For over 40 years, Marc Benno has been giving blues, rock and pop an unmistakable Texas flavor. A singer/songwriter who plays the guitar and piano, Benno is also a behind-the scenes force, who has helped some of rock and blues’ greatest talents sound even better. The list of legends he’s worked with includes The Doors, Eric Clapton, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bill Wyman, Georgie Fame, Rita Coolidge, Eddie Murphy and Leon Russell.

 

This is the original recordings and a collector’s piece of rock n roll history!! These first recordings of SRV in Hollywood feature a teenage guitarist before he was heavily Hendrix influenced! Benno hired him as a guitar player before he had even sang on stage! He was always the greatest! Hear his roots and where he came from…Combining with Benno’s original songwriting talents, the band took on a sound of their own and were legends in the Austin scene of the 70’s. Willie Nelson pulled the plug on the Nightcrawlers at his 1st annual 4th of July picnic because "They would not stop jamming". “We really got into it!”, Benno explains.

 

Jack Bruce and Robin Trower for the first time performing live! The news spread like wildfire, the sensation was perfect.

The legendary Cream bassist and singer, all his life striking new paths in blues and jazzrock, and the immense talented guitarist of Procol Harum fame who left the chains of 5-minute-pop behind him very early and who never followed any mainstream cliches: Both musicians have written history in rock for more than 40 years.

It was at the beginning of the 80s when they first worked together in a studio with two remarkable records resulting (B.L.T. 1981 and Truce 1982), but the fans had to wait for another meeting of the titans 27 long years: It was not until last year when "Seven Moons" came out.

 

The Veterans had formed a power trio; together with the a few years younger drummer Gary Husband (Level 42, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin), they recorded exclusively own material. Trower had come up with some basic ideas and Bruce and he worked them out: Fine bluesrock painted in psychedelic colours und wonderful sounds - a record transporting the living spirit of the creative seventies in to the third millennium. "Seven Moons" is the third joint venture of two aged musicians - and it is their masterpiece.

 

Benefit Concert for Norton Buffalo Planned for November 22 and 23rd–Proceeds to Benefit the Paradise, California Performing Arts Center

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Time: 5:30pm – 11:00pm
Location: Paradise performing Arts Center
Street: Clark rd. @ Nunnely
City: Paradise, CA

At Norton’s request the Sunday night benefit will feature. . . Big Mo and Friends, Carlos Reyes and Friends, Tom Rigney and Flambeau and Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings. $40 General Admission. FIRST SHOW SOLD OUT Call Bill Anderson toll free 1-877-397-3363 10AM to 10PM. Or send check payable to:
PPAC
c/o Bill Anderson
6848U Skyway
Paradise CA 95969.

Stay at Ponderosa Gardens Motel, 7010 Skyway, Paradise, California. Reservations:1-888-727-3423. The motel is donating ten rooms for performers!

The Buffalo Herd is still rampaging for tickets to Norton’s benefit at The Paradise Performing Arts Center which SOLD OUT Monday evening. We’ve compiled a list of over 350 people who wanted to come after we sold out. So guess what? Norton’s very lovely wife Lisa has asked us to schedule another show for Monday evening November 23rd and she wants the proceeds from the second show to go to support the Performing Arts Center that Norton loved so much and worked so hard to save over the past four months of his life.

So far Maria Muldaur, the Barry “The Fish” Melton Band, Linda and David La Flamme, Carlos Reyes, David Denny, and Big Mo and the Full Moon Blues Band have agreed to perform. $40 General Admission. Call to reserve tickets toll free 1-877-397-3363 any day 10am to 10pm.

See you there!

---

 

MORE BENEFITS FOR NORTON 

November 29 @ Sonoma Veteran’s Hall, Sonoma, CA - ph # 707-823-5849 – call for lineup and additional details 

January 23, 2010 @ Oakland Fox Theater, Oakland, CA – Steve Miller Band and Doobie Brothers with very special friends Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, George Thorogood, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Roy Rogers, The Knockouts, and Wavy Gravy as MC (tickets go on sale November 15) – Ticketmaster.com If the 23rd sells out, there maybe an additional date for the 22nd 

The Sierra Blues Society has setup a donation tab thru PayPal on their website to help get funds to the family. Click  for more info 

 

This Grammy award winning group has been inspiring, engaging and entertaining audiences for over 25 years with tours to more than 40 countries reaching millions of people with this wildly popular indigenous American roots music! 

 

Zydeco has become synonymous with the cultural identity of Louisiana and the American South and Simien is one of the most respected cultural ambassadors representing this genre today. He’s currently being featured in Louisiana state tourism television commercials airing nationally and internationally.

