Rich and I met when my band Chasing Ebenezer played with his band Night Folk at a now-closed Rockwood coffee shop called Parkplace Cafe.
Rich has been writing songs since his days as a teenager in Parkrose, and our neighborhood looked quite a bit different back then. There was no industrial area north of Sandy Blvd; it was all farms. No I-205, but there was a bowling alley and a drive-in movie theater. There were 7 elementary schools (now 4), 2 middle schools (now 1), and a different high school building. Parkrose was unincorporated Multnomah County back then too. Well, things are different now, and Rich has a lot of fond memories of Parkrose how he remembers it growing up. Until recently his mom still lived in the house he grew up in, so he’s stayed connected.
Included in the episode are snippets from his songs “Parkrose Days,” “Rocky Butte,” “Dominic,” and “Asphalt Ain’t No Fault of Mine.” You can listen to all of Rich’s Parkrose songs on this YouTube playlist (also below).
You can listen to the Parkrose Life podcast on Apple, Spotify, any other podcast player, or right here by pressing the play button below (but the pause button won’t automatically let you resume where you left off). If you subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, then you’ll never miss an episode.
Correction: I said Michael Calcagno is part of a coffee-drinking crew in Parkrose, and I think it was just name association since I’ve come across Michael Calcagno’s name in the local news. I meant someone else! Maybe I’ll see what family connection there is there though.
You might look up Gary Ogan, another Parkrose musician who made a name for himself. Also from the same era. Terry Davis was an excellent drummer who also played with some of the best, also from the same pre I-205 and industrial era as I was.
I left the area in the early 80s’ foreseeing what was coming, and am glad I did. Now 285 mi. east of the cesspool.