Calendar of Events

Ben Larsen has been a fixture on the Portland music scene for nearly a decade. Raised in New England (where his first instrument in grade three was the clarinet) and Jakarta, Indonesia, he moved to Portland in 2006 to attend Lewis and Clark College to study jazz guitar, Larsen's musical journey has not been a direct one. After two years studying jazz, he shifted his focus to the mandolin, concentrating on Bach violin sonatas and the choro music of Brazil's early 20th century. After graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in mandolin performance, Larsen began to embed himself in the local folk and bluegrass scene. Along with a three year stint in Renegade Stringband, developing the Giraffe Dodgers from the ground up, serving as Twisted Whistles' fiddler and mandolin player for a year, Larsen has sat in countless times with Fruition, Left Coast Country, Kory Quinn, the Grant Farm, Allie Kral and Friends, the Wild Wood, the Fire Weeds and several other area folk musicians and bands of all genres. Larsen is currently focusing on a new, well-received band, Crow and the Canyon as well as his solo career. He is available for lessons on guitar, mandolin and fiddle. www.benlarsen.com ...

The music of Son Cubano is a salsa fusion of different musical rhythms such as Afro-Cuban Rumbas, Latin Jazz, Traditional Yoruba Chants, Son Montuno, Chachachá, Spanish Flamenco, Boogaloo, Boleros, and other Afro-Cuban influenced music styles. This group is made up of key members of the revered group Melao de Cuba, one of Portland's most beloved salsa bands. ...

To celebrate Bastille Day, Jason Okamoto will perform in a special duo configuration, transporting listeners back to 1920s Paris, when gypsies with guitars, violins and upright basses made the leap from traditional French musette to American "hot jazz" and kept Parisians dancing to this evocative new sound, popularized by guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt. Jason Okamoto is a self-taught musician and composer based in Portland who combines elements of bossa nova, flamenco guitar and French gypsy jazz using primarily classical (nylon string) guitar and a looping station. Jason’s rich, storied musical history includes being a founding member of Portland’s early idiosyncratic country indie rock band The Flatirons. ...

Vocalist Courtney Freed and guitarist Hamody Hindi deliver smooth vintage jazz interpretations of great American classics including Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and the Beatles, as well as catchy originals and energetic covers. Strong, passionate, vivacious and daring, Courtney Freed is a dynamic vocalist in a class all her own. Her first album, "Happy Little Bluebird: The Music of Harold Arlen" is a tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Her delightful rendition of "If I Only Had A Brain" has captivated many a nostalgic heart and her soulful handling of timeless classics such as "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Anyplace I Hang My Hat is Home" are a delectable feast for the ears. She has performed in many prestigious venues in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, where she resides. Her sparkling and smooth tribute through the Great American Songbook is not to be missed live. She also sings lead with local swing band, The Courtney Freed Five. www.courtneyfreedmusic.com ...

Led by the duo of Salvatore Manalo and Matt Brewster, Hiroki is a band from Portland, OR focused solely on grooves, vibes, and good times. Every song they release has its own mood, and with differing musical backgrounds, each member of the band brings their own personal flavor to the sweet recipe of soul. The result is something smooth, something tasty, and something undeniably enjoyable. https://solo.to/hirokitheband ...

Dubbed “The Rock & Soul Troubadour,” artist REDRAY FRAZIER announces the debut of his new single “Better Man,” followed by an exciting forthcoming catalogue of live and recorded music. A native New Yorker who was raised in an exceedingly musical family, REDRAY is an established vocalist and musician who creates his own unique fusion of Alternative R&B, Rock, and Indie-Soul. Get ready for captivating new lyrical sounds and smooth, smoky vocals like you’ve never heard. ...

