To receive email from Blues Festival E-Guide,
add editor@bluesfestivaleguide.com to your safe sender list.
View as Web Page Subscribe Send to a Friend
BluesFestivalGuide Website
May 14, 2010 www.bluesfestivalguide.com Volume # 5  Issue # 20

Special Announcements
CD or DVD Releases
News Flash
Blues Society News
House of Blues Radio Hour
Roots Blues Airplay Charts
Blues Festivals
About Us
Digital Edition Now On-Line
2010 Blues Festival Guide Magazine.
 
All 92 pages now available
from the convenience of your computer.
 
With many of the ads hyperlinked
to the advertiser's website. 
 
So if you see a festival you like, or a CD you want to buy....just click on the ad and swoosh....you are at the website*.
 
*Okay, not every ad is hyperlinked....but most are.
 
Enjoy!

HOUNDS TOOTH : : SOUL ROCKIN
Hounds Tooth’s CD, Soul Rockin (Tweed Tone Records), is a guitar-driven, modern blues album that focuses on original music with a few high-energy covers added to the mix.  Soul Rockin, scheduled for release on May 19, 2010, has been receiving some great early reviews:
 
"Hounds Tooth is no longer under the radar. Their new CD, Soul Rockin, will push this band into the fast lane of the blues world, keep your eye on these guys!" - Scott Gregory, Entertainment Director, River City Blues Society
 
The songs on the CD move from laid-back greasy shuffles to funky rhythms to guitar-driven blues-rock.  Guitarist/vocalist JD Optekar showcases his song-writing talents with tunes that pay tribute to the blues, Blues is Truth and Black Coffee; commentate on our current digital media-age, Is it Real; and visit the tried and true themes of passion, heartache, and love.  Jared James Nichols, who appeared in the Earwig Documentary, Six Generations of Blues, lends his fretboard skills to the CD and his vocals on 3 tracks.  Bob Noll (bass) and Jeff Oscarson (drums) anchor the rhythm section.
 
"Hounds Tooth seems to have found their stride with Soul Rockin.  They move seamlessly between Blues and Rock, which should hit home with the children of Classic Rock.  I know it did with me." - Ron Hoerter, Great Northern Blues Society
  
Hounds Tooth will tour throughout the Midwest this summer in support of their new CD playing festivals and top blues rooms including:  Famous Dave’s Bluesfest; Bowlful of Blues Festival; Nothing But the Blues Festival; Prairie Dog Blues Festival; Madison Terrace Blues Festival; Waukesha County Fair; Racine County Fair; BBs Jazz, Blues, and Soups; River City Blues Society; The Club Tavern; The Busted Lift; Bourre’ Lounge, Blueport Junction; The Voodoo Lounge; and the Harmony Bar & Grill.
 
 
Click on button to hear "Blues is Truth"

DAVE WELD AND THE IMPERIAL FLAMES : : BURNIN LOVE
Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader Dave Weld got his start on Chicago's west side in the late 70s. At the 1815 Club on Roosevelt Road, Dave was in the house band with Chico Chism, Shorty Gilbert, Hubert Sumlin, Detroit Junior, and Eddie Shaw. Dave played there with Otis Rush, Guitar Junior, Tail Dragger, Little Arthur, Johnny Littlejohn and more. During this time Weld was under the tutelage of JB Hutto, a Grammy winning, Blues Hall of Fame slide guitarist. JB introduced Dave to his nephew, Lil Ed. They started the band "Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials" and played every joint in the West side for ten years. Dave started "Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames" in 1988 with Lil Ed's blessing. Burnin' Love is Weld's Delmark debut and it features the legendary Abb Locke on saxophone.
 
Click for more

ANDERS OSBORNE : : AMERICAN PATCHWORK
I’m in the promised land,” says proud American immigrant and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist Anders Osborne. The Swedish-born, longtime New Orleans resident is among the most original and visionary musicians performing today. In a city overflowing with stellar artists, bands and performers, Osborne is one of the Big Easy’s favorite musical heroes. His Alligator Records debut, AMERICAN PATCHWORK, is a moving collection of soul-baring rock, blues and ballads. Many of the songs on AMERICAN PATCHWORK deal with healing and redemption, spirituality and acceptance. It is about rebuilding what has been destroyed, not only a ravaged city, but also a hollow man. Often compared to Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, Osborne is an exceptional and singular talent.
 
 Paste Magazine says, “Osborne has an impossibly great, soulful voice and the songs to match.”
 
Living Blues adds, “Osborne is a songwriter of enormous depth and an incredibly passionate musician.”
 
Click for more


BLUES SOCIETIES -- We need to hear from you!
If you are on the Board of Directors for any of the following Blues Societies....please contact  nancy@bluesfestivalguide.com or call 1.352.527.1680
 
Our multiple emails to these societies have not been returned.
 
These societies need to order their 2010 Blues Festival Guide magazines for distribution to their members and thoughout their community.
 
