Jake Oken-Berg - Jake Oken-Berg was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. A "Portland prodigy" (KINK FM), Jake's been playing piano, singing, and writing songs since age five and has performed in over 50 cities around the world. Combining jazz and pop piano styles with powerful vocals, Jake's music is instantly catchy and his live shows are full of improvisational surprises. Just released at the beginning of 2009, Jake's debut album, Find Love EP, received immediate praise from critics. Echo Helstrom - After garnering critical acclaim for their debut album, The Veil, orchestral rock band Echo Helstrom retreated to the studio to do something different. Or, continue to do something different. But what is it? This Portland, Oregon collective, consisting of some of Portland's best classical and jazz musicians, are definitely playing rock music. Their adventurous arrangements run the gamut from chamber music to punk rock with a lot to offer in between.

No artist to emerge in the second half of the '60s-a remarkably bountiful period-has gone on to have a more productive and vital career than singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. While still a teenager, he founded and led Fairport Convention, which was to British folk-rock what the Byrds were to the idiom's American equivalent-meaning more Childe ballads and less sunshine. Richard Thompson, who was recently described in Rolling Stone as the "Thinking Man's Guitar God", is among the most distinctive of guitar virtuosos, capable of breathtaking drama and sublime delicacy, depending on the song and the amp setting. Over the course of his career, Thompson has earned numerous awards and honors, including the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, the Orville Gibson Award for guitarists, and a spot in the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's list of all-time Guitar Greats. In 2006, he was awarded the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.

No artist to emerge in the second half of the '60s-a remarkably bountiful period-has gone on to have a more productive and vital career than singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. While still a teenager, he founded and led Fairport Convention, which was to British folk-rock what the Byrds were to the idiom's American equivalent-meaning more Childe ballads and less sunshine. Richard Thompson, who was recently described in Rolling Stone as the "Thinking Man's Guitar God", is among the most distinctive of guitar virtuosos, capable of breathtaking drama and sublime delicacy, depending on the song and the amp setting. Over the course of his career, Thompson has earned numerous awards and honors, including the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, the Orville Gibson Award for guitarists, and a spot in the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's list of all-time Guitar Greats. In 2006, he was awarded the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.

No artist to emerge in the second half of the '60s-a remarkably bountiful period-has gone on to have a more productive and vital career than singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. While still a teenager, he founded and led Fairport Convention, which was to British folk-rock what the Byrds were to the idiom's American equivalent-meaning more Childe ballads and less sunshine. Richard Thompson, who was recently described in Rolling Stone as the "Thinking Man's Guitar God", is among the most distinctive of guitar virtuosos, capable of breathtaking drama and sublime delicacy, depending on the song and the amp setting. Over the course of his career, Thompson has earned numerous awards and honors, including the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, the Orville Gibson Award for guitarists, and a spot in the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's list of all-time Guitar Greats. In 2006, he was awarded the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.

From the moment she first appeared in front of us on Saturday Night Live in 1979, Rickie Lee Jones has challenged her listeners and the establishment with an absorbing musical vision that defies border and classification. She rocked the culture of singer-song writerdom with her refusal to conform to the stayed and careful eloquence of the folk rock generation that came before her. Neither punk nor pop, she tottered on a thread of her own devise, jazz - the old musical kind, and R&B - the Motown thread that permeates her work. Her sense of humor, musical dexterity and song craft is all evident on her exquisite new album Balm in Gilead. Jones, who's joined on the record by Ben Harper, Jon Brion, Vic Chesnutt, Bill Frisell, Victoria Williams and Alison Krauss among other highly talented friends, has again captured her generation's common experience.

From the moment she first appeared in front of us on Saturday Night Live in 1979, Rickie Lee Jones has challenged her listeners and the establishment with an absorbing musical vision that defies border and classification. She rocked the culture of singer-song writerdom with her refusal to conform to the stayed and careful eloquence of the folk rock generation that came before her. Neither punk nor pop, she tottered on a thread of her own devise, jazz - the old musical kind, and R&B - the Motown thread that permeates her work. Her sense of humor, musical dexterity and song craft is all evident on her exquisite new album Balm in Gilead. Jones, who's joined on the record by Ben Harper, Jon Brion, Vic Chesnutt, Bill Frisell, Victoria Williams and Alison Krauss among other highly talented friends, has again captured her generation's common experience.

On Just Us Kids, James McMurtry follows up his critically acclaimed Childish Things with a dozen new, sharply drawn illuminations as he continues to hone and expand his considerable gifts. And the self-produced opus (James' fourth venture pulling strings on both sides of the glass) unquestionably represents his most ambitious, accomplished and ass-kicking presentation to date. Just Us Kids will be the first release for Nashville-based Lightning Rod Records; label president Logan Rogers previously worked as Vice President of A&R for Compadre Records on McMurtry's previous two albums. The Texas native long has been known as an astute, clear-eyed observer and concise, no-holds-barred chronicler of the human condition, but a growing socio-political edge fairly exploded just prior to the 2004 elections when his scathing, palace-rattling "We Can't Make It Here" was made available online as a free download.

Art In a manner befitting their name (a Gaelic word meaning "light"), Solas burst onto a largely dormant Irish music scene and almost instantly became a beacon - an incandescent ensemble that found contemporary relevance in timeless traditions without ever stooping to crossover clichés. Via spectacular musicianship, riveting band empathy, and a bold willingness to extend the boundaries of their sound, Solas cleared a path for traditional Irish music in the new millennium. While their rapid rise to prominence was startling and reinvigorating, equally impressive is Solas' continued artistic growth. Despite - or perhaps because of - continued evolutions in the band's lineup, they have harnessed the explosive energy of their thrilling early era and extended it outward across a series of albums that showcase an increasing sophistication and a still restless creative spirit. Solas' most recent album, For Love and Laughter, finds the band embracing new elements while simultaneously looking back. "Looking at this album, we wanted to combine some of the previous approaches," explains founding member and multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan. "We went in with more of the raw, immediate mentality of our first three albums, but kept ourselves open to other possibilities and new elements."

Singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt originally conceived Realism, The Magnetic Fields' third Nonesuch release, as a companion to the group's brash 2008 Distortion, though the more tremulous listeners among us can rest assured they won't have to frantically reach for the volume-control knob this time. Realism, at least on its decorous surface, comes across as a flipside to Distortion, the aural opposite of that clangorous homage to industrial pop of the Jesus and Mary Chain. "I thought of the two records as a pair," Merritt reveals, "and I kind of wanted them to be called True and False. But I couldn't decide which I wanted to be called True and which I wanted to be called False. They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music—not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style. Distortion went as far as one could really go in the direction of stylized noise-pop, which is probably the limit of stylization in rock before it turns into some other genre. And Realism is folk, although I couldn't really bring myself to go all the way with folk. I can't stand the sound of an acoustic guitar for more than three minutes at a time. So I didn't go really, really folk, I thought I would go in a 'variety folk' format, like a Judy Collins or a Judy Henkse album. Most of my favorite records are variety records. Distortion was one monolithic production idea and Realism is a more kaleidoscopic approach to a genre."

Singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt originally conceived Realism, The Magnetic Fields' third Nonesuch release, as a companion to the group's brash 2008 Distortion, though the more tremulous listeners among us can rest assured they won't have to frantically reach for the volume-control knob this time. Realism, at least on its decorous surface, comes across as a flipside to Distortion, the aural opposite of that clangorous homage to industrial pop of the Jesus and Mary Chain. "I thought of the two records as a pair," Merritt reveals, "and I kind of wanted them to be called True and False. But I couldn't decide which I wanted to be called True and which I wanted to be called False. They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music—not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style. Distortion went as far as one could really go in the direction of stylized noise-pop, which is probably the limit of stylization in rock before it turns into some other genre. And Realism is folk, although I couldn't really bring myself to go all the way with folk. I can't stand the sound of an acoustic guitar for more than three minutes at a time. So I didn't go really, really folk, I thought I would go in a 'variety folk' format, like a Judy Collins or a Judy Henkse album. Most of my favorite records are variety records. Distortion was one monolithic production idea and Realism is a more kaleidoscopic approach to a genre."

Singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt originally conceived Realism, The Magnetic Fields' third Nonesuch release, as a companion to the group's brash 2008 Distortion, though the more tremulous listeners among us can rest assured they won't have to frantically reach for the volume-control knob this time. Realism, at least on its decorous surface, comes across as a flipside to Distortion, the aural opposite of that clangorous homage to industrial pop of the Jesus and Mary Chain. "I thought of the two records as a pair," Merritt reveals, "and I kind of wanted them to be called True and False. But I couldn't decide which I wanted to be called True and which I wanted to be called False. They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music—not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style. Distortion went as far as one could really go in the direction of stylized noise-pop, which is probably the limit of stylization in rock before it turns into some other genre. And Realism is folk, although I couldn't really bring myself to go all the way with folk. I can't stand the sound of an acoustic guitar for more than three minutes at a time. So I didn't go really, really folk, I thought I would go in a 'variety folk' format, like a Judy Collins or a Judy Henkse album. Most of my favorite records are variety records. Distortion was one monolithic production idea and Realism is a more kaleidoscopic approach to a genre."

The essence of Forgiven, the gripping third album by Texas trio Los Lonely Boys? "Familia! That's what I think it represents. Three brothers. True American spirit - or Texican spirit." It's as simple as that, says guitarist Henry Garza of the artistic and emotional breakthrough achieved by him and his siblings, bass player Jojo and drummer Ringo Jr. From the bluesy groove of the opening song "Heart Won't Tell a Lie" through the yearning plea of the title song, the heartfelt faith of "Love Don't Care About Me" and a rollicking version of the Steve Winwood/Spencer Davis Group chestnut "I'm a Man." Los Lonely Boys has fully realized the potential shown as its first two studio albums, the multi-platinum 2003 debut Los Lonely Boys and 2006's Sacred (a No. 2 arrival on the Billboard albums chart), made the Texas trio one of the most beloved and acclaimed new arrivals in rock. Each of the three reaches new levels in their playing and singing, Henry and Jojo alternating lead duties and all three joining in both the group musical dynamics and vocal harmonies that can only come with genetic bonds. And there are some new turns as well, including Ringo's recording debut as a lead singer on the song "Superman." Powered by passion and true brotherly love, Forgiven is in every note a rock 'n' roll classic.

"David Garrett is already the stuff of legend - in him is enshrined an entire corpus of virtuoso violin art, expounded with a fearsome beauty beyond comprehension." BBC Music Magazine By the time he was thirteen years old, when most of his peers were whiling away their afternoons on their new PlayStations, the virtuoso violinist David Garrett had a classical music career that would make most artists of any age pea-green with envy. Born in the German city of Aachen to an American ballerina mother and a German father who was a lawyer, David was a true child prodigy. At age eight, he was being booked to play as a soloist in front of some of the world's greatest orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Russian National Orchestra. When he was twelve, he was performing alongside legend Yehudi Menuhin. When he turned thirteen, he was signed to one of the most famous and prestigious classical music labels in the world, Deutsche Grammophon, as a solo artist.

Singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt originally conceived Realism, The Magnetic Fields' third Nonesuch release, as a companion to the group's brash 2008 Distortion, though the more tremulous listeners among us can rest assured they won't have to frantically reach for the volume-control knob this time. Realism, at least on its decorous surface, comes across as a flipside to Distortion, the aural opposite of that clangorous homage to industrial pop of the Jesus and Mary Chain. "I thought of the two records as a pair," Merritt reveals, "and I kind of wanted them to be called True and False. But I couldn't decide which I wanted to be called True and which I wanted to be called False. They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music—not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style. Distortion went as far as one could really go in the direction of stylized noise-pop, which is probably the limit of stylization in rock before it turns into some other genre. And Realism is folk, although I couldn't really bring myself to go all the way with folk. I can't stand the sound of an acoustic guitar for more than three minutes at a time. So I didn't go really, really folk, I thought I would go in a 'variety folk' format, like a Judy Collins or a Judy Henkse album. Most of my favorite records are variety records. Distortion was one monolithic production idea and Realism is a more kaleidoscopic approach to a genre."

An independent musician with the heart of a geek, Jonathan Coulton is a Yale graduate who left his day-job as a computer programmer to stay home and write songs. Between 2005 and 2006 he wrote, recorded, and published a new song every week as a free podcast project called "Thing a Week." This year-long experiment produced 52 consistently well-written and solidly produced songs, and he soon became an internet sensation. Jonathan's songs cover unusual topics not often heard in music and tend to make even the most jaded listeners excited about music again. Jonathan Coulton won the 2007 Game Audio Network Guild "Song of the Year" award for his composition "Still Alive," which was featured in the critically acclaimed game Portal, the Game Developers Choice Awards "Game of the Year" for 2007. All of the songs from the Thing a Week project are now available on CD, either individually or in a packaged box set and his song "Code Monkey" is heard each week on the G4 Television program of the same name. When not traveling the globe or using his powers for good, Jonathan Coulton resides in New York City with his wife and child.

Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world's best-known halls. In performances devoid of outward drama that nevertheless convey deep emotion, Vega sings in a distinctive, clear vibrato-less voice that has been described as "a cool, dry sandpaper- brushed near-whisper" and as "plaintive but disarmingly powerful."

An independent musician with the heart of a geek, Jonathan Coulton is a Yale graduate who left his day-job as a computer programmer to stay home and write songs. Between 2005 and 2006 he wrote, recorded, and published a new song every week as a free podcast project called "Thing a Week." This year-long experiment produced 52 consistently well-written and solidly produced songs, and he soon became an internet sensation. Jonathan's songs cover unusual topics not often heard in music and tend to make even the most jaded listeners excited about music again. Jonathan Coulton won the 2007 Game Audio Network Guild "Song of the Year" award for his composition "Still Alive," which was featured in the critically acclaimed game Portal, the Game Developers Choice Awards "Game of the Year" for 2007. All of the songs from the Thing a Week project are now available on CD, either individually or in a packaged box set and his song "Code Monkey" is heard each week on the G4 Television program of the same name. When not traveling the globe or using his powers for good, Jonathan Coulton resides in New York City with his wife and child.

Since 1995, Austin, Texas' Asylum Street Spankers have purveyed their love of 1920s and 30s ragtime, pre-war blues, and early jazz into a full-fledged, extremely witty, unamplified hootenanny that's won over thousands of fans. Led by vocalist Christina Marrs and harmonica/washboard player/vocalist Wammo, the group has explored the joys of pre-war raunch ('96's Nasty Novelties), languorously expounded on the thrill of earthly vices ('97's Spanker Madness), and, on 2004's Mercurial, taken on Black Flag and the Beastie Boys. Now they've harnessed what Rolling Stone describes as their "inspired, lunatic brilliance," and applied it to kids' music. The Asylum Street Spankers' seventh studio album – and their first for veteran roots label Yellow Dog Records – might be family friendly fare, but it certainly pulls no punches: Just try to follow Wammo's tongue twisters on "You Only Love Me For My Lunchbox," or attempt to resist the sweet nostalgia of "Sidekick." Blast the propulsive title track, a Spike Jones-influenced slam dance contender, or slow dance to a waltz version of Harry Nilsson's "Think About Your Troubles," which features a warbling musical saw.

The Subdudes started out as an afterthought. "I think it was just a whim to do something different," Tommy Malone recalls. "But then I think we realized it was something unique." The first show as the Subdudes grew out of a sense of frustration that fans weren't getting the Continental Drifters, a guitar- and keyboard-heavy rock 'n' roll band that featured future Subdudes Malone, John Magnie, Johnny Ray Allen and Jimmy Messa. "It all came out of a night where we, the Continental Drifters, played at (the music venue called) Jimmy's. ... We had three or four people come tell us, 'You're really too loud,' " Magnie says. "It was one of those things - we'd practice and we'd get all this stuff together, and then you'd play it, and it just wasn't that well-loved. We were trying to be something avant guard - sorta edgy. I think we were trying to be edgy, and we just ended up being loud. "Me and Tommy were up at the bar after that, talking, saying, 'This ain't working. ... We should just do a gig' - it was sort of a hostile feeling - 'we'll just do a gig and be really quiet, we'll be really subdued - that's what they want"The idea just came right then - and the word - 'we'll be subdued,' " Magnie says.Malone agrees, "We looked at one another and said, 'That's the name---If we could just be a little more 'subdued!' "

For more than two decades as a solo artist and Grammy-winning producer, Joe Henry has worked with some of the most celebrated names in music, including Ornette Coleman, Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, T-Bone Burnett, Don Byron, Solomon Burke, Brad Mehldau, Madonna, and Ani DiFranco. On Blood from Stars, his remarkable and sprawling new album, Henry has the unprecedented pleasure of introducing the world to a new talent, a young saxophonist by the name of Levon Henry. "I was tempted to put him on my last record, Civilians (2007)," Henry explains of his seventeen-year-old son. "He wasn't quite ready for that –and neither was I. But in the last two years, he's found a voice and begun to speak in wildly expansive and complete sentences. It wasn't a matter of me thinking it would be cute to put him on a record. He was just the musician I most wanted to hear in that chair." It doesn't take long to understand why.

