(Bodhi insists on spelling it with the prosthetic ‘u’!)
Bodhi formed the Portland Casual Jams group on Meetup.com in January of 2007, and since then has been coordinating and organizing monthly jam sessions for amateur and pro-am musicians in the Portland area. When he met Asher Wood, the two of them hit it off, and began coordinating larger events, bringing in more musicians, and spreading the word. Now, that group boasts over 300 members, and the Jam Session mandate has expanded to include charity events, open mics, and seminars for new musicians who want to learn how to coordinate and play with others.
Jam Sessions: Portland Casual Jams, on Meetup.com, provides a central, organized site for musicians of all types – amateur and professional, experienced and not-so-much, to get together and coordinate in order to do the one thing they love to do – make music! The Calendar section of the website has been used to successfully promote a variety of other musical events, such as charity events, open mics, and special music shows, as well as other private jam sessions and smaller events. However, the staple of that site is the once-a-month, large-group jam session, hosted by Asher and Bodhi, where musicians of all types can get together and have fun making music!
School’s In: The “New Musicians” seminar series, hosted by Asher Wood, provided a means by which new musicians could increase their comfort level in playing with other individuals. All of the Highwaymen feel that the most important part of making music is making it with other people, and Asher in particular wanted to help less-experienced musicians learn how to integrate themselves into a larger group without feeling self-conscious. After his seminar series concluded, the Jam Sessions swelled with confident new musicians, eager to join in the fun!
Charity Events: The Lost Highwaymen are always willing to help out! They’ve provided musical entertainment for charity events such as the “Music in the Park” series in Forest Grove, the “Great Bands with Big Hearts” event for Raphael House of Portland, as well as fund-raisers for Medical Research and Health Awareness. Most recently they’ve been working with P:EAR — a mentoring program for homeless youth in Portland, with the “Rock the Socks” benefit.
Open Mics and ‘Live Band Karaoke’: Hosting their own Open Mic Night in Portland, the Lost Highwaymen enjoy the challenge of impromptu musical numbers, and help provide a unique outlet for solo artists who want to be accompanied on stage, or for accompanists who might not get an opportunity to play out as often as they’d like. Even better, they provide a means for solo vocalists to let their voice be heard without all that hassle of wrangling up musicians and practicing ahead of time! Combining the best of solo-artist open mic events and jam-session-fueled structure, their open mic night provides hours of entertainment for both the participants and the audience alike!
Gigs!: The Lost Highwaymen provided the backing for Katie O’Brien’s blowout St. Patrick’s Day last year, and can keep even the most riotous and rollicking crowd entertained and dancing for hours on end! They like nothing more than to see a crowd that is merry!