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FEBRUARY 2021
CAT HEAD UPDATE NEWSLETTER
"All the blues that's fit to print."
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Winter weather, festivals, live-streams and more...
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Hope this finds you warm and well. Spring is a mere 5 weeks away! I can't wait for spring blossoms, balcony happy hours and more outdoor blues shows.
This month's e-newsletter will update y'all on our crazy Delta weather, last month's pandemic-ly modified Clarksdale Film & Music Festival, our ongoing daily live-streams, local public blues shows, recent Clarksdale media attention and April's upcoming mask-querade — Juke Joint Festival — among other fun stuff.
Whether you're ready to road-trip now or want to plan for a visit later in the year, here's where to go for info: CONCERT CALENDAR (including festivals) at cathead.biz/music-calendar, STREAMING CALENDAR at livefromclarksdale.org, and VISIT CLARKSDALE info at visitclarksdale.com. Get a trip preview at https://youtu.be/I50ZeRBLS7U, and then please #VisitMSResponsibly.
I will say that even during the pandemic, lots of national media and music people keep rolling through town — from The New York Times and National Geographic to NPR and the 3 Song podcast (more on my stint on the podcast next month) just in the past couple weeks.
Shop www.cathead.biz today for T-shirts, hoodies, hats, vinyl LPs, CDs, DVDs, books, artwork, glasses, mugs and much more. Also, shop us in-person Mon-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat till 5pm. Questions? Email me at roger@cathead.biz.
Mask up, get your shot when you can, and come see us for some blues.
Thanks and best,
Roger Stolle (and blues pug, Ayler).
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"Ice Storm Blues" in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
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About a month ago, we got three inches of snow. Then, earlier this week, we got a beautiful coating of ice. Fortunately, it mostly just coated trees, cars and such — not the roads. Now, our Delta thermometers are in the teens. Yup. I'm ready for spring (just a little over a month from now).
Makes me think of "The Story of the Great Ice Storm of 1994" (Rooster Blues) by Clarksdale's legendary Big Jack Johnson. Of course, that storm was actually devastating.
Ice Storm Blues, Parts 1&2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajp5lyV2x20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATGEM_0tDRE.
Oh, then (of course), we got our second snow storm of the year — yesterday and today! Photos below of ice storm followed by snow storm.
      
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11th annual Clarksdale Film & Music Festival... but 1st ever pandemic-ly modified...
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Thanks to all of the volunteers, sponsors, filmmakers, musicians and organizers who helped us put on a fabulous — if much smaller, more outdoorsy and pandemic-ly modified — CLARKSDALE FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL at the end of January. This year included a pop-up drive-in theater, and the headlining film was Ted Reed's excellent Blues Trail Revisited (bluestrailrevisited.com). Check out the lineup of films, music and more at clarksdalefilmfestival.com. Then, come see us next year. It's always the last full weekend of January in historic downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi.
(Re)watch our live-stream festival panel discussions below, y'all.
Clarksdale Festivals in the Age of Covid w/Maie "Sunflower" Smith, Red "Old-Timers" Paden, Jen "TN Williams" Waller and Roger "Juke Joint" Stolle - https://fb.watch/3FlCCcj5Wr/.
Blues Music in the Age of Covid w/Kingfish, Super Chikan, Art "Bluesberry" Crivaro and Colleen "Live From Clarksdale" Buyers at https://fb.watch/3FlLoC4nC6/.
Special thanks to our major sponsors and partners, including Visit Clarksdale Tourism, The Walton Family Foundation, City of Clarksdale and Clarksdale Public Utilities.
     
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SPIN Magazine asks, "How many juke joints are really left?" Yours truly tries to provide an answer...
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Also, thanks to Lou Bopp for his amazing photos from our two Mississippi blues books. Special thanks to my favorite co-producer/co-conspirator Jeff Konkel and the rest of our partners (especially Damien Blaylock) who've worked to document juke joint music and culture on film in the past.
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Shopped Cat Head's WEB STORE lately? New items and a brand-new SEARCH BAR await y'all...
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Shop online at www.cathead.biz now for best selection of new and classic shirts, hats, records, CDs, DVDs, artwork, glasses, mugs, books and more! Plus, our IT professional (Cat Head's Ayler Pug) finally figured out how to add a search bar, so now you can easily search out all your favorites. Thanks.
       