Award-winning blues rock star, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa and his ace touring band will perform in concert at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR on March 4th. The one-night-only show is in support of his upcoming album Black Rock, to be released on Bonamassa's J&R Adventures label in early 2010. The tenth full-length solo release and eighth studio album of his career, the disc will mark Bonamassa's sixth collaboration with Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Aerosmith) as producer. 2009 marked a year of milestones for Bonamassa. He kicked it off in February with the release of his ninth solo album, The Ballad of John Henry, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Nicky Horne from the UK's Planet Rock Radio called it "a quantum leap from his previous albums, and they were damn good – if he keeps this up, he is destined to walk alongside the truly greats."

Charlie Murphy's rapid evolution from "Eddie Murphy's brother/bodyguard" and "Chappelle's Show" cast member to top-billed international comedian, playing to sold-out audiences around the globe, has been remarkable. He has spent the past five years performing his critically acclaimed stand-up and solidifying his position in Hollywood as a true acting talent, in his own right. In 2004, he embarked on the national "I'm Rich Bitch" comedy tour, featuring fellow "Chappelle's Show" cast members Bill Burr and Donnell Rawlings. "Charlie Murphy and Friends" and a co-headlining tour with Mike Epps followed. More recently, Murphy co-headlined on the 20-city "Maxim/Bud Light Real Men of Comedy Tour" with Joe Rogan and John Heffron. Charlie has worked with top Hollywood talent such as Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Eddie Murphy, Danny Aiello, Terrance Howard, Gabrielle Union, Queen Latifah, Vanessa Williams, Rip Torn, Peter Falk, Redd Fox, Angela Bassett, Wesley Snipes, Jamie Foxx, Samuel Jackson and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Kevin Burke & Cal Scott - Across the Black River: This recording is an exciting collaboration between Irish fiddler, Kevin Burke, and guitarist/composer, Cal Scott. The two first met while working on a documentary about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Cal was commissioned to compose the score and he engaged Kevin as a consultant on the project. They enjoyed working together so much that when it was completed they continued to spend time together, playing, recording and exchanging musical ideas. "Across the Black River" is their first CD together.

Patty Larkin - Patty Larkin is part of the urban-folk/pop music phenomenon that spun off of the singer/songwriter explosion of the seventies, reinterpreting traditional folk melodies, rock, pop, bossa nova, drawing on anything from Dylan (Bob) to Dylan (Thomas). A self described "guitar driven songwriter," Larkin has wound her way through soundscapes of evocative vocals, inventive guitar wizardry and imaginative lyrics. Her songs run from impressionistic poetry to witty wordplay. In 2010 Patty Larkin releases a collectible collection of 25 love songs in celebration of 25 years in the recording industry. Here Patty has reworked 25 of her favorite songs in an acoustic, "unplugged" release, joined by friends along the way. A follow up to her critically acclaimed WATCH THE SKY (Critics Choice-NY Times, Brilliant-Billboard), "25" is a one of a kind project that is at once intimate and universal, the voice of a generation of songwriters, simple and direct, yet the touchstone of one woman's song. Over her 25 year career, Patty Larkin has worked with some of the brightest stars in American music, honing a reputation as a "musician's musician" along the way. John Gorka - Godfrey Daniels is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions in eastern Pennsylvania. A small neighborhood coffeehouse and listening room, it has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians, and in the late 1970s, one of these was a young Moravian College student named John Gorka. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident M.C. and soundman, encountering legendary folk troubadors like Canadian singer/songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs — mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy's legendary Fast Folk circle became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas' Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and emerging songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him — Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin — had become his peers.

Though many still have trouble pronouncing his last name and the instrument he plays, Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-BOO- koo-row) is unquestionably regarded as one of the world's top ukulele (oo-koo-LAY-lay) musicians. Renowned for lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential." His virtuosity defies label or category. Playing jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock, Jake's mission is to show everyone that the ukulele is capable of so much more than only the traditional Hawaiian music many associate it.

His name is synonymous with Funky Music, his pedigree impeccable: Maceo Parker; his band: the tightest little funk orchestra on earth. Everyone knows by now that he's played with each and every leader of funk, from his start with James Brown, which Maceo describes as "like being at University", jumping aboard the Mothership with George Clinton, stretching out with Bootsy's Rubber Band. Most recently Prince has borrowed Maceo for his record breaking Musicology Tour, after all if you want funk you'd better call Maceo! He's the living, breathing pulse which connects the history of Funk in one golden thread. The cipher which unravels dance music down to its core.

Jeff Garlin both co-stars and executive produces the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" starring "Seinfeld" creator Larry David. The unique comedy features Garlin as David's loyal manager. The critically acclaimed series has won the Golden Globe award for Best Comedy, the Danny Thomas Producer of the Year award from the Producers Guild of America, and the AFI Comedy Series of the Year award. The Chicago native studied filmmaking and began performing stand-up comedy while at the University of Miami. A Second City Theatre alumnus, Garlin has toured the country as a stand-up comedian. Garlin's first film as a director, "I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With", was released to critical acclaim last year. Garlin has extensive experience on TV and in film, most recently voicing "The Captain" in the Pixar movie WALL-E.

