Heart Bones is a rare thing—a new band with a long history—which heightens both expectations and standards. See, I think that when a new thing, a creative thing, clicks into place just right and does so immediately on a level that you just know and feel is true all at once, often it’s all the little ways it dares to be just a little bit off that actually makes it work. And striking this ideal ratio of The Familiar and The New is the specialist’s true skill. This is exactly how Heart Bones excels.
It’s not hard to imagine that they shouldn’t exist at all: Sabrina Ellis and Sean Tillmann are obviously both tirelessly bustling and juggling and geographically separated by the entire height of the middle of the country. But put on their debut album Hot Dish and as soon as Sabrina’s first line enters, completing the inversion of Sean’s first line which has just spun your head around, the collaboration feels inevitable. Inevitable like, “Damn, right. Heart Bones. Guarding the center of vulnerabilities. Why do we have things called chest cavities instead of heart bones?” The anatomical warping of their name makes more sense given how fragile our meaty bodies actually are.
Both in concept and approach, Sean and Sabrina share many commonalities: long histories of genre warping and adopting evolving personas to embody these progressions, celebrating wildness and theatricality night after night throughout grueling tour schedules. And all this expressed in the persistent tension of dark themes made melodious, a move that the true specialist knows will always make the struggle for balance feel deep and real.
In hindsight, Sean’s evolution seems so linear: his earliest band Calvin Krime dared to be fun in a subculture steeped in angst. And after it disbanded, he sanded down the angular edges and stepped more clearly into a front-man role in Sean Na Na. But it was only the emergence of his alter ego Har Mar Superstar—at first pretending to be his own brother—that gave him the cover to risk fully expressing himself freely. The depths of his impulses came to play on the surface; the constant tensions of silliness and sincerity struck as immediate and true and deeply felt and always fun; stripping down to one’s skivvies isn’t only sexy, it’s sexy because of the openness and vulnerability it represents. Over the course of 20 years, it evolved from beats on a MiniDisc player to a seven-piece soul revue without the continuity of his character ever coming across as inconsistent, a testimony to the acumen of his voice and his knack for hooks.
And down in Austin, Sabrina was carving her own unique path and persona. She perfected her glam snarl for a decade with the anthemic and brassy A Giant Dog, her performances cocky, provocative, and raw. Then tempered and expanded that range by fronting the epic collective Sweet Spirit, who blend party-strut disco and earnest classic rock like if you could extract whatever is London out of Queen and replace it with Texas.
The London is proud to continue the jazz tradition of the Monday Night Big Band. On a night when most musicians are free of gigs, they gather in numbers to play some of the music they love most: everything from Ellington and Basie to Buddy Rich and Michael Buble. Don't miss this chance to enjoy the power and diversity of the top horn-heavy bands from Portland and beyond.
It looks like a brass band, but it doesn’t quite sound like you’d expect. Mix in a little jazz, funk, some soul and hip hop, and what comes out is a powerful horn and groove driven sonic experience that will make you shake your booty. Abe Beeson from KNKX describes it as “…a healthy dose of soul and funk with smartly crafted melodies soaring over the beat and a few well-placed solos and vocals.” Over the years, 45th St Brass has been made up of some of the best horn section players in the northwest. Fronted by the “electrifying vocals” of Annie J, 45th St Brass has a wholly unique sound and broad appeal.
Clinton Fearon is a composer, songwriter, singer and player of instruments since his early teens.
Born in Jamaica, Clinton became the bassist, vocalist and lyricist of the mythic Gladiators at the age of 19. He was also a session musician for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s at Black Ark in the 70s, two of the main producers on the island at this time. There Clinton composed some everlasting bass lines for well-known artists like Yabby You, Jimmy Riley, Max Romeo, Junior Byles and many others.
After leaving Jamaica in 1987, Clinton Fearon started a new career in Seattle. Him and some of the musicians of The Gladiators took advantage of the extra time remaining on their visa, at the end of the US tour, to started a band in the Northwest: The Defenders. The band built a nice following in the area but split after five years. Clinton Fearon finally formed his own band in the mid 90s in Seattle with local musicians: Boogie Brown Band. Clinton Fearon recorded eight albums with Boogie Brown Band and tour with them in the Pacific Northwest and Europe intensively, but also other places in the US and South America.
Since 2005 and the release of Mi An Mi Guitar, Clinton is also giving magical performances in solo acoustic. In 2012, he released his second acoustic opus: Heart And Soul, which gathers 16 songs wrote between 1969-1984, while he was a strong member of the mythic Gladiators in Jamaica. With just vocal and guitar, Clinton is playing his music all over the world, in clubs, theaters, festivals and other cultural centers.
