Heads I win, Tails You Lose features that unique Oli Brown sound; clean guitar, great riffs and a vocal honed by two years of touring that squeezes every emotion from the lyrics. The album shows the quality of Oli's song writing with stunning tracks like Evil Soul and Speechless, yet he refuses to shy away from adapting his own favourite classics such as Fever and No Diggity. This album was produced by the legendary Mike Vernon (Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Ten Years After), who was keen to come out of retirement to work with the talented Oli after hearing his debut CD.

 

Oli Brown has had a phenomenal year; his popularity as a live artist continues to grow, and with this release, there will be no stopping him. A tour of Europe kicks off in the spring, followed by a 15 date tour of the UK in May under the title of New Generation Blues, which also features Joanne Shaw Taylor and Virgil & The Accelerators.

The new CD and  tour will be sponsored and supported by HMV and Planet Rock Radio, the latter giving airplay support along with Total Rock Radio.

A BBC Radio 2 session with Paul Jones has already been recorded, and Guitar & Bass Magazine will be featuring Oli in a 3 page spread later on in the year.

 

Plans for later in the year include tours of the USA and New Zealand before returning to the UK in October.

 

Alabama Mike is a hard-driving Chicago style blues singer with the ability to make you feel as if you’ve revisited the early CHESS RECORDS days.

 

Many things come to mind upon hearing Alabama Mike sing for the first time, but mostly it’s where has this guy been? With a soulful voice that brings such greats as Elmore James, Buddy Guy, Little Johnny Taylor and yes, even BB King to mind, you will be asking yourself, “Why haven’t I seen or heard of him before.”

 

Alabama Mike is a very unique talent, not only a gifted singer but also a very talented song writer, having penned over half of the tunes on this impressive debut.

 

Born in Talladega, Alabama, in 1964, “Alabama” was influenced by the Gospel singing of his father at an early age, as well as his love for Chicago Blues. Alabama Mike is embarking upon a bright future. He is an artist that anybody that has any interest in the Blues will soon notice.

 

Tailor Made Blues is Alabama Mike's follow-up to his critically acclaimed release "Day to Day".

 

Matt Hill lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, but he was born a little east of there, in the land of pigmeat and tall tobacco. He didn't like music as a child, because his parents listened to Michael Bolton and Beach Music.

 

 

Blind Pig recording artist Robin Rogers, who was admitted to the hospital on August 18th with serious liver problems, has now been diagnosed with liver cancer.  She was hospitalized for complications caused by Hepatitis C, and a CT scan prior to surgery revealed an untreatable cancerous tumor on her liver.  She is not a candidate for a liver transplant so she has been sent home for hospice care.

There has been a major outpouring of support and care since the announcement of the hospitalization by her husband Tony on Robin's Facebook page.  Announcements were made of the establishment of a Robin Rogers Medical Trust Fund to cover medical expenses.

However, while this fund will help with astronomical hospital and medical bills, it does not cover other expenses such as hospice care and and basic living expenses.  Robin will not be able to return to the stage, and Tony, her musical partner, will be out of work for the foreseeable future.  Like most musicians, Robin and Tony do not have health insurance and depend on touring income for their livelihood.  Expenses for hospice care, medicine, and everyday living will be extremely high. 

Fans can also help by purchasing CDs from her website: www.robinrogers.com..  Benefits and fundraising efforts are also being organized, and fans can follow developments on a newly created Facebook page: Robin Rogers Benefit Central.

A benefit and silent auction being organized by producer Jim Brock and friend Scott Cable will be held at the Double Door Inn in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 24th.  The day long event will feature performances by Jim Brock, Bob Margolin, the Voodoo Brothers, WSNB, and special guest Sheila Carlisle.  Tickets are only $20.  For further information on starting times or to donate items for the auction, please see the Facebook Benefit page referenced above.  An earlier benefit will also be held at the Double Door, on September 26th, featuring the Cary Sims Trio, Part-Time Blues Band, House on Fire & Monday Night All -Stars.

Rogers is an accomplished singer and talented harmonica player who has emerged over the past few years as a major player in the blues world.  Following the release of her national debut CD, Treat Me Right, she won the 2009 Blues Blast Award for "Best Female Artist."   Her new CD, Back In The Fire, will be released on September 14th.

