To round out our video series on couples who both play music, either separately or together (or both), it was always in our plans to have Stephanie Schneiderman, singer, songwriter and guitarist in multiple genres and her husband Tony Furtado, virtuoso on a variety of stringed instruments and also a singer.

The pandemic got in the way, but we were able to start using video again a couple of weeks ago. They will talk to us and also perform on the Café Artichoke stage. Look for more video episodes soon!

Produced and edited by Gary Furlow.

Occasional video episodes of Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music are back! Before the pandemic we left our series with couples who are also working musicians, some together, some not.. Our last one was Reecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer

https://www.oregonmusicnews.com/sanborn-tanzer-coffeeshop-conversations222

At the time we had two more in the works and we finally recorded them a couple of weeks ago. Next time we'll end the series with Tony Furtado and Stephanie Schneiderman but today it's Jana Cushman and Rachel Elllis of Darkswoon. One of the first things we'll talk about is what is it that they call the kind of music they do? They've settled, at the moment on "Elrectrogaze." They'll also perform two of their tunes which will end up on their next album.

The downsized but still mighty Waterfront Blues Festival begins on Thursday, July 1 and ends Monday July 5 “Upriver” at the Lot at Zidell Yards.

Details here.

On Monday, July 5 drummer Tony Coleman’s Tribute to the Three Kings, B.B., Albert and Freddie with an all-star band.

T.C. played with B.B. and Albert’s bands and on the same bill with Freddie.

Listen to him tell us what we have in store.

We have missed all of the live music in our lives over the length of the pandemic but one thing we should recognize is the efforts by broadcasters to keep sending the music our way.

It hasn’t been easy, as I can attest from my own show on KMHD but we do it because we love it and we know you need the music.

With me today in the Artichoke Café is Suzanne Nance, CEO of All Classical Portland, also an on-air host there and a vocalist in her own right.

What have they had to do to keep themselves in fresh programming? What does the future look like?

It’s always a delight to talk with her and today, no doubt will be too since we do see some daylight.

Welcome back Suzanne Nance.

As you may have noticed, we’ve been checking in with musicians, organizations and venues as things begin to open up, to see what they’re up to and how they’ve been.

This time it’s Sarah Tiedemann, Third Angle New Music’s Artistic Director and a flutist.

They’re presenting the “Fresh Air Fest” which they call “an outdoor new music mini-festival located at the idyllic Topaz Farm, on Sauvie Island.”

Three consecutive one-hour sets on Sunday July 11 starting at 3:30pm.

What’s the status of their 21-22 season and what have they been doing to keep at it?

Oh, and don’t mind us, but we geeked out on Twin Peaks in the last little bit….maybe more than a lttle bit.

Here’s me and Sarah Tiedemann.

With me in the Café at Artichoke Music is child psychiatrist, poet and artist Dr. Diane Kaufman. She’s here to talk about the release of her suicide prevention song 'Don't Give Up' which is designed to give support to those who are struggling with mental health issues and thinking about suicide.

In case you were not aware suicide is the leading cause of death among youth 10-24 in Oregon.

So here’s an interesting role that music may play in bringing those stats down.

Diane Kaufman is founder of Oregon-based Arts Medicine for Hope and Healing and the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center at Mind Matters P.C.

We’re starting out differently this time, I’ll let you hear the song first and then we’ll talk with the Doctor.

Want to do something that makes you feel like we’re getting back to normal?

One thing you can do is listen to this episode of Coffeeshop Conversations at Artichoke Music because unlike last summer when there wasn’t one, Peter Dammann is here to tell us all about the 2021 Waterfront Blues Festival.

You heard me! It’s back. It’s smaller and down the street from where it usually is but there are people at this moment knocking themselves out to make it happen.

As he has been since the beginning of time, Festival Artistic Director and ace guitarist Peter Damman is in the Café to tell us pretty much everything we want to know about the festival.

All I have to do is push this little switch.

Just when we were thinking that tons of music was right around the corner we find out that there’s a ton of Federal money that could help venues….big and small…that isn’t being spent.

Enter a new organization called Oregon Arts Recovery, OAR, that has arrived to help matters.

Jim Brunberg, one of the leaders in our music industry, both as a musician himself and as a venue owner (Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall) has been working non-stop for the past year to convince government that music and music venues are vital to the life of Oregonians.

He’s with me on the phone with exciting news about a united front to help ensure that our venues survive and come back strong.

Can you feel it? Can you feel the music returning? Feels good.

Karen Lovely is in the Artichoke Music Café with me today. She has not been doing a whole lot of music in the past year but she has been very busy with her other work as an advocate and first responder for domestic violence.

We’ll hear about both, that and her return to music.

And as important as the music is to all of us, her work with victims of domestic violence is crucial.

She’s still got the voice and the attitude however and we’ve missed both.

She’s got gigs lined up and is working on a new album but let’s let Karen Lovely do the talking. She’s good at that. She’s good at all of it.

Slowly, in frustratingly small increments, live music is returning to our lives.

People are being hired in anticipation of venues re-opening and people like our guest singer/guitarist Kris Deelane are trying to fill that gap we’re all still feeling.

Her outdoor Alchemy Shed opens this weekend and has a bookings through the next couple of months.

Why? How? She’s here in the Artichoke Café to fill us in, and on her plans to fire up her band The Hurt which has been on the sidelines for a year.

One of these days we’ll do one of these and not have to mention the pandemic.

Until then, here’s some good news from Kris Deelane.