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MITCH KASHMAR & THE PONTIAX : : 100 MILES TO GO
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The word is finally out! Once
considered by many locals in the know to be one of
Southern California’s best kept secrets… Mitch Kashmar
is a name now found commonplace in the vocabulary of any
true Blues harmonica enthusiast. And while his sudden
arrival on the national Blues landscape may appear to be
swift and unforeseen, Kashmar’s rise to the top has been
anything but. Long before establishing his current solo
career status with the debut of 2005’s heralded release
Nickels & Dimes on Delta Groove Music, Kashmar had an
extensively notable and successful first run with the
Santa Barbara based group The Pontiax.
The Pontiax began life in the early 1980’s, sweatin’ it
out and honing their chops in the local bars and venues
in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties.
By the mid-80’s, Kashmar relocated to Los Angeles where
The Pontiax’s reputation as one of the premiere West
Coast Blues bands continued to grow as they expanded
their base and visibility across the Southern California
region. As their popularity flourished, the band
eventually took to the road with tours throughout the
U.S., Canada, Europe and the South Pacific. Their
notoriety also found them favor with many Blues
luminaries whose high regard for their talent landed
them opportunities to back up legends such as Albert
Collins, Luther Tucker, Lowell Fulson, Jimmy
Witherspoon, Pinetop Perkins, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe
Turner and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson.
100 Miles To Go is the welcome
reissue of the long out of print classic 80’s recording
by The Pontiax featuring Mitch Kashmar, long before he
became a household name. Recorded at Pacifica Studios in
Los Angeles, California, the band’s distinguished lineup
features Jon Lawton and Bill Flores on guitars, Jim
Calire on piano and organ, Jack Kennedy on bass, and Tom
Lackner on drums. Also of special note is an appearance
by legendary West Coast Blues harmonica virtuoso William
Clarke, who generously lends his full-bodied tone to the
storming instrumental Horn of Plenty. Delta Groove Music
now proudly makes available once again this highly
sought-after recording with the addition of two newly
recorded bonus tracks by the original members of The
Pontiax as they sound today!
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JJ
GREY & MOFRO : : GEORGIA WARHORSE |
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JJ Grey cherishes the environment around him: he's
outspoken about preservation and conservation, he
gardens and surfs. He lives near Jacksonville, FL, on a
swampy piece of land that has been in his family for
generations. He's also a poet: across 5 acclaimed
albums, JJ Grey & Mofro has mastered the art of creating
timeless stories in song from simple, single
inspirations, like life and landscape in North Florida,
then tucked into sweaty layers of blues, funk and soul.
'Georgia Warhorse' takes its name from a grasshopper
indigenous to the American Southeast. It's a bug that
doesn't yield to a stomping boot. "I wanted to tell the
story of all these people that had this connection to
this dirt, to this place," he says.albums have been
recorded at the same studio, Retrophonics, in St.
Augustine, Florida, with vintage gear, to tape.
Guests on 'Georgia Warhorse' include Toots Hibbert (of
Toots and The Maytals) on "The Sweetest Thing" and Derek
Trucks on "Lullabye."
Click
for more
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DUKE
ROBILLARD : : PASSPORT TO THE BLUES |
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Duke Robillard's Passport to the
Blues (SPCD-1349) follows the success of his
Grammy-nominated release Stomp! The Blues Tonight
(SPCD-1342) - it's a tough collection of songs that's a
strong return to his grittiest blues roots.
This time, the spotlight has shifted toward the songs
themselves, and Robillard offers "tunes for grownups"
like "Text Me," "The High Cost of Lovin'" and "Fatal
Heart Attack." The opening song, "Workin' Hard for my
Uncle," parallels The Beatles' "Taxman" - Duke's
American uncle, of course, is Sam, and he wants most of
the songwriter's income.
Click for more
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Enter this
contest and win!
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RUSSIAN RIVER JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVALS COMBINED INTO ONE
WEEKEND TO OFFER MUSIC FANS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
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The 34th
Annual Russian River Festival, slated
for September
11th and 12th, will offer another great
weekend of jazz
and blues!
The combining of the 2009 festival into one
colossal weekend of great hits proved
successful. Therefore, Omega Events has
decided to keep the format in 2010. Saturday
will feature a great day of jazz, while
Sunday will offer Blues fans a legendary
experience!
This is the first year the two events
will be combined into the same weekend.
Previously, the Russian River Blues
Festival was held in June, while the
Russian River Jazz Festival took place
in September. Organizers cited the
economy and the desire to create
something special for attendees as the
reasons for change.
“This allows us to keep the Russian
River festival tradition alive for
its 33rd year, while enabling music
fans to still enjoy their love of
jazz and blues, outdoors in this
picturesque setting,” said Rich
Sherman, president of Omega Events.
“We look forward to welcoming fans
back for another year of live music
on the river.”
The Russian River music
festivals have a rich history
dating back to the 1970s. Music
legends have traveled to
Guerneville, including blues
artists such as Etta James and
Al Green, to jazz musicians Stan
Getz and Pat Metheny. Hundreds
of thousands of fans have
attended the events over the
years.
"Congrats to Omega Events
for coming up with a
creative solution to bring
quality music to the river
for another year,” said
Clare Harris, proprietor of
Johnson’s Beach since 1967.
“This will be a wonderful
event that brings two unique
styles of music together. We
can’t wait for September to
come.”
For the event, jazz
music will be featured
on Sat., Sept. 12, and
blues on Sun., Sept.
13. Tickets will be
available through local
outlets, including the
Russian River Chamber of
Commerce. Beneficiaries
of the event include the
R.R. Chamber, as well as
Food For Thought, a
Sonoma County AIDS food
bank.
"The Russian River
Festivals have been
loved and supported
by the community,
bringing in
thousands of new
visitors to the
river every summer,”
said Margaret
Kennett, President
of the Russian River
Chamber of Commerce.
“The events create a
tremendous amount of
exposure to the area
and are a great boon
to the local
economy. We look
forward to another
great year of music
on the beach!”
For more
information on
the Russian
River Jazz &
Blues Festival,
visit the
official website www.russianriverfestivals.com/ or
call (707)
869-1595.
Sat.
September
11: JAZZ
FEST
JEFFREY
OSBORNE
DAVID
SANBORN featuring JOEY
DeFRANCESCO
FOURPLAY -
Bob James,
Nathan East,
Harvey Mason
and Chuck
Loeb
BIG
SAM'S FUNKY
NATION
...and two
more acts to
be announced
Sun.
September
12: ROCK
& BLUES
THE
DOOBIE
BROTHERS -
40th
Anniversary
Tour
JIMMIE
VAUGHAN and
the
Tilt-A-Whirl
Band
with LOU
ANN
BARTON
CHARLIE
MUSSELWHITE
SHANE
DWIGHT
MITCH
WOODS
and his
ROCKET
88s
and one
more act
to be
announced!
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Little Village record label digs up obscure treasures
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Little Village-based record label creating —
quite literally — a library of soul
Chicagotribune.com - Ken Shipley works from home. His
dusty Little Village basement, crammed full of LPs, CDs
and tapes, houses a record label called the Numero
Group. And since its first release in 2004, Numero has
bid farewell to a conference room, and in most cases
breathing room, to house its swelling catalog and stock.
There's reason for the clutter. Most record labels are
in the business of signing new bands. Numero goes about
discovering old ones. Most haven't made music in
decades. Numero collects and archives this music, then
takes the best of the collection and creates
well-organized, well-researched compilations — a
smorgasbord of genres from around the world, though it
is best known for soul and R&B. Put the 75-release
collection on a shelf and it looks like an encyclopedia
of music.
Rob Sevier, Numero's arts and repertoire guru, figures
that eventually the label will pass its job on — to
professors. "Blues and jazz has an aura about it," he
says. "Soul and R&B will get there. Eventually, our
mantle will be taken over by academics."
Indeed, Robert Pruter, author of "Chicago Soul," calls
the research and archival work that Numero does
"superlative." "They do an extraordinary job of
documenting," he says. Pruter, a librarian at
Romeoville-based Lewis University, says soul and R&B
rarely get the same attention from academics that jazz
and blues do, but he predicts that someday it will, and
he believes that Numero's compilations will be key when
that day comes.
"Twenty years from now, the sort of people (Numero) is
talking to will be dead, and history will die with
them," says Pruter.
For anyone who's wondering, Shipley and company don't go
about producing historic documents by digging through
old records. Any used records of use to Numero have
already been picked up by someone else, explains Rob
Sevier, Numero's arts and repertoire guru. Instead,
Numero goes through primary sources like producers,
artists and label execs to find the music it's looking
for.
Take, for example, Numero's first release. In 2003,
Shipley contacted Bill Moss, a Columbus, Ohio, DJ and
singer who founded Capsoul Records. Shipley was
inquiring about a license for a song called "You Can't
Blame Me" by a group called Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum &
Durr. Moss said he was open to the idea of licensing the
song, but mentioned to Shipley that Capsoul had 30 or 40
more to its name.
"Then the idea rolled around in my head that a 20-song
compilation of various things is nowhere near as
interesting as being able to tell the story of one
little operation that existed," says Shipley, 33.
So Team Numero — Shipley, Sevier and label co-founder
Tom Lunt — drove to Columbus to talk a deal over with
Moss. The goal was to reissue a collection composed
entirely of Capsoul music.
"He met us with some skepticism," Shipley says. "He had
been down this road several times before, and he had
been waiting for the right people to come along — he had
been waiting for a very long time."
They offered Moss some money upfront, and a deal was
struck. But another hurdle remained: The master tapes,
which Moss had stored in a friend's basement, had been
destroyed in a flood. Numero went about collecting clean
45s of Capsoul songs and re-mastered them.
"The Capsoul Label," released in 2004, became Numero's
"001," the first entry in what would become Numero's
library of unheard music. Bill Moss died in 2005. The
compilation, with extended liner notes and enhanced
tracks, was rereleased in 2008.
Journalists, detectives, call them what you will, but
Sevier, 31, dodges these comparisons.
"Detectives are trying to find people who don't want to
be found," Sevier says. "We rarely arrive in
antagonistic situations. Sometimes detectives are
looking for someone who has killed someone else. We're
looking for musicians — who may have killed somebody,
sure — but they want to be found, and they want their
music heard."
Numero, meanwhile, supplements the music with liner
notes that read like sexed-up history books, complete
with names, dates and obscure stories. It's a craft
Shipley says most in the industry are getting wrong.
"'I'm holding the original master tape for the album in
my hands right now, and 32 years have gone by since it
was last played. I'm at a pay phone in southern
Indiana.'" Shipley says in a mocking tone. "That's just
garbage. Nobody cares about that. (The authors) write
themselves into the liner notes — they want to be a
character in the story. It's so embarrassing. I'm
embarrassed for them."
Joe Tangari, a senior contributor at Chicago-based music
e-zine Pitchfork, says Numero's liner notes stand out in
the reissue crowd.
