Shoehorn's 'Jump Start' video

One of my closest friends here in Portland is a guy named Michael Conley who goes by the stagename Shoehorn. Shoe plays the sax and tap dances at the same time, seriously. As if the tap/sax thing wasn't enough, Shoe has invented a MIDI trigger tap board called the Tappercussion Mark VII. He has put midi triggers under different parts of a tap board and hooked them up to a drum machine. With it he can play bass lines, drum kits, and exotic instrument and sound effect samples. That's not even everything he does in his act, it's a full tap-sax-electronic- percussion-comedy experience. One thing is for sure, you can't accuse Shoe of not being creative.

Shoe just directed, acted and produced a short comedy film about a saxophonist who experiences problems right before he is about to play an important gig. The film also features Renato Caranto, a heavyweight Portland tenor player, who comes to Shoe's rescue. The film is called Jump Start and you can see it on YouTube.

Jump Start
Shoehorn's live act
Shoehorn's Web Site