 

 

He also contributes music to the highly anticipated Disney film The Princess & The Frog, releasing December 2009. Set in New Orleans they feature their first black princess and for the first time also, onscreen images of fireflies playing his accordion and frottoir (Zydeco Rubboard)! The film soundtrack on Disney records is scored by Randy Newman and along with Terrance, features a full New Orleans gospel choir, Terence Blanchard and Dr. John further enhancing the Louisiana experience for the viewer. Terrance embraces this Disney film opportunity to further educate more people about his music and Creole heritage.

 

 

 

 Simien is also a leading advocate for and educator of his Creole heritage and indigenous zydeco music history. His Creole for Kidz & The History of Zydeco performances has reached over 250,000 students globally with a high quality performing arts-in-education program.

 

He and his Zydeco Experience have performed at some of the most prestigious festivals like Stimmen, Nice Jazz, Bern Jazz, North Sea Jazz, Sydney festival and Jazzwoche in Burghausen. He and his bandmates have performed in Mali, Cuba, and Mauritius and perform frequently in Canada to enthusiastic and dedicated audiences.

 

Visit their website for more information. Please take a moment to read the guestbook entries for testimonials from fans, promoters, students and friends from around the world.

 

www.terrancesimien.com   tsimieninc@aol.com

 

 

 

 

St Louis - Don't miss this exciting interactive music and art event featuring a new blues-based composition by Sheldon Executive Director Paul Reuter, performed by acclaimed jazz and blues singer Kim Massie in the art galleries!

 

Great art, world-premiere music, signature cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres, courtesy of Triumph Grill presenting a sneak preview of Grand Center's next new restaurant!

 

Bling by Mary Pillsbury Jewelry Company - available at sale prices beginning at 6 p.m. Proceeds from sales benefit the Sheldon Art Galleries.

 

Cocktail Attire: Dress up your favorite "blues" with some "bling" for this unique evening!

 

Patron levels:

Composer $500 ($445 tax deduction)

Curator $250 ($195 tax deduction)

Artist $75 ($40 tax deduction)

 

Composer and Curator patron levels receive a special commemorative limited edition signed bottle of wine with label art by Berlin artist Jessika Miekeley.

RSVP by November 13 to Lauren Schwartz at 314.533.9900 ext. 17 or e-mail at lschwartz@thesheldon.org

 

 

 

 

Michael Hiltzik-LATIMES - The sound of California business success came to my ears the moment I stepped through the door of Fender Musical Instruments Corp.'s 3-acre manufacturing plant in Corona.

 

It reached me as riffs and scales on electric guitar, audible over the thud of metal stamping and the grind of band saws that one might customarily hear on a factory floor.

 

But this is no ordinary plant. The last step in Fender's quality-control process requires an experienced musician to play every note on a finished guitar, listening for a stray vibration or tuning flaw to be corrected before any model, including the American Standard Stratocaster that is the plant's bread and butter, reaches a dealer.

 

Fender's Corona shop is a testament to how U.S. manufacturing -- California manufacturing, especially -- can survive in a world where even complex products such as microprocessors can be turned out by the millions by unskilled laborers overseas.

 

The secret is to marry assembly-line efficiency and hand-tooled precision. Much of Fender's manufacturing process, including the rough cutting of the guitar body and the stamping of the metal parts (some still based on dies cut personally by Leo Fender, the company's founder), is at least partially automated.

 

But there's no substitute for the hand-finishing, polishing and tuning of the hundreds of American Standard Stratocasters and Telecasters, along with other high-end guitars, produced each day by a workforce of 600 in Corona.

It's rare for a week to pass without some other state trying to lure a California manufacturer with cheap real estate, tax incentives or other blandishments that this state can't, or won't, match. Fire extinguishers, sportsmen's knives, fabricated plastics and electronic components are all products once made in California and now made elsewhere.

 

Not even Fender is a California-only manufacturer: The firm makes most of its amplifiers and entry-level Fender-brand guitars in Ensenada. But its executives say their core manufacturing is in California to stay.

 

"California is hewn into Fender's DNA," says Justin Norvell, director of marketing for the electric-guitar lines. "Leaving would never happen."

 

In part, that's because of its experienced workforce, which can't be casually relocated, much less replicated, somewhere else. The average tenure of a Fender employee is 15 years, and turnover is less than 1%, says David Maddux, the firm's senior quality-assurance technician and a 35-year employee.

