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February 20, 2009
Volume 4 Issue 6













Special Announcements
CD or DVD Releases
News Flash
Record Label News
Blues Artists on the Rise
House of Blues Radio Hour
Roots Blues Airplay Charts
Blues Festivals
About Us
HI FELLOW BLUESERS

Hi Fellow Bluesers:
Greetings... It's Michele Lundeen, "Queen of Steam," and Editor of the Blues Festival Guide magazine. Last year we asked and you answered! Some of you shared your treasured, unique and memorable Blues festival moments with us and some fab photos, to boot. We published many of these in our 2008 Guide
"You Tell Me" article and had so much fun with it we thought we'd just do it again!
So, how about it?
In 100 words or less we'd love for you to describe the most truly UNIQUE thing you've witnessed or experienced at a Blues festival that you've attended or been an integral part of. Not just "they had the best hotdogs" or "we got to sit up close"... Get creative, don't be shy... and YES, look for those quality photos to accompany.

Please email your responses right away to michele@bluesfestivalguide.com
 The sooner the better! Include the festival name, date and location, plus your full name and your location.

Your submission may be used in the Blues Festival Guide 2009 magazine!
Bring it on!
Michele Lundeen
Magazine Editor

Important note to those trying to contact our magazine Editor!

If you have submitted anything via email to our editor@bluesfestivalguide.com or michele@bluesfestivalguide.com between Jan 30 and Feb 12, please resubmit/resend right away! There seems to have been a technical issue with those addresses during that time period.

Thanks!
Your Blues pals at BFG

 

WHERE ARE THE BEST BLUES JAMS?

The Blues Festival E-Guide needs your help as well. We are putting together a list of some of the best Blues Jams around the country or world for that matter. Let us know where the best jam nights are and we will try to include them on our list. Please make sure they have been ongoing at least 1 year and let us know where, when, and what makes that jam night one of the best. Tell us about how it's run, if any special guest show up to play or whatever you think makes your local jam night the best. Send your responses to Gordon@BluesFestivalGuide.com under the heading "Jam Night"

Thanks for you help and I will see you at Jam Night.



Editors Note: I would like to thank all of you who have sent in information on your local jam nights. From the responses that I have been getting, it sounds like jam nights are alive and well in the USA. - Gordon

BLACK JOHN : : THE SOUL OF BLACK JOHN



The Soul Of John Black is the nom de musique of John Bigham, whose impressive resume includes a stint as percussionist with the Miles Davis band, eight years of guitar and keyboard work with the pioneering rock-funk-ska band Fishbone, and touring and session work with Dr. Dré, Eminem, Nikka Costa, Bruce Hornsby and Everlast, just to name a few.

 The Soul of John Black is a celebration of the African American musical heritage. On "Black John," JB masterfully combines soul, gospel, funk and hip-hop, while tracing its roots all the way back to its humble origins - the blues. JB infuses his uniquely crafted music with contemporary urban rhythms and hauntingly earthy acoustic slide guitar which at once pays tribute to a bygone era of such legendary figures as Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, while boldly crossing over into new innovative territories and sonic frontiers. Backed by notable musicians Adam McDougal on keys (Black Crowes, Macy Gray, Maroon 5, Nikka Costa), Oliver Charles on drums (Ben Harper, Rhythm Roots All-Stars), Scott Seiver on drums (Nikka Costa, Inara George), Jake Najor on drums (Carl Denson, Connie Price, Breakestra), Shawn Davis on bass (Beck, Nikka Costa), Davey Chegwidden on percussion (Rhythm Roots All-Stars, Bitter Sweet, Ghost Face Killer, Big Daddy Kane), and Bill Botrell on 2nd guitar (Grammy winning producer for Sheryl Crow, Shelby Lynne, and many others), The Soul of John Black has reached a new plateau; transcending the crossroads and arriving upon an unexplored intersection on the aural highway. It's soul music for a whole new generation

http://www.eclectogroove.com/


BOBBY JONES : : COMIN' BACK HARD
Bobby Jones was raised on a 50-acre farm outside Farmerville, Louisiana and grew up singing gospel music in the church choir. At the age of sixteen he forged documents to pass for twenty in order to join the U.S. Army and escape life on the family farm. After receiving an honorable discharge at his father's insistence he later relocated to Chicago in 1959, and it was there that his musical career began to materialize. Jones performed in many of the popular clubs of the day on the Southside of Chicago including Pepper's Lounge, Theresa's and the Trocadero, but his first big break came when he was asked to replace Junior Wells in the Aces after Wells' swift departure was motivated by hitting it big with his song "Messin' With The Kid."

During the ‘60s and ‘70s Bobby Jones recorded sporadically for various labels in Chicago including Vee-Jay, U.S.A., Expo, Capri, and Lionel, and decades later enjoyed a brief resurgence on the Southern Soul market, changing the spelling of his last name from Jones to Jonz. But true success always seemed to elude him....that is until now. The material featured on "Comin' Back Hard" was recorded during the very same sessions that produced the critically acclaimed release "Lowdown Feelin'" by The Mannish Boys, only this time the spotlight is focused squarely on Jones.

 http://deltagrooveproductions.com/



SF BLUES CANCELS 2009 FESTIVAL
The Delta Wires Perform at the SF Blues Festival


The San Francisco Blues Festival, long championed as the nation's oldest continously run blues festival, will not be held in 2009.That cancellation could turn out to be permanent, meaning that "we may well have seen the last San Francisco Blues Festival," according to organizer Tom Mazzolini.

Mazzolini, who founded the event back in 1973, points to rising production costs and declining sponsorship support as the main reasons behind the cancellation. Also factoring into the mix is that attendance for this event has been on a sharp decline for years."That's sad. That's very tragic," Mazzolini says of the decision to pull the plug on the festival in 2009. "An event like this, with so much history and so much legacy, needed to continue."

The festival, traditionally held in late September at Fort Mason's scenic Great Meadow, celebrated its 36th anniversary last year, with a two-day lineup that included Allen Toussaint, Charlie Musselwhite and Tommy Castro.

Over the event's distinguished history - which stretches back more than a decade longer than the most famous of all blues events, the Chicago Blues Festival - San Francisco has hosted such greats as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon and Albert King. Yet, the festival's roster hasn't looked nearly as impressive in recent years. Mazzolini says the pool of potential headliners, the kind that can be counted on to draw festival-size audiences, seems to get smaller every year. Most of the big legends have died, leaving basically 83-year-old B.B. King to carry the mantle in front of capacity crowds.

"When B.B. is gone, who is going to replace him?" asks Mazzolini.

That's a question that the organizer has not been able to answer. He faults the blues industry for failing to nurture the next round of headliners, guys that could step up and take over for the old titans fell. "The problem is not a lack of talent," Mazzolini says. "There are some very talented performers out there, but they are not getting the exposure."Now, those artists, especially ones from the Bay Area, will receive even less.

"A lot of local blues musicians are going to be disillusioned at thought of this festival going away," Mazzolini says. "It provided a lot of exposure for local artists." Another factor in the festival's downturn is increased competition. It seems like every week there's some type of music-related music festival going on in the Bay Area. Notably, SF Blues is sandwiched on the calendar between arguably the year's two biggest music events - Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, both of which draw hundreds of thousands to Golden Gate Park.

Plus, there is more to come. According to Mazzolini, some promoters are already planning to host a smooth jazz festival at Fort Mason during the dates once reserved for SF Blues. Whether or not SF Blues ever returns, Mazzolini plans to stay committed to the genre. He'll continue to host his radio show (noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on KPFA) and might consider promoting some smaller indoor events.

"I'm definitely not walking away from the blues," he says. "I love it."
BLUZAPALOOZA IS GOING TO EGYPT
BLUZAPALOOZA, the celebrity Blues concert tours created by Blues producers Steve Simon and John Hahn to entertain our troops, is taking the Blues to Egypt on March 24th for an historic command performance at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and an already sold-out concert at the Cairo Opera House.

Headlining the tour will be "The Prince of Beale Street" Mr. Billy Gibson, the incredible Memphis based Blues band Delta Highway and four time Blues Music Award nominee, Ms. Eden Brent.

"First we took the Blues to Iraq and now we are going to present the Blues just steps from the Pyramids.......how cool is that?", stated BLUZAPALOOZA's creator and producer Steve Simon.


This BLUZAPALOOZA tour is presented by Armed Forces Entertainment and has been made possible with the help of The Blues Foundation, Blind Raccoon, Blues Revue, Blues Wax, Alligator Records, NorthernBlues Music, Yellow Dog Records, Delta Groove Records, Blind Pig Records, Hohner Harmonicas, Telarc Records, Sony Corporation, Ruf Records and Bill Wax, the Proprietor of B.B. King's Bluesville on XM Satellite Radio.


For further information contact Steve Simon at 340-643-6475 or at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/bluzapalooza

SIRIUS XM RADIO TO BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY SHOW HOSTED BY ICONIC BLUESMAN B.B. KING

 "You and Me with B.B. King" will launch February 20, 2009 on B.B. King's Bluesville channel

 NEW YORK - January 19, 2009 - SIRIUS XM Radio has announced the launch of You and Me with B.B. King, a new hour-long music show to be hosted each week by 2009 Grammy Award®-winning bluesman, B.B. King. You and Me with B.B. King will air each week exclusively on SIRIUS XM's B.B. King's Bluesville channel on SIRIUS and XM channels 74. The show will debut, with a new episode each week, on Friday, February 20 at 6 pm ET with encore broadcasts airing on Saturday, February 21 at 2 pm ET; Monday, February 23 at 12 am ET; and Wednesday, February 25 at 12 pm ET.  

