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with R.J. Bianchino your weekly guide to "all things blues" |
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May 29 - June 4, 2006
BluesBeat
Joe Bonamassa Thursday, June 1
"Bonamassa is a bold talent." – Billboard Born in upstate New York, Joe Bonamassa started playing on a short scale Chiquita guitar at the age of four, graduating to a full-scale guitar at seven. By the time he was 8, Joe was playing the blues like a veteran. "Stevie Ray Vaughn was a huge influence in my early days," says Bonamassa, "but not my only one. I was influenced by all the great blues masters - Duke Robillard, Danny Gatton, Eric Clapton, and Robben Ford were all musicians I gravitated towards. I just naturally loved the blues and the seductive sound of the Stratocaster." "I’m a blues guitarist at my core," says guitarslinger Joe Bonamassa, "but I try to branch out into different forms—kind of like Cream and ZZ Top used to. In some ways, there’s too much of a rulebook for the blues, and it’s breaking those rules that keeps the music fresh for another generation. When I play blues, I try to think a little outside the box, while still paying tribute to the founding fathers like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson." Go to BluesBeat's Soundcheck and listen to four Bonamassa tunes. And scroll down some for a blistering video of Joe at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Coming Soon to Station Casinos On Wednesday, June 7 Coco Montoya will play the Chrome Showroom, and the Railhead on June 8th. Go to the Station Casinos' Boulder Blues Page for a schedule of upcoming concerts. Boulder Station Casino is located at 4111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV 89121
Friday & Saturday, June 2-3 Don't let the heat get you down. This weekend the Sand Dollar Blues Lounge has a great lineup on Friday and Saturday that will blast your blues away. Featuring 6 different bands, there will music, food and giveaways. Plus drink specials and video poker. The fun starts each day at 4:00 p.m. Don't miss out. The following bands will be playing: Larry Travis Band The Sand Dollar Blues Room is located at 3355 Spring Mountain Rd. For more information visit their website www.sanddollarblues.com Blues The Black Keys Sign To Nonesuch
Childhood friends Dan Auerbach (guitar/vocals) and drummer Patrick Carney (drums) were mowing lawns in Akron when they made their first, self-released, record, 2002’s The Big Come Up; they embarked on their first tour that year, after being fired from their day jobs. Following enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics, the two men decided to remain unemployed so they could devote all of their time to their music. They practiced and toured relentlessly, then released their second album, Thickfreakness (their first on Fat Possum), in 2003. Later that year, they moved into an abandoned tire factory and set up their own rehearsal and recording studio, where they made 2004’s highly praised Rubber Factory—named for their unique space. Entertainment Weekly called Rubber Factory one of the best albums of the year, saying of The Black Keys, “They revive the notion that rock & roll should be murky and mysterious, a stumble into a dark alley late at night,” while The New Yorker said, "Direct, consistent, powerful, and loud, the record is one of the best rock releases of the year." (The band’s final Fat Possum record, an EP of Junior Kimbrough covers called Chulahoma, was released this spring.) The Black Keys live shows are fast becoming legendary among fans and critics alike. The Washington Post described the sound at a recent DC show as, “A giant crashing that is louder and fuller and grimmer than a drummer and guitarist alone should be able to produce,” and went on to say that "Auerbach is a ferociously talented guitarist whose leads bristle and burn as if the guitar were a molten mass. And Carney wails on his drums as if he were taking part in an anger management therapy exercise. The pair’s concert is as much a show of force as it is a musical performance." For more information about The Black Keys and Magic Potion, please contact: Carla Sacks/Mary Moyer For further information on Nonesuch Records, please contact: Melissa Cusick
Blues Birthdays This week's blues artists birthdays include: May 29 Big Guitar Red (guitar), 1925
Joe Bonamassa - Montreal Jazz Festival Etta James CD and artist biography brief: At Last!