Jamie Cullum is an artist deserving of superlatives but more complex than a simple set of adjectives can depict. If you know him as "just" a jazz musician or from his strikingly creative way with cover versions (among them, Radiohead's 'High & Dry' and Pharrell's 'Frontin') you're just familiar with the tip of the iceberg. 'The Pursuit', his fifth album and first new solo record in four years, is summed up by its title, taken from Nancy Mitford's classic novel, The Pursuit Of Love. "In life, we pursue everything. Life is one long pursuit," says Jamie and the album is just such a pursuit – a combination of his eclectic music tastes and enduring love of Jazz and its timeless standards. It is a record that mixes his heritage with a thrilling selection of modern influences. Describing its sound he moves from Cole Porter to Rhianna to Aphex Twin in the same sentence. Jamie is a performer capable of delivering constant surprises with a talent elastic enough to evince a four-to-the-floor acoustic Ibiza song on the same record as a lushly recorded Jazz standard.

World music will be the resounding theme at the second annual World Water Day PDX concert series, slated for Monday, March 22, 2010, at the Aladdin Theatre. Three Portland-based acts will be featured in the World Water Day PDX concert series, including 3 Leg Torso, Obo Addy, and Loveness Wesa and the Bantus Band. The concert series caps off the two-day Walk for Water fundraiser for Water for All, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean water to families in sub-Saharan Africa. As headliner for the World Water Day concert series, 3 Leg Torso exudes an eclectic synthesis of chamber music, tango, klezmer, Latin and world music.

This is about songs and soaring voices, about faith and fate. About family, yes, and loss, and jubilation. But mostly Downtown Church, the seventh album from Patty Griffin, is an opportunity to engage her special voice with the myriad traditions of gospel music. Yes, gospel music. You can't get to rock 'n' roll or any other form of American popular music worth listening to without taking a long, deep drink from the pure waters of gospel's golden age (roughly the decades bracketing World War II). Without savoring the drive and the anguish and the joy, the sheer undiluted joy, the certainty and the power sung out by dozens of highly competitive vocal groups. Without listening. "I still feel like black gospel music, what's come out of the United States from slavery, is really the foundation for almost everything that I love," Patty says. "I'm talkin' Beatles and everything. That, to me, is just basic. The foundation."

If every album provides snapshots of where an artist's mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroid's. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It's a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums.

Like the Hawaiian islands themselves, HAPA's music is an amalgam of influences ranging from ancient Polynesian rhythms and genealogical chants to the strummed ballads of Portuguese fisherman, Spanish cowboys, and the inspired melodies and harmonies of the traditional church choirs of the early missionaries. Add to this a dose of American acoustic folk/rock, and you have what has been described as the "most exciting and beautiful contemporary Hawaiian music the world knows!" HAPA's pioneering sound has established them as "Hawaii's most ambitious, diverse and imaginative music group" (John Berger, Honolulu Star-Bulletin). With a pulse and energy that make it entirely of today, Hapa's groundbreaking music connects firmly to the Polynesian past, featuring poetic ballads about the sea, the lushness of the land, and favorite chiefs all told through melodies rich in harmony and backed by virtuoso guitar. Add their signature dose of American acoustic folk/rock, Celtic and world influences and you have the essence of what Hapa music is: "beautiful, fragile, spiritual, powerful"

This is about songs and soaring voices, about faith and fate. About family, yes, and loss, and jubilation. But mostly Downtown Church, the seventh album from Patty Griffin, is an opportunity to engage her special voice with the myriad traditions of gospel music. Yes, gospel music. You can't get to rock 'n' roll or any other form of American popular music worth listening to without taking a long, deep drink from the pure waters of gospel's golden age (roughly the decades bracketing World War II). Without savoring the drive and the anguish and the joy, the sheer undiluted joy, the certainty and the power sung out by dozens of highly competitive vocal groups. Without listening. "I still feel like black gospel music, what's come out of the United States from slavery, is really the foundation for almost everything that I love," Patty says. "I'm talkin' Beatles and everything. That, to me, is just basic. The foundation."

Tim Reynolds has been playing music all of his life. Starting as a bass player in a gospel band in his hometown of St. Louis to his break through band in the 80's TR3 and forward to recording with and touring with the Dave Matthews Band and the Dave Matthews Tim Reynolds Acoustic Duo. Tim's progression has continued through his last 8 years on the road as a solo acoustic guitar wizard playing for packed houses who have come to realize this is not Dave side man this is one of the most talented and thoughtful players on the circuit today! Now things have come full circle and TR3 is back againto Rock and Funk your house down. The songs will be a mix of updated Tim classics to wild covers of everything from James Brown to Prince to Tim's newest catalogue of material he is preparing just for this tour.

