2017 Inductees
The 11th Annual Oregon Music Hall of Fame (OMHOF) Induction & Concert will be held on Saturday, October 14th at 7 pm at the Aladdin Theater.
The concert will feature Floater, a tribute to Jimmy Boyer featuring the Freak Mountain Ramblers, Fernando, Bingo Richey, Turtle VanDemarr and Pete Krebs plus the Louis Pain All-Star Band with Andy Stokes, LaRhonda Steele, Peter Dammann, Dan Balmer and more.
The event will feature a live auction of autograph guitars including. Chicago, Ry Cooder, Culture Club, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Miller and Weezer. Proceeds from this event help support our music education, scholarship programs, and inductions.
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
ARTISTS
- FLOATER
With eleven albums under their belt, Portland trio, Floater, has made an international mark with an original mix of alternative rock, psychedelia, reggae, pop and even a bit of jazz. Floater is made up of bassist Robert Wynia, drummer Peter Cornet and guitarist David Amador. They fill their albums and concerts with slashing electric and dreamy acoustic sets. In a 2010 review the Willamette Week noted: “Critics hate it, radio won’t play it, but thanks to its legion of rural and suburban fans, Floater lives on.” Breaking out of Eugene in 1993, the band has been on the road for 21 years with a following described as “a cavalcade of metal heads, hippies, and long-haired teens.” Their most recent CD is titled Wake.
- JIMMY BOYER
The late Jimmy Boyer was usually on time for any Freak Mountain Rambler performance–probably playing the Laurelthirst Pub over a thousand times. He was the heart of the band according to Turtle VanDemarr of the group. Jimmy Boyer began a career in his native Cleveland, moving to New York to busk the East Village then to Flagstaff and in 1989 to Portland, whose quirky tastes were a perfect fit for his quirky songwriting. He played with Jeffery Fredericks’ Clamtones, his own Glowing Corn and eventually formed the Freak Mountain Ramblers with Kevin ‘Bingo’ Richey, bassist Dave Reisch and Paul Bassett. He recorded six CD’s with the Ramblers and two of his own: Trestle and Time Spent. He passed on January 21st, 2016 at age 47.
- KING BLACK ACID
King Black Acid began as the musical pseudonym of Daniel Riddle while playing bass in Portland ‘industrial rock band,’ Hitting Birth in the 1980’s. Riddle switched to guitar and created a home studio for his musical adventures as King Black Acid. There have been many musicians pass through the group since the early 90’s with several studio releases. Riddle and the group have recorded music for several film and TV soundtracks that include: Buffy the Vampire Killer, CSI Miami and the Mothman Prophecies. This musical collective, now King Black Acid and the Crystal Unicorn just released Super Beautiful Magic, on Cavity Search Records, this year. Willamette Week notes the new music has “spacey touchstones of psych rock to paint in broad, dark strokes of curiosity and heartbreak.”
- MICKEY NEWBURY
Mickey Newbury was born in Houston in 1940 but spent the last 30 years of his life in Springfield, Oregon. After a stint in the Air Force, he sang all over the South as a solo troubadour, landing in Nashville in 1959 with a writer’s contract with Acuff-Rose Publishing. His songs were recorded by many: Jerry Lee Lewis, Don Gibson, Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Solomon Burke and Elvis Presley. Many remember his haunting song, “Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In” by Kenny Rodgers and the First Edition. Mickey Newbury wrote more than 500 other songs, and with such colleagues as Kris Kristofferson and Tom T Hall brought a more literate and thoughtful dimension to country music in the 1960s. He recorded over 25 albums of his own and created a medley, “An American Trilogy,” (“Dixie,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “All My Sorrows,”) that became a showstopper at Elvis Presley’s concerts in the 1970’s. He became the youngest member of the Nashville’s Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. He passed on September 29th, 2002.
- QUASI
Quasi is the rare rock duo made up of drummer Janet Weiss and multi-instrumentalist Sam Coomes, head on guitar, keyboards, and bass. Formed in 1993, Quasi has released 9 full length albums over a twenty year period, often interrupted by other projects: Weiss drums with Sleater-Kinney & Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and Coomes has been working with Pink Mountain and on his solo project, Blues Goblins. Quasi now records for the Kill Rock Stars label with their most recent release, Mole City in 2013. In 1998 and 1999 they toured the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan opening for and serving as the backup band for Elliot Smith, a fellow Heatmiser band mate from the early 1990’s. Earlier this year on Inauguration Day, Quasi brought Portland’s indie rock scene together to release a new protest album, Battle Hymns. Proceeds from the pay-what-you-want release will benefit Planned Parenthood, ACLU and 350.org.
- SEAN CROGHAN
Sean Croghan is a musician and visual artist who burst onto Portland’s punk scene in the 1980’s with the Mustache, Hellcows, Crackerbash, and Jr. High. Often listed as pop-punk, Croghan’s music got the attention of Seattle’s Empty Records, releasing a full-length Crackerbash album in 1992 followed by Tin Toy 10” in 1993. The band broke up soon afterwards, but he continued to rock with a new group, Jr. High who released Killer of Friendships in 1998. His own solo CD came out in 2001, titled From Burnt Orange to Midnight Blue. He is also heard on the Elliot Smith tribute of 2006, covering the song “High Times” and appears on this year’s protest compilation Battle Hymns.
