Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

Friday, July 23, 2010

Gates Open at 4:00 PM
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
The Iguanas
Miss Freddye & Blue Faze
CAPA Students

 








July 24, 2010
Gates Open at 1:30 PM
Eric Burdon and the Animals
Sue Foley & Peter Karp
Nick Curran & the LowLifes
The Pittsburgh Blues All-Stars
Sonny Moorman
Sweaty Betty Blues Band









Sunday, July 25, 2010
Gates Open at 1:30 PM
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Larry McCray Band
Tinsley Ellis
Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle
theCAUSE
Mahajibee






TICKETS
# Friday: FREE with a bag of non-perishable grocery items to donate to the Food Bank!)# Saturday & Sunday: $22 Advance/$25 Gate
# NEW! *Student/Military Tickets: $17 Per Day
# Two-Day Weekend Pass: $40 (Advance Only)
# NEW! *Student/Military Weekend Pass: $30 (Advance Only)
for more info visit: http://www.pghblues.com/
 

On August, 21, the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania will sponsor some Blues for the Homeless Veterans Stand Down.



The original Stand Down for homeless veterans was modeled after the Stand Down concept used during the Vietnam War to provide a safe retreat for units returning from combat operations. At secure base camp areas, troops were able to take care of personal hygiene, get clean uniforms, enjoy warm meals, receive medical and dental care, mail and receive letters, and enjoy the camaraderie of friends in a safe environment. Stand Down afforded battle-weary soldiers the opportunity to renew their spirit, health and overall sense of well-being.


That is the purpose of the Stand Down for homeless veterans, and achieving those objectives requires a wide range of support services and time. The program is successful because it brings these services to one location, making them more accessible to homeless veterans.


The Blues society is looking for musicians to donate their time for one hour in the afternoon on the 21st. It will be held at Shepherds Heart Church by the Civic Arena on Pride Street. All are welcome to come and play and in support of our veterans who have committed to our freedom and are now down on their luck.


Please contact John Erskine (Ms. Freddye) at (412) 260-3709 to volunteer or for more information.

On April 10 , 2010, we got there - new backdrop ready to hang (special thanks to Angelica for design help), tables to set , last look to make sure nothing was missing besides Diane Devine and her sick booby. (No, I don't mean Dave.) All seemed well, and we were off! The judges arrived. As I gave them the lowdown on the judging criteria, I noticed people arriving already. Quite early for that. Sean McDowell from WDVE came over to get info on the bands and the Blues Society  to use as he emceed. I looked and saw at least 50 people there already. Wow! We knew we needed a good crowd- at least 125, just to break even. It looked good. I asked the hotel staff to put up a couple more tables, which they did. The competition had started, and I watched the first artist, the Olga Watkins Band. They were good! Great start to the competition. After I added their scores, I looked at the room. It was packed! Over a hundred people were here already. Within a few hours, there were well over 200 people there.


Our sound guy had disappeared. Jim Hamel stepped in to take control. That was the last problem we had. Artists continued to play all day and night to the crowd who seemed to be consumed in the music and the competition.   We had bands that we had seen and loved for years and we had newer artists that grabbed our attention. By the end of the day, only three prizes would be given out: best band, best solo/duo act and the Jim Weber memorial award, given to the best guitarist.

The winners were as follows: Best Band -Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle, Best Solo/Duo -Gary Prisby, who had come in second place twice in prior years. We were happy he won, especially after a close second the year before. Lastly, Greg Krupa (from Jill West and Blues Attack) won the first Jim Weber memorial award. Congratulations to all the winners and all the participants! 

I hope some of you can make it to Memphis next January to cheer them on AND I hope I can join you there.

~ Don Vecchio

The chance to record Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins was the inspiration for Chris Strachwitz to form the Arhoolie record label in Berkeley, California. Which artist inspired a young employee of Chicago's Jazz Record Mart to start one of that city's most successful blues labels in 1971?

After two weeks of missing each other, I finally got through to Kenny Wayne Shepherd for an interview. It was thanks to his wonderful publicist, Jonnye Weber and I trying to get times settled. It was a short, interrupted interview, but We got most of what we wanted in.


If you haven't seen or heard "10 Days Out," the music and story are fantastic! Kenny visits blues legends and plays in their kitchens/small clubs. All these people are 75-95 years old. There are some great stories and music... a must for all blues lovers.