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Shared Experiences USA and Live From Clarksdale celebrate Black History Month, including at Red's...
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Watch this month's past, present and future Black History Month live-streams (also archived) via https://www.facebook.com/SharedExperiencesUSA or https://www.facebook.com/LiveFromClarksdale. The Terry "Harmonica" Bean and Ed Whitfield was a particularly special event since it was held at Red's Lounge — with masks, sanitizer, social distancing, limited admittance and a large plexi virus shield. Far from normal, but still extraordinarily good amidst these challenging times.
  
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GOT MASK? Then, a pandemic-ly modified JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL is "on" for Clarksdale, Mississippi.
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Your favorite festival returns to your second home — Clarksdale, Mississippi — the long weekend of April 15-18 in 2021.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP. If y'all are willing to properly mask up (indoors and out, even between bites and sips), socially-distance at all times, hand sanitize often, go through an occasional temperature check and agree to stay home if you're sick... then plan now to attend this year's smaller, socially-distanced, more outdoors, limited indoor capacity, pandemic-ly modified Juke Joint Festival. (All State and Local health orders will also be followed.)
TOO MANY RULES FOR YOU? Then, please wait till 2022 to attend our nonprofit event. Our musicians, volunteers, businesses and community truly appreciate your thinking of us. Thanks... y'all rock!
MORE DETAILS COMING in early March to jukejointfestival.com.
   
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Sounds Around Town & LiveFromClarksdale.org keep "live" blues music jammin' in Clarksdale.
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Healthy? Then, mask up and enjoy some in-person blues as you #VisitMSResponsibly. Or, stay home and watch (and tip!) online.
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Only because I thought it was pretty classic: An upcycled BBQ grill — built "Clarksdale Style"!
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Ran across this grillmaster's homemade masterpiece on a recent morning pug walk around downtown. "Work with what you got," that's what I say.
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More magazines highlighting Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta's music scene...
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From the UK's Blues & Rhythm to Poland's Twoj Blues, from New York's Downbeat to Mississippi's Delta Magazine... good stuff!
   
