Celebrated Multi-instrumentalist Mark Shark is thrilled to be sharing

this special evening of music at DeNicola’s Italian Restaurant

A Portland treasure, the DeNicola family has been providing

delicious Italian meals from their family recipes for 40 years.

Alan Hager

He first picked up a guitar at age ten and became a blues and jazz prodigy. During the 1980s he toured as part of a classical guitar duo and took up teaching, which he still does. But he never fell out of love with the blues, especially the old Delta sounds of Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson and Skip James.

Albert Reda

Albert Reda has played his bass and shared his vocals with Northwest music artists such as Alan Hager, Ellen Whyte, Bill Rhodes, John Bunzow, Jon Koonce, Lloyd Jones, Duffy

Bishop, Terry Robb, Kim Field and many others. He’s received a baker’s dozen of Muddy Awards from the Cascade Blues Association and has been inducted into their

Hall of Fame.

The CBA Journey to Memphis Youth Showcase fundraiser featuring

Sleeper Wave (this years CBA representatives)

The Kivett Bednar Band

J2M jam hosted by Rae Gordon and Dave Fleschner

Kivett Bednar Band, Sleeper Wave, J2M Jam Hosted by Rae Gordon and Dave Fleschner

There will be a raffle!

Hawaiian bento boxes, full bar and a parking lot!

Gary Ogan's Think Tank is a new 4-piece band out of Portland, Oregon that

focuses on the songs of award-winning songwriter, producer, arranger, and

multi-instrumentalist, Gary Ogan. Joining Ogan is Ted Swenson / bass &

vocals, Tony Carr / lead guitar & vocals, and Ed Pierce / drums.

Gary Ogan is a 2007 Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee, and a veteran of

50 years in the music business His first major label album release on Elektra

Records was 1972, followed by his debut solo release in 1977 on Leon

Russell’s Paradise Records. Gary toured the U.S. extensively with acts like

Harry Chapin, The Hollies, and Phoebe snow. The Mid-90’s saw Ogan

moving to Nashville, where he signed as a songwriter with Sony/ATV Tree.

Since then he’s had a four year stint traveling the world drumming for

Americana kingpin, Darrell Scott, another two years producing the great

Danny O’Keefe’s “Looking Glass & the Dreamers”, and most recently,

engaging his newest passion for the old ways. Sparked by his own

Aniyunwiya (Cherokee) DNA, Gary’s first forays have led him to write and

produce music for activist icons, Winona LaDuke (Ojibwe), and the late John

Trudell (Sante, Caw/Creek). Ogan is also currently acts as musical director

for and board member of the Jim Pepper Native Arts Council. As Gary puts

it, “I continue to learn, so it only follows that I continue to write, record, and

perform new music. I am most grateful and life is good!”

https://www.garyogan.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3lA7lhrloAkwSJENDRMN4g

John Bunzow is an inspired and innovative American roots singer/songwriter/guitarist of depth, substance and groove. 

“John destroys the boundaries between great rock, country, r&b, and soul music by owning his noteworthy sound with respect to the great artists who came before.” Ray Kennedy, Five time Grammy winner. Producer, Engineer, Musician (Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver)  

Bunzow, based in Portland with regular commutes to Nashville, has built a long and storied career. Infused early with a strong love of Southern music – thanks to kin from that part of the country – John has developed his own unique fusion of roots rock and blues, seasoned with everything from reggae and country rock 
to pop. 

 
He counts among his “Mt. Rushmore of influences,” as he puts it, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Tom Waits, Mike Bloomfield, Albert King, country picker Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, Steve Earle, and Jerry Garcia, among many.  

During his early years, Bunzow performed with bands that favored original music, including the Cowboy Angels and the X-Angels, as well as working as a solo singer/songwriter and even trafficking in a country music tour of truck stops and county fairs. John found himself bouncing around various music scenes including San Francisco, Seattle and LA. But it was in Nashville that his songwriting created new opportunities, Bunzow says. “My focus was always as a songwriter, and that is what brought me to Nashville – twice.”  

John's Band recently performed on the Main Stage at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland. 

https://www.johnbunzow.com/ 

http://bit.ly/2JohnBunzowRyeRoomIWantSomeMore 

http://bit.ly/JohnBunzowattheRyeRoomQuicksand 

Denny Bixby 

Oregon Music Hall of Famer Denny Bixby is known in his hometown of Portland, Oregon and far beyond as a creative, intuitive, and highly respected bassist and singer.  His work with multiple Grammy and other award-winning, world-renowned artists (Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, Buddy Miller, Suzy Bogguss, Chet Atkins, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea) and with Portland's own stellar musical community (Quarterflash, Curtis Salgado, Jon Koonce, Lloyd Jones, John Bunzow, Jack McMahon, Thad Beckman, Gary Ogan and many others) is well-documented.   

Upon returning to Portland in 2005 after 18 years in the Nashville, Tennessee area, Denny continued his evolution as a musician by concentrating on songwriting and playing guitar.   

Denny has two solo albums to his credit.  2003's Fish Out of Water, recorded in Nashville, showcases his love of contemporary jazz and fusion with 10 original songs, and features his arrangements and production.   

