The Clackamas Print; Mainstreaming Consciousness *WEB EXCLUSIVE*

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Arts & Culture

They've got rhythm, they've got soul. They are talented and know how to put on a great show. They are Mainstream! Following a 30-year tradition of choral jazz at CCC, this year's ensemble is a tireless group of musical warriors, dedicated to refining their craft and expressing themselves. It takes a certain breed of eccentric musician to put the type of energy and focus into something as demanding as vocal jazz. "We started recording last summer and it was a really long process of mixing: We spent two days working on 21 songs—one 10 hour day and one 15 hour day recording. The band room is wired to the recording studio, it's the biggest recording studio in the northwest," said vocalist Billy Botieff.

It's especially impressive when the end product is so stunningly immaculate. Following a performance at Clackamas High School on Monday, May 7th, Mainstream's most recent project the double CD album: "Imagine: It's easy if you try" was released Thursday May 10th. The same night Mainstream performed in celebration of the CD release at CCC in Niemeyer Center. A Mainstream performance is something wonderful to experience, the variety speaks to many generations and demographics.

Director of vocal activities, Lonnie Cline (co-founder) is CCC's only full time choral conductor, which he has been for over 30 years. He has great energy and a fun attitude while directing the jazz ensemble. Cline is a great motivator, he makes music a party rather than a task. He relates motivation and philosophy to improving specific aspects of each part of the songs and he gives emotional examples to explain how to improve aspects of lyrics.

"Mainstream is produced entirely by students, there's nobody else involved in it, so that makes it a little bit unique. The title "Imagine: It's easy if you try" is very important, it's a tribute to people who were here in the early years, like Jason Womack, and all of the students who came before last year's group that laid the groundwork for projects like this. It's also an archive of what happened that year," said Cline.

Mainstream began with Cline and Womack in the Summer of 1991. They introduced new variety for the existing vocal jazz ensemble.

"We started doing more progressive jazz, more modern stuff, as opposed to more traditional, like some ballads, R&B, even reggae. In the early years of Mainstream, there was a pianist named Chris Azorr, and he's one of the founding members of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Another past member, Paul Creighton [is the] lead vocalist for the local band Intervision," said Womack.

The CD production was completed in the choir room studio by Sacha Muller who performed in the rhythm section. He was the tracking engineer, along with the mixing and mastering engineer.

"Sacha did all the mixing and hands-on stuff, he is kind of like a master chef who takes all the ingredients and puts them together and makes a beautiful meal. The CD artwork by Diane Angelo is consummate, she's done the artwork for almost every one of our CDs over the years," said Cline.

The photography for the album release was done by a friend of Cline's named Page Baker. Since he spent so much time on it, Cline wishes to thank his wife as well.

The original arrangements on the album are mostly by Womack, with others by John Ward, Alan Yankee, Dave Cazier, Dave Barduhn and Theo Newton. The amazing rhythm section includes Paul Paresa on piano/keyboard, Wesley Mason-Schaffer on guitar, Bryan Edmiston on bass, Ryan Antoine on drums and Sacha Muller on percussion and effects.

Some interesting songs of note on the album are "Shining Star," "Night Train" and "Cruella Deville." The whimsical, lyrical, toe tapping journey through genres of the double CD leads listeners to a tranquil state of bliss. The soul and depth of the performance is a taste of the power this group has to exhibit. A live performance renders a much richer experience. If you can't make it to one of various upcoming performances such as the jazz nights at CCC on June 8 and 9, consider purchasing the elegantly mastered double CD album for $15 from any member of Mainstream or Cline himself. They are also available in the music office in Niemeyer.