Sean Chambers was 10, when his parents bought him a guitar as a Christmas present. It was at that point that Chambers would realize his calling. While Chambers was a fan of some of the popular rock bands of the era, he was also quite taken with the sounds of Jimi Hendrix. It was through those Hendrix songs such as “Red House,” “Catfish Blues” and so on, that Sean discovered his passion for blues music. In his teen years, he started discovering and listening to such greats as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Albert, Freddie and B.B. King, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter.

 

After playing a number of clubs and concert venues throughout his early and mid twenties, Chambers released his critically acclaimed debut recording, Strong Temptation, in October of 1998. The album captured the attention of both fans and critics alike. Guitar Magazine said about Sean: “Chambers plays his Strat with dirty ferocity, evoking shades of Johnny Winter and Freddie King in the process!”

 

Since then, Chambers has had a number of milestones in his career, one of which was becoming the musical director and guitarist for the legendary Hubert Sumlin. Touring the world with Sumlin for almost five years, they performed before sellout crowds at festivals, clubs and theaters around the US, Europe, Japan, and Canada, building a worldwide fan base along the way. Europe’s premiere music authority, Guitarist Magazine, listed Sean as one of the Top 50 Blues Guitarists of the last century. Europe’s Total Guitar Magazine gave Strong Temptation five stars and cited the record as “The most impressive blues debut since SRV’s Texas Flood.” Chambers continued to develop his powerful style on his 2005 release, Humble Spiritsl.

 

On Chambers’ newest release, Ten Til Midnight, Sean wanted to capture a live sound and feel; so overdubs were minimized, allowing him and the band to play as if they were at a gig.

 

The Laurie Morvan Band grills up a spicy, blues rockin’ feast with their hottest CD yet, Fire It Up!, produced by Laurie Morvan and Steve Savage (Elvin Bishop, Robert Cray). From the opening chicken pickin’ punches to the closing searing guitar leads, the 2008 IBC Finalists serve up tight grooves, sexy innuendo, heart-string pullers and rip-roarin’ stompers. Guest artists include keyboardists Sammy Avila (Walter Trout band) and David Matthews (Etta James band).

 

Laurie wrote all 12 songs on Fire It Up!  Lay Your Hands aches for the healing touch of someone who loves you, while Skinny Chicks pokes some good-natured fun at the surplus of Big Legged Woman songs perpetuated by the blues men of the world. The slow, powerful grind of Livin’ In a Man’s World is a callout to the challenges Laurie has faced as a female blues guitarist, and countless women have sought her out to seek comfort and camaraderie in sharing their own career related experiences. Laurie says that the tender ballad, Let Me Carry Your Troubles, “came to me in the middle of the night and nearly wrote itself” after she heard of a friend’s cancer diagnosis. Café Boogaloo celebrates the spiritual and communal juke joint created whenever and wherever blues lovers gather to escape the woes of the world.

 

Fresh off the heels of her critically acclaimed previous album, Cures What Ails Ya, a 2008 Finalist for the Blues Foundation’s Best Self-Produced CD, Fire It Up! showcases the ever-increasing depth of Laurie’s songwriting ability, guitar work and vocal performances. Her soulful, yet energetic blues guitar attack has received praise from a wide variety of media, including Guitar Player (“Morvan singes the strings”), Blues Revue (“Wiry, fiery solos…sweet, soaring voice”), Down Beat (“Superior pop-blues”) and Vintage Guitar (“Fearless and fresh…plays with plenty of imagination”).

 

Darrell Nulisch returns with JUST FOR YOU after his last BMA nominated album GOIN' BACK TO DALLAS. JUST FOR YOU showcases Darrell's powerfully soulful voice in a soul/R&B groove, infused with the essence of pure blues. "For everyone who believes in the power of live music and that the real heartbeat of American music is still beating, this one is....just for you,"  says Nulisch in the album's liner notes. The album features six original songs.  Backin Nulisch are the members of Severn's talented "house band,".  

 

 

 

By Trevor Warner

 

Entertainer Norton Buffalo is no stranger to benefit concerts, having helped raise thousands of dollars for the Ridge organizations alone.

