Among Chuck's many recordings as a bassist, some outstanding ones include: Coltrane Time, with John Coltrane; My Point of View, with Herbie Hancock; Getz au Go-Go, with Stan Getz; and many recordings with the Bill Evans Trio, including The Town Hall Concert; The Second Trio; Trio '65; Live at the Trident; Time Remembered; and Live at Shelley's Manne Hole.
Ride
Waving farewell to the Eighties: it was biggest pop kick there'd been in, ooh, ten years. During that godforsaken, musically atrocious decade, it was them and us. We hadn't got a prayer. Our stuff didn't register in corporate demographic terms, it was too vague and indefinable. And it didn't register in the charts. There would be the occasional triumph, as the The Smiths, the Bunnymen or the Mary Chain made a lightning raid on the Top 20, only to limp back to obscurity the following week.
So, come the tail end of 1989, there was a mood of battered, hopeless optimism. As we took our huddled flight into the Nineties, a bolt from nowhere, from Oxford, overturned the inherent pessimism in that optimism and gave us something to believe in. Ride had tunes, noise, looks, style, confidence, everything. And they had youth: their two guitar-playing singers Mark Gardener and Andy Bell were both just 19, as was drummer Laurence ‘Loz' Colbert. Stephen Queralt, the bassist, was an oldster at 21. They'd come together on a foundation course at North Oxford Art College and had been playing around the Thames Valley area for less than a year. Already, though, they looked and sounded supreme, like they'd been born with their guitars strapped on and had been jamming together ever since. Justifiably mistrusting the A&R scramble that ensued, they instead signed up where they felt they belonged, Alan McGee's Creation Records.
The cover of the ‘Ride EP', released in January 1990, showed a bed of roses. The symbolism there, and in the first words on the first track was lost on nobody. A new decade was rung in with a possibility that guitars gone into overload might become pop music - as in actually popular, in the charts and stuff. ‘Take me for a ride away from places we have known,' Mark crooned on ‘Chelsea Girl'... implicit in the song's delirious melody was a reaching for new heights, a belief in better things to come. It went to Number 71. In those days, for an independently released debut, with next to no radio airplay, this was a result. Creation had never slipped inside the Top 75 before. There hadn't been such a buzz about a UK group in aeons. Ride were hungry to perform, and when they did, they blew everyone away.
It all kind of centred on Loz. He was a hurricane behind the drums, you'd just see this blur of sticks and hair. Stage right was Steve, staring intently downwards, snapping the groove tightly down. Off to the left was Andy, in his own world. And right up front you had Mark, thrashing wildly at the six strings, but cooing like an angel into the mic, the Ride duality in one body.
By April, they'd charged up enough audiences for there to be real anticipation for their next record - the ‘Play EP' - and on that buzz alone, it went in at - unthinkable! - Number 32. Bands just didn't happen that quick. Even the Roses and the Mondays and the Scream, who'd all been going for years, had only just started to hit. ‘It took Primal Scream six years to become a genius band,' gushed McGee at the time. ‘Ride have managed it in six months.' Eager anticipation now shifted onto Ride's debut album.
Preceding it by a month came the ‘Fall EP', the band's third, with a foreboding atmosphere about it that those hooked on the noise/pop pleasures of ‘Chelsea Girl' and ‘Like A Daydream' might not have foreseen. After the Smithsian daffodils last time out, the sleeve showed penguins freezing to buggery in the snow. The four tracks were headed up by their darkest composition so far, ‘Dreams Burn Down'. For all the uncompromised storm clouds, ‘Fall' near as goddammit matched the success of ‘Play' at Number 34.
When ‘Nowhere' dropped in October '90, it not only became Creation's first ever Top 75 album, but shot in at Number 11, to blanket critical appreciation. It was angst, but it was ecstatic, as witnessed by Bell's awesome closing track, ‘Vapour Trail', its brooding bassline/cello finale leading up and away into infinity. A fitting climax to the finest debut album of 1990. The rest of the world was listening.
In Japan, Australia and America, the ‘Smile' mini-album was released, compiling the eight killer tracks from those first two EPs. Press excitement exploded around the globe. The band did an extensive European tour in the Winter of '90, followed by a debut trip to Japan. They landed at Osaka airport to be greeted by 200 girls all clutching bunches of daffodils (how did they do that - in December?!).
Ride were pop stars. Where so many of their contemporaries had failed to stretch their fame beyond the British coastline, Ride were truly a global success. The 4000 tickets for the Japanese tour sold out in 12 minutes, and ‘Nowhere' went Top 10 there. ‘Vapour Trail' from the album was also a huge US radio hit. As people, the band's time wasn't their own anymore.
