Los Fabulocos play with enough energy to power a small fleet of lowrider vehicles. It's a fuel that burns full- throttle, ignited by the heat of soulful guitar and accordion solos that will make your heart bleed.

Anyone with even a passing fancy of American roots music or blues is certainly no stranger to Kid Ramos. Throughout most of the ‘80s, Ramos was a member of what is often considered to be the classic lineup of the James Harman Band, a group that performed up and down the California coastline and opened for such diverse musical acts as X, Oingo Boingo, The Blasters and The Plimsouls. Ramos left the band in ‘88 to begin a family, holding down a day job delivering bottled water for several years before eventually being coaxed back into music full time by Kim Wilson in ’95 as a full fledged member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds for seven years. Ramos released three successful solo recordings on Evidence Records beginning in ’99 and currently plays an active role as a featured guitarist in the critically acclaimed all-star revue, The Mannish Boys.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ramos recently teamed up with vocalist/accordionist Jesus Cuevas, bassist James Barrios and drummer Mike Molina to form the CaliMex roots oriented quartet Los Fabulocos. The band is fronted by Cuevas, who spent a decade lending his talents on accordion with the East L.A. based group The Blazers, known for their rousing, danceable mix of rocked up norteño, cumbia, and other Mexican styles combined with blues, surf, and country music. Alternating between guitar and the bajo sexto, a type of 12-string guitar commonly associated with norteño and conjunto music, Los Fabulocos is powered by Ramos’ muscular tone and high octane delivery adding more fuel to the fire.

Los Fabulocos simmers up a spicy and tantalizing blend of traditional Spanish and Mexican music, Blues, R&B and Rockabilly delivered with sincerity, honesty and passion. It’s a special brand of roots oriented music that shares much in common with the south of the border stylings of such pioneering acts as Los Lobos, The Hacienda Brothers, and Doug Sahm’s Texas Tornados. “We mix it up,” Ramos explains. “We play songs in Spanish, then we’ll do a Fats Domino song, then we’ll play a blues, and then we’ll do a Buck Owens or Johnny Cash song. People look and go, ‘What?’ Then, all of the sudden, they just start dancing and having smiles on their faces.”

During the 1970s, Scott's home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma was a hotbed of musical talent. Eric Clapton's rhythm section and Freddie King's band were both based in Tulsa, as was Leon Russell's Shelter Records. Influenced by the british invasion bands, moved by the sounds of motown, and touched by the soulfulness of Rhythm and Blues music coming out of Memphis, Scott organized his first band as a youngster.

In 1977, he began touring as a guitar player with Jessica James (Conway Twitty's daughter), and by 1981 "Gatemouth" Brown had tapped scott to play rhythm in his band. By the 1990s, Scott had formed a blues band and was opening shows for such legends as Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Leon Russell, Bobby Bland and Buddy Guy. He considers opening for B.B. King at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in January, 2008 a major highlight of his career.

A prolific songwriter, Scott has composed and released numerous CDs. Cold Hard Cash, produced by Dennis Walker of Robert Cray fame, featuring all songs written by Scott and Dennis, Live At Joey's, Chains Of Love and Bad Case Of The Blues have all been well received.

Scott's compositions have been played on the soundtracks of several popular TV shows, including "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," an MTV movie, and the 2007 movie, "Feast Of Love," starring Morgan Freeman.

Scott tours the U.S. and Canada extensively.

Earwig Music Company, Inc.

Singer-guitarist Jo' Buddy & his drummer Down Home King III announce their sophomore release "WHOLE LOTTA THINGS TO DO", the follow up to the worldwide acclaimed 2006 debut "GRITS & RATTLES". They continue their musical journey into delicious roots-gumbo.

Whole Lotta Things To Do is Jo' Buddy's debut frontman project and his 28th overall album on which he appears. This CD was recorded 100% live without overdubs, in the countryside of his hometown Tampere in Southern Finland on the Russian border.

Jo' Buddy sings soulfully, plays rhythm, solo & bass lines at the same time, while his one-man backing band Down Home King III conjures irresistibly free and easy rockin, hip shakin blues.

The duos approach is hypnotic, raw, down to earth and laid back. They are inspirationally mixing up the forgotten, older & newer deep south traditions from the 1900s on up and filter it in a way nobody else seems to anymore.

http://www.ram-bam.com/

Kansas City Online Radio has been recognized and inducted by the Blues Hall of Fame® as a “Great Blues Radio Station”.

The Blues Hall of Fame ® is a non-profit International Organization of Performing Blues Artists and Friends, under The National Heritage Foundation.
 
As a Pioneer in the new media of Internet radio, Kansas City Online Radio is demonstrating that professional and entertaining radio is possible outside traditional terrestrial radio.
 
