Blues Update Vol 5 2011 05.01.11

If you’ve caught any shows at
Is it just me?
Sure seems like
it has been a long cool, wet
spring. Now that May is upon
us, maybe we’ll see plenty
more sunshine and it’ll start
warming up around here.
Before we tell you what’s
new, let’s do a quick review
of what’s on the front Blues
burner for May. The first gig on the May
calendar is south of the border with Roy
Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings at The
Triple Door in Seattle on Thurs May 5th. That
same night, Thurs May 5th, ex-Freddy King
band member Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones is at
the Rock Fish Grill in Anacortes. The next
night he’s at Highway 99 Blues Club in
Seattle. Just a reminder, that Nick Curran &
the Lowlifes have CANCELLED their Fri May
6th & Sat May 7th shows at The Yale due to
Nick having to undergo surgery to remove a
cancerous growth. In their place Texas Blues
Woman Robin Banks performs with Steve
Kozak’s West Coast Allstars both nights, Fri
May 6th & Sat May 7th. Joe Louis Walker &
the Bosstalkers play Jazz Alley in Seattle on
Mon May 9th & Tues May 10th. Toward the
middle of the month, Fri May 14th, Too Slim &
the Taildraggers perform on home turf at
Highway 99 in Seattle to promote their new
CD “Shiver”. Closer to home Funky Soul, R&B
singer Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings travel
all this way from the Bronx to play Malkin
Bowl in Stanley Park, on Fri May 27th. The
equally Funky & Soulful Black Joe Lewis &
the Honeybears of Austin Texas open for
Jones. May wraps up and June kicks off with a
New Orleans music Legend. Pianist, singer,
songwriter, producer Allan Toussaint will be
performing in the intimate confines of
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle on Tues
May 31st and on Weds June 1st.
The Yale recently you’ve
probably heard promoter Ron
Simmonds
mention
that
Savoy Brown featuring Kim
Simmonds will be returning to
town with a Sun May 8th show
scheduled at The Yale. Kim, along with the
various band members who have passed
through the band over the years, has been
rockin’ the Blues since 1965 & just released a
new CD this past January. With any luck,
perhaps Kim will have copies for sale at this
upcoming gig. Suggest you get your tickets now,
as Savoy Brown usually sells out The Yale every
time. They also play Highway 99 in Seattle on
Tues May 3rd.
Sure
is a long way from
Lousiana
to
Seattle
Washington. Eunice LA
born
Creole
Cowboy,
Zydeco accordianist and
singer Geno Delafose &
French Rockin’ Boogie
are making that long trip
that will end at Highway 99 in Seattle on Thurs
May 12th. When he’s not on the road with his
band, Geno is operating the Double D Ranch in
Duralde LA raising horses and cattle. I had the
pleasure of catching this first rate band at Mid
City Lanes in New Orleans back in 2003 and can
attest to the fact that they can keep a crowd on
their feet dancing the two-step and watlzing to
revamped old country and soul hits.
Highway
99 Blues
Club
in
Seattle
welcomes John Lee
Hooker Jr. on Thurs
May 26th. Hooker, who
has described his sound
as 2 parts R&B, 1 part Jazz and “down home
Blues”, has managed to build a career that has
allowed him to step out from the shadow of his
famous father, to build a solid career for himself.
His latest CD called “Live, in Istanbul Turkey”
was recorded during a recent tour as part of the
2010 Efes Pilsen Blues Festival series of concert
dates that took John & his band all over Turkey.
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Wow, it seems forever
since
Lloyd
Jones
released a new CD, but it’s
only been 8 years. Lloyd
just released a new CD on
Apr 19th called “Highway
Bound” which is apropos
given he spends so much
time on the road throughout the Pacific
Northwest and on this side of the border,
travelling from Portland to Vancouver. The new
CD sounds like a sure fire winner as it includes
special guest duets with a couple of Lloyd’s
long-time musical friends, Charlie Musselwhite,
& fellow Oregonian Curtis Salgado. The Lloyd
Jones Struggle hit Highway 99 on Fri June 3rd.
Another
Tribute to the
Mississippi
Sheiks
concert
has
been
announced for Weds
June 29th at Capilano
Performing
Arts
Theatre on the Capilano
University Campus in North Van. Confirmed
so far are Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson, The
Sojourners, & Del Rey.
