The unique and unmistakable contributions of Barry and Sib remind us of why they were both such a big part of a sound that shaped a generation and left an indelible mark on music history.

These blues-based rock songs give a thought provoking retrospective look at life, love and music that transcends time, staying relevant and rockin'ly familiar.

Ernie and the Automatics CD, "Low Expectations" was masterfully produced by Brian Maes, mixed by Bob St. John and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Released by Open E Records and distributed by Fontana. Available exclusively at F.Y.E.



The Ernie and the Automatics are: Brian Maes, Vocals/Keyboard; Tim Archibald, Bass; Ernie Boch Jr., Guitar; Michael "Tunes" Antunes, Saxophone; Barry Goudreau, Guitar; Sib Hashian, Drums 

22 Year old singer/songwriter Ben Robinson started making his mark at an early age.

"I came from a very rough place and tough times were all we knew. When I was 9, my dad gave me a guitar and I would spend hours in my room listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King, I copied every note, then worked to develop my own style. Music helped me stay away from the bad choices some of my friends were making, if you know what I mean".

When just a teen he began playing with Warrant, working with Paul Shaffer, Nickelodeon, Letterman and stealing the show at blues festivals all over Southern California.

Ben is now one of the faces of Guitar Center's Laguna Guitar line. Recently he was the centerfold of the Guitar Center December catalog that is delivered to over 1 million households.

Here are a few comments and reviews about Ben:

"Ben can play straight ahead blues with the best of them, yet he takes his perfomance to a stadium level like only a select few can. He is breathtaking"! Monte Willis 633 Records

"I have seen a lot of guitar players in my day, but I have never seen anyone play blues like Ben Robinson."
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

"Ben Robinson takes the glory days of Van Morrison and infuses it with an energetic dose of the grit of Lenny Kravitz at his best. John Mayer watch your back. Man, "Heart of Stone" is hit. And "Blue Sky Sanity is killer, too."
Hector Saldana, senior music critic, San Antonio Express-News

"Ben's is the best that has ever sat in with the CBS Orchestra. He is a soulful guitar player - one of the best - at any age."
Paul Shaffer Legendary band leader of the CBS Orchestra

"Ben steals the show EVERY time, no matter who is on the bill".
Karen Davidson Creative Director Harley Davidson

"I have worked with everyone from Eric Clapton, to Jeff Beck, and I put Ben right up there with them"! James Helman (Sheryl Crow, Grammy's)

"Ben is the real deal".
Scotty Moore Guitar Pioneer (Elvis Presley's first guitarist)

http://www.benrobinson.com/ 

Voting in the 2009 Blues Music Awards ends early Monday morning (8am EST March 2) so if you want to vote, or need to revisit your ballot to make any final choices, this weekend is your deadline! Click  to get your ballot.

Yellow Dog Records is thrilled that Eden Brent is nominated in four categories: "Acoustic Album of the Year", "Acoustic Artist of the Year", "Best New Artist Debut", and "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year". (Is four nominations a record for a "new artist"?)

To mark the occasion, Yellow Dog Records has posted Eden's entire album "Mississippi Number One" for preview from their "YDR Radio" player - CLICK HERE  to check it out and enjoy the music!

Yellow Dog Records is also offering a free sampler CD with tracks from
Eden Brent as well as all the other artists on their roster - email
for an auto-reply with instructions.

Press reviews and more about Mississippi Number One:
http://yellowdogrecords.com/eden


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That $5 you found in your pocket can buy you the chance to shed your business suit and wear blues jeans to the office while supporting a great cause! The Alabama Blues Project is asking businesses to participate in their first annual "Blue Jeans for the Blues" on Friday, April 3rd. The event will raise funds to help the ABP continue their mission of promoting the blues Alabama's rich blues heritage and passing it on to future generations through its award-winningblues camps and school programs, designed particularly to benefit at-risk children and underserved areas.

How does it work? Businesses agree to appoint a coordinator within their company to collect $5 from each participating employee in exchange for the opportunity to wear blues jeans to work on April 3rd. This is a fashion statement with a cause! Inviting staff to wear their favorite pair of blue jeans to work for a "casual Friday" is a fun and comfortable way to generate good feelings for both staff and customers. The Alabama Blues Project will provide promotional flyers to each participating business providing customers information regarding the company's generosity and commitment to the community.

