****************************
It’s always wise to check with
the venue to confirm the show!
****************************
OTTAWA
BLUES SOCIETY
ROAD TO MEMPHIS
ROAD TO MEMPHIS
LOCAL
BLUES CHALLENGE 2019
****************************
The
Ottawa Blues Society Road to Memphis Local Blues Challenge will hold both a
Solo/Duo and Band challenge this year and one winner from each category will be
chosen to represent the Ottawa Blues Society at the International Blues
Challenge in Memphis in January 2020.
The
qualifying rounds are scheduled for Wednesdays, April 10, 17 and 24, with the
finals scheduled for Friday, April 26. All events will take place at the
Overflow Brewing Company, 2477 Kaladar Avenue.
Deadline
for entries is Sunday March 24, 2019 @ 11:59 pm EST.
For
the purposes of the IBC, a Band is any act with three or more musicians. A
Solo/Duo act is any act with no more than two musicians. Both electric and
acoustic instruments are allowed in either category, and vocalists are counted
as musicians for the purpose of this competition.
At
the local competition, entrants will be judged using the same criteria as in
the
International
competition. Each entry will have 20-25 minutes to perform (to be confirmed
following close of entries) and will be given points based on Blues Content,
Originality, Vocals, Instrumental Talent, and Stage Presence.
For
full details on scoring criteria and official rules, see the Blues Foundation
website https://blues.org/official-ibc-rules/
Eligibility
Requirements: Entrants must be 2019 residents of the Ottawa/Gatineau area
(approx 100 km radius of Ottawa). Entrants must be over 19 years of age.
Entrants must be able to travel to the IBC in Memphis, January 28 to February
01, 2020. An individual may not compete in more than one act.
Entrants
will play one set; set length 20-25 minutes (to be confirmed following close of
entries). All songs presented MUST be Blues (electric or acoustic), Rock/
Blues, Jazz/Blues, Country Blues or Rhythm & Blues.
The
OBS will contribute financial support to cover a portion of travel and
accommodation expenses to Memphis, however the winner is responsible for all
travel and accommodation charges incurred in excess of the financial assistance
provided.
Each
entry must be accompanied by an entry fee ($25 for bands; $10 for solo or duo
acts) to help offset Road To Memphis costs. This entry fee may be submitted via
the OBS website using PayPal. (Click on STORE/Donations) The entry fee is
refundable ONLY if the event is cancelled.
To
enter, please request an entry form by emailing obsr2m2019@gmail.com.
After
completing all sections, return the form to the Ottawa Blues Society at
obsr2m2019@gmail.com by the deadline above.
Every
effort will be made to accommodate all applications that are received on time
and meet the established criteria. However, should it be required for any
reason deemed appropriate, the Ottawa Blues Society reserves the right to limit
the number of entrants in the competition and a pre-screening of the
applications received will be conducted based on sample music provided. The
results of the pre-screening are final. Should there be an insufficient number
of entries to run a reasonable competition or for any other reason deemed
appropriate, the Ottawa Blues Society reserves the right to cancel the event.
You will be contacted for further information following the submission deadline.
Please
address any questions to obsr2m2019@gmail.com.
****************************
SPECIAL
EVENTS THIS WEEK
****************************
Delta & Modern
Blues Workshop
With Tony D
Spaceman Music, 388
Gladstone Avenue
Saturday, March 23
& Saturday, March 30; 1-3 pm
From
the Delta to Modern electric Blues. Robert Johnson to SRV. Chicago Blues of
Muddy Waters to the British Blues Explosion of Eric Clapton. Post war blues of
T-Bone Walker, BB King to ‘60s Blues of Freddie King and then some. Even some
Elmore and Jimi. Rhythms, melody lines, hooks, spills and chills. 3 chords and
you have yourself a party.
Two days, 2 hours per day. Call or email Spaceman Music Ottawa and they'll hook you up real good. What do you get? To quote the great Albert King, "I'll play the blues for you".
Two days, 2 hours per day. Call or email Spaceman Music Ottawa and they'll hook you up real good. What do you get? To quote the great Albert King, "I'll play the blues for you".
****************************
LOCAL
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
****************************
HOROJO TRIO
D’Arcy McGee’s, 44
Sparks Street
Friday, March 22
The
newly formed HOROJO trio – Jamie Holmes on drums, Jeff Rogers on keys and
vocals, and JW-Jones on guitar and vocals – will be bringing their unique style
to D’Arcy McGee’s for an intimate performance. Not to be missed.
****************************
AREA
HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
****************************
****************************
3rd Annual
INDÉO Festival
Christ Church, 101 Rue
Symmes, Aylmer QC
Thursday to Saturday,
March 21-23
The
Festival offers three nights of music and aims at diversity, with a night of
jazz followed by an evening folk music and finally blues, on the closing
evening. Jazz night will feature Delphinus Jazz opening for Jean-Pierre
Zanella’s tribute to Bossa Nova. Folk night will see Kimberley Sunstrum opening
for a tribute to Québécois music icon Félix Leclerc by Québec actor Stéphan
Côté.
On
Saturday March 23, blues will be featured. The Lucas Haneman Express, a quartet
led by guitar wizard Lucas Haneman, supported by local music scene veterans
Martin Newman (bass), Jeff Asselin (drums) and Megan Lawrence (vocals), will
open the evening. The Express has garnered loads of great reviews since its
inception. They were a semi-finalist at the 2016 International Blues Challenge
and recorded their latest album, “Tearing Up the Rails”, at the legendary Sun
Studios in Memphis TN. They will be tearing up the stage at Christ Church on
March 23 at 7 pm.
Following
the Lucas Haneman crew will be Roxanne Potvin. Local blues enthusiasts will
remember Roxanne’s blues beginnings here in Ottawa before she moved to Toronto
to pursue her career. Today, her music is less bluesy, but she remains a pillar
of the Canadian music industry. She recently released a new EP titled “All it
Was”. Her INDÉO performance is a prelude to a busy schedule in April and May
2019 when she will be touring Eastern and Western Canada with Colin James. It’s
a great opportunity to witness what Roxanne’s been up to since leaving Ottawa.
Tickets
are available online www.indeofete.ca/achat-de-billets.html.
You can buy a full festival pass at the special reduced price of 50$ OR a
one-night ticket for 30$, until March 14. After that date the prices will rise
to 60$ for a full pass and 40.50$ for a single night admission.
**********
Blues
On The Rideau presents
Ria
Reece Band
The
Cove Inn, Westport ON
Friday,
March 22, 7-11 pm; $65
(buffet dinner, dancing & door prizes
included)
Proceeds
to Rideau Waterway Land Trust
Ria
is another great Montreal chanteuse. She has a beautiful, powerful, soulful
voice and sings Blues, Rock, Soul & R&B with a depth and feeling that
belies her young age evoking memories of Aretha Franklin, Etta James & Koko
Taylor. Backed by her guitarist/husband Andre Chevarie, Ria and the band hit
the scene in 2013 with the release of their debut album “Out All Night”. It got
airplay around the world and positive reviews from as far away as Kenya, Los
Angeles, Atlanta and London. They were nominated for 4 Quebec Lys Blues Awards
that year and were finalists in the Toronto Blues Society’s Talent Search.