"They really do their homework," Tangari says. "They
talk to everyone. Their compilations are driven by
people, and Numero puts those people into context, into
a larger narrative."
To wit, a four-CD, six-LP collection of Chicago bluesman
Syl Johnson's music, to be released in October, packages
liner notes in a coffee-table book size. They clock in
at about 35,000 words.
TV shows such as "Weeds" and "United States of Tara"
have licensed music from Numero. "Mad Men" featured
George McGregor's "Temptation Is So Hard to Fight" and
Edd Henry's "Crooked Woman."
But the appeal, Shipley says, is doing what he likes for
a living, and knowing that a cadre of people like it
too.
"This is the ultimate freedom," Shipley says. "To make
whatever record you want. We own it. We control our own
destiny. The limits are only our imagination."
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Alfred Music Releases Newly Revised Editions Of
Best-Selling Blues & Blues-Rock Guitar Methods
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Alfred Music Publishing, the leader in educational music
publishing since 1922, is proud to release the newly
revised editions of its best-selling guitar methods by
Kenny Chipkin: Real Blues Guitar and Real Blues-Rock
Guitar.
Real Blues Guitar (Revised) is the perfect guide to
master the blues by learning techniques used by blues
guitar legends. Revised with all-new engravings and now
with a companion DVD, this book starts you off with the
basics and takes a comprehensive approach to rhythm,
lead, and solo playing. You'll be guided through the
styles of blues guitar masters like Eric Clapton, Albert
King, B.B. King, Freddy King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, T-Bone
Walker, and Johnny Winter. With information that has
been carefully researched and documented, you'll gain an
understanding of each artist's unique approach to
technique, note choice, and tone. Kenny Chipkin performs
every example in the book and provides his unique
perspective on the history and influence of the great
blues guitarists on the DVD. High-quality MP3 tracks of
all the examples and solos in the book are also
included. Real Blues Guitar (Revised) is now available
as a book and DVD set for $19.99.
Real Blues-Rock Guitar (Revised) focuses on the
groundbreaking players of the 1960s blues-rock era,
teaching you how to play like them by exploring chord
progressions, licks, styles, and techniques.
This revised edition, now with companion DVDs and
all-new engravings, guides you through the styles of
blues-rock guitar masters like Jimi Hendrix, Eric
Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, The
Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, and many others. On the
accompanying two-DVD set, Kenny Chipkin performs every
example in the book, breaks down how to play the solos
effectively, and provides his unique perspective on the
history and influence of the blues-rock greats.
High-quality MP3 tracks for all the examples and solos
in the book are also included. Real Blues-Rock Guitar
(Revised) is now available as a book and two-DVD set for
$21.99.
Pick up your copies at a local music retail store, or
buy them today at
Alfred.com.
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Should Musicians Be Allowed to Carry Their Instruments on
Planes?
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Every day, somebody's got to fly somewhere and entertain
the people of the world. When it comes to getting
instruments on an airplane, musicians get nervous and
sweaty, expecting the worst.
“It sucks for the most part," says L.A. rapper Busdriver.
Gear gets tossed around, broken, and lost by baggage
handlers and mismanaged by airlines. Just imagine what
Joanna Newsom must endure trying to squeeze her harp
through a metal detector.
Should musicians be allowed to carry instruments on
planes? The American Federation of Musicians thinks
Congress needs some official policy changes “so that
traveling with an instrument is safer and more
reliable." Check out the AMF petition:
“Musicians constantly face difficulty traveling with
their instrument. Although AFM won a commitment from the
U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to
allow instruments through security checkpoints, policies
for carrying instruments on to airplanes still vary
wildly from airline to airline.
The inconsistencies in airline policies make it
extremely difficult for musicians to plan their travel
and earn a living. Thus AFM fought for language to be
included in the Senate version of the FAA
Reauthorization Bill (S.1451) that will streamline the
airlines' carry-on policies regarding musical
instruments. If this bill passes musicians will be able
to carry most musical instruments on board and place
them in the overhead compartment or in a seat (if a
ticket is purchased)... (Read more & sign)
Last year, breaking a guitar cost United Airlines $180
million. Musician Dave Carroll watched from his plane
window as his gear was tossed on the tarmac like trash
bags. Later he retrieved his smashed $3,500 Taylor at
baggage claim and got the shrug from the airline,
despite his threat to write three songs about it and put
them on Youtube. “United Breaks Guitars" went viral.
Then United stock plunged 10 percent and lost the
equivalent of 51,429 Taylor guitars. If only they'd let
him carry his ax on-board.
“If airlines respected people's valuables at all, this
wouldn't be an issue to begin with," says Marshall
Moonshine of indie folk band Olin And The Moon . “It
would matter less if you knew your things were in good
hands, while not in your hands." Indeed, 191,971
mishandled baggage reports were filed by U.S. airlines
between January and June 2010 according to the U.S.
Department Of Transportation.
One of L.A.'s foremost drummers and producers, Butchy
Fuego, has jumped on Facebook and Twitter trying to
rally support for the AFM petition. He says, “Musical
instruments are often rare and irreplaceable. Some would
argue they are an extension of the musicians themselves.
I hope airlines are able to recognize the valuable
cultural resource of music enough to respect the
importance of allowing musicians to keep their
instruments within reach."