 
Austin Blues Society
Big Joe Duskin Music Education Foundation
Black Swamp Blues Society
Blues Society of Northwest Florida
Blues Society of Western New York
Bucks County Blues Society
Canada South Blues Society
Canal Bank Shuffle
Central Mississippi Blues Society
Cincy Blues Society
Colorado Blues Society
Columbus Blues Alliance
Diamond State Blues Society
Grand County Blues Society
Greater Twin Cities Blues Music Society
Houston Blues Society
James River Blues Society of Sedalia
Kansas City Blues Society
Klamath Blues Society
Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society
Las Vegas Blues Society
Le Relatant Société de Blues
Lehigh Valley Blues Network
Natchel' Blues Network
Orange Blossom Blues Society
Pacific Northwest Blues in the Schools
Piedmont Blues Preservation Society
River City Blues Society (IL)
River City Blues Society (VA)
San Antonio Blues Society
San Luis Obispo Blues Society
Smoky Mountain Blues Society
Southern California Blues Society
Southern Fried Blues Society
Spa City Blues Society
Springing The Blues Society
Texarkana Blues Society
The Blue Shoe Project
The Blues, Jazz and Folk Music Society
Toronto Blues Society
Triangle Blues Society
Vicksburg Blues Society
Washington Blues Society
Wichita Blues Society
Yesterday & Today's Rhythm & Blues Society
 
Contact nancy@bluesfestivalguide.com or call 1.352.527.1680
 
Thanks,
Your friends at
The Blues Festival Guide
 

MILE HIGH MARKETPLACE ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL MILE HIGH BLUES FESTIVAL
Line Up for Two Day, World Class Blues Event is Announced, Tickets on Sale Now!
 
Denver, CO – May 13, 2010 – Mile High Marketplace, Denver’s only year-round, outdoor, value-conscious shopping and entertainment destination, officially announced its second annual Mile High Blues Festival on August 7th and 8th from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
 
The following world-class blues performers have just been announced:
 
  • Tab Benoit
  • Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year Ruthie Foster
  • Jimmy Hall, Reese Wynans, Kenny Greenberg with a special guest appearance by Mike Zito, winner of Song of the Year: “Pearl River”
  • Ryan McGarvey
  • Carolyn Wonderland
  • Grammy winner Ashley Cleveland
  • Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band
  • Rick Estrin and The Night Cats
  • Dan Treanor and The Afrosippi Blues Band
  • Surprise guest artist to be announced plus more to come
 Advance tickets start at $25.00 per day and are now available online at www.milehighbluesfestival.com/ or via phone at 1-800-861-9900.
 
“Our commitment to Denver residents is to not only bring them the best shopping and family fun but also the best musical entertainment,” said Jim Hurrell, CEO of Mile High Marketplace.  “For the second straight year, we’re fulfilling on that promise with the second annual Mile High Blues Festival.”
 
This year’s partners include Coors Light, Miller Lite, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Holiday Inn, Channel 4, Strictly Blues with Kai Turner, 103.5 The Fox, Blueswax.com and Blues Revue.
 
About Mile High Marketplace
Mile High Marketplace is the largest and only local year-round, outdoor, value-conscious shopping adventure and entertainment destination.  Offering a diverse, different and “discovery” experience every time, this true marketplace is anchored by five eclectic yet complementary “markets:” a flea market, farmers market, shops, antiques and events.  For more information visit the Web site at www.milehighmarketplace.com/ or via phone at 303 289-4656.
 

The 13th Annual Doheny Blues Festival
 
May 22 & 23, 2010...
The 13th Annual Doheny Blues Festival!
Dana Point, California
Omega Events is proud to announce
that headlining the Doheny Blues Festival this year will be
Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Black Crowes.
 
Joining them will be:
Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band,
Robert Cray Band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds,
Booker T. Jones, Jackie Greene, Bettye LaVette,
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears... and many others.
 
The 2010 Festival Will Feature:
  • 26 acts on 3 stages - Blues, Rock & Soul music
  • A waterfront grass park with two main stages at opposite ends of the venue
  • The Backporch Stage, where fans can enjoy acoustic performances in an intimate lawn area
  • A large Vendor Village with tons of cool stuff
  • International Food Court with authentic restaurants and tasty beverages
  • Kidz EcoZone featuring fun and music filled activities for the kids, as well as their own "Beach Shack" stage
  • On-site music store where fans can meet the performers and buy new music 
     
    Come for the music... enjoy it all!
    For more info and to purchase tickets
  •  
    Click here for the schedule
     

    Canadian Festivals Coalition Created
    OTTAWA, Canada (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) -- World-class festivals and events have been a driving force in the Canadian economy throughout the recession, according to an independent analysis of reports submitted by major festivals to the federal government.
     
    A study released by the Canadian Festivals Coalition estimates that 15 of the largest festivals and events in Canada, including the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, attract 12,600,000 attendees annually, contribute $650 million in GDP to their local economies, and support the equivalent of 15,600 full-year jobs nationwide.
     
    This substantial economic impact is derived from operational and tourism spending estimated at $1.1 billion per year. The analysis, commissioned by the Canadian Festivals Coalition and compiled by Toronto-based Enigma Research Corporation, also estimated that tourism and operational spending related to these events generates approximately $260 million in tax revenue for all three levels of government.
     
