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As logical humans, we know this is objectively true: Music doesn’t have a temperature. And yet as emotional humans, we also know weather has vibes and warm weather universally = blues music. So this summer, as the temperature passes 80, follow it into the Blues Triangle.
The what?
Well, Portland is a city of districts and neighborhoods, among the most ethereal and unofficial being what we’ve dubbed the Blues Triangle in Northeast. Start at any point in the Blues Triangle, weekday or weekend, and you’re within 10 minutes of great warm-weather music, whether you call it blues, soul, jazz or funk. These five venues are hometown spots you can hit for real, local music, food and some chilling with like-minded folks. It’s here every night—and sometimes days—in the Blues Triangle. (Bonus: rarely any cover charge.)
MEKONG BISTRO
8200 NE Siskiyou St.
Perched at the edge of a wetland singing with frogs, the Monday night blues at Mekong Bistro is as chewy, spicy and fresh as the house special fried rice. Mekong is a 70–capacity restaurant attached to a 175–capacity ballroom where Steve Kerin and the Bayou Boyz have been holding down their weekly gig since 2019. Shows usually run 5 to 9 pm. Lately, Tevis Hodge Jr. has been handling the first set in his own killer show-master fashion. The Bayou Boyz can sometimes be a rotating cast of talent, with Kerin always ferocious on the keys.
On a recent Monday, Mekong Bistro’s crowd was something that other places wish they had on a Friday with about 50 people in the room, half of them up and dancing. No wonder Portland’s first and only Cambodian restaurant is also home of the Cascade Blues Association’s monthly showcase every first Wednesday (catch CNA’s annual fundraiser show June 8 at Alberta Rose Theatre). On Sunday, June 1, is CBA’s annual “Journey to Memphis” competition where our city’s entry in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., is selected by a panel of judges. Many Portland musicians sent by the CBA have reached the final round of the worldwide competition.
Check the calendar or call ahead because shows rotate numerous nights on a monthly basis. There’s also Kathryn Grimm’s blues jam on various Wednesdays, Latin bands on various Fridays, and a range of jazz genres throughout the week.
THE BLUE DIAMOND BAR & GRILL
2016 NE Sandy Blvd.
If you’re looking for music on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, then for sure check out the Blue Diamond, appropriately forming the southern point of the Blues Triangle. Just around the corner from Portland Musicians Union Local 99, the Blue Diamond has been slinging jazz and blues to Portlanders since 2011. And while the neighborhood is changing with a steady advance of shiny, multistory apartment buildings, the Blue Diamond’s brick façade, “Live Music, Great Food” sign, and the intimate neighborhood vibe have remained artifacts of Old Portland, along with the string of pawn shops and gold buyers. Steady names in the room include the biggies like LaRhonda Steele, AC Porter, Lisa Mann, Soul Cookin’. Kevin Selfe has held down a regular Sunday 5 pm gig for years. Covers range from $6 to $12.
CLYDE’S PRIME RIB
5474 NE Sandy Blvd.
In the center of the Blues Triangle, at the top of the hill, entwined by the luxurious scent of fire, meat and garlic bread, is Clyde’s Prime Rib, which hosts regular weekend shows. (It also boasts one of the most impressively dense and artistic arrangements of cars in any parking lot around town.)
Friday and Saturday nights at Clyde’s are routinely off the hook. Many years, a go-to for me when looking for that human race recharge where you dance and sweat and smoke and drink together. And then as a Sunday night wind-down, relax at the long-running Ron Steen jazz jam—it’s simultaneously the most homey and also most sophisticated spot for music in town. Jams run 7:30 to 10 pm, and potentially later, just depending.
THE SPARE ROOM RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
4830 NE 42nd Ave.
The Spare Room gives me New Orleans déjà vu like no other place in Portland. There’s something about the former bowling alley’s low ceiling, its intimate stage, the close air, the cheap, strong drinks, and the always enthusiastic dancing crowd that just triggers memories. Live music runs Thursday through Saturday. Portland legends Norman Sylvester and Ural Thomas play here regularly. There are two pool tables in the back that may be the most charmingly wrecked in all of Portland, so be sure to bounce some balls around, it’s free.
SPIRITS PUB
4037 NE Cully Blvd.
Appropriately named, Spirits Pub sits practically on the grounds of the Rose City Cemetery. During the day, the room is full of retirees playing cards whose good taste in music is channeled into the jukebox with tunes by artists ranging from Buddy Guy to Frank Sinatra to Zappa. At night, hopeful hustlers haunt the pool table, shooting for a beer or a Lincoln. The blues at Spirits is typically a relaxed afternoon affair on Saturdays and Sundays, kicking off at 5 pm with no cover. Hang there in the summertime with the doors open and the band banging, and you’ll experience some true juke joint vibes. Regulars include Lloyd Jones and Steve Kerin. But there’s also some random Wednesday nights with music. Call ahead. Oh, yeah—the pub makes a house rum punch served in a tall glass with a maraschino cherry that is downright delightful. Get it.