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What's up? New blues, jazz, Mississippi and other relevant info from the worldwide web...
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"A TIME FOR BLUES" w/Kingfish in Downbeat Magazine at https://downbeat.com/news/detail/time-blues.
MISSISSIPPI BLUES PHOTOS - Check out this killer gallery of images: https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/music/2021/02/01/mississippi-delta-root-blues-photos/6104300002/.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC opened recently in Nashville. Nice assemblage of music history and media coverage at
https://www.hsvvoice.com/in-depth/entertainment/music/2021/02/01/hallowed-sound-how-black-voices-south-shaped-american-music/6388218002/. Thanks to musician friend Vic (aka Reno) for the link.
BB KING MUSEUM - Black History Month virtual series at https://bbkingmuseum.org/womenleaders.
TALKING JUKE FEST ON MEMPHIS TV: https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/juke-joint-festival-coming-back-clarksdale/NBASK6E6PFCLNJMVZSEWEPFXPY/.
HART FUND (BLUES FOUNDATION) held fundraiser recently (https://mailchi.mp/443592231620/hart-fund-virtual-benefit?e=c136b88de7); you can still donate at https://blues.org/hart-fund/. The HART Fund is amazing. It's helped numerous blues folks (including many we all know in Mississippi) with medical, dental and funeral expenses. If you give to one org this month, perhaps make it this one.
BLUES FOUNDATION newsletter (Jan) - https://mailchi.mp/4df02298bc74/january-2021-newsletter?e=c136b88de7.
GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI - Updates at https://mailchi.mp/grammymuseumms/coming-up-at-the-museum?e=7a252ab282.
DELTA DEEP ROOTS - From musician/educator Tricia Walker: The Music From The Ground Up video series (part of the Deep Roots music project being developed in Cleveland, Mississippi) is a weekly series launching on YouTube and Deep Roots website (deltadeeproots.com) on Feb 19 at 1 pm CST.
MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION (MAC) highlights award-winning bass player at https://arts.ms.gov/mississippi-roots-and-wings-raphael-semmes/.
BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE - Feb 11th newsletter at https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1414982046.
BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE - Feb 11th issue at http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-15-6-february-11-2021/.
BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE - Meet the new head of The Blues Foundation in nearby Memphis, https://bluesmusicstore.com/bmo_feb_6_21/.
STAX MUSIC ACADEMY, MEMPHIS - Black History Month virtual event; info at https://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/stax-hosts-virtual-black-history-month-celebration/Content?oid=24779471.
MEMPHIS' LEVITT SHELL - Check out the Shell's Virtual Black History Month Concert Series at https://www.levittshell.org/.
THACKER MOUNTAIN RADIO - Keep up with our friends in Oxford (and see/hear them again at Juke Joint Festival in April!), https://www.thackermountain.com/upcoming-shows/?filter=mpb.
MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC BROADCASTING - "The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song," https://www.pbs.org/video/trailer-ectdli/.
BROKE & HUNGRY RECORDS on Bandcamp, y'all... https://variousbrokeandhungry.bandcamp.com/album/mistakes-were-made-five-years-of-raw-blues-damaged-livers-questionable-business-decisions.
"SECRETS OF THE SOUTH" book event presented by National Book Foundation and Coahoma County Higher Education Center,
https://mailchi.mp/594f918c500c/notice-of-special-event?e=e1088cf7ba.
JAZZ ANNIVERSARY - Impulse! Records Marks a 60th Anniversary at https://www.wbgo.org/post/impulse-records-marks-60th-anniversary-and-creative-legacy-music-old-and-new#stream/0.
JAZZ FELLOWSHIPS - Kidd Jordan, Tomeka Reid, and Leland, Mississippi-born Wadada Leo Smith announced as United States Artists 2021 Fellows. https://www.unitedstatesartists.org/2021-fellows/.
THE "BAKERSFIELD SOUND" included some Clarksdale connections like Ike Turner and Bilbo Walker: https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/you-might-know-the-bakersfield-sound-but-how-well-do-you-know-the-lakeview-sound. Thanks to Bob M. for the link.
FOLK MUSIC ONLINE - Folk Alliance International presents virtual conference for Feb 2021 at https://folkunlocked.pathable.co/.
HANDLING MICROPHONES IN PANDEMIC - Ideas, tests and info at https://schoeps.de/en/knowledge/knowledge-base/microphone-use-covid-19.html.
NPR RADIO'S MARKETPLACE interviews Roger Stolle on Pandemic music scene at https://www.marketplace.org/2021/01/11/hundreds-of-small-music-venues-are-struggling-to-stay-open/.
MPB RADIO Next Stop Mississippi show with Stolle/Kingfish at http://nextstopms.mpbonline.org/episodes/next-stop-ms-music-and-film-in-ms.
JAZZMAN CHICK COREA RIP - https://downbeat.com/news/detail/in-memoriam-chick-corea.
VISIT CLARKSDALE, "READY TO ROAD-TRIP?" fall/winter 2020-21 tourism video (concept/script: Roger Stolle) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I50ZeRBLS7U.
JANUARY 2021 CAT HEAD UPDATE - https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1414952636.
 
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And finally... we say goodbye to Mrs. Joyce Ratliff of Clarksdale's historic Riverside Hotel... RIP.
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She was a wonderful woman from an amazing Clarksdale, Mississippi, family... RIP. Our thoughts go out to all who knew and loved her.
Obituary courtesy of the Press Register: Joyce Lyn Ratliff, 81, of Clarksdale, passed away on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 in Clarksdale. Viewing [was] held from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 29, 2020 at First Baptist M. B. Church 115 Martin Luther King Clarksdale. Graveside services [followed] at 1 p.m. at Heavenly Rest Cemetery on Highway 61 in Lyon. Arrangements [were] entrusted to Tutwiler Funeral Home 365 Hancock St. in Tutwiler.
https://www.pressregister.com/news-social-obituaries/joyce-lyn-ratliff#sthash.ABwdko0i.dpbs.
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