    The federal government’s support of festivals and events through its Marquee Tourism Events Program played a decisive role in these strong results. As part of the government’s 2009 Action Plan, the program’s two-year $100-million investment recognized that major cultural festivals and events form a sector of the economy that generates significant economic returns.
     
    Industry Canada announced $1.97 million has been invested in the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. “This is a good-news-story for all Canadians,” says Ottawa Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan. “There’s a very good reason why Canada is leading the world out of the worst recession since the Great Depression. The federal government’s economic action plan is producing staggering outcomes. Their funding of marquee festivals in Canada has produced immediate and meaningful results for the Canadian economy.”
     
    The 15 events included in the analysis were: the Canadian National Exhibition, the Carnaval de Québec, the Charlottetown Festival, the Festival d’été de Québec, Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, Luminato, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, the Pacific National Exhibition, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the Shaw Festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.--by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
     

    School of Doc
    THERAPEUTIC: Aditya Madhusudhan, Dr. Fernando Almenas and Dr. Caroline Apovian jam.
     
    BU Medical band finds cure for stress
     
    Call it a breakthrough in music therapy.
     
    A team of professors, staff and students at the Boston University School of Medicine have turned their institution into a mini school of rock. Every Sunday, the Boston University Medical Campus Band rehearses in a campus auditorium. For three hours, they bust out classic rock, vintage blues and more.
     
    Working in medicine is a tough racket, they say, so how better to forge relationships than by jamming together, making music and releasing collective stress?
     
    “This is pure enjoyment,” said anesthesiologist, guitarist and harmonica player Dr. Rafael Ortega, 54. “If no one is having fun, there’s the door.”
     
    The band, formed three years years ago, includes med students, two neurosurgeons, a plastic surgeon and - appropriately - an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor). Lack of experience matters not. At rehearsal a Herald reporter was coaxed into singing Santana’s “Evil Ways.”
     
    “We enjoy seeing faculty members or medical students and everyone in between step out of traditional roles and show us their humanistic side,” Ortega said.
     
    The band combines multiple cultures and ethnicities, making for remarkable blends of sound. The music is often gut-level.
     
    “We are truly an inner-city hospital that has a gritty side. We have a raw side here because of the trauma that we do, because of the drug-abuse problems that we deal with, the public-health-related issues that the medical center confronts,” Ortega said.
     
    Though members come ready to rock, they are conscious of being on call. Some routinely check their pagers. Others show up to rehearsal wearing scrubs. When one member has to leave, another fills the spot. Musicians analyze volume and songs as meticulously as they would a patient in surgery.
     
    ‘When you do surgery it’s a very solitary thing; and when you are in a band it’s a completely interactive situation, so you’re part of a team,” said neurosurgeon and keyboard player Dr. Lawrence Chin. “That’s a nice change.”
     
    While most everyone in the group has rock-star dreams, all are quick to note that medicine is their true calling. “We have divas and we have rock-star wannabes,’‘ Ortega said. “We all fantasize about (stardom), but at the end of the day you have to do what you’re good at, which is really what you’ve trained for for so many years.”
     
    There is plenty of virtuosity. Otolaryngologist Dr. Anand Devaiah and anesthesia resident Dr. Fernando Almenas wield guitars like maestros. Endocrinologist and singer Dr. Caroline Apovian digs down deep and unleashes courageous blues vocals on “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Spooky.”
     
    The BUMC Band has wowed crowds on other stages, performing at fund-raisers, including a sold-out February concert at Berklee College of Music’s Cafe 939 in which proceeds went to the school’s scholarship office. The band is slated to perform with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra at a health fair in August.
     
    Members say the band has been a recruitment tool in convincing faculty and students to become part of the diverse campus.
     
    “I think if we continued to play just to play and not have a purpose - like having something we could give back as a process of it - then I don’t think we’d still be playing, to be honest,” Devaiah said.
     

     
    Buddy Guy Relocates Legends; New State-of-the-Art Blues Club Sset To Open
    After a decade of uncertainty, Buddy Guy’s Legends finally has a new home – and it’s a lavish improvement on just about anything the venerable Chicago blues scene has ever seen.
     
    When the new space is unveiled at 700 South Wabash Avenue it will dwarf the old location just a few doors south. An official opening date won’t be announced until after a city inspection Tuesday, but Guy expects to be up and running soon after. The new Legends spreads more than 11,000 square feet of space over two levels with two stages, more than twice the size of the old venue. It will offer ample space for the club’s famous namesake to show off a lifetime of memorabilia, including vintage guitars and personal photographs of blues greats. And it will come equipped with a $200,000 state-of-the-art sound system. The club will accommodate about 400 people downstairs in the main music room, and up to 250 upstairs in a more intimate space with pool tables and a movie screen.
     
    The club’s owner is both pleased and relieved to be opening just in time for some of the city’s biggest summer blues events, Blues Fest in Grant Park on June 11-13, and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival at Toyota Park in Bridgeview on June 26, both of which are expected to draw fans and performers to Legends.
     