Guitar-making in California also helps preserve the company's link to its late founder, Clarence Leonidas Fender, who opened a Fullerton radio shop during the Depression and tinkered with amps and electric guitars on the side. The first Fender-built guitars appeared on the market in the mid-1940s.

 

Fender guitars have long been identified with the California car-and-surf culture -- Leo personally gave Dick "King of the Surf Guitar" Dale one of the first Fender Stratocasters, with the directive to "beat it to death." Dale worked Fender's amps so hard that some burst into flame, according to legend.

 

So it's no accident that Fender's $1,590 American Standard Stratocaster, the heart of the catalog, is made in Corona. And that's not to speak of the models produced by Fender's eight master builders, elite craftsmen who can spend anywhere from several days to several months building a guitar in the Custom Shop.

 

Collectors commonly demand the products of particular master builders, and artists sit down with their favorite builders to extract just the right sound from the hand-tweaked electronics and build of a signature guitar.

Ask him about his work, and a master builder will respond not with an engineer's precision but an artist's subjectivity.

 

"There's a sound in my head I'm trying to chase and yet remain true to what Fender's all about," Mark Kendrick, 51, told me. Kendrick has worked at Fender since he was 18. He struggled to put his goal into words, then said, "It's really tough to describe the tonal quality of a Fender. . . . It's the very definition of rock 'n' roll."

 

Kendrick has made instruments for Eric Clapton and Merle Haggard. To meet a customer's specifications, he'll do everything -- hand-wind copper wire around the pickup magnets as well as select the wood of the guitar body.

"I can water the tree if I have to," he said.

 

A few cubicles down, John Cruz showed me the replica he fashioned from Swedish guitar-virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen’s 1971 Stratocaster. It's a heroic reproduction, down to the original's cigarette burns and tooth marks, not to mention its strip of tape with the words "Play Loud" and electronics that achieve what Cruz called a "1-to-1 match" sonically.

 

Fender then turned out 100 replicas, sold for a list price of $12,500, to Malmsteen devotees -- plainly a group that puts the "fan" into "fanatic."

Yet you don't have to follow any individual artist to admire Fender guitars. Like its nearest rival, Gibson Musical Instruments in Nashville, Fender is part of every rock fan's heritage. Fenders have been the instruments of choice for Clapton, Steve Miller and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

 

I remember the great blues guitarist Roy Buchanan making his Fender Telecaster wail like a heartbroken lover on "Sweet Dreams" during a New York appearance in the early '70s. That's a white Strat that Jimi Hendrix seemed to stretch to its physical limits in his unforgettable battlefield rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in 1969.

 

If you're looking for "a definitively sublime Strat moment," guitar historian Tony Bacon says in "The Fender Electric Guitar Book," you could do worse than David Gilmour's operatic solo on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."

 

Collectors of Strats can be as particular as collectors of Strads, endlessly debating the relative quality of those manufactured during Fender's three historical periods -- the Leo Fender years (1946-65), the period following its 1965 acquisition by CBS and its renaissance after a 1985 buyout by its CBS management, led by William Schultz, who established a corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., but opened the Corona manufacturing facility and launched the Custom Shop there. (The instruments produced under cost-conscious CBS have long been scorned by experts but have lately begun a modest rise in collector esteem.)

 

Many guitar experts believe Fender is today experiencing its golden age, but that doesn't mean the firm is immune from economic woes. It cut back to one shift from two about a year ago, when the recession made $1,000-plus guitars look like dispensable luxuries. Executives say dealers have finally begun to report hazy indications of resurgent demand.

 

More important, it's facing more rapid technological change than anything the innovative Leo Fender ever saw. Aware that young musicians aren't shy about enhancing their guitar work through software, Fender brought out the VG Stratocaster, with on-board digital sonic modeling, in 2006. It didn't address a large market, however, and is now out of production, possibly to be supplanted by a second-generation version in 2011.

 

But to aficionados, some things never change.

 

"They've always been able to maintain a passionate corporate culture," says Tom Watson, a former Stratocaster trader who contributes market analysis to the website Strat Collector.com. Norvell and other executives say the firm's history keeps that passion alive.

 

"Every day, we're aware that we're stewards of a legacy," Norvell says.

 

Al-Ahram Weekly- For the second time this year, the blues have tuned into Egyptian sound waves. This April saw an Opera House audience's first encounter with American blues music, an event that resounded with success. The concert, held under the auspices of the American Embassy in Cairo, was attended by the American ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, who was so taken by the music that she was not shy to stand up and dance with the band. The band members appreciated the unexpected interaction with the audience that they asked the embassy to arrange another concert in the near future. So it was that Steve Simon, the band's director, told the Cairo press last week that he had the pleasure of coming back to present the blues to fans of the genre in Egypt.