Rich Swanger is an Oregon based songwriter with roots in folk, gospel, and country-blues music. Born amongst the Appalachian hills of Pennsylvania, he was surrounded by song from the very beginning. He discovered harmony in the church choir and found an attraction to twang hearing his father strum country classics around the house. This led to a wild love for timeless melodies and rock-solid songwriting. A move to the Pacific Northwest in 2004 proved to be the catalyst he needed to start releasing some of his own music, and further explore his love of the song. His humble solo project, Seahorse, started in the late 2000’s and grew organically over the next decade to include some of the areas most inspiring musicians. Sensing a need to address that change and growth, he stepped out from behind the moniker in 2018 with a self-titled release, ‘Rich Swanger & The Little Known Band.’ RS & TLKB transformed his quiet, folky originals into glistening country and blues songs, while also emboldening him as a performer. Lo and behold, he began to heed the deeper call of music.  Rich’s songs have been featured on the television show Shameless and his song “Didn’t Make a Sound” recently won Portland’s Folk Festival songwriting contest . He has also played TEDx Portland alongside Rebecca Jordan Smith (Prince, John Legend). Swanger has recorded 4 full length albums and performs regularly around the Pacific Northwest as a solo act and with his group, The Little Known Band. ...

Aimee Joy is a local singer songwriter known for smooth vocals, a multi-generational sound and the contagious joy she brings to every performance! She is an Oregon native who first started singing at the age of 2 alongside her dad. Aimee’s acoustic blend of R&B, jazz and fan-favorite pop songs creates a sound that listeners of all ages will enjoy. As a former Music Teacher, Aimee finds that creating, sharing and teaching music is a true passion.  Even though she’s shared the stage with Grammy-award winning artists and local music icons, she still loves to incorporate her family into her band at local events. You can find and follow her music adventures on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram: @AimeeJoyMusic. ...

Ben Larsen has been a fixture on the Portland music scene for nearly a decade. Raised in New England (where his first instrument in grade three was the clarinet) and Jakarta, Indonesia, he moved to Portland in 2006 to attend Lewis and Clark College to study jazz guitar, Larsen's musical journey has not been a direct one. After two years studying jazz, he shifted his focus to the mandolin, concentrating on Bach violin sonatas and the choro music of Brazil's early 20th century. After graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in mandolin performance, Larsen began to embed himself in the local folk and bluegrass scene. Along with a three year stint in Renegade Stringband, developing the Giraffe Dodgers from the ground up, serving as Twisted Whistles' fiddler and mandolin player for a year, Larsen has sat in countless times with Fruition, Left Coast Country, Kory Quinn, the Grant Farm, Allie Kral and Friends, the Wild Wood, the Fire Weeds and several other area folk musicians and bands of all genres. Larsen is currently focusing on a new, well-received band, Crow and the Canyon as well as his solo career. He is available for lessons on guitar, mandolin and fiddle. www.benlarsen.com ...

From coffee house gigs at fifteen to chart-topping success with the Tom Grant Band in the 90s, world tours with two-time Grammy Award winner Diane Schuur and contemporary jam-bands, Dan Balmer brings fire and heart every time he plays the guitar. His playing spans nearly one hundred CDs including twelve as a leader from which his original works have appeared internationally in television, film and radio. ...

Wil Kinky is a Portland based singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. With vocals like Joe Cocker, and a guitar style reminiscent of Jimmy Hendrix, he blends blues, rock, soul, and other genres into an unexpected flavor of sound all his own. Wil has dedicated more than half of his life to playing music. Bringing passionate energy to every stage he sets foot on, he never compromises the integrity of the connection between his creation and his audience. He's played with countless musicians up, down, and across the western territory of America, to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. From grand stage venues to bars, lounges, weddings, festivals and recording studios... he is ready to lay it all on the line. ...

The Vegan Carnivores are a Latin Ensemble composed of international artists from all around the world. They bring several decades of combined musical experience to the stage. From Iran, on guitar Mehdi Farjami, former guitarist of Toque Libre and Seda. From Spain, on vocals is Pepe Raphael, former Pink Martini’s vocalist and leader of Pepe & The Bottle Blondes. From Cuba, on guitar and back up vocals is Dashel Ruiz. The Vegan Carnivores' musical arrangements are delivered in an upbeat and tasteful fashion suitable for all type of venues, either in concert form, or for the dance floor enthusiasts. Their repertoire includes classic and contemporary arrangements of Latin music amongst a selection of boleros, cha cha, salsa, Latin rumba, flamenco, tango and Afro-Cuban music. ...

