Live, from Portland Oregon’s Jade Lounge, it’s My Real Portland! MRP features the best of Portland entertainers, storytellers, musicians, authors, comics, and more.
Belinda Carroll is Co-Founder of the Portland Queer Comedy Festival and Organizer of the Portland Dyke March since 2011. Belinda hosts Smut, a monthly comedy show at Funhouse Lounge. According to NewNowNext.com, she’s one of 8 comedians to watch who are not problematic.
Belinda will appear on the October 9th My Real Portland.
Amanda Richards
May 04, 2019
Show notes
Amanda came into my consciousness after she did costumes for my friend and My Real Portland guest Charmian Creagle. Charmian and her husband’s company The Reformers mounted an awesome adaptation of King Lear this year and the costumes were hysterical - made out of Maruchan ramen packages!
Amanda Richards creates her distinctive alternative country music deftly balanced on the fulcrum between tradition and contemporary rock innovation. It has won the Portland, OR-based singer, songwriter, musician and entertainer an Independent Music Award, six first-round Grammy nominations, critical acclaim, international attention, leading light stature on her city's burgeoning neo-roots scene with her band The Good Long Whiles, and devoted fans that savor the sharpness she brings to a wealth of tried and true musical sounds. Over the course of five albums this multi-talented young woman has risen to become an artist making her mark in Americana and beyond. As critic Paul Riley declares in England's Country Music People, "Right now I regard Amanda Richards one of country music's most important singers." She certainly has stamped her singular imprint with her 2011 release, Play Dead, a wry and delightfully frightening musical indie zombie flick in song that prompted Willamette Week to observe, "If Sam Raimi and Bonnie Raitt had a baby, it might turn out an awful lot like Amanda Richards." Her deft feel for the finest old-school country, rock, blues and folk strains is something she comes by honestly and in fact genetically as the granddaughter of Rusty Richards, who sang and played with cowboy music legends The Sons of the Pioneers for nearly two decades and is the patriarch of a family musical lineage Amanda now advances into the third generation. It takes just a listen to agree with the Portland Tribune that she "not only sings her heart out and picks guitar, she’s also pretty dang funny," and, as Whisperin and Hollerin declares, "is a fine storyteller, narrating her tales of heartache with a brutally honest pen." Born into music in Orange County, CA while her father led one the area's leading outlaw C&W acts, Jason Richards & the Silverado Band, Amanda was stepping up onstage to sing with her father at his standing shows at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and other Southern California venues from soon after she started to walk. As she explains, "Music has been my whole thing my whole life" – alongside such other artistic pursuits as a henna body artist, interior designer, muralist and more – "and I got really comfortable when I was really young singing in front of people." At age 17 Richards played her first paid solo show: four hours onstage that earned her $400. "After that every other gig I did was easy." Not much later she made her recorded debut in 2001 with an EP, Last Train, followed by the albums Not Always Sexy (2004) and Live at Mississippi Studios (2006). With Who Has Your Heart in 2009 Richards earned Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Best Female Country Performance, and two nods each for Record of the Year and Best Country Song. Play Dead won the Best Concept Album Independent Music Award, and was hailed as a "masterpiece... incredible" (Country Music People) and "both sweet and enduring" (Portland Mercury). Two years later she refashioned eight classic Christmas songs into an imaginatively unique holiday album, Bleak Winter. Richards has become a frequent and popular presence on the Portland live music scene, playing with her band – Steve Moore on lap steel, banjo and guitar, bassist Andrew Clapp and drummer Mark Powers – as well as solo and in duo configurations at such venues as the Aladdin and Alberta Rose Theaters, Laurelthirst Public House and other Portland area clubs. She has been featured on NPR's River City Folk in an hour-long interview and appeared at SXSW 2008 as a finalist in FameCast's Pop Phenom competition live show and webcast. Her Play Dead performances have evolved into musical theater extravaganzas with Amanda and her musicians playing out the story in full undead regalia. It all adds up to a "bold-voiced artist" (CoOpted), "highly talented songwriter" (Country Music People), alluring live performer who takes audiences on a journey through many different styles and moods, and skilled songwriter whose releases are delicately crafted and beautifully realized. "She’s spellbinding across the spectrum," concludes the Portland Tribune, "and a standout whose star is on the rise."