 

But after being diagnosed with cancer in September, Buffalo will be on the receiving end of a benefit that will feature many of his musical friends in November. "I've never been on that side of things before," he said during a phone call.

 

It hasn't quite been two months since Buffalo came home from a concert feeling a little ill. What he thought was pneumonia was diagnosed as cancer, starting in his lower right lung and spreading through is body.

 

"It's a nasty little bugger," he said. He said there is some of it in his brain and it is grown a little. "I've been doing some chemo and (doctors) are talking about starting radiation next week, but I'm not sure."

 

In the meantime, he is focusing all of his energy toward healing and he wants to let his fans know that he is staying positive and appreciates all the encouragement coming his way."By nature I'm a positive guy," he said. "There are certain things that you hear from a doctor that can bring you down, but I have an immense circle of people supporting me."

 

He has been praying and receiving love and support from family, friends, and well-wishers as well. Buffalo explained that because about 80 percent of the notes he plays are played with an inhale, he is unable to play harmonica for any extended amount of time. But he doesn't want anybody breaking out the shovels yet, he said.

 

"I'm still floating, just taking it one day at a time," he said. Buffalo is still creating and is still writing songs even though, right now, he may not "have the air to stand on stage." Earlier this year Buffalo involved himself in a project to help keep the Paradise Performing Arts Center from closing for good, but because of his health he has not been as active in that endeavor. Instead, he is entrusting the fate of the PPAC to board members and community members.

"I'm just praying that everybody does the right thing to keep it going," he said.

His primary focus is taking care of his body right now.

 

"The bottom line is I have no idea what direction it's going to go," he said. "There's a plan for me. I feel like I have more music to give and feel blessed with the gifts that I have been given. I'd love to be here for as long as I can to continue giving my gift. I truly believe I'm going to get through this, but that doesn't make it not a struggle."

 

The benefit will be held Sunday evening November 22nd at the Paradise

Performing Arts Center (near Chico, CA). Call Bill Anderson toll free

1-877-397-3363 (10am-10pm) to order tickets.

 

$40/General Admission.

 

Paradise Performing Arts Center

777 Nunneley Road

Paradise, CA 95969

 

 

Gibson.com - It’s not surprising that many of the greatest-ever blues albums were recorded in front of a live audience. As is the case with folk music, the blues springs from communal traditions, with the artist often feeding off vibes given off by those gathered around him. Many great blues-rock albums – most notably the Allman Brothers Band’s At Fillmore East – were likewise recorded in concert settings. For the purposes of the following list, however, we’ve stuck mostly to the electric blues in its purest form.

 

For many music fans, this album served as a wondrous initiation to blues music recorded in a live setting. Backed by a sensational band that included Otis Spann, James Cotton, and Pat Hare, Waters imbues classics like “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Tiger in Your Tank” with an energy that outstripped, by far, their studio counterparts.

 

It’s no wonder this album is widely regarded as one of the best blues albums ever made. Recorded at the height of King’s career, the performance finds the legendary guitarist offering up stinging vibratos, incredible sustain, and pitch-perfect bends on his beloved Lucille in ways that tear at the soul.

 

John Lee Hooker borrowed Otis Spann and other members of Muddy Waters’ band for this riveting, spooky performance. Hooker’s hypnotic one-chord guitar grooves dominate throughout, giving the set a primitive aura that exudes palpable mystery. A reissue version of the disc adds four tracks from a performance staged by Hooker at Soledad Prison in 1972.

 

Over the course of a decade – from 1977 to 1986 – Albert Collins recorded six sensational albums for Alligator Records. This 1981 live disc is the best of the bunch. Renowned for his “icy” guitar style – which was centered on cool, dark tones and unusual phrasing – Collins delivers some of the most inspired solos of his career.

 

This staggering disc – culled from live performances at Fillmore East and at Pirate’s World in Florida – captures Johnny Winter in his early prime. Highlights include a searing interpretation of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and a rip-it-up rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Winter’s trusty Firebird was never put to better use.