SIDE PLAYERS
- LOUIS PAIN
Louis Pain is sometimes called King Louis for he is Portland’s King of the B-3 Hammond organ. With credits as a sideman for work on gigs & recordings with Paul deLay, Mel Brown, Linda Hornbuckle, Lloyd Jones, Curtis Salgado, Thara Memory and Soul Vaccination, he is an in-demand keyboardist. He currently co-leads the group, King Louie & LaRhonda Steele whose debut CD was honored as one of the “Best Albums of 2016” in Downbeat. He co-wrote some of Paul deLay’s most memorable songs, including “Why Can’t You Love Me” (PMA songwriting award winner in 1993), “Just This One,” “Maybe Our Luck Will Change,” and “What Went Wrong?” Louis Pain is a San Francisco native who journeyed to Portland in 1986 and has become a treasure to the Portland music scene.
INDUSTRY
- CHRIS MONLUX
Chris Monlux is the ‘Mon’ of Monqui Productions, one of Portland’s longest surviving concert promotion companies. Mike Quinn is the other half of that company that debuted in 1984. A former policeman, Chris Monlux worked at Starry Night before taking on space then known as the Pine Street Theater to support the emerging punk, pop, new wave touring bands and a long list of Portland’s edgier but important bands: Sweaty Nipples, Dandy Warhols and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies among them. The club was renovated and became La Luna from 1992 to 1999 hosting national shows by Monqui including Los Lobos, Husker Du and Violent Femmes. Monqui expanded horizons to promote shows all over the West and is one of the biggest independent concert promoters in the country. Monlux later partnered to create the Wonder Ballroom, the former home of the Ancient Order of Hibernians on North Russell. It has become one of the city’s premiere concert halls with an eclectic schedule that reflects the eclectic tastes of Chris Monlux.
- LISA LEPINE
Lisa Lepine represented all things positive about the Portland music business. She was fiercely independent, the first one to dance at any show, extremely supportive of her music friends and clients and joy to be with. Lisa Lepine moved to Oregon from Vermont in 1982 to be a mentor for musicians in the emerging scene here. She managed Ed and the Boats, booked their tours and named herself the ProMotion Queen, borrowing her motto from Glenda the Good Witch: “Do. Dream Dazzle.” She loved all types of music and mentored bands from World music to Americana to Rock ‘ n’ Roll. Lisa Lepine helped each client find their way in their own way. She managed the successful folk duo of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer moving them on to international standing and helped create the LaurelThirst Pub’s musical territory as it is today. She passed away on July 5, 2016.
- TRES SHANNON
Tres Shannon was in the music business before he started baking those Voodoo Doughnuts. This Portland icon spent 4 years at the X-Ray Café, an all-ages rock club, he ran with hi friend, Ben Ellis. Tres Shannon booked an extremely inclusive calendar of music, poetry, plays, weekly sewing circles and primal-scream therapy sessions, slumber parties, and Sunday brunches. Green Day, Team Dresch, Smegma, Big Daddy Meatstraw and Shannon’s own, Kurtz Project cut their musical teeth in this tiny room. This venue is also the subject of the Ben Ellis documentary titled X-Ray Visions. After the club closed Tres Shannon stayed in the neighborhood and booked music at Berbati’s Pan, formed a Rolling Stone tribute band, Miss U’s and created the Karaoke From Hell show. He also ran for mayor of Portland. Voodoo Doughnut Recordings is another of his side projects, which currently offers nearly a hundred artists including bands from the X-Ray days and John ‘Elvis Schroder, this year’s Rose Festival Grand Marshall.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
case/lang/veirs is a Portland trio formed three years before their initial album release when k.d. lang invited Neko Case and Laura Veirs to join her in “a real collaborative” project. lang and Veirs are Portlanders and Case lives in Vermont. The band’s sound is described as Folk/Rock and Alt/Country. They produced the self-titled album with Tucker Martine, at his Portland studio in November 2015. As Pitchfork notes: “case/lang/veirs isn’t a springboard or a resting place—it’s a tribute to connection, communion, and reflection on the things that bind us. And it feels particularly significant and sanctuary-like for the fractured times that we live in.”
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Lisa Mann delivers on her album Hard Times, Bad Decisions with well written and well-sung originals and grooves from swampy blues-rock to old school soul. Lisa Mann has been inducted into the Cascade Blues Association’s Hall of Fame. This album has won the CBA’s Northwest Recording of the Year. She was honored in Memphis in 2015 and 2016 she received the coveted Blues Music Award, for her skills on bass guitar! Mann’s voice runs between the sweet warmth of the South to Rock to Swing and American balladry with a version of Dinah Washington’s “I Don’t Hurt Anymore.” This is Lisa Mann’s fourth release.
MORE DETAILS ON THE INDUCTION CEREMONY AND CONCERT
Tickets will be on sale at Ticketfly.com and the Aladdin Theater box office July 11th. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. VIP tickets, which include prime seating, collectable laminated pass, a Gary Houston limited edition hand pulled signed and numbered poster plus entrance to the catered after-induction party with the inductees, musicians and other VIPs, are $100 in advance or $110 at the door.
This year, the presenting sponsor is Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker Insurance.
Additional sponsors: Willamette Week, Benson Hotel, Oregon Music News, Classic Pianos, Five Star Guitars, Portland Music, Youth Music Project, and Southeast Portland Rotary.
What is the Oregon Music Hall of Fame?
The Oregon Music Hall of Fame (OMHOF) is a non-profit organization (501 c3) whose main purpose is to promote and preserve the musical arts of the state of Oregon.
The Oregon Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to the development, revitalization, invention, and expansion of music education in Oregon’s public and private educational institutions. So far this year we have produced music education programs in Oregon public schools without music programs that have served over 5000 students. We also gave away five $2500 scholarships to high school seniors that were going on to further their music education at the University level.