PMA '09 Show
Annual event engages audience w/creativity

By Ginger Caviness

The Portland Music Association 2009 show on Jan. 29 at the Crystal Ballroom opened with Marching Fourth Band, a colorful and very entertaining marching-style band with dancing girls, twirling umbrellas and high-stepping stilt walkers. It created a carnival-type atmosphere, engaging the audience, who were realizing this show had more than three rings going at the same time.

Aside from the not-so-professional stage setting, up-and-down half curtain controlled by two metal side sticks worked but did not reflect the usual glitz. Then there was the stage itself, poorly lit and shallow in depth.

Local comedic legend talk show host Dave Anderson of AM Northwest and Mark and Dave Show took the stage, delivering a couple good laughs and then took one too many steps; boom, crash, thud ... he fell off the front of the stage!! It sounded like a tall timber falling in one of our local forests and the sound was not "timbrrrrrr" but grey matter hitting the hardwood floor of the Crystal. This consummate performer rose up, dusted himself off, got back on the stage and stated later, "(He had) died on stage before but never fallen!"

Thank God for Anderson's sense of humor. When this writer contacted him the next morning, he confided he was sore but alive and was considering medicating over the weekend with a bottle of Merlot.

Enter Brian Johnsen, drummer extraordinaire for the Dennis Mitchell Band and hobbyist for all things on camera, video and film. He was in the audience and video taped the entire Dave-fell-off-the-stage performance and graciously created a CD delivered to Anderson for viewing and a treasured keepsake. As the booking agent for the Dennis Mitchell Band, this writer sweetened the delivery with the latest CD Highway Kind of Life. A true cure-all for what ails Dave Anderson!

Highlights of the show included: 2008 Legends Award Winners the Kingsmen - Mike and Dennis Mitchell were presenters for this year's 2009 Legends Award winner in memory of Elliott Smith.

Acoustic Minds, twin sister duo, were named Best Band Of The Year. They are currently touring the USA. Catch 'em when they come back for a live show in Portland. "The girls harmonize and resonate the musical genius of Heart, while delivering their original sound with cat-hot moves." You can quote this writer on that.

Keegan Smith was named best live performance and Mel Brown received the pioneer award.

The entire blog is available for reading at blogs.myspace.com.

The PMA 2009 Awards are the brainchild of Craig Marquardo, Music Spectator Magazine editor, singer, songwriter.