About the CBA
About the CBA
About the Cascade Blues Association
Who we are... The Cascade Blues Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of blues and roots music in the Great Northwest.
Have a question about how the CBA works, who's on the Board, how you can join, or other important matters? The links on to the left should help you find what you're looking for.
The Cascade Blues Association is the Proud Recipient of the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award for 2003!
This award is presented to the blues society that has been the most active in the past year through its newsletter, educational efforts and community outreach programs. It's the highest attainable honor for non-performers in the blues industry, created to recognize the behind-the-scenes professionals and fans who keep the Blues thriving and forging ahead.
Nathan Paulsen - 2009 Christopher Mesi Scholarship Winner
Written by Administrator Friday, 23 October 2009 19:42
At the September Monthly Meeting, the Cascade Blues Association was proud to announce Nathan Paulsen as their 2009 Christopher Mesi Scholarship winner. Nathan, a recent graduate of Beaverton High School, played a significant role in his school’s music department. While there, he performed in the Wind Ensemble on euphonium, horn, and trumpet, and performed in the Concert Band on trombone and tuba. He was also a member of the Marching Band, played in the Pit Orchestra for three spring musicals, the Jazz Band, Brass Ensemble, and the school Pep Band. Beaverton High’s Director of Bands, Josh Head, described Nathan as a leader with raw talent and a drive to succeed. He wrote of his “natural ability as a teacher, and has, on many occasions, lead groups of younger students through difficult passages of music with patience and maturity beyond his years”. Nathan’s tutelage and vision transformed the schools brass ensemble “from a fledgling group to a frequent performer at community events, school events, and on local radio”. As a senior, Nathan developed, and directed, The Beaver Band, a student-directed band to play at assemblies and other venues not covered by the regular school bands. He would organize gigs, schedule practices, and was in charge of getting the equipment in place. The band will continue on, so Nathan has left his imprint on the school’s music department.
Nathan described the school’s new band director as “the single most influential person in my life. Lots of people make fun of me for this, but I wish to emulate him in as many ways as possible”. He further said, “to him, teaching music isn’t a job, it’s his calling, a way of life. And through him I have realized that I have that same calling and wish to follow in his footsteps”. As for Nathan’s future in music? With his $ 500 scholarship, he will be attending the University of Oregon’s School of Music. His goal is to be a high school band director and “teach and help instill in other young people a love for music” like he has developed. We wish him well as he carries on the mission of the CBA, which is preserving, supporting and promoting music.
-- Merry Larsen
1-Star Supporting Members
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:55
| Advanced Graphics Bob Crummett Hillsboro, OR | Amallegory Productions John Mullin Oregon City, OR |
| Anette "Bunnie" Steiner Portland, OR | Artist Piano Service Portland, OR |
| Barbara Hammerman Gig Harbor, WA | BelAir Auto Body John Peterson Clackamas, OR |
| Betsy McBride Portland, OR | Bill & Lisa Karr La Pine, OR |
| Bob Hodges & Margaret Erikson Portland, OR | The Candlelight Café and Bar Joe Shore Portland, OR |
| Columbia Gorge Title Hood River, OR | Dalton Art Dan Dalton Portland, OR |
| Dynamic Moments Ted & Carol Carpena Aloha, OR | East Cascade Physical Therapy The Dalles, OR |
| Fuller Promotions Clay Fuller Portland, OR | Daniel Flake Sandy, OR |
| Grover's Pub & Pizza Co. Michael DeGray Bend, OR | Karylee Photography Kary Harrison Portland, OR |
| Harrell & Nester, LLP Gary Harrell Lake Oswego, OR | Hollywood Burger Bar Craig & Inka Elliott Portland, OR |
| Outsider Folk Art Mark O'malley Snohomish, WA | Perry & Nancy Portland, OR |
| Rich Kobell Portland, OR | Robin & Tina Gibson and Family Kelso, WA |
| Susak & Powell P.C. Bruce R. Powell Portland, OR | Thorgen & Karly Kramer McMinnville, OR |
| Tess Barr Hood River, OR | Vera & John Nailing, Jr. Portland, OR |
| Mark von Pressentin Tigard, OR | Fred Morgan Vancouver, WA |
If you are an individual or business interested in sponsoring the CBA at any level,
please contact the Membership Secretary at 503-223-1850, or send us
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.
