Sam Cooper

Infectious Energetic Soul

Sam Cooper creates community with every heartfelt note.  Feet tap, heads nod, and a shared laugh connects the audience with the performer and with each other.  Banter blurs into interactive conversation, comedy becomes philosophy and perfectly sets up the next tune. Soon the kindred crowd is an impromptu sing-along chorale, a poly-rhythmic percussion section, or an out-and-out dance party.

He plays his music the same way he engages the crowd: with an infectious energy and genuine soul.  The years of experience and hours of preparation are obvious, but the performance never feels rigid or canned.  Indeed, Sam Cooper tends to take a stab at every unpredictable request, and often with surprising success. His deep catalog of original songs is matched with a hefty repertoire of covers and interpretations, ranging from old folk to contemporary pop, classic rock to hip-hop, with lots of country, jazz, and bluegrass blended in.

Website:

http://www.samcoopermusic.com/

Luke Borsten

Rabble-Rousing

Luke Borsten is an absolute music junkie. Over the past years he has toured across 40 states, opened for Amanda Palmer, released an album at the Wonder Ballroom and--most recently--performed as a human jukebox on the largest cruise ships in the world, around Europe and the Caribbean. Now back in Portland full time, he plays guitar in Lee and the Bees, saxophone in 1000 Fuegos and There Is No Mountain, and presents his own songs with a rotating cast of friends whenever possible. Full of changing tempos, shout-a-long choruses and rabble-rousing energy, his songs are rooted in a pervasive fascination with travel, love, and insouciant wordplay.

Bandcamp:

https://lukeborsten.bandcamp.com/releases

Stephanie Strange

Gypsy, Storytelling, Soul

Stephanie Strange has a problem. Her cat won't stop talking to her.

Neither will spiders, or trees, or ghosts. From the outside she looks like a normal gal, but she can't shake the voices that whisper stories in her ear from this world and beyond.

The spider outside of her house whispers the consequences of a world run by humans. Her cat skulks through her sleep, flipping her serious attitude and fighting nightmare demons. An unassuming goldfish wonders how she found herself on a rollercoaster...

A healthy dose of humor and sensuality weave through the haunting music of Strange & the Familiars. After all, if one is burdened with sharing the stories from beyond the veil, one must have a sense of humor about it.

Website:

https://strangeandthefamiliars.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/strangeandthefamiliars/