    “I do worry about the blues; you look around and there used to be hundreds of blues clubs in Chicago, now there are only a few,” Buddy Guy says. “So this new place is going to be a great space for music, but I can see why some people see it as a blues museum too.”
     
    The famed South Loop blues club has operated at 754 South Wabash Avenue since 1989, and has hosted countless musical giants, including Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Lou Rawls, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Clapton. But since the late ‘90s Guy has been hunting for a new location because Columbia College, which owns the property, had plans to expand there.
     
    “Columbia College plans to demolish the building after Buddy Guy moves into his new facility,” says Columbia spokesman Steve Kauffman. “We have no immediate plans to build on that site after demolition. The building would require extensive modifications and repairs for Columbia College to utilize it.”
     
    Guy looked at several possible new locations; he bought a piece of property across the street to build a new club but couldn’t get the required zoning and eventually abandoned the plan. He was asked to look at the former site of the infamous E2 club on 2300 South Michigan Avenue, where 21 patrons were killed in a 2003 stampede. But Guy didn’t want to move from the South Loop because of its proximity to downtown hotels.
     
    “Used to be people would be out till 4 in the morning visiting the blues clubs on 43rd, 63rd, Madison on the West Side, but not anymore,” he says. “Those days are not coming back. You have to be convenient to people or you won’t survive.”
     
    Meanwhile, the original Legends was due for an upgrade, “but we kept things running with duct tape because year after year we thought we’d be moving,” says Brian Moravec, the club’s general manager.
     
    When the 700 South Wabash space became available in 2007, the site of the old Hothouse music club, Guy bought it for $3.2 million. Then it took a couple more years for some tenants to move out from the downstairs space, and construction got underway. The space was gutted and redesigned to suit the needs of a top-shelf music showcase.
     
    “There’s no pole on the stage for one thing,” says Moravec, laughing about the obstruction that became a trademark of sorts for the original Legends. “No matter where you’re standing in the new place you’re going to have a great view of the stage, and the sound will be outstanding.”
     
    Guy says he was insistent on beefing up the sound system. “A lousy sound system hurts everybody,” he says. “When a musician sounds bad, the average person doesn’t blame the sound system, they look at you and say, ‘You sound like [garbage]. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right.”
     
    Gary Gand, owner of Gand Music and Sound in suburban Northfield, says his company installed a digital mixing console and sound and lighting equipment “comparable to what you’d see at a major music festival or the United Center rather than a typical blues club.”
    Speakers in the ceiling will provide a strong bass presence throughout the club. “We can steer the sound coming out of them with computers,” Gand says. “We can reflect sound around the room electronically and keep it off the stage so the microphones don’t feed back. Every seat in the house will have great sound. We’re looking to blow people’s minds.”
     
    Guy, 73, has been running music clubs in Chicago since the early ‘70s – he owned the Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side from 1972 to 1985. Just as he had to fight to make a name for himself in the cut-throat Chicago blues scene when he first moved to the city from a sharecropper’s farm in Louisiana in 1957, he has never been able to coast as a club owner despite his international fame as a performer.
     
    “I spent my life savings to open the Checkerboard in 1972, and I was making payroll for the first 10 years here off my guitar playing,” he says. “If I didn’t play, we didn’t stay open. Now I’m putting all my money into this. But I’m overjoyed about this place. It’s my way of keeping the blues alive, because I think it’ll be here a long time after I’m gone.”
     

    Festivals Get Financial Boost
    Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival and New Brunswick Summer Music Festival  Federal Funding To Continue
     
    New Brunswick, Ca. - The federal government has opened its purse-strings in support of two popular Fredericton music festivals.
     
    The Government of Canada has committed $43,000 to the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival and an additional $16,000 in support of the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival.
     
    Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield, who is also the Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Atlantic Gateway and National Revenue, visited the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival's Regent Street office Friday to make the official announcement.
     
    The funding was provided through the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada Arts Presentation Fund.
     
    Ashfield, who was representing Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister James Moore, said the two Fredericton festivals enrich the cultural landscape of the region.
     
    He said he's already making arrangements in his schedule that will allow him to take in the festivities.
     
    "I've asked them to block out a good chunk of time during the Harvest Jazz and Blues (Festival) this September so I can attend," he said.
     
    "It's a great organization and the work that goes on here - the acts are tremendous. It's hard to beat."
     
    Richard Hornsby, artistic director of the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, said the funding is vital to making the event happen.
     
    "Without that particular component, it'd be really difficult to do what we do," he said.
     
    "It would really change the activities quite a bit. It allows us to do things, like put on the free concerts that we do and highly subsidize some of the ones for youth and others as well. It really makes a huge difference."
     
    Hornsby said artists such as soprano Sally Dibblee will feature prominently at this year's festival, which is slated to run between August 16-28.
     
    Fans can expect to see classical chamber music performances by artists from across the country, and participate in workshops, lectures and community activities.
     
