Chaz DePaolo has come into his own and really shines on his latest recording, “Bluestopia,” his fourth release, featuring 6 original songs and 3 scorching covers. Chaz DePaolo has persevered through the disappointments and rejections of life which is the blues, and brings his experience to you on “Bluestopia.” Guest artists David Maxwell on piano and Jason Ricci and harp help to bring it home for a blistering set of blues based not only in New York blues traditions, but also with influences in Chicago and the Mississippi Delta.

Tim Woods has been singing and playing acoustic and electric guitar for more than 25 years. This album showcases his distinctive style; he picks using his thumb, playing both lead and rhythm while interchanging chords and licks. As a young adult, Tim was immersed in the legendary Macon, Georgia music scene, which had a profound impact on him, influencing his appreciation of the blues. Delta Bluesmen David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Big Jack Johnson, and Bob Stroger and others are featured guest artists on this debut release. From the acoustic “Bad Whiskey & Cocaine”, to the rollicking “Clarksdale Boogie”, to the scarcely played (and not recorded since 1942) “Wind Howlin’ Blues”, these recordings take you on a celebrated journey that weaves across diverse fan bases of early Delta, boogie and Chicago-style blues.

This album, Cyndi’s eleventh, is a labor of love that she has been wanting to make for the past 8 years. With this collection of blues cover songs, she is once again reinventing herself by putting her unique twist on one of music’s most beloved genres.

 

The feel of Memphis Blues is gritty and full of life. Recorded this March at Electraphonic Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, the album features appearances by such great artists as B.B. King, Jonny Lang, Allen Toussaint, Ann Peebles and Charlie Musselwhite.

 

“This is the album I’ve wanted to make for years,” says Lauper. “All of these beautiful songs, and all of the great players on the album, were carefully chosen because I’ve admired them my entire life. And I knew from the moment Alan Toussaint hit the keys in Shattered Dreams that we were creating something really special.”

 

 

 

 

 

11:00 am: Michaela & The Stingrays
11:15 am: Dan Treanor & the Afrosippi Blues Band
12:15 pm: Carolyn Wonderland
2:00 pm: Ryan McGarvey
3:45 pm: Jimmy Hall with Reese Wynans & Kenny Greenberg
              Special Guest Appearance by Mike Zito
5:30 pm: Tab Benoit

 

1:00 pm & 3:00 pm: Delta Sonics

 

1:30 pm & 3:15 pm: Student artists (to be announced)
5:00 pm: Harmonica Workshop with free MHBF 2010 harp giveaways (limited quantity)

 

 

11:00 am: Ashley Cleveland
12:15 pm: Rick Estrin & The Night Cats
2:00 pm: Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band
3:45 pm: Trampled Under Foot
5:30 pm: Ruthie Foster

 

1:00 pm & 3:00 pm: Soul Collective

 

12:00 pm: Aden (Sonny Boy) Boa
1:30 pm: Taylor Marvin
3:15 pm: Michaela Rae
5:00 pm: Harp workshop*

 

12:00 pm: Nic (Cottonseed) Clark
1:30 pm: Austin Young
3:15 pm: Another Kind Of Magick
5:00 pm: Harp workshop*

 

*Free harmonica giveaway each day — first come.

 

(Line-up and times subject to change.)

 

Click for all the details

 

The Mile High Blues Festival VIP After Party featuring Mike Zito and Trampled Under Foot starts at 9 pm on Saturday, August 7th in the lower lobby of the Holiday Inn at 3333 Quebec Street, Denver, CO 80207. Tickets $20 (limited seating). Contact Ashley at ashley@milehighmarketplace.com for details and to purchase After Party tickets or get yours at the festival Merchandise Tent on Saturday, August 7^th.  Tickets also sold at the door until sold out.  Don’t miss this exclusive gathering of artists and fans – sure to be music magic with that much talent and musical energy in the room!

 

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PORT TOWNSEND,Wa -- A Saturday show at The Upstage will combine attributes of Special Olympics and "American Idol."

 

"But with respect," said Barbara Hammerman, the North American director of United by Music.

 

The Special Olympics, established in 1968, was designed to encourage participation in sports by people with disabilities. It has grown into a worldwide program that provides athletic options for people who were previously left on the sidelines.

