With a combination of hot jazz, Hawaiian instruments and belting out the blues, you can't go wrong. Doug Sammons is the band leader and shared some juicy tidbits about the band. Meet the Midnight Serenaders!!!!
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How long have you lived in the Portland area? I moved to Portland from New York City twenty years ago this August, and I'm very happy that I did.
Give us a brief history of your band/project: Hawaiian Steel guitar player Henry Bogdan and I started playing music together in early 2005, when we discovered a mutual appreciation for the music of country music legend Jimmie Rodgers, who recorded in the 1920's and early 30's. We were especially drawn to his jazzier pop recordings that featured horns and steel guitar. Very soon we decided to add other instruments to the mix, and began to include in our repertoire more pop oriented songs from the early 20th century. The band was together about a year when the current lineup came together: Doug Sammons - guitar and vocals, Dee Settlemier - ukulele and vocals, Henry Bogdan - Hawaiian Steel guitar, Garner Pruitt - trumpet and vocals, David Evans - sax and clarinet, and Pete Lampe - bass. Far from a simple repertory band, the Midnight Serenaders infuse their repertoire with a genuine groove and energy truly appropriate to this revolutionary music that took the country by storm in its heyday. In its six years together the band has released three full-length CD's, which are chock full of well-preserved ditties written in the 1920's and 30's, as well as a growing number of vintage-sounding original songs penned by ukulele player/vocalist Dee Settlemier.
What’s the first song you ever learned to play? Personally, I believe it was House of the Rising Sun....a long time ago. The first song that the band worked up was a song originally written and recorded in1928 by Jimmie Rodgers entitled "My Carolina Sunshine Girl."
What’s your favorite local venue to play? To see other bands? We love to play in venues where people can dance, but also enjoy performing in front of a sit down, listening audience. One of our favorite venues to play that has both dancing and listening is the beautiful Victorian-era Secret Society Ballroom. As for going out to hear other bands, the Aladdin Theater is probably one of the best venues to see and hear live music. Every seat is a good seat, the sound is always superb, and the audience usually keep quiet and listen.
Speaking of other bands, who do you like on the Portland music scene? Bands that we like that are doing vintage swing are the Stolen Sweets, Bridgetown Sextet, Swing Papillon, Trashcan Joe, Kung Pao Chickens, Pete Krebs Trio, Shanghai Woolies, the Jenny Finn Orchestra. We also like Trolley Jane, Little Sue, Foghorn Stringband, Jackstraw, Saloon Ensemble, etc.
Tell us about a recent “Only in Portland” moment you might have had. When I learned that a musician friend had sold her car and now bikes to gigs.
Finish this sentence: “I cannot live without my Fats Waller box set.”
The band is playing TONIGHT at Music on Main Street presented by The Portland Center for Performance Arts and sponsored by KZME 107.1 fm. Click here for the details!
Check out this performance by the band on OPB's Artbeat:
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