More to be
announced as they’re finalized! Steve Dawson
hopes to bring new talent to the project as they
invoke the wonderful spirit of the Sheiks & if it’s
anything like last year, it’ll be a great show. By
the way, Byrnes plays The Yale June 26.
A
full service Bluesman
since 1962 when he
discovered the Blues in
Panama City FL, James
Harman and The James
Harman Band stop by
The Rock Fish Grill in
Anacortes on Thurs June
30th, & then on Sat July 9th they will gig at
Highway 99 in Seattle. One of the key secrets
Harman discovered years ago was to develop
his own approach & identity, something he’s
certainly accomplished over five decades of
performing, producing, & recording. We just
heard that James Harman will also join Steve
Kozak’s West Coast Allstars for a couple of
sets at The Yale in Vancouver on Weds June
1st.
The
2010 Blues Music Award
Winner for Soul Blues Male Artist
of the Year and the Original Blues
Brother, Curtis Salgado will be
belting out songs from his vast
repertoire, when he and his band
perform at Jazz Alley in Seattle on Tues July
12th and on Weds July 13th. Blessed with a
great set of pipes, an incredibly soulful
delivery and superb stage presence, Curtis is
an in demand performer at Blues Festivals, in
Clubs, and has been a regular performer on
the highly popular Legendary Rhythm & Blues
Cruises.
If you’ve never seen Curits, I
recommend you do in order to get an
appreciation why his fans include well known
musicians like Steve Miller, Taj Mahal, Bonnie
Raitt, and Robert Cray, among others.
After
being discovered playing
deep & passionate Blues on her
Fender Telecaster by none other
than Dave Stewart, Joanne Shaw
Taylor, who was 16 at the time,
was invited to perform and tour
with Dave’s super group D.U.P.
That was in 2002. Fast forward
to 2011 and Joanne has honed
her playing while continuing to
be a sensation on the Blues circuit. We’re very
pleased to say that this Birmingham England
native will be playing The Yale on Sat July
16th. This will be a 10 pm show.
In
addition to the great
brews and fabulously
delicious food, The Rock
Fish Grill in Anacortes
has some great &
original Louisiana fare
featured on their very popular
musical menu with Dikki du & the Zydeco
Krewe on Thurs July 21st. Led by Troy “Dikki
Du” Carrier, younger brother of Chubby
Carrier, the Zydeco Krewe have only been on
the music scene for eight years now, yet are
growing in popularity thanks to their ability to
incorporate traditional Zydeco with a funkier,
hypnotic style that is not only hard driving &
relentless, but is also taking that music to the
next level.
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Things
will really heat
up at The Rock Fish
Grill the next night, Fri
July
22nd,
when
Seattle’s
Red
Hot
Blues Sisters perform
for diners and patrons. This is another act
that’s only been around a short while, only
seven years, but in that short time they’ve been
firing it up performing on festival and club
stages far and wide from the U.S. west coast to
Canada and over in Europe. Well-crafted
songs & superb covers performed by deeply
soulful vocalist Suze Sims, along with the
inspiring blues, rock guitar of Terri Anne Wilson
& a top notch band comprised of the finest
Pacific Northwest musicians makes the Red
Hots a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
We just noticed that Eddie
“Devil Boy” Turner & his
band will be returning to
Highway 99 Blues Club in
Seattle. They’re there on
Sat July 23rd. According to
Eddie’s
website,
“if
anybody ever went down to
the crossroads and let the devil tune his guitar,
it was probably Eddie”. I caught Eddie & his
band at this same club two years ago and
you’d swear he was channeling past masters,
including Hendrix. Eddies playing sends chills
down one’s spine. No wonder he’s been
nominated for an Independent Music Award for
Best New Blues Song. Check out his Northern
Blues CDs “Rise” & “The Turner Diaries”.
Blues
troubadour Eric
Bibb will be entertaining
diners & Blues fans at
The Triple Door in
Seattle. It’s a school
night, Tues July 26th,
but if you can make it, it’ll be worth the drive.
His album “Booker’s Guitar” was listed in the
50 Best Guitar Albums of 2010 in Guitarist
magazine. Eric as also received nominations
in two categories for 2011 Blues Music
Awards, including Acoustic Album of the Year,
and for Acoustic Artist of the Year. The
Awards take place this May 5th in Memphis.