 

Along the way, participants learned that crossing a finish line can be as much of a reward as earning a ribbon.

 

Or to use the cliche, it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.

 

The United by Music tour -- which will perform from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in a free concert in Port Townsend at The Upstage Theatre and Restaurant, 923 Washington St., in Port Townsend -- strives to apply the same principles to music and dance.

 

Toured four countries

 

The program of music by the mentally disabled began in the Netherlands as the idea of health care executive Joris van Wijngaarden, who has taken the tour to four countries.

 

This tour represents its debut in the United States, and the featured musicians are Dutch, although American singer Candye Kane is serving as the master of ceremonies.

 

Its purpose is to demonstrate the success of the idea and encourage the development of similar programs on a local level, Hammerman said.

 

Hammerman is friends with Upstage owner Mark Cole, paving the way for the tour to stop between visits in Tacoma and Seattle.

 

It also fits The Upstage mission to be a blues music venue, as the performances follow that template.

 

"Singing the blues is all about facing challenges and crossing the boundaries of what people say you can or cannot do," Hammerman said.

 

"The famous blues musicians grew up picking cotton and rode the rails to the city where they found success," she said.

 

"The similarity is that the musicians learn to express themselves on their own terms."

 

Hammerman said she hopes the show will attract educators and musicians and inspire them to create similar programs.

 

She also would like to draw disabled people, inspiring them to seek out and participate.

 

Hopes for local program

 

Cole hopes to use Saturday's show as an immediate jumping-off point to create a local program.

 

"We are looking for volunteers to get involved in this," he said.

 

"We are looking for musicians who can act as musical coaches and local organizations like the Kiwanis Club to provide support."

 

Hammerman said that teaching people to perform is a valuable skill that can help people in any occupation.

 

For disabled people it is an invaluable way to learn self-confidence, she said.

 

Hammerman said that audiences might not know that the performers are disabled by just listening to them, but they often discuss their disabilities as part of the show.

 

"We want to teach people how to play, but not just by themselves in a room or with their tutors," Cole said.

 

"We want to give them the confidence to actually get onstage and perform in front of a crowd."

 

Reservations are recommended and available by phoning 360-385-2216.

 

Click for more

 

The 15^th edition of this 3 day festival is dedicated to “the Blues”, the music that gave birth to Rock n’ Roll. We pay homage to the Blues by keeping the music of its founders alive while showcasing the talents of today’s torch bearers. This music is constantly being re-discovered and this is evident by Golden Globe winning actor Hugh Laurie recording a Blues album which is due out later this year. Our very own Golden Globe nominated actor, Cillian Murphy has been moved by the Blues with his recent discovery of Elmore James’s music (1918-1963), one of the Blues greats. As Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) said of the music: “Blues is the most demanding form of music because it goes deeper, it goes beyond technique, because it’s spiritual, it drains the artist.”

Click for more details

 

 

 

Owego, New York - Thousands of people will be singing or humming the blues tomorrow. It's time for the 10th annual Hickory Smoked Music Festival in Owego.

 

The event is a big fundraiser for the Tioga County Council on the Arts.  This year, things get started tonight with a free show featuring local youth bands, including Hover. The mostly blues festival starts at 1pm tomorrow.  The headliner is Greg Allman's son Devon and his band Honeytribe.  People can also grab some food and drinks while listening to the music. 

 

Arts Council director Annette Schweiger says the festival couldn't go on without the help of volunteers.  "Ton of people that help every year. It's fun, it really is. I enjoy it and that's what matters is that everyone has a good time."

 

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and kids 12 and under are free. 

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 The ten-day long Handy Festival is held annually during the last full week in July. What started as a few events held during a weekend has grown to feature approximately three hundred mostly musical events in parks, clubs, restaurants, churches, recreation centers, and other places throughout the Northwest region of Alabama known as the Shoals. There are events designed for the young, and the young at heart. The Handy Festival is designed to honor the music that is and was created by musicians in this area, and to pay respect to the legacy of the Festival’s namesake, William Christopher “W.C.” Handy. Known to the world as the “Father of the Blues”, Handy was born in a simple log cabin in Florence, AL on Nov. 16, 1873, and lived in Florence, Alabama until age nineteen. He was influenced both by sacred church music, then by the songs of workers along the docks, and was the first to capture the music of the Soul on paper. Handy composed the famous tunes “St. Louis Blues,” “Memphis Blues,” “Yellow Dog Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues”, and later formed Handy Brothers Music which is still operated today by his family in New York. No matter who you are, you’re sure to find something to enjoy during the Festival. The Music Preservation Society, Inc. is honored to present the 29th W.C. Handy Music Festival. Click here for 2010 Schedule .