Broadcasting Independent Blues & Blues-Rock Music, KCOnlineRadio.com focus on artist who cannot be heard in the mainstream media.  KCOnlineRadio.com show lineup includes Mark Kerr’s Blues Nation, The Texas Blues Café, The Road Rash Blues Show, The Big Break, and K.C.O.R.’s Afternoon Show.

In addition Kansas City Online Radio offers a variety of Kansas City Based “Live” and Interactive Talk/Interview Shows, including Journeys with Rebecca, Up All Night with Mac and Travis, and The Mick Shane Rock Show.
 
All Work Hour programming is Office Safe, with an adult edge during the late evening and night.

<http://www.kconlineradio.com>  

FROM THE HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR:

Hey Blues Brethren,

I've declared a state of celebration here in The Bluesmobile, so pop the bubbly but not the balloons. What exactly does this revelry entail? For starters, we're streaming the House of Blues Radio Hour. And did I mention we're giving away a polka-dot guitar from a blues legend?

STREAM THE HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR.

You asked for it and it's finally here. The House of Blues Radio Hour is streaming straight from our site to your ears and man, are we celebrating. Check out the Hour, as well as our new feature Live on theBluesMobile.com. Our first episode features the incredible voice of Daniela Cotton,  and we will also be streaming a Buddy Guy documentary.

BUDDY GUY MONTH!

Our good friend Buddy Guy has a new CD called Skin Deep and to celebrate we have got all kinds of special stuff on TheBluesMobile.com. You can stream our fabulous Buddy Guy documentary called First Time I Met the Blues: The Buddy Guy Story and register to win an autographed Buddy Guy Polka Dot Guitar!

WIN A SIGNED HARMONICA AND NEW CD FROM G. LOVE.

Lots of folks know G. Love as the guy from Philly who discovered Jack Johnson. We know G. as one heck of a blues expert. G. Love and Special Sauce have a new blues-infused CD out called Superhero Brother.  Brushfire Records and G. have given us 10 signed harmonicas that were used, and quite possibly destroyed, in concert along with 10 copies of the new CD to pass along to you. Enter here..

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

You're the first to know the stream is up, the first to listen to the House of Blues Radio online, but you might also be the first to experience a hiccup with our brand-new system. Brethren, we need you to help us test drive this thing. When you get a chance, check out the streams and let us know about your experience. Make sure you have the latest version of Flash 9. If you have trouble, please send us an e-mail with as many details as you can think of so we can make the appropriate repairs. The Radio Hour will stream one week behind schedule to give our valued radio station affiliates the premiere. If you miss it there, get it here!

We're on a mission from God,

Elwood

The BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE MAGAZINE is proud to announce that our very own Michele Lundeen  (BFG Editor,aka the 'Queen of Steam'),  has been nominated once again as a San Diego Music Award 'Best Blues' Nominee. A respected performer in the San Diego area, this is her 5th prestigious nomination in this category. Online voting is set to open Friday Aug 15 thru Saturday Aug 30 at www.sandiegomusicawards.com (under Nominees) for the 2008 Annual San Diego Music Awards where you can cast your vote for Michele or your own favorite nominee! Winners are chosen through online voting ONLY! Look on the Ballot for BEST BLUES. 

http://michelelundeen.homestead.com/

Review and photos by Mary Ann Haskell

Having the opportunity to attend the 17th Annual Pocono Blues Festival was the highlight of a recent east coast trip for this Blues lover. Situated in rural Pennsylvania, near Lake Harmony, the festival site is the home of the Jack Frost Big Boulder Ski Resort set in lush greenery surrounded by picturesque lakes and mountains. Luckily, the three day festival was not marred by rain on Sunday, the day I attended. The east coast is known for bursts of thunderstorms which provide for the verdant landscape.

The Sunday line up included Lurrie Bell, Ronnie Baker Brooks, The Holmes Brothers, Bobby Rush, Eric Bibb, and Trudy Lynn, as well as the show stealing Geno Delafose. The Cajun accordionist had five different women jump on stage during his hour and a half extended set. The ladies were escorted off stage only to resume their spots in the audience with no consequences whatsoever. Delafose had the crowd frenzied.

Some artists were featured on one of the main stages as well as the smaller tent stage. The main stages were divided by a short walk on a path lined with arts and crafts vendors as well as the spectacular food booths. Of course beer was readily available in many locations. The larger acts alternated on the main stage while the tent stage entertained with only brief set changes.