DON V. -  Hi, Kenny, thanks for taking the time to talk .
KENNY - Oh, you're welcome. Please hang on, I'm stuck trying to check out here.
DV: (LAUGHING) . OK Kenny , take your time and let me know when you're set.
KWS: OK, I'm ready.

DV: First, let me say we're thrilled to have you back in Pittsburgh. I've seen you every few years going back to when you were 18. You seem to add something each time.
KWS: Thanks, I enjoy playing there. People seem to enjoy my music there.

DV: You started your career at 16 and recorded your first CD at 17 as a senior in High School. Do you think you missed out on having a 'regular teen life?' Just having fun with friends, No cares ?

KWS: No way, it was an incredible experience. I'm sure many kids would've changed places with me. Touring the world as a teen was just amazing! If I had a choice, I'd do it all over again the same way.

DV: Your newest CD/DVD,  "10 Days Out," features quite a few blues legends. Is there one that you can say thrilled you the most to play with?

KWS: Oh, wow! There were so many it's hard to pick one. Of course, B.B King has been like a father to me and Hubert Sumlin, who I played with for the first time, became like a father, also. The one that knocked me out the most was Etta Baker, though. She was 90, and hadn't played guitar in quite a while. She picked it up and 'took me to school.' If you never heard her, she plays guitar like a ragtime piano.

DV: Ok, I haven't seen the DVD yet, but I have to now. Also on the DVD /CD is Bryan Lee. Wasn't your first appearance on stage with Bryan?

KWS: Oh, Yes. I was 13 and he gave me a chance. I love Bryan and I think he never got the credit he deserves as a musician.

DV: Fender introduced the "Kenny Wayne" Stratocaster last year. Congrats!  You helped design it, didn't you?

KWS: Yes, it was quite an honor for me. It took three years to complete. I feel privileged to be in the same company as Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan .

DV: The sales are doing extremely well, aren't they?

KWS: Yes, they're backordered constantly.

DV: I know the 'strat' is your first love, and most know you for your guitar playing. However, I have to say I love the tunes you play on the Dobro. In particular, "Was" and "Every time it Rains." I crank them up every time they come on. When did you begin playing Dobro? Do you enjoy it?

KWS: I started playing Dobro a few years after guitar, and I love how it sounds. Those 2 songs especially, I thought were meant for Dobro. I'm by no means a great slide player. Derek Trucks is about the best around today. He's incredible to watch.

DV: Kenny, you have a pretty unique sound, I can usually pick out your songs in a few notes. Who were your early influences?

KWS: Well, there were many, but mainly Stevie Ray Vaughan and  Jimi Hendrix. I met Stevie Ray when I was 7 years old, and decided that I was going to be a guitarist right then! So, I'd have to say Stevie Ray was my main influence.

DV: I hear you have a love for muscle cars? You do a tour with them?

KWS: Oh, yes! That's where we're heading now. A long stretch and I'm bringing my '69 Charger.

DV: Kenny, we're  always looking for something new from you. Any new CDs on the way.

KWS: Yes, thank you. Let everyone know  I have two CDs coming out this year. If you liked '10 Days Out,' you'll like the next one. It's a live CD with many of the artists I played with on the '10 Days Out' project.
Then later this year, around Christmas, we're putting out our next studio CD.

DV: Two CDs! That's a lot to look forward to from you. Can't wait to hear them and can't wait to see you again! See you in July. Thanks again.



~ Don Vecchio

Getting to Carnegie Hall requires more than practice, practice, practice, David Cutler insists. He is the coordinator of musical entrepreneurship at Duquesne University and the author of the "The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living and Making a Difference"
The book, in a methodical fashion, goes through 14 chapters dealing with developing a business mindset, creating a product that sells, marketing it, and making performance work.
Some of his hints:
Think like an entrepreneur: Put together a list of primary and secondary musical skills, nonmusical ones and features that are unique. All that will allow the musician to make plans and be around when opportunity strikes. In other words, to control "luck."

Market your music: Don't expect the world to come to you. To promote a concert date, start six months in advance by compiling media lists, calling and /or writing critics, sending recordings to radio stations and distributing fliers and posters.