    Patti Graham, a member of the board of directors and a past-chairperson of the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, said partnerships with all three levels of government are important to maintaining the festival's programming and services.
     
    "All of the funding we get goes right into the pot. That includes our sponsors, all of our funding partners and any revenues from the event," she said.
     
    "We're budgeted very, very carefully, and it all goes towards things like infrastructure, paying for the artists, taking care of the artists' riders, and so on.
     
    "It covers not only our paid programming, but our free programming and all of the free stages and the infrastructure around those."
     

    MAD. SQ. MUSIC: Oval Lawn Series Announces 2010 Season
     
    MAD. SQ. MUSIC: The Oval Lawn Series
    Free Outdoor Concerts!
    Wednesdays, June 16 – August 4
     
    Madison Square Park, NYC
    23rd Street & Madison Avenue
     
    New York, NY – April 26, 2010 – The Madison Square Park Conservancy announces the 2010 summer line-up of Mad Sq Music: Oval Lawn Series (Wednesday evenings, running June 16 through August 4.)  Now in its eighth year, this popular series presents artists in a scenic outdoor setting perfect for relaxing on the lawn with a picnic. Indian fusion restaurant, Tabla, will offer food on-site on all concert dates. On July 7, Hill Country Barbecue Market will also be on site offering their signature bbq as part of the annual Blue Grass and Barbeque show.    
     
    Shows are appropriate for all ages.
     
    Concerts are held rain or shine and begin at 6:00pm or  7:00pm depending on the date. Bring a blanket for lawn seating (no chairs are allowed).  All concerts are free!
     
    Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series 2010
    June 16, 7:00 pm  // Ruthie Foster
    Ruthie Foster’s 2009 Grammy-nominated album, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster (Blue Corn Music), is a “full-on blast…”, writes The Blues Revue. Ruthie brings that explosive energy to the opening night of Mad. Sq. Music, with her signature powerhouse-mix of gospel, roots, blues and soul.
     
     
    Click for more
     

    "SOUL SURVIVORS FESTIVAL" PROVES MUSIC HISTORY IS ALIVE AND WELL IN FERRIDAY, LOUISIANA
    (Ferriday, Louisiana) -- "From monkeys riding dogs to real-deal blues music, the Soul Survivors Festival is going to prove that Ferriday still has a lot going for it," according to Ferriday businessman and festival co-organizer Tommy Polk. "This is going to be a terrific little festival in a truly special town. We expect to make new fans for both next weekend."

    The inaugural Soul Survivors Festival is set for Saturday, May 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Ferriday, Louisiana -- birthplace of rock 'n roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis and home of the legendary Haney's Big House nightclub.

    HANEY'S BIG HOUSE IS HISTORY

    "Haney's Big House was the big place to be and be seen," explained Polk. "Everyone from B.B. King to Fats Domino played there on a regular basis. Even a young Jerry Lee Lewis used to sneak peaks at all the music going on inside."

    Started as a barbecue joint, Haney's place soon offered (legal-at-the-time) gambling and eventually, under the Haney's Big House name, the live blues, boogie and R&B of the day. The venue included about 20 bar stools and 50 tables with chairs for patrons. Before burning to the ground along with the rest of the block in mid-1960s, weekend nights would feature live music and hundreds of customers spilling out into the street.

    "It must have really been something to see, back then," said Polk. "Today, much of the musical interest in Ferriday can be traced back to Haney's Big House as well as Jerry Lee Lewis' early musical exploits. It makes sense that we are now starting a Soul Survivors Festival to honor this history and introduce our friendly town to the world."

    THE BLUES TRAIL LEADS TO FERRIDAY

    As part of Soul Survivors Festival weekend, the award-winning Mississippi Blues Trail is crossing over into Louisiana for a very special dedication.

    "We really want to call attention to the importance that a town like Ferriday played back in the day for visiting Mississippi blues artists as well as national music acts," said Alex Thomas, Mississippi's Blues Trail director. "Ferriday was home to clubs like Haney's Big House which was part of the so-called 'Chitlin Circuit' and provided a stage for a who's who of touring African-American musicians. We're pleased to be honoring this legacy with our 'Mississippi to Louisiana' marker."

    The new Blues Trail marker will be officially dedicated on the lawn of Ferriday's Delta Music Museum at 12 noon on May 22nd with various state and local dignitaries on hand. Blues fans can find more information about the Blues Trail program on the web at www.msbluestrail.org.

    In conjunction with the marker dedication, visitors are invited to tour Ferriday's popular Delta Music Museum, which further hightlights the area's rich musical history.

    THE MAIN EVENT: SOUL SURVIVORS FESTIVAL

    The Soul Survivors Festival itself promises to offer something for everyone. Scheduled musical events include performances by Fat Possum recording artist Hezekiah Early, Excello swamp-blues legend Jimmy Anderson, Natchez blues favorite YZ Ealey and Louisiana's own Lil Poochie. The line-up makes for a truly compelling snapshot of the region's living musical heritage.

