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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2004)
march 19. 2004 • ju s t OUt 37 MUSIC eatingout In good company R e n ie s Theresa Demarest left music to save her sanity. She came back for the same reason. by ^ R oll on D own Theresa Demarest • Joshua Records dare you to listen to Portland singer/ songwriter Theresa Demarest’s eighth CD, Roll on Down, in a had mood. The album features an eclectic menu: jazz- flavored songs with dashes of folk, a few pinches of pop and hints of genre-defying musical mysteries thrown in. G<xxl Company— Demarest’s longtime band— contributes to this diverse and refreshing musical blend. Demarest shines brightest on her pure jazz tunes. Standout track “ Pm Flyin’,” written for her partner of 15 years, will have you bobbing your head and tapping your toes. If you need a folk fix, just take a listen to the title track about motorcycle riding on the open road. “Odd Things," somewhat of a protest song about life, cannot be categorized. And this, combined with l^emarest’s simple yet profound lyrics, is what makes her music great. Listen to Roll on Down and watch your spirit roll on down the pathway to a hope-filled, peaceful new state. I —JBjn That phone call inspired her to write “Jonnie D & Me,” a song featured on Roll on Down. The title track was also inspired by her road trip. “I’m just doing the best I can,” Demarest confides, “and I hope it comes out in my music. T h at’s the place where 1 hope people get who I am .” ca fe Breakfast - Lunch - Brunch Free Range and Organic J a m ie B o l y a r d • wo years ago Portland lesbian musician Theresa Demarest put down her guitar and gave up music. The do-it-yourself singer/songwriter was burned out. “1 reached a point where 1 had to stop or 1 was going to go nuts,” she admits. “That was hard— really hard— because it’s in my blood. It’s why I’m on the planet. It’s how I live and breathe. It’s my vehicle for connecting with the universe.” The universe welcomes Demarest hack this year With her eighth album, Roll on Doom, from Joshua Records, her own label. Demarest, whose music is a combination of folk and jazz with a little pop and blues sprin kled in, feels this one is her best project so far. She recorded and has been performing live with her band, GtxxJ Company, made up of some of Portland’s finest musicians, including Grammy-nominated pianist Janice Scroggins, vocalist Linda Hombuckle, guitarist Tim Ellis, the talented Renato Caranto on sax and Thera Memory on horns. G ixk J Company is no doubt one reason Demarest is so excited about Roll on Down. “These guys, I’ve been with them for 10 years almost, and they’re wonderful. They’re wonder ful musicians,” she exclaims. When Demarest stopped doing music, she jumped on her Honda 1800cc VTX Retro and headed south for California. She drove her bike around the Golden State for a year. “One day I got a call from my nephew, who I hadn’t seen since he was a little boy,” Dema rest explains. “He had fond memories of m e.... He called me out of the blue, and we talked for hours and laughed.” eatingout Theresa Demarest comes back to music with Roll on Down D emarest is one busy woman. In addition to promoting her newest release, she is in the process of producing Keiko’s Legacy Tour, an educational music and multimedia show that highlights the journey of Keiko, the recently deceased orea star. Keiko was the second longest liv ing captive male orea in his tory and the first to swim free following his captivity. “By not taking care of our oceans, we’re not taking care of ourselves,” Demarest asserts. “Keiko’s legacy is about survival of our planet.” The singer’s involvement with Keiko began when she vis ited the whale at the Oregon Coast Aquarium from 1996 to 1998. She felt a special connection and immediately began writing “Keiko’s Dream," an instrumental tune featuring some amazing whale-like sounds on guitar. Soon thereafter, Demarest pro duced the C D Keiko’s Dream, recorded live at Portland Center for the only had six months to live. That was 14 Performing Arts. She then years ago. began collaborating u'ith the “It’s a scary thing to he told you’re not going Free Willy-Keiko Foundation to be on the planet in six months. And, frankly, presenting Keiko’s Dream I don’t know why I’m still here," she confesses. Tour, a program that com “But, I’ll tell you, I started doing wrhat I wanted bines music, arts and science to do It helped me get the courage to do what I to raise awareness about needed to do.... So I started doing my music, Keiko’s expe which is one of the primary rience. She fix:uses of my life force." T m just doing has spent a Demarest’s life is kind of considerable like her music— you just the best I can, can’t part of the put it in a box. She’s a past few years presenting this former nun, a former critical and I hope it concert in schools and com care nurse, a mother and a comes out in munities throughout the lesbian in a 15-year relation Northwest. ship with her partner, Nola. m y music. When Keiko died last “And we haven’t even got December, Demarest and the That's the place ten started yet!" she adds. foundation went to work With a new C D to pro where I hope updating the show. Along with mote and a national tour to her music, it will include a sci produce, Demarest has many people get ence presentation and video opportunities to keep on who I am." f<x)tage of Keiko swimming in doing what she loves. “I have the (xrean. —Theresa Demarest hope. I have exciting proj “To be able to rake your ects to he involved in, and I music and have it have a high have a lot of personal satis faction in my life.” J H er purpose,” she beams, “what kind of a con nection is that?’ Visit T heresa D emarest . a»ui get updates on And Demarest is a woman in touch with her higher purpose. In the ’80s she survived Keiko’s Legacy Tour at www.theresacd.com. a bout of cancer only to have it return five years later. The second time she was told she JAMIE B oeyarp istj Portlarul free-lance writer. r Open Daily 8 am - 4 pm 1101 SE Division Portland, Oregon 503 4 4 5 - 9 7 7 7 Serving Stumptown Coffee! Brought to you by the owners of Shanghai Tunnel, Bar of the Gods and Tiny's Coffee Breakfast with Cocktails! ®!°;]Q©TT®!jij©§}!jO open 7 nights a week friday, Saturday late NE 28th & Davis 5 0 3 -2 8 8 -8 7 7 7 reservations for 6 or more private dining room available