His latest collection of songs, released in 2017, is entitled Joyride.  The music falls into the Americana category and features roots, rock, folk, and country-influenced original material

Alvon Johnson has traveled the world singing and swinging Jazz standards with Big Bands, playing the Blues, and rocking hard. When he travels to Russia he is referred to as the "Ambassador of the Blues". His love and respect for the American art form is shared by large and enthusiastic audiences all over the world. This will be a terrific show.

His early influences were Guitar players such as Wes Montgomery, Andre Segovia, Charlie Christian, and of course Jimi Hendrix. His vocalist influences were Joe Williams, Johnny Hartman, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra.

Throughout his career he has performed with many well known artists, including The Drifters, The Shirelles, Bobby Day of Rocking' Robin fame, Otis Day and the Knights, and Jimmie Rodgers of Country and Western fame. Alvon sought out, and learned, at the feet of many icons of the blues, including: John Lee Hooker, Pee Wee Crayton, Little Joe Blue, Harmonica Fats, Sonny Green, Frankie Lee, Guitar Shorty, Lowell Folsom, and Buddy Ace.

Alvon worked with comedians such as Renaldo Rey, Robin Harris, Skillet and Leroy, and Lawanda Paige (Aunt Ester), from the Redd Foxx show. Having the opportunity to learn from these outstanding comedians helped to develop Alvon's own special sense of humor. Alvon has performed on the international level as well as nationally in such places as Malaysia, Russia, China, France, Italy, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Europe, Canada, The Bahamas, Australia, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City and many other cities all across the United States.

Ben Rice is a three-time Blues Music Award nominee whose blend of guitar fire, soulful vocals, and heartfelt songwriting has earned him acclaim across the roots and blues world. Raised in Portland, Oregon, on his parents’ eclectic vinyl collection, Rice developed a fearless guitar style that draws from Mississippi blues, soul, R&B, folk, and country. His music carries the spirit of timeless tradition while sounding fresh, inventive, and deeply personal.

Over the years, Rice has shared stages with Curtis Salgado, Johnny Rawls, and Vanessa Collier, and toured widely as both a bandleader and sideman. In 2023, he launched Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle, a horn-driven ensemble that channels the raw intensity of his live shows and gets audiences on their feet. With his new album Fallen Angel (2025), Rice continues to carve out his place as one of the most compelling voices in modern Americana and blues.

He first picked up a guitar at age ten and became a blues and jazz prodigy. He was playing local clubs as a teenager before heading to Boston’s Berklee School Of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of jazz guitar legend Pat Metheny. A year later he was studying classical music at the famed New England Conservatory of Music, where he graduated in 1979. During the 1980s he toured as part of a classical guitar duo and took up teaching, which he still does. But he never fell out of love with the blues, especially the old Delta sounds of Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson and Skip James.

John Bunzow is an inspired and innovative American roots singer/songwriter/guitarist of depth, substance and groove. 

“John destroys the boundaries between great rock, country, r&b, and soul music by owning his noteworthy sound with respect to the great artists who came before.” Ray Kennedy, Five time Grammy winner. Producer, Engineer, Musician (Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver)  

Bunzow, based in Portland with regular commutes to Nashville, has built a long and storied career. Infused early with a strong love of Southern music – thanks to kin from that part of the country – John has developed his own unique fusion of roots rock and blues, seasoned with everything from reggae and country rock 
to pop. 

 
He counts among his “Mt. Rushmore of influences,” as he puts it, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Tom Waits, Mike Bloomfield, Albert King, country picker Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, Steve Earle, and Jerry Garcia, among many.  

During his early years, Bunzow performed with bands that favored original music, including the Cowboy Angels and the X-Angels, as well as working as a solo singer/songwriter and even trafficking in a country music tour of truck stops and county fairs. John found himself bouncing around various music scenes including San Francisco, Seattle and LA. But it was in Nashville that his songwriting created new opportunities, Bunzow says. “My focus was always as a songwriter, and that is what brought me to Nashville – twice.”  

John's Band recently performed on the Main Stage at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland. 

https://www.johnbunzow.com/ 

http://bit.ly/2JohnBunzowRyeRoomIWantSomeMore 

http://bit.ly/JohnBunzowattheRyeRoomQuicksand 

Denny Bixby 

Oregon Music Hall of Famer Denny Bixby is known in his hometown of Portland, Oregon and far beyond as a creative, intuitive, and highly respected bassist and singer.  His work with multiple Grammy and other award-winning, world-renowned artists (Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, Buddy Miller, Suzy Bogguss, Chet Atkins, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea) and with Portland's own stellar musical community (Quarterflash, Curtis Salgado, Jon Koonce, Lloyd Jones, John Bunzow, Jack McMahon, Thad Beckman, Gary Ogan and many others) is well-documented.   

Upon returning to Portland in 2005 after 18 years in the Nashville, Tennessee area, Denny continued his evolution as a musician by concentrating on songwriting and playing guitar.   

Denny has two solo albums to his credit.  2003's Fish Out of Water, recorded in Nashville, showcases his love of contemporary jazz and fusion with 10 original songs, and features his arrangements and production.   

His latest collection of songs, released in 2017, is entitled Joyride.  The music falls into the Americana category and features roots, rock, folk, and country-influenced original material