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Camden—The countdown to the annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is on, and music lovers are ready to enjoy the best festival ever.  Scheduled for October 7-10, in venues all around Camden, SC, the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is an award-winning event recognized for featuring legendary blues artists from around the globe.  This year, the City of Camden is closing off a section of Broad Street between Rutledge and DeKalb for festival goers during certain hours on both Friday and Saturday. During those hours, Blues Festival participants will have the opportunity to purchase food and other items from vendors, as well as enjoy the music on the Broad Street Stage (hosted by Carolina Café.)

 

This year’s festival will have 46 performances by 28 acts at 16 different sites. Produced and presented by the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC), this year’s celebration of the blues promises to be the most exciting Blues Festival ever, with a slate of new musicians coming to town, plus some popular favorites from past years.

 

In its fourteenth year, the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival continues to be a must-do weekend in Camden, drawing music fans from around the southeast as eclectic as the music itself: There will be blues for all tastes, from Carolina Lowcountry blues to “roadhouse” blues rock, to the best of acoustic blues and folk...and all points in between.

 

In addition to the FAC’s Wood Auditorium, and the Blues In the Schools shows, this year’s performances will fill 15 intimate venues including The Venue on Broad, the Kershaw County Farmers’ Market, and the Broad Street Stage, which will be located on Broad and DeKalb Streets.   With so much going on, it won’t be difficult to remember to eat, as there will be live performances at many local dining establishments, including Sam Kendall’s, Carolina Café’, Old Armory Seafood & Steak House, La Fiesta, Gadget’s of Camden, Indigo Jones,  and The Pearl.

 

In addition to winning the S.C. Parks Recreation and Tourism award for festival of the year in 2003, The Carolina Downhome Blues Festival has gained recognition on a national level, and is scheduled to appear in the October issue of Southern Living magazine.

 

 “The Carolina Downhome Blues Festival has earned a great reputation among musicians & blues fans for presenting a full spectrum of blues and roots music,” said Danny Riddick, festival technical director.  “Over the years we have been proud to present blues legends while also keeping an eye on the future of the blues with up and coming artists.”

 

Along with annual crowd pleasers Shrimp City Slim and the legendary Drink Small, highlights will include performances by legends like the King of Bourbon Street, Brian Lee & The Blues Power Band, Chicago’s Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, and blues harmonica wizard Sugar Blue.

 

This year’s lineup will include female artists such as the spellbinding Eleanor Ellis, and the soulful Wanda Johnson, a festival favorite. Other artists on the schedule include Dr. Pickup, Cotton Blue, Pete “Big Dog” Fetters, Jeff Liberty Band, Hitman, RJ Spangler’s Blue Four, Bill Heid, Norman Taylor, Freddie Vanderford & Brandon Taylor, Rev. Marv Ward and Congaree, Jeff Norwood, The Shades, Naz & The Falsehoods, Juke Joint Johnny & Drew Baldwin, The Mobros, Floyd Callen, and local favorite Rusty Davis.

 

Premier sponsorship for the 14th Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is provided by First Citizens Bank and Heritage Chevrolet Buick Pontiac GMC.  Additional sponsorship support is provided by Alpine Agency, Colony Inn, SC ENT Allergy & Sleep Medicine, TruVista, The Chronicle-Independent, WACH Fox 57, The State Newspaper, Grace Outdoor Advertising, and Budweiser of Columbia-Stella Artois.

 

The artwork for this year’s poster is “Drink Small,” an oil on canvas painting by South Carolina artist Glenn Miller, whose exhibit will be on display at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County’s Bassett Gallery during the Festival.

 

Wristband tickets for the Blues Festival are $10 for Thursday night, and $15 for Friday or Saturday night, which will admit blues lovers into all venues, including the Friday night concert at the Fine Arts Center, as well as the Opening Night Party at TenEleven Galleria Upstairs.  Three-day passes are $35.  Armbands may be purchased in the FAC box office, or by phone using Visa or MasterCard at 803-425-7676, ext. 300, or on the FAC web site at www.fineartscenter.org.  Armbands will also be available during the festival at most performance sites and the downtown Blues Kiosk near the outdoor stage.  The Fine Arts Center will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. for ticket sales and information.

 

The FAC will jump-start the three-day fest with an opening night party on Thursday, October 7, 5:30 – 7 p.m. upstairs at TenEleven Galleria, located at 1011 Broad Street in downtown Camden.  Entertainment will be provided by festival favorites Wanda Johnson and the Shrimp City Slim Blues Revue, joined by Dr. Pickup, a Paris-based blues guitarist.  Light refreshments will be provided. Afterwards, patrons will be encouraged to “hit the town” for dinner and more great entertainment at area sites.