One
of Chicago’s young
guns and rising Blues
stars, Nick Moss, along
with his band The Flip
Tops, has finally made it
back to the Left Coast.
Nick Moss & The Flip
Tops have been booked
into Highway 99 Blues
Club in Seattle on Fri Aug 12th. Not only is Nick
a top-notch musician, he’s also owner of his own
music label, Blue Bella Records, a label that also
features guitarist Matthew Stubbs of the Charlie
Musselwhite Band, & the Cashbox Kings. After
seven critically acclaimed traditional Bues
releases, Nick’s latest CD “Privileged” is
balancing that traditional Blues with a fresh
approach & an out-of-the-traditional box sound.
If you missed their Sept 2007 performance at
The Yale, you just might want to make the trip to
Seattle, particularly since it’s on a weekend.
More additions have
been announced for
the 19th Annual
Salmon Arm Roots
& Blues Festival.
Blues Legend Taj
Mahal, along with
Teeny
Tucker,
Dwayne Dopsie &
the Zydeco Hellraisers, Alice Russell, and
Five Alarm Funk have been recently added to
the 2011 line-up which also includes the
previously announced Jonny Lang, JJ Grey &
MOFRO, Mark Hummel & the Blues
Survivors, Samuel James, & MonkeyJunk.
Those are just the Blues acts. There’s also
amazing artists from other musical genres at the
festival too, Fri Aug 19 thru Sun Aug 21st.
Are you in need of a quick check-up
& pick-me-up? We’ve got good news.
The doctor will be in & ready to cure
all your ailments with a healthy dose
of great Blues, Funk, & Jazz with a
New Orleans vibe. Dr. John & the Lower 911
are at Jazz Alley in Seattle from Thurs Sept
22nd to Sun Sept 25th. Sadly longtime Lower
911 drummer Herman “Roscoe” Earnest III
passed away this past Mar 6th from cancer.
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She’s
One
of Western Canada’s Premiere Blues
Festivals, the Labatt’s Blues Festival in
“Canada’s
Festival
City”
Edmonton
is
celebrating their twelfth year with a great line-up
over three days, from Fri Aug 20th to Sun Aug
22nd. The Friday features David Gogo, The
Reba Russell Band, plus Kim Wilson’s Blues
Allstars. On Saturday it’s The Duffy Bishop
Band, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, Chubby
Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, the John
Németh Soul Revue, and Guitar Shorty.
Sunday will present pianist David Vest, the
Sean Carney Band, RJ Mischo with Mike
Morgan & the Crawl, Diunna Greenleaf & Blue
Mercy, and finally The Delta Groove Harp
Blast featuring 4 top harmonica players. Tickets
for the festival went on sale Apr 30th.
always drawn a good
crowd
to
The
Yale.
Legendary Blues diva Maria
Muldaur, together with her
Bluesiana Band, will be
returning to The Yale on Sun
Sept 11th. Maria and the
band have a new album in
the can and it’ll be coming
out sometime during July this
summer well in advance of their date here. The
album was recorded in New Orleans back in
March of this year and will be full of bluesy,
swampy, funky, and soulful tunes performed by
some of the Crescent City’s A players. Maria’s
also working on a tribute album to the music of
Memphis Minnie and Maria has invited some of
her musical gal pals to help out, including Bonnie
Raitt, Ruthie Foster, Rory Block, Phoebe Snow,
and Del Ray. That acoustic Country Blues
album will likely be released sometime early next
year on Sony Plain Records.
Nanaimo’s
Summer
Another
popular
Pacific
Blues Festival has
Northwester
&
a
former
member
added some additional
of Roomful of Blues, Mark
acts. In addition to the
Dufresne, has been booked at
previously announced
The Rock Fish Grill in
Duke Robillard Band,
Anacortes. Mark and his band
Downchild Blues Band, David Gogo, & Jim
will be there on Fri Sept 16th.
