Christian Kane Has His Own "House Rules"

After what seemed like weeks of rain and gloom, Portland woke up to a warm sunny Saturday. And that was just what Leverage star, Christian Kane, wanted. It was an exciting day for him - not just because of his scheduled performance at Dante's later that night, but because he was filming a music video for fan-favorite song, The House Rules. The video was being directed by his co-star, Oscar-winning actor Timothy Hutton and another co-star, Aldis Hodge, was playing the part of a security guard.

It was already a busy day for Portland with the Rose Festival's Grand Floral Parade happening the same morning. With more than 500,000 people lining the 4.3 mile parade route, it is the single largest spectator event in Oregon.

But Kane fans didn't let that deter them. They'd been invited to be extras in the video and many braved the extra traffic to do just that.

Dante's, where Christian and his band perform, was taken over by a production crew early Saturday morning and filming was scheduled to start at 11am. It was a full day for everyone involved with the cast finally being released just before 7pm. The crew quickly cleared away the equipment and the club was open to concert-goers at 8:30.

But before the main event, the crowd was treated to Oregon duo, Cloverdayle. Chad Hamar's acoustic guitar work was the perfect accompaniment to Rachel Hamar's blazing vocals. Chosen as the local "Next Big Star" by Kenny Chesney in 2008, they shared the stage with him on his Poets and Pirates show at the Clark County Amphitheater. They have also opened for Lady Antebellum, Josh Turner, Jason Aldean, and Tim McGraw among others.

As much as the audience enjoyed the opening act, it was clear who the majority had come to see. From the moment Christian and the boys took to the stage, they totally owned the room. Needing some additional footage for the video, they played The House Rules twice, with Mr. Hutton at work using a hand-held camera.

After that was done, the band seemed to relax a little - not that they'd exactly appeared tense. And even though they'd been working all day, the band seemed fresh and well-rested. They made their way expertly through the set-list of songs from Christian's newly released EP as well as old-school Kane songs from the band's early days.

Along with Steve Carlson, Christian started the band in the mid-1990's. Kane became an LA sensation, getting airplay from country radio and playing to sold out crowds in such hot spots as The Viper Room and The Mint. Christian and Steve also started making regular trips to Nashville where they collaborated with some of the best songwriters in the industry.

Though now out of print, the band released a self-titled CD in 2000. One of their songs appears on the soundtrack of the Ashton Kutcher movie, Just Married, and a live album, recorded in London, came out in 2004. Steve has released five solo albums and he often performs at the Hotel Café in Hollywood. He recently played playing shows in New York and London in support of his newest release, Days Behind.

Even though Christian and Steve were probably the most well-known members of the band prior to the Portland shows, fans have certainly embraced the others. Lead guitarist Jason Southard always receives a warm welcome when he takes the stage, but the band wouldn't be complete without drummer Ryan Baker and Portland's own Will Amend on bass. Everyone is extremely talented and it's easy to see how much they like and respect each other.

There is one more show scheduled for the season, on July 17, but tickets are not currently on sale. Keep checking TicketsWest or the Dante's box office because this band is not to be missed. And keep your eyes on CMT for the new video which should be premiering in the next couple of months. If you haven't heard the song yet, make your way to the free download on Christian's website.