Be a cyber star: Create a Web site with samples of your music, biographical information and a discography to lure listeners into your sound. Also, become a master at writing e-mail that is sure to catch a potential audience member's eye.

Don't forget the importance of the CD: While digital, downloadable recordings are a huge part of musical life in the 21st century, mad a CD in a recording project. Some music lovers still prefer a tangible object, and concertgoers like to buy a souvenir of their night out.

Use people skills: Be friendly, reliable, dependable, inquiring and thankful with concert planners, audience members and fans.

Be a smart job hunter: When hunting for a job, script a sales pitch, make contact with the promoter, follow through and make sure you have a contract of all that was discussed. Keep in touch before the show, be responsible and professional on the day of the event, and present a product listeners will enjoy.

~Bob Karlovitz,  Pittsburgh Tribune - Review

“If the blues was money I’d be a millionaire”

I taught the History of Education courses, Western Ed. and American Ed., at Duquesne University for the forty years I worked in the School of Education. I often wondered what the monks who copied and illustrated manuscripts ("manu" meaning hand and "scribere" meaning writing) felt when mass produced Bibles printed on machine presses ended their monopoly in the 16th century. I use this example to introduce the persistent problem of new technologies that cause significant shifts in how something works or is made or is regarded because I think that we are all vulnerable to the displacement those holy men so long ago must have felt when their life vocation was changed by the printing press. Blues music has had many printing press-like technological changes. The specific questions for this in article in our BSWPA newsletter is how changes in recording technologies changed the ways blues singers and bands made money.

There are many similar historical examples of entire systems being displaced or eliminated by a paradigm shift, an almost totally different way of doing some human activity. Guns replaced long bows, agriculture replaced hunting/gathering, autos replaced horses, and recording technologies appeared. Blues specific one included: Records replaced passing the hat at fish fries, radio displaced church picnics, the electric guitar almost eliminated the stand-up bass, amplifiers replaced blues shouters (Joe Turner has come and gone), royalties replaced passing the hat on Hastings Street, clubs supplanted the Apollo theaters and the other circuit venues, TV displaced radio and movies, 45s eliminated 78s and were complemented by LPs and 8 tracks and DATs and CDs and DVDs and MP3s and file sharing sites. Every one of these changes had an impact on how blues players were paid.

The Carnegie Library in Oakland some years ago had a small exhibition of many of the recording technologies that had been used in the USA. I saw Edison cylinders, wire recordings, piano rolls, plastic records at 78 rpm, then 45s, then LP 33s. They had a Wollensak tape recorder, 8 tracks, DATs, CDs, DVDs and other engineered inventions that all recorded sound and pictures in a remarkable range of ways. Every new machine or technique influenced how blues artists were paid.

Although we would not likely confuse many of the early blues pioneers with monks, we can still wonder what their feelings were when different technologies appeared during their careers. How did they adapt to the requirements of the new media? How did Bessie Smith react when she was called from her church roots through the Negro theater circuit to appear only once in a motion picture film. Smith made her only film appearance, in 1929, in a film titled St. Louis Blues, after W. C. Handy's song. (Wikipedia entry “Bessie Smith.”) What does Honeyboy Edwards think about when songs he performed in juke joints 60 years ago on an acoustic guitar reappear on a 2010 CD or even on You Tube?

I think about these things because the technological changes mentioned briefly above have serious implications for the future of blues music. Many commentators recognize that many musical genres may disappear or be sequestered as niche interests: barbershop quartets, klezmer music, throat singing, Inuit drum dances and songs. Is the blues fated to remain a historical curiosity when our last generation of pony-tailed white guys and their ladies pass on to those Green Acres in the sky?

One of the biggest impacts of the last 2 decades has been the erosion of income for singers and bands. I do not know any singer or band in Western Pennsylvania (granted I don’t know all of them) who earns their total income from performing and record sales. I once encountered one of my graduate Education students who had gone on to full-time teaching and singing the lead in a local group that had all of its members as full time teachers! The lead singer in my favorite Pittsburgh blues group is a police officer. In some ways this mirrors the situation in the 1930s through the late 1940s for blues singers. In a system that resembles the NCAA basketball playoffs, thousands of singers and bands were recorded on Okeh, Bluebird, Columbia, Paramount and Decca in the hope that one or two records would ‘hit’. Records were analog and were distributed physically: out of appliance stores, automobile trunks, groceries and street corners. When Chuck Berry recorded ‘Maybelline” for Chess records, the first pressing was for 10,000 records instead of the usual 1,000 copies. Records cost a nickel or a dime; phonographs $30. Berry made $10,000 from a classic record that sold tens of thousands of copies! Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry got 1/10 of a cent for every record sold. Berry’s record has Alan Freed listed as co-writer, so Freed could siphon off some of the writing royalties that should have gone to Berry. Howling Wolf’s estate had to sue after his death to recover the tens of thousands of dollars due him.

