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SEEING
RED OVER BLUES "Now listen up, my friend. The talk around town is that you are in danger of being labeled a Music Nazi." The speaker was Mike Henry, a big burley bear of a man whose talents range from pro photography to keyboard doctoring, playing bass, and organizing musical events such as the Thursday night blues jams down at The Overtime in west Eugene. The listener was — no, it couldn't be — Steve Remington? Well-known for his free-range eclecticism, Remington is managing director of the Eugene Celebration and president of the Downtown Events Management, Inc. (DEMI) board. Before he entered the scene in 1999, a single person had booked all the EC musical acts, having total command over who was in or out. One of Remington's first deeds when he took over was to create an eight to 10 member committee to manage that job as a team.
"Well sure, there is a committee," Mike Henry declared, "I was on it. But that doesn't mean every member is listened to." Henry's gripe is that, while he appreciates nearly every kind of music, he all-too-often felt the blues were under-represented at the EC. Because of his wish to make the Celebration more blues friendly, he became known on the committee as "the blues guy." More than once, Remington suggested that Henry was the only one pushing for greater representation of that genre. "Me? A music Nazi?" Remington recently asked with the raise of one eyebrow. "Give me a break. Mike knows full well I am a thrifty Scot with a budget to maintain. I told him clearly that my programs had to balance what the people want with what we can afford." Henry, however, was still discouraged. "By frequently mentioning and trying to promote certain blues bands, I began to think I might be doing them more harm than good," he sighed. "I got tired of being the lone exponent of more blues at the EC. And that's when I decided to send out those e-mails." He certainly meant no harm when he sent his messages out to a dozen or so musical friends, but the results exceeded his expectations. "Now, mind you, I didn't tell 'em to complain!" he protests. "I merely suggested that they had to promote themselves to Steve Remington. I told 'em, if you like blues, let them know that fact down at the DEMI office. Write. Send e-mail! Call." And write and call they did. In overdrive. One of the musicians who got Henry's email was Jon Silvermoon, leader of The Vipers, a local blues band (Silvermoon does vocals and blues harp, John Wood is on guitar, Rick Markstrom, drums, and Byron Case on bass). Henry's stance struck a chord with Silvermoon because ever since his band did a gig at the Celebration a decade ago, they had applied every year and never got a second go-round. "We performed in 1994," Silvermoon says, "when another group canceled and we were a last minute replacement. Our name never made it into the listings." From '95 to 2000, The Vipers played at various renegade stages around town during those crucial three days each September. "Sure, those unofficial stages feed off the Celebration," Silvermoon admits. He feels they are a reaction to EC booking policies, which, while they don't exclude local bands, often relegate them to minor stages at less desirable time slots. And that really matters because only the big stages get broadcast on radio all across western Oregon. During the 2001 and 2002 ECs, The Vipers played the Saturday Market Stage, which operates independently from the Celebration committee and books only local bands. Silvermoon knows there is a committee making the musical decisions, but he feels they are heavily influenced by booking agents who want to promote their own personal favorites, resulting again in a kind of de facto exclusion. "At the time Downtown Events Management took over the Celebration from the city, I asked the City Hall for meeting records so that I could examine the process, but was told that DEMI is private, not public, so they no longer had any voice in the matter." Silvermoon's concerns raise the wider issue of booking policies around Eugene. An example is the annual blues show at Secret House Vineyards, which almost always starts off with a local band but then relies on groups invited down from Portland. "I know one Eugene blues band," Silvermoon says, "who changed their address to a Portland P.O. box in order to get booked into the EC and local clubs." In spring of this year, The Vipers played 11 gigs over 18 days in a tour of northern Europe, including a festival in Sweden and numerous club dates. Deb Cleveland, one of Eugene's top female blues figures (see accompanying story) often fronts the group as a guest singer, and she joined in for the tour. "It's easier for us to book Europe than the EC," Silvermoon shrugged. "There's a pretty obvious irony!" Partly in reaction to these perceived policies, but also to reinvigorate the local blues scene in a positive way, Silvermoon and others started up the Rainy Days Blues Society (RDBS) back in February of this year. The group meets on the fourth Monday of every month at Cozmic Pizza. Fired up by Mike Henry's e-mail, the RDBS made a conscious decision to try to influence the Celebration's booking policies, beginning with the Fifth Avenue Stage. "Saturday has traditionally been devoted to blues at the Fifth Avenue Stage," Silvermoon says, "so one suggestion that arose in our discussions was to someday take over those Saturday bookings by having the Society raise funds to cover costs rather than letting the Celebration go on doing that. That idea seems to me like a cooperative approach, not a confrontational one." Remington disagrees with any premise that the Celebration isn't keeping the Saturday bookings true to a blues mode. "This year, every Fifth Avenue Stage act is either blues or heavily influenced by blues. The Radiators, who play the finale, do Cajun blues, in the spirit of our Big EC New Orleans theme." But Silvermoon is also concerned that the EC has become a destination-point event for statewide and interstate tourism, with the result that local musicians, except for the top groups and singers, seldom make the final cut. "The food booths are almost all local," he says, "but the same preference doesn't apply to musicians. Why not?"