Participating Businesses will also have the opportunity to be promoted as sponsors of the 2009 Open House Blues Extravaganza. For the second year, the Alabama Blues Project Spring After-School Camp students will showcase their talents on the big stage at the Bama Theatre on May 1st. The audience will also be treated to a special performance by the 2008 Blues Music Award winner for "Best Male Soul Blues Artist," Bobby Rush!

All participating businesses receive acknowledgement and publicity for their support of these wonderful community events. The level of sponsorship recognized in promotional materials is based on the amount a business donates and/or raises through "Blue Jeans for the Blues."

Please contact Cara Smith at (205) 752-6263 or mailto:cara@alabamablues.org to participate in "Blue Jeans for the Blues! Thank you for your support!

Live at the Great Wall is an exhilarating 38 minute look at Rush's 2007 performance at the foot of the Great Wall near the city of Yulin in Sansei Province, Western, China. This event celebrated the Great Wall's twentieth anniversary on the UNESCO's list of world treasures and included artists from throughout China and folk performers from Russia. Bobby Rush represented the U.S. Many in the audience had never heard blues and most had never been live at a show performed by an American. More than forty thousand people showed their enthusiasm for Bobby Rush's rare form of folk funk. "This film captures the excitement of being there and is a really good performance film" says the films executive producer, Beaty Four Entertainment CEO Frank Beaty. "It was among the most exciting events of my thirty five year career as a promoter".

Over nine days traveling to the cities of Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Yulin Rush charmed and thrilled the Chinese people and his trip resulted in the Great Wall Society proclaiming him their US ambassador of friendship in 2007.

The film will be featured in the museum exhibit The Soulful Journey, which will tell the story of the evolution of African American culture from slavery to present day through art and music. It will feature the Blues Pavilion which will document Bobby Rush's fifty plus year journey to take the blues and African American culture around the world as he contributes to the struggle for civil rights in America. The unveiling of the Soulful Journey exhibit is planned for June, 2009 in Memphis, TN.

Beaty Four Entertainment, Inc is a Las Vegas based festival promoter, film producer and marketing consultant who has produced, filmed and contributed to successful entertainment events worldwide.

Bobby Rush, Live at the Great Wall of China is available for purchase and will soon be available online at:

http://beatyfour.com/index.htm

http://www.bobbyrush.net/deeprush/

Sundays in March are going to be busy for Miche Braden. First, she'll be purveying the Lord's music. Then she'll be singing "The Devil's Music."

Braden is minister of music at Unity Fellowship Church of New Brunswick. She'll drive from her home in Trenton and arrive in New Brunswick each Sunday at 11 a.m. to play the organ and direct the choir.

Then she will travel a few miles to the George Street Playhouse to play the afternoon and evening performances as Bessie Smith in "The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith." It's a one-woman show written by Angelo Parra and directed by Joe Brancato.

"I get to be a good girl Sunday mornings and a bad girl later in the day and night -- and for six more performances the rest of the week," Braden says.

She's not totally serious. "The Devil's Music" is meant ironically. That's what bluenoses used to call the blues.

"But, the blues sound a lot like gospel," Braden says. "Many blues writers wound up creating gospel songs. The man who wrote 'Precious Lord' had previously written 'Come on Mama, Do That Dance.'"

Braden will concede, though, that Smith had the devil in her. Though the lady sang "Gimme a Pigfoot, and a Bottle of Beer," she needed much more to satisfy her.

"Bessie loved hooch. Even after prohibition ended, she preferred it to store-bought liquor," Braden says. "She was also promiscuous with both men and women, and she didn't care who knew it. In those days, most women needed men to support them. She didn't. Her first recording almost sold a million copies, which was unheard of for a black artist in 1923."

No one quite knows when Bessie Smith was born. Estimates range from 1890 to 1895. But everyone agrees when she died -- on Sept. 26, 1937, after a car accident. Braden's research has taught her that Smith was not, as legend would have it, denied admittance to a white hospital.

"Back then, no matter how injured a black person was, they would have never tried to take her to a white hospital," she says. "Her producer said that to get some additional publicity out of the incident."