In March '91, Ride Mark 1 released the ‘Today Forever EP', with a killer shark's jaws warning off competitors from the sleeve and the mesmerizing lead tune, ‘Unfamiliar', doing much the same in music. It leapt into the singles chart at No 14, a career best, but already they were planning Ride Mark 2, to leave their peers for dust. ‘All that stuff just means we do something different next time,' Queralt informed Select magazine's David Cavanagh at the time. ‘We're now very aware of what we don't want to sound like.'
In 15 months, Ride had released two albums' worth of material. For the rest of '91, they played live all over the world. They toured the US for the first time, nipped down to Australia and back up for a second visit to Japan. Headlining the one-off Slough Festival in July, they aired some of their work-in-progress.
Withdrawing to rural Chipping Norton with Alan Moulder at the production controls, they recorded some 25 tracks, from which the ten great ones formed ‘Going Blank Again'. It was an astonishing LP that bore no trace of ‘difficult second album' syndrome, soaring off boldly beyond anything that they, or any of their piddling peers, had achieved thus far. Its title sarcastically swiped at critics who alleged that Ride were vacant, had nothing to say. And ‘Leave Them All Behind', which trailered it in February '92, was as eloquent a mission statement as you could've wished for.
Without giving any ground (hell, by stealing more!), ‘Leave Them All Behind' went in at 9 (Creation's first ever Top 10 hit). In March, the LP went further, racing in at 5.
These were glory days for Ride. They'd very effectively legged it clear of the pack that had formed around them, and scaled the industry ladder to the point where, following an exhaustive and exhausting world tour - their second in as many years, they would play one slot below Loz's all-time heroes Public Enemy at Reading '92. If you're holding the full-tilt box-set version of this ‘Best Of', you can hear for yourself just how mind-meltingly brilliant they were live around this time.
The four of them spent much of that year getting fired up. They ventured out for the occasional live show including the spectacular Daytripper weekend, where they co-headlined the Brighton Centre and the Blackpool Empress Ballroom with The Charlatans - Ride closing the show down South with the bill flipped on The Golden Mile. And once their songs were close to ready, they went back to Oxford with producer George Drakoulias (Black Crowes, Jayhawks), to hone and re-arrange the next ‘difficult' album, their third.
Pre-production over, George had to leave to take the helm of Primal Scream's ‘Give Out But Don't Give Up', but there was a producer lined up - John Leckie, who could reel off a litany of classics he'd worked on, from John Lennon's ‘Plastic Ono Band' and ‘Meddle' by Pink Floyd, right through to ‘The Stone Roses'. Initially bound tight as an insular band/gang, Ride's gates had blown open and the world around them came flooding in. It was like swapping black/white for Technicolor, everyday life for hyperreality, With its opening minute of chirruping / chattering, this was not the stuff of radio dreams. Having been AWOL during the first tremors of Britpop (Suede/Auteurs, and in January, ‘Supersonic' by Oasis), Ride came back as a ball of confusion. The single stalled at 38, but it set the stage for the main feature, ‘Carnival Of Light', unleashed in June.
The fish-eye sleeve shot of the band spoke volumes to fans of lysergic history. The grungy cover of ‘How Does It Feel To Feel?' by The Creation (the '60s garage-psych band who'd given McGee's label its name) harked back to familiar sounds, but for the rest, Ride strode boldly forward from behind their habitual wall of feedback and, as they'd promised before, just let it flow.
At Christmas, the band played as un-billed support to Oasis at their biggest gig to date, the 5,000-capacity Brighton Centre. Without realising at the time, this was to be the band's last UK show, the only dates that followed in 1995 were a fourth tour of Japan and one festival in Spain. However one Noel Gallagher watched the whole Ride set from the mixing desk at the back of the hall, commenting at the end ‘It's just as well we're fucking good'.
With wives, babies and new homes they'd barely had time to decorate yet, the four now had lives of their own. They'd been at this for five years, and while they'd all grown up together, they'd developed their own domestic agendas away from the gang ethos.
It must've been a bastard to know what to do next. They each had their own ideas. It's a miracle that they came up with anything at all, but what they recorded through 1995 was ‘Tarantula', another quantum leap forward. However, by the time it was released in March '96 the band had announced that they had effectively split up. To hear what a high Ride flew out on, how far they'd travelled since ‘Chelsea Girl, ‘Leave Them All Behind', even ‘Birdman', just cue up ‘Black Night Crash': a blast of bad-ass blues, based on the car-smash voyeurism of JG Ballard's ‘Crash'. Despite the lack of gigs, the album still charted at 21.
2001 saw the release of the re-mastered catalogue albums from the original analogue tapes, "OX4 - The Best Of Ride"; a timely reminder of just how brilliant, how different, how influential, and how fundamental they were to what has since followed. Alongside this was a 3xCD box set, featuring "OX4" alongside an album of previously unreleased material, "Firing Blanks", and a live album of their Reading Festival show in August 92.