This is Etta James's first full-length album, recorded for Chess Records' Argo subsidiary in 1960. It taps all aspects of her then-blossoming talent. There's the crooning rock ballad "My Dearest Darling" and the elegantly symphonic "Sunday Kind of Love." Her classic, brokenhearted "All I Could Do Was Cry" follows the sweet title track and the bawdy blues stomper "I Just Want to Make Love to You." And there's a version of Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather," which Lena Horne made famous. James's fine way with such a wide embrace of material wouldn't again be this well displayed on a single album until she was united with producer Jerry Wexler for 1977's Deep in the Night. -- Ted Drozdowski, Amazon.com essential recording This week's new blues releases and re-issues:
 and CD Universeor by clicking on any album cover or album title link. Bluesin' Round Town M o n d a y, May 29 Golden Nuggett Showroom 10pm Lon Bronson All-Star Band T u e s d a y, May 30 Nevada Palace 1-5pm Jimmy Limo W e d n e s d a y, May 31 Brendan's Irish Pub (inside the Orleans) 9:30pm-1am Pete Contino Band T h u r s d a y, June 1 Bootlegger Bistro 9:30pm Ruth Brown F r i d a y, June 2 Sand Dollar Blues 4pm Summertime Blues Bash featuring 6 bands S a t u r d a y, June 3 Bunkhouse Saloon 10pm-2am Open Blues Jam hosted by The Shuffle-Aires S u n d a y, June 4 Bunkhouse Saloon 6-10pm Open Blues and Rock with Jay Gordon KUNV's Nothin' But The Blues Current Playlist Joe Bonamassa
Four Windows Media Audio files of Joe Bonamassa. Two great acoustic songs, and two electric. The selections are sound only. This is just a tast of what Joe is capable of. Enjoy. Recorded at the IMAC on Long Island February 26, 2005: From the 20 DATES movie soundtrack: Blues Beyond the Neon
Thursday, June 1, San Juan Capistrano, CA As a "blues fan," Steven Seagal admires and has been inspired by some of the greatest musicians ever, such as Curtis Mayfield, Lightning Hopkins, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King or Robert Johnson. "I started out early on playing blues because those were the guys I watched and grew up with and learned from. I did branch out and play things like rock but I guess I just learned the blues too well." "Blues is my real passion, and I've always wanted to do a blues record. I've had very close relationships with a lot of the great legends, many of whom I got to play with", Seagal told Billboard.com. Seagal's new blues album, Mojo Priest, will feature all-star performers. Mojo Priest is the second release on the actor's Nonsolo Blues imprint. The star-studded tribute to blues greats features living legends such as Honeyboy Edwards performing on songs ranging from "Red Rooster" and "Dust My Broom" to originals "Dark Angel" and potential soon-to-be-classics such as "Talk to My Ass." He would have loved to work with some of his heroes, says Seagal. "Little Milton, Gatemouth Brown and RL Burnside were friends of mine and they were all scheduled to play on this record, but they all suddenly passed away. We lost three within a month." Showtime: 8pm Tickets: $25 The Coach House is located at 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 Tel: 949.496.8930 'Nuff Said Now it's your turn. If you have any information you would like to see in this column send an e-mail to bluesbeat@jazzinternet.com. We especially welcome club listings. Telephone numbers are supplied for all venues. All shows, dates and times are subject to change. Call the club or venue for confirmation before diggin' any of the music. May all your Blues be minor. -- Bion
Russell Luzio is the nations only deaf DJ turn talk show host. With only 1% hearing Russell still hears the blues loud and clear. And "wow ee!" - as he's often prone to exclaim - he sure does play 'em on his internet radio show. Hear The Blues With Russell airs out of Los Angeles every Thursday from 7-9pm PST. BluesBeat Review Ruf Records Blues Guitar Women
The contemporary CD takes off rocking with the Lara Price Band version of Buddy Guy's "Can't Quit The Blues." Debbie Davies then gives you a blues shuffle on "Taking It All To Vegas." Alice Stuart brings out the goods with "The Man's So Good." Sue Foley serves up a tasty meal on "Mediterranean Breakfast." Deborah Coleman then gives us the funky "The River Wild." Joanna Connor rocks you all over on "Living On The Road." Ana Popovic illuminates you with the "Navajo Moon." Carolyn Wonderland lets it rip on "Judgement Day Blues." Eve Monsees gives us a warm and fuzzy "Lonely Lonely Nights." The duo of Maria Mulduar and Bonnie Raitt thrills us all with the gospel fueled "It's A Blessing." Erja Lyytinen takes us on a journey to her "Dreamland Blues." Barbara Lynn gives you the original "Lynn's Blues" off her CD "Hot Night Tonight." Tracy Conover hits you hard with her live version of "Goin' Down." A true legend Beverley "Guitar" Watson shows that she hasn't lost her edge on the political "Baghdad Blues." Ruthie Foster ends the first disc with a beautiful take on "Woke Up This Morning." The traditional disc gets going with "Fool Me Good" by Precious