After seeing her perform at the Canadian Blues Summit in Toronto in 2015 I was
so impressed I booked her immediately to play BOTR @ The Cove and as expected
she blew the house away. Anyone who was there that night knows why they want to
be back to see her again. For those of you who haven’t experienced her yet –
come and find out what all the talk is about. Ria and the band have a new album
coming out shortly and will no doubt be playing lots from it at this show.
BLUES ON THE
RIDEAU is produced by Choose The Blues Productions www.choosetheblues.ca
in cooperation
with The Cove Inn, Westport www.coveinn.com
Perth Brewery www.perthbrewery.ca
DAWG FM Ottawa www.dawgfm.com
Ottawa Blues Society www.ottawabluessociety.com
LAKE 88.1
Perth/Rideau Lakes www.lake88.ca
Please visit and LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/ChooseTheBluesProductions
Please visit and LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/ChooseTheBluesProductions
**********
Tony D Trio
Batstone’s Northern Ramble, 45 Railway Avenue, Renfrew ON
Saturday, March 23, 8-11 pm; $25
Hey Ottawa Valley
peoples, and wanderers. The TD trio will be performing at Batstone's Northern
Ramble, Saturday, March 23. Playing the Blues, Funk, Jazz, Rock n Roll and
beyond. Basically all of it.
****************************
LOCALS
THIS WEEK
****************************
Wednesday, March 20
Jeff
Rogers Solo @ Social, 6:30 pm
Friday, March 22
HOROJO
Trio @ D’Arcy McGee’s, 9 pm
Saturday, March 23
River
Blues @ the Rainbow Bistro, 3:30 pm
K.J.
Thomas Band @ the Atomic Rooster, 4-8 pm
Lucas
Haneman Express @ 3rd Annual INDÉO Festival, 7 pm
Barry
& the Blasters @ the Rainbow Bistro, 9 pm
Al
Wood @ the South Branch Bistro, 9-11 pm
Funk
Yoself @ the Atomic Rooster, 10 pm
Sunday, March 24
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by the Radicals, 3-7:30 pm
River
City Junction @ the Atomic Rooster, 6-9 pm
****************************
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
(almost)
EVERY WEEK
****************************
Robert
Farrell
Daniel
O’Connell’s, 1211 Wellington Street
Mondays,
8:30–10 pm
**********
Mark’s Music
Mondays
Sandy Hill
Lounge & Grill
Mondays
@ 7 pm, starting October 15
**********
The Jam
@ Kaffé 1870, Wakefield QC
Every
Wednesday @ 9 pm, no cover
6 rotating hosts, each specializing in a
different genre
**********
Dr Dave
Blues & Jazz
Rainbow
Bistro, 76 Murray Street
Wednesdays,
4-7 pm; no cover
**********
John
Carroll
Chateau
Lafayette (The Laff), 42 York Street
Wednesdays,
8 pm
**********
Irene’s
Blues AllStars
Irene’s
Pub, 885 Bank Street
Thursdays,
9 pm – 1 am; no cover
A bonafide grass roots event that has grown
out of the very floorboards of Irene’s Pub and has become a real crowd pleaser
for musicians and music lovers alike, this weekly Thursday night jam features
Corky Kealey on drums with Vince Halfhide on bass and a host of great local
players who rotate according to availability. Each week the cast is topped up with
a guest host who steers the song selections in whatever way they're inspired
and the jamming begins. It's a great concept and the proof is in its continuing
popularity.
Hosted
by Corky Kealey and Vince Halfhide.
Special
guests:
March 21 – Luke Ambridge
March
28 – Don Cummings
April
4 – Elyssa Mahoney
April
11 – Chuck Karn with s/g Don Marcotte
April
18 – Joe McDonald
April
25 – Jimmy Cochrane
**********
Weekly
jazz jam
Options
Jazz Lounge, Brookstreet Hotel, Kanata
Thursdays,
7-11 pm; no cover
**********
Friday Night Music
Nepean Sailing Club,
3259 Carling Avenue
Fridays in February
& March @ 7:35 pm
March 22 – Blues Wind
– Larry Church
March
29 – Matthew Chaffey
**********
Open Jam
Pocketz,
1696 Carling Avenue
Fridays
@ 7:30 pm
Blues
and more … bring your friends, hear some great talent & join in in the fun.
**********
The
Allaire Show
with John Allaire & special guests
Quinn’s
Ale House, 1070 Bank Street
Last
Saturday of the month, 3-5 pm
Songs and stories from around the world.
**********
Sundays at Brothers
Brothers Beer Bistro,
366 Dalhousie Street
Sundays, 11 am – 3 pm
Come
and enjoy brunch prepared by Ottawa favorite Steve Mitton and enjoy the music
of John Carroll. Every Sunday from 11am-3pm.
**********
Jazz
Brunch with Peter Brown
Juke
Joint Soul Kitchen, Carp ON
Sundays,
11 am – 2 pm
Peter
says: “Wonderful food there and our music ain’t bad either.”
**********
Open
Blues Jam
Rainbow
Bistro, 76 Murray Street
Every Sunday,
4-7 pm; cover $3 (jammers free)
The jam is open to all ages. Jammers sign up on
the jam sheet at the door & each jam session lasts for 3 songs. Drums &
amps are provided; you only need to bring your instruments (but you can bring
your amps if you want to).
**********
Southern
Soul Sunday Brunch Buffet, @ 10 am & 2 pm
With Sherri
Harding
Fatboys
Southern Smokehouse, 34 Murray Street
**********
Constant Black’s Jazz
Sundays
Industria Pizza + Bar,
225 Ch Marché 107, Landsdowne Park
March 3, 17 & 31;
4-7 pm; no cover
We're
really excited to announce our upcoming dates at Industria Pizzeria + Bar in Landsdowne
Park. The food is great and the room is beautiful. Come check us out!
**********
Sunday
Blues, 6-9 pm, no cover
Atomic
Rooster, 303 Bank Street (at MacLaren)
**********
Sunday
Sessions, 9:30 pm, no cover
Irene’s
Pub, 885 Bank Street
MARCH –
The Bank Street Bonbons
APRIL
7, 14 & 28 – Jack Pine and the Fire
****************************
VIRÉE
BLUES MOOSEHEAD
****************************
Virée Blues Moosehead
Le Petit Chicago, 50 promenade
du Portage, Gatineau QC
****************************
AREA HIGHLIGHTS
MONTHLY
****************************
Blues On The Rideau
The Cove Inn, Westport ON
Once a month 7-11 pm; $65 (buffet dinner,
dancing & door prizes included)
Advance
reservations required. Call The Cove 613-273-3636
Dinner & Show Fundraisers
Once a month September through May (December
excluded).
