Friday-Sunday, July 11-20, 2008
Jazz a Juan International Jazz Festival
Juan les Pins, France
www.ciaotravel.com

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Sunrise Blues Crawl
Southern Pines, North Carolina, U.S.
www.sunrisetheater.com
910-692-8501

Saturday-Sunday, July 12 & 13, 2008
Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival
Hayward, California, U.S.
www.bayareabluessociety.net
707-647-3962 or 510-836-2227

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Grassroots Blues Festival
Duck Hill, Mississippi, U.S.
www.grassrootsblues.com
662-565-2478

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Ritzville Blues Festival
Ritzville, Washington, U.S.
www.ritzvilleblues.com
509-659-1936

Saturday, July 12, 2008
BBQ & Blues Festival
Auburn, California, U.S.
www.placerspca.org
916-782-7722 x.102

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Sedalia Blues Festival
Big Island, Virginia, U.S.
www.sedaliacenter.org
434-299-5080

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Devil Dog Blues Festival
Memphis, Missouri, U.S.
http://devildogblues.googlepages.com

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Norwalk Jazz Festival
Norwalk, CT, U.S.
www.norwalkjazzfestival.com
888-695-0888

Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13, 2008
North Atlantic Blues Festival
Rockland, Maine, U.S.
www.northatlanticbluesfestival.com
207-593-1189

Saturday-Sunday, July 12-13, 2008
New York State Blues Festival
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
www.nysbluesfest.com

Monday-Wednesday, July 14-16, 2008
Blues At The Beach
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
www.natchelblues.org
757-456-1675

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
St. Peters Haven Blues Cruise
Clifton, New Jersey, U.S.
www.stpetershaven.org
973-546-3406

Thursday-Sunday, July 17-20, 2008
California World Fest
Grass Valley, California, U.S.
www.worldfest.net
530-891-4098

SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR EVEN MORE FESTIVALS THIS WEEKEND!!!!

GUITARISTS JAY GEILS, DUKE ROBILLARD & GERRY BEAUDOIN COME TOGETHER AGAIN FOR SECOND ALBUM, FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST, RANDY BACHMAN, ON STONY PLAIN RECORDS

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces a July 8 release date in the U.S. for "Shivers", the second album from New Guitar Summit, comprised of Jay Geils, Duke Robillard and Gerry Beaudoin. Joining this trio of stellar guitarists as special guest on Shivers is legendary Canadian rocker Randy Bachman (Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive), who adds his sparking guitar work and laid-back vocals on two Mose Allison classic songs, “Your Mind Is On Vacation” and “Everybody’s Crying Mercy.” 

The critically-acclaimed New Guitar Summit’s self-titled first CD and DVD, Live from Stoneham Theatre were both released by Stony Plain in 2004. The three New England-based guitarists first began performing together in 1997, with one of their highlights coming that year when they joined the Woody Herman Orchestra as special guests in front of 5,000 fans at City Hall Plaza in Boston. 

On Shivers, the three guitarists come together again to play a rousing set of vintage jazz and blues music, the kind that inspired each player to become the masters of their instruments. In addition to the two Mose Allison tunes, the band covers such classics as “Flying Home,” “Honey Suckle Rose,” “Broadway” and the title track, written by Charlie Christian and Lionel Hampton. The band also adds a jumping arrangement on the early rock ‘n’ roll/R&B chestnut, “Little Bitty Pretty One,” plus four original songs. 

“It’s about amazing communication, the three of us really like and respect each other,” says Gerry Beaudoin in the album’s liner notes. “Jay and I play together every month and come up with different sets of material, and when Duke, who is so busy, gets together with us, it really is like falling off a log.” 

Randy Bachman became involved in the project after he and Gerry Beaudoin met. “Randy and I crossed paths when I was selling some vintage guitars and we hit it off,” remembers Beaudoin. “When we were on our tour of Canada, we were able to record with him. Holger (Petersen) from Stony Plain Records and I both thought the two Mose tunes would be a good fit,” he adds. 

Shivers was produced by Jay Geils and recorded primarily at WellSpring Sound in Acton, Massachusetts with Timm Kelleher engineering.

James "Super Chikan" Johnson is today's Delta Bluesman, hatched in Clarksdale, Mississippi, just like the Blues itself. He has released five acclaimed albums and his newest, "Sum Mo Chikan” reveals both the traditions he learned there and his own distinctive personality. One of his trademarks is the spontaneous fun and humor he brings to his music, both live and recorded. Whenever you hear him, it's 3 a.m. Sunday morning in a crowded roadhouse.