After World War II, several paradigms shifted. Women stayed in the work force. Those percentages have increased every year to the present day. More people owned TVs than bathtubs. The Baby Boom started. The struggle for racial equality continued. Many teens in the 1950s worked out their own system of racial respect with the music. That "devil’s music" brought blacks and whites together on the common ground of blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll. One of the oddities of the last fifty years has been the shift of financial and audience support for classic and modern blues from mixed race audiences to mostly older white people.

How did the players make money? Earlier, I used the NCAA metaphor to visualize a system where a select group of blues players could handle the discipline of the recording studio and the life style of the touring life that emerged as they became stars. There were thousands of very competent players and singers in those days but, like today, very few made a full time living through their music. Even in the 1950s, Alan Freed and other white disk jockeys were organizing caravan style R+B shows because, like today, that was a way to turn the hot record from the radio into arenas full of ticket buying teens. Even today, hundreds of local people will crowd the Byham Theater for the R+B revival shows whose acts they may well have seen in the old Syria Mosque fifty years ago!

It is the emergence of digital and electronic media transmission systems that interests me today. The CD/DVD/MP3 technologies and the WWW/Internet music sharing software seem to me to be a paradigm shift as monumental to today’s musicians as the Gutenberg bible was to the monks. I write all this as a way of asking historically based questions about the future of our beloved blues music. This was partly stimulated by an Atlantic magazine article by Megan McArdle titled The Freeloaders: How a generation of file-sharers is ruining the future of entertainment. (The Atlantic, May 2010, Vol. 305, No. 4, pp.34-36). McArdle points out that the overall revenue for US record labels has been continuously declining for a decade. People buy fewer and fewer CDs/DVDs/MP3s. McArdle argues that today’s music lover would use free file sharing sites out of a sense of entitlement that their electronic entertainment should be free. We remember Napster but the current sites are ‘torrent’ sites (u torrent); even You Tube can be used to download music clips. See also Hypem.com)

An interesting distinction emerged; ‘analog’ things like books or movies or CDs or concert tickets probably must be paid for, because they are tangible and therefore ‘real’. Electronic/digital events that consist of electrons moving through wires or wirelessly, such as movies and TV shows on an Internet site, or music available from a file sharing site should be free (and if it isn’t, it’s OK to steal it because it’s a small crime and everyone is doing it and it’s only electrons)! It would be interesting to hear from the amazing set of blues groups in our area as to how much of their music is stolen and how much income they lose.

In many ways 2010 resembles 1910 or 1935. A blues musician gets noticed enough to get a few 78/CD recordings out which in turn attracts fans to shows at the clubs and theaters where the real money is made. In 2010 the cliché is that the first CD costs $3000 and all the rest cost 50 cents. Like the Chess Brothers in Chicago, our local bands sell self-produced and locally made CDs at their shows for $10-15 hoping to supplement their fee for the gig. It is possible to find for sale some local music on Internet sites like Amazon; Chizmo Charles 1999 CD is there. But the ease of electronic file sharing, the competing modes looking for that scarce entertainment dollar and the reluctance of the industry to adopt newer business model makes the future of recorded blues music and live acts more and more difficult. We may be the generation that witnesses the collapse of newspaper and book publishing and the recorded music industry simultaneously.