"I'll be coming to B.B. King's Bluesville channel every week to tell you stories and answer your questions," said B.B. King. "I'm the mayor of Bluesville and my official proclamation: you're welcome anytime!" 

"We're thrilled to give our listeners one of the few places where iconic artists like B.B. King and the blues can still be heard on the radio," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS XM Radio's President and Chief Content Officer. "This highlights SIRIUS XM Radio's ongoing commitment to bring unique music experiences to our subscribers with their favorite artists." 

Each week, B.B. King will personally select a broad range of blues music featuring his favorite songs by peers from the past and today's artists. The blues legend will also share personal anecdotes and stories about the artists who inspire him as well as offer commentary on music that has made him a musical inspiration for generations of musicians. SIRIUS XM listeners will also hear from special guests including Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, Albert Cummings and Keb' Mo who have worked with and have been influenced by King. King will also answer email questions from fans in a weekly "B.B. King's Mailbag" feature.

B.B. King, along with legendary recording artists and musicians including Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan, Eminem, Grateful Dead, David Johansen, Wynton Marsalis, Willie Nelson, Mojo Nixon, Elvis Presley, Tom Petty, Marky Ramone, Lou Reed, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen and "Little Steven" Van Zandt represent the diverse and creative artist-driven music programming currently being broadcast by SIRIUS XM.

You and Me with B.B. King will air each week on Friday at 6 pm, with encore presentations broadcast on Saturday at 2 pm ET, Monday at 12 am ET and Wednesday at 12 pm ET.

B.B. King's Bluesville channel broadcasts more than 80 years of music for all lovers of the blues. Listeners will hear favorite artists from the roots of blues music to the best of today, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray, Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker .
Please visit www.sirius.com or http://www.xmradio.com/for more information.

 

SHEMEKIA ON LETTERMAN TONIGHT
From: Blues-L

Hey Blues Fans

 This just in from John Hahn (Shemekia's manager).....

 Shemekia Copeland will be on The David Letterman Show Friday tonight, 11.30 eastern time (ck your local listings for times)

This show  was taped on Monday February 16th....Shemekia performed the title track 
from her forth coming release "Never Going Back" on Telarc, due out on  February 24th.

 "She Burned the studio to The Ground"...No Exaggeration!!!

 "It was Unbelievable"
 "THE BEST EVER"
 "Letterman was Stunned" to the extent that he could not stop saying 
"Oh My God, Oh My God' Kissing her hand, and hugging her and applauding.

Set your TEVO, DVR or VHS...this sounds like a performance not to be 
Missed!!!
BENEFIT CONCERT TO BE HELD IN HONOR OF SEAN COSTELLO
ATLANTA, GA - The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research will hold its first benefit concert Sunday, March 1, 2009 at the North Atlanta High Center for the Arts. Sean was a beloved blues musician from Atlanta, who was internationally acclaimed, and in his honor, fellow musicians Lurrie Bell [2008 Living Blues Awards for Blues Artist of the Year and Most Outstanding Guitarist], The Wood Brothers [debut disc named one of National Public Radio's top ten discoveries of 2006], King Johnson, Felix and the Cats with Jon Liebman and the Soul Shakers will lend their time and talent to this cause. Doors will open at 4p.m. and music begins at 5p.m. Tickets are $30 and will be available online  http://www.seancostellofund.org/ and at the door. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Donations are tax deductible.

The original lineup also included Jason Ricci, who will no longer be able to perform due to a conflict in his performance schedule. Although Ricci will not be part of the lineup, he will be donating the proceeds of his alternate performance to The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. Ricci hopes to lend his time in the second annual benefit concert.

The benefit emerges as the first project of The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research, an organization founded by his mother, Debbie Costello Smith, upon Sean's untimely passing. Sean was acclaimed for his musical prowess at a very early age. He was designated the Beale Street Blues Society Best Performer at age 15; was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award for his album Cuttin' In in 2000; was voted Best Blues Band in Creative Loafing and Atlanta magazine; was featured on the cover of Blues Revue in February of 2002; and was named the Best New Act by the French Blues Feste in 2003. Most recently, Sean was nominated for two Blues Music Awards: Best Contemporary Blues Album and Best Contemporary Blues Male Artist of 2008.

