Oregon Music News

The Alberta Rose Theatre today, ready for music.

First of all, Portland’s newest music venue spells its last name “Theatre,” no matter what spell-check tells you. But a movie theater which first opened in 1927 deserves the respect that the “re” brings.

On Thursday, June 24 Joe Cawley will re-open the old movie house as The Alberta Rose Theatre, a three-hundred seat venue, with the March Fourth Marching Band. Earlier in the evening as part of Alberta Street’s Last Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:30pm, there will be free acoustic performers including Folk duo Adam + Kris (Adam East books the music at the Alberta Rose). Also playing as part of the free show will be singer/songwriter Chris Kokesh from Misty River and Celilo, Alt/Psych/Country rockers, who will play unplugged.

Tickets for March Fourth: $10.00 (at the door), free until 8:30, doors 5:30pm, show 6:00pm, March Fourth show at 9pm 21+

The Theatre is the creation of Joe Cawley who took time out from putting on the last finishing touches to tell us:

Owner Joe Cawley

We’ve gotten a lot done in the past week. My whole thing was finding the right space for a sit-down-type listening room, more than the club thing. I wanted a theater-type setting. I started researching theaters in town that weren’t being used. I was also looking at movie theaters that were still in business but were looking to get out of it and I was looking at some other venues who wanted to get out of the business as well. In the end I didn’t want to take someone else’s reputation or places that have new owners every year. I wanted something totally fresh.

I found this place in November. There were three properties I was negotiating on. One was a warehouse space, more cabaret style. I just kept coming back to this building. I’m glad I did because it’s perfect.

I’m a Southeast guy and I originally wanted to be in Southeast but I’m so glad I’m in this neighborhood because all of the businesses are on our side and most of the residents. It’s an Arts District without a live arts venue.

I’ve been thinking about this for ten years. I’ve run a few recycling companies over the last twenty years but I’ve always been involved in festivals, putting on music events and stage-managing, so I knew this was what I wanted to do. Last year it was just time to make the move.

Your lineup is very diverse.

Yeah, I love it. We have everything from singer/songwriters to Rock to Jazz to Blues…anything that’s appropriate to this setting. We’re installing a movie screen that drops down so we can have music and movie combos. We’re going to be the home for festivals. Live Wire is moving here in September, it’s gong to be their new home. I’m excited.

The Alameda Theater in 1926

History

From 1927-1937, it operated as “The Alameda Theater.” It came complete with a theater organ. From 1937-1964 it was simply known as the “30th Avenue Cinema.” From 1964-1969 it went by the name of “Cine 30.” From 1969 until it closed for good as a theater in 1978, it went back to its earlier name, “The Alameda Theater.” After 1978, the building was the home of the Macedonia Church of God, and later the Victory Outreach Church.

Portland drummer Carlton Jackson worked as a projectionist at the Alameda in the early seventies when he was around twelve years old and the theater was run by Harvey Garnett who claims it was the first African-American-owned theater in Portland.

Carlton Jackson

“I can believe that, Jackson said with that familiar chuckle of  his. “Harvey had the Portland premiere of Superfly. None of the other theaters would run it. It was the epicenter for Black people and upper-hip urbanites to go and see movies that had an Afro-Centric concern. He’d run other stuff too. I remember going there on a Sunday afternoon and seeing five “Hammer” horror films back to back. Vincent Price…”The Raven,” “Murder in the Rue Morgue,”…like that. He ran James Bond. In general it was the Blacksploitation and movies that revolved around that. If Woody Strode was in the movie, we saw it.”

Was he like Toto, the kid projectionist in “Cinema Paradiso?

“Not really,” he laughed. “It taught me a lot. I have the carbon arc from one of the projectors home in a drawer somewhere. Big sticks of sulfur that provided the light. There was a guy who cut hair next door to Harvey’s, his name was Tom, it was Tom’s Barber Shop and he showed me. He would cut hair in the daytime and run movies at night.”

Upcoming schedule:

Finishing touches on the curtain backdrop.

6/24/10 •Opening Night at the Alberta Rose Theatre Featuring March Fourth Marching Band!

6/25/10 •The Nowhere Band Performs ABBEY ROAD and more!

6/26/10 •Dirk Powell & Foghorn String Band

6/30/10 •Meshell Ndegeocello Presents A Night Of Gil Scott-Heron Covers and more

7/02/10 •I See Hawks in LA, Cabinessence, Lewi Longmire

7/07/10 •Anne Feeney, Kate Power & Steve Einhorn, Dick Weissman

7/09/10 •The Alberta Rose Theatre Presents: There Goes The Neighborhood – Alberta Bands Volume 1

7/14/10 •Debbie Davies & Robin Rogers

7/16/10 •Truckstop Honeymoon, Chris Chandler & Paul Benoit, Pancake Breakfast

7/19/10 •Post-Strummit Pick with Scott Law and Some Very Special Friends

7/31/10 •3 Leg Torso CD Release Party

8/06/10 •Band Of Heathens w/ Ashleigh Flynn

8/11/10 •Lucy Woodward and Ben Darwish

8/12/10 •Shemekia Copeland

8/21/10 •Darrell Scott

9/17/10 •Po’ Girl

10/01/10 •Lunasa w/ Hanz Araki

10/15/10 •An Evening With Misty River

10/16/10 •Steve Forbert

11/14/10 •The Battlefield Band

12/17/10 •Asylum Street Spankers & The Stolen Sweets