A series of live shows in 2015 across the UK, Europe and US have now been announced, marking 20 years since the band's last concerts. For more information go to www.ridemusic.net.
Daniel Norgren
Touring outside of Europe for the first time this Fall, Daniel Norgren & band prepare for stateside introduction. Although his name may be unfamiliar in North America, Daniel Norgren has built a notable career over the past 10 years in his home country and across much of Europe. The combination of a deep catalog and a live show that cuts to the core have been the fuel for a steadily-growing audience where fans are currently lucky to catch him at a venue smaller than 1,000 capacity. A multi-instrumentalist whose live performance includes guitar, piano, harmonica, and accordion. Included also as part of this live band is longtime music companion Anders Grahn on bass and drummer Erik Berntsson. Norgren's sound is distinctly homegrown and authentic, and his songs are incredibly powerful with a knack for catchy melodies and vocal harmonies. This is a rare, first opportunity to see Europe's best kept secret and undoubtedly most captivating live performer - don't miss it.
William Tyler
American musician and guitarist, who plays Folk, Indie folk and Pop rock (born December 25, 1979, Nashville, TN).
Tyler was a member of Lambchop and Silver Jews before he became a solo artist. He has also played with Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Charlie Louvin, and Candi Staton.
His father is Dan Tyler (3) and his mother is Adele Tyler.
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Ballet presents a series of FREE PRE-ballet classes for ages 6-9. The series are each four classes held once a week at TPB’s studio, 6250 SW Capitol Highway.
The FREE PRE classes introduce young dancers to the fundamentals of ballet and help them decide if ballet is right for them. TPB welcomes all new dancers in these commitment-free series with the goal of giving students the basic foundations and an appreciation of dance. TPB is devoted to nurturing, student-centered ballet training.
The final class acts as a placement assessment for the Curriculum Ballet program. Students must attend the full series (all four classes) but are not required to pay an audition fee. Parents who wish to enroll their children must complete a Registration Form. Class sizes are limited, and they may be cancelled if they do not meet minimum enrollment.
Dress code: Female dancers should wear pink tights, pink ballet shoes and a leotard of any color. They should not wear skirts or tutus. Male dancers should wear black tights, a white t-shirt and black ballet shoes.
Dates and times:
- July 10, 17, 24, 31 – Mondays 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- July 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5 – Saturdays 10-11 a.m.
- September 9, 16, 23, 30 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
To register: theportlandballet.org or 503.452.8448
The Portland Ballet, led by artistic directors Nancy Davis and Anne Mueller, nurtures young dancers from age three to 22. TPB students are trained with professional intent by a faculty that includes some of the nation’s finest dancers and choreographers, with experience at companies such as the National Ballet, the original Los Angeles Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Trey McIntyre Project, and BodyVox. Professionally produced performance experience is at the core of TPB training. TPB graduates have gone on to professional dance careers with companies such as Grand Rapids Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Batsheva, LEV, Ballet Memphis, and Ballet West
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Ballet presents a series of FREE PRE-ballet classes for ages 6-9. The series are each four classes held once a week at TPB’s studio, 6250 SW Capitol Highway.
The FREE PRE classes introduce young dancers to the fundamentals of ballet and help them decide if ballet is right for them. TPB welcomes all new dancers in these commitment-free series with the goal of giving students the basic foundations and an appreciation of dance. TPB is devoted to nurturing, student-centered ballet training.
The final class acts as a placement assessment for the Curriculum Ballet program. Students must attend the full series (all four classes) but are not required to pay an audition fee. Parents who wish to enroll their children must complete a Registration Form. Class sizes are limited, and they may be cancelled if they do not meet minimum enrollment.
Dress code: Female dancers should wear pink tights, pink ballet shoes and a leotard of any color. They should not wear skirts or tutus. Male dancers should wear black tights, a white t-shirt and black ballet shoes.
Dates and times:
- July 10, 17, 24, 31 – Mondays 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- July 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5 – Saturdays 10-11 a.m.
- September 9, 16, 23, 30 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
To register: theportlandballet.org or 503.452.8448
The Portland Ballet, led by artistic directors Nancy Davis and Anne Mueller, nurtures young dancers from age three to 22. TPB students are trained with professional intent by a faculty that includes some of the nation’s finest dancers and choreographers, with experience at companies such as the National Ballet, the original Los Angeles Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Trey McIntyre Project, and BodyVox. Professionally produced performance experience is at the core of TPB training. TPB graduates have gone on to professional dance careers with companies such as Grand Rapids Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Batsheva, LEV, Ballet Memphis, and Ballet West
Mbrascatu opens. A musical product of the creative melting pot of Portland, Mbrascatu is an indie rock band that draws from diverse European and American roots to create a unique signature sound.
Future Islands
The years since the release of Singles have been transformative for Future Islands, catapulting the Baltimore-based band from cult favorites to synthpop icons. As addictive songs like breakout "Seasons (Waiting on You)" turned the world on to sublime pleasures a loyal fan base already knew, this hard-touring band plowed forward, playing their 1,000th show in July 2015 and celebrating their 10th anniversary in February 2016. Now Future Islands returns at the top of their game with new album The Far Field, delivering twelve chestpounding love songs and odes to the road as only they can.
The Far Field refines and builds on the breakthroughs of Singles, bursting with undeniable hooks and disarmingly honest lyrics written by Samuel T. Herring (vocals, lyrics), William Cashion (bass, guitars), and Gerrit Welmers (keyboards, programming). The band began writing new material in January 2016 on the coast of North Carolina, and continued throughout the year in Baltimore before road-testing these songs with a series of secret shows under fake names. In November 2016, they settled in with Grammy Award-winning producer John Congleton at Los Angeles' legendary Sunset Sound, where everyone from The Beach Boys to Prince have laid down masterpieces.
The result is Future Islands' best set of songs yet, both an emotional summation of the themes they've explored over the past decade and a further distillation of their signature art-pop sound. It's the first Future Islands record featuring live drums by Michael Lowry, who joined the band prior to their viral performance of "Seasons" on Letterman, and whose energy propels the band's sound to new heights. With Congleton's production and string and horn arrangements by Patrick McMinn, The Far Field finds Future Islands crafting soundscapes larger and more opulent than ever before, as sonically lush and expansive as they are lyrically raw and direct.
With each spin of The Far Field, Future Islands' fifth album and second for 4AD, another of its dozen impassioned and impeccably crafted tracks will jump out as a favorite. "Shadows," a stunner of a duet between Herring and Blondie's Debbie Harry, offers a naked look at heartache, finding hope and power in facing pain and personal flaws head-on. Both "Time on Her Side" and "Day Glow Fire" attest to the beauty lurking in even our most painful memories, and assert that even lost love can give life deeper meaning. "North Star," first single "Ran," and "Beauty of the Road" all mark this as an album about taking to the road, chasing after love and self-knowledge-and coming to terms with what you find there. As Herring sings on the heartfelt "Through the Roses,"
It's not easy, just being human
And the lights and the smoke and the screens
Don't make it better
I'm no stronger than you and I'm scared
But we can pull through-together
Together
We can pull through
Drawing inspiration from their community of friends and their growing numbers of fans, The Far Field brilliantly expresses the band's central themes: that there's power in emotional vulnerability, that one can find a way to laugh and cry in the same breath-and be stronger for it. The Far Field speaks directly to the bruised but brave romantic each of us carries within. It's forty-five minutes of brilliant pop mini- symphonies made for dancing, loving, and self-reflection; twelve beautiful reminders that one can grow and evolve while still staying true to oneself-just as this band has done for a decade now and counting.
Gracie and Rachel are a study in duality: light and dark, classical training with a pop sensibility, Californians in New York. Their music pits anxiety and tension against an almost serene self-assurance. The result is a compelling juxtaposition of Gracies piano and lead vocals and Rachels violin and voice, augmented with stark percussion.
Like their stylized color palette of black and white, their instrumentation appears simple and spare at first glance, but theres a powerful prism effect at work that brings us back to the concept of duality: their songs are intimate and expansive, questioning and confident. The nine orchestral-pop songs on Gracie and Rachel' (released June 23) tell a story thats rooted in the truth their truth but retain an enigmatic air that makes them relatable to anyone who has ever found their heart racing with doubt and pushed forward regardless.
NOMINATED: 5 Tony Awards 2015
DARK COMEDY
THE STORY: After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry, in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas.
Jason’s complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and—most especially—his mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason’s puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own.
Hand To God explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.
Tim Berne has been described as “a saxophonist and composer of granite conviction” by The New York Times. Incidentals is the fourth album from his spirited Snakeoil band and the second (following on from 2015’s You’ve Been Watching Me) to feature the quintet line-up in which his core group with clarinetist Oscar Noriega, pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith is augmented by guitarist Ryan Ferreira. The music is characteristically action-packed in the Berne tradition: powerful, dynamic, often fast-moving – yet also very clear in all its teeming detail. “We somehow achieved more sonic space by adding another player,” the bandleader notes wonderingly. It’s an impression maintained even when producer David Torn takes up his own guitar in a cameo at the climax of the modestly-titled “Sideshow”(in reality a 26-minute epic journey), soloing amid thunderous timpani and over serpentine melody outlined by sax and clarinet.
To find more info and the different venues go to: https://www.bizjournals.com/portland
"Portland is the undisputed epicenter of sneaker culture," Smith said in a release. "Sneaker week was designed to capture the 'SOLE of the CULTURE.'"
The event will feature everything from a three-day independent sneaker film festival to a sneaker-themed trivia night to design classes hosted by Pensole.
