Due West @ the Bing Lounge--4-24-12

Due West-(l-r):  Brad Hull, Tim Gates, Matt Lopez

I usually miss the noontime shows at the Bing Lounge, as I'm working at that time.  Once in awhile though, if there's someone I *really* want to see, I can usually get away long enough to catch the show.  That was the case with Due West.

I've loved this trio since I first heard their songs "Between the Bible and the Belt", and "When the Smoke Clears", on the radio.  I saw them perform live awhile ago at the Ponderosa Lounge as well; so when I heard they were coming to the Bing Lounge I knew I HAD to be there!

 From the moment the three, (Brad Hull, Tim Gates, and Matt Lopez), hit the stage, they kept the audience mesmerized with their beautiful harmony.  I think Earthquake Jake put it best when he told them that of all the acts that have performed on the Bing Lounge stage, Due West are best at what they do.  Anyone who knows Jake, knows he doesn't say anything he doesn't mean; the man cannot, and will not tell a lie.

During the interview segment, the guys said that their biggest influence are bands like Alabama, Diamond Rio, Restless Heart, and other similar groups.  When asked how they got together, they told how they'd met at a party where people were taking turns singing various songs.  By the end of the evening, everyone else had stopped to listen to the three of them singing together.  The guys said people at the party told them how tight their harmonies were and asked how long they'd been performing together, to which they responded, "about three hours now".  From then on, they began working together as a group.

The members of Due West write some of their own music, and also look to others for songs.  They said they don't usually do cover versions of songs, however, they had one that they had been doing for awhile.  Since Lionel Richie has just released his album of duets with country artists,  Due West did their version of "Stuck On You" for the Bing Lounge audience.  In one word:  AMAZING!!!

Another cool song the band performed was their latest single, "Things You Can't Do In A Car".

All too soon the show was over; however the guys did stay to meet members of the audience, sign autographs and have their picture taken with everyone.  Though I'd seen them perform before, I'd never met the band.  Let me just say, Brad, Tim and Matt are three of the nicest people you'll ever meet!

It happened to be an audience member's birthday that day, and when she told the guys that during the meet and greet, they did an impromptu version of "Happy Birthday" for her.  Wish I'd gotten that on video!  I get the feeling these three could sing a phone book in perfect harmony!

Though they haven't made it as big as some artists out of Nashville, keep an eye and ear out for Due West.  I predict big things are going to happen for them!

Blake Shelton's "Well Lit & Amplified" Tour--March 11, 2012

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Sunday, March 11, 2012 Blake Shelton brought his "Well Lit & Amplified" tour to the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon.

Dia Frampton, runner-up on season one of "The Voice", got the music started.

Frampton looked at ease, singing and roaming the stage barefoot. Though at times the music drowned her out, Dia's voice did shine through beautifully for the most part.

After a short break, Justin Moore was next up. It occurred to me that I've always thought Moore sounds quite a bit like Blake Shelton; and now I was seeing them both in the same evening.

Moore rolled out all his hits, as well as covers of others. Like Dia Frampton before him, there were times Moore's voice was overshadowed by the music. For the most part though, his performance was great.

Another short break, and it was time for headliner, Blake Shelton.

The first time I saw Blake Shelton was eleven years ago, at the Ponderosa Lounge in Portland, Oregon. He was a 25 year old kid, with long hair, beautiful blue eyes, and one hit, "Austin". At the time, Blake seemed a bit shy, though he was friendly to everyone who met him that night.

The next time I saw him, the venue was a bit bigger, the Tillamook County Fair, in Tillamook, Oregon. The hair was shorter, the eyes just as blue, and a few more hits under his belt. By then the shyness was mostly gone, but not the friendliness.

Now, there I was in the huge Rose Garden Arena, and the same man was onstage, taking full command of the show, with very little shyness, if any.

Shelton did joke around that he drinks when he's nervous; and proceeded to be "nervous" a lot throughout the concert.

The sound for Shelton's set was really good, whether the song was quiet, or a more rocking one. And Shelton did plenty of both types of music; all the while talking, joking and interacting with the audience. He, and his voice were in excellent form.

It was like having seen a bud come into full bloom. Sometimes artists don't make the transition from small venues to large ones very well; Shelton made it look easy.

From Dia Frampton, to Justin Moore, to Blake Shelton, there wasn't a dull moment from beginning to end. If these three artists weren't enough, the crowd in Portland got another surprise that night.

About half way through his performance, Blake started talking about his wife, Miranda Lambert, and how she and Blake have varying tastes in music. Blake then started singing Lambert's song, "Baggage Claim"; but before going too far, said his wife could do the song better than he could, so she should be the one to do it.

Blake then asked the crowd if they'd like to hear his wife do the song. Of course the entire arena went crazy, screaming and cheering. To be honest, I thought Blake was kidding around, since his set that night had opened with "Baggage Claim" being played over the speakers. Lo and behold though, amidst all the hubbub, who walked out on stage but MIRANDA!