Proceeds from each show support local charities.
Visit www.coveinn.com for info about the Inn
Well-priced accommodation available at The Cove, nearby B&Bs and motel
Westport is a beautiful historic town on the Rideau Waterway - a 90-minute drive from Ottawa, 45 minutes from Kingston.
Visit www.coveinn.com for info about the Inn
Well-priced accommodation available at The Cove, nearby B&Bs and motel
Westport is a beautiful historic town on the Rideau Waterway - a 90-minute drive from Ottawa, 45 minutes from Kingston.
2018-19 LINE-UP:
March 22, 2019 – Ria Reece Band
April 19, 2019 – Rick Fines & Suzie Vinnick Band
May 10, 2019 – Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin
More info including artists’ Bios, links to their websites and YOU TUBE videos at www.BluesOnTheRideau.ca
BLUES ON THE
RIDEAU is produced by Choose The Blues Productions www.choosetheblues.ca
in cooperation
with The Cove Inn, Westport www.coveinn.com
Perth
Brewery www.perthbrewery.ca
DAWG FM
Ottawa www.dawgfm.com
Ottawa
Blues Society www.ottawabluessociety.com
LAKE 88.1
Perth/Rideau Lakes www.lake88.ca
Please visit and LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/ChooseTheBluesProductions
Please visit and LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/ChooseTheBluesProductions
****************************
MUSIC BY
THE BAY LIVE
AJAX, UXBRIDGE,
PORT PERRY
****************************
Music By The Bay Live
presents
Anthony Gomes
Avalon Lounge, Port
Whitby Marina, 301 Watson Street West, Whitby ON
Saturday, April 6 @ 8
pm; $50 advance plus $4 charge & HST
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Gomes has taken
his blues to 17 countries and performed with luminaries like B.B. King, Buddy
Guy, Robert Plant, Heart, Sammy Hagar, Joe Bonamassa, .38 Special, Jonny Lang,
Robert Cray, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. His high-level guitar, vocal, and songwriting
skills have made him one of the top drawing artists in the blues/rock world.
His 2015 release Electric Field Holler, debuted at Number Three on the
Billboard Blues Chart and he has had five records make the Top Ten there,
including 2008’s “Live”, which debuted at Number One. His song ‘Love Sweet
Love’ has racked up over 3.5 million plays on Spotify and was selected by Relix
Magazine from more than 40,000 submissions to its song competition for its CD
sampler. Clearly, the world is listening.
**********
Alastair Greene
St. Francis Centre; 78 Church Street South, Ajax
Saturday, April 27; 8-11:30 pm; $50 advance plus $4 charge
& HST
Alastair Greene’s
musical journey has been anything but traditional. His combination of Blues,
Southern Rock, and Jam Band sensibilities has been thrilling audiences for nearly
two decades. With recent performances at the Chicago Blues Festival and the Big
Blues Bender in Las Vegas as well as a recent tour filling in on guitar with
Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, and many guest appearances with such luminaries
as Eric Burdon, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Savoy Brown, John Nemeth, and
Debbie Davies, it’s crystal clear … Alastair Greene’s star is on the rise.
Alastair recently
plunged headfirst into a full-time solo career, stepping down after 7 years
touring the world as the guitarist for Rock legend, Alan Parsons. Alastair is
philosophical about his time playing with Parsons, saying, “I’ll always be grateful
for the opportunity Alan gave me to handle guitar and vocal duties in his band.
It was an honor to play the music created by the Alan Parsons Project to Alan’s
fans around the world. After 7 years, the time has come for me to truly pursue my own musical dream.”
**********
Music By the Bay Live
presents
Mike Zito
St. Francis Centre;
78 Church Street South, Ajax
Saturday, May 11; 8-11:30
pm; $55 advance plus $4 charge & HST
There
may not be a more honest bluesman than Mike Zito, whose 15th album ‘First Class
Life’ comes out May 11 on RUF Records. The rocking yet poignant title track
explores his journey from addiction to sobriety and then musical recognition;
he is a two-time 2017 Blues Music Award nominee. Zito’s star has been on the
rise of late both solo and as a member of the Royal Southern Brotherhood, with
bandmates Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott.
In addition to the press and Blues Music Award love, Zito has earned from fellow artists. Anders Osborne says, "I love Mike Zito! He's got that rare kinda voice that resonates in your soul. All his hardship, life experiences and kind heart oozes out of every note his sings. His guitar playing dances delicately between a contemporary blues virtuoso and an old fashion soul man. Mike continues to impress me with his straightforward and honest songwriting. His joy and grace shine through every record he makes."
In addition to the press and Blues Music Award love, Zito has earned from fellow artists. Anders Osborne says, "I love Mike Zito! He's got that rare kinda voice that resonates in your soul. All his hardship, life experiences and kind heart oozes out of every note his sings. His guitar playing dances delicately between a contemporary blues virtuoso and an old fashion soul man. Mike continues to impress me with his straightforward and honest songwriting. His joy and grace shine through every record he makes."
****************************
SPECIAL
EVENTS COMING UP
****************************
Angelique Francis
Band in Concert
Kailash Mital Theatre, 1125 Colonel By
Drive
Friday, March 29 @ 8
pm; $10 advance, $15 at the door
Angelique
Francis is a versatile and exceptionally gifted musician with talent that is
way beyond her years. This multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist, multi-genre
singer song writer and composer has wowed audiences across the globe with her
electrifying performances, instrumental abilities and powerful textured vocals.
She is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including Blues,
Soul, Folk, Jazz, Gospel and Rock. Her diversity, passion and love of music can
be heard in all of her original compositions.
https://www.facebook.com/events/340318973271258/
https://www.facebook.com/events/340318973271258/
**********
JW-Jones
LIVE! on Elgin, 220 Elgin
Street
Saturday, March 30;
doors @ 7 pm, show @ 7:30 pm; $19.99 + tax
The
improv magic you hear on JW-Jones’ 10th album, “Live”, is the spark that has
awakened new sonic frontiers for the veteran Maple Blues Award-winning Ottawa
bluesman.
As
he continues to evolve as one of Canada’s most versatile bluesmen, with one
foot in the terra firma of the traditional blues espoused by the likes of
Howlin’ Wolf sideman Hubert Sumlin and harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite
(who both guested on Jones’ memorable Midnight Memphis Sun, recorded at the historic
Sun Studio) and blues contemporaries Robert Cray, for whom the JW-Jones band
has occasionally opened, he continues to challenge and raise his standards through
his recordings and the 130 dates on average yearly that he clocks in on the
road.
An
additional highlight is the inclusion of the JW-Jones showstopper – the 17-song
medley that rifles through snippets of classic guitar riffs backed by the energetic
support of 2018 Maple Blues Award Bassist of the Year Laura Greenberg and the inimitable
Will Laurin on drums. “It’s been a staple of our live show for years,”
says Jones. “People have been asking us to record it forever, so now we’ve finally
captured it for everyone to enjoy!”
