Ty Curtis: West Salem Park Gig Review
The concert began at 6:30 p.m. when the Ty Curtis Trio took the stage, with Ty Curtis on lead guitar and vocals, Jerry Jacques on drums, and Dave Kahl on bass. It was the third concert of the summer sponsored by the West Salem Lions Club. It was a beautiful, clear-skied day with a high of 80 degrees, and the park had ample parking on the street and in the lot behind Safeway. The stage and the grassy expanse in front of it were surrounded by trees that shaded the crowd.
Over the past 20 years, Ty Curtis has released more than half a dozen studio albums, along with a compilation album. On Thursday night, July 23, 2026, he performed 22 songs during a two-hour set that included original material from his albums as well as several blues standards. The power trio configuration was reminiscent of classic trios such as Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Blue Cheer. Ty Curtis’ stellar guitar work, coupled with his passionate vocals, makes him one of the Pacific Northwest’s best blues-rock artists.
Ty explained that he wrote “Play My Part” alone in a hotel room in Austin, Texas, before diving into the tune, which was supported by ringing guitar peals and a steady backbeat. “Treat Me This Way” came from Ty’s 2008 album Down on My Luck and is a rousing song that sounds like a cross between a jazzy polka and a reggae rhythm, with an infectious beat. One of the blues covers that evening was “I Get the Blues Early in the Morning” from Buddy Guy’s 1991 release Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues. It gave Ty the opportunity to demonstrate his amazing guitar prowess by punctuating the song with short, stinging peals and passionate vocals.
“So Far Gone” was drum-driven, with Jerry Jacques’ hard-hitting beat locking in tandem with Dave Kahl’s five-string bass. Ty’s hard-driving guitar chords broke into a screaming guitar solo interlaced with emotionally charged vocals as the band cooked. “Bad Break” came from Curtis’ 2014 album Water Under the Bridge and treated the audience to another amazing guitar solo with stratospheric peals. “Key to My Heart” was the lead single from Water Under the Bridge and was produced by Jacob Petersen of the Steve Miller Band in Austin, Texas. It’s a driving blues-rock track with melodic guitar work reminiscent of Joe Bonamassa or Kenny Wayne Shepherd and vocals more akin to Walter Trout.
“How Was I to Know” took over with a Caribbean reggae beat, followed by “Don’t Blame Me,” a hard-rocking, guitar-driven jam. Ty switched from his six-string to a 12-string electric guitar, with the trio facing each other as the song intensified until Ty broke into explosive guitar peals. “Think I Love You All the Time” was a rockabilly-style rocker that segued into “Do I Love You Too Much.” The rhythm section detonated, with Jacques and Kahl providing the backbone that allowed Curtis to launch his incendiary guitar pyrotechnics.
Ty traded his 12-string for what he told the audience was the first guitar he ever owned, which he received when he was 11 years old and which was originally the size of a ukulele. He explained that it had since been modified and was now “a man’s guitar,” demonstrating its capabilities through electrified slide guitar runs that erupted with sonic peals. The song became a sped-up mashup medley of Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” and “Hey Now,” one of Ty’s original compositions. Curtis then left the stage and walked into the audience as people danced around him, while Jerry Jacques launched into a drum solo that led into an all-out jam, concluding with “When the Saints Go Marching In.” After Ty returned to the stage, the band concluded its set and bid the audience goodnight at 8:30 p.m. before exiting the stage.