Laurie is getting serious about the blues. The British House star announced today via press release that he’s signed with Warner Music Entertainment to release a New Orleans blues album that he plans to spend the rest of the summer and fall recording. Folk-rocker Joe Henry will produce, and several musical collaborators yet to be named are expected to join in the sessions.

 

The announcement can’t come as too much of a surprise to regular viewers of Fox’s House, where the cantankerous doctor played by Laurie has frequently shown off his piano and guitar talents. Laurie shares his character’s skills in real life; he is “predominantly self-taught (after creative differences with his childhood teacher),” according to the press release. “I am drunk with excitement at this opportunity,” he adds in the same release. “I know the history of actors making music is a checkered one, but I promise no one will get hurt.”

 

Tobacco Road officially reopened under the current ownership on Friday, August 13th 1982. It was quite a party. Free drinks, a five o'clock closing time and a kicking blues band. Over the years Tobacco Road and IKO IKO changed the course of live music in South Florida. Here they are rocking together twenty eight years later and the band is still kicking harder than ever. On Friday August 13th 2010 IKO IKO and Tobacco Road  invite you to relive the glory days of south Florida live music in the place where it all happened. The show starts at 7:30pm. 98 cent drinks and no cover before 9:30pm.

 

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Steve Simon, the creator, producer and Blues Boss of the world-renowned Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival proudly announces that the 9th annual Johnnie Walker Blues Festival will have 2 nights of celebrity concerts in the Coral Bay Ball Field.......Friday evening March 18th and Saturday evening March 19th. "With record breaking attendance year after year, we have decided to add another evening of world class Blues under the stars this coming March.  For the very first time the Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival will be held on two consecutive nights with two star studded shows," stated Steve Simon.

 

On Friday evening at 8:00 pm we will present International Blues Challenge winner Grady Champion and his band, the Superhero herself Ms. Candye Kane and Blind Pig Records recording artist Albert Cummings.

 

And then taking the stage at 8:00 pm on Saturday evening will be Telarc recording artists Moreland & Arbuckle, the "Queen of Memphis" Reba Russell and her band and then the man who inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers, Curtis Salgado and his Big Band.

 

Advance tickets are $25 for each night or $45 for a two night pass.  Tickets purchased at the gate will be $30 each night.  All children under 16 are admitted free.

 

There will be $5 safari taxi rides to the Coral Bay Ball Field from the Cruz Bay passenger ferry dock and from the Coral Bay Ball Field to the Cruz Bay passenger ferry dock all night long both evenings.

 

There will also be a late night ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook at 1:00 am both nights.

 

Food and beverage will be available both nights so bring a blanket or bring a chair but please be cool.......no coolers.

 

The 9th Annual Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival is brought to you by Johnnie Walker, The Lumberyard Complex, Merchants Commercial Bank, the U.S.V.I Department of Tourism, Rotary of St. John, The Gifft Hill School, Shipwreck Landing Restaurant, Rhumblines, The Beach Bar, Sun Dog Cafe, Jeff & Bonnie Simon and Steve and Helen Simon.

 

For additional information please go to stjohnbluesfestival.com or contact Steve Simon directly at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com or call Steve at 340-643-6475.

 

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(St. Louis, MO) -- Big Muddy Blues Festival, the region's longest-running Blues event, is returning to Laclede's Landing this Labor Day weekend for its 15th year. The free festival will celebrate the genre's rich history and heritage while showcasing some of the best current Blues and Blues-inspired musicians.