Roots rock jongleur James Apollo fears he'll probably
lose another guitar when he flies over to Los Angeles
this October. His lap steel player carries his
instrument in a gun case and never gets stopped by
security. He says his bassist can walk-on his electric
upright 20% of the time, gate-check it 60% of the time,
but it's been broken twice in checked luggage. Having
lost three guitars and worked as a baggage handler,
Apollo sometimes goes to extreme measures preparing his
gear for flight: "The lost scenario is the norm, but
there's also the broke scenario," Apollo says. "I've
nearly given myself black lung while 'airline-proofing'
my cases. This usually involves a mix of steel,
fiberglass, caulk, and ingenuity. It also once got the
EPA calling on me for hot-boxing a Brooklyn apartment
complex with toxic fumes. I was an airline baggage
handler before. I know what a fragile sticker means.
It's just another thing to be pissed about. 'I'll show
you fragile...'"
With the American Federation of Musicians on the case,
they'll probably see some fine print amendment. After
all, the union has negotiated and hollered about artist
issues with the Establishment since 1896. Seems like a
complicated issue, though, as airline policies have
generally become crazy and ridiculous. Even if musicians
earn the right to tuck their instruments in pillowed
beds instead of overheard compartments, they'll most
likely have to pay dearly for it.
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Des
Moines music club Blues on Grand will close Oct. 23
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Des Moines music club Blues on Grand is scheduled to
close its doors Oct. 23. Manager Jeff Wagner cited lack
of attendance as the reason behind the closing.
Blues on Grand opened its doors in 1999 and has hosted
concerts by touring acts Tommy Castro, Lonnie Brooks,
Joe Bonamassa and others, along with local acts like
Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts, and the Bob Pace Band.
In 2002 it was given the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the
Blues Alive" award for best blues club in the country.
It's a pretty difficult thing for the blues
scene and could potentially be devastating,"
Matt Woods said. His band, the Thunderbolts, has
been Blues on Grand's house band for three
years. "There are very few blues clubs left in
the country; it's a big deal for a place like
this to be closing."
Wagner said he set the closing date this far in advance
to give a heads-up to touring musicians.
"There's been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth,"
Wagner said of the reaction from music bookers. "This is
an important stop for them."
Tom Gary — who blogs as the Blues Historian at
bluesman2001.blogspot.com — has been watching blues in
the 1501 Grand Ave. location since the mid-1990s when it
was known as the Grand Avenue Lounge. He sees Blues on
Grand closing as having repercussions beyond Des Moines.
"I think it's going to hurt the national scene more,"
Gary said. "It's such a convenient stop between Omaha,
Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis. A lot of the
national acts depend on having that stop here. That's
why Blues on Grand gets so many great acts. The people
(Wagner) has in there rival anything you get in any big
city."
Wagner is working on arranging a final performance on
Oct. 23, but has not confirmed the details.
As of now, the final announced performer is New York
pianist Bruce Katz on Oct. 20.
On Sept. 12, the Central Iowa Blues, Mississippi Valley
Blues and Lizard Creek Blues societies will host the
2010 Iowa Blues Challenge Solo/Duo competition at Blues
on Grand.
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Exhibition looks at Jimi Hendrix's London years
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(AP) LONDON — They were both immigrants in Britain who
changed the face of music — one with a harpsichord and a
composer's pen, the other with an electric guitar.
George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix also shared an
address, living 200 years apart in adjoining
18th-century London houses. Now, 40 years after
Hendrix's death, a new exhibition about his London years
brings these two unlikely neighbors together.
Hendrix, who came to London as an ambitious but
little-known guitarist in 1966, was aware of his link to
the musical past. He bought recordings of Handel's
"Messiah," and obligingly gave tours of his apartment to
music students who knocked on the door looking for
traces of the composer.
"He once claimed to have seen a reflection of Handel's
face in his shaving mirror," said Martin Wyatt, deputy
director of the Handel House Museum, which is mounting
an exhibition about Hendrix's London years that opens to
the public Wednesday.
"Hendrix was convinced he was living in Handel's house —
but actually he was living next door."
Handel lived at 25 Brook Street — a Georgian house in
the tony Mayfair area — for 36 years until his death in
1759. The museum devoted to his life uses the adjoining
upstairs apartment where Hendrix lived as offices.
Museum curators hope to raise money to restore the
apartment to its 1960s glory and open it as a permanent
Hendrix exhibition.
For now, members of the public will be able to visit for
12 days next month. They will have to use their
imaginations to picture the small, whitewashed rooms
with their utilitarian desks as they were then,
decorated in garish 60s style with red carpets and
turquoise velvet curtains, chock-a-block with guitars,
amps, rugs and knickknacks.
"All the photos look really classy until you see them in
color," said the museum's learning and events officer,
Claire Parker.
Handel had paid 60 pounds a year for the house, the
equivalent of about 5,000 pounds ($7,700) today. Hendrix
and his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham paid 30 pounds a
week — a consierable sum for the 60s, equivalent to
about 350 pounds a week today.
By all accounts Hendrix enjoyed the domestic side of
London life — though the appliances were not always up
to his modern American standards.
"When they first moved in, Hendrix was horrified to find
a 1950s gas fridge, which he thought was the most
old-fashioned thing he had ever seen." Parker said. They
bought an electric one, as well as a yellow Formica
kitchen table.
Parker said Hendrix "was quite well known in John
Lewis," the venerable London department store.
"It's this other side of him you don't really think
about — Jimi Hendrix shopping for carpets and soft
furnishings."
When he wasn't at home, Hendrix was honing his sound and
building his reputation through incendiary live shows.
He came to London in 1966 after being spotted by
producer Chas Chandler playing in a New York bar with
his band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames.
