PORTLAND, OR, 16 November 2002 - The Portland Music Project, an all volunteer effort to create a music archive and resource in Portland, will be hosting a tribute to Mel Solomon, 2001 winner of the Muddy Award for Best Male Vocalist, on November 19, at Billy Reed’s Tavern. The event will be taped for television and will include performances by Drawback Slim, Jeff Barnes, Pat Counts, and other local Portland musicians. The taping is part of a series of events that began with the June 9 performance of Boyd Martin at Medicine Hat Gallery.
The Portland Music Project is the centerpiece of a local resource center intended to provide a place for musical and production talent to meet, teach, learn, and jam—a place for long-timers and fresh talent to mix it up get it on. The resource center will also feature a local Hall-of-fame, library, historical archive, and retail store celebrating and preserving a rich Northwest musical heritage.
Mel Solomon, a 30-year Portland resident, has his musical roots in the spiritual gospel music of the fields and churches of his native Louisiana. In addition to the usual blues schooling, Mel was influenced by Hank Williams and other Country & Western singers of the period. Mel’s music is more than just a rehash of standard blues fare. He brings together a variety influences into a fresh and distinctive style. In addition to playing front man for Mel Solomon and the Nightliners, and Mel Solomon and Audacity, he has, over the past 20 years, played with numerous other Portland blues musicians.
The show is on November 19 and free of charge, although donations to help cover the cost of production are appreciated. Taping begins at 6:30 and, because the show is being taped, attendees are asked to arrive early to keep disruption to a minimum. The show is being sponsored by Indeworks and Billy Reed’s Tavern, located at 2808 Northeast MLK Blvd.
Indeworks is an agency of entertainment industry professionals working to facilitate the creation, development, and production of independent artistic projects by bringing together talented individuals and providing a forum for creative collaboration. Indeworks is a distributed corporate environment with their Portland offices and screening room located at the Avalon Hotel & Spa.
About INDEWORKS Inc.
INDEWORKS brings together and develops independent talent and creative content for distribution through independent and innovative media outlets. It is a distributed environment where film producers, writers, directors, actors, musicians, cinematographers, and editors have access to projects and each other in an open and dynamic forum.
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