The event, Smith said, is meant to celebrate the city's homegrown love of fresh footwear that's become a multibillion dollar industry, and to inspire youth interest in the industry.
“Sneaker Week serves as an outlet in which members of the sneaker community can curate cultural experiences within art, music, sports, and design, representing their interpretation of the boundless influence of the sneaker,” Smith said in the release. “We want to educate and connect like-minded sneakerheads and enthusiasts through the core creative roots of the culture.”
Almost all of the week's events are free, but VIP tickets are on sale for $50 that will allow ticket holders to bypass lines and have access to giveaways.
Brian Ellis // Zackey Force Funk // Dan Dan // On One Posse DJ's
BRIAN ELLIS:
http://omegasupremerecords.com/album/brian-ellis-in-the-dark
ZACKEY FORCE FUNK:
https://zackeyforcefunk.bandcamp.com/
DAN DAN:
https://dandanband.bandcamp.com/
ON ONE POSSE DJ's SEOUL BRO. #1, KING TIM 33.3, and OZROC
Tickets at the door.
21+
The Ape presents CAT PATROL, an hour of character-driven sketch comedy that explores bad spoken word, the creepy lives of twins, one-woman shows and the musical stylings of Darth Vader. Directed by Chris Caniglia, CAT PATROL marks the first major debut of a sketch comedy production at The Ape theater. It is also the first full length production produced, written, directed and starring the founders of The Ape - Brooke Totman (MADtv, The Benefits of Gusbandry), Alissa Jessup (The Mindy Project, True Blood) and Chris Caniglia (30 Rock, The People’s Improv Theater of N.Y.).
After years of performing and writing sketch shows in Portland, Brooke Totman was hired to cast and direct a new sketch company at a comedy club in town. Alissa Jessup came in to audition (Alissa and Chris Caniglia had just moved to Portland from Los Angeles) and immediately caught Brooke’s attention. “Alissa got on stage and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her comedic timing was spot-on and she was the only person on stage creating characters!” says Brooke. “I scanned her resume and saw that like me, she trained at The Groundlings. - I knew I had found a comedy soulmate.” (The Groundlings is known as the foremost sketch comedy training ground in Los Angeles and has been the launch pad for countless careers including: Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Phil Hartman, Lisa Kudrow, Paul Reubens, Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, and Kathy Griffin.)
The two women became fast friends and collaborators, creating sketches for the show Identity Crisis at Portland Center Stage. “After Identity Crisis, we knew we had something special and we had to make our own show,” says Alissa. “We sat down with Chris (a veteran of New York and Los Angeles comedy) and the three of us started to dream up all the things we could do if we joined forces on CAT PATROL and beyond. What if we started our own comedy-based theater? A theater where as artists, we can create the kind of acting based, character-driven comedy that we love? And while we’re at it, why don’t we kick off our debut season with CAT PATROL?” “The collaboration chemistry was immediate.” says Brooke. “Alissa and I both grew up watching funny women like, Carol Burnett, Laverne & Shirley, Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, and Lucille Ball.” “And then you add our Groundlings sensibilities to the mix, it’s magic.” adds Alissa, “When we write it’s so easeful. It’s like we share the same twisted comedy brain, it just works.” Chris adds, “We all offer something very different and distinct to the process. Brooke is a master of both subtle and bold, physical comedy. She can transform into a character so completely, that you literally forget she’s on stage. Alissa is an amazing actor with the comedy chops to match. Nothing is too big, too broad or off-limits. If a seemingly impossible idea is pitched, Alissa is the one to figure out how to make it work on stage” “Chris brings a very calm, intentional focus to the process.” says Alissa. “He has this knack for listening, processing and with one or two suggestions, making the entire piece stronger. He’s the CAT PATROL whisperer.”
THE APE FOUNDERS
About Brooke Totman
Brooke is an actor, writer and sketch comedy performer. After receiving a degree in Theater performance, Totman headed to the bright lights and smoggy hills of L.A. to train at acclaimed sketch and improv company, The Groundlings.
Brooke became a member of The Groundlings Sunday company, performing alongside Melissa McCarthy, Mitch Silpa and Michael McDonald. It is here that her skills for writing sketches and creating unique comedy characters were developed. Auditioning with characters created at The Groundlings, Totman was cast on MADtv as a featured cast member during its 5th season. Other selected TV credits include: The King of Queens (CBS), Less Than Perfect (ABC),Judging Amy (CBS) and Life After First Failure (The CW). She is currently starring in the critically acclaimed series, The Benefits of Gusbandry, available on Amazon Prime. Brooke is co-founder of The Ape Theater, a comedy based theater and training ground committed to creating new work that ignites, engages and entertains. She also heads The Ape’s Sketch Comedy division, teaching, coaching, producing and directing.