Sean resided in Atlanta, but was known throughout Europe and the U.S. as a talented, but humble musician who readily shared his talent with young and old. He played with musical greats BB King, Buddy Guy, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Hubert Sumlin, Elvis Costello, Etta James, Pinetop Perkins, Bo Diddley, Little Jimmy King, Nappy Brown, Bob Margolin, and many others. He formed special and lasting relationships with Felix Reyes, Donnie McCormick and Levon Helm. Sean had the honor of playing for James Cotton's birthday, as he was Mr. Cotton's favorite band.

Sean passed away suddenly in April last year on the eve of his 29th birthday, after quietly battling depression and anxiety for more than 10 years. It was only a year before his passing that Sean was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. At the time of his passing, he was in treatment to overcome the debilitating symptoms of this mood disorder and the often associated self-medication.

The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research is a non-profit organization that has attracted a dedicated Board of Directors and an Advisory Board of renowned clinical researchers as a direct result of Sean's reputation as an artist, an exceptional person and friend. In creating the fund, the board hopes to increase research for treatment, develop and support education for early diagnosis and intervention, and eventually create a program for musicians and artists seeking holistic support in their effort to lead functional, healthy lives.

For more information, please visit http://www.seancostellofund.org/

 Delta Groove Music and Eclecto Groove Records are extremely proud to be participating in the Benefit Concert in honor of fellow blues musician and Delta Groove family member, Sean Costello. There will be a number of Delta and Eclecto Groove packages available in the silent auction with all proceeds going to benefit bi-polar research

CHRIS THOMAS KING TAKES HIS BLUES TO AFRICA

 GRAMMY AWARD WINNING MUSICIAN AND ACTOR CHRIS THOMAS KING EMBARKS ON NIGERIAN CONCERT TOUR DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH THANKS IN PART TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

New Orleans guitar virtuoso and actor Chris Thomas King will celebrate black history month on tour in Africa'. Chris Thomas King and his band will perform concerts in Lagos and Abuja Nigeria, including a special National Day celebration. King is an internationally known blues artist and actor who had major acting roles in the Oscar winning films "Ray" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Nigerian Ambassador invited King with the help of the United States government to act as an American musical ambassador performing for Nigeria's National Day. King said, "This will be my first visit to Africa and I'm really excited to take my blues home to its roots. This year they wanted to celebrate with American music in part because of the election of our new president, Barack Obama. It seems the rest of the world is excited about American culture again. My phone been ringing every since his election," King said backstage at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles recently.

King will duet with Nigerian artist Onyeka Onwenu to perform "America The Beautiful" during the celebration in Abuja. The Nigerian Ambassador has also requested King and Onyeka perform a duet of Etta James' classic "At Last," which President Obama used for his first inaugural dance.

In between concerts King will hold workshops with local musicians and school children. King said, "touring Nigeria is challenging and I'm looking forward to it. I know I'll be inspired and I hope to leave a lasting impression on them as well."

In March the Chris Thomas King band will tour clubs and theaters up and down the west coast of North America. Featured stops along the way will include Yoshi's in Oakland, The Mint in Los Angeles California and the sold out Seasons Theater in Yakima, Washington.

May 2nd King will perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. "I try to perform in my home state at least once or twice a year." King said. King's Jazz Festival performance will be his first since Katrina. Chris Thomas King will tour Japan in May. The Chris Thomas King Band includes New Orleans drummer Darryl White and Bassist CuJo. 



www.ChrisThomasKing.com 

 

ALABAMA BLUES PROJECT
Our award-winning blues camps preserve the blues and pass it on to the next generation - and we need your help! The Alabama Blues Project is in its 11th year of award-winning blues camps. The ABP's After-School Blues Camps give youth positive ways to express emotions through blues music. The program is a mixture of hands on music instruction taught by professional musicians , a life-skills curriculum, and blues history lessons. In the current economic climate, state and federal funding for the arts is being cut nationwide, and the Alabama Blues Project is feeling the effects of those cuts. We are seeking help from individuals and organizations to subsidize the program costs for at-risk children who attend our 2009 Spring After-School Blues Camp. 

The registration per child is $165 for a 14-session semester, including the Open House performance.. Any donation to defray the cost of providing the Alabama Blues Project's After-School Camps is appreciated! The ABP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed the law. To Donate  to the Blues Camp Support Fund mail your donation to:

Alabama Blues Project
Blues Camp Support Fund
712 25th Avenue
Northport, AL 35476

* Please make checks payable to Alabama Blues Project

or CLICK HERE for more info and to donate online.

