Jesus Presley, Western Aerial, Runaway Norm and The SlimJims Play Left Coast Eisteddfod in Portland, Oregon

Friday Night's Lineup Finalized Jesus Presley Leader and founder of the band, The Reverend Tony Hughes comes from a long line of jazz musicians. His father played with Wes Montgomery and his grandfather played radio shows back in the 30's and 40's. So for him it was really the only thing he knew growing up. He has always had a love for music of all styles, and its apparent from the sound that Jesus Presley plays. In 1994, while booking music for a club in Portland Oregon, he noticed that there was a lack of large show bands playing in live music venues. He had an idea for a band that played music that was a little off center, mixed styles from swing, jazz, R&B to rock and the whole time making sure everyone was having fun. The whole concept was to include everyone in the experience, from the musicians to the folks going out to see live music. For the musicians in the band it was simple- they stopped worrying about the music industry and focused on music and entertaining people. For the past 12 years Jesus Presley have amassed a following in the Pacific Northwest and received critical acclaim for their live shows, musicianship and recordings. After achieving a cult status and playing every music venue and festival and event they could. They have learned a couple things, fun is fun and now matter what you do, it better be fun. http://www.jesuspresley.com/ http://www.myspace.com/jesuspresley Western Aerial Western Aerial’s music and ferocious live show have drawn recent comparisons to Foo Fighters and Jet, creating a diverse and loyal following of supporters who have been looking for a genuine rock ‘n’ roll band. Geoff Metts’ whiskey-soaked vocals and swaggering guitar riffs pour over Jimmy Richards’ thundering bass rhythms and bone crushing backbeats by drummer Anthony Tripp. Western Aerial’s use of infectious melodies and AC/DC style hooks make it clear that it’s once again cool to play a guitar solo. http://www.westernaerial.com/home.htm http://www.myspace.com/westernaerial Runaway Norm Runaway Norm has brought together a unique blend of music genres to create acoustic-driven rock music that will leave you singing and dancing. http://www.runawaynorm.com/ http://www.myspace.com/runawaynorm The SlimJims Mixing an eclectic variety of popular music with unconventional “B-side” hits, The SlimJims put their alternative upbeat twist on over five decades of quality American roots music. They’ve distilled the best of 40’s traditional western, 50’s rock-n-roll, 60’s folk, and 70’s country into one tall cool refreshing drink you can sip all night long. So just click on their calendar to catch them at a favorite venue near you. You won’t go away thirsting for another round... www.TheSlimJims.com www.Myspace.com/tommyvonjim

BUY TICKETS FOR THE LEFT COAST EISTEDDFOD SHOWS FRIDAY NIGHT - JESUS PRESLEY, WESTERN AERIAL, RUNAWAY NORM, THE SLIMJIMS SATURDAY - CHRIS NEEDS, BRUCE ANDERSON, OCEANS APART, TYLER STENSON AUGUST 21st - 22nd 2009 McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside Portland Oregon

The SlimJims Play The Left Coast Eisteddfod, Portland, Oregon

The SlimJims will be opening the friday night show at the Left Coast Eisteddfod on August 21st at the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom in Portland Oregon. Also on the bill will be Jesus Presley, Western Aerial and Runaway Norm. The show starts at 8 p.m. and doors will open at 7. You can buy tickets direct from Ticketmaster HERE. Band leader Shane Todd talks about the band in a short article below. To hear The Slimjims follow this LINK. SlimJims band member and founder Shane Todd says "the whole focus of our group is producing what I call ' The Living Room Sound.' We perform as if we are setting up in your house and playing songs with everyone who came by with their instruments." Todd, lead singer and guitarist, says the SlimJims accomplish that because all of the band's instrumentation is acoustic-based, harking back to the time when his Irish American ancestors would gather together at someone’s home to play music on the weekends in the mountains of West Virginia after working in the coal mines. “That’s exactly what my great grandmother did; sang, played guitar and essentially was the coordinator for Saturday night jams at her cabin”. The Portland area band originated about seven years ago and now includes Stephen Cambron (pedal steel, electric guitar), Seth Garon (bass, vocals), Deborah Katz (fiddle, vocals) and Paul Hampton (drummer). Todd, said he has produced the band's show as a tribute to his American Irish musical roots spanning about five decades with the songs he used to listen to as a young child spending time with his father as he worked on his motorcycles in the garage. "He used to play a lot of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Chet Atkins," Todd said. “All this classic American music has deep roots in our Irish and Welsh heritage.” The SlimJims, which recently headlined a list of eight bands that performed on July 4th at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, also likes to focus on "B side hits. ''True fans would know those songs because they would play both sides of all the records," said Todd.