And
everyone will enjoy “Live”, an album for the ages that captures the JW-Jones
lightning in a bottle.
–
Excerpts from a review by Nick Krewen, freelance contributor for Toronto Star,
Globe & Mail, Grammy.com, and Billboard
**********
Main & Abbott
Spring & Swing Dance Party
Nepean Sailing Club,
3259 Carling Avenue
Saturday, March 30;
7:30-11:30 pm; $10
Open for Dinner - Music starts at 8:00
Enjoy
Swing Music and Dancing to Nostalgic Big Band Music
Featuring Vocalist Joanne Hotte-Sigouin
All the Great songs from the Big Band Era including Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey with vocals made famous by Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
Featuring Vocalist Joanne Hotte-Sigouin
All the Great songs from the Big Band Era including Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey with vocals made famous by Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
**********
The Steve Berndt
Quartet
Options Bar, Brookstreet
Hotel, 525 Legget Drive, Kanata
Saturday, March 30, 8 pm – midnight
Saturday, March 30, 8 pm – midnight
We'll
be playing songs from my first solo jazz CD, just recorded in December.
Piano:
J. P. Allain
Drums:
Michel Delage
Upright
Bass: Norm Glaude
Trombone/Vocal:
Steve Berndt
**********
Harpdog Brown &
the Uptown Blues Band
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank
Street
Friday, April 5 @ 9:30
pm; $20
Canada’s
Classic Bluesman, Harpdog Brown has a brand-new album out. It’s called “For
Love & Money and it’s unlike anything you’ve heard from Dog! It’s a little
bit Chicago and a lotta New Orleans and it’s guaranteed to move ya!
Harpdog Brown has grown a reputation as a real-deal purveyor of classic electric blues. Think of the old Chess Records and Sun Records of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. These days he’s been touring more and more as Harpdog Brown & the Uptown Blues Band - a vintage New Orleans Blues sound featuring slide trombone, keyboards, bass and drums and often a sax and clarinet. Still a vintage vibe, just a different vintage! This music will move you! They perform mostly originals, yet they often include great songs of the masters from that era. Think Louis Jordan, Satchmo, Sonny Boy Williamson, Wynonie Harris, even Duke Ellington. Audiences are raving about this new show!
Harpdog Brown is a gifted vocalist and an imaginative harmonica player. Piano man Dave Webb has been working with Harpdog over the years and they share an intuition that only comes with many hours and miles shared on and off stage. Joseph Abbott (Clarinet) and Brandon Lin (Trombone) are the newest and youngest additions to the band. Rounding out the band is Rick Jacobson from the state of Washington on the tubs.
Harpdog has won three consecutive Maple Blues Awards for Harmonica Player of the Year (2014/2015/2016), the Fraser Valley Music Award, has three consecutive Western Canadian Music Awards Nominations, a JUNO Nomination and is the only Canadian to win the coveted Muddy Award. In 2016, he was nominated for 3 Maple Blues Awards (Harmonica Player, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year) for his latest release “Travelin’ With The Blues” which was released in 2016 and is still sitting in the top roots and blues charts and follows his Top 20 charting 2014 release “What It Is” (Roots Music Report International Blues Albums).
Get off the couch and some see some seriously vintage blues that’s lots of fun!
https://www.facebook.com/events/539417759882492/
Harpdog Brown has grown a reputation as a real-deal purveyor of classic electric blues. Think of the old Chess Records and Sun Records of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. These days he’s been touring more and more as Harpdog Brown & the Uptown Blues Band - a vintage New Orleans Blues sound featuring slide trombone, keyboards, bass and drums and often a sax and clarinet. Still a vintage vibe, just a different vintage! This music will move you! They perform mostly originals, yet they often include great songs of the masters from that era. Think Louis Jordan, Satchmo, Sonny Boy Williamson, Wynonie Harris, even Duke Ellington. Audiences are raving about this new show!
Harpdog Brown is a gifted vocalist and an imaginative harmonica player. Piano man Dave Webb has been working with Harpdog over the years and they share an intuition that only comes with many hours and miles shared on and off stage. Joseph Abbott (Clarinet) and Brandon Lin (Trombone) are the newest and youngest additions to the band. Rounding out the band is Rick Jacobson from the state of Washington on the tubs.
Harpdog has won three consecutive Maple Blues Awards for Harmonica Player of the Year (2014/2015/2016), the Fraser Valley Music Award, has three consecutive Western Canadian Music Awards Nominations, a JUNO Nomination and is the only Canadian to win the coveted Muddy Award. In 2016, he was nominated for 3 Maple Blues Awards (Harmonica Player, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year) for his latest release “Travelin’ With The Blues” which was released in 2016 and is still sitting in the top roots and blues charts and follows his Top 20 charting 2014 release “What It Is” (Roots Music Report International Blues Albums).
Get off the couch and some see some seriously vintage blues that’s lots of fun!
https://www.facebook.com/events/539417759882492/
**********
A Night of Chicago Blues,
with
Maurice
John Vaughn
Joseph Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters)
Freddie Dixon (son of Willie Dixon)
Joseph Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters)
Freddie Dixon (son of Willie Dixon)
Shirley
Johnson
Rainbow Bistro, 76
Murray Street
Saturday, April 6 @ 8:30
pm; $30
So
much Chicago blues/ history, all in one night!
MAURICE JOHN VAUGHN
Maurice John Vaughn is a true blues original. A triple threat on guitar, saxophone and vocals, Vaughn writes powerful, innovative and often humorous songs that spring directly from his vast musical experience. His soulful and passionate vocals are convincing because they are earned – Vaughn means what he sings. Coming out of the streets of Chicago, Vaughn was raised on Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, black Top 40 and James Brown. Like the greats who have come before him, he has incorporated his various influences into a blues and R&B style that is completely his own.
https://www.alligator.com/artists/Maurice-John-Vaughn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_John_Vaughn
http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/featured-interview-maurice-john-vaughn
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maurice-john-vaughnn0000392421/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-esETp_0qzI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7EsIBaBR0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCkFUFrgvo
FREDDIE DIXON
Son of Willie Dixon, whose 500+ songs include "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Little Red Rooster", "My Babe", "Spoonful", and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover.”
https://www.bassplayer.com/lessons/freddie-dixon-son-of-the-blues
https://www.earwigmusic.com/earwig-artists/freddie-dixon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj_gs3V5N2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQZOfluwPD4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lwmka9Z0LE
JOSEPH MORGANFIELD
Born April 14, 1964, in Chicago Illinois, Joseph is the youngest son of the world-famous Muddy Waters.