During camp, students from the ages of 8-17 learn to play blues music on their choice of voice, guitar, drums or harmonica. By practicing and performing together, Blues Camp students learn teamwork, social skills, discipline, and improve their self-confidence. The camp culminates with an Open House performance, in which the students are able to showcase their skills for the public. Our 2009 Spring After-School Blues Camp Open House "Blues Extravaganza" at the Bama Theatre will be on May 1st. Individuals and organizations donating to help subsidize the cost of Blues Camp will recieve two free tickets to the show so they can see firsthand how much their support means to the ABP and our students! The ABP makes a special effort to attract at-risk children who might not otherwise have access to arts programming. We partner with the Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, YMCA, Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, United Methodist Children's Home, DHR, and Brewer Porch Children's Center to provide our services to the children in our community who will benefit from them the most. This amazing program is open to other area children of all backgrounds and experience levels. It is our desire to provide children with the opportunity to learn about this important American art form in a diverse, safe, nurturing, and fun environment. We would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you can provide to help us continue to touch children's lives with the lessons and inspiration of the blues.

The Blues Audience Newsletter Has Gone Digital
Celebrating 17 years of promoting the New England Blues scene!

BIG NEWS FOR NON SUBSCRIBERS: The Blues Audience Newsletter is now going to offer the newsletter for $7 through Paypal so that people can buy a single CURRENT issue which will be sent to your inbox as a pdf.

Know anyone that occasionally wants to read about Blues in New England? Here's their
chance to get a single, current copy.Thank you for telling your friends,weare doing all we can to keep this newsletter going in these difficult economic times. Thank you for your support,

The Blues Audience newsletterNew England's only independent Blues publication.Celebrating 17 years of promoting the New England Blues scene!
Diana Shonk- Publisher
The Blues Audience newsletter
62 Cricket Hill Rd.Harrisville, NH 03450
603-827-3952
http://www.bluesaudience.com/

 

MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC
As part of this exhibition, the Museum of Making Music is proud to present its first exhibition-related compilation CD featuring music from today's most prominent slide artists who have been expanding the tonal range of slide guitar music. All featured artists on the album are also performers featured in the Museum's Slide Exhibition Concert Series.  For more: CLICK

The Museum of Making Music - A Division of the NAMM Foundation

Founded in 1998 under NAMM's organizational umbrella and with its sponsorship, the Museum of Making Music explores the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today. Housed at NAMM Headquarters in Carlsbad, California (north San Diego county), the Museum tells stories of hard work, challenge, inspiration and pioneering innovation, and reveals the profound relationship between the industry, popular music, and global culture.

 

BLUES FROM DOWN UNDER

The inaugural CAIRNS BLUES FESTIVAL will be held on Sunday May 3, 2009 at  The North Cairns Australian Rules Football Club grounds, MacNamara Street,  Manunda, Australia. Our website is http://www.cairnsbluesfestival.com.au/blog/ and a contact  telephone number is (07) 4055 9665. Tickets will be available from   TicketLink on March 1.

Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger to hit music fans in the wallet
From:Chicago Tribune

Concert ticket prices have doubled in the last decade, and consumers can expect no relief now that Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the two most powerful entities in the concert business, confirmed Tuesday their intentions to merge.

It's easy to see why Live Nation Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. want to blend their operations into a new entity called Live Nation Entertainment. They are competitors who would create a $6 billion company that would operate the majority of major concert venues in America, sell the tickets to events at those venues, and manage many of the artists who play there. Their union would instantly create a full-service music company that would reduce the economic clout of other concert promoters (including Chicago's Jam Productions), ticket sellers and even record companies.

Far more difficult to fathom is how this partnership would in any way benefit consumers, and how it could pass muster in a federal antitrust proceeding.

News of the merger has already set off alarm bells in some prominent corners. Connecticut Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.) are among officials calling for investigations and hearings into the merger. Last week, Pascrell denounced Ticketmaster for funneling fans seeking to buy Bruce Springsteen concert tickets to ticketsnow.com, a Ticketmaster-owned company that sells concert tickets significantly above face value. Springsteen himself called the Ticketmaster redirection of his tickets "a pure conflict of interest."

In an open letter to his fans, Springsteen went even further: "The one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan ... would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing."

In addition to creating its own ticketing company, livenation.com, Live Nation has completed deals with major artists such as Jay-Z, Madonna and Shakira to represent them in a variety of multimedia platforms and share in revenue streams, from merchandise to recorded music. Ticketmaster has been expanding its business, as well, recently partnering with Irving Azoff's Front Line management company and a stable of talent (Christina Aguilera, Eagles, Guns N' Roses, Jimmy Buffett, Van Halen) that would play many of the same arenas and stadiums booked by Live Nation. In merging the two entities, Live Nation-Ticketmaster would hold a significant position in every aspect of the music business.