Parra set his play on the night before the accident. "She was the headliner at a Memphis theater," Braden says, "but she wasn't allowed to use the front door, so she went to a 'buffet flat.' That's a hotel where blacks stayed, where there was food, gambling and sex, a little bit of everything. Hence the word 'buffet.'"

Like Smith, Braden started singing at an early age in her native Detroit.

"My mother played pipe organ at one of the biggest black churches in Detroit, and my father was the choir director," she says. "I started with 'The Lord's Prayer' at 3, and was playing piano at 6. My uncle decided to baby-sit me just so he could use our piano. He's James Hankins, and he accompanies me in this production. He's a great fan of Bessie's, too."

And what would Braden have said to Smith if she'd had the chance to meet her?

"I'd tell her how much I admired her for fully living her life until it was over," she says. "I once tried working 9-to-5. I was a Kelly Girl for Blue Cross, and was offered a regular job. The day before I was to start, I quit. I figure if I have the talent to sing, that's what I'm going to do -- whatever it takes. Bessie would have understood that."

Brooks started his own label (Blues Island) in 2003, releasing his solo debut, Mystery, in 2004, an album of very contemporary blues that also draws on soul, funk, and even a bit of hip-hop. Brooks had a big year in 2004: in addition to releasing his debut, he was featured twice on The House of Blues Radio Hour with Dan Aykroyd, won five more Real Blues magazine awards (including Best Chicago Blues Tune and Best Chicago Blues Album in the Modern category as well as Best New Talent), and headlined the Chicago Blues Festival with his father and brother. In 2005 the Brooks family received a lifetime achievement award from the Poconos Blues Festival. Wayne Baker Brooks continues to play with his father, as well as fronting his band.  

Brooks is busy recording a new album for release in late June/early July this year, of which the single "Something's Going Down In The City" will be released in April.

Some songs address incidents - The Ramparts' The Death of Emmett Till, John Lee Hooker's The Motor City Is Burning- while others protest prohibitions, such as the Golden Gate Quartet's No Restricted Signs.

"You get the heart, the soul, the sentiment and the struggle of a people," says Public Enemy's Chuck D, a consultant on the project, who also wrote the introduction for the liner notes.

Chuck D, whose own The Pride is on the set, says songs such as the Isley Brothers' Fight the Power (also included) inspired him when he was young. He would later sample it on Public Enemy's track of the same name, which was written for Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing.

With a few exceptions, the music is arranged chronologically, and the annotated liner notes by music historian Colin Escott provide the stories behind the songs and the historic context surrounding their release. For example, Nat King Cole recorded We Are Americans Too in 1956 after he was beaten onstage in Alabama during the bus boycotts. Cole's label, Capitol, refused to release the song.

By the time the civil rights movement was in full bloom in the 1960s and '70s, major R&B stars such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Sly and the Family Stone, B.B. King and Marvin Gaye were making hit records reflective of the era. There also were songs by gospel, folk and blues artists that offered hope and called for action.

Protest music is still made today but doesn't receive the same kind of exposure, Chuck D says. Once the staple of independent black radio stations, such songs no longer get record industry push or commercial radio airplay.

"Split Decision was more about the songwriting and I aimed to create a much more edgy sound and cross-genre style," says Rogers. "I really wanted to craft strong stories, mix it up a bit with a lot of different guitar tones - and still have some solid roots oriented grooves. My influences are from all over the map, and I love combining different elements on a recording, but ultimately it's about "the feel" of a total record. I hope that shines through in a positive way for people."

Special guests on the record include Phil Aaberg on keyboards (Elvin Bishop, Peter Gabriel), George Brooks on saxophone (Etta James, Zakir Hussain), and World music multi-platinum recording artist, guitarist Ottmar Liebert. The Delta Rhythm Kings are Steve Ehrmann on bass and Billy Lee Lewis on drums, long standing members of the band.

The deal marks a reunion of sorts between Rogers and Blind Pig, as the label released some of Rogers' first recordings in the late 1980's. Since then he's gone on to worldwide acclaim as one of the best slide guitar players around, garnered multiple Grammy nominations for his work as a producer for his one-time boss John Lee Hooker and for Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and received numerous accolades for songwriting and his work on movie soundtracks and television. 

