Posts Tagged ‘Candye Kane’
2011 Waterfront Blues Festival – Portland
What a way to start July off! I had the opportunity to perform at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland over the 4th of July weekend. It’s the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi. The festival raises an enormous amount of food and money for the Oregon Food Bank. As of the morning of the 5th, they had raised an unofficial record $726,000 to feed Oregon’s hungry.
The weather was perfect and the people were great. Portland is such a wonderful town. I performed on the Miller Stage Sunday afternoon with the band which included Jason Edwards (drums), Jon Bayless (bass) and Rod Cook (guitar). A big thank you to everyone who came to watch. I enjoyed meeting a bunch of new people and fans. The folks at the Oregon Music News wrote a short review about the show. You can read it HERE.
After my set on the Miller stage, I headed over with guitarist Rod Cook to the Delta Music Experince’s cruise ship, the Portland Spirit. Rod and I performed as part of the Sail On Sister cruise up the Willamet River.
A superb cast of female blues talent entertained on three different decks aboard ship for cruise goers. These performers included: Duffy Bishop, Fiona Boyes, Lady Kat, Ellen Whyte, Lady A, Lauren Sheehan, the group Acoustic Minds and myself. I got to play and enjoy the sunshine on the upper deck. I also had the good fortune of meeting and enjoying the company of the other artists and mingling with the crowd. It was great fun.
On Monday the 4th, I was able to participate in a Showcase Performance on the FedEx Workshop Stage to promote United By Music (UBM). The event was organized by Barbara Gresham Hammerman who is the lead in bringing UBM
to North America. The showcase featured UBM performer Albertine van Walsem who came from The Netherlands for the festival and included Karen Lovely, Lady “A”, Peter Dammann, Mac Potts and more. Started by Joris van Wijngaarden and Candye Kane, UBM supports talented people with intellectual and physical disabilities and gives them the chance to perform blues and swing music onstage with a live band for the general public.
Here are pictures of my opportunity performing at the festival on the Miller Stage:
Fun at United by Music House Concert
November 12th, I had the opportunity to open for Candye Kane at the Highway 99 blues club in Seattle on a Friday and then participate in a House Concert benefit for Untied by Music in Gig Harbor, WA on the following Sunday.
United by Music, started in 2005 by Joris van Wijngaarden and Candye Kane, is a non-profit that supports talented people with intellectual and physical disabilities and gives them the chance to perform blues and swing music onstage with a live band for the general public. Delta Music Experience produced the intimate house concert to benefit United by Music that featured David “Honeyboy” Edwards & Michael Frank, The Tommy Castro Band, Lady A & Mac Potts with special guests Curtis Salgado, Karen Lovely, Candye Kane & Laura Chavez, myself and more.
The house concert was so much fun! It was held in the Wurlitzer Manor (as in the organ… they have a full Wulitzer installed there) in Gig Harbor. There was over 100 people attending. What a Joy to bring in the season of giving and love.