The merger brings together the two companies most responsible for rising concert-ticket prices in the last decade. Ticket prices for the top 100 tours in 2008 averaged $67, more than double the 1998 average. Industry insiders predict that prices will continue to increase, with a greater premium put on the best seats. Now that Ticketmaster has a stake in the secondary ticket business, where tickets are resold at market value, it can create a more fluid price structure for concerts. In effect, each seat could be put up for bidding, putting an end to the era of fixed-price tickets, especially for high-demand acts.

Such a system could mean that consumers will no longer have to scramble to sign on and gain access to overloaded Web sites for high-demand shows. And it could mean that long-reviled service fees would no longer exist, or simply be folded into the price of a ticket.

But those positive results may not compensate for the increase in ticket prices brought on by an auction-based ticketing system. In this world, the concertgoers with the most cash would prevail every time. That's not always the case in the current system, which in theory gives all consumers equal access to all tickets for a fixed price.

Ticket prices have risen steadily since the concert industry began consolidating, first when SFX Entertainment began acquiring most of the nation's major concert venues in the late ‘90s. Clear Channel Communications bought out SFX in 2000, and expanded its reach further into radio and billboard advertising. Live Nation was spun off from Clear Channel in 2005, and currently owns, operates or exclusively books 135 major concert venues nationwide. It collects concert revenue three times greater than its nearest competitor, Anschutz Entertainment Group. Ticketmaster controls 70 percent of the concert ticketing industry, and in 2008 acquired TicketsNow.com, a secondary ticket seller.

 

SUSAN TEDESCHI ROCKS THE HOUSE AT JOHN ASCUAGA’S NUGGET IN SPARKS, NV AND BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE WAS THERE!
We don't get out much this time of year as we speed towards deadline for our annual publication, The Blues Festival Guide, but Cheryl and I thought Susan Tedeschi coming back to our area warranted a break so we grabbed our guys and headed downtown.

Roberto and I can’t agree how many years ago we first saw Susan Tedeschi the very first time she played in Reno, NV. We do agree it was at Big Ed’s on 4th Street and she was a teenager and that is was more than 10 years ago.

We were impressed then and impressed last night when she performed at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, NV. Currently on tour in support of her new album, Tedeschi looked hot and sounded even hotter.

Her set consisted of mostly originals, a few covers, and she rocked the house. I say rocked, because her set had a lot of rock songs that I loved, but my partner, Roberto yearned for a bit more blues. But the stand-out song in my opinion was a slide-guitar ballad.

Tedeschi wore her signature cat's eye glasses, a sexy dress and sexy strappy high heels and kept near tripping over the cords on stage. Her feminine outfit belied her gut-wrenching vocals and assertive guitar playing. The back-up band was a bunch of talented young men; as Taylorsville Solar Cook-Off Festival promoter, Bill Rockett, who was sitting behind me, said: “The drummer is sick!” A veteran alto sax player was the horn section and his solos were memorable and gave us goose bumps.

Opening act, James Hunter and band provided an upbeat sound that somehow combined James Brown and British Ska. Sounds crazy but worked and we thoroughly enjoyed his sound and his fancy footwork.

John Ascuaga’s Nugget Celebrity showroom is one of our favorite venues in the Reno/Tahoe area because it is so comfortable; think velvet covered booths, tiered seating, big stage, yet it is a smallish theater with only 700 capacity.

The Nugget has about eight shows a month and we are keeping a look out for more blues coming there again soon and are heading out today to pick up Tedeschi’s new album, "Back to the River” on Verve Records.

Kaati, Robert, Cheryl, Tom
Blues Festival Guide Magazine crew


Scholarship Fundraiser and Official Announcement Of 2009 "SIMPLY THE BLUES " Blues Festival Lineup.

Eddie Shaw

At 6:30 pm on Saturday the 28th of February, Comfort Inn and Suites in conjunction with "Simply The Blues" blues festival organizers, Thurman Music and Golden Eagle Distributing, will host a music scholarship fundraiser and press release party with LIVE music provided by the Jefferson County Green Band and The Legendary Eddie Shaw and The Wolfgang(currently on tour with George Thorogood).

"Simply The Blues" organizers will be announcing the official lineup for their 6th annual 2009 event held in Ft. Madison, Ia on the 8th and 9th of May and organizers are also using this press release party as a fundraiser for a new "Simply The Blues" music scholarship.

The scholarship is being established for area high school students who are planning to attend college and are currently involved in band/choir high school music programs. Other criteria will include grades, extra curricular music involvement and letters of recommendation. The hope is to award the first scholarship this spring at the 6th annual "Simply The Blues" blues festival on the 8th and 9th of May.

The Jefferson County Green Band, a Midwest favorite and past "Simply The Blues" performers will start the show at approximately 6:30 pm. Following the JCGB will be the legendary Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, then the JCGB will close out the evening.

