Vino Concerts: Craig Carothers

My brother's wine shop in Sellwood, Vino, just had its first of what promises to be a fun series of concerts in the coming year. The premier event featured former Portlander and now Nashvillian (not Nashvillain, mind you) singer-songwriter Craig Carothers. The packed house heard several songs from his new record, plus some classics and even some requests from the audience.

This guy (he's bigger than he looks on his website) cranks out some very nice music on his acoustic guitar that counterpoints his gravelly delivery. His lyrics are generally humor-tinged, with plenty of observed irony woven throughout, but he can also deliver a great pop hook as he did in "One Revolution" and "Little Hercules." We remember him from the gigs he used to do two decades ago at La Patisserie, and it's good to see him still cranking out the good stuff.

The Vino concert schedule continues on Saturday, Sept. 9, with Django's Cadillac and their combination of hot swing and Gypsy jazz-tinged music mixed with the incredible voice of singer Kat Cogswell. Music starts at 8 pm. This is going to be one hot night and will probably sell out quickly, so call and get your tickets now.

Details: Vino, 1226 SE Lexington in Sellwood; Phone 503-235-8545