The doors open at 7 pm and a mixed crowd of young and middle-aged people claim the seats of the Aladdin theater. They are college friends and dating couples. Mothers and fathers. Fedoras and thick-rimmed glasses. Pizza and Beer.
An usher tells me this is the first concert since the theater was re-modeled. He proudly states that the floor my feet rest upon is new. It looks, smells, and feels new and is unusually clean for a theater floor.
Meanwhile, a line forms at the concessions. Friends and family find and greet each other. Conversations about beer and music are plentiful.
Organizer, Raymond De Silva greets people, shakes hands, and gives hugs. However, his time is divided between the crowd and managing backstage.
Then at 8 pm, the music begins.
Three hours go by too quickly, as 11 local artists with varying styles of music take the stage to perform shorts sets.
Haley Johnson recognizable from American Idol season 11’s Top 24, reveals that she was inspired to sing by the Little Mermaid. “Arial is my homegirl,” she says before singing a song about being “just like all the other girls.”
Brant Colella asks the crowd to swing their arms like “a dirty pirate,” during his acoustic set. A crowd member yells “206,” after Patrick Hammond announces he will sing a song called “The streets of Seattle.” He responds by asking if “206” is the area code for Seattle.
Throughout, MC’s Hammond and Natalie Closner from the band Dearborn tell jokes, interesting stories, and inform the audience how they can win Sol Republic headphones.
Following an intermission, Beat Frequency from season 3 of The Voice provides the ‘Pop Rock,’ complete with background dancers; and Sarah Billings inspires the crowd to rush down by the stage and dance to her and her band’s jazzy-blues sounds.
Enric Sifa, Katie Carlene, David Martin, Alessandra Rose, Talilo, and Dearborn also perform.
This is Portland Soundcheck. A fantastic blend of local artists all at one venue.The genres of music ranged from hip-hop to jazz. Each artist interacted with the audience and provided something unique to listen to. The artists were chosen by event organizer Raymond De Silva because of his or her talent and character. “I researched how each artist takes time to give back to our local community,” De Silva said.
Sol Republic supported the event and provided flair for the artists and attendees. Each artist recieved headphones to give to a fan and throughout the evening there were several other opportunities to win headphones as well.
The dream of Portland Soundcheck began three years ago when De Silva and Hammond met at a small cafe off NE Broadway in Portland to discuss music.
“The sun shined bright that afternoon. We dreamed of bringing together artists for the purpose to create community in the Portland music scene. We simply wanted to create an event where local artists are able to build new relationships and celebrate their music in Portland,” De Silva said.
De Silva has been involved in the Portland music scene for the past ten years. His father was a lead singer in a rock & roll band. As a teenager he supported friends who got signed to major record labels. Later, while in college, he worked at an indie record label. In addition, De Silva launched a music department for the Luis Palau Association and is currently an artist manager for Brant Colella.
De Silva and others are in the process of planning Portland Soundcheck II. Portland Soundcheck’s initial event was extremely entertaining and unique and the second event may even be better. Music lovers in the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA area should definately watch for the return of Portland Soundcheck.
Artists who send their music to portlandsoundcheck@gmail.com will be considered for Portland Soundcheck II.
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