 

The band members have been performing all over the world for many years, but, Simon told the press conference held at the Semiramis InterContinental Hotel, they had never had the excited response they received at their first appearance at the Cairo Opera House.

 

"After the show we asked embassy officials if they could arrange another concert for us because we had such a fabulous time," Simon said. "And here we are again, and it really feels great."

 

This time the band's visit included three concerts at Cairo University, the Opera House and the Sound and Light Theatre. "We wanted to present American blues to the Egyptian youth, and this is why we wanted to play at Cairo University," he added.

 

Simon is the founder of Moonlight Blues, one of the largest blues concert production companies in the world. He is also the creator and co-producer of Bluzapalooza, the show that took Cairo by storm last April. The shows came under the slogan "American Blues on the Nile".

 

"This music tells the story of black Americans, the story of their struggle and their challenges to get humane and responsible treatment from other Americans," Simon said. "The music started in the fields where black Americans worked as slaves. The slaves were not allowed to talk, even to each other, unless they were asked questions by their masters. So the music actually started as a way for the slaves to talk to each other. Hence, singing was the way to communicate through call and response, as they were not told not to sing," he explained. "The story of blues, historically speaking, is the story of music that talks about feeling good when you are feeling bad. It is the heart and soul of America," he told the press at the conference organised by the American Embassy in Cairo. "Blues music is also known as the American roots music," Simon went on. "The Delta region witnessed the beginning of these roots."

 

Simon then introduced another prominent member of the band to the press: Zac Harmon, who was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. Harmon is a disciple of the Farish Street blues sound, which is universally known as the home of many great blues legends including the late, great Elmore James.

 

"Most black Americans are rooted in Mississippi," Harmon said, adding, "It is truly an incredible pleasure to me and other members of the band to be here in Egypt, the heart of Africa, which is, naturally, the original roots for our music.

 

"In Mississippi there were different interpretations of blues. The style of blues that I play is more of the Delta style. Jazz music is one of the trends of the blues," he added.

 

In 2004 Harmon, a guitarist, organist and vocalist, won the Blues Foundation's 2004 International Blues Challenge. "I want all people to come to our concerts, but take a real deep breath before we start, because you won't be able to exhale until the end of the concert," Harmon grinned.

 

Asked whether he saw a future for jazz music in Egypt, Harmon said, "blues is infectious. Its roots came from Africa. We already have it in our hearts, so I believe all lovers of blues will increase in time."

 

Asked if the blues was still flourishing in the United States, Harmon said the blues had many trends, and its popularity among Americans in the US was incredible. "We are going to play songs that represent different styles and trends in blues, including new songs written by members of this band," Harmon added. "Blues records are among the best sold albums in the States."

 

Last Tuesday the band presented their first show at Cairo University, with free gate entry to all students. Part of the programme included the band playing together with the Egyptian group Wust Al-Balad, one of the most popular bands in this country. The hall hosted 2,000 students from inside and outside the university. "We are excited to play with Wust Al-Balad. We know it's one of the best pop bands in Egypt, and they will travel in the next few months to present their show in the States," Harmon said.

 

"It is a thrill to be in Cairo, it is a kind of dream to come back to this great country once again. I am so enthusiastic to play my music, and I am full of joy," the blues pianist, saxophonist and song writer Deanna Bogart told reporters. Bogart, known among the American blues community as a triple threat, is a blues Music Award winner and is one of the most in-demand blues artists in the world today.

 

So, on the day following the press conference, the blues once again swamped the Cairo Opera House, and men and women, old and young stood up to dance. Bogart flitted from one side of the theatre to the other playing her saxophone; mingling with the audience and helping to create a festive mood. "Are you ready to celebrate?" she asked them. The Opera House security men responsible for controlling the show were completely confused. The audience had gone crazy with the music, standing up and dancing and generally causing a gentle chaos. Simon, Bogart and Harmon, defying the security men, stepped down from the stage and danced with the already animated audience.

 

 

 

NYTIMES- Recently the festivals themselves almost disappeared, amid the financial collapse of their producing company, the Festival Network LLC. They returned last summer in a new guise, at their usual site, once George Wein, the founder of both festivals, regained the right to hold music events there.

 

It’s a complicated story. But if you want to know why the Newport Jazz Festival has been so important to American music, it’s easy: you just have to hear the recorded evidence. Bits and pieces have emerged over the years, in live recordings by Ellington, Coltrane and others. Now Wolfgang’s Vault, the online concert-recording archive, intends to fill in the gaps.