https://www.ormanmusicmedia.com/joseph-mojo-morganfield/
https://www.lakeshorepublicradio.org/post/mojo-morganfield-youngest-son-muddy-waters-carries-family-business-blues#stream/0
https://www.livefromtheheartland.com/shows/2018/5/21/joseph-morganfield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewO3Pxf8naw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ebxj70jhXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKcGrsvHJnw
SHIRLEY JOHNSON
MAURICE JOHN VAUGHN
Maurice John Vaughn is a true blues original. A triple threat on guitar, saxophone and vocals, Vaughn writes powerful, innovative and often humorous songs that spring directly from his vast musical experience. His soulful and passionate vocals are convincing because they are earned – Vaughn means what he sings. Coming out of the streets of Chicago, Vaughn was raised on Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, black Top 40 and James Brown. Like the greats who have come before him, he has incorporated his various influences into a blues and R&B style that is completely his own.
https://www.alligator.com/artists/Maurice-John-Vaughn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_John_Vaughn
http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/featured-interview-maurice-john-vaughn
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maurice-john-vaughnn0000392421/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-esETp_0qzI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7EsIBaBR0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCkFUFrgvo
FREDDIE DIXON
Son of Willie Dixon, whose 500+ songs include "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Little Red Rooster", "My Babe", "Spoonful", and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover.”
https://www.bassplayer.com/lessons/freddie-dixon-son-of-the-blues
https://www.earwigmusic.com/earwig-artists/freddie-dixon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj_gs3V5N2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQZOfluwPD4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lwmka9Z0LE
JOSEPH MORGANFIELD
Born April 14, 1964, in Chicago Illinois, Joseph is the youngest son of the world-famous Muddy Waters.
https://www.ormanmusicmedia.com/joseph-mojo-morganfield/
https://www.lakeshorepublicradio.org/post/mojo-morganfield-youngest-son-muddy-waters-carries-family-business-blues#stream/0
https://www.livefromtheheartland.com/shows/2018/5/21/joseph-morganfield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewO3Pxf8naw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ebxj70jhXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKcGrsvHJnw
SHIRLEY JOHNSON
Like
so many African-American vocalists, Shirley Johnson started out singing in
church and then went on to embrace secular music. The Chicago resident, whose
influences range from Mahalia Jackson to Koko Taylor, Etta James, and Ruth
Brown, is a gritty, big-voiced blues singer who can also handle soul and
gospel. Although Johnson has spent much of her adult life in Chicago, the Windy
City is not her hometown; she was born in Franklin, VA and raised in Norfolk, VA.
Shirley came from a very religious family and was only six when she started
singing gospel in a church choir.
http://www.bluechicago.com/shirley-johnson
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shirley-johnson-mn0000030078/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_SB3-4Uw8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFJYubVljNM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucubHl06ARk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1yrqIP4BCg
**********
http://www.bluechicago.com/shirley-johnson
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/shirley-johnson-mn0000030078/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_SB3-4Uw8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFJYubVljNM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucubHl06ARk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1yrqIP4BCg
**********
Lucas Haneman Express
CD Release “Catch The
Westbound”
Greenfield’s Gastro
Public House, 900 Greenbank Road
Saturday, April 6
all ages acoustic show 4-6 pm, tickets $10
electrified show @ 9:30 pm – midnight,
tickets $15 advance, $10 general admission
Reserved seating (late show only), https://www.barrhavenspub.com/
Hot on the heels of their 2018 Maple Blues Nomination for Best New Act, the LH Express is back with their April 2019 release "Catch The Westbound”, their 3rd full length studio album. In addition to being mixed by Toronto based Brian Moncarz ("Our Lady Peace", "The Tea Party", and many more), the album was also mastered by Grammy Nominated Philip Shaw Bova. "Catch The Westbound" features 10 robust original tracks by Haneman and the band that sound like they were made for radio.
Hot on the heels of their 2018 Maple Blues Nomination for Best New Act, the LH Express is back with their April 2019 release "Catch The Westbound”, their 3rd full length studio album. In addition to being mixed by Toronto based Brian Moncarz ("Our Lady Peace", "The Tea Party", and many more), the album was also mastered by Grammy Nominated Philip Shaw Bova. "Catch The Westbound" features 10 robust original tracks by Haneman and the band that sound like they were made for radio.
Crowdfunding
campaign for “Catch The Westbound”
**********
Dawn Tyler Watson
Gainsbourg, 9 rue Aubry, Gatineau QC
Saturday, April 13 @ 8 pm; $20 + taxes
Arguably
"Montreal's Queen of the Blues" with a career spreading over 2
decades, 4 continents, 4 albums and countless national and International
Awards. In Memphis TN, Dawn Tyler Watson, backed by the Ben Racine Band, took
home the coveted 1st place spot out of over 260 acts at the 2017 International
Blues Challenge, she’s also the recipient of three Canadian Maple Blues Awards
and nine Quebec Lys Blues Awards. She's earned the Screaming Jay Hawkins Award
for Best Live Performance, a Trophées France Blues for female International
Artist of the Year.
**********
2nd
Sundays at the Wild Oat
Wild Oat Bakery, 819
Bank Street
Sunday, April 14, 3-6
pm
The
Duo, the original configuration of Ball and Chain, will be playing all sorts of
stuff from our catalogue including Country, Cajun, oldtime, and some lesser
known older pop ballads and other gems.
The Wild Oat Bakery has much on offer besides Bread and baked goo.ds; is licensed with craft and gluten free beer, good coffee and tea, great sandwiches and soup, and fresh eggs too... in short everything you could want on a stroll in the Glebe on a Sunday afternoon. Go for a skate on the canal and stop in for a tune or two... see you soon.
The Wild Oat Bakery has much on offer besides Bread and baked goo.ds; is licensed with craft and gluten free beer, good coffee and tea, great sandwiches and soup, and fresh eggs too... in short everything you could want on a stroll in the Glebe on a Sunday afternoon. Go for a skate on the canal and stop in for a tune or two... see you soon.
**********
Prakash John and the
Lincolns
Greenfield’s Gastro
Public House, 900 Greenbank Road
Sunday, April 14, 7:30-11:30
pm; $45 VIP Stage View, $35 General Admission
The
Lincolns are back, we are so pleased to have this Rhythm and Blues band on our
stage again fronted by the legendary Prakash John, based in Toronto but known
internationally. The band performs music mostly from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Tickets
$45 for reserved seating will soon be available online at barrhavenspub.com
General
Admission Tickets $35 available by contacting
AJ
Scarcella at: 613-858-9602
Moe
Stronge at:613-867-8785
Bobby
Littlemore at 613-286-4907
**********
JW-Jones
Neat Coffee Shop,
Burnstown ON
Saturday, April 20 @
8 pm; $35
The
improv magic you hear on JW-Jones’ 10th album, “Live”, is the spark that has
awakened new sonic frontiers for the veteran Maple Blues Award-winning Ottawa
bluesman.