Wendall Holmes, of the Holmes Brothers, remarked that the congeniality of the festival was his favorite part, while seasoned Blues veteran Deb Lubin observed that the line up for the Poconos was always the very best. Producer and promoter Michael Cloeren, who started this show in 1992, should be heralded for his endeavor in making this event what it is today, a destination for Blues fans worldwide. I most certainly will add this festival to my yearly favorites and encourage others to seek it out, the reward being an extraordinary entertainment value in a wonderfully idyllic setting. The Pocono Blues Festival online site is at www.JFBB.com.

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records has announced the signing of multi-award winning singer/guitarist Joe Louis Walker and the release of his label debut, Witness to the Blues, on September 30. Produced by fellow Stony Plain artist and award-winner Duke Robillard, Witness to the Blues features a scintillating duet by Walker and Shemekia Copeland in a reprise of the R&B classic, “Lover’s Holiday.” Stony Plain Records is distributed in the U.S. by Koch Entertainment; in Canada by Warner Music; and this CD has been licensed for release in Europe by Dixie Frog.

http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/Web/home.asp

BLIND PIG SIGNS DAMON FOWLER

Blind Pig Records has announced the signing of young guitar phenom Damon Fowler. 

With his hybrid of roots rock, blues, and sacred steel, Brandon, Florida native Damon Fowler started wowing audiences with his guitar exploits as a teenager, building a reputation as one of the hottest young players on the scene. Adding songwriting and vocal skills to his repertoire over the years has brought him many accolades, with critics extolling his musical prowess and maturity as well as his technical guitar expertise. In last year's "Best of Tampa" poll, Creative Loafing magazine named him "Best Guitarist... And Slide Guitarist... and Lap Steel Player... And Dobro Player."

Fowler's guitar work has been compared to Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, while his slide guitar has a hint of the late Duane Allman.  He can play fiery guitar runs with the best of them, but it's his lyrical work on lap steel and Dobro that makes him stand out among a legion of guitar players.
 
Reviewing a performance last month in Illinois, Juke Joint Soul said, "Fowler's heavy helping of swamp rock and slide guitar blues conjured up a huge lightning storm.  Having full command of his voice as an equal instrument to his guitar, Fowler can easily croon you to sleep as he could belt out a jump blues or a Creedence-like swamper.  This kid has got the tools to take on the big stage."

Fowler said he was honored and excited about working with Blind Pig, noting that he's looking forward to furthering the blues tradition by "making roots music for my generation as well as for generations to come."  Recording sessions for the album will begin this month in Chicago.  Scott Cable, renowned for his work on the acclaimed comeback album by Nappy Brown, will serve as producer.

www.blindpigrecords.com.

The Marquette Area Blues Society is continuing the trend of bringing the best blues artists in the world to the Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette, MI. This year's headliners for the Fifth Annual Marquette Area Blues Fest, set for Labor Day Weekend, August 30th and 31st, have been selected by the Blues Foundation as the "best of the best" in the blues.

Saturday night's headliner, Telarc Recording Artist Tab Benoit received the Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year Award at the Blues Foundation's recent Blues Music Awards. This is the second year in a row that Benoit has won the award. Last year, he was also the winner of the Blues Foundation's B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award. His "Fever for the Bayou" album was awarded the Contemporary Blues Album of the Year by the Blues Foundation in 2006. Tab hits the stage on Saturday, August 30th at 8:00p.m.

Sunday night's headliners, Northern Blues Recording Artists Watermelon Slim and the Workers, are true blues masters. The band has been nominated for 12 Blues Music Awards in the last two years and were named the Blues Band of the Year this year. Their latest album "The Wheel Man" was also awarded the Blues Album of the Year. No other blues act in recent history has racked up as many nominations for Blues Music Awards as Watermelon Slim and the Workers.  Slim and the Workers take the stage on Sunday, August 31st at 8:00p.m.

Also on this year’s bill are the Chicago-based harmonica-driven powerhouse group Mississippi Heat, the Mississippi-born blues belter Nora Jean Bruso, Detroit blues legend Johnnie Bassett, the incomparable Motor City Josh, and the exciting Austin, Texas-based vocalist Erin Jaimes and guitarslinger Eric Tessmer.
 
Regional acts rounding out the festival lineup include the Delta Jets from Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Red, White and Blues band from Iron Mountain, Michigan, The On the Spot Blues Band from Houghton, Michigan and the Flat Broke Blues Band featuring the Million Dollar Horns from Marquette, Michigan.

The festival also features workshops for blues guitar and more as well as classic swing dancing lessons.  Several food vendors are signed on to give festivalgoers a fully-rounded blues experience. Log on to www.marquetteareabluessociety.com to see a full rundown of events and activities planned at the festival.
 
Advanced weekend tickets are ONLY $40.00 and are available through NMU EZ Tickets at www.nmu.edu/tickets or by calling (906) 227-1032.


YOUTH TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNT!