"When Peter Mott at Last Hurrah called to book us on a Tuesday, I was elated." "I remember it being tough to get this band booked on the West side of the Willamette River back then," remembers bassist John Mazzocco. "There were rules to these things and you had to play by them," remembers Walker. "Everybody grew."īut even with platinum level players holding recording contracts a la Fantasy Records, Lights Out struggled to find bookings in Portland's white-owned club circuit. "We wanted to be better at what we did," claims Collins. They were led by Pleasure's trumpeter Tony Collins, whose agenda involved prodding his group with gnarled fusion covers, complex horn arrangements, and masterful wardrobe flexing. Lights Out gained traction when Pleasure wasn't in the studio or on the road. Calvin Walker's recollection above speaks to the sovereignty of an independent community devoid of the recording industry's bottom line. Musicians could make a living in a multitude of clubs throughout the city. In 1982, it seemed club nightlife in downtown Portland had reached its zenith. People in Portland were out to see music seven nights a week" We didn't have streaming services, cable television, or even VCRs.
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