As
he continues to evolve as one of Canada’s most versatile bluesmen, with one
foot in the terra firma of the traditional blues espoused by the likes of Howlin’
Wolf sideman Hubert Sumlin and harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite (who both
guested on Jones’ memorable Midnight Memphis Sun, recorded at the historic Sun
Studio) and blues contemporaries Robert Cray, for whom the JW-Jones band has
occasionally opened, he continues to challenge and raise his standards through
his recordings and the 130 dates on average yearly that he clocks in on the
road.
An
additional highlight is the inclusion of the JW-Jones showstopper – the 17-song
medley that rifles through snippets of classic guitar riffs backed by the energetic
support of 2018 Maple Blues Award Bassist of the Year Laura Greenberg and the inimitable
Will Laurin on drums. “It’s been a staple of our live show for years,”
says Jones. “People have been asking us to record it forever, so now we’ve
finally captured it for everyone to enjoy!”
And
everyone will enjoy “Live”, an album for the ages that captures the JW-Jones
lightning in a bottle.
–
Excerpts from a review by Nick Krewen, freelance contributor for Toronto Star,
Globe & Mail, Grammy.com, and Billboard
**********
Jackson Delta
Bringing It All Back
Home
Market Hall
Performing Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough ON
Saturday, April 20,
8-10:30 pm; $35 general admission, $45 assigned cabaret table seat
Tickets available in person at the Market
Hall Box Office,
by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org
Celebrated
by critics as Canada's best acoustic blues band Rick Fines, Alan Black and Gary Peeples have
garnered a list of awards and accolades over the years including 2 Juno
Nominations, runner up in the prestigious Handy New Talent Awards (The first entry
from outside of the United States), 2 Peterborough Pathway of Fame Inductions,
Maple Blues award (Rick Fines), and Wire Magazine awards winners in blues
category. They have toured extensively across North America and the U.K.
performing at every major Folk, Blues and Jazz festival and along the way
providing back up for Colleen Peterson, Ann Rabson and Pinetop Perkins as well
as many others. Each member is a force in their own right but together as
Jackson Delta they serve up a potent gumbo of the best acoustic blues north of
the Mason/Dixon Line.
**********
Ghost Town Blues Band
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank
Street
Sunday, April 21 @ 8
pm; $15
Ghost
Town Blues Band is not your grandpa’s blues band – their live show has been
captivating audiences in the U.S., Canada and Europe with their
"second-line horn entrance," cigar box guitars and electric push
brooms to Allman Brothers style jams and even a hip-hop trombone player. The
band's stage show and energy is unparalleled. The grooves go from fresh to
funky – horns, harmonies and homegrown instruments combined with an energetic
and roots rich festival set makes Ghost Town Blues Band one of the “must see
live bands on the festival scene today.”
**********
Big Band Night with
the Stan Clark Orchestra
Wasabi, 41 Clarence
Monday, April 22; 7:30-10:30
pm; $10
Dinner reservations available - 613-241-3636
Live
Big Band! Dining and Dancing at the Wasabi.
Listen to the 17-piece Stan Clark Orchestra featuring guest vocalist Johnny Vegas. All your favourite tunes from the big band era performed live.
Come dance, eat and celebrate with us!
**********
Listen to the 17-piece Stan Clark Orchestra featuring guest vocalist Johnny Vegas. All your favourite tunes from the big band era performed live.
Come dance, eat and celebrate with us!
**********
NAC Presents
Suzie Vinnick
National Arts Centre
4th Stage, 1 Elgin Street
Thursday, April 25 @ 8:30
pm; $20
Earnest,
and with a touch of heart-felt twang, Suzie Vinnick is a prodigious
singer-songwriter, and veteran of the Canadian roots scene. A Saskatoon native
transplanted to the Niagara Region of Ontario, she’s the proud owner of a
gorgeous voice, serious guitar chops, and an engagingly candid performance
style.
Among her most recent successes: being nominated for a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Producer of the Year with her co-producer, Mark Lalama. Suzie has won 10 Maple Blues Awards (she has been nominated for 22 so far!), won the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year and is a 3X Juno Nominee.
Suzie has toured nationally with Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café and the John McDermott Band, and performed for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. She was also the voice of Tim Horton’s for 5 years. Suzie’s latest album, “Shake The Love Around”, is a full-band roots and blues extravaganza!
Among her most recent successes: being nominated for a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Producer of the Year with her co-producer, Mark Lalama. Suzie has won 10 Maple Blues Awards (she has been nominated for 22 so far!), won the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Vocalist of the Year and is a 3X Juno Nominee.
Suzie has toured nationally with Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café and the John McDermott Band, and performed for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. She was also the voice of Tim Horton’s for 5 years. Suzie’s latest album, “Shake The Love Around”, is a full-band roots and blues extravaganza!
**********
Jack de Keyzer
Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray
Street
Friday, April 26 @ 9
pm; $20
Jack
de Keyzer is a British-born Canadian blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and
producer. He has twice won the Juno Award, Canada's highest musical honour, and
seven times received Maple Blues Awards, including for Blues Album of the Year
in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Real Blues Magazine crowned
him Live Act Of The Year in 2001, and has twice named him Guitarist of the
Year.
Tickets:
https://www.ticketweb.ca/event/jack-de-keyzer-rainbow-bistro-tickets/9102515?REFERRAL_ID=twfb
Tickets:
https://www.ticketweb.ca/event/jack-de-keyzer-rainbow-bistro-tickets/9102515?REFERRAL_ID=twfb
**********
The Souljazz
Orchestra
Black Sheep Inn,
Wakefield QC
Friday & Saturday,
April 26-27 @ 8:30 pm; $25
The
Souljazz Orchestra back at the Black Sheep Inn, in beautiful Wakefield...
Expect a lit night of big brassy tropical grooves - we'll be previewing some
fresh new tunes along with plenty of Souljazz classics!
https://www.facebook.com/events/497042790824767/
https://www.facebook.com/events/497042790824767/
**********
Jack de Keyzer
Brockville Arts
Centre, 235 King Street West, Brockville ON
Saturday, April 27;
7:30-10:30 pm
Telephone Box Office (613) 342-7122 Toll Free
1-877-342-7122
Two-time
Juno and eight-time Maple Blues winner, blue star recording artist Jack de Keyzer
live at the Brockville Arts Centre with his band for the Checkmate (2019 Juno
Nominee Best Blues Album) tour. This electrifying tribute to the classic blues
of Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James and Robert Johnson is a must-see
show by one Canada’s King of the Blues. Jack will also be featuring songs from
his Juno award winning albums throughout the evening.
**********
Angelique Francis
Rainbow Bistro, 76
Murray Street
Saturday, May 4 @
8:30 pm; $10 advance, $15 at the door
Angelique
Francis is a versatile and exceptionally gifted musician with talent that is way
beyond her years. This multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist, multi-genre
singer song writer and composer has wowed audiences across the globe with her
electrifying performances, instrumental abilities and powerful textured vocals.
