUPL holiday show can top 2011's; it's going to be hard for sure!

Aaron Lewis @ the Ponderosa Lounge-5-31-11

To be honest, before March of this year, I’d never heard of Aaron Lewis.  When the concert was announced, I was iffy on whether I was going or not.

Then a friend started telling me who Aaron Lewis was.  When she said he was the lead singer for Staind, I still didn’t know who he was, although I had heard of the band.  At the time though, I still didn’t take much stock in really wanting to go to the concert.  I guess in the back of my mind I had the “just another rocker coming over to country”, attitude going on.

Then, early one morning on my way to work, I heard this song; the voice was deep and gravelly, and the song was just packed full of imagery and emotion.  It was one of those rare songs that I took an instant liking to.  As I was listening, I heard the line, “a country boy is all I’ll ever be”.  That’s when I realized I was hearing Aaron Lewis for the first time.  My friend had told me his country single was called “Country Boy”; so I was pretty sure that was what I was hearing.

I got to work, checked KUPL’s playlist for the time I heard the song; sure enough, it was Aaron Lewis.  That’s when my interest was really peaked…I decided I really needed to go to this concert. 

Originally Aaron was to be at the Ponderosa Lounge on May 26^th; due to the tornadoes in the Midwest though, Aaron was stuck back east and couldn’t get a flight to Portland. The show was rescheduled for May 31^st, and Aaron was able to make it that day.

Before the show, I was lucky enough to be part of the meet and greet for Aaron Lewis.  Since the friend who had told me about him was also at the show, I took her with me to the meet and greet.  It was so much fun to watch her meet Aaron; he’s one of her favorite artists.  And the picture that was taken of the two of them is just so cute!  I’m hoping she doesn’t mind me sharing it here. (I’m pretty sure she won’t, since she has it as her profile pic on Facebook right now.) 

 When it was my turn to meet Aaron, I told him how I’d heard of Staind; though I admitted I didn’t know that much about the band.  I also told him the first time I heard “Country Boy”, I thought to myself that he sounds more country than some of the country artists nowadays. 

I also asked if he came from a musical family and he said yes; he first started playing and singing when he was about 5 years old, and had learned from watching his father.

What I really noticed about Aaron, with others, and with myself is, he took the time to genuinely connect with each person.  He spoke with everyone, answered questions, joked around, and more.  Aaron just seems to be a really warm, caring, friendly person.  And for as shy as I can be, he was also really easy to talk with. 

 When it was time for the concert to start, local musician, Kurt Van Meter, came on stage first to do an acoustic set.  Kurt seems to be one of those guys that can sing anything, and make it sound good.  I thought he was a good lead in to Aaron Lewis.

 When Aaron took the stage, he began his acoustic set with a Staind song.  Throughout the evening, he played songs from his EP, “Town Line”, and also did some cover songs, one being “What Hurts The Most”, originally done by Rascal Flatts.  He ended the show with his hit, “Country Boy”.

Other than what I had been told previously about Aaron Lewis, I chose NOT to listen to Staind, or dig into any more details about him before the concert.  I wanted to go to the show, and just experience it for the first time; without the possibility of preconceived notions.  I’m glad I did.

What I heard on that stage when Aaron performed was that same gravelly voice I’d heard on the radio.  What I also heard, and saw, was a man with so much power and emotion in his voice and music, it just draws you in.

  

I’m really glad that I was able to go to this concert.  I definitely walked away a new fan of Aaron Lewis. 

HAPPY HOURS & SOMBER MOMENTS

The evening of May 12^th was a time of mixed emotions for many KUPL listeners, including myself.

Things got started in the Bing Lounge at 5:30 with KUPL’s first “happy hour”.  Attendees were treated to free beer, wine and food, which was plentiful and excellent.

At 6 pm, a mini concert was provided by up and coming country artist Glen Templeton. I’d only heard Glen’s song once or twice on KUPL, and liked what I heard. 

Not only did Glen sing a number of songs, he told the stories behind them, and of his life in great detail.  You felt as though you’d known him your whole life just listening to him talk. 

Glen’s passion for what he does shines brighter than a neon sign at night.  You can just tell he’s eager to have people know about himself and his music.  At the same time, he seems to be a very humble person as well.  I say this because of some of the things he said while talking to the audience.  He was quick to introduce the two musicians with him, (Drew Lambert and Ronnie Paul), and to let everyone know that they’d all been friends for a long time.  When it came to the music, and what was to be released on a CD, I don’t think there was one time Glen ever said, “I”, “me”, or “my”, even though he’s a solo artist.  He always said, “we”, “us” or “our”, which was in reference to himself, Drew and Ronnie.