He began gigging immediately — a list of his British
shows in the exhibition has scores of entries, from pubs
to provincial working men's clubs to the vast Isle of
Wight rock festival. In 1967 he released the acclaimed
album "Are You Experienced?" and soon was touring
internationally, gaining fame for his innovative,
heavily distorted guitar style.
"He was an absolute revelation to everyone here," Wyatt
said. "It was like an earthquake rumbling through the
music scene."
"I think for Hendrix London was much more open — in
America he was too white for black music and too black
for white music. Here there was a burgeoning blues scene
that wasn't that categorized."
The Hendrix exhibition, which runs to Nov. 7, is a bit
of a shock next to the muted gray walls, oil paintings
and harpsichords of the rooms devoted to Handel's life.
Among the exhibits are the Gibson Flying V guitar that
Hendrix played at the Isle of Wight festival in August
1970, handwritten lyrics and a splendid orange velvet
jacket and black Westerner hat.
There is also a copy of Hendrix's death certificate. He
died in a London hotel on Sept. 18, 1970, aged 27. The
certificate gives the archetypally rock 'n' roll causes
as "inhalation of vomit" and barbiturate intoxication.
Wyatt said some of the museum's supporters were
skeptical at first about the Hendrix display. But he is
struck by the similarities between the two musicians.
"They were both great improvisers," he said — Handel on
harpsichord, Hendrix on guitar.
He said that on the occasional past openings of
Hendrix's apartment, the guitarist's fans have sometimes
stayed to listen and learn about Handel.
"We're hoping the exhibition will open the road the
other way."
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Renowned Gastonia blues musician battling effects of
chronic illness in hospital
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A celebrated Gastonia blues singer famous for seducing
audiences with her soulful voice is now trying to
overcome the debilitating effects of a chronic disease.
Robin Rogers is well known in Gaston County and across
the country for her talents with a microphone in hand.
When not singing at local clubs, she often tours
elsewhere in the United States and overseas. In 2009,
she performed during the 30th annual Blues
Music Awards in Memphis, Tenn., when she was nominated
for Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year.
But acting on her love of music has recently taken a
backseat to coping with the symptoms of Hepatitis C.
Rogers was admitted to Gaston Memorial Hospital on Aug.
18 after suffering from internal bleeding due to varices,
or enlarged veins, in her esophagus and other areas — a
common symptom of the illness.
“She’s been really, really sick and it’s been really,
really scary,” said Rogers’ husband of 12 years, Tony
Rogers, who plays guitar in their blues band. “For the
most part, she just woke up a day or two ago. She was
supposed to go home (Tuesday), but her blood pressure
started dropping a few days ago and she started bleeding
again.”
Rogers has had three endoscopies and is slated to
undergo surgery in Charlotte this week.
“At one point, the doctor told me the biggest problem
we’d have is waking her up,” said Tony Rogers. “But
she’s had some good moments. Right now, she’s pretty
optimistic.”
Triumphing over tragedy
Rogers, 55, is originally from the Tidewater Virginia
region. She has long been open about the troubled family
life that led her to run away from home as a teenager,
which coaxed her into abusing drugs and alcohol as she
struggled to take care of herself.
Rogers has led a clean and sober lifestyle for more than
two decades. But she believes she contracted Hepatitis C
from sharing needles years ago.
“She’s made no secrets about it,” said Tony Rogers. “We
found out 12 or 15 years ago when we went to buy her
health insurance and she couldn’t get any. She’s taken
really good care of herself for 22 years, but it’s
finally catching up with her.”
Rogers’ recent story is one of a singer and performer
who achieved salvation from substance abuse through the
love of her craft. She met Tony Rogers 15 years ago when
she was performing country and rock ‘n’ roll house music
at several Gastonia clubs.
“When you’re in a house band, you don’t have a career.
You have a job,” said Tony Rogers. “I told her me and
you could make a living doing this.”
Rogers had been on a 40-day tour of the west coast
recently with other renowned blues musicians such as
guitar player Debbie Davies. She performed during a
festival in Norway with fellow singers Janiva Magness
and Thornetta Davis as the “Women Who Cook.”
She and her husband had just returned from a trip to
Missouri and Kansas last month when she had to be
admitted to the hospital. Her lack of insurance has made
her mounting medical bills a daunting reality, and she
can’t make money performing while battling her
condition.
“Suddenly we’re unemployed,” said Tony Rogers. “They
don’t pay unemployment to musicians.”
Support system
Robin Rogers has recorded several CDs over the years,
and her newest one, “Back in the Fire,” will be released
Sept. 11. A planned CD release party at Gaston College
has been canceled due to her illness. But fans can still
order the CD and past releases at
www.robinrogers.com.
Ordering from that website, instead of other sources
such as amazon.com or iTunes, puts more of the money in
Robin Rogers’ hands, her husband said.
A pair of fundraisers have also been planned to help
with her medical expenses. One will be a nonprofit yard
sale held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at The Bluffs
at Northwoods apartment complex in Gastonia. Several
bands will also perform during a special concert to
benefit Rogers on Oct. 17 in Charlotte at the Double
Door Inn, although details are still being worked out.
In the meantime, fans who want to donate directly to the
Robin Rogers Medical Trust Fund can do so by making a
deposit at any Bank of America, using the account number
0006-5617-0126. Checks may also be mailed to Rachel
Pickard, Attorney at Law Trustee, at P.O. Box 547,
Gastonia, NC 28053.
Tony Rogers said keeping up with his wife’s Facebook
page is the best way to follow her progress. He has been
reading her some of the comments and well-wishes fans
have left in recent days.
“She’s really thankful and really appreciates it,” he
said. “We appreciate all the great prayers.”