 

The company, based in San Francisco, bought the archives of the Newport festivals from the Festival Network last year. Bill Sagan, founder and chief executive of Wolfgang’s Vault, says the archives include many, many tapes: 1,000 to 1,200 individual performances, dating at least to 1955, the festival’s second year, and continuing to the end of the century. It is not a complete audio record — certain years contain only a small number of performances, or are missing completely — but it is a major one nonetheless.

 

Since the purchase, Wolfgang’s Vault has spent almost $5 million, Mr. Sagan said, on making audio transfers and mixes of the tapes. (Neither Mr. Sagan nor Chris Shields of the Festival Network would reveal the amount spent on acquiring the archive itself.) On Wednesday the company will begin posting free streams of a handful of performances from the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival, at wolfgangsvault.com: the first offerings include Count Basie, Dakota Staton and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. By next Tuesday, when more are added, there will be 27 sets from that year’s jazz festival, including some by Ahmad Jamal, Joe Williams, Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver. The plan is to have hundreds more online in the coming months, from other years of Newport Jazz and from the Newport Folk Festival as well.

 

For jazz fans, this is serious business. There are chillingly good performances in the 1959 crop, from half-inch three-track tapes mixed for stereo, made with stage microphones that pick up the nuances of the drums and the growls of the band members. They’re strong enough in some cases to deepen our understanding of canonical artists, like Basie, or restore the reputation of nearly forgotten ones, like Staton. (The concerts can also be downloaded for $10 to $13 in higher-quality audio.)

 

Projects of this kind have in the past been plagued by questions involving copyright. When Mr. Sagan bought the archive of Bill Graham Presents six years ago, there was a lawsuit from performers and record labels, but it was eventually dismissed.

 

Mr. Sagan said he had done due diligence regarding copyrights with the Newport material and is paying the performers or their estates a generous royalty rate.

But there is uncertainty over who made the recordings. Mr. Sagan’s contract with the Festival Network says that Mr. Wein made the tapes and originally owned both the tapes and rights to them. Mr. Wein, for his part, says he never made recordings until much later.

 

“I never made tapes back then,” he said in a telephone interview. “I was never an archive person, either. I just didn’t pay any attention to it.” Speaking of the rights, he added, “If the tapes are from the ’50s, chances are they were owned by record companies.”

 

Fifty years ago, according to the jazz historian Phil Schaap, only record companies were generally willing to lug high-quality gear to a concert site. (It’s fair to assume, also, that the 1959 tapes were not made by the Voice of America, which did record a great deal of the festival, but made its tapes in mono.) Mr. Sagan said his agreement with the Festival Network is specific on the subject of the recordings. “In the agreement,” he said, “Festival Network represents that they or a predecessor company recorded these recordings. They secondarily represented that they owned these recordings, and they thirdly represented that they owned the intellectual property and copyrights to these recordings. And when they made those representations, George Wein was an employee of the company.” Mr. Shields, chief executive of the Festival Network, was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. Meanwhile, we have great and vivid jazz: Staton’s blue wails; the gruff, excited shouts of the Basie band’s brass section during an aggressive solo by the trombonist Al Grey; the masterful attack-and-release of the Ahmad Jamal trio on “Poinciana.”

 

Enjoy it while you can.

 

Apple has begun to promote music-themed movies on the iTunes Store with a new landing page, a place the company plans to fill with exclusive content.
 

The new Music Movies section currently promotes the documentary "It Might Get Loud," featuring guitarists Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. iTunes will offer the film from Dec. 8 through Dec. 22 before anyone else. The section officially launched on Tuesday.

 

According to Billboard, Apple aims to negotiate exclusive early access to more music-themed movies and promote them through the Music Movies page. The plan is to make movies available for download before they hit stores in a physical DVD format.

 

In addition, Apple has expanded its existing catalog of music movies. New titles added include "The Song Remains the Same," "U2: Rattle and Hum" and "John Lennon Imagine." The Music Movies page promotes films ranging from "The Blues Brothers" to "High School Musical 3."

 

"The company hopes to increase video sales on iTunes in part by luring music consumers to its library of music-themed movies," the report said. "While Apple has not released any specific figures, it sells far more music than videos, and hopes to create a strong bridge between its music catalog and its video catalog by focusing on content that appeals to music fans."

 

Billboard noted that DVD sales for the music industry have been severely impacted in the last two years as overall DVD sales continue to shrink. Music-themed DVDs reportedly fell 54.7 percent in revenue from 2007 to 2008, according to the RIAA.