Original blues from this edgy eccentric singer/songwriter have earned Tas Cru the attention of industry media. His latest CD, "gravi-Tas" earned heavy airplay on XM Radio's Bluesville as a "Pick to Click". (since April 20 thru July 27, 2008) The CD is featured in reviews (June/July 2008) in both of the nation's premiere blues magazines - Blues Revue and Living Blues and in the UK's BLUES MATTERS!

Tas has been dubbed "the 'master of the triple entendre." That is, his best songs go a step beyond the blues tradition of the double entendre - the literal and suggestive - to where meaning is more felt than understood.

Tas Cru is a rough Quebecois rendering meaning - Raw Potato. Credit for the name goes to an avid young fan who admires Tas' raw-edged vocals and peeled-bare slide guitar. Given Tas' bent on bowing to his home region's Quebecois influence the moniker was not much of a stretch, especially since much of Tas' early career was spent playing Quebec's small cities and towns along the St. Lawrence river from Montreal to Riviere du Loup. Cru is currently based out of Albany, New York.

Tas Cru performs as a solo act or with a backing band. and has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the Mid South/West including shows in Kansas City, Tulsa, Little Rock, Memphis, and the Mississippi Delta. He has shared the stage with a growing list of well known blues artists that includes Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland, Willie Smith, Marva Wright, Mem Shannon, Kenny Neal, Jimmy Thackeray, Danny Kalb, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Nora Jean Bruso, Albert Cummings, Bob Margolin and others. Also to his credit include frequent appearances at Ground Zero Blues Club and Cathead's Clarksdale Caravan Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi and on Sunshine Sonny Payne's King Biscuit Radio program on station KFFA in Helena, Arkansas.

Tas' latest CD, gravi-Tas 2008, that editor Ken Bays at Blues Revue calls a "swirling, hypnotic blues blend," builds on the traditional flavor of his solo acoustic 2006 Biscuit, but thickened by the young power blues trio, the Slow Happy Boys, and seasoned with the keyboard work of longtime sideman, G.C. Lamson. The new CD is being received as well as Biscuit. It is getting airplay at a number of blues radio stations internationally including being acurrent "Pick to Cick" on XM Radio' Bluesville. The CD reviewed in the June/July 2008 issue of Blues Revue, Living Blues and BLUES MATTERS!. Blues Revue reviewer, Genevieve Williams writes, "Listening to gravi-Tas will create a strong desire to see Cru live . . ., the albumis a multi-course feast of the down-home variety: friendly, welcoming, and direct." Living Blues critic Dave Ruthenberg says . . . on intricate resonator finger-picking or some smoky electric slide, Cru scores consistently. With equal parts humor and solid musicianship, gravi-Tas is a fun ride???more of a tilt-a-whirl than a Sunday drive."

Biscuit continues to gain attention . Most recently(January, 2008) "Tired of Bluesmen Cryin'" and "One More Time" were featured on Dan Akroyd's House of Blues Radio Hours. In August 2007 the song, "Black and Poor in New Orleans" was selected by XM Radio's Bluesville for a special 2nd anniversary Katrina remembrance and featured alongside New Orleans artists Irma Thomas, Mem Shannon and Tab Benoit. "Black and Poor in New Orleans" made its debut at the Northeast Blues Society's Katrina Benefit Concert in November, 2005 in Albany, NY. The show raised monies to support New Orleans musicians whose careers and families had been devastated by the hurricane tragedy. To quote Don Wilcock, the concert promoter, "With that song, Tas Cru stole the show earning him the respect and admiration of fellow performers that included New Orleans artists Marva Wright, Kenny Neal and Mem Shannon..

Instrumentation
Tas Cru -vocals, guitar, and harmonica 

Discography
Listed below are Blues recording projects only:

Tas Cru
"Biscuit" (2006)
"gravi-Tas" (2008)
"Gristle & Bone"(to be released early 2009)

Tas Cru w/ the Conrad Story Blues Band:
"Poutine" (2004)
"Obsession Road" (2007)

Links
http://www.tascru.com/

Hot Blues and BBQ, the Village of Oxford, the Oxford Downtown Development Authority, and the Detroit Blues Society are proud to announce that the 5th annual HOT BLUES AND BBQ will be held June 19-20, 2009. The Friday, June 19th event will be held from 7pm-10pm in Centennial Park in Downtown Oxford, MI. The Saturday June 20th event will be held from 12pm to 1am, in beautiful Scripter Park, in the Village of Oxford, Michigan.