Editors note: All of us here at the Blues Festival Guide
Magazine wish Robin a speedy recovery.
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Where Southern Cross the Dog
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We are pleased to announce the debut novel and
accompanying CD of author Allen Whitley. A masterful
blend of mystery and historical fiction, Where
Southern Cross the Dog pits first love and idealism
against hatred and racism in Depression-era Mississippi.
The novel is currently available at
www.allenwhitley.comand
includes a CD consisting of material, some unheard until
now, recorded in the 1930s and early ‘40s. The
compilation includes blues, prison work songs,
children’s rhymes, and oral history narrations.
In addition to the book and CD, Allen is donating a
portion of the proceeds to the Blues Foundation and the
Music Maker Relief Foundation. The Blues Foundation is a
nonprofit that preserves blues history, celebrates blues
excellence, supports blues education, and ensures the
future of this uniquely American art form. Music Maker
helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern
music gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs.
Elevator Pitch
In the late 1930s, Jim Crow walked unopposed in
Mississippi, and Europe was preparing for war. Though an
ocean apart, the threads of hatred and fear bound these
disparate places together.
Synopsis
When Travis Montgomery returns to Clarksdale after
graduating from college, he finds his hometown cloaked
in fear—four gruesome murders in six weeks. With no
clear motive and few clues, the sheriff doesn’t have a
suspect—until Luke Williams, a white sharecropper,
confesses.
Across town, Dr. Conrad Higson is developing a cotton
harvester, a machine that will replace field hands.
Expelled from Germany for publicly humiliating a
high-ranking officer, the well-respected scientist is
secretly spying for the Nazis, hoping for permission to
return to his fatherland.
While Luke awaits trial, the last four members of
Clarksdale’s defunct Ku Klux Klan break him out of jail.
Luke turns himself in again hours before the discovery
of a fifth mutilated body. But the evidence doesn’t
match up, and Travis and his girlfriend, Hannah, the
daughter of a prominent African-American family, begin
their own investigation, piecing together the
circumstances of the murders.
As the town reels from a trial, arson, and yet another
body, Travis and Hannah persevere in their search for
justice as they illuminate the dark soul of the Deep
South.
A masterful blend of mystery and historical fiction,
Where Southern Cross the Dog pits first love and
idealism against hatred and racism in Depression-era
Mississippi.
Bio
Allen Whitley works in the field of environmental
sustainability and has published numerous academic and
professional articles. He serves on the Board of
Directors for Goodwill Industries of Central Texas and
is a former board member of the Writers’ League of
Texas. Through his first novel, Where Southern Cross
the Dog, he seeks to bring the rich history of
blues to a wider audience and raise funds for two worthy
causes.
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HOUSE OF BLUES RECORDING STUDIO MAKES A MOVE
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The House of Blues Recording Studio is
moving to Music City, literally. The entire building is
being picked up and carried along I-40.
You may not have ever been there, but the historic
musical recordings produced there put the minds of
listeners' right where they wanted to be when they heard
it. Now with the departure of the House of Blues famed
Studio D is another failing grade for the Memphis
recording industry.
It was a wide-load truck almost ready for departure on
Tuesday. The truck was transporting to Nashville
precious cargo laden with Memphis musical history and
the memories that go with it.
"I think one of the first acts to come through were the
Bar-Kays. In the mid 90's we had a lot of rock and roll
acts Collective Soul. Matchbox Twenty. We did a
soundtrack for MTV, Beavis and Butthead," said Mike
Paragone, Head of House of Blues Recording Studio.
Last week a Springfield, Tennessee structural moving
company diligently worked to deconstruct the fabled
House of Blues Studio D recording facility wit plans to
be reassembled in the Music City.
The wooden structure, which once was a family home, had
been separate from the recording company's three other
studios located on desolate Rayner Street just off
Spottswood. Its off-the-beaten path location figured
into its eventual move due to "under utilization" by
local artists in recent years.
"In Nashville we have three facilities there already.
But, we're trying to break into a different market.
Break into a different clientele that we haven't really
touched," said Paragone.
The relocation sounds another sour note for the Memphis
music scene. Since the rebirth of the studio in the
'90's by original House of Blues nightclub franchise
owner, Memphian Isaac Tigrett and former partner Gary
Belz, efforts had been keyed toward bringing in top
producers, writers and performers. Some like Ralph
Sutton and Kirk Whalum were drawn in by the historical
allure of making new music in Memphis.
"I believe that my effort along with others will help
rebirth this region. Since there's a lot of strong
musicianship down here and a lot of incredible writers,"
said music producer Ralph Sutton back in 2006.
"I kind of really focused on that one cause I felt like
this is the one with the most kind of proactivity in
terms of the Memphis music scene and rebuilding and
Renaissance," said Kirk Whalum, famed saxophonist.
But, a stagnant economy and the equally "flat line"
state of opportunities for Memphis musicians at home
have combined to create the region's own state of the
blues.
"At the end of the day it is about value and how we
value this cultural asset. That needs nurturing, that
needs developing so these musicians can work. If they're
not working it's impossible for the studios to survive,"
said Johnnie Walker, Executive Director of Shelby County
Music Commission.
Though Studio D may strike the right chords in
Nashville, Whalum still believes Memphis' return as a
mecca for modern music will come but not in time to stop
this moving van.
"There's going to be that Renaissance and the timing is
going to be right and there's going to be a lot of young
kids stepping in the shoes of the folks who made this
great music," said Whalum.