 

 

Columbia, TN - Tickets for the “Have A Blues Christmas” benefit concert for the Maury County Community Christmas Program are now on sale for the Dec. 12 show at Sports Page Bar & Grill.

 

The event is the major fundraiser for the program which provides gifts for the county’s underprivileged children so they will have at least one present on Christmas morning. This is the fifth year the Columbia Xtreme 4X4 Club has sponsored the event.

 

Throughout the year, club members and their families pitch in to help local organizations with fundraisers and other events. The Blues Christmas benefit is their biggest project. “Our community service projects provide opportunities to help other families in the community, and the Community Christmas Program has a special place in our hearts,” said benefit organizer Keith Throneberry. “No child should miss out on Christmas, so we do everything we can to make sure that is not the case here in our community.”

 

The Community Christmas Program is a non-profit charitable organization managed by volunteers. Its three-pronged approach to help those in need during the Christmas season includes gift vouchers for needy children and the Angel Tree and Adopt-A-Family programs.

 

Vouchers can be used at participating area stores to purchase gifts but cannot be redeemed for cash.

 

Participants in the Angel Tree program take the name of a child from Angel Trees located at area businesses. After purchasing and wrapping the gifts, they return them to any Angel Tree host business. These gifts are then given to the children a few days before Christmas at the Ridley 4-H Center distribution point.

The Adopt-A-Family program allows benefactors to purchase and deliver gifts to the children of a needy family they select from a list available for review during the first week of December.

 

Over the past four years, the Xtreme 4X4 Club’s “Have A Blues Christmas” benefit has raised about $39,000 for the Community Christmas Program. 

 

“This event has literally saved Christmas for hundreds of local children the last couple of years when our program was running short on funds,” board member and Daily Herald editor Chris Fletcher said. “With our community still fighting its way out of a deep recession, the need is likely to be greater than ever this Christmas.”

 

Fletcher said early returns of applications for Christmas Card support seem to support that forecast. In the first two days after the program began accepting completed applications, the names of 120 children came in — a record pace.

Families who fall under the federal government poverty guidelines are eligible to receive help from the Community Christmas Program. Applications are available at The Daily Herald or at local schools and the Department of Human Services.

This year, the benefit will take place at the Sports Page in Columbia.

 

“We have had to turn away people at the door every year. We thought a bigger venue might be needed so folks would not be disappointed this time. The owners of the Sports Page were kind enough to offer the use of their building for this year’s show,” Throneberry said.

 

Have a Blues Christmas is headlined each year by Columbia native Scott Holt. Holt performs nearly 200 shows a year and has toured throughout the world sharing the stage with some of rock’s royalty, including The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. For 10 years he toured with his mentor, blues legend Buddy Guy, who asked him to join his band not long after Holt graduated from Columbia Central High School.

 

Natalie Stovall and her band will again join Holt for the event. Stovall, who has performed at the White House and at major events and venues throughout the country, electrified the audience with her performance at last year’s show with her guitar and fiddle playing and tremendous vocal skills. Another Central High School graduate also is on the bill this year. Davis Mitchell and his band, Dishwater Blonde, will kick things off at 6 p.m.

 

Sponsor tickets are $50 and include reserve seating, meal, and each sponsor’s name listed on the show’s commemorative T-Shirts and the program video. General Admission tickets are $25. Tickets are available at Jenkins Automotive, 2702 Trotwood Ave., Columbia. More information may be obtained by calling (931) 381-1745.

 

LA-TIMES - Paul Shaffer has shared the stage with so many big names that it's probably easier to list the stars he hasn't worked with. How many television sidekicks can boast to having played with both Andy Kaufman and his alter-ego, Tony Clifton? Such is the musical career of the lovably nebbish keyboardist from Thunder Bay, Ontario, who has tickled the ivories alongside James Brown, most of Led Zeppelin, three-quarters of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and countless others.

 

In his new book "We'll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives," the affable Shaffer hopscotches through his storied career, telling tales of working in Toronto with many of the first SCTV comedians before they were stars (Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Martin Short), moving to New York to play for Jim Steinem, the songwriter behind Meatloaf's hits, as well as with Doug Henning, and throwing in with "Saturday Night Live" (then called simply "Saturday Night") right as it was debuting.

