Doors at 7PM // Show at 8PM
$15 (CIBS Members get $5 rebate at the door)
Lisa Mann Trio – Powerhouse bassist and front woman Lisa Mann hails from the blues-steeped city of Portland, OR. She and her aptly named “Really Good Band” have been mainstays of the Northwest music scene for several years, and have graced the stage at some of the finest blues events, such as the Waterfront Blues Festival, Bronze Blues & Brews, Untapped Blues Festival, Sunbanks and others. She was inducted into the Cascade Blues Association’s Hall of Fame in 2011 after winning the Muddy Waters Award for Bass Player of the Year for the third time in a row. She currently holds three Muddy Awards for Bass Player of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Act of the Year. In 2011, she and her Really Good Band represented the CBA at the International Blues Challenge, where they made it to the semi-finals. Lisa also won the Portland Music Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blues in 2012.
Her influences run the gamut, from low down blues sisters Etta James and Koko Taylor, to singer-songwriters like Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow, to R&B belters like Little Milton. She writes the majority of her recorded material, and her songs paint pictures of a gritty (and sometimes humorous) personal experience in life, love and the not-always-pretty music business.
Lisa has shared the stage with many Northwest greats, such as the late Paul Delay, Lloyd Jones, Kevin Selfe, Duffy Bishop, Ellen Whyte, the Insomniacs, and Sonny “Smokin'” Hess. She has often lent her bass grooves and musical direction to Sonny Hess’ NW Women’s Rhythm and Blues Revue, a very popular showcase at festivals such as the Waterfront and their annual cancer charity Christmas show.
Avey Grouws Band – Jeni Grouws met Chris Avey and Bryan West at a blues jam in the Quad Cities in 2015, and later that year The Avey Grouws Duo was formed. After throwing in a handful of well-received full band gigs in 2016, in 2017 the duo finally called up Bryan West to officially form the Avey/Grouws Band. Chris Avey, formerly of The Avey Brothers and former lead guitarist for blues icon Big Pete Pearson, has been called a “younger, more fiery Coco Montoya mixed with a dash of Tab Benoit”. Avey and drummer Bryan West came in 3rd in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2009 as The Avey Brothers. The strength and grit of Avey’s guitar and vocals are beautifully matched by the sheer power and nuance of Grouws’ unmistakable voice. She’s been called “a choir full of angels on a runaway train!” Gary Eckhart of Blue Monday Monthly saw their first performance in 2017 and said, “It was their first show and they are already ready for festivals!” The band has been steadily booked in 2017 in La Crosse, WI, Minneapolis, MN and throughout their home state of Iowa. And though their musicianship is stellar, there is simply something about how the band communicates with an audience. An evening with the Avey/Grouws Band is playful, raucous and rooted in the moment. And you won’t want it to end!
The Avey Grouws Band is Chris Avey, Jeni Grouws, Bryan West, Andrew Durham, Randy Leasman and Ian Farmer.