The festival has returned to it's 2-day format after several years of tinkering with several different combinations. According to festival producer, Steve Allen, two days are the best-suited timeframe for maximum exposure for both the Village of Oxford and Blues music in general. The single largest change this year is the fact that all events on both days are absolutely free of charge for admission. This is being done due the poor state of the Michigan economy and to allow families a weekend of fun without the worries of money.

This year's event is actually 3 events starting with the kickoff concert on Friday evening, followed by Detroit Blues Challenge starting at noon on Saturday, and the core festival beginning at 4pm on Saturday.

THE FRIDAY KICKOFF EVENT

The Oxford DDA Kickoff Night will feature Blues performances from 3 regional acts, all of which are well known in their own right. The gates will open at 6:00pm and admission is absolutely free. The musical lineup for this event will feature (along with their performance times):

· MOJO PHOENIX (7:00pm)

· LIGHTNIN' CREOLE (8:00pm)

· TOMAS ESPARZA and the BOA CONSTRICTORS (9:00pm)

There will be plenty of opportunites to stroll Downtown Oxford to discover it's hidden treasures.

 THE 2009 DETROIT BLUES CHALLENGE

The Detroit Blues Challenge at Hot Blues and BBQ is the 4th preliminary round of the annual Detroit Blues Society Challenge where the overall judged winner will move on to the Challenge Finals in November and win a cash prize. In 2008, 5 preliminary rounds were staged plus the Finals. In 2009, there will be 6 rounds plus the Finals. The overall winners of the Finals will go on to represent Detroit at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee in January of 2010.

In this, the 4th round of the Blues Challenge, the competitors will be (along with their performance times):

BEBE AND THE BLUESMASTERS
· DAVID GERALD AND INSURRECTION
MOTOR HONEY
THE FLYING LATINI BROTHERS
CROSSROADS BLUES BAND
JACOB CLYDE BAND

 All monies raised will benefit the Detroit Blues Society's Blues Challenge Prize Fund. The Detroit Blues Society is a registered 501c3 charity and all donations are tax deductible.

HOT BLUES AND BBQ 2009 MAIN EVENT

Hot Blues and BBQ 2009 will feature spectacular Blues performances from a star-studded cast of musicians from across the USA. Along with the musical performances, the event also features BBQ Vendors, the Hubert Distributors - Bud Light Beer Garden, Retail Vendors, Swimming, Picnicking, a Playground, Raffles, and an entire day of family fun for all. The gates will open at 11:00am and admission is absolutely free.

The musical lineup for 2009 looks like a who's who of Blues music and will feature:

FROG AND THE BEEFTONES
THE BLUESCASTERS
MEASURED CHAOS
COUNT BRACEY AND THE PLEASURETONES
THE ALLIGATORS
THE MATT BESEY BAND
MOTOR CITY JOSH
JASON RICCI AND NEW BLOOD


Hot Blues and BBQ 2008 is now accepting sponsors, vendors, and volunteers for this exciting event. If you are interested, please contact us at the address below.

Event / Media Contact:
Steven J. Allen - Executive Producer
40 Burdick Woods Ct. 
Oxford, MI 48371
(248) 249-5287
sallen8961@aol.com 

Michael Burks, blue collar worker and untiring guitar hero, joins Elwood to talk about his CD, IRON MAN, and growing up with the blues. He first picked up a guitar when he was two. Michael’s father - worker by day, blues player by night - frequently hosted jams at the Burks home. Folks who stopped by included Sonny Boy Williamson and Albert Collins. They will be played. And also Rufus Thomas: Michael Burks played with him when he was just eight years old. Michael picks up a guitar to give an impromptu concert, live, and tells us how he got his nickname, "Iron Man." There’s a chance for some lucky listeners to win dobro player Rocco DeLucca’s new CD, MERCY. Finally, new music from one of the inspirations for the Blues Brothers, soul singer Curtis Salgado.

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