    In addition, there will be plenty of family-friendly fun as well, including special kids' activities, local art and more. Team GhostRiders will also be on hand with a "you have to see it to believe it" exhibition of monkeys riding dogs and herding sheep," boasts Polk.

    "I first saw this amazing outfit perform at a Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi," remembered Polk. "Basically, the ringmaster is an ex-rodeo clown who trained tiny monkeys to ride border collies while herding sheep -- all by command. It's quite a show and tremendous fun for the whole family. It's sure to be a festival highlight."

    Soul Survivors Festival sponsors include the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, EntergyMarsala BeverageBryant Hammett & Associates, Concordia Bank, Delta Music Museum, and The Town of Ferriday, Louisiana.

    "We hope music fans and local families will make it a point to spend the weekend with us next weekend," said Polk. "Ferriday is a very warm and inviting town. It is totally a plus to have such a rich musical history here and such a special cultural event as Soul Survivors Festival. Myself, I can hardly wait."

    For more information on Saturday, May 22nd's Soul Survivors Festival in Ferriday, Louisiana, please go to www.ferridaysongfest.com.  

     
    2010 Great Hudson River Revival
    BEACON, NY – Clearwater has finalized the line-up for the 2010 Great Hudson River Revival, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20 at Croton Point Park in Croton-on Hudson, NY.
     
    Inspired by Pete Seeger’s desire to clean up the river over forty years ago, the Great Hudson River Revival initially helped raise the funds to build the sloop Clearwater, which has since become a world-renowned floating classroom and a symbol of effective grassroots action. Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a non-profit organization that sails at the forefront of the nation’s environmental challenges. The revenue raised by the Revival goes to support Clearwater’s numerous educational programs and its work toward environmental and social justice—as well as keeping the sloop Clearwater afloat.
     
    Pete Seeger & the Power of Song gets us underway on Saturday, June 19 on the Rainbow Stage. Also featured on this stage throughout the weekend are famed singer-songwriters Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin, contemporary music star Joan Osborne; Westchester County native David Bromberg and his quartetKeller Williams, "newgrass" sensation Railroad EarthDonna the Buffalo, Toshi Reagon, The Felice Brothers, sacred steel guitar family band The Lee Boys, and Hazmat Modine, a global blues band based in NYC.
     
    Appearing on the Hudson Stage will be Steve Forbert, Rhett Miller, Jonatha Brooke, Mike Doughty, Dan Bern, Lucy Kaplansky, David Amram, Canadian duo Dala, Milton, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion and the Tao Seeger Band. 
     
    New for this year is the renamed “World Dance Stage” with a bigger dance floor and bands from around the globe.  The mission for the stage is audience participation.  The diverse roster features many different dance music styles and wonderful artists including Zydeco greats Buckwheat Zydeco, and C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band; Quebecois Cajun group Le Vent du Nord; Celtic artist and fiddle player of Riverdance Eileen Ivers; Contra Dance bands Nightingale and Jay, Molly & Peter; Brooklyn based Eastern European brass band Slavic Soul Party; Haitian drumming and dance ensemble Bonga & The Vodou Drums of Haiti; Columbian folkloric dance band Folklore Urbano; West African Balafon troupe Kakande and from New Orleans, The Subdudes and funk-soul band Brother Joscephus & the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra
     
    Pete Seeger will be performing at various junctures during the two-day festival including performances with two different kids groups. 
     
    The Revival is full of unique experiences. Story Grove, with professional storytellers and Circle of Song (audience participatory singing) keeps alive these unique and long-standing traditions. Performers at Story Groveinclude The Storycrafters, Dave Conover, Robert DeMayo, Bob Reiser, Nancy Marie Payne, Anne Shapiro & Tom Callinan and Bobaloo Basey. At Circle of Song we have Marva P. Clarke and Kim Harrisleading gospel sings, the Dirty Stay Out Skifflers, the Edukated Fleas, Hope Machine, Captain Killian & Crew, Mel & Vinnie, Eric Russell, Evy Mayer, Steve Stanne, Stoutand Matt Turk.
      
    Other programming that sets Clearwater apart from other festivals include Arm-of-the-Sea Theater (mask and puppet theater), the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (30-odd-piece New York City radical marching band and dance troupe), the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus (celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2010) and more.  
     
    As always there will be plenty of family oriented programming including the Family Stage, juggling, roving artists, face painting plus lots of other activities and vendors for kids. Appearing on the Family Stage will be Pete Seeger & Tomorrow's Children, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, David Amram, Elizabeth Mitchell & You Are My Flower, Kim & Reggie Harris, Jay Mankita, Grenadilla, Nancy Tucker, Roger the Jester, Dog on Fleas, Uncle Rock, Linda Richards and Dan Einbender. 
     
    There’s also a Juried Crafts Fair with over 40 Crafters and folk artists with quality hand-made items, demonstrations and workshops and a Green Living Expo Tent where you can learn about products, services, concepts and technologies that can inform your lifestyle and business choices.
     
     
    The sloop Clearwater and the schooner Mystic Whaler will be conducting sails throughout the weekend as well as rides being offered on smaller boats.    
     