 

It was at "SNL" that Shaffer collaborated with the likes of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. As musical director, part of Shaffer's duties was to work with the writers on special musical bits which is where the Blues Brothers first came to be. In the book Shaffer explains that the blues numbers were originally intended to be sung by Belushi wearing a bumble bee costume. But because the outfit was cumbersome and irritating to the star -- and to the other members of the band who were also forced to wear the costume -- Aykroyd and Belushi took it upon themselves one night to change into the iconic black suits as they warmed up the audience. It's in the middle of the book that Shaffer explains that the duo's style was influenced indirectly by a famous author. "Why the dark suits and dark glasses?" I ask [Belushi]. "I was hipped to the look by Fred Kaz," says John, "the beatnik musical director at Second City in Chicago. He's the cat who told me that junkies always wore straight-looking outfits so they could pass. Check out William Burroughs."

 

If there's one glaring omission in the book it's the relative absence of any truly inside tales about the TV stints that most people relate him to: "Late Night with David Letterman" and "Late Show with David Letterman." Despite the fact that the book was written well before the latest drama involving Letterman's affairs, one would think that if you work with a guy for 27 years there'd be more than just a few pages about that relationship. But since the pair still work together, and seeing as how Letterman is Shaffer's boss, perhaps one reason that the keyboardist is still employed (and universally loved by so many celebs) is because he knows what to talk about -- and more importantly -- what not to spill.

 

Which isn't to say there aren't any insights in the memoir. We learn that Shaffer is such a huge fan of James Brown that he bought one of his Hammond organs; we discover that while on the road with the Blues Brothers the bespectacled musician had a dalliance with "sweet, sweet Connie" from the Grand Funk Railroad classic "We're an American Band"; and we learn that Andy Kaufman may have had an impostor sing as Tony Clifton on "Late Night."

 

Although the tales may not be gossip-rag juicy, they are interesting and involve many of the top names in music. And if one aside becomes tiresome, simply turn the page, Shaffer seems to always have one more chestnut from his Zelig-ish career in late night tv and music.

 

 

 

VIVAnews - Governor of Jakarta administration Fauzi Bowo wanted the Indonesian capital to become a music city.

 

The dream of becoming a music city, said the governor, is designed as of today by, for example, holding the Jakarta International Blues Fest, one of the programs which will support the city's tourism campaign Enjoy Jakarta.

 

"Hopefully, the city can hold the event every year," said Governor Fauzi on Monday, Nov 9.

 

The blues festival, which took place at Senayan, Jakarta, brought 38 local and international artists on-stage.

 

Mr Fauzi said the event may in the years to come become a place for notable blues musicians in the world to gather and play.

 

"People are enthusiastic about the event," he said.

 

 

 

Who says the blues has to be, well, blue? It wasn't all melancholy at the second Jakarta International Blues Festival, which wrapped up Saturday with a colorful blend of sounds, putting the audience through a range of moods.

 

World-class performers Jan Akkerman of the Netherlands, Mike Wilgar of Northern Ireland, Kara Grainger of Australia and Blues Train of Singapore successfully won the hearts of the young and old concertgoers who packed into the Istora Senayan Stadium from noon to midnight.

 

The funky Blues Train, on the main stage, kicked off the festival with a soulful warm-up. The fun continued as Kara Grainger brought her distinctive blues-infl uenced country songs to the stage. And if the applause was anything to judge by, Grainger deserves a solid two thumbs up.

 

A different kind of bluesy mood took over as Mike Wilgar gave the audience time to chill out. The 44-year-old had the crowd in raptures as he demonstrated his brilliant skill playing with the smallest harmonica in the world. Closing the whole bluesy fun was guitar maestro Jan Akkerman, who left the blues die-hards satisfied.

 

Liany Faresta Zuwinda was one of those die-hards who felt nothing but satisfaction with the annual event. "This festival was truly interesting," said the 29-year-old. "Blues has no tradition in Indonesia, yet we took the initiative to hold a world-class event for the blues. That was great." Liany said the festival showed her how the blues could become appealing for young people too.

"It was surprising to see so many young people at this festival," she said, adding that she was satisfied with every performance. Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo also expressed his satisfaction. "This event truly gives Indonesian music lovers a variety of music," he said at the opening ceremony. "It can truly become an attraction for Jakarta."

 

The festival, themed "Back to the roots of all music", brought together about 40 local and international artists to its four stages.

 

Deputy head of the organizing committee, Frans Sunito, said the festival aimed to be the benchmark for blues in Indonesia, reintroducing the genre as the origin of all contemporary music. In keeping with the "roots of all music" part of the theme, the festival included kinds of music that, although not hardcore blues, still brought a bluesy touch, showing just how the blues shapes so much of what we listen to today. The proof of this was the performances of local musicians such as The Changcuters, Gigi, Abdee "Slank" and The Dance Company, who provided a strong bluesy feel.

 

Fired up by a desire to promote blues more widely, the Indonesian Blues Association, which is behind the festival, is crossing their fi ngers they will be able to bring more great bluesers to future festivals.