Super Chikan is recognized worldwide as one of today's most entertaining and authentic Blues performers. He was nominated for a Best New Artist W.C. Handy Award in 1998, received five Living Blues Awards, an Excellence in Performance Governor's Award from Mexico City, and a Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. That's a long way to go with cluckin' and pluckin'. Another Super Chikan trademark is his "chik-can-tars” – he crafts ornate, funky gas can and broomstick stringed instruments on which he paints scenes from the Delta. They are symbols of a life of making do with what he had in order to give voice to his talent, as authentic and original as the Blues itself. He also plays the hell out of more conventional electric guitars.

When he was a boy, he tried to talk to chickens and understand their fascinating sounds. He earned his "Chikan Boy" nickname. As he grew up with the sounds of the barnyard and Blues all around him, he learned to play and was inspired by Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Slim Harpo. Soon he was performing with his uncle, Big Jack Johnson, and Sam Carr, Frank Frost, Wesley Jefferson, and Jackie Brenston. Growing as a musician, Super Chikan combined his influences and stage experience with his own personality and found his own original voice and approach. He is poised to build on his accomplishments and talent with his most powerful CD yet. "Sum' Mo' Chikan” was recorded at legendary producer Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios in Memphis and is not only the latest, but the most fully-realized expression of his musical personality.

Super Chikan crows, "I'm left brained, left minded, left eyed, left handed, and left out!" He can't say the "left out" part anymore. He has brought his roadhouse show to concerts and clubs all over the world, and “Sum' Mo' Chikan" will bring him new friends and fans.

The resilient citizens of New Orleans derive their great reserve of strength in no small part from cultural traditions that includes most significantly their music. Based on a unique mixture of African and Creole ingredients to create a pungent rhythmic stew, it spices the art of eclectic bluesman Davis Coen, who includes a healthy slug of the “N’Awlins” vibe like a musical aphrodisiac on his intoxicating fifth release, Blues Lights for Yours and Mine  
 
 Along with his naturally gritty voice showing traces as diverse as Tom Waits and blues legends Jimmy Reed and Lightnin’ Hopkins, the 11 tracks of Blues Lights for Yours and Mine feature Coen maturing as a songwriter and interpreter with no loss of intensity. In addition, he is expanding his sonic palette and syncopation through the tasty supplement of piano and organ on selected songs such as the original Memphis soul of “Basement with the Blue Light” and the olde timey “New Shoes Blues.” Other highlights from his pen are the scarifying John Lee Hooker tribute, “Accelerated Woman,” and “Mambo Jumbo” that contains the spooky spirit of bayou country through its self-titled beat and Coen’s tale of putting up with his woman’s “mambo jumbo.”

His wide range of covers is exemplified by Professor Longhair’s Crescent City rhumboogie classic “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand” and the gospel romp of “Since I Laid My Burden Down” in the manner of John Hurt or Rev. Gary Davis fueled by a rhythm section. The standard “Jack of Diamonds” shows off his estimable bottleneck guitar technique while the closer, the immortal classic “C.C. Ryder,” takes him back to his roots with a solo performance of great depth and drive.

In recent years Davis has broken free of all bounds, regionally and musically, with world tours, playing on a documentary about Hill Country blues and the writing of instrumental music for the DVD release of Martin Scorsese’s PBS special The Blues. And, proving his total commitment to the spirit of his music, in March 2008 he played a second cleanup kick-off, this time in Biloxi, Mississippi, for the Katrina relief effort.

CLARKSDALE'S CAT HEAD NAMED ONE OF "17 COOLEST RECORD
 STORES IN AMERICA"
 
Clarksdale, MS -- July 4, 2008 -- While thousands of
record stores around the US have shuttered their doors
in the past few years, a short-list of unique,
independent stores have flourished.

Clarksdale's own Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art is
one of them, according to a new international music
magazine.

"Paste Magazine" is celebrating the 17 best record
stores still standing, in an effort to keep them
standing for many, many more years to come," according
to Mark Ballard of the Rosen Group, Paste's PR firm.

Paste's current July issue features photos and
descriptions of the "17 Coolest Record Stores in
America." It includes Clarksdale's Cat Head as well as
its Memphis neighbor Shangri-la Records.

"Despite the increasing pressures from illegal
downloads and online music stores, many independent
record stores have found clever ways to fight back
against the electronic tide that was supposed to have
run them out of business," said Paste editor-in-chief
Josh Jackson.