About Alissa Jessup
Alissa is a writer, director, and actor with over 20 years’ experience creating and working in theater, film, and television. She likes that clowns are kind of creepy. As an actor, she has performed and developed new plays with Sundance Theatre Lab, The Flea Theater, ACT Theatre, 13P, Soho Rep, P.S. 122, and Playwrights Horizons. Selected T.V. credits include The Mindy Project (Hulu), True Blood (HBO), Grimm (NBC), and The Mentalist (CBS). She has written and performed comedy at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade NYC and U.C.B. Los Angeles. In 2015, Alissa founded Growly Pictures to produce content that is made by women for women. Alissa wrote, directed, and stars in the comedic short film, ‘chickadee’, which she produced with an all-female cast and crew. Alissa is co-founder of The Ape and serves as the Artistic Director, where she also directs, teaches acting, directing, writing and collaboration classes.
About Chris Caniglia
Chris Caniglia started his improv career in 1986 with a group called Mental Floss in Miami. He performed over a crappy little garage that worked on foreign cars. After a little more seasoning and a move to the Big Apple he founded Big Black Car, New York City’s longest running long form improv team, and winner of Emerging Comics of New York’s award for best improv group. That group was Tom Ridgeley, Justin Akin, Ellie Kemper, Chris Caniglia, Megan Martin, Kristin Schaal, Scott Eckert and Matt Oberg. This was at the Peoples Improv Theater, where he was also a member of the teaching faculty. Chris has performed at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, The Magnet Theater in New York, where he was a member of House team Sweet Crude, directed by Armando Diaz, U.C.B. L.A., I/O West, the Chicago Improv Festival, and the D.C. Improv Festival. Chris is co-founder of The Ape and also serves as the head of its Improv division, where he coaches, teaches, produces and directs.
About The Ape Theater
With a mission of making serious sketch comedy (for people who aren’t that serious), The Ape is a comedy-based theater & training ground committed to creating new improv, sketch and theater work that ignites, engages, and entertains. Classes and workshops are offered in long-form improv, sketch comedy, writing, performance, and collaboration. The Ape’s training is deeply rooted in the belief that solid acting is the key to great comedic performances.
The Ape is an underground theater. Literally. It is located in the basement of The Alberta Abbey. The Ape is founded by working professionals with over 20 years experience working in New York City and Los Angeles in TV, Film,Theater and Comedy.
Alumni: Upright Citizens Brigade NYC & LA, The Magnet, The P.I.T., The Groundlings. www.theapetheater.com
- Berahmand play rock & roll, new wave, & soul.
- Self-described as a folk singer that accidentally began to write pop music, Laryssa Birdseye uses humor and honesty to entrance her audience. Having struggled with addiction and an eating disorder, Laryssa’s songs reflect the turmoil of heartbreak, dependency, regret, and the persistent strive towards healing, making her originals relatable and her hooks infectious. Her soaring vocals are filled with flawless riffs and soulful melodies. Best known for her biting wit and clever lyricism, Laryssa stands out best as a songwriter, offering tremendously relatable content—often serving to inspire, often breaking your heart open as she spills hers.
- Camp Crush is an exploration of new wave rock and melodic pop writing, fronted by forever sweethearts, Chris Spicer & Jen Deale. Weaving together a blend of current topics and whimsical and danceable pop melodies, Camp Crush makes you feel like you’re at the High School prom you wish you had.
A cat will scratch it’s way into our September stories.
Storytellers! Cultural Competency Consultant/Educator, Recovering Academic, Intersectional Shero, Mistaken for a Roll of Toilet Paper in 4th-grade Marshmallow Halloween Costume, No, You Can’t Call Her a Nickname BEALLEKA, Winner Portland’s Funniest Person 2017/Winner Stand Up Best of WW 2017, Member of Lez Standup, Voted Most Opinionated in High School CAITLIN WEIERHAUSER, FBI Agent Andy Genelli in the New Discovery Series Manhunt: Unabomber, Co-Writer of the Web-Series ‘I F’ed Up Royal’ BEN WEBER, Sketch Comedy King, Actor, Past Performer for Live Wire! Radio ANDREW HARRIS and Author of Death Confetti, Duct-Taped Fifty Hall and Oates Tapes to a Teacher’s Door, Sells Thigh-Boots to Online Fetishists JENNIFER ROBIN
Hosted by B. Frayn Masters with Announcer Jason Rouse
Music by Bobby D from XRAY
A portion of our ticket proceeds for this show will support Animal Aid, a Portland non-profit serving animals and the people they love since 1969.
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Ballet presents a series of FREE PRE-ballet classes for ages 6-9. The series are each four classes held once a week at TPB’s studio, 6250 SW Capitol Highway.
The FREE PRE classes introduce young dancers to the fundamentals of ballet and help them decide if ballet is right for them. TPB welcomes all new dancers in these commitment-free series with the goal of giving students the basic foundations and an appreciation of dance. TPB is devoted to nurturing, student-centered ballet training.