Each song of Clinton Fearon is a strong message coming from the heart of a man who is dedicating his life to help a better world to come. With chiselled music and poetic lyrics, he opens reggae to a wider audience who simply loves his beautiful songs.
The London is proud to continue the jazz tradition of the Monday Night Big Band. On a night when most musicians are free of gigs, they gather in numbers to play some of the music they love most: everything from Ellington and Basie to Buddy Rich and Michael Buble. Don't miss this chance to enjoy the power and diversity of the top horn-heavy bands from Portland and beyond.
Portland, Oregon based Jumptown Big Band is a professional 17-piece swing band consisting of highly talented and experienced musicians from the greater metropolitan area. Our vision is to keep traditional big band music relevant to people of all ages with a focus on providing high quality performances in terms of both musical technique and entertaining showmanship.
Our repertoire of musical arrangements includes up-tempo swing, foxtrots, ballads, rock ‘n roll, and Latin. Our music can be tailored to suit any event. We perform danceable Count Basie, Ted Heath, and Les Brown style swing music as well as more modern jazz concert pieces in the styles of Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Rob McConnell, and Gordon Goodwin. We have also been known to mix in some contemporary pop hits from artists such as Amy Winehouse and Pharrell Williams.
Whether it be a well-known big band standard, contemporary jazz showcase, sentimental vocal ballad, or a hard swinging brass feature, Jumptown Big Band provides a unique and complete package of musical entertainment.
Mattson 2 are Jared and Jonathan Mattson, identical twins who have been collaborating almost literally from birth. They grew up in San Diego, CA, where in middle school they started playing music; decades later, they had earned Master’s degrees in Music from the University of California Irvine. They formed their psych-jazz group Mattson 2 in 2003, and released their first album, Introducing the Mattson 2, in 2009. Subsequent releases include collabs with pro skaters Ray Barbee, Tommy Guerrero, Farmer Dave (of Kurt Vile), and Money Mark (of Beastie Boys). Since then, they’ve released an album with Chaz Bear — 2017’s Star Stuff, recorded under the name Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2 and which peaked at #1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz charts — and reinterpreted Coltrane’s legendary A Love Supreme which Jazz Times said “manages to hold Coltrane’s revered album in the highest esteem while absolutely shredding it to pieces.” Paradise, their 8th record, marks the first time that the brothers have added vocals. The album is a masterful piece of psych-jazz, conceptually elegant and thrilling it its execution.
Every generation has a musical oracle, one that points the way to the complexities of living a purposeful life in these changing times. Tiana "Versie Jean" White is such an artist, and genuine believability is the hallmark of her music. Throughout her self-revealing compositions, her music speaks to a simplistic, yet profound storytelling process, reminiscent of the great songwriters of the past. More than willing to expose her passions, as well as her disappointments, she takes you on a journey of self-discovery using uniquely melodic phrasing that is one, instructive, as well as inspiring encouragement to any and all seeking their way. > > Unafraid to share her heartfelt intimacies, her lyrics will bring you face to face with a life learner that is finding peace with discomfort. She has often said, "At a young age, I challenged myself to face head on the things that actually terrified me", and her commitment to artistic courage is rooted in every song she composes. > > > Born the youngest daughter of a local R&B singer from Portland, Oregon, "Versie Jean" witnessed firsthand, the demands of fashioning a music career. She gleaned from her Mother's experience, the need to be a well-rounded, authentic person in the midst of pursuing your dreams. > > The passion she brings to her music is matched by a strong, but subtle discipline that directs her creative choices. She often refers to herself as a visual artist. "I write in images. Word pictures that allows the listener to transport into my world. At least that's what I try to do ha." Unafraid to cry, to scream, to laugh, and most importantly, to release all her energy into her songs, "Verse Jean" has created in her music, a magnetic attraction that binds the soul of the listener to hear them over and over again. > > Jean is a graduate of Lee University, which has housed many great artists such as Jordan Smith season 9 winner of the voice. Clark Beckham season 14 runner up of American Idol and Brooke Simpson Season 13 finalist of the Voice. All of who have inspired her on her artistic journey. > > In her upcoming project "Sincerely VersieJean", due out this spring, she is set to debut as another great Neo-Soul artist guaranteed to move your emotions. It is our pleasure to introduce you to the sound, and the soul of the next great singer-songwriter from the Pacific Northwest. The genuinely, compelling music of "Versie Jean" Enjoy!