Comfort Inn and Suites will have a special Blues rate for out of town guests or local people attending this event that wish to stay. A minimum $5 donation at the door is requested and all profits will be put it in the scholarship fund. For more information or if you are not able to attend and wish to contribute to the scholarship fund or be a sponsor for "Simply The Blues" 2009, please contact Matt Eimer at 319-470 2082. To contact Comfort Inn and Suites call 319-372-6800.

http://www.simplemanenterprises.com/

Music / Entertainment May Be the Antidote to Those Recession Blues
 PRNewswire -- Findings from a just-completed online survey of U.S. consumers by worldwide sports and entertainment marketing firm, Octagon, reveals that consumers of music and entertainment are less likely to perceive that the economic downturn will have a significant personal impact on them and their spending behavior.

When asked how the current economy personally affects them, survey respondents who were actively involved in consuming music and entertainment, were significantly less likely than consumers who were not engaged with music and entertainment to report that the economy will "drastically" impact them. For instance, only 8% of consumers who attend concerts reported a drastic impact compared to 21% of non-concert goers.


Further, the research revealed that a majority of respondents who currently consume music and entertainment-related content on a regular basis claim that the current economy will not materially reduce their future entertainment consumption.

For example:

88% of people who listen to music on a regular basis, plan to listen to as much or more music next year
72% of people who download music, plan to download as much, if not more music next year
64% of people who go to the movies, plan to go as much, if not more next year
63% of concert goers plan to go to as many concerts, if not more next year

 The Octagon research validates other recent polls including an NDP Group study of 2,000 adults, over half of which reported they were least likely to change their spending habits on affordable purchases, including movies. Historically, movie box office grosses rose during five of the last seven economic downturns including the 1970s oil crisis and the dot-com bubble burst.

DONT MISS OUT-7TH ANNUAL BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE 2009
MAKE YOUR FESTIVAL STAND OUT! -

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It will be highlighted in 4 different media sources: website, E-Guide, print magazine, and digital magazine!

Cost: $75/annual fee

Step 1. Post your festival in the festival calendar on our top-ranking website: www.bluesfestivalguide.com; do it today! Easy and free and we get a million hits per month!

Step 2. Let us know you want your festival HIGHLIGHTED (colorful box around it with HIGHLIGHTED FESTIVAL tag) in the festival calendar so it stands out among the hundreds of others.

Step 3. Your Highlighted Festival will be copied, highlight, tag and all, into the weekly E-Guide festival calendar (weekly electronic newsletter with 17,000 subscribers) several weeks before your event date.

Step 4. Your Highlighted Festival will then be copied into the back section of the print magazine (annual magazine with 100,000 free circulation throughout U.S. and Canada) in the festival calendar.

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All for only $75! The very first step starts with you wanting your event to be a big success and to give your sponsors, cause, and bands, BIG EXPOSURE.
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775-337-8626

STONY PLAIN RECORDS SIGNS NEW U.S. DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH RYKO DISTRIBUTION
AGREEMENT LAUNCHES WITH NEW CDS BY IAN TYSON AND SUNNY AND HER JOY BOYS ON MARCH 24

EDMONTON, AB - Holger Petersen, president of Stony Plain Records, has announced the label has signed a new U.S. distribution agreement with Ryko Distribution, which will kick-off with the March 24 release of new CDs by legendary singer/songwriter Ian Tyson, Yellowhead to Yellowstone and other Love Stories; and the debut album from Sunny Crownover, Introducing...Sunny and Her Joy Boys, which features the singer backed by a band led by acclaimed guitarist/producer Duke Robillard.

"Ryko Distribution president Jim Cuomo and everyone at Ryko have set the standard for distributors that deal in blues, roots music and deep catalog for music lovers," said Holger Petersen in making the announcement. "Their enthusiasm for music and market awareness makes this an exciting opportunity as we enter into our 33rd year. We are honored to be working with everyone at Ryko."

"There was an indescribable and truly satisfying feeling, tinged with a subtle exhilaration that came over me when I realized that we, Ryko, would be representing Stony Plain here in the States," said Jim Cuomo. "It is a union of like minded, kindred spirits that was long overdue. The passion, creativity and perpetuation of the highest levels of professional and artistic integrity that Holger and Stony Plain vice president Alvin Jahns bring to the community are the kind of stuff that will help you to keep the faith. We are both honored and privileged to welcome Stony Plain to our Ryko family."

Established in 1976, Edmonton, Alberta-based Stony Plain Records has released over 300 albums of blues, classic R&B, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll and music that is impossible to categorize. In addition to Ian Tyson and Sunny and Her Joy Boys, its current artist roster includes Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur, Ronnie Earl, Rory Block, Joe Louis Walker, Amos Garrett and New Guitar Summit, which includes Duke Robillard, Jay Geils and Gerry Beaudoin.