 

This disc illustrates beautifully why Eric Clapton cites Buddy Guy as his favorite blues guitarist. Reinvigorating the vintage Chess Records sound, Guy spurns rock-based solos in favor of blues guitar reminiscent of that featured on albums by his mentor, Muddy Waters. As a bonus, legendary Chuck Berry piano man Johnnie Johnson provides fine keyboard support.

 

Son Seals may have started out as a drummer, but this disc shows he was paying close attention during his touring stints with Albert King and other great six-stringers. Sporting a hard, nasty guitar tone, Seals delivers explosive solos framed by a revved-up rhythm section. Blues rarely gets more incendiary than this.

 

Despite the fact that he was in failing health, the Wolf sound invigorated and inspired on this 1972 disc. Guitarist Hubert Sumlin is also in superb form, his gritty solos and snappy grooves dovetailing perfectly with Sunnyland Slim’s dazzling keyboard work.

 

Amazingly, this incendiary performance sat in the vaults for two decades before seeing the light of day. Tackling such classics as “Dust My Broom” “Key to the Highway,” and “Sweet Home Chicago,” King shows why such gifted peers as Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton have cited his influence. Reissued in 2006, the updated version includes King’s only known acoustic recordings as a bonus.

 

Lonnie Mack’s roadhouse blues style has had a deep impact on a wide range of contemporary players. Recorded at a small club in Chicago, this disc finds Mack unleashing spectacular sounds from his signature Flying V. Even his most intricate and dazzling solos sound effortless.

 

 

 

Some 40 bands from US, Canada, UK, Norway, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Italy  including Lucky Peterson, Bob Corritore, Zac Harmon and Diunna Greenleaf,  Peaches Staten, Wes McKey, Davell Crawford, CJ Chenier, Keith B Brown ...and the IBC winner canadian Monkey Junk 

 

 

 

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Date: Saturday, February 13th, 2010

 

Location: Charleston Music Hall

37 John Street, Charleston, South Carolina

Time: 8:00 pm

 

Starring: Shemekia Copeland, Zac Harmon"The Prince of Beale Street" Billy Gibson, and Dan Wright & The New Beat

 

Tickets: Go on sale at Etix.com on

October 1st, 2009

Ticket Prices: $35

 

Contact Steve Simon at 340-643-6475 or at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Attraction: 42 bands, 3 stages and 26 poster artists. Solar domes, Alternative vehicles, Electric bikes, Native American Tipi Village, Sustainable Living Road Show, Conscious Art Gallery, Light Temple, Holistic Healing Section, Hooper Heaven, Rock’n Green Kids Zone and Eco Village vendors. Narada Michael Walden featuring Vernon Ice Black leading 3,000 guitar players and closing the show with the Hendrix Experience reenactment and Superstar Jam

 

Admission: FREE

 

When: October 25, 2009, 9am to 6pm

 

Where: Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA USA

 

Producer: 2b1 Multimedia Inc. and the Council of Light in association with Artie Kornfeld, the original producer of “Woodstock 1969”
Non-Profit: 501-(c) 3
Contact: Boots Hughston, 415-861-1520 or click here

 

 

 

Mississippi Heat

November 6, 2009 8p

 

 

One of the most exciting blues ensemble performing today, Mississippi Heat not only breathes new life into the classic sounds of Chicago Blues, but they also uplift with joy and dedication in everything they play.

 

This hard-driving Chicago blues band plays the blues with flair, intelligence and respect for the traditions established by musical predecessors like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Pierre Lacocque, the band leader, is among a rare generation of harpists who's absorbed the lessons of subtlety, silence, and construction from masters like Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamsons.

 

Located at 283 Thomas Raddall Drive in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Bella Rose Arts Centre is a 600-seat professional space designed for the performing arts. At any given time, you’re sure to enjoy an evening of great entertainment in song, music, dance and yes, live theatre. We welcome booking agents, non-profit organizations and business

 

 

How do you celebrate your birthday?

 

Well, Stan Street hosts the 3rd Annual Hambone Festival in Downtown Clarksdale, MS to celebrate his birthday and you're invited!

 

The event has grown to a community event with music at several venues over five days. Friends from near and far attend annually.