 

The main stage (700 N. First Street) features a line-up that will entertain attendees, with sets from the high-energy group Moreland and Arbuckle, Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, Eric "Guitar" Davis and local soul singer Kim Massie, who will lead a tribute to the Women of Soul, featuring the music of Etta James and Aretha Franklin, among others. Magic Slim & the Teardrops, multi-year winners of the W.C. Handy Award for “Blues Band of the Year” will also take to the main stage. Also appearing as part of Navy Week in St. Louis is Freedom - the military branch's talented, traveling Blues band.

 

Local club owner, Bud Jostes, is coordinating and producing the 2010 line-up, mixing in over 30 Blues, Soul and R&B groups on 3 separate stages to create an entertaining experience for the expected 75,000 -plus attendance. The long-time owner of Beale on Broadway is bringing 15+ years of booking experience to the festival and is confident the line-up will appeal heavily to both seasoned Blues fans and those new to the genre.

 

"This music festival is steeped in tradition,” said Jostes, “and this year’s bookings honor that tradition with a focus on the core blues genres – namely Soul, R&B and Blues itself. This year’s group has both popular, nationally-known Blues artists and some St. Louis musicians whose talent and careers have earned them the spotlight of a main stage set.”

 

Leading up to the event, the new BMBF blog www.bigmuddybluesfestival.wordpress.com will be updated regularly with new performers, surprise announcements, media and band bios/interviews. On the blog, readers are encouraged to voice their comments and opinions and link to the site on their social networks.

 

Singer and harmonica player John Németh has been turning lots of heads lately in the music world, and now he's been discovered by Hollywood.  He will sing and appear in "Memphis Beat," a new television series on the TNT network.  Note: Németh appears in the episode entitled "Suspicious Minds," which will be broadcast on Tuesday, August 3rd.   Blind Pig had previously announced it would be broadcast this week.

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VANCOUVER, BC – Black Hen Music announces a September 21 release date for the new DVD, The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert – Live in Vancouver, featuring performances by Dave Alvin, John Hammond, Van Dyke Parks, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Byrnes and many others. The DVD will be distributed in the U.S. by Burnside Distribution. Included on the DVD are 13 songs of Mississippi Sheiks music, culminating with an onstage grand finale of all the artists performing the band’s classic, “Sitting on Top of the World.” The DVD also includes exclusive interviews with several of the show’s performers, plus backstage footage and a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals before the show.

 

The music on the DVD was made as a companion to the critically-acclaimed 2009 CD release, Things About Comin’ My Way – A Tribute to the Music of the Mississippi Sheiks, which was nominated for a Blues Music Award by the Blues Foundation.  

 

“The opportunity to put on a show like this doesn’t come around very often…maybe just once in a lifetime,” says Black Hen Music label head Steve Dawson, who also produced the DVD. “It was an incredible experience bringing these people to Vancouver to pay tribute to the Mississippi Sheiks. My hope is that with this continuing project, we can help to shed some light on the stellar body of work that this band recorded in the 1930s.”

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert – Live in Vancouver was filmed over two nights in March as the last event of the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, which ran during the Winter Olympics. The concert DVD also features the same house band that performed on the CD: Steve Dawson (guitars), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Wayne Horvitz (keyboards), Keith Lowe (bass) and Daniel Lapp (fiddle, trumpet).

 

As one writer said in No Depression after seeing the show, it was “A concert for the ages…by the time Dawson and company took the stage at eight o’clock last night, all of the barriers had come down, and intuition was given free rein. And while the blues – like reggae – isn’t the hardest music in the world to play from a technical standpoint, feeling is essential and something that can’t be learned from a book or a lesson. Thankfully, feeling was at a premium throughout the more than three hours of music the sold out audience was treated to – as the blues was revitalized and given new life before their eyes and ears.”

 

For more information, visit www.blackhenmusic.com

 

New music from Elvin Bishop is always cause for celebration.  His CD is RED DOG SPEAKS, and Elwood will play it for us.  First, some great slide players of the blues: Duane Amman, Johnny Winter, Elmore James, and Muddy Waters, after which Elvin Bishop joins the party, to talk about his life in the blues, his guitar (called Red Dog), and the benefit album he put together for his good friend and mentor, Little Smokey Smothers.  Plus: the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Derek Trucks, and surprising new blues from pop singer Cyndi Lauper.  All that, and a chance to win the new DVD from J. Geils’ and Peter Wolf’s guitar man, Johnny A.

 

 

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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