The final class acts as a placement assessment for the Curriculum Ballet program. Students must attend the full series (all four classes) but are not required to pay an audition fee. Parents who wish to enroll their children must complete a Registration Form. Class sizes are limited, and they may be cancelled if they do not meet minimum enrollment.
Dress code: Female dancers should wear pink tights, pink ballet shoes and a leotard of any color. They should not wear skirts or tutus. Male dancers should wear black tights, a white t-shirt and black ballet shoes.
Dates and times:
- July 10, 17, 24, 31 – Mondays 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- July 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5 – Saturdays 10-11 a.m.
- September 9, 16, 23, 30 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
To register: theportlandballet.org or 503.452.8448
The Portland Ballet, led by artistic directors Nancy Davis and Anne Mueller, nurtures young dancers from age three to 22. TPB students are trained with professional intent by a faculty that includes some of the nation’s finest dancers and choreographers, with experience at companies such as the National Ballet, the original Los Angeles Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Trey McIntyre Project, and BodyVox. Professionally produced performance experience is at the core of TPB training. TPB graduates have gone on to professional dance careers with companies such as Grand Rapids Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Batsheva, LEV, Ballet Memphis, and Ballet West
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Ballet presents a series of FREE PRE-ballet classes for ages 6-9. The series are each four classes held once a week at TPB’s studio, 6250 SW Capitol Highway.
The FREE PRE classes introduce young dancers to the fundamentals of ballet and help them decide if ballet is right for them. TPB welcomes all new dancers in these commitment-free series with the goal of giving students the basic foundations and an appreciation of dance. TPB is devoted to nurturing, student-centered ballet training.
The final class acts as a placement assessment for the Curriculum Ballet program. Students must attend the full series (all four classes) but are not required to pay an audition fee. Parents who wish to enroll their children must complete a Registration Form. Class sizes are limited, and they may be cancelled if they do not meet minimum enrollment.
Dress code: Female dancers should wear pink tights, pink ballet shoes and a leotard of any color. They should not wear skirts or tutus. Male dancers should wear black tights, a white t-shirt and black ballet shoes.
Dates and times:
- July 10, 17, 24, 31 – Mondays 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- July 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5 – Saturdays 10-11 a.m.
- September 9, 16, 23, 30 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 – Saturdays 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
To register: theportlandballet.org or 503.452.8448
The Portland Ballet, led by artistic directors Nancy Davis and Anne Mueller, nurtures young dancers from age three to 22. TPB students are trained with professional intent by a faculty that includes some of the nation’s finest dancers and choreographers, with experience at companies such as the National Ballet, the original Los Angeles Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Trey McIntyre Project, and BodyVox. Professionally produced performance experience is at the core of TPB training. TPB graduates have gone on to professional dance careers with companies such as Grand Rapids Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Batsheva, LEV, Ballet Memphis, and Ballet West
The Ape presents CAT PATROL, an hour of character-driven sketch comedy that explores bad spoken word, the creepy lives of twins, one-woman shows and the musical stylings of Darth Vader. Directed by Chris Caniglia, CAT PATROL marks the first major debut of a sketch comedy production at The Ape theater. It is also the first full length production produced, written, directed and starring the founders of The Ape - Brooke Totman (MADtv, The Benefits of Gusbandry), Alissa Jessup (The Mindy Project, True Blood) and Chris Caniglia (30 Rock, The People’s Improv Theater of N.Y.).
After years of performing and writing sketch shows in Portland, Brooke Totman was hired to cast and direct a new sketch company at a comedy club in town. Alissa Jessup came in to audition (Alissa and Chris Caniglia had just moved to Portland from Los Angeles) and immediately caught Brooke’s attention. “Alissa got on stage and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her comedic timing was spot-on and she was the only person on stage creating characters!” says Brooke. “I scanned her resume and saw that like me, she trained at The Groundlings. - I knew I had found a comedy soulmate.” (The Groundlings is known as the foremost sketch comedy training ground in Los Angeles and has been the launch pad for countless careers including: Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Phil Hartman, Lisa Kudrow, Paul Reubens, Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, and Kathy Griffin.)