"Cat Head is a blues store that offers personalized
service and blues information that you just won't find
at a big-box retailer," said store president Roger
Stolle. "We specialize in hard-to-find local releases
and obscure historical stuff. We also differentiate
ourselves by acting as a clearinghouse for information
on upcoming blues shows -- both in-store and on the
web."

In addition, the unabashedly eclectic store offers
Mississippi folk art, books, magazines, T-shirts and
other items related to the blues and the Delta. At the
retailer's www.cathead.biz web site, Stolle updates
"Live Music" and "Clarksdale Guide" pages weekly to
direct customers to the area's most interesting juke
joints, historical sites and hotel accommodations.

"The past year has been a good one for Cat Head,"
admitted Stolle. "We made the new edition of '1000
Places To See Before You Die,' received a Blues Music
Award nomination for one of the acts on our record
label and took home a "Keeping The Blues Alive" award in
the retail category."

Just shy of Cat Head's 6th anniversary later this
month, Stolle vows to continue more of the same for
the successful blues and art store as well as more
special projects in the future.

"Right now, I'm working with Broke & Hungry Records
and Mudpuppy Recordings on a blues travelogue
documentary," said Stolle. "It's called 'M For
Mississippi' and captures a dozen real-deal bluesmen
at home, at juke joints, in cotton fields. The idea is
to show the world that this music still exists in the
and where it began and needs to be celebrated now --
before it goes the way of the dinosaur."
 
"M For Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace
of the Blues" is slated for a fall release with a
premiere event at Clarksdale's Ground Zero Blues Club.
More information on the project and a video trailer
can be found at www.mformississippi.com.

"I'm glad that folks seem to like Cat Head and the
projects we get involved with," said Stolle. "In
addition to the musicians and media who have helped us
grow through the years, I have to give a lot of credit
to Clarksdale, Mississippi. It's like nowhere else
I've ever been. The blues music is amazing, and the
Southern hospitality rules. Clarksdale is really a
one-of-a-kind place. Cat Head is just lucky to be
here."

For more information on Cat Head, log on at
www.cathead.biz, or visit the store at 252 Delta
Avenue in Clarksdale.
 
List of "17 Coolest Record Stores in America"
(alphabetical order):
 Aquarius Records, San Francisco, CA
 Amoeba Records, Los Angeles, CA
 Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Clarksdale, MS
 Criminal Records, Atlanta, GA
 Dusty Grove America, Chicago, IL
 Ear X-Tacy, Louisville, KY
 Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Nashville, TN
 Grimey's New + Pre-Loved Music, Nashville, TN
 Jerry's Records, Pittsburgh, PA
 Louisiana Music Factory, New Orleans, LA
 Music Millennium, Portland, OR
 Newbury Comics, Boston, MA
 Other Music, New York City
 Shangri-La Records, Memphis, TN
 The Electric Fetus, Minneapolis, MN
 Turntable Lab, New York City
 Waterloo Records, Austin, TX

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Simply Red has developed a bad case of the blues. But not to fret, the British pop contingent's front man, Mick Hucknall, says that's a good thing.

"I've noticed that on the last 'Simply Red' record (2007's "Stay") ... I could really hear a kind of change in the musical style that I seem to be wanting to go in," Hucknall said in a recent interview.

Specifically, it was the kind of late 1950s pre-Motown sounds the British musician had first heard in the 1970s when, as a teenager, he picked up on the work of legendary blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland.

The immediate result is "Red Sings Blue," Hucknall's solo tribute to Bland being recently released on Rhino records. But that, says Hucknall, is just the beginning.

As has been rumored, Hucknall said the band will retire the name Simply Red after a tour next year. But the group won't break up. Instead, it will call itself Hucknall and change musical styles to the kind of more soulful sound he says Bland inspired in him all those years ago.

"I don't feel I could do that under the name Simply Red," he said.

In the meantime, Hucknall said he hopes the tribute record will expose a larger audience to Bland's work on songs like "Farther Up the Road," "I Pity the Fool" and "Poverty."

Although he said he didn't know much about Simply Red until Hucknall nervously approached him with his finished effort, Bland said his son was already a fan.

"I'm a fan now too," Bland said. "It's a great honor for him to single me out like this."