Three extraordinary voices, two founding singer-songwriters, one singular vision: The Wailin' Jennys continue to evolve into far more than the melodious sum of their individual talents five years after blowing in on a fresh acoustic breeze from Canada's mid-western heartland. Spurred onward by a growing fan base that swoons at their intuitive harmonies and revels in their engaging stage presence and uplifting repertoire, the Jennys embarked on a giddy blur of activity following the release of their second album, Firecracker, in August, 2006. Numerous head-turning reviews ("quiet, warm, subtle, mellifluous, almost too good to be true," noted British daily The Independent) greeted a recording produced by David Travers-Smith (Jane Siberry, Harry Manx) and featuring a crew of ace musicians led by guitarist Kevin Breit (Norah Jones, k.d. lang). The trio wooed progressively larger audiences throughout North America while also making successful forays to Australia, the U.K. and continental Europe. And foremost among an unfolding series of life moments have been a second Juno Award nomination in Canada, the continuation of a much-cherished relationship with A Prairie Home Companion (Garrison Keillor's popular National Public Radio show) and a memorable date alongside Rosanne Cash at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

"Getting into the top ten has changed my underwear. Because now I can afford to buy some new underwear." - DOUG BENSON upon learning he was a finalist. If you find that you're saying to yourself, "Boy, Doug Benson seems familiar, but I can't quite place him," please allow us to help. One way you might know Doug Benson is if you've ever thought about, read about, heard about or otherwise experienced...marijuana. He's a creator/writer/star of "The Marijuana-Logues, a show that's been a hit (small pun intended) in theatres from Los Angeles to New York" more on that and the book of the same name in a moment. Oh, the other way you might've had an opportunity to become aware of Doug Benson is if you've ever watched television. Yeah, you heard right. We are indeed suggesting that Doug's ubiquitous enough on TV - and has been for many years - that if you've flipped on the boob tube at any given moment, there's a good chance you've seen him. We recognize we can't just let a statement like that dangle there, unsupported. So here is your support, you pushy bastard. We don't have enough room here to cite all of his TV credits, but here's a small sampling that suggests the sprawling array of work he's done on the small screen.

Don't miss "Viva Flamenco", an evening of traditional Flamenco dance and song with some of the finest Flamenco artists in the United States. Be drawn into the passion, strength and beauty of Flamenco and feel like you’re spending an evening at a club in Spain. This intimate showcase of talents features the cante (singing) of Vicente Griego, who is one of the most sought after artists in North America. In fact, he made his Cante Adelante (Solo Singing Performance) right here at the Aladdin to rave reviews from critics and audience members alike. Portland artists dancer/choreographer Mitsue "La Pura", owner of the acclaimed Solo Flamenco Arts Academy, and guitarist Mark Ferguson bring their commitment to the preservation of traditional Flamenco to the performance. While their styles and skills are dynamic and individual, their respect and intense training in traditional Flamenco always gives the audience the most authentic Flamenco experience possible outside of Spain.

The xx arrive with their brilliant debut single 'Crystalised' – released on 20th April 2009 on Young Turks. The xx are a London quartet, featuring the dual lead vocals of Romy Madley-Croft and Oliver Sim (who also play lead and bass guitar respectively), Baria Quereshi (keyboards and guitar) and Jamie Smith (beats, MPC sampler). All 19 years old, The xx are childhood friends who formed while attending the Elliot School – the south west London comp whose alumni also includes such acclaimed boundary-pushers as Burial, Four Tet and Hot Chip. Bonding over a shared love of stripped back anti-folk and mid-90s R&B, The xx's unique sound befits a wide range of influences that include everything from Aaliyaah to Cocorosie, Rhianna to The Cure, Missy Elliot to the Chromatics, The Kills to Ginuwine, The Pixies to Mariah Carey and Justin Timberlake to Tracey & The Plastics.

Born in Maywood, IL on October 10, 1946, John Prine's body of work has become the high-water mark of American songwriting and his songs have found a home in the repertoire of musical luminaries such as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash and George Strait. On March 9, 2005, at the request of Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, John Prine became the first singer/songwriter to read and perform at the Library of Congress. Prine takes his own sweet time dancing with his muse -- and truly writes what's in his soul. So if it takes him a little longer to compose the songs that capture the moments that reveal the gently folded human truths that bind us all together, it's always worth the wait. There was a nine year gap between his Grammy-nominated Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings and his latest solo offering, appropriately titled, Fair & Square, but his unorthodox timing was rewarded with critical acclaim. In 2006, Fair & Square won the Prine's latest record, Standard Songs for Average People, contains duet renditions of classic American songs with Bluegrass icon Mac "The Voice with a Heart" Wiseman.

Giving homage in a continually evolving artistic outlet, the Dark Star Orchestra recreates historic Grateful Dead set lists with compelling accuracy. Each night, the Chicago-based band decides on performing one show from the over 2,500 that the Grateful Dead originally performed during their 30 year tenure as fathers of improvisational rock. Dark Star Orchestra presents the complete original set list, song by song, and in order, with uncanny faithful interpretation. To date, DSO has covered more than 850 different Grateful Dead shows. The group has their craft so well-refined that even members of the Dead themselves, rhythm guitarist/singer Bob Weir, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and keyboardist Vince Welnick, have appeared on stage and performed with these live music interpreters. Precision is king with this group, who position the stage plot based on the year of Grateful Dead show they are performing. Dark Star Orchestra adapts their phrasing, voice arrangements, and even arranges specific musical equipment for the various eras in which they perform.

Born in Maywood, IL on October 10, 1946, John Prine's body of work has become the high-water mark of American songwriting and his songs have found a home in the repertoire of musical luminaries such as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash and George Strait. On March 9, 2005, at the request of Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, John Prine became the first singer/songwriter to read and perform at the Library of Congress. Prine takes his own sweet time dancing with his muse -- and truly writes what's in his soul. So if it takes him a little longer to compose the songs that capture the moments that reveal the gently folded human truths that bind us all together, it's always worth the wait. There was a nine year gap between his Grammy-nominated Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings and his latest solo offering, appropriately titled, Fair & Square, but his unorthodox timing was rewarded with critical acclaim. In 2006, Fair & Square won the Prine's latest record, Standard Songs for Average People, contains duet renditions of classic American songs with Bluegrass icon Mac "The Voice with a Heart" Wiseman.

