1 he Portland Observer ...October 28,1992
Portland Observer
ENTERTAINMENT
/
PORTRAIT
1-1
r J
Fresh, exciting, dynamic. The
music of Portrait is, you might say,
picture. As depicted on Portrait, the
four-man team’s debut album for Capi
tol, the album is a distinctive meshing
of ’70s R&B, funk and soul with hard-
edged, hip-hop street grooves of the
’90s. Portrait beautifully covers the
musical gamut, whether it’s the cool,
stylish, insistent “ Here We Go Again”
(the album’s first single), the punchy,
rap-laced “Honey Dip,” the tender,
haunting interlude “Why?,” or the sen
sitive, romantic ballad “Day By Day.”
Portrait delivers.
“Every track has our signature on
it,” says Michael Angelo Saulsberry.
“It’s like a musical kaleidoscope, with
a range of colors, textures and feelings.
And...it’s slammin’!” Very mucha self-
contained unit, Portrait wrote and pro
duced their impressive album debut
themselves. “This album reflects our
experiences, our observations about
life,” explains Phillip Johnson, one of
Portrait’s three lead singers. “It’s a
100% collective effort from beginning
to end.”
In many ways. Portrait musically
reflects the viewpoint of four young
men with distinctly different geographi
cal and cultural backgrounds. While
Michael Angelo Saulsberry and Eric
Kirland both hail from Los Angeles,
Irving Washington 111 is a native of
Providence, Rhode Island and Phillip
Johnson was bom in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Our album’s bout portraying life as
we see it, from different perspectives.
There’s an East Coast flavor, a Mid
west altitude and West Coast style, all
combined together. It’s a mix, a fusion
that comes from growing up in differ
ent places...and yet, there’s a unity of
spirit. W e’ve lived together, argued,
been hungry, laughed together, we’ve
become best friends...and youcan hear
that bond in our music.”
Portrait had its nucleus in the
friendship and musical union of Eric
K irland and M ichael A ngelo
Saulsberry, both of whom grew up in
L.A. playing in different high school
bands and groups, and finally hooking
up in 1985 as part of a trio. “Basically,
w’e were doing R&B, funk and hip-
hop,” says Eric. “There were three of
us: Michael was the musician, I was the
singer and we had another guy who
rapped.”
The talented foursome began work
ing in earnest, constantly writing and
working together. Portrait soon came
to the attention of Capitol Records
executives who were duly impressed
with the vibrancy and immediacy of
the group’s sound. “ We cam up to
Capitol a few times and sang acappella
for different executives,” recalls Irv
ing, "and we played demo tapes for
everyone.” “We must have written
about 100 songs up to that point,” adds
Phillip. “Then we got the green light to
start the album in July ’91,” says Eric.
“We moved into a house together. And
we got real about what we were doing.”
"TH E SCARIEST FILM SINCE
'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.'"
'"C A N D Y M A N ’ SPINS A ERR FIC WEB
OF INTRIGUE AND H ORROR."
MUSIC
MILLENNIUM
32ND & E BURNSIDE
2 3 1-8 926
23RD & NW JOHNSON
248-0163
Their biggest fans include a who’s
who of the music industry: Janet Jack-
son, Teddy Riley, Kin *N Play, Bobby
Brown, Johnny Gill ralph Tresvant,
Tony! Toni! Tone! and many more.
They are Hi-Five, the sensational vo
cal quintet that put Waco, Texas on the
entertainment map and amazed the
world with a spectacular style of sing
ing and dancing reminiscent of the
glory days of the Jacksons.
A fter hitting num ber one on
Billboard’s Black album chart with
their 1990 gold, self-titled debut, these
five exceptional teenagers show
they’ve grown musically and emotion
ally on their second album, Keep It
Goin’ On, which features their sizzling
first single “She’s Playing Hard To
Get.”
“This album is much more ma
ture,” says 17 year old lead vocalist
Tony Thompson. “W e’ve grown up
and this time we have songs that ap
peal to an older audience as well as our
younger fans.”
Tony and musical partners Russell
Neal (18), Roderick “Pooh” Clark (19),
M arcus “ M ac” Sanders (19) and
Treaton Irby (19) became instant stars
with three consecutive smash hits from
their debut album: “Just C an’t Handle
It,” (Top 10R& B/Top40Pop);“ILike
The Way (The Kissing game),” (#1
R&B/#1 Pop; and “I Can’t Wait An
other Minute,” (#1 R&B/#5Pop).Now
they are ready to Keep It Goin’ On
with nine versatile new songs that
reflect the maturity and experience
they’ve gained performing all over the
Just James Fashions
Lost My lease
Inventory Reduction Sale
30*50% Off Everything
Sale Begins October 21
thru November 1 ,1 9 9 2
1512 NE Broadway 287-7230
Saturday,
November 14,
1992; 10:00 AM to
NOON
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M A LL 205
JL 'L U I 1
Mid-life and older women are in
vited to the Portland Chapter of the
Older Women’s League (OWL) at new
meeting place, Good Samaritan Hospi
tal, 1015 NW 22nd, Conference Room
A3, Main Floor. SPEAKER: Marian
Sarles, American Association of Re
tired Persons. TOPIC: “Proposed Health
Insurance Plan for All- Your Input
Needed”. Meeting is OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC, NO ADMISSION CHARGE.
Free parking available in structure B on
NW Marshall ST., between Nw 21ST
VANCOUVER MALL
Nancy Wilson To Host Star-
Studded “ Family Night”
Intcrnationally-renowned song
stress Nancy Wilson will host the sec
ond annual “Family Night’s Holiday
Family Reunion Concert,” a star-stud
ded, two-hour television musical trib
ute to family and the holiday spirit,
airing nationally primetime in over 110
cities November 18 through December
8, 1992.
The syndicated telecast will be
taped before a black-tie audience from
UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles
November 1 and will feature appear
ances by After 7, High Five, Miki
Howard, Melba Moore, Shanice and
Voices. In addition, pre-taped messages
will come from the cast of the hit tele
vision show “ROC;” the chart-topping
musical group, En Vouge; and come
dian Sinbad, along with several mem
bers of his family.
Additional celebrity participants
will be announced at a later date.
“We are proud to present, once
again , the opportunity to celebrate the
strength and unity of the African-Ameri
can family through entertaining pro
gramming that can be enjoyed by all,
regardless of race, creed or color,” said
Don Jackson, President, Central City
Productions.
The program is presented by Cen
tral City Productions in association with
the National Council of Negro Women.
Jackson is executive producer and
Dionne Warwick serves as co-cxccu-
tive producer. Dennis Rosenblatt will
direct and Barbara AL. Wilson is the
producer.
Inspiration for “Family Night”
comes from the six-year success of the
National Council of Negro Women’s
Black Family Reunion Celebration, a
nationally held annual festival dedi
cated to fostering positive images of the
African-American family. “ Family
Night” will also show' highlights filmed
in cities from this year’s festivals in
cluding Los Angeles, Washington D.C.,
Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Mem
phis and Cincinnati.
The Chicago-based Central City
Productions, founded in 1970, devel
ops and produces programming for tele
vision and cable networks. Upcoming
television specials include “The Eighth
Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards,”
“The Hip Hop New Year’s Eve Count
down” and a Black History special,
“Road To Success.”
world during the past two years.
H-Five personally selected all the
tunes on their new album, and imme
diately recognized their next hit when
they recorded a breezy romantic song,
“She’s Playing Hard To Get,” pro
duced by veteran, Timmy Allen. “I
loved it because the groove reminded
me of “I Like The Way” comments
Tony and “because it’s about a situa
tion we’ve all been through. It’s also a
perfect song for the summer.”
Tony’s outstanding vocal ability
propelled Hi-Five to sudden stardom
and on Keep It Goin On’, he displays
an even more impressive sound. “I
knew my voice would change,” tony
says, “and you can hear it on the new
album. My voice is much deeper now
and I can do more riffs.”
Costumed
Children parade
Through St.
Johns Friday
Some 650 James John Elementary
students dressed as ghosts, ghouls and
goblins will spook St. Johns neighbors
during the school’s annual Halloween
Parade Friday (Oct. 30) at 1:15 p.m.
The group will depart from James
John school, 7439 N. Charleston, travel
north on N. Charleston, east on N.
Central, south on N. Oswego then west
on N. Lombard to N. New York and
circle back to the school.
In the event of rain, the parade will
be conducted through the school’s halls.
■ N a M M a a m a a H M tfm m a a a m m a m m a m m M m H m m iQ ^ a a M m m a a m o i
Public Service
Announcement
Precussionist Ron Steen and his
Band will conduct a live performance
at Sheba’s on November 1st from 5
p.m. to 7 p.m. Sheba’s is loeatedat 3223
NE Broadway. There is no cost of ad
mission, however a donation of S10 is
suggested. For more information, please
call Marina at 284-7756.
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Portland, OR 97212
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“T-Ride” And “Tora Tora”
BY AMI A. WEGHORST
“Well, “ I thought as we walked
through the door of the Roseland, it
looks like I’m dressed inappropriately.”
Wednesday, October 14 at the “T-Ridc”
and “Tora Tora” concert, was the first
time I have ever felt awkward because
my clothing as far too conservative. I
had chosen atypical “Ami outfit for the
concert: leggings, shorts, a T-shirt, and
aflannel. However, every other women
in the room was clothed in a much
different style. Never before had I seen
so many black Spandcx body suits with
holes where there were never meant to
be holes. The men were dressed in tight
jeans and dirty T-shirts which displayed
either a half-naked woman or a brand of
cigarettes. Again I thought to myself,
“If the clothing of the crowd is any
indication of the quality of music, I may
be hard pressed to come up with some
positive comments.”
However, my original thoughts
proved to be wrong. I guess it rally is
true that you shouldn't judge a book by
its cover. The first ban, “T-Ridc,” left
me with plenty of positive comments.
The band consisted of three men, two
guitars and a drummer. AT first it
seemed to me that neither of the guitar-
ists had much in the way of talent, but
again I was wrong. The lead guitarist
was indeed very talented. The lyrics
were a bit unintelligible, but I heard a
rumor that was more a cause of the
Roseland’s poor sound system than a
fault with the singers. The background
vocals added a lot, even if the exact
words were slightly unclear.
Something else that added a lot was
the visual effect. A smokey environ
ment, (partly caused by the plethora of
smokers in the crowd, and a smoke ma
chine) along with some simple light
work, was a nice touch.
I would recommend a bit of variety
in their work. The one slower tempo
song was a pleasant change from their
speed-metal set. As I mentioned, the
background vocals were good, and com
bined nicely with the lead singer.
All in all, “T-Ridc” was a pretty
average rock band, with nothing too
extra-special, yet nothing horribly detri
mental cither.
“Tora Tora” was very similar to
their opening band. Their visual effects,
especially the lighting, had a nice look to
it. They also used a smoke machine,
although it was hardly necessary by the
lime they got on stage.
Thisbandhadtwoguitarists.adrum-
mer, and a singer. The lead singer seemed
to know his crowd, and he worked them
well. I would estimate there to have been
about 100 people at this show, and they
all appeared to be devout fans. The
singer sounded (to me at least) some
what like Led Zepplin, with a more
metal base. The drummer had little va
riety in his beats, and the guitarists were
good, without being overly talented.
I would classify the music as speed-
metal; a little on the heavy side for my
taste. However, there was one song that
i liked a lot. I understood the singer
enough to gather that its title was, “As
Time Goes By.” This song had a much
slower tempo, and the lyrics were mostly
decipherable. A really good guitar solo
in the middle of the song convinced me
that this was definitely their best. I think
the band’s talent was most glorified in
this slow song. I wonder, though, if they
wrote the lyrics themselves.
Neither band was really in line with
my usual taste in music. However,! still
found the concert enjoyable and enter
taining. Even if 1 wasn’t particularly
found of the way the crowd chose to
dress themselves, the music was defi
nitely worth listening to.