 

Beginning Tuesday, Street and wife Dixie will open their Hambone Gallery, 111 E. Second Street,  for a fund raising event from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Local musicians Marshall Drew and Walt Busby will be entertaining with  a wide range of blues. With your  $10 donation, you can enjoy the music, enjoy some good food and mingle with friends to help defray costs for the festival and to insure a successful event for the Clarksdale community.

 

Wednesday, Stan plays in the bar at Madidi Restaurant, 2nd and Delta Street, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. That same evening, the All Night Long Blues Band will be on stage at Ground Zero Blues Club.

 

Thursday, Street will lead the weekly jam at Ground Zero Blues Club, along with his Hambone Band.  Local and national musicians get a chance to share their talents beginning at 8 p.m. If you can't attend the jam, you can watch the fun at Ground Zero live by going to www.groundzerobluesclub.com and follow the links. The live stream captures the music each week Wednesday through Saturday. Tricias Italian Restaurant will have D. J. Johnson performing on their stage.

 

Friday evening, a reception at the Information Station at the historic Greyhound Bus Station, 3rd and Issaqueena in downtown Clarksdale, will give local residents a chance to meet visitors and performers. The Coahoma County Tourism is sponsoring the reception for the Hambone Festival.  Several venues will be having live music Friday night including Tricias Italian Restaurant, 226 Yazoo, which will rock to the lively Robert "Bilbo" Walker and his band.  Across the street at the Bluesberry Cafe, Clarksdale's newest resident, bluesman Watermelon Slim will be sharing his life story through the blues songs he writes and sings. Slim is the winner of several Blues Music Awards and is always a crowd pleaser. Sean Apple's All Night Long Blues Band, along with R. L. Boyce and then with Mary Ann "Action" Jackson, will be entertaining at Red's.  Earl the Pearl from Memphis will be on stage at Ground Zero.

 

Saturday's Hambone street party begins at noon in front of the Hambone Gallery, 111 E. Second Street with Mississippi bluesman Bill Abel opening the festival. Reverand Robert from Illinois will take the stage at 1 p.m. with his finger picking style blues. Stirling Billingsley from across the river in Helena begins at 2 p.m. followed by area favorite Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry at 3 p.m. Perry performs all over the United States and Canada and last year had a role in the movie "The Way of War" with Cuba Goding, Jr. Perry also teaches blues afternoons at Clarksdale's Delta Blues Museum. Closing out the afternoon set is the All Night Long Blues Band at 4 p.m. Bring your lawn chair, sit back and enjoy the great music, it's free! Food and drink will be available to purchase all afternoon.

 

Saturday night, a Halloween costume party is set for Ground Zero Blues Club. Blues Music Award nominee Robin Rogers from Charlotte, NC starts the fun and takes the stage with her band at 8 p.m. Stan Street and his Hambone Band will get the party going at 9 p.m. Don't forget your costume! Other venues with live music Saturday night will be Red's, hosting Robert "Bilbo" Walker and Reverend Robert at Tricias.

 

The final Hambone Festival event is Bloody Mary Sunday beginning at noon Sunday in the Hambone Gallery. In addition to being a musician who plays harmonica and saxophone, Stan is an accomplished artist. His artwork has been featured as the festival poster at the Southside Shuffle in Port Credit, Ontario for 11 years.  Stan started his festival art creations in Ft. Lauderdale, FL with the Cajun Zydeco festival and with the Ft. Lauderdale Blues Festival. Street has performed at these festivals as well. Many of the musicians from these areas where Street has lived, worked and performed will be attending and performing at this year's Hambone Festival.  "Making connections at these other festival is not only fun for me, it also brings tourists to Clarksdale," Street points out.

 

Stan's original artwork and prints are available at the Hambone Gallery. The official Hambone Festival tee shirt may be purchased for $20 at the gallery. The black tee shirt features this year's original creation. For more information about the Hambone Festival, call 662-253-5586 or visit http://www.hambonefestival.com/

 

(Heraldtribune.com)SARASOTA - With disposable income mired in a deep funk and sponsors either downsizing or vanishing altogether, this probably isn't the best time for a concert promoter to tempt fate.