Born in Maywood, IL on October 10, 1946, John Prine's body of work has become the high-water mark of American songwriting and his songs have found a home in the repertoire of musical luminaries such as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash and George Strait. On March 9, 2005, at the request of Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, John Prine became the first singer/songwriter to read and perform at the Library of Congress. Prine takes his own sweet time dancing with his muse -- and truly writes what's in his soul. So if it takes him a little longer to compose the songs that capture the moments that reveal the gently folded human truths that bind us all together, it's always worth the wait. There was a nine year gap between his Grammy-nominated Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings and his latest solo offering, appropriately titled, Fair & Square, but his unorthodox timing was rewarded with critical acclaim. In 2006, Fair & Square won the Prine's latest record, Standard Songs for Average People, contains duet renditions of classic American songs with Bluegrass icon Mac "The Voice with a Heart" Wiseman.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Norah Jones has announced U.S. tour dates in support of her critically-acclaimed new album The Fall, which was released by EMI’s Blue Note Records on November 17. The 36-city tour will kick off March 5, 2010. The Fall finds Jones experimenting with a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse among others. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partner Jesse Harris. King also helped Jones put together a new group of musicians to perform on the album, including drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer).

Bruce Cockburn – Slice O Life: The best live albums create the illusion of being there, witnessing an artist in a memorable performance. Bruce Cockburn has recorded three previous live recordings: Circles in the Stream (1977), Live (1990) and You Pay Your Money and You Take Your Chance (1997), each critically acclaimed and featuring Cockburn in concert with a backing band. Now, the celebrated musician-activist delivers something new: his first-ever live solo album. Recorded last spring over a series of dates in the northeastern United States and one in Quebec, Slice O Life is a double CD that showcases a cross-section of Cockburn's finest songs and some of his most dazzling guitar work. The album, produced by longtime associate Colin Linden, also includes one new song, "City is Hungry," three tracks recorded at sound checks on the tour and some between-song banter that shows Cockburn to be both a quick wit and an engaging storyteller.

Ethos.org/Paul deLay Scholarship Benefit Concert - On his latest musical excursion, Charlie Musselwhite explores the themes that have always charged the potency of the blues: loneliness, despair, evil and dying. In his continuing search for "music that moves the soul", he casts a steady light on these shadowy topics, re-connecting the blues idiom to the haunting emotions that resonated so powerfully in its earliest incarnations – and ironically he draws inspiration for this blues from its most notorious offspring, rock & roll. Through his own autobiographical originals, and on tunes by such artists as Ben Harper, Townes Van Zandt, and Randy Newman, Musselwhite poignantly renders some of the deepest of humanity's struggles. Savoy Brown's Train to Nowhere describes a man headed to hell and so numb with despair that he doesn't even care, despite the Blind Boys of Alabama exhorting "don't you ride that train!" With Ben Harper he laments, "what is left for the homeless child", while a Charlie Sexton original contributes, "it's raining pain and thundering fright in my neighborhood tonight."

Seventeen-time Grammy Award-winner Pat Metheny once again explores new territory with his forthcoming project, Orchestrion. Following the album's January 26 release on Nonesuch Records (February 9 on vinyl), the genre-shattering guitarist/composer will embark on an extensive solo tour, performing in arts centers and concert halls nationwide (please see reverse for confirmed dates). Orchestrion brings a musical idea from the late 19th and early 20th centuries-a large mechanical multi-instrument device that utilizes actual orchestral instruments of various types, called an "orchestrion"-to the technologies of today. Metheny’s concept includes a large ensemble of acoustic instruments-including several pianos, drum kit, marimbas, "guitar-bots," dozens of percussion instruments and even cabinets of carefully tuned bottles. Through Metheny's guitar and compositional mind, five new original pieces showcase the instruments as they are struck, plucked, and otherwise played via the technology of solenoid switches and pneumatics. Metheny worked for months with a brilliant team of scientists and engineers to develop and assemble the "New Orchestrion" for this project.

The careers of performers who reside in the limelight are usually short-lived and over-overexposed. So it's refreshing to encounter Leon Redbone, who has for decades remained so musically resonant and personally elusive. Though his iconic guise of white fedora, jacket and sunglasses has been thoroughly satirized (anybody remember the "Leon Redbone workout" Far Side cartoon?), it's easy to overlook what a genuinely gifted artist he remains -- a role he inevitably tries to downplay. "In some ways I've always been complacent in my approach to music," Redbone says. "So in some ways maybe I'm the pure definition of consistent." At the core of his initial calling was the desire to simply honor songs from the past -- a waltz with bygone days that established him as sole curator of the museum of 20th century music. Over the course of his 30-year, 11-album career, the bard has continued his love affair with tunes from the turn-of-the-century (as in the second-to-last century), flapper-era radio ditties, Depression-spawned ragtime and World War II folk-jazz. "I'm just an entertainer, and I use music as a medium for entertaining," he says in his trademark rumbling voice. "But I'm not really an entertainer either, because to be an entertainer it implies you have a great desire to want to entertain."