~ By V.Robert Agostino

She was beautiful, enthusiastic and engaging. Yes, that described the woman standing on the sidelines that night. We were at the 2008 International Blues Challenge (IBC) at BB King's on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Imagine my surprise when she was called to the stage as a contestant to represent the Toronto Blues Society! Her name: Shakura S'Aida (pronounced Shack oora Sigh eeda). Before starting her set, she quietly and quickly swept across the stage to each of her band members. She hugged each one tightly and then whispered something into each one's ear. Each nodded and hugged her back. It was an unexpected, inspirational and heartfelt gesture. She then turned to the audience, flashed that big smile and unleashed a set of songs that packed a big whollap! She commanded every inch of that stage and easily won over the audience. The buzz on the streets afterwards was: 'did you hear Shakura S'Aida?' (The next evening, the second day of the preliminary competition...the venue was so packed with curious blues fans that many had to be turned away.)


...and the second place winner of the 2008 International Blues Challenge...Shakura S'Aida. Over 161 bands from around the world had competed. Her performance was riveting. Her voice was intriguingly emotional and powerful. The blue fans' approval resounded around the Orpheum Theater.


I was seated with Shakura's parents at one Blues Foundation event and had the chance to learn more about the woman that possessed that amazing voice. Shakura was born in New York, grew up in Switzerland and has been in Canada for the last twenty years. Her parents proudly stated: "We told her to give up her day job." At their insistence and with their support, Shakura followed her dreams. Her "new path" has led to her being named Toronto Blues Society Blues Vocalist of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 and the Maple Blues Society Entertainer of the year in 2008. Her first CD, Blueprint, was a collection of 1940's and 1950's blues. (The CD was a sellout during the IBC.) Her "big" win in Memphis led to her being included in the 2008 Blues Caravan with Debora Coleman.


It has been three years since that eventful weekend in Memphis. Her words about "giving up her day job:"
... I knew that something special was about to happen, but never, never in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine the most phenomenal ride of my life…


here's what all of that hard work brought with it: one little blueprint CD = 2nd Place at the International Blues Challenge, 3 Blues Nominations, 5 European tours that included 10 Countries that love and appreciate Blues, 25 years of experiences (good, bad, and ugly), thousands of cd's sold, thousands and thousands of amazing fans and supporters all over the world, 51,289 smiles of pure joy that have passed my face, 45,987 tears of gratitude, joy, and appreciation ....and 2,908,452 drops of sweat.


Shakura will be appearing at the Heritage Music Fest in Wheeling, WV (August 13, 14, 15). Shakura S'Aida is one act that you should put on your calendar! Be prepared for a big sound that is overwhelming. ~Look for her latest CD, Brown Sugar.

AFTERNOTE: I asked her what she whispered into each person's ear. Looking me directly in the eyes and smiling, she quietly said, "I wanted to thank them for getting me there. It was them...all them. The band believed in me more than I believed in myself. They gave up everything to get me here. I could not have done it myself. I owe it all to them."