2-, 3-, and 4-Star Supporting Members
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:54
 4-Star Supporting Members | |
 Portland Music Company Mark Taylor Portland, OR |  Melody Ballroom Kathleen Kaad Portland, OR
|
 DrumOne.com Ken "Honey Bucket" Johnson Portland, OR
|  Chinook Winds Casino Lincoln City, OR |
 Music Millennium Terry Currier Portland, OR | |
| 3-Star Supporting Members | |
 Ripping Glass Entertainment Dean Mueller West Linn, OR |  Columbia Crossings Brad Howton Portland, OR |
 Safeway Bridget Flanagan Clackamas, OR | Really Good Stuff Evan Shlaes 1322 Se Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214 |
 Mac's Ale John Balfe Portland, OR |
|
 Portland Powder Coating Portland, OR | |
| 2-Star Supporting Members | |
| BluesSlave Portland, OR | Nathaniel Wethington St. Louis, MO |
| Pretty Pear Records Ashland, OR | Rod Canfield & Family Vancouver, WA |
| John Loen & Family Milwaukie, OR | Shelley Garrett Cincinnati, OH |
| Winthrop Music Association Twisp, WA | Karen Spencer & Dan Berkery Portland, OR |
| Throbbin Rod Tackle Co. Lynn Wymore Portland, OR | Roadhouse 101 Brian Whitehead Lincoln City, OR |
| Lucy Hammond www.thelucyhammondband.com | |
If you are an individual or business interested in sponsoring the CBA at any level,
please contact the Membership Secretary at 503-223-1850, or send us
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.
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:53
You Can Help Support The Cascade Blues Association
As a gesture of our appreciation for your donations, the CBA offers the following:
1-Star Supporting Membership Benefits for CASH donations of $150, or services with a value greater than $200.
- One CBA Supporting Membership Card.
- One copy of the monthly BluesNotes* publication mailed to your home or business each month.
- One CBA VIP Logo Pin.
- One Special CBA Supporting Membership Certificate.
- Printed recognition in the BluesNotes for being a Supporting Member.
- The satisfaction of helping the CBA preserve, promote and support blues and blues-related music in the Portland area and beyond.
2-Star Supporting Membership Benefits for CASH donations of $200-$499.
All the benefits of a Supporting Membership listed above, plus:
- A 20% discount on all BluesNotes* advertising.
- Recognition in a special area of the CBA Web site for being a Supporting Member.
3-Star Supporting Membership Benefits for CASH donations of $500-$999.
All the benefits of and Supporting Memberships listed above, plus:
- Your company logo appears in a special Supporting Members section of the BluesNotes and on our Web site.
- A FREE monthly 2" x 5" advertisement in the BluesNotes.
4-Star Supporting Membership Benefits for CASH donations of $1000-$5000.
All the benefits of , and Supporting Memberships listed above, plus:
- Your company logo appears in a special Supporting Members section of the BluesNotes and on our Web site.
- A FREE 4" x 5" advertisement in the BluesNotes.
After selecting your desired Supporting Membership level, go to the "Join the CBA!" page to sign up online with a secure transaction. Or, if you'd rather not sign up online, please contact Membership Secretary at 503-223-1850 or send us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to set up your Supporting Membership.
*Note that the BluesNotes has a regular monthly distribution of 5,000 copies throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, with thousands of additional copies distributed every July at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. The CBA Web site is an award-winning site with international visibility; it receives about 600 unique visitors per day, or approximately 18,000 visits per month on average.
1997 Award Announcement
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:48
Kailyn Daniels
The Cascade Blues Association is pleased to announce Kailyn Daniels as the first recipient of The Christopher' Mesi Memorial Scholarship for 1997.
Kailyn is a freshman at Clackamas Community College pursuing a degree in Music and Business. She is an accomplished piano player and singer, not only with her previous high school choir, but also her church choir and the CCC Chorale. Kailyn, along with Lonnie Cline, Director of Music at CCC, traveled to Estonia in 1996 where she sang a solo by Veljo Tormis with Mr. Tormis listening in the audience. It was then she realized that music is definitely a life changing experience.