Seventeen-time Grammy Award-winner Pat Metheny once again explores new territory with his forthcoming project, Orchestrion. Following the album's January 26 release on Nonesuch Records (February 9 on vinyl), the genre-shattering guitarist/composer will embark on an extensive solo tour, performing in arts centers and concert halls nationwide (please see reverse for confirmed dates). Orchestrion brings a musical idea from the late 19th and early 20th centuries-a large mechanical multi-instrument device that utilizes actual orchestral instruments of various types, called an "orchestrion"-to the technologies of today. Metheny’s concept includes a large ensemble of acoustic instruments-including several pianos, drum kit, marimbas, "guitar-bots," dozens of percussion instruments and even cabinets of carefully tuned bottles. Through Metheny's guitar and compositional mind, five new original pieces showcase the instruments as they are struck, plucked, and otherwise played via the technology of solenoid switches and pneumatics. Metheny worked for months with a brilliant team of scientists and engineers to develop and assemble the "New Orchestrion" for this project.

Since the evolution of juju music in Nigeria in the thirties no exponent has made a more lasting impact in the genre than King Sunny Ade. As a singer, composer and guitarist, he has succeeded over the years in taking this Nigerian social music type to international heights. When Ade signed on with Island Records in 1982 as a result of attracting international attention, he was perhaps the biggest natural phenomenon on the Nigerian music scene where massive record sales kept him at the top of the charts. With the release of the album "Juju Music", Ade was launched personally onto the Western pop scene, and his presence generated the kind of buzz associated with a big star. He was presented as a Yoruba prince and referred to as king. His musicians called him chairman.
Elegant, youthful-looking and courteous, Sunny Ade had the charisma to match his new status. He even had the air of regal candor to go with his title, "the king of juju music."

Owen Pallett's live violin-looping project was named Final Fantasy, in tribute to the melodramatic videogame series. Final Fantasy's debut album 'Has A Good Home' (Blocks/Tomlab) was released in April 2005. The sophomore album, 'He Poos Clouds' (Blocks/Tomlab) was written and arranged entirely for string quartet, and is a satirical song cycle based on the eight schools of magic according to Dungeons and Dragons. The Village Voice praised it as having 'the best lyrics of the year', Pitchfork described it as 'a joy to hear... this is, in a word, fierce--it can engage you on a level most albums can't', and many publications put it in their top ten lists for the year. Canadian journalists voted and awarded it the inaugural Polaris Prize for best Canadian full-length album.

Jóhann Jóhannsson has been called"Iceland's foremost genre-crossing
multi-instrumentalist" (Irish Times), "one of the bright lights in the already talent rich Icelandic underground music scene" (Aquarius Records), "the most compelling composer working today", and "An important figure in Iceland's new music scene at the turn of the millennium". (All Music Guide). Born in Iceland, Jóhann has been a resident of Denmark for the last few years. Jóhann Jóhannsson´s stately, slow-building and hauntingly melodic music, which frequently combines electronics with classical orchestrations, has been quietly bewitching listeners since he released his first solo record Englabörn in 2002 on the well respected British label Touch. The record was re-released in 2007 by 4AD, by which time its reputation had grown as an influential recording in the burgeoning field that has been variously called post-classsical or neo-classical.

Sugarcoating, Martin Sexton's new studio album (April 6 release) finds this one-of-a-kind writer/artist doing what he does best: locating larger truths within the specific details of the life he's living. "I write from personal experience - my own hang-ups and quirks, good times and bad times," he acknowledges. "That keeps it real." The title song, disturbing in its theme and audacious in its presentation, takes "keeping it real" to another level entirely. It's an unsettling look at post 9/11 reality, encapsulated in the lines "I wonder why nobody wonders why/with all the sweet sweet sweet Sugarcoating/the nightly news gone entertainment biz/and the politicians out showboatin'/One day somebody tell it like it is." Which is precisely what Sexton accomplishes right here. The fact that this urgent message is embedded in a danceable, happy-go-lucky arrangement complete with backing vocals by what Sexton calls his "cowboy trio" only serves to deepen the song's impact. Sexton thinks of "Sugarcoating" not as a protest song but as "a questioning song - what's up with that? The last couple of years have been an awakening for me about how the world seems to work and not work.

Sugarcoating, Martin Sexton's new studio album (April 6 release) finds this one-of-a-kind writer/artist doing what he does best: locating larger truths within the specific details of the life he's living. "I write from personal experience - my own hang-ups and quirks, good times and bad times," he acknowledges. "That keeps it real." The title song, disturbing in its theme and audacious in its presentation, takes "keeping it real" to another level entirely. It's an unsettling look at post 9/11 reality, encapsulated in the lines "I wonder why nobody wonders why/with all the sweet sweet sweet Sugarcoating/the nightly news gone entertainment biz/and the politicians out showboatin'/One day somebody tell it like it is." Which is precisely what Sexton accomplishes right here. The fact that this urgent message is embedded in a danceable, happy-go-lucky arrangement complete with backing vocals by what Sexton calls his "cowboy trio" only serves to deepen the song's impact. Sexton thinks of "Sugarcoating" not as a protest song but as "a questioning song - what's up with that? The last couple of years have been an awakening for me about how the world seems to work and not work.

If the phrase "male a cappella group" conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. If, on the other hand, it conjures up campy college ensembles singing joke versions of "Like A Virgin" in boxer shorts… think again. Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine comments, "We take the music very seriously; we just don't take ourselves too seriously." In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a huge fanbase, millions of viewers on YouTube… and a contract with Atlantic Records. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal - the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.

If the phrase "male a cappella group" conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. If, on the other hand, it conjures up campy college ensembles singing joke versions of "Like A Virgin" in boxer shorts… think again. Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine comments, "We take the music very seriously; we just don't take ourselves too seriously." In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a huge fanbase, millions of viewers on YouTube… and a contract with Atlantic Records. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal - the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.