~ Jonnye Weber

E: It was a risky song. I was surprised that it got radio play. I don't think it would today. What motivated me to write that song was, that during the Vietnam conflict, which we saw for the first time on television. Peoples' sons and brothers were being slaughtered on the news every night. I saw a clip of film with a priest with a bottle of holy water who was blessing bombs about to be loaded onto U.S. jets. When I saw the reverend Father blessing bombs as they were being sent to devastate the people of Vietnam, I felt I had to make this statement. I remembered that "Sky Pilot" was the soldiers’ terminology for a military priest. We had a lot of fun recording the song because in LA at the time, we discovered that a military marching band from the UK was touring the country. We got in touch with their commanding officer and explained that we wanted to record their band for a record concept. We put them on the recording and paid them with cans of American beer. Sometime after, I got a letter from the Officer-in-Chief of the Royal Scot's Guards with complaints that we were using the recording of their band for anti-war purposes. I wish I had kept a copy of the letter, but I didn't... 
D:  Shortly after, you joined "War." Then another song that inspired controversy... "Spill the Wine." Most of us listened to the story and just enjoyed it. Others linked it to either "pot" or "heroin." I read that it was a song praising women. I loved it just as a departure from the standard rock and R&B I listened to back then. Can you tell us now what was the underlying meaning?
E: The lyrics have nothing to do with pot or heroin as some people would imagine. Was it praising women? Yeah, I guess it was. The truth is that there is a memory I still carry with me today resulting from a road trip to Mexico around 1973. It was beautiful, I'll never forget it. I was alone most of the time and travelled the length of the country in a 4x4 I had at the time. Memories of that trip came back to me after I joined War. Lonnie Jordan was fooling around on the piano and a mutual friend of ours came in. She had a certain sexual sort of gait. He played the piano in tune with her walk and that was the basis for the track. I was lying on the floor with a microphone and we laid out the track right there while the rest of the band was at the bar across the street. Later, Lonnie Jordan accidentally spilled a bottle of Red Mountain wine on the mixing board at Wally Heider's Studio 3. This shut the studio down for 3 weeks and now, I think, this can be considered the most expensive single in history. That incident contributes to the legend of the origin of "Spill the Wine," but the song is performed leaving the interpretation up to the listener.
D: Another change came when I saw you with the Animals years later - 1983 - and again loved it. I got the new album (yes, album then), "Ark." Who all was with the "Animals" at that time?
E: The album was recorded to accompany the supposed worldwide tour of the Animals reunion in 1983. I said that I thought that the 5 original Animals wouldn't be able to sustain a lengthy tour and play 90 minutes every night. I said that we would have to add a couple of people. The people that we added were percussionist Nippy Noya, keyboardist Zoot Money, and Steve Grant was on 2nd guitar. Those musicians plus the original Animals made up the band in 1983.
D: The time I enjoyed seeing you the most was a band that I absolutely loved was with a group called "The All-star Blues Band." If I remember, some of the band besides yourself was Alvin Lee, Ainsley Dunbar and more I can't recall, but the music was fantastic. I stood there amazed at all the talent on the stage.  I especially liked a tune called "No More Elmore James." I still remember it after all these years. Who all was in the band? How long did they play together? No recordings from them?
E: The All-star Blues Band to which you're referring, I can't recall all of the members, but the bass player was from Bad Co. "Boss" Boswell.  The tour was going well until Alvin Lee complained of a strained wrist and left the tour in Washington DC. That's when it all fell apart. I never saw any money for my work on that tour.

D: I then bought your solo CD, "My Secret Life." I liked especially "Can't Kill the Boogeyman" and "Devil Slide." Devil Slide seemed to be a story- what was the source?
E: I wrote "Can't Kill the Boogyman" on the spot in the studio as part of a jam. The source of "Devil Slide" was on the road in Spain with Louisiana Red. He was convinced he could find the perfect slide for bottle neck style playing and with it he could rule the world. He spent the whole tour in wine cellars putting the middle finger of his left hand into wine bottles. If he found one that fit his finger, he was going to break it off and that would become the mythic slide that he'd been looking for... He called it the search for the Devil Slide. However, he never did find the bottle neck that he was looking for. If he had, we would have all known about it.


Thanks, Eric ....Don Vecchio

We asked people to fill out surveys at the IBCs and had some interesting suggestions. Some are worth considering and some can't be done, but I'm sure many of you didn't know why. I'm picking out a few to answer and invite anyone to send me their questions individually if you like to: Don Vecchio ...P.O. Box 97978... Pittsburgh, PA 15227 or e-mail to donv21@yahoo.com. 

_______________________________________________
1. Lorie R. -Set up 2 stages- to have constant music.

ANSWER:  Sounds good. However, the problem is that the judges need a break. We are there 11 hours. We have to have the same judges for all the acts. It is the only way to be fair to everyone.  We're all human and need to stretch and snack occasionally. We do not let any band start playing until all the judges are seated. Also, it was hard enough to set up one sound system and keep it running smooth, two would be impossible, not to mention the space it would take up.
_______________________________________________

2. Mike F. had 2 suggestions
A). Have previous year's winner play while votes are being tallied and

ANSWER: As far as the first question, this year took much longer to tally than any other year because of tie-breakers. We did have last year's solo-duo winner play at breakfast the next morning. We had considered what you suggested and are so glad that we are on same page.

B). Have challenge held in Erie.   