Shannon Olive was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She is 40 years old with two boys (22 and 20) who also live in Portland. After graduating from Concorde Career Institute with her Medical Assistant in 2004 it was very challenging to find a job. Later that year, she was introduced to Oregon Action by Johnnie Gage during the George Bush vs John Kerry 2004 Presidential Election and they were recruiting for their voter registration campaign.
Shannon never voted, but that year discovered that she can too make a difference and was glad to be a part of something different. Shannon was unstoppable, and now had joined the social movement, fighting for our rights, addressing issues then and now that would make Oregon a better place for low-income communities of color. Her first organizer position was with OPAL (Organizing People, Activating Leaders) and Environmental Justice Group in SE Portland. She organized their first Bus Riders Campaign and they informed over 2,000 Bus Riders about the fare increase and budgets cuts.
After her work with OPAL, Shannon returned to Portland Community College to further her education with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. While attending school she became an employee working with ASPCC Student Government for two years as the Director of Legislative Affairs. In June 2015, Shannon received her Associate Degree. Shannon has been serving her community since 2004. Now she’s the Founder/President for WomenFirst Transition & Referral Center, working to serve women in re-entry and recovery - supporting them to rebuild their lives to succeed. She will never stop. The fight is in her and she will continue to fight for change until it comes.
Jasmine Pettet took action after the 2016 election and created a storytelling event that’s allowed people to take to the stage and get their words out. In the second year, she’ll be hosting a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood of Clackamas County next month.
Mother's Day! Season 2 Episode 3 w/ Belinda Carroll, Jasmine Pettet, Shannon Olive, and Amanda Richards!
May 04, 2019
Show notes
Season 2 Episode 2: Nathan Hart, Jo Ann Hardesty, Laura Ivancie
Apr 22, 2019
Show notes
What a dream this show was! Now, I cut the game show out from the show as my mic was crackly and didn’t sound great. The conversation I had with Jo Ann Hardesty was one of the most amazing evenings of my life. Nathan Hart is fantastic and hilarious - follow him at @starvinghartist everywhere. And Laura Ivancie - what an original gem and the songs she plays at the end of the show complete a super delightful evening. Recorded live at the Jade Lounge at 24th and SE Ankeny on April 14th, 2019.
Next Show April 14! Phenomenal Line Up!!!!
Mar 27, 2019
Show notes
The next My Real Portland features Comedian Nathan Hart (Harvey’s Comedy, The Hard Times , Earthquake Hurricane), City of Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty (Oregon House of Representatives, US Navy, NAACP Portland Chapter, Albina Ministerial Alliance, KBOO), and Laura Ivancie (Waterfront Blues Festival, International Songwriting Competition, Portland Rose Festival). All that, plus a game show and great German food and beer!
Laura Ivancie has performed at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, on the Backwater Blues Cruise along-side revered saxophonist Reggie Houston and Grammy nominated pianist, Janice Scroggins, for three consecutive years (2011 thru 2013). Laura’s original song, “Candy,” (Dance/ Electronica) earned semi-finalist recognition among 18K song submissions in the International Songwriting Competition (2014). She has shared the stage with blues legend Norman Sylvester; world-renowned musicians: Jay “Bird” Koder, Eddie Martinez, Gerald and Thaddeus Turner, Gary Fountain, Darrius Willrich, Ramsey Embick, Tyrone Hendrix and Michael Braun. Laura has opened for the iconic Portland band NU SHOOZ at the Portland Rose Festival and kicked off the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival with her band on Miller South Main Stage (2015). Other notable national acts that Laura has opened for include: An Horse (Late Show with David Letterman, 2009), Ladi6 (Best Female Solo Artist in New Zealand, 2011), Vicci Martinez (NBC Finalist for The Voice, Season 8), David Ryan Harris (Former guitarist for John Mayer), Grammy Award-winning folk rock group, The Indigo Girls, and for Grammy Award-winning Neo soul superstar Bilal (2017). Laura Ivancie was most recently a featured solo acoustic artist at the infamous House of Blues Las Vegas (2018).