     
    The Discovery and Tideline tents will feature Clearwater's original hands-on environmental education programs and Hudson River research. The Environmental Action Tent will highlight Clearwater's watershed and environmental justice initiatives in cities up and down the Hudson River Valley. 
     
    Keeping with tradition, the entire festival is wheelchair accessible and most stage programming is staffed with American Sign Language interpreters.  
      
    Tickets range from $40 (early bird) to $80 (gate).  Tickets are available at www.ClearwaterFestival.org or 845-418-3596
     

    LITTLE JOE MCLERRAN TOURS MIDDLE EAST
    Little Joe McLerran and his band have just returned from a tour of the Middle East playing concerts at schools, universities and venues throughout Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The highlight of the tour might have been the concert to an audience of 1300 fledgling Blues fans at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   Little Joe’s show was the first public performance of music in Saudi Arabia in 100 years.  Or, it might have been the last concert of the tour in Muscat, Oman set on the cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea with starry skies and a crescent moon.  It’s hard to say what the most memorable moment was. 
     
    There were many.
     
    The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad is an educational and cultural exchange program hosted by the US Department of State coordinated by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.  Little Joe and his band with David Berntson on harmonica, Robbie Mack on bass and Ron McRorey on drums were among 10 groups selected for the 2010 tour.  “We played over a dozen public concerts. We played at four universities and several K-12 schools giving workshops and master classes.  We had several jam sessions with local players and even had a club gig in Bahrain.  We were gone for a month and we were busy!” said McLerran.
     
    Little Joe has a schedule of festival dates through the summer including Mississippi Valley, Chautauqua, the Deep Blue Innovators and others.  Followwww.littlejoeblues.com/ for the latest updates.
     

    WATERMELON SLIM
    From the Editor - I had a chance to catch Watermelon Slim and the Workers a couple of weeks ago in Gainsville and can attest to the fact that Slim (Bill Homans) and the boy's are in fine form. All I can say is if you get a chance to see Slim on this tour, do so. Also a special thanks to the North Central Florida Blues Society for bringing in such a great show.
     
    Click here for more info and to see the rest of Slim's schedule. 
     
    Click here for more on the NCFBS
     
    - Gordon 

    Windy City Blues Society
    Windy City Blues Society Music Stage at Chicago Blues Festival - Windy City Blues Society is proud to announce our inaugural WCBS performance stage at the Chicago #Blues Festival, June 11th to 13th, 2010. The stage will have performances “non-stop” from Noon to 6 p.m. each day of the festival...
     
    We’re pleased to say we’ve secured an incredible line-up of many of the best blues performers in Chicago and beyond! Scheduled performers include: Dave Specter, Barrelhouse Chuck, Lurrie Bell, Lil’ Ed, John Primer, Bob Corritore, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, and Joe Filisko with Eric Noden…and many, many others
     

     
    Los Angeles Blues Society
    The Los Angeles Blues Society is pleased to announce their ninth Open Jam on Sunday, May 16th from 3-8pm at the Big Fish Bar in Glendale.
     
         Big Papa & The TCB will be the host band. All jammers and blues fans are welcome.  
    The Big Fish is located at 5230 San Fernando Road in Glendale, CA.  
        
         Information: www.lablues.org
     

     
    GRANITE STATE BLUES SOCIETY
     
    Granite State Blues Society announces its first annual Blues Challenge. Blues musicians are encouraged to enter now.
    Competition information, rules, and entry forms can be downloaded from our website.
     
    Eight entrants will be selected in each of 2 categories (bands and solo/duos) to compete in semi-final competitions.
     
    Semi - final competitions will take place at the Village Trestle, Goffstown, NH on Friday evenings, May 21 and May 28, 2010.
     
    Four semi - finalists will be selected in each of 2 categories (bands and solo/duos) to compete in final competitions.
     
    Finals competitions will take place at Tupelo’s Music Hall, Londonderry, NH on Friday evening June 4, 2010.
     
    The GSBS Blues Challenge winner (1 in each category) will be eligible to compete in the 2011 International Blues Challenge, hosted by the Blues Foundation, February 1-5, 2011, in Memphis, TN. The IBC will be the 27th year of Blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes, and industry recognition.
     
    For additional Granite State Blues Society information - www.granitestateblues.org/
      
    Granite State Blues Society
    PO Box 122
    New Boston, NH 03070
    (603) 325-8659
     


    back to top


    DOWNCHILD:
     
    Donny Walsh fronts Downchild, one of Elwood’s favorite bands. The Blues Brothers did their song, “I Got Everything I Need (Almost)” on their first album. This will be played. Donny hunkers in the blockhouse to talk about the band, and their new CD, commemorating forty years together - I NEED A HAT. They chat about blues players he loves, including Jimmy Reed, and Albert King. Plus, an up and coming Canadian trio, Monkey Junk. A button is put on the program with new music from Elwood’s old friend, Steve Cropper, hooked up with Felix Cavaliere once again to make MIDNIGHT FLYER.
     