She is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including Blues,
Soul, Folk, Jazz, Gospel and Rock. Her diversity, passion and love of music can
be heard in all of her original compositions.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1100704076776174/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1100704076776174/
**********
KINGS w/Jon Christink
The Royal Theatre, 75
King Street East, Gananoque ON
Saturday, May 11;
7:30-10:30 pm
Performing
with a true Ottawa Valley music spirit and built around a deep rural banjo and
"At Folsom Prison" strum from a Gretsch and a Stella parlour guitar, it's always going to be an evening of
crucial songs that feel and sound indelible, restless and bluesy. Slide guitar,
Renfrew County life, and a commitment to bring their critically acclaimed
original songs to towns, cities and juke joints of Ontario. Watch and listen to
"Woodpile" by KINGS on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/206699304
Catch-up with KINGS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingsrenfrewcounty/
Ace multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and Renfrew County rebel son, Jon Christink, takes his artistry to the Royal Theatre. C'mon out and support damn fine independent Ontario music by a true gent and talent. See everyone there! www.jonchristink.com
Catch-up with KINGS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingsrenfrewcounty/
Ace multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and Renfrew County rebel son, Jon Christink, takes his artistry to the Royal Theatre. C'mon out and support damn fine independent Ontario music by a true gent and talent. See everyone there! www.jonchristink.com
**********
The Rock Steadies
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank
Street
Saturday, May 18 @
9:30 pm
Debut
show for 'The Rock Steadies'. A 7-piece stacked Party Band providing you with
some of the best Soul / Funk / R'n'B from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s!
****************************
CITY OF GATINEAU EVENTS
in 2019
****************************
120 Principale Street, Gatineau QC
Mississippi Heat
Saturday, April 27
Blackburn
Friday, May 31
****************************
KINGSTON
SPECIAL EVENTS
****************************
The Dimestore Playboys
Little Texas
Roadhouse Bar & Grill, 515 Days Road, Kingston ON
Sunday, March 24, 3-6
pm
The
Dimestore Playboys invite you to a rare, Sunday afternoon performance, at
Little Texas Roadhouse Bar & Grill in beautiful, Kingston, Ontario. Stop by
for a few drinks and fill up on Rockabilly, Blues, Classic Country, and Swing
favourites. It's never too early to cut a rug!!
**********
JW-Jones
RCHA Club, 193
Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Friday, March 29 @ 9 pm;
$20
Juno
Nominated, IBC Winner, Maple Blues Winner, KBS presents one of the best blues
guitarists in the world. JW and his band – are smoking hot, they will have you
dancing and singing all night long.
JW
has played many times with Buddy Guy; he has also played with Canned Heat,
Hubert Sumlin, Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, George Thorogood, Colin
Linden and, most recently, Chad Smith of The Red Hot Chili Peppers jumped up at
one of his shows and joined JW on stage.
Dan
Aykroyd, has called JW’s group an “amazing blues band.”
The
band received standing ovations at both Massey Hall and the National Arts
Centre in Ottawa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0humuRwS2c8
Buddy Guy joins JW’s band in Chicago
**********
Big Phat Horn Band
Featuring Kingston
Divas
RCHA Club, 193
Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, March 30 @
9 pm; $15 @ the RCHA Club and @ the door (if not sold out)
If
you haven’t seen this band – they are a must-see – a do-not-miss show!
**********
Smoke Wagon Blues
Band
RCHA Club, 193 Ontario
Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, April 6 @ 9
pm; $10
**********
Colin James
“Miles To Go” Tour
Grand Theatre, 218
Princess Street, Kingston ON
Wednesday, April 10 @
7:30 pm; tickets $64.64 + HST & handling
With
his 19th album, “Miles to Go”, Colin James is getting back to the
blues. Wait a minute, you ask: hasn’t Colin James always played the blues?
Well, yes, but back when he was signed to his first record deal in 1988, his
producer—who’d worked with Ray Charles and Derek and the Dominoes—explicitly told
him not to play any blues, because the label expected a pop hit. When James
later made one of the biggest albums of his career—1993’s “Colin James and the
Little Big Band”, released years before the so-called “swing revival”—his label
hated it, as did critics and many fans before it went on to go triple platinum
in Canada. Then there was the acoustic blues album “National Stee”l in 1997,
made with Colin Linden, which was the first time James made a full-on blues album,
which landed him on folk festival bills alongside the likes of John Prine and
John Hiatt. It was an explicit embrace of the blues James had loved since the Regina-born
guitarist was 16 years old and was blown away by James Cotton at the Winnipeg
Folk Festival. A song that Cotton played that night, “One More Mile,” became
the title track to the new album: bookending it in electric and acoustic
versions.
It wasn’t until 2016’s “Blue Highways” that James found himself on a blues chart: the album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits: “Riding in the Moonlight,” a Willie Dixon song that James once covered when busking in the streets and subways of Toronto and Montreal, landed on a Spotify playlist and garnered millions of streams.
When James set out to make “Blue Highways”, an album of blues covers recorded with his touring band, he always intended it to be the first of two installments. Now we have “Miles to Go”, in which James records nine new covers of his favourite artists (Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Little Willie John, Robert Johnson, etc.) and adds two originals, ‘I Will Remain’ and ‘40 Light Years’. “Blues has always been a pass-it-forward kind of thing,” says James.
“It’s also surprisingly hard to write. You have to be careful how modern you get in your phrasing. Certain writers can write a song that sounds like it was done 40 years ago, but it’s deceptively hard.”
To be a blues musician is to always have a dialogue with the past. As with much blues music, it’s the performances on the original versions rather than the actual song that drew James to them. That said, what could he possibly bring to them in 2018? “You bring what you can,” he says. “If I feel like I’ve brought enough, then I put it out. I knocked a bunch of songs off this record when I realized that I can’t bring anything to them that isn’t there already. All my life I’ve tried to bring vitality to older songs. Hopefully, my dedication to it is what floats it over the mark. That’s a subjective thing; some people will always prefer the original. However, there’s always a group of people coming up to see me after a show who might say, “Oh, I never would have heard ‘One More Mile’ by James Cotton—nothing in my life would have pointed me there.”
So much of Colin James’s career has pointed him to this moment: joyfully tangled up in the blues, which, as he notes, “is the only genre where you can maintain a young profile at the age of 53.”
It wasn’t until 2016’s “Blue Highways” that James found himself on a blues chart: the album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart. It also landed him one of his biggest hits: “Riding in the Moonlight,” a Willie Dixon song that James once covered when busking in the streets and subways of Toronto and Montreal, landed on a Spotify playlist and garnered millions of streams.
When James set out to make “Blue Highways”, an album of blues covers recorded with his touring band, he always intended it to be the first of two installments. Now we have “Miles to Go”, in which James records nine new covers of his favourite artists (Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Little Willie John, Robert Johnson, etc.) and adds two originals, ‘I Will Remain’ and ‘40 Light Years’. “Blues has always been a pass-it-forward kind of thing,” says James.