Byrnes, organizers have added Fathead from
Mark’s work on the chromatic
Toronto, Arsen Shomakhov, The Sojourners,
harp
is
considered
as some of the most
plus Steve Kozak & his West Coast Allstars
innovative
in
Blues
music
today. And then
from Vancouver. That Festival takes place from
there’s that incredible voice, a voice that crosses
Fri Aug 26th to Sun Aug 28th..
a range of several octaves. No wonder Mark
We’ve added September has won many awards and plenty of accolades
to your Blues calendar from fans and from his musical peers.
and a date for one of the
Pacific Northwest’s rising
stars, an artist who has
wowed patrons in Blues
Clubs throughout the area
and on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises.
The Randy Oxford Band will be at The Rock
Fish Grill in Anacortes Washington on Sat
Sept 3rd. Trombonist… yes, that’s right… Blues
trombonist extraordinaire Randy Oxford leads
this great band that features a very versatile
group of Pacific Northwest musicians.
Giddy-up
with all engines at
warp speed & welcome to the
Ozone! All you Space
Cowboys and Cadets that
love a good roadhouse boogie
& remember the Lost Planet
Airmen, you need to take note.
Commander Cody & his band will be landing
at The Triple Door in Seattle on Weds Sept
14th. Caught them last summer and they still
have it down, eight to the bar.
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Downbeat
Chicago
Magazine was once
quoted as saying “It’s a rare and good
thing when two talented performers
join together.” Such is the
case here and I have to
admit this one almost slid
right by me. All the way
from
Toronto,
Diana
Braithwaite
&
Chris
Whitely will be at The Yale
on Thurs May 5th. Their
first album on Electro-Fi,
“Morning Sun” has received
rave reviews, extensive airplay, and led to
several Maple Blues Award nominations, but it
was their second album “Night Bird Blues”
that got them three Maple Blues Awards,
including Songwriters of the Year. That album
also resulted in six Juno nominations.
Blues
moves
to
the
forefront at The Yale
with the return of
Studebaker John &
the Hawks on Fri
May 20th. John &
his band have been on stage at The Yale
several times over the past two decades and
anyone who has seen them knows they keep it
raw, gritty, rockin’, and authentic with plenty of
superb guitar & harmonica to stir your
emotions. If you’re interested, his most recent
CD, “That’s the Way You Do”, on the Delmark
label is with the Maxwell Street Kings and pays
homage to the early days of Chicago Blues.
This is Studebaker John’s only date in these
parts as he won\t be playing Seattle or
anywhere in Washington State.
It
The
was bound to
happen, sooner or
later, just because of
his back catalogue &
vast repertoire from
thirteen
albums
released over the past
two decades. Twenty
three years to be
exact, but who’s counting? Colin James has
released a best of album called “Take It From
the Top: The Best of Colin James”. In
addition to past hit gems, this album includes a
couple of new tracks recorded with famed
producer Bob Rock at the helm. In honour of
this release, Canadian Blues Rock icon Colin
James will be doing a special acoustic duo
show at The Centre across from the
Vancouver Public Library on Fri June 24th.
This past March Vancouver’s
own Boogie Woogie piano
man, Kenny “Blues Boss”
Wayne won a Bay Area Blues Society's
West Coast Hall of Fame award for "Blues
Keyboard Player of the Year 2010". That
award was presented in San Francisco. On Fri
May 13th you can catch Kenny & his band as
they play The Yale, Vancouver. Watch for a
new Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne CD produced
by & with Duke Robillard coming this June.
34th Annual Vancouver
Folk Music Festival is set for
Fri July 15th through Sun
July 18th and this year’s
festival will feature some great
Blues Talent. James “Super Harp” Cotton &
his band are booked, the duo of Hans
Theesink & Terry Evans, plus Dan Hicks &
His Hot Licks, and Pokey LaFarge & the
South City Three. James Cotton of course
needs no introduction. Hans Theesink is one
of Europe’s greatest acoustic Bluesmen &
Mississippian Terry Evans, schooled in church
choirs, previously toured extensively with Ry
Cooder & on his own. The hip Dan Hicks has
been entertaining since the early sixties, and
Pokey LaFarge mixes early jazz, ragtime,
country blues, and western swing. Early bird
tickets ae on sale through June 11th.
That’s it for the latest in Blues at the moment!!!
BBQ
Season is upon
us. With luck, May will
be good to all of us &
we’ll be back soon to
tell you what else is
cookin’ on the Blues
burner for summer.
www.canadianpacificblues.com
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