 

And so for next year's lineup?

 

None other than the great Eric Clapton.

So, as the organizer says, "See ya next year for more bluesy excitement!"

 

 

 

40 Years of Holger Petersen: A CKUA Celebration 

 

Saturdays wouldn't be the same without Holger Petersen.

 

For the past 40 years, the local label boss and former Hot Cottage drummer has hosted Natch'l Blues on CKUA Radio. What started off as a 45-minute program in 1969--when he was a 19-year-old student at NAIT--is now the longest-running blues show on Canadian radio.

 

Natch'l Blues, which features tunes by Robert Johnson, Ry Cooder, Cassandra Wilson and John Mayall, airs each Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m.

 

"Talk about the right place at the right time," says Petersen, a few weeks shy of 60, about his start at the station. "There's no other place like CKUA --and it put me on this path of wanting to always learn more about the blues, especially, and having the opportunity to do that."

 

His voice is made for radio -- warm, mild-mannered and smooth --but Petersen gets a bit tongue-tied when explaining his love affair with the blues. He starts by talking about collecting British Invasion-era records and studying the album credits in his teens, then trails off. "I don't think I'm answering the question," he smiles apologetically. "I don't think I can."

 

After a few uncharacteristic umms and awws, Petersen tries again. It's not always easy to reveal what speaks to your soul. "It was the honesty of the lyrics, the recognition of the struggle and the soulful approach to it," he says. "What also really drew me to it was the characters -- getting to know musicians and some of the great blues artists. They're such characters and they were always really accessible to me. They were great to be around."

 

One of those characters is Donnie Walsh, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary as the frontman of Toronto's Downchild Blues Band. He regards Petersen as one of Canada's greatest ambassadors of the blues.

 

"There are several around--but you can probably drive them all home in your car after the gig," says Walsh. "He's active about it all the time. It's not like a blues show that he does for two hours. It's his life. It's what he does."

 

Petersen also hosts a show on CBC Radio, Saturday Night Blues, and runs Edmonton's most successful label, Stony Plain Records, home to past and present blues acts (Maria Muldaur, Long John Baldry, Jeff Healey) and country-roots artists (Ian Tyson, Tim Hus).

 

His passion has earned Petersen's oodles of accolades, including 10 Junos, an honorary doctorate of letters from Athabasca University, and the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian culture.

 

He's also earned the respect of thousands of fans, artists and industry professionals--many of whom were on hand to help Petersen celebrate the 40th anniversary of Natch'l Blues this past Sunday at Cook County Saloon.

 

When Janis Joplin was growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, music was an integral part of her family's Saturday housecleaning ritual. "Our mother would put on Broadway show tunes and crank up the stereo full-volume while everyone was doing chores and singing along," recalled Laura Joplin, Janis' younger sister.

 

"Mother was always giving us tips, like 'Support your note there with your diaphragm.' One of the records we used to listen to was 'Porgy and Bess.' Interestingly enough, later on, Janis recorded 'Summertime.'  Did she ever, putting her own inimitable spin on George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" standard. It wasn't an obvious choice for a rock 'n' roll singer. Then again, Janis Joplin never seemed at a loss for a surprise.

 

REMEMBERING JOPLIN

 

Nearly four decades after her death in 1970, this countercultural trailblazer is the toast of this year's American Music Masters series, presented by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University. "Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin". A tribute Concert will be held on Saturday,November 14 at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre in Cleveland. Lucinda Williams, Guy Clark, Nona Hendryx and others perform at 8 p.m. Also on the bill are Ray Benson, Roky Erickson, Bettye LaVette, Country Joe McDonald, Bob Neuwirth, Gregg Rolie, Susan Tedeschi and Carolyn Wonderland.

 

Tickets are $30-$50 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000.

 

 

 

 

JASON RICCI (REACH-ee) WAS JUST A YOUNG PUNK ROCKER OUT OF MAINE, WHEN HE AND HIS HARMONICA LANDED IN THE HILL COUNTRY OF MISSISSIPPI.  JASON SPENT MORE THAN A YEAR THERE, LEARNING THE BLUES FROM THE MASTERS: JUNIOR KIMBROUGH AND R.L. BURNSIDE.  AFTER SOME EXTREMELY HARD KNOCKS, JASON IS BRINGING HIS OWN NEW SCHOOL BLUES TO THE JOINT.

 

JASON RICCI AND NEW BLOOD.  THE CD IS DONE WITH THE DEVIL.  NEXT TIME ON THE HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR.

 

 

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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