Danny Schmidt In Concert

with special guest Alexa Wiley

Sunday, April 7, 7:00pm

Advance discount tickets are $15 and available from  www.ticketfly.com or $20 at the door.

Named to the Chicago Tribune’s 50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years, Austin-based Danny Schmidt has rapidly ascended from underground cult hero to being widely recognized as an artist of generational significance.  With lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Dave Carter, Danny is considered a preeminent writer whose earthy poetry manages to conjure magic from the mundane.  Sing Out Magazine calls him “Perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.”

Armed with just his voice, his words, and his acoustic guitar, Danny’s a timeless troubadour, sharing his truth in the form of songs, unadorned and intimate.  As songwriter Jeffrey Foucault put it: “Everything about the man is gentle, except for his capacity for insight, which is crushing.”

Opening for Danny is Portland’s own Alexa Wiley.  Solo or with her solid band, Alexa has the stage presence and attitude that says “Sit up and listen!”  And the reward for doing so is an ear, head and heart full of memorable songs that will matter to you long after she leaves the stage.

http://www.dannyschmidt.com

http://alexawiley.com/

More information: Matt Miner, 503-484-8196,

Claudia Schmidt in Concert

Friday, April 26, 7:00pm, Clinton Street Theater

Advance discount tickets: http://claudiaportland.brownpapertickets.com

The Barn Birds: Jonathan Byrd and Chris Kokesh in Concert

Tuesday, May 7, 7:00pm, Secret Society

Advance discount tickets at http:// www.ticketfly.com

More information at 503-484-8196 or mattminermusic.com

Songwriter Circle: Cal Scott and Richard Moore

with special guest Kathryn Claire

Monday, June 3, 7:00pm, O’Connor’s Vault

Advance discount tickets at brownpapertickets.com

More information at 503-484-8196 or mattminermusic.com

The old “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game can be even more intriguing when you play it with the names of musicians.  Some of the biggest names can end up in the smallest places, and you can find that the guy playing in the corner bar owns a place in history.  A few weeks ago, Kerry Canfield, my current bandmate in Gary Furlow and the Loafers, and member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame inducted band “Wheatfield,” lent me a couple of CDs by Seattle jazz guitarist Michael Cosgrove.  Perusing the liner notes I noticed the name Marlin Greene, on one album as producer, the other as graphic artist.  A familiar name, but I didn’t know much about him.  Thumbing through my vinyl collection I remembered where I had seen him listed before.  He was a co-producer and engineer on Gary Ogan and Bill Lamb’s “Portland” album back in the seventies.  The song “Portland Rain” from that Elektra release was a regional hit for them.  Then a little googling led me to Marlin’s discography, where I discovered he was responsible for the iconic lead guitar work on Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”  Check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8raabzZNqw&feature=related

Every time I write about another performer whose music has caught my attention, it’s a challenge not only to find new descriptive words, but also to find a way to convince you that what you’re reading is not just new hype, it’s genuine enthusiasm.    I can only hope that if you’ve been to one of my shows, you’ve been sufficiently entertained so that if anything I’ve written seemed like hype, you wrote it off as unrestrained exuberance instead.

Well, for March 8, I am exuberant about getting the chance to present one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters, a local guy who I rank up there with legends like Jackson Browne and Paul Simon.  Gary Ogan had his brush with fame, too, in the late ’70s, collaborating with Leon Russell as a writer, producer and musician on Russell’s projects as well as his own.  But Gary’s path has seldom been steered by any formula for commercial success.  He’s driven by the song, and seems to care so much for his songs that one could imagine him learning a new instrument just to perfect an arrangement.

Thursday, March 8 at O’Connor’s Vault, you’ll get to hear that care reflected in a solo show – just Gary, playing some guitar, and some keyboard, and singing his heart out in his unique and powerful voice.

To hear what I’m talking about, go to http://www.garyogan.com/videos/