     



    Click on festival name to click through to festival website.
    VISIT THE BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE WEBSITE FOR ALL THE FESTIVALS
    Over 500 festivals are listed on the website www.BluesFestivalGuide.com
    kwadendamme bluesfestival
    Friday-Saturday,
    May 14-15, 2010

    kwadendamme, zeeland,
    Netherlands
    www.bluestown.nl
    Pitt Academy Bar-B-Q Festival
    Saturday,
    May 15, 2010

    Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
    http://pitt.com
    Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival
    Saturday,
    May 15, 2010

    Thomson, Georgia, U.S.
    www.blindwillie.com
    2010 Texas Bluesfest
    Saturday,
    May 15, 2010
     
    Music Series-Old Town Spring
    Old Town Spring, Texas, U.S.
    www.TexasBluesfests.com
    Spring Blues Festival
    Saturday,
    May 15, 2010

    Ecaussinnes, Hainaut,
    Belgium
    www.springblues.be
    California Worldfest
    Saturday-Tuesday,
    May 15-18, 2010

    Grass Valley, California, U.S.
    www.worldfest.net
    Sunbanks Rhythm & Blues Festival
    Thursday-Sunday,
    May 20-23, 2010

    Grand Coulee, Washington, U.S.
    www.sunbanksfestival.com
    Chicago Blues Tour
    Friday-Sunday,
    May 21-23, 2010

    Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
    www.chicagobluestour.com
    Bluesfest Eutin
    Friday-Monday,
    May 21-24, 2010

    Eutin, Germany
    www.bluesfest-eutin.de
    Bourbon Street Blues Festival
    Saturday,
    May 22, 2010

    Lebanon Twp, New Jersey, U.S.
    www.bourbonstreetbluesfest.com
    Hill Country Harmonica:
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 22-23, 2010
    Hill Country Harmonica:
    A North Mississippi Blues Harp Homecoming
    Waterford, Mississippi, U.S.
    www.hillcountryharmonica.com
    Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 22-23, 2010

    Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.
    www.bayblues.org
    19.Grolsch Blues Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 22-23, 2010

    Schöppingen, NRW, Germany
    www.kulturring-schoeppingen.de
    Doheny Blues Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 22-23, 2010

    Dana Point, California,U.S.
    www.omegaevents.com/dohenyblues
    7th Annual Congressional Blues Festival
    Wednesday,
    May 26, 2010

    Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.
    www.congressionalbluesfestival.org
    Blues on Broadbeach
    Thursday-Sunday,
    May 27-30, 2010

    Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia
    www.bluesonbroadbeach.com
    Guinness Blues On The Bay Festival
    Thursday-Monday,
    May 27-31, 2010

    Warrenpoint, Carligford, Ireland
    www.bluesonthebay.com
    Silver City Blues Festival
    Friday-Sunday,
    May 28-30, 2010

    Silver City, New Mexico, U.S.
    www.mimbresarts.org
    Blues and Bluegrass for the Babes at Horse Pens 40 Memorial
    Friday-Sunday,
    May 28-30, 2010
    Ashville, Alabama, U.S.
    www.warrenworld.org
    Ashburton Blues Festival
    Friday-Sunday,
    May 28-30, 2010

    Ashburton, Devon, United Kingdom
    www.ashburtonbluesfestival.com
    Simi Valley Cajun Creole Music Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 29-30, 2010

    Simi Valley, CA, U.S.
    www.simicajun.org
    Watseka Theatres Blues, BBQ & Arts Fest
    Saturday,
    May 29, 2010

    Watseka, Illinois, U.S.
    www.watsekatheatre.com
    Spyglass Ridge Winery 5th Annual Blues Festival
    Saturday,
    May 29, 2010

    Sunbury, Pennsylvania, U.S.
    www.spyglassridgewinery.com
    Chautauqua Hills Blues Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 29-30, 2010

    Sedan, Kansas, U.S.
    www.cqbluesfest.com
    Santa Cruz Blues Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 29-30, 2010

    Aptos, California, U.S.
    www.santacruzbluesfestival.com
    Edmond Jazz, Blues & Green Festival
    Saturday-Sunday,
    May 29-30, 2010

    Edmond, OK, U.S.
    www.downtownedmondok.com
    G. Busy Blues Room Blues Festival
    Sunday,
    May 30, 2010

    Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
    http://www.gbusy.com
    Liberty Centre Blues & BBQ
    Sunday,
    May 30, 2010

    North Liberty, Iowa, U.S.
    http://northlibertyiowa.org/bluesandbbq
    17th Annual Avila Beach Blues Festival
    Sunday,
    May 30, 2010

    Avila Beach, California, U.S.
    www.otterproductionsinc.com
    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

     
    back to top
    back to top

    Information - both editorial and advertising - in the Blues Festival E-Guide - is believed to be correct but not guaranteed - so check it carefully before you attend any event or send money for anything. We do not write the news... just report it.
     
    Blues Festival E-Guide • PO Box 50635 • Reno, NV 89503
    Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Preferences | Report Spam
    Powered by MyNewsletterBuilder