"Through our GRAMMY Museum, we will provide visitors an opportunity to really understand the history, contributions, and impact of The Recording Academy as the true voice of the creative community, along with the vital role music plays in our culture and society, " said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Robert Santelli was our first and obvious choice to head this project; with years of experience as an executive at both The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland and Experience Music Project in Seattle, Bob embodies the dynamic vision and creativity essential to this unique and exciting entity and is clearly a world-class expert. And as a longtime member of The Recording Academy, he has first-hand knowledge of our organization and a special ability to convey our rich musical legacy to the many music fans and enthusiasts who will visit the GRAMMY Museum to enjoy and benefit from its content."


"With more music per square foot than almost anywhere else in America, the GRAMMY Museum will be an exciting, interactive experience for music fans of all ages, " said Santelli. "Guests will experience music from a never-before-seen insider's perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum, with the support of The Recording Academy and AEG, can deliver. I look forward to bringing these engaging and celebratory exhibits and programs to the people of Los Angeles and to visitors from around the world."

Santelli will guide the creation of a museum experience with interactive exhibits that focus on the art of music, the science of record producing, and the connection between music and society. Part of this experience will also include opportunities such as music classes for young people, film screenings, live performances, and continuing education programs. Santelli's hope is for people to think critically about the music they enjoy, whether young children or Baby Boomers. In addition to providing the vision and strategic leadership for the Museum, Santelli also will serve as its chief spokesperson and will oversee its fiscal management, fundraising and outreach efforts, public programs, and overall branding activities.

A noted blues and rock historian, Santelli has authored and edited more than a dozen books, including The Big Book Of Blues, The Bob Dylan Scrapbook, and his most recent work, Greetings From E Street: The Story Of Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, published in 2006. In addition, Santelli has written numerous articles for such magazines as Rolling Stone, CD Review, Downbeat, Backstreets, and New Jersey Monthly, along with newspapers such as the New York Times, Asbury Park Press and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

For more information about the GRAMMY Museum, please visit www.grammymuseum.org.

$35 vs. $45 filing fee for a basic claim;
faster processing
earlier effective date of registration;
online status tracking;
secure payment by credit or debit card, or electronic check
ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files
http://www.copyright.gov/

Elvin Bishop gets a hand from B.B. King, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, James Cotton, George Thorogood, Kim Wilson and Tommy Castro on his new album, "The Blues Roll On." The set is due Sept. 23 via Delta Groove/Eclecto Groove Music.

Trucks and Haynes guest on Bishop's vintage '70s hit "Struttin' My Stuff." Elsewhere, Bishop takes on Junior Wells' "Come on in This House," Hound Dog Taylor's "Send You Back to Oklahoma" and "Yonders Wall" from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Among the original songs on the album, which was recorded in Jacksonville, Fla., Clarksdale, Miss., and a cruise ship, are "Oklahoma," which Bishop handles solo.

"The Blues Roll On" is the follow-up to 2005's "Gettin' My Groove Back," which reached No. 9 on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart.

Blues fans donated $538,000 at the gate of the annual Waterfront Blues Festival, the second-largest amount ever collected by the Oregon Food Bank at its annual fundraising event.

The 21st annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival also collected at least 90,000 pounds of food that will help feed the hungry. And boaters listening to the festival from the Willamette River raised almost $4,000 — an achievement celebrated by raised boat flags.

“We owe the festival’s huge success to the support of our community, from our generous and committed sponsors to the more than 1,500 volunteers who keep the festival running smoothly, to music fans who donated $10 and two cans of food at the gate," said Rachel Bristol, executive director and chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization.

Foodbank officials also credited the near-perfect Fourth of July weekend weather for the large turnout, estimated at around 75,000 people.

The event ran from July 3 to 6 in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. It attracted thousands of music fans who donated up to $10 and two cans of food each to watch more than 120 performances, including such well-known acts as soul legend Isaac Hayes, blues veteran Charlie Musselwhite, and Canned Heat, one of the earliest rock ‘n’ roll boogie bands.

Since its beginnings as a mostly local event in 1988, the festival has grown to be the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi, attracting music fans from throughout the world. It is the largest single fundraiser for the Oregon Food Bank, which distributes food through a statewide network of 20 regional food banks and more than 919 nonprofit, hunger-relief agencies serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash.

According to organization spokeswoman Jean Kempe-Ware, around 192,000 people a month receive meals from emergency food boxes. The numbers have skyrocketed in recent months, especially in rural areas, she said.

The organization is affiliated with America’s Second Harvest, a network providing access to food donations from national companies.

Additional information on the organization can be found at its Web site, www.oregonfoodbank.org .