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Jeff
Daniels Gets the “Dirty Harry Blues”
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Movie actor Jeff Daniels, best known for roles in films
like Gettysburg, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb and
Dumber, is also an accomplished guitarist.
Ahead of his Nashville gig on August 27 he told
Tennessean.com about his music career.
“I really went to work on the guitar, the songwriting
and the whole show. I went to school on guys like Utah
Phillips and others, and said, ‘What are they doing? How
are they doing it? What do I need to know on the
guitar?’ I literally took lessons from Keb’ Mo’ and
Stefan Grossman, guys that said, ‘You can play, but…’
and started showing me stuff.”
Daniels sells CDs on the road to raise money for the
Purple Rose Theatre Company that he runs in his hometown
of Chelsea, Michigan. He uses experiences in the movie
business for song material. The Dirty Harry Blues for
example, tells of his experience playing opposite Clint
Eastwood in Blood Work.
“I’ve worked real hard at the fingerpicking and being
able to play up and down the neck, as well as tell
stories, and write songs that can stand up.”
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Celebrate the end of a long, hot summer at the Coolest
free Festival in Memphis!
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This Labor Day weekend – Sept. 4 & 5 –
the Center for Southern Folklore will produce the 23rd
Annual Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, a
family-friendly celebration of the musicians, artists,
craftspeople, cooks, talkers, dancers, and community
members who make Memphis such a special place.
The festivities will take place from 11am – 11pm
both days on Main St. between Peabody Place and
Gayoso on three outdoor stages and two more
indoors. In addition to some of the region’s best blues,
soul, rock, gospel, folk, and country performers, the
Festival will feature cooking demonstrations, local
artists, food and crafts vendors, dancers, storytellers,
and fun for the kids!
This year’s festival will celebrate Memphis musical
legend Jim Dickinson with a t-shirt and
poster designed by the artist Gray (pictured above) and
performances by Hill Country Revue (featuring son Cody
Dickinson) and former bandmates Sid Selvidge & Jimmy
Crosthwait. Other performers include: Bobby Rush, Kate
Campbell, Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, Joyce Cobb,
Smoochie Smith Trio, Hickory Withe Bluegrass, Jason D
Williams, Eden Brent, Los Contadores, Star & Micey,
Bluff City Backsliders, Eddie Bond and many more still
to be announced!
A $2 suggested donation will help keep the festival free
and open to all.
This Labor Day weekend – Sept. 4 & 5 –
the Center for Southern Folklore will produce the 23rd
Annual Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, a
family-friendly celebration of the musicians, artists,
craftspeople, cooks, talkers, dancers, and community
members who make Memphis such a special place.
The festivities will take place from 11am – 11pm
both days on Main St. between Peabody Place and
Gayoso on three outdoor stages and two more
indoors. In addition to some of the region’s best blues,
soul, rock, gospel, folk, and country performers, the
Festival will feature cooking demonstrations, local
artists, food and crafts vendors, dancers, storytellers,
and fun for the kids!
This year’s festival will celebrate Memphis musical
legend Jim Dickinson with a t-shirt and
poster designed by the artist Gray (pictured above) and
performances by Hill Country Revue (featuring son Cody
Dickinson) and former bandmates Sid Selvidge & Jimmy
Crosthwait. Other performers include: Bobby Rush, Kate
Campbell, Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, Joyce Cobb,
Smoochie Smith Trio, Hickory Withe Bluegrass, Jason D
Williams, Eden Brent, Los Contadores, Star & Micey,
Bluff City Backsliders, Eddie Bond and many more still
to be announced!
A $2 suggested donation will help keep the festival free
and open to all.
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Illinois Blues Festival
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Two Days of Sun-Sational Blues!Featuring Three
Entertainment Stages Plus Musician Workshops,Blues Alley
featuring artists & merchandise vendors, Blues Foods
from BBQ & Cajun to hamburgers, hotdogs, Brats & Beers!
It´s time to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the
Budwesier Illinois Blues Festival featuring great blues
entertainment on three stages at beautiful downtown
Peoria´s Riverfront Park. Considered one of the top
blues festivals in the Midwest, the 22nd Annual
Budweiser Blues Festival comprises two days of
internationally known Blues artists and workshops and is
produced by Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment,
www.jaytv.com, with proceeds going to the Illinois Blues
Coalition.
ADDED FEATURE: This year our festival is hosting the
"ROAD TO MEMPHIS" the official competition leading to
the Blues Foundation's world famous INTERNATIONAL BLUES
CHALLENGE. Sponsored by the River City Blues Society,
this is an opportunity for unsigned Illinois bands to
compete for entry into the IBC with expenses paid by the
River City Blues Society with help from a funding grant
from the Illinois Blues Coalition. You'll be able to see
all these bands and more compete at the 2010 Budwesier
Illinois Blues FestivaL
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The
West Michigan Blues Society Celebrates 20 Years
On October 10, 2010, the West Michigan Blues Society
will celebrate 20 years of serving the blues community
in West Michigan and beyond. Started in the back room of
Jerry Dodd's record shop in Grand Rapids, the society
has grown into the driving force for blues related
activities.
Thanks to Tim Richards, Jimmie Stagger and David "Dr.
Hamfat" Marin, they have developed an outstanding
Blues in the Schools program that has been serving
the West Michigan schools for the past 6 years.
To celebrate in style, the society is throwing a party
at Billy's Lounge, 1437 Wealthy St. Se, Grand Rapids,
Mi. on Sunday October 10. Doors at 1:00, Music at 2:00.
The event features the music of The Rusty Wright
Band and Harper. There will be
a brisket buffet catered by Sandmann's along
with raffles and prizes.