 

But with the Sarasota Blues Festival set for Saturday, its fearless steward, Barbara Strauss, is crowing about how nothing -- not the weather, the economy, not even Barack Obama -- has ever derailed one of her shows. "One year, it rained everywhere, all around us. I've got pictures of black storm clouds with double rainbows," Strauss says. "But God cut a hole around Barbara's Blues Fest and we had no rain."

 

Her secret: "I'm a good girl," she says with a campy smile. "And I pay my bills."

Earlier this year, she received a setback when major underwriter Carl Black GMC was bought out by the Sunset Automotive Group. Nevertheless, where Sarasota's other entertainment options have floundered -- the Sarasota Reading Festival died after its 2007 season and the Sarasota Music Festival was canceled in June -- the Blues Fest will answer the bell for its 19th season.

 

And when rock/R&B headliner Little Feat hits the Ed Smith Stadium stage Saturday evening, fans will get in for $20, the same admission they paid three years ago, before the downturn got nasty. "People don't have much of a cushion these days," says John Valentino, head of AEG Live promotions in West Palm Beach. "But Barbara knows the Sarasota market better than anybody else. Barbara makes people listen, she makes people understand, she makes people laugh and she always puts on a great show." And she always pays her bills."

 

Strauss took over the Blues Fest in 1993, two years after its inception. She pulled the event from a lake of red ink and went on to score legendary acts like Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton, John Mayall and Gregg Allman. She says she would really like to bring Joe Cocker to town but has not because of the cost.

And that is a key to the festival's success -- booking acts that are affordable for concert-goers and will not bust her budget.

 

But even with contracts signed, she can't control everything. Last year, when Barack Obama's presidential campaign scheduled a last-minute rally at Ed Smith just two days before her seasonal gig, Strauss' first impulse was to freak out. Typically, vendors and technicians like to get an early start on setups.

"I was told the Monday night before the Saturday show, 'You're shut down. The Secret Service is coming.' I said, 'Hey, I've been scheduling this thing for four frickin' months and I have deliveries coming in.' But there was nothing I could do," she recalls. "So I lost Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday. It was challenging. But I just thought, we've got to get this thing done." As soon as Obama's entourage split, Strauss' worker bees went to work. The show went on without a hitch.  "It's pretty cool to see a community rally around something the way they do with Barbara," says longtime friend Kirk Weisman, owner of A Tifaney & Son jewelers and a regular supporter of her shows. "I think it's because she's just so nice, she makes people want to help."

 

The Police Athletic League Sailor Circus is the chief beneficiary of the Blues Fest. It donates several hundred volunteers in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds, much of which is earmarked for renovating its tent arena, where fourth- through 12th-graders have been learning performance skills for 60 years without so much as air conditioning.

 

"We need $2.9 million for that project," says Jim Shirley, director of development for Sailor Circus. "We've raised just under $2 million, and a large part of that is due to the work we do with Barbara. She's not our biggest contributor, but she's steady, she's solid. She's right there on the spot -- and she pays her vendors."

 

A tent is still a tent, but an upgraded arena would also make the venue more attractive for future concerts. Strauss has already packed the place with performances by Foreigner and Styx.

 

"People have said, 'Why didn't you go to L.A.? You could've worked with the big companies and booked the big names,'" she said. "Well, I feel like this is my town. If I fail here, this is my failure. If I succeed, it's my success."

 

 

The Central Iowa Blues Society has been working to support the blues scene for 17 years, establishing the Iowa Blues Challenge and the Carol Thomas Memorial Endowment Fund for youth education programs. This fall the group also produced the inaugural Living History Blues Fest, which unfortunately did not draw a large enough crowd to cover costs. The loss puts future events, as well as the group's very existence in jeopardy. To help cover the loss the non-profit group is hosting the CIBS Has Got the Blues Benefit.

 

Local blues bands Sumpin' Doo, The Bob Pace Band featuring Steve George and Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts will perform during the event, showcasing some of the best blues our area has to offer. The event features a full meal served by the Iowa Machine Shed, raffle prizes and each dollar donated will be matched up to $3,500.

 

From the annual Winter Blues Fest to organizing the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame to funding musicians' trips to the International Blues Challenge, CIBS has done a lot to promote Iowa's place in the blues. If you want the organization's work to continue, now is the time to show your support.