Lambert was as on the spot with her singing as the others had been before her that evening. It was a cool surprise!

After Miranda was done, she left the stage and Blake continued with his songs. Both Dia Frampton and Justin Moore joined Shelton on stage at different times, to perform with him.

The "Well Lit & Amplified" tour is one of the best large venue shows I've seen in awhile. If there's one complaint, it's that Blake didn't do "The Baby", which is one of my favorites of his songs.

I'd say those attending the concert definitely got their money's worth; both in quality, and length. The concert had started at 7:30pm, and didn't end until after 11pm.

I'm fairly sure this post is a bit more rambling than it needs to be. I blame it on a lack of sleep. By the time the concert ended, and I made it home to bed, it was 1am, and I was up for work at 4am.

For anyone looking for a shorter version of what I thought of the concert that night, I'll leave you with the email I sent to Scott, Jolynn and Jake, Monday morning, after the show:

Dia Frampton--Great!
Justin Moore--Great!
Miranda Lambert--Cool!
Blake Shelton--AWESOME!!!
Three hours of sleep--WORTH IT!

Space For Rent

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

I had a post planned for today. I knew exactly what it was going to be about, I knew there would be photos I could use; maybe even a video or two. All I had to do was be in a certain place at a certain time, watch, have fun, then come home and write about it. Unfortunately THAT didn't happen.

Mother Nature decided to give winter one last shot, dumping snow where I live once again. So instead of being at the Ponderosa Lounge enjoying the "$10 Hoot & Holler" show on February 29, 2012, I was stuck at home.

Instead of being able to tell you about the performances of Cloverdayle, The Farm, Marlee Scott, Craig Campbell, and Lee Brice, I'm left to fill this post with explanations of what should have been. Sigh...

For those who did make it to the show, I hope you had a wonderful time, and please, feel free to share the experience here. After all, there's plenty of room on this post!

Colt Ford @ the Ponderosa Lounge--December 17, 2011

Saturday, December 17, 2011, several genres of music crashed together in loud harmony on Jubitz's Ponderosa Lounge stage. First up was opening act, Chance McKinney n' Crossfire.

Chance was the winner of CMT's Music City Madness contest a couple years ago; and has also had a #1 video on the station with his song, "Be Real".

While McKinney's music is definitely in the country vein, he's added his own touch to the sound by mixing in styles from other decades as well. One song that stood out in particular was "Beachbillies"; very cool song. In addition, McKinney did cover versions of several other country artists during his 90 minute set.

Over all, in the amount of time Chance has been in the national spotlight, he's definitely learned how to work a crowd up and keep them going. I see a great future for this gentleman.

There was a short break in the live music, then it was time to bring Colt Ford onstage.

Ford's main claim to fame is his rapping. Most of the actual singing is left to others in his band, while Colt raps his lines. This doesn't mean Colt isn't able to sing; quite the contrary. Ford actually has a great singing voice, as evidenced on several songs that night; most notably, his new single, "She Likes To Ride In Trucks". It's a song he wrote about his sixteen year-old daughter.

At one point during the set, Ford introduced the audience to his drummer, saying he's a rockstar, with the tattoo to prove it. Sure enough, the drummer raised his sleeve, showing a large "R" and a star on his arm.

Colt then said his drummer was going to do a rock n roll song, and he, (Colt), was going to play drums. With that, the band kicked in to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer", with Ford on drums.

Another highlight of the night was Ford doing his version of "Dirt Road Anthem", the #1 song he wrote for Jason Aldean. While not as polished as Aldean's take, still a great rendition by Ford.

The night was definitely charged with music, and a lot of fun. Hopefully both Colt Ford and Chance McKinney will make their way back to the Pacific Northwest in the near future.

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. 

Aaron Lewis--"Country Boy"

Before the song "Country Boy" was released, I had no idea who Aaron Lewis was.  Didn't know he'd been the lead singer of Staind, or anything else about him.

Hadn't heard "Country Boy" when KUPL announced that they'd be bringing him to the Ponderosa Lounge on May 26th.

Then, one early morning on my way to work, I heard this song sung by someone with a very deep, unique voice...Until I heard the words, "country boy", I didn't have a clue it was Aaron Lewis I was listening to.  I was blown away!  If I hadn't been told this guy was the lead singer of a rock band, I would NEVER have guessed it.  This guy is more country than some of the country artists I've heard lately.  "Country Boy" immediately became one of my favorite songs.

This morning, I made another discovery in regards to this song.  Not only is there the version of "Country Boy" that KUPL plays, there's another version featuring George Jones, Charlie Daniels and Chris Young.  Still love the version KUPL plays; though I have to admit, I also REALLY like the video with George Charlie and Chris.

Found the video on YouTube...See what you think of Aaron Lewis' "Country Boy", featuring his special guests.