The two women became fast friends and collaborators, creating sketches for the show Identity Crisis at Portland Center Stage. “After Identity Crisis, we knew we had something special and we had to make our own show,” says Alissa. “We sat down with Chris (a veteran of New York and Los Angeles comedy) and the three of us started to dream up all the things we could do if we joined forces on CAT PATROL and beyond. What if we started our own comedy-based theater? A theater where as artists, we can create the kind of acting based, character-driven comedy that we love? And while we’re at it, why don’t we kick off our debut season with CAT PATROL?” “The collaboration chemistry was immediate.” says Brooke. “Alissa and I both grew up watching funny women like, Carol Burnett, Laverne & Shirley, Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, and Lucille Ball.” “And then you add our Groundlings sensibilities to the mix, it’s magic.” adds Alissa, “When we write it’s so easeful. It’s like we share the same twisted comedy brain, it just works.” Chris adds, “We all offer something very different and distinct to the process. Brooke is a master of both subtle and bold, physical comedy. She can transform into a character so completely, that you literally forget she’s on stage. Alissa is an amazing actor with the comedy chops to match. Nothing is too big, too broad or off-limits. If a seemingly impossible idea is pitched, Alissa is the one to figure out how to make it work on stage” “Chris brings a very calm, intentional focus to the process.” says Alissa. “He has this knack for listening, processing and with one or two suggestions, making the entire piece stronger. He’s the CAT PATROL whisperer.”
THE APE FOUNDERS
About Brooke Totman
Brooke is an actor, writer and sketch comedy performer. After receiving a degree in Theater performance, Totman headed to the bright lights and smoggy hills of L.A. to train at acclaimed sketch and improv company, The Groundlings.
Brooke became a member of The Groundlings Sunday company, performing alongside Melissa McCarthy, Mitch Silpa and Michael McDonald. It is here that her skills for writing sketches and creating unique comedy characters were developed. Auditioning with characters created at The Groundlings, Totman was cast on MADtv as a featured cast member during its 5th season. Other selected TV credits include: The King of Queens (CBS), Less Than Perfect (ABC),Judging Amy (CBS) and Life After First Failure (The CW). She is currently starring in the critically acclaimed series, The Benefits of Gusbandry, available on Amazon Prime. Brooke is co-founder of The Ape Theater, a comedy based theater and training ground committed to creating new work that ignites, engages and entertains. She also heads The Ape’s Sketch Comedy division, teaching, coaching, producing and directing.
About Alissa Jessup
Alissa is a writer, director, and actor with over 20 years’ experience creating and working in theater, film, and television. She likes that clowns are kind of creepy. As an actor, she has performed and developed new plays with Sundance Theatre Lab, The Flea Theater, ACT Theatre, 13P, Soho Rep, P.S. 122, and Playwrights Horizons. Selected T.V. credits include The Mindy Project (Hulu), True Blood (HBO), Grimm (NBC), and The Mentalist (CBS). She has written and performed comedy at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade NYC and U.C.B. Los Angeles. In 2015, Alissa founded Growly Pictures to produce content that is made by women for women. Alissa wrote, directed, and stars in the comedic short film, ‘chickadee’, which she produced with an all-female cast and crew. Alissa is co-founder of The Ape and serves as the Artistic Director, where she also directs, teaches acting, directing, writing and collaboration classes.
About Chris Caniglia
Chris Caniglia started his improv career in 1986 with a group called Mental Floss in Miami. He performed over a crappy little garage that worked on foreign cars. After a little more seasoning and a move to the Big Apple he founded Big Black Car, New York City’s longest running long form improv team, and winner of Emerging Comics of New York’s award for best improv group. That group was Tom Ridgeley, Justin Akin, Ellie Kemper, Chris Caniglia, Megan Martin, Kristin Schaal, Scott Eckert and Matt Oberg. This was at the Peoples Improv Theater, where he was also a member of the teaching faculty. Chris has performed at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, The Magnet Theater in New York, where he was a member of House team Sweet Crude, directed by Armando Diaz, U.C.B. L.A., I/O West, the Chicago Improv Festival, and the D.C. Improv Festival. Chris is co-founder of The Ape and also serves as the head of its Improv division, where he coaches, teaches, produces and directs.
About The Ape Theater
With a mission of making serious sketch comedy (for people who aren’t that serious), The Ape is a comedy-based theater & training ground committed to creating new improv, sketch and theater work that ignites, engages, and entertains. Classes and workshops are offered in long-form improv, sketch comedy, writing, performance, and collaboration. The Ape’s training is deeply rooted in the belief that solid acting is the key to great comedic performances.
The Ape is an underground theater. Literally. It is located in the basement of The Alberta Abbey. The Ape is founded by working professionals with over 20 years experience working in New York City and Los Angeles in TV, Film,Theater and Comedy.
Alumni: Upright Citizens Brigade NYC & LA, The Magnet, The P.I.T., The Groundlings. www.theapetheater.com
Klyph once again curates a night of hip-hop music for the TBA festival featuring artists representing Portland, Oregon. A night celebrating hip-hop and social consciousness with performances by Champagne Duane, Wynne & special guest DJs.
The dynamic melodies and high-speed percussion section help Bully cut through the noise quickly and repeatedly. Tracks like "Milkman" and "Brainfreeze" lay it all on the line with scrappy energy until the last crunchy bass note fades out.
KP also plays drums in a band called Genders and has played guitar in a post-rock-ish band called Forest Park.