Kailyn credits her piano and voice instructors with teaching her not only the technical side of music, but allowing her to learn how to "feel" and "understand" the music. Her decision to major in Music stems from seeing how music can impact a person's life as well as her own. She believes that we can use music to reach others and help make this world a better place. Kailyn relates that, "Music can inspire everyone from the young to the old, the happy to the sad, and those just looking for answers."
The CBA encourages anyone pursuing an undergraduate degree in Music at the local community college level to apply for the Christopher Mesi Memorial Music Scholarship. Please watch the BluesNotes for information on how to apply for this award.
Love and Blues
Susan Stewart
CBA Scholarship Committee Chair
1998 Award Announcement
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:48
Adam Barr
The Cascade Blues Association is pleased to announce that Adam Barr is the recipient of The Christopher Mesi Memorial Scholarship for 1998.
Adam attends Portland State University and is pursuing a degree in Music and/or Computer Science and is already an accomplished musician at a ripe young age of 18. Guitar, Bass, Saxophone and Drums are what this scholarship winner lists as part of his diversified musical experience. Adam states that he was "raised with music". His father was a recording engineer in Portland before he passed away in 1990, leaving his mother to raise him and his two sisters.
Adam started playing the drums in 1988 and took saxophone lessons from Danny Schaffer (of the Crazy 8s fame) for a few years, but has focused on the bass and guitar - which he has played religiously for the past 10 years. He was the guitarist for a local "industrial" band named Suture for the past two years. Since then, he and a fellow ex-Suture bandmate have started their own production company and have been hired by schools and churches to DJ parties and events. As for current endeavors, Adam is currently working on a record project and it seems a record company has already shown some interest in possibly signing him to a contract.
As for the future, Adam says, he'd "love to make music" but if that doesn't work out as planned, he would be happy with a career in the computer industry and as always, "making music on the side".
The CBA encourages anyone pursuing an undergraduate degree at the local community college level to apply. Please keep watching the BluesNotes for announcements.
Love and Blues
Susan Stewart
CBA Scholarship Committee Chair
Spring 1999 Award Announcement
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 16 June 2009 21:48
Nathan deLay Conner
The Cascade Blues Association is pleased to announce that Nathan deLay Conner is the recipient of the Christopher Mesi Memorial Music Scholarship for the first half of 1999.
Nathan is a freshman at Mt. Hood Community College and is pursuing a degree in Television/ Video Production. Nathan advises that it is his hope to incorporate music and television, such as MTV. "MTV has become an undeniable part of the music culture, and it may provide me with more possibilities in the music industry working with other artists and bands, rather than just as a musician."
Nathan lists his musical talents as singing and playing bass and guitar. He has been around Blues and Blues musicians most of his life. Rumor has it that, as a child, he was seen crawling around amongst the guitars at the 9th Street Exit and he even attended the first Rose City Blues Festival. Nathan said that by the time he reached six or seven years old, he had decided that music wasn't for him. Lucky for us, that changed by the time he was a freshman in high school, when he and a group of friends decided to form a band. After a visit to his father, who was living in New Orleans, he carried home his first piece of musical equipment, an old, often-repaired bass amplifier. His mother also encouraged his musical interests by purchasing him a bass guitar and soon afterwards he and his friends had formed their first band.
Nathan explains that it was in high school that he regained respect for the Blues, "As I read about the bands that I liked, and the styles of music that I listened to, I learned that Blues is a root to most, if not all, of the music that I owned. I also came to find out about the people (and music) that my parents knew that I had never taken time to appreciate such as Jimmy Lloyd Rea, Paul deLay, and Monti Amundson. Much of their playing seemed more like 'my music' than I had expected." As for current and future plans, Nathan is focusing on school and is still playing in a band with friends. He says he is more cautious to have decent material and feels that "the music seems to come together better when the people playing it know enough about the music to play together not just trying to play."
For those of you who attended the March membership meeting, you had the honor of meeting our award recipient, Nathan Conner. So, I am sure you will all join me when I say, "Congratulations, Nathan and good luck in school and in all of your future endeavors."
Love and Blues
Susan Stewart
CBA Scholarship Committee Chair
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