 

            The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is a not-for-profit organization which serves as a county-wide center for the arts.   The FAC Campus is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden, with office hours Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. More information is available at www.fineartscenter.org/ or www.bluesbash.com/camden.

DATE:     Sunday, October 10, 2010 
TIME:     Doors at 4:00 PM, Music at 5:00 PM 
PLACE:  Tabernacle's Cotton Club
                 152 Luckie Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
WHO:      Burnt Bacon, Candye Kane and Band, Coy Bowles and the Fellowship, Jon Justice, Seth Walker, Sonia Leigh

 

WHAT:    The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research will hold its second annual benefit concert Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Tabernacle's Cotton Club, located at 152 Luckie Street, Atlanta, GA 30303. This year's lineup features: Burnt Bacon (featuring local musicians Oliver Wood, Jon Liebman, Dave Roth & Chris Uhler), Candye Kane and Band, Coy Bowles and the Fellowship, Jon Justice, Seth Walker, and Sonia Leigh. Concert will include special guests Paul Campanella and Aaron Trubic. Doors open at 4pm for review of silent auction items and entertainment will follow from 5pm-11pm. A limited number of advance tickets are available at www.seancostellofund.org/. Tickets are also on sale at www.livenation.com/ (search Sean Costello) and at the Tabernacle Box Office. Advance ticket purchases will include a special DVD of Sean. Ticket cost is $30.00 (plus applicable service fees) in advance and $35 (plus applicable service fees) at the door. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Donations are tax deductible according to IRS guidelines.

 

 

Sponsorship information is available at www.seancostellofund.org/sponsors.html

 

Sean Costello was most recently recognized for his posthumously released Sean's Blues: A Memorial Retrospective, which was nominated for Best Historical Album in the 2010 Blues Music Awards, and Best Contemporary Blues Recording in the 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards.

 

The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research is uniquely focused on the needs of musicians with bipolar disorder. The Fund supports and conducts research on bipolar disorder and creativity while promoting awareness, providing education, and serving as a resource for these musicians and their support systems in order to foster acceptance, functioning and health.

 

For volunteer opportunities, silent auction donations, and more information, please visit www.seancostellofund.org/

 

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ASBURYPARKPRESS.COM - — Those who were looking forward to the township's first Blues and Barbecue Festival, touted as one of the largest of its kind in the state, may be singing the blues this year.

 

 

After a few postponements, the festival has been canceled for 2010, according to a private committee of volunteer organizers and the event's founder, Councilman Jeff Cantor. They said festival planning and fundraising fizzled because of tough economic times and Cantor's absence while he was deployed in Afghanistan with the Army.

 

Originally scheduled for June and then in October at the township's Recreation Center, the festival, two years in the planning, now likely will be slated for June 2011, organizers said.

 

With two stages, 11 bands, a barbecue competition and children's rides, Cantor said, the event was expected to draw as many as 20,000 attendees.

 

Proceeds from festival fundraising were initially to benefit Marlboro First Aid and Morganville First Aid and Rescue Squad, but now likely will benefit Cantor's newly formed Sunshine Fund. Cantor said he formed the fund this year after his return from Afghanistan to benefit local families in need.

 

"I had to hand over the reins for planning purposes when I left," said Cantor, a blues and barbecue lover who was deployed between August 2009 and May this year. "Unfortunately things didn't get done that needed to get done."

 

Festival committee member Katie Goon blamed shortfalls in fundraising for the event's failure to launch. Goon said the committee had raised about $5,000 toward the event, but she estimated the festival would need at least about $10,000.

 

"Due to the economy, the sponsorship we were hoping for didn't work out; everyone was tight on their budgets," Goon said, adding committee members had made calls primarily to local businesses to solicit donations.

 

The committee also had hoped to establish a nonprofit fundraising arm with the federal government, a process that takes several months, and wouldn't have done so in time for the festival to launch this year, Councilwoman Carol Mazzola said. Mazzola said she also had stepped in to help with organizing efforts after Cantor's departure.

 

Donations already made will carry over to next year's event, Cantor and Goon said.

 

"I figured it would be a great way to get a lot of community involvement, not just for Marlboro but for the region, to support vendors, hang out and have a great time listening to good music and enjoying good food," Cantor said. "I'm still committed to creating this festival."

 

   

 

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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.

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