This event is
FREE
to all members. You have to show your membership card at
the door.
For non-members the cover is $20.00, BUT, it includes a
free years' membership the West Michigan Blues Society.
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JOHNNY WINTER:
There’s a great new biography of Johnny Winter, RAISIN’
CAIN, and Elwood takes the occasion to take a look back
at the music and life of this highly influential Texas
bluesman. Biographer Mary Lou Sullivan joins Elwood to
share some prime Winter tales, and spin his tunes,
including his work with Muddy Waters (giving Muddy a
second career). Exclusive interview tape with Johnny
Winter is also part of the mix. Plus: Bobby "Blue"
Bland, brother Edgar Winter, and new music from the
California Honeydrops. Go to our contest page and
register to win two great Johnny Winter DVDs– Johnny
Winter Live Through the 70s and Live Through the 80s.
While you are there, there are also five copies of
HARMONICA BLUES, from harp player Bob Corritore, just
waiting to be won.
For a list of stations where you can find House
of Blues Radio
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Click on
festival name to click through to festival website.
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VISIT THE BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE WEBSITE FOR ALL THE
FESTIVALS
Over 500
festivals are listed on the website
www.BluesFestivalGuide.com
|
Howlin Wolf Memorial Blues Festival
Friday,
September 3, 2010
West Point, Mississippi, U.S.
Website |
Budweiser Illinois Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday,
September 3-4, 2010
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
www.illinoisbluesfestival.com
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Summertime Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday,
September 3-4, 2010
Freeport, TX, U.S.
www.freeportbluesfestival.com
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Soulard Blues Cruise
Friday-Saturday, September 3-4, 2010
St. Louis, MO, U.S.
www.stlbluesweek.com |
Rendezvous Rhythm & Blues Festival
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Oroville, Washington, U.S.
www.rendezvousbluesfestival.com
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Beaumont Bluesfestival
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Beaumont, Alberta, Canada
www.beaumontblues.net |
Harvest Time Blues Festival
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Monaghan Town, ulster, Ireland
www.harvestblues.com |
Rhythm & Roots
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Charlestown, Rhode Island, U.S.
www.rhythmandroots.com |
Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Rentiesville, Oklahoma, U.S.
www.dcminnerblues.com |
Snowy Range Music Festival
Friday-Sunday,
September 3-5, 2010
Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.
www.snowyrangemusicfestival.com
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The Mayor's Blues Ball
Friday-Sunday, September 3-5, 2010
Medicine Park, Oklahoma, U.S.
www.meicinepark.com |
Delaware River Bluesfest
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
Stockton, NJ, U.S.
www.falconproductions.biz |
Zydeco Louisiana Blues Festival
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
Manor,TX, U.S.
www.austinzydecobluesfest.com
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Vancouver Island Blues Bash
Friday-Monday,
September 3-6, 2010
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
www.jazzvictoria.ca |
4th Annual Blues For Food Fest
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
Seattle, WA, U.S.
www.bluesforfoodfest.org |
Bedford Blues & BBQ festival
Saturday,
September 4-5, 2010
Bedford, Texas, U.S.
www.bedfordbluesfest.com
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Marquette Area Blues Festival
Saturday-Sunday,
eptember 4-5, 2010
Marquette, Michigan, U.S.
www.marquetteareabluessociety.com
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Riverside Bluesfest
Saturday-Sunday,
September 4-5, 2010
Saint Marys, Ohio, U.S.
www.stmarysblues.com |
Blues by the Bay
Saturday-Sunday,
September 4-5, 2010
Eureka, California, U.S.
www.bluesbythebay.org |
DC Blues Festival
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
Washington, District of Columiba, U.S.
http://dcblues.org |
13th Annual Marin City Blues, Jazz & Soul Party in the
Park
Monday,
September 6, 2010
Marin City, CA, U.S.
www.performingstars.org |
Jazz & Blues in the Village
Friday-Saturday,
September 17-18, 2010
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
www.jazzinthevillage.com |
Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues & Jazz Festival
Thursday-Sunday,
September 9-12, 2010
Mississauga (Port Credit), Ontario, Canada
www.southsideshuffle.com
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Niagara Falls Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Niagara Falls, NY, U.S.
www.niagarafallsbluesfest.com
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Blues at the Crossroads
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.
www.bluesatthecrossroads.com
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Blues, Brews and BBQ
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Charlotte, NC, U.S.
www.bluesbrewsandbbq.com |
23rd Annual Bull Durham Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
www.bulldurhamblues.org |
Greater Ozarks Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
http://greaterozarksbluesfest.com
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Starr-Gennett Walk of Fame Celebrates "Blues & BBQ"
Friday-Saturday,
September 10-11, 2010
Richmond, Indiana, U.S.
www.starrgennett.org |
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RBA
Publishing Inc is based in Reno, NV with a satellite
office in Beverly Hills, Florida. We produce the annual
Blues Festival Guide magazine (now in its 7th year), the
top-ranking website: www.BluesFestivalGuide.com, and
this weekly blues newsletter: The Blues Festival E-Guide
with approximately 20,000 weekly subscribers. We look
forward to your suggestions, critiques, questions, etc.
Reach the E-Guide editor, Gordon Bulcock,
gordon@bluesfestivalguide.com
or contact our home office at 775-337-8626,
eguide@bluesfestivalguide.com
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Information - both editorial and advertising - in the
Blues Festival E-Guide - is believed to be correct but not
guaranteed - so check it carefully before you attend any
event or send money for anything. We do not write the
news... just report it. |
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