Remington responded, "Every band has an equal shot. If The Vipers or any other group doesn't make it, it's simply because they are not a big enough draw compared to what else is available. The musical tastes of Eugene are so varied, it would take five festivals to satisfies everyone's preferences. But because we believe quality is universal, we seek out the best in every genre." Others support the notion that there is so much talent hereabouts, it is not an easy job to separate the better from the best. Bill Shreve's group, the Bill Willie Blues Band, has been playing in Eugene for more than 15 years, but they have never been rewarded with an EC gig. Still, Shreve holds no bitterness. "It is not that big a deal," he says. "Our band plays dozens of shows each year, so DEMI knows we're here. We submitted a CD to Remington a while back and were politely told 'no.' That's life. You move on." No sour grapes? "I know the selection process is imperfect," Shreve added. "But I also think Steve Remington has done a pretty good job of bringing the best-attended music into the EC. Last year there was great blues and I expect the same again." That sentiment is echoed by Marty Weissbarth, musical director and sax player for the Deb Cleveland's own band, a major force on the local blues scene and a nearly constant presence at every Eugene Celebration during recent years. Weissbarth has been musically active in Lane County for over 30 years. "When I came here in '72 the blues climate was vital and strong," he says, "and the blues scene became a 'school' for many developing players. Most of the 'teachers' from those days — Rooster and the others — are gone now. Maybe blues here isn't what it once was. But Remington works very hard to balance the resources he has and still involve local and regional show folks." Mike Henry also referred reverently to Rooster (aka Gavin Fox), a radio personality who did much to promote the Eugene blues scene prior to his passing five years ago. Henry commented, "Last year I produced a three-hour blues jam called Rooster's All Stars on the Fifth Avenue Stage. The venue itself was renamed Rooster's Roost." While the three main stages are each capable of handling 12 slots, nine more official stages add another 70 openings to the total number of acts. "Jon Silvermoon's beef is more with the economics of the club system than it is with the EC," Remington concludes. As for those unregulated renegade stages, don't they simply add to the diversity? "Private clubs can legally do whatever they want, provided they have the right noise permits," Remington says, "but unofficial outdoor stages on private property and in parking lots can cause problems. Take, for example, the situation one recent year when a couple of outdoor club stages on either side of the Hilton Hotel were blasting away until the wee hours. The hotel patrons complained, 'Damn that Eugene Celebration for keeping us awake all night!' That wasn't us, but we were painted with the blame!" Independent indoor venues, however, are another matter. "They are the perfect solution," Remington declares. "They open up more slots for music, more bands participate, and club owners get involved." Local venues are encouraged to find their own ways to participate. The officially sanctioned show at Cozmic Pizza during this year's Big EC is a good example. On both Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 pm, it includes a musical kickoff event for the Rainy Days Blues Society with two invitational jams and numerous slots for local blues bands. Jon Silvermoon and The Vipers are scheduled to appear at 1:45 pm Sunday. Sometimes, everybody wins.
Deb Cleveland Band: Blues & Beyond "To be perfectly honest, we are not a straight up pure blues band," says Deb Cleveland when asked about her band's gig on the Fifth Avenue Stage this year. "I believe that music should just feel good, for the players and singers and for the audience, too. And I also believe that you needn't restrict yourself to only one genre to achieve that. So yes, we do the blues, but we also do a lot of other things."
Back in the mid-'90s, Deb and Marty Weissbarth were subbing as backup members in a band that no longer exists. It was work, but not particularly inspiring. After the first time he heard her sing, Marty called Deb over and said, "What are you doing singing back-up? You should be fronting a band. Let's go see what we can put together and have some real fun." Over at Marty's, a group of musicians gathered. The guys started playing, Deb started singing, and by the end of the day the first incarnation of the Deb Cleveland Band was born. Gradually, all the members except Deb and Marty rotated out until they come to the lineup that exists today — Jeff Alberts on drums, Tom Wheeler on guitar, Jeremy Gibbons on bass, Marty still on sax and Matt Tredder on keyboards. Most of these fellas have or had affiliations at the UO — in the School of Music or the Gospel Ensemble. "Our very first gig was in the UO courtyard," Deb recalled. "That felt good and so we auditioned to get on the stage at John Henry's. That went even better. After that, The Vet's Club (now Mac's at the Vet's) became like a second home for us. They sold the best drinks in town." Cleveland's band played three of the biggest area fairs: The Oregon State Fair, the county fair and the Country Fair and numerous benefits. They recorded a CD, The Deb Cleveland Band Live — All Night Long, in 1998. On her own, Deb pressed a CD with the Mudcats in Vancouver, B.C., and featured on the The Vipers CD Tickle My Toes. That led to her joining their tour of Europe in March/April of this year. "My next goal with the DC band is to set up a website and produce an album with 100 percent original tunes," she says. "We may still have a ways to go, but we sure do enjoy the ride." |
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