Jo Ann Hardesty
Mar 27, 2019
Show notes
I grew up in Baltimore as one of ten children; my father was a longshoreman and my mother stayed at home with us. I was a pretty nerdy kid. By the time I graduated high school I had read pretty much anything that I wanted to read in our library. I always wanted to learn more and see more. So right out of high school, I joined the Navy, and I loved it. I was stationed in the Philippines, working in the personnel office, and then had the opportunity to be on board ship. In fact, I was one of the first women to go on board ships. I went to so many different places, from Hong Kong to Kenya and everywhere in between. That time really informed my opinion that most people are naturally good people. No matter where in the world I went I would find people who were very good, very helpful, especially to a young woman who thought she knew everything.
After the Navy, I spent a few years in the Bay Area but decided ultimately that I wanted to find somewhere else to settle down as my permanent home. I finally decided on Oregon because it had things I was looking for— the ability to be close to the water and mountains, and a place where I felt like I could really make a difference. I was fortunate that my first job in Oregon was with the Black United Fund. That gave me an opportunity to travel all over the state meeting with little nonprofits who were doing wonderful work. I found a can-do spirit. There were so many people that I worked with who didn’t necessarily have formal training but they saw an ill that was taking place or something that needed to be changed, and they were willing to come together and improve it. That job made me feel like it was a place where I could be with people who were committed to making it better, not just for their family but for everybody’s family.
Later I was able to work for Bev Stein, who was a County Commissioner in Multnomah County. Before Bev, I did not like politicians. I was so fortunate to work for an elected official like her because she was true and consistent to what she said she would do. No matter what part of town she was in or who she was talking to, she cared deeply about what they had to say. She is still the only person that I know who when they bring a group of people together, they’re intentionally of diverse backgrounds and experiences because she wants to hear from everyone. From her, I learned that elected officials didn’t have to know everything. They just had to listen to good people who were interested in making the city better for EVERYONE and use that to make public policy. Working for Bev was directly related to why I ran and served in the Oregon legislature and why I now want to be a member of the Portland City Council.
The day that I decided to run for City Council was a day that many will remember: it was the day that the police contract was renegotiated. I testified at the hearing but was very aware that outside of City Hall–we were surrounded by law enforcement from nearly every branch possible keeping the voices of so many Portlanders outside. I started thinking that the wrong people were in City Hall if the new normal was completely removing discourse other than what the council wanted to hear. I’ve been an advocate for years now and have felt so many times Iike I’m just banging my head against the doors of City Hall, hoping that somehow things will change. I’m running because I want every Portlander to feel like they can be heard at City Hall. We need to take into account voices from every walk of life. We need to find commonality. There’s an opportunity to not be divided by where one lives in the city, by economics, gender, race, sexual orientation or any other way that we can find division, but to be one Portland. That time is now.
Nathan Hart
Mar 27, 2019
Show notes
Nathan Hart is a stand-up comedian from St. Petersburg, Florida. Formerly a rhythm guitar player in an amateur punk band, and owner of a now-bankrupt bong store, Nathan has bizarrely ambitious ideas to a fault. Now he shares those ideas on stages across America with a confrontational presence & ruthless precision. As of 2016 Nathan's home base has been Portland, Oregon. He performed in Seattle's Highlarious Comedy Festival in 2018, and has opened for established acts like Danny Bevins, Matt Donaher, & Mo Mandel. Nathan is a writer for Hard Drive, the video game focused section of a popular satire publication, The Hard Times. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram, @StarvingHartist.
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