“It’s also surprisingly hard to write. You have to be careful how modern you get in your phrasing. Certain writers can write a song that sounds like it was done 40 years ago, but it’s deceptively hard.”
To be a blues musician is to always have a dialogue with the past. As with much blues music, it’s the performances on the original versions rather than the actual song that drew James to them. That said, what could he possibly bring to them in 2018? “You bring what you can,” he says. “If I feel like I’ve brought enough, then I put it out. I knocked a bunch of songs off this record when I realized that I can’t bring anything to them that isn’t there already. All my life I’ve tried to bring vitality to older songs. Hopefully, my dedication to it is what floats it over the mark. That’s a subjective thing; some people will always prefer the original. However, there’s always a group of people coming up to see me after a show who might say, “Oh, I never would have heard ‘One More Mile’ by James Cotton—nothing in my life would have pointed me there.”
So much of Colin James’s career has pointed him to this moment: joyfully tangled up in the blues, which, as he notes, “is the only genre where you can maintain a young profile at the age of 53.”
****************************
KINGSTON
& AREA
REGULAR
EVENTS
****************************
KBS Monthly
Jam
The Standeasy
RCHA Club,
193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Third
Saturday each month @ 8:30 pm, $3 at the door
The KBS monthly jam is always full and both
the musicians and the audience always have a great time. Always one of the best
nights of entertainment Kingston has to offer – come early as seating is limited.
Sponsored by the Kingston Arts Council and the City of Kingston.
***************
For
more info, please contact Kingston Blues Society
****************************
BLUES
ON THE RADIO
****************************
DAWGFM.com Blues 24/7 on the internet
Streaming at http://www.dawgfm.com/
**********
On
CKCU-FM 93.1
The
Mighty 93.1
Community
Radio serving the Ottawa Carleton Region
Sundays:
9-11 pm
Black
and Blues
with John
Tackaberry
The show features a heavy dose of electric
blues and rhythm and blues, with the occasional selection of sixties soul. The first
hour is dedicated to artist profiles and reviews of recordings on particular
labels. In the second hour there is a blues calendar, a rundown of events in
Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and interviews
with “new and reissued blues and rhythm and blues tracks on wax”, alternating
with “live blues and R&B for a Sunday night” in the last half hour of the
show.
**********
Wednesdays:
9-11 pm
In A
Mellow Tone
Hosted
by Bernard Stepien, Ron Steeds, Allan Wigney, Jean-Michel Labatut and Aidian
Thomas, ‘In A Mellow Tone’ introduces listeners to the entire history of jazz,
from its beginnings to the latest innovations. Every program has a focus; on a
musician, a city, a festival, an instrument, a record label or on recent releases.
The hosts draw on their large personal CD and LP collections to supplement
CKCU's extensive resources.
**********
On CBC
Radio Two 103.3 FM
Saturdays:
6-8 pm
On CBC
Radio One 91.5 FM
Saturdays:
9-11 pm
Saturday
Night Blues
Host Holger Petersen has been a broadcaster,
record producer, album collector, and serious blues fan for over 40 years. His collection of blues records numbers in
the thousands. On Saturday Night Blues each
week you’ll hear a mix of classic blues from the ‘Petersen Vaults’, concerts,
interviews, artist features, new releases, plus anything that boogies, jumps,
or swings, plus your requests from the Bluesline.
And check out SNB videos here http://www.cbc.ca/snb/video/
**********
On CJHR
98.7 Valley Heritage Radio
Thursdays,
8-10 pm
Got The
Blues
Pat Watters is your host for this blues only
radio show, now in its 9th year.
It can be heard throughout the Ottawa Valley and streaming on the
internet at valleyheritageradio.ca.
**********
NPR from
Canton NY
For those who live south of the city, OBS
member Bob Cavan notes that the National Public Radio (NPR) radio signal at
89.5 FM in Canton NY comes in pretty strong in Manotick. Bob recommends two shows
in particular. Bob says “The Blue Note” Tuesdays 3 pm-5 pm, and “The Radio
Bob Show” Wednesdays 3 pm-5 pm are both excellent shows – blues, ‘50s
& ‘60s, rock & roll, R&B.
**********
Unsung
and On The Side
With Carolyn
Fe
Tuesdays,
7-9 pm
Re-broadcast Saturday 10 am – noon &
Sunday 2-4 pm (all times EST)
It’s all about the Blues, Jazz and its derivatives
from around the globe and just around the corner. Songs rarely heard, from the very
first recordings all the way to indie artists who consciously push the envelope
to the next generation sounds of the genre; some older releases will be spun -
just because the album in old, doesn't mean it's forgotten, thus the "On
The Side" part of the show's title.
**********
Streaming great Blues, Roots, Soul, R&B,
Folk, East Coast and Celtic music across Canada and around the world 24/7/365.
Check out their Canadian Blues shows and
hosts, including James Doran’s ‘Inside The Blues’, Brant Zwicker’s ‘At The
Crossroads’, along with Mark Stenzler's ‘Blues Zeppelin’ from Switzerland … and
lots more Canadian and international Blues shows.
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LOCALS
LOOK AHEAD
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Friday, March 29
The
Back Beat @ Buster’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 pm
Blues
& Company @ Rob Roy’s Pub, Smiths Falls
Matthew
Chaffey @ Nepean Sailing Club
Saturday, March 30
JW-Jones
@ LIVE on Elgin, 7:30 pm
Psychedelic
Sundaes @ Irene’s Pub, 9 pm
Sunday, March 31
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by River City Junction, 3-7:30 pm
Rod
Williams Band @ the Atomic Rooster, 6-9 pm
Monday, April 1
Pianoman
Mondays with Jeff Rogers @ Queen St. Fare, 7 pm
Wednesday, April 3
Prime
Rib Big Band @ Irene’s Pub, 8:30 pm
Saturday, April
Lucas
Haneman Express CD release @ Greenfields Gastro Public House
Sunday, April 7
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by Jimmy Cochrane, 3-7:30 pm
Monday, April 8
Pianoman
Mondays with Jeff Rogers @ Queen St. Fare, 7 pm
Sunday, April 14
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by Crunchy Flower, 3-7:30 pm
Monday, April 15
Pianoman
Mondays with Jeff Rogers @ Queen St. Fare, 7 pm
Sunday, April 21
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by the Radicals, 3-7:30 pm
Monday, April 22
Pianoman
Mondays with Jeff Rogers @ Queen St. Fare, 7 pm
Saturday, April 27
Terry
Tufts with Jesse Greene @ Irene’s Pub, 9:30 pm
Sunday, April 28
Open
Blues Jam @ the Rainbow hosted by Jimmy Cochrane, 3-7:30 pm
Monday, April 29
Pianoman
Mondays with Jeff Rogers @ Queen St. Fare, 7 pm
Willie
Nelson’s Birthday Bash with the Telegrams @ Irene’s Pub, 8 pm
Sunday, May 5
Blues
& Company @ the Atomic Rooster, 6-9 pm
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