Jeff Boortz

In the fall of 2005, Jeff Boortz packed a few bags and guitars, leaving Texas behind for the indie music haven of Portland, Oregon. After spending his life writing and performing in one region, he was looking to expand his music and vision amid new surroundings and an impartial audience. It didn’t take Boortz long to enlist an extremely talented group of Portland players to help him conquer the scene. After a few rehearsals, the band played their first show to a packed house on St. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

In the fall of 2005, Jeff Boortz packed a few bags and guitars, leaving Texas behind for the indie music haven of Portland, Oregon. After spending his life writing and performing in one region, he was looking to expand his music and vision amid new surroundings and an impartial audience. It didn’t take Boortz long to enlist an extremely talented group of Portland players to help him conquer the scene. After a few rehearsals, the band played their first show to a packed house on St. Patrick’s Day of 2006. The sound Boortz maintained in Texas carried over and was met with great enthusiasm from Portland audiences. The band was soon opening shows for seasoned heavyweights of the Americana genre like ‘Reckless Kelly’, ‘The Clumsy Lovers’, and ‘Cross Canadian Ragweed.’ These were the kind of shows Boortz would have to stand in line to be a part of back in Texas. He knew that if nothing else came out of his move to Portland, a major milestone had been surpassed, one that would prove to be rewarding when he returned home. In the summer of 2007, Boortz found himself packing the same bags and the same guitars he had packed almost 2 years earlier. After enduring an on again, off again, toxic relationship and an alcohol fueled indulgence in Portland’s abundant nightlife, Boortz was ready to head back home. With a handful of new songs, a newly recorded album, and stronger ties to the Texas music scene than ever, he was definitely heading back with a lot more than he arrived with. Boortz quickly assembled a band in Houston and kicked off the homecoming in a packed house with ‘Reckless Kelly’. It was further proof that the connections Boortz made in Portland were going to continue to payoff in Texas. This was much the opposite of the situation he was in before his move to Portland. It was the next mile on the long road ahead of this musical journey. “The strategy still remains the same throughout; play with bands and artists who have a crowd that truly cares about the words and the music. Rock, country, blues, folk; it’s not something anyone is pressed to label. Texas music is proof that something real is still out there, and people are still stimulated enough to seek and revel in it.”-Jeff Boortz Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

…shrink me down again