MR. VALE'S MATH CLASS
You may or may not learn anything with Mr. Vale's Math Class but you're guaranteed to have a good time. This six piece funk band has horns that knock down the door and percussion-laden grooves that are the perfect accompaniment to any dance party. While you're at it, come grab some pots and pans & join in.
Alongside Jordan Vale on keys, trumpet and vocals, Mr. Vale’s Math Class includes musicians Nick Hamel on guitar, Patrick Golichnik on bass, James Ford on drums, Miette LaPierre on vocals, JD Erickson on saxophone along with a rotating cast of dynamic guest musicians.
REB & THE GOOD NEWS
Reb & the Good News is a Portland based funk, world, and soul group that brings optimism and cathartic release to the dance floor. Catchy horn lines and sultry vocals soar over grooves that you can’t help but move to. Led by vocalist and guitarist Reb Conner, Reb’s love of rhythms from around the world bring the dance floor on a journey that’s full of surprises. Formed in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic, these songs reach for hope in a world under pressure. Reb believes that through feeling deeply and dancing together, we can face all that we’re up against in this life. She is supported by her partner, sax and keys player Leon Cotter, (a touring member of the California Honeydrops), as well as some of Portland’s heaviest hitters: Cyrus Nabipoor on trumpet, Ross Garlow on bass and Kirk Kalbfleisch on drums.
Reb & the Good News released their debut album “Wings” on May 11th 2021. This album is a culmination of a lifetime searching for Reb’s own voice in music. At 19, her love affair with music began by playing songs around a beach fire in her coastal hometown of Lincoln City. During a subsequent trip to Europe with a guitar, jazz was the music that most spoke to her, and she returned to the States to pursue an education. Reb went to music school at the age of 21 not yet knowing a major scale. With a lot of catching up to do, her education lasted all of 7 years, starting at LCC and finishing at the University of Oregon where she focused on Jazz guitar. Reb left her last collaborative project, High Step society in 2018, and moved from Eugene to Portland ready to tell her own story and bring her own aesthetic to life.
JAY SI PROOF
Jay Si Proof was created by trombonist and vocalist Jeff Chilton whose credits include performing with The Diamonds, The Platters, Broken Social Scene, and recording on over 20 albums by Portland based ensembles. Described as "earth jazz alchemists" by Vortex Magazine, Jay Si Proof's original music plays between rhythmic grooves, personal lyrics, and jazzy harmonies, blending the finesse of a Steely Dan record with the aesthetic of old school funk like The Meters and new school R&B like Erykah Badu. Their music has been featured on Portland's KMHD radio and abroad in European and South American new music playlists.