Stony Plain has also received four Grammy Award nominations: two for Maria Muldaur and one each for Duke Robillard and Jay McShann. The label and its artists have also garnered numerous Blues Music Award nominations and won several of them. On a personal level, Holger Petersen was honored for his contributions to Canadian arts and culture with an honorary Doctorate from Athabasca University in 2002 and was awarded the highest honor a Canadian can receive, the Order of Canada, in 2003. In 2008, he was named a recipient of the Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation. 

For more information on the label, visit http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/Web/home.asp.

 



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MATT WIGLER:




































Matt Wigler is a blues and jazz piano sensation. At age 14, Matt has already appeared on radio and TV and has played with Tommy Castro, Buckwheat Zydeco, Lil' Ed, Tab Benoit, Marcia Ball and many others. Matt's debut CD, Thirteen, produced by blues great Deanna Bogart, has received rave reviews from blues magazines and music critics across the country. Matt was recently featured in the filming of a PBS documentary about blues pianists. His band includes professional touring musicians who have played with artists including Ray Charles, James Brown, Little Feat and many others. For more information please visit www.mattwigler.com

Instrumentation
Matt Wigler, piano & vocals

DUO: piano, drums OR piano, horn

http://mattwigler.com/

Click to see Matt Wigler & Mike Aubin perform at the 2008 IBC


JOHN NEMETH:Previews his new CD, LOVE ME TONIGHT





John Nemeth is an up and coming singer and harmonica player who moseyed down to San Francisco from Boise, almost immediately landed a deal with Blind Pig Records, and has been knocking people off their feet ever since. His new record is LOVE ME TONIGHT. He joins Elwood to talk about how to get the blues in Idaho, and to share some of his influences with us - including Koko Taylor, ZZ Top, and Junior Wells. John gives a performance, live, right there in the bunkhouse. All that, and a taste of the very tasty Red Hot Blues Sisters - hot vocals, hot guitar, hot horns. And Alligator records has ten CDs to give away. 

 visit www.TheBluesMobile.com
for times and stations in your area



Click on festival name to click through to festival website.
Knology Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22, 2009

Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
www.clearwaterseablues.com
727-562-4700

Broadstairs Blues Bash

Friday-Sunday, February 20-22, 2009

Broadstairs, Kent , United Kingdom
www.broadstairsbluesbash.com
00441843 600999

The Phoenix Blues Society Presents "Blues Blast 2009"

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
www.bluesblast.info
602-252-0599

3rd Annual Blues-B-Q

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Orlando, Florida, U.S.
www.cityoforlando.net/bluesbq
407-246-3104

Calgary Mid-Winter Blues Festival

Monday-Saturday, February 23-28, 2009

Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.calgarybluesfest.com
403-668-7144

Saskatoon Blues Festival

Thursday-Sunday, February-March 26-1, 2009

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
www.saskatoonbluessociety.ca
306-343-9587

Traditional Acoustic Blues Festival

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Worthington, Ohio, U.S.
www.columbustradfest.com
614-486-4575

Pickle's Blues Extravaganza

Friday-Saturday, March 6-7, 2009

Lima, Ohio, U.S.
www.bluescommittee.com
419-221-3897

Lake Havasu "Bluegrass on the Beach"

Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, 2009

Lake Havasu City, Arizona, U.S.
www.landspromotions.com
209-480-4693

Mississippi Blues Fest

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Greenwood, MS, U.S.
662-453-4065
www.greenwoodms.orgm

Bonita Blues Festival

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Blues, Jazz & Folk Music Society
Bonita Springs, Florida, U.S.
www.bonitablues.com
239-947-0715

St. John Blues Festival

Wednesday-Sunday, March 18-22, 2009

St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
www.stjohnbluesfestival.com
340-643-6475

19th Annual River City Blues Festival

Friday-Saturday, March 20-21, 2009

The Blues, Jazz & Folk Music Society
Marietta, Ohio, U.S.
www.bjfm.org
304-295-4323

Tampa Bay Blues Festival

Friday-Sunday, March 20-22, 2009

St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
www.tampabaybluesfest.com
727-502-5000

3rd Blues & Arts Fiesta

Saturday, March 28, 2009
Presented by SF Lions Club & Mexico Living Guide
San Felipe Ball StadiumSan Felipe Baja California Mexico
www.bluesandarts.com
1-800-576-0919 Ex.5

Jasper's "Blue's on the Marsh"
Saturday, March 28, 2009 Ridgeland, SC, U.S.

www.instituteatpalmkey.com
843.726.3277
Blues Cafe'
Saturday, March 28, 2009

Wausau, WI , U.S.
http://www.gnbs.org/gnbs/pages/blues-cafe-2009.php
715-536-7600
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