ANSWER: As far as holding in Erie, we tried to do that last year with four 4 semi finals that would have included Pittsburgh, Beaver Falls, Dubois and YES, Erie. People had asked us to try to spread out through the state. We decided that we would absorb the extra cost and do it. We had bands sign up everywhere EXEPT Erie (at the Docksider). Not one band signed up in Erie. Only one band had signed up in Dubois, so we had to cancel Dubois and Erie.
_______________________________________________

3. From 3 different people - have outdoor summer concerts

ANSWER:  Great idea. We do have our annual picnic (editor: August 29, 2010 Boston Waterfront - see poster below for more details). However with the three area Festivals, it is hard to find the right time to do many more. I think we will try to squeeze in an extra Blues Day Out this year…maybe in July. Send suggestions please. We had problem finding the right place. Most parks are taken early.  It would be helpful if more people came to meetings and brought suggestions (and maybe pie).
_______________________________________________
 
 4. Anonymous - Give bands more time to play

ANSWER: We can't! The 20 minute time limit is set in stone by the Blues Foundation, whose rules we have to abide by. These are the same rules that Blues Societies around the world MUST use. Our winners join others in Memphis for fame and fortune to the eventual winners and finalists. Every single band throughout the world had 20 minutes to do their set.
_______________________________________________ 

5. Lastly, I want to address the person whose suggestion bothered me. We aren't perfect and I can accept criticism. We are all fairly new and learning what and how to do things. However, this, I take personally.  I won't give her name. Her suggestion was, "Be honest with your votes" ?????

ANSWER: Are you suggesting we're not honest? Or that we vote for personal favorites?  I have been running the judging for 3 years now, using judges from different areas and different positions: blues writers, musicians, fans and officers from other Blues Societies, to assure there would be no bias. I go over the judging criteria so they are all aware of scoring system.  I have someone there to re-check my addition. I have judges sign their sheets to make sure no one has amended their scores. Afterwards, I send the judges sheets to all the contestants. I do not judge, nor do ANY members of our board. I have not always agreed with the decisions. BUT, I always read the results as the judges scored...PERIOD. WE HAVE NO VOTES. We want the artists that will represent us the to be the best. Hopefully, ones that will bring back a prize to boot. I want everyone, not just you, to know how things work. If anyone wants to see a judge's (blank) score sheet, maybe we can put one website.

Thank you all for taking the time to fill out the survey and thanks for some great suggestions. Most were complimentary and I thank you for that. Not to toot our own horn, but we do work hard to put this together and assure the best possible show, venue, and talent for the blues fans. That's our job - BUT we get no pay. We do it because we enjoy it!

I hope you all come to our future events. It made all that we do worthwhile seeing what a wonderful crowd came out for our show. Come say 'hi' to us at the blues fests, picnic, blues night outs, etc.
~ Don Vecchio

Anders Osborne
Alligator Records ALCD 4936

The opening sound from Osborne’s outing immediately puts one in the mind of Buddy Guy’s Sweet Tea release with its fat, heavy and bluesy groove. One difference is that Osborne does not highlight the guitar and instead focuses on the subtlety of the six strings accompanied by tight rhythms and catchy lyrical hooks. “You’re a diamond without any shine… on the road to Charlie Parker,” puts the listener on the road of Osborne’s American journey in this allusion that reminds one of the difficulty of any artist who struggles to find his place. With the support of Stanton Moore on drums, Pepper Keenan on guitar, and Robert Walter on piano and keyboard bass, Osborne paints a patchwork of vivid images upon this canvas laden with solid grooves and textures of reggae flavors, soulful sounds, and Americana roots, while delivering such universal themes as redemption and suffering on this hero’s journey. “I know this world can seem so cold and hard, but baby don’t you worry ‘bout a thing ‘cause I got your heart,” is contrasted with the personal and social commentary of lyrics like “We’re killing each other.”

The CD also contains acoustic ballads like “Acapulco” in its Dylenesque Desire-like vocal delivery that underscores the depth of Osborne’s singing and gifted writing. “Standing with Angels” is a beautiful yet haunting ballad inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do not go Gentle into that Good Night.” This song highlights Osborne as a serious singer-songwriter who is cognizant of the power of poetry as exemplified by this patchwork of all original songs. This is not a traditional blues record in any sense of the word but it is a terrific collection of spirited songwriting, singing and playing that will satisfy those who are looking for a fresh and original artist who can be seen this August at Johnstown’s Flood City Music Festival.

~Jimmy Adler

...The first and second place winners of the 6th Annual 2010 BSWPA Blues Challenge

Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle
The 1st place Band Winner

The members of this Erie based band are: Ron Yarosz on keyboards, organ, harp and vocals; Ron Sutton on drums; Jason Lewis on bass and Eric Brