Shocking Death
Tean killed;
neighborhood
watch captain at
center o f new probe
Blazer House
Cleaning
Farewell to Nate
McMillan and
Greg Oden as
new era begins
See page 3
See page 5
‘City o/Roses’
Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com
Volume XXXXI, Number 12
Wednesday • March 21, 2012
Established ¡n 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity ¿ ^ ^ n s w i c r
7 ¡ff
H III
enter
L
À
11 1
jS J
1
photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
The Candlelight Room, 2032 S. IV. Fifth Ave., has served as a popular staple for live blues, soul and R&B for decades. The café and bar, however, will be torn
down to make room for TriMet’s new Milwaukie Line. A ‘Wrecking Ball Jam' celebration, hosted by ‘Boogie Cat’ Norman Sylvester, will mark the end of an era
on Saturday, March 31, starting at 5 p.m.
Candlelight
Blows Out
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
After decades of providing Portlanders
with what some consider the best blues, soul
and R&B the city has to offer, the Candlelight
Room will be closing its doors this month to
make room for the construction of TriMet
light-rail tracks, ending an era for a popular
downtown nightspot catering to a diverse
clientele.
To
* mark the milestone, the café and bar will
hold a Wrecking Ball Jam celebration on
Saturday, March 31, hosted by “Boogie Cat”
Norman Sylvester, a Portland blues and R&B
favorite.
“TriMet is running the new Milwaukie line
through here, so they needed to make the
turn to the waterfront,” said Mark Kiloreto,
Hot spot for blues and soul to
end with ‘wrecking ball jam ’
a bartender at the Candlelight, who has
watched the venue become a home to many
regulars from throughout the city. “It’s go­
ing to be different.”
Inside of the Candlelight, located at 2032
S. W. Fifth Ave., people of all ages, races and
backgrounds gather to have a beer, play pool
or simply escape the bustling city surround­
ing.
Black and white photos rest on the wall,
next to music posters of jazz legend Louis
Armstrong and country musician Willie
Nelson, which decorate the backdrop to a
small wooden dance floor for customers who
venture to the bar for a free music perfor­
mance.
Over the years, the small space has hosted
several local and national artists, including
Boz Skaggs, Robert Cray, Robin Trower and
Jeff Healy. The bar also has its own recording
label Candlelight Records, which has fea­
tured Jim Mesi, Renaldo Coronto, Harpdog
Brown, Blues Train, Margo Tufo and the
gentleman of Jazz Norman Sylvester.
For some, the bar, which rests on the
comer in a building built in 1949 as a neigh-
continued
on page 4