Bryant. Algia Mae Hinton keeps us all "Going Down This Road." Sue Foley then gives all of the blues guitar women fans our "Doggie Treats" for being so good. Rory Block does a wonderful job on the Bukka White classic "Fixin' To Die." Ellen McIlwaine tells us about life on a "Dead End Street." Alice Stuart gives us a heart felt version of "Rather Be The Devil." Jessie Mae Hemphill takes us on a wild ride on her "Streamline Train." Another great duet, this time by Gaye Adagbalola and Rory Block, gives us the thought provoking "Nothing's Scared." Etta Baker's own "One Dime Blues" propels us into Joann Kelly showing us there "Ain't Nothing To Ramblin'." Elvie Thomas moves you deeply on "Motherless Child Blues." Geeshie Wiley recording of "Skinny Legs Blues" done over seventy years ago holds up pretty well. Last but not least Memphis Minnie ends this marvelous twenty nine song collection with "In My Girlish Days." copyright © 2006 Brown Ink JazzBeat Nevada
w/ special guest Randy Brecker Internationally renowned trumpeter Randy Brecker will highlight the Las Vegas Academy jazz concert on Thursday, May 25th. In conjunction with the 7 p.m. performance, the Academy will rename its Theatre for the Performing Arts Center the Lowden Theater for the Performing Arts. The facility is being dedicated to Paul and Sue Lowden, longtime benefactors to the school district. The Academy is located at 315 S. 7th St. but the theatre is located on the northwest corner of 9th and Clark. read more For in depth coverage of the Las Vegas Jazz scene, visit JazzBeat Nevada, your weekly guide to Memphis Minnie Biography
b. Lizzie Douglas, 3 June 1897, Algiers, Louisiana, USA, d. 6 August 1973, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Raised in Walls, Mississippi, Memphis Minnie learned banjo and guitar as a child, and ran away from home at the age of 13 to play music in Memphis; she worked for a time with Ringling Brothers Circus. When in Mississippi, she played guitar with Willie Brown, and in the 20s made a common-law marriage with Casey Bill Weldon. However, she was with Joe McCoy (under the pseudonym Kansas Joe) by the time of their joint recording debut in 1929. Her guitar playing had a strong rhythm, coupled with the ragtime influence common among the Memphis musicians, and her singing was tough and swaggering. "Bumble Bee" was a hit, and Joe and Minnie recorded extensively, both together and separately; their guitar duets were among the finest in blues. Apart from songs about sex and relationships, Minnie sang about her meningitis (calling it, with gallows humour, "Memphis Minnie-jitis"), about her father's mule, "Frankie Jean", and about the guitarist "Mister Tango". The McCoys moved to Chicago in the early 30s, but split up in 1935, apparently as a result of Joe's jealousy of his wife's success. By this time, Minnie's music was reflecting changing tastes, usually featuring a piano and string bass, and sometimes trumpet or clarinet and a drummer. She was a star of the Chicago club scene, as she continued to present herself on disc as the tough, independent woman she was in reality. In 1939, she began recording with her third husband, Little Son Joe (Ernest Lawlars) on second guitar. They were early users of amplification, and made swinging music, although it lacked the rich complexity of her early recordings. Her lyrics were of considerable originality, as on a graceful tribute to Ma Rainey, recorded in 1940, six months after Rainey's death. "Me And My Chauffeur Blues", with its boogying guitar, also became widely known. In the late 40s, Memphis Minnie ran a touring vaudeville company, and she continued to record after the war, playing tough electric guitar. Her efforts to keep up with trends were proving less successful, however, and in the mid-50s, she and Joe retired to Memphis. Joe was already unwell, and died in 1961, while Minnie was incapacitated from the late 50s, and lived out her life in nursing homes. Compilations: Bibliography: Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989-2004 calendar | blues news | cd chart | birthdays | new releases | feature | bluesin' | beyond the neon | jazz news | biography | blues radio |
Calendar
Santa Fe Blues - 8pm May 31st Joe Bonamassa is scheduled for the Wednesday Night Blues series in the Chrome Showroom. He'll also appear at Boulder Station the following evening. See below for more information on these events. Check out 
News
Nonesuch Records has announced the North American signing of the Akron, Ohio duo The Black Keys. The band’s label debut, Magic Potion, will be released on September 12, 2006. The Black Keys play six shows this summer in support of Radiohead (exact dates/cities below); plans for a fall tour will be announced at a later date.
Other Blues News of Note 
While several women rose to fame as vocalists in the early years of the blues, few succeeded as instrumentalists. Memphis Minnie, a gifted guitarist and singer, was a notable exception. A forceful guitarist who once reportedly beat Big Bill Broonzy in a picking contest, Memphis Minnie was also an accomplished vocalist.