Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Some dates are etched in people’s minds. Dec. 25 is Christmas. Jan. 1 is New Year’s Day. And, important for Reno music lovers, Sept. 28 is Cliff Porter’s birthday.
Porter’s annual birthday concert will be held at The Saint. “Cliff Porter’s Libra Love” will be an R&B revue, a collection of singers who will perform with Cliff Notes, Porter’s side band that usually goes by Full Blast.
“I have a lot of friends who don’t get to showcase what they do that often,” Porter said. “It was just, let me give my fellas some love and let them do it on my day.”
The singers are Nes, Dove, Big Judd and Lowenbreed.
“Everybody’s got something different,” Porter said. “They have their own flair, their own personalities.”
Bigg Judd (Maurice Toliver) has the vocal range of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey, Porter said. “Getting him onstage with me is a real treat. He’s somebody who I’ve looked up to forever.”
Nes blends R&B with reggae, Dove has a touch of hip-hop and Lowenbreed sings neo soul.
Other Porter birthday shows have included a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder’s album “Songs in the Key of Life,” which was released Sept. 28, 1976, the day Porter first appeared on this planet.
Porter is follower of astrology and zodiac signs.
“I am a Libra through and through,” he said. “Libras are very loving, friendly, quiet and patient.” Great singing and drumming skills also are traits Porter possesses.
His primary band Jelly Bread, which he formed with Dave Berry, has been mostly playing out-of-town weekend shows, plus Rum Bullions Island Bar in the Silver Legacy the first weekend each month. Porter and Berry also often play as a duo at the Carson Valley Inn.
Advance tickets for Libra Love are $15. On the day of the show, Saturday, Sept. 28, the price is $20. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8. Dress code is grown and sexy.
“Come dressed to impress,” Porter said. “I will be lenient. If you are wearing $100 or $200 tennis shoes, I’ll let you in.”
— Tim Parsons