One of the interesting things I learned about Glen is that, for two years he played the part of Conway Twitty in the musical about Twitty’s life.  He then sang Conway’s “Goodbye Time”, almost dead on a ringer for Conway himself.

Don’t think Glen is getting by on sounding like someone else though; definitely not the case.  While he can sound like Conway, Glen has his own distinct voice, and knows how to use it, whether on a slow song, up-tempo, or in between, the guy can sing it. My favorite song of the evening was “Devil in the Mirror”.  There was just something about it that made me want to hear it again and again. 

Over all, I walked away from the Bing Lounge that evening a new fan of this man.  If he ever comes this way again, I’ll definitely be going to that show!

  

While things were winding down in the Bing Lounge, another KUPL event was getting ready to start a few blocks away in Pioneer Square.

There had been talk in the days since the death of Osama Bin Laden about how to deal with the situation.  The day of his death, KUPL opened up their phone lines to let listeners express how they felt. 

The discussion carried over to the “Simon in the Morning” show the next day.  It seemed to be a general consensus that while people were happy that Bin Laden was dead, we shouldn’t celebrate the fact.  Instead, we should celebrate those who helped bring him down, and those who gave their lives trying. 

From all the talk, feelings and emotions, it was decided that a candlelight vigil be held in honor of the 271 soldiers from Oregon and Washington who gave their lives over the past 10 years.

Walking into Pioneer Square, it wasn’t hard to tell where the vigil was to be held.  One corner of the square was set up with a KUPL tent, the KUPL truck and later a Portland City fire truck.  KUPL staff were out among the crowd passing out stickers for everyone to wear, and Rockstar had cans of their energy drink available to those wanting one. One moving piece on display was a portrait of a fallen soldier that had been painted by a woman.  The soldier had been her daughter’s fiancé, and he’d been killed overseas.

The vigil began at 7:30 pm with Scott Simon, Jolynn Winter and Earthquake Jake, from “Simon in the Morning”.  They told about how the vigil came to be and what events were planned for the evening.

The primary reason for the vigil was to read all 271 names of the soldiers who had died.  The reading would be done by various dignitaries from the area; including Lars Larson from KXL, Kacey Montoya from KOIN-TV, retired military personnel, Mrs. Oregon and others.

Music was also provided.  “Amazing Grace” done by a bagpipe group from Vancouver, Washington; and musician Kurt Van Meter doing an acapella version of “If You’re Reading This”, and an acoustic version of “Have You Forgotten”.

Before the reading, Scott Simon introduced a woman who’s with an organization known as “Blue Star Mothers”.  She had their flag with her, and all the details of it were explained to the crowd. 

A gentleman was also introduced and thanked for being the one to compile the list of soldiers’ names to be read.

One of the happier moments of the evening was the story of a family who knew soldiers who’d been in Afghanistan.  The topper of their evening had yet to happen.  After attending the vigil, they were heading to the airport to pick up their son who was returning from Afghanistan that night.

While the introductions were being done, the KUPL staff passed out candles to those in the crowd.  Then the morning team lit their candles, and those of the people in the front row.  Those people in turn lit the candles of those around them, and so on, until all the candles were lit. 

Once the candles were lit, Lars Larson stepped up to the mike, speaking about some personal experiences in his family, before beginning to read the names of the fallen soldiers.

Each person reading had a two page list with the name, and rank of each soldier, as well as where they were from.  When one person ended their list, another took the mike to begin their list.  This continued until all the names had been read.

In all, the entire ceremony took approximately an hour.  Talking with Scott Simon afterward, he expressed that he hoped they’d, (KUPL), done enough; that the vigil had helped to provide some closure for people.  I think it did, and I told Scott so.

Personally, I was amazed at how everything came together so well for being done in such a short amount of time.  Two weeks really isn’t a lot of time to put something like this together, yet the people at KUPL managed to do it, right down to the stickers I mentioned earlier. (It’s the picture at the start of this part of the blog.)  Just coming up with a design, and getting them made takes time.  To me, it was kind of like the icing on the cake…Not only did KUPL pull off a nice memorial to our fallen soldiers, they rallied together and got it done in a short time frame.

And so ended my evening of happy hours and somber moments.  Both were good for my soul.