Led by the duo of Salvatore Manalo and Matt Brewster, Hiroki is a band from Portland, OR focused solely on grooves, vibes, and good times. Every song they release has its own mood, and with differing musical backgrounds, each member of the band brings their own personal flavor to the sweet recipe of soul. The result is something smooth, something tasty, and something undeniably enjoyable. https://solo.to/hirokitheband ...

Aimee Joy is a local singer songwriter known for smooth vocals, a multi-generational sound and the contagious joy she brings to every performance! She is an Oregon native who first started singing at the age of 2 alongside her dad. Aimee’s acoustic blend of R&B, jazz and fan-favorite pop songs creates a sound that listeners of all ages will enjoy. As a former Music Teacher, Aimee finds that creating, sharing and teaching music is a true passion.  Even though she’s shared the stage with Grammy-award winning artists and local music icons, she still loves to incorporate her family into her band at local events. You can find and follow her music adventures on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram: @AimeeJoyMusic. ...

A self-taught musician and composer based in Portland, Jason combines elements of bossa nova, flamenco, and French gypsy jazz using primarily classical (nylon string) guitar and a looping station. Jason’s rich musical history includes being a founding member of Portland’s early idiosyncratic country indie rock band The Flatirons. Jason will be joined this evening by songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sophia Rose, a classically-trained vocalist with an indie folk heart. ...

Dubbed “The Rock & Soul Troubadour,” artist REDRAY FRAZIER announces the debut of his new single “Better Man,” followed by an exciting forthcoming catalogue of live and recorded music. A native New Yorker who was raised in an exceedingly musical family, REDRAY is an established vocalist and musician who creates his own unique fusion of Alternative R&B, Rock, and Indie-Soul. Get ready for captivating new lyrical sounds and smooth, smoky vocals like you’ve never heard. ...

Ben Larsen has been a fixture on the Portland music scene for nearly a decade. Raised in New England (where his first instrument in grade three was the clarinet) and Jakarta, Indonesia, he moved to Portland in 2006 to attend Lewis and Clark College to study jazz guitar, Larsen's musical journey has not been a direct one. After two years studying jazz, he shifted his focus to the mandolin, concentrating on Bach violin sonatas and the choro music of Brazil's early 20th century. After graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in mandolin performance, Larsen began to embed himself in the local folk and bluegrass scene. Along with a three year stint in Renegade Stringband, developing the Giraffe Dodgers from the ground up, serving as Twisted Whistles' fiddler and mandolin player for a year, Larsen has sat in countless times with Fruition, Left Coast Country, Kory Quinn, the Grant Farm, Allie Kral and Friends, the Wild Wood, the Fire Weeds and several other area folk musicians and bands of all genres. Larsen is currently focusing on a new, well-received band, Crow and the Canyon as well as his solo career. He is available for lessons on guitar, mandolin and fiddle. www.benlarsen.com ...

Led by the duo of Salvatore Manalo and Matt Brewster, Hiroki is a band from Portland, OR focused solely on grooves, vibes, and good times. Every song they release has its own mood, and with differing musical backgrounds, each member of the band brings their own personal flavor to the sweet recipe of soul. The result is something smooth, something tasty, and something undeniably enjoyable. https://solo.to/hirokitheband ...

Wil Kinky is a Portland based singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. With vocals like Joe Cocker, and a guitar style reminiscent of Jimmy Hendrix, he blends blues, rock, soul, and other genres into an unexpected flavor of sound all his own. Wil has dedicated more than half of his life to playing music. Bringing passionate energy to every stage he sets foot on, he never compromises the integrity of the connection between his creation and his audience. He's played with countless musicians up, down, and across the western territory of America, to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. From grand stage venues to bars, lounges, weddings, festivals and recording studios... he is ready to lay it all on the line. ...

The music of Son Cubano is a salsa fusion of different musical rhythms such as Afro-Cuban Rumbas, Latin Jazz, Traditional Yoruba Chants, Son Montuno, Chachachá, Spanish Flamenco, Boogaloo, Boleros, and other Afro-Cuban influenced music styles. This group is made up of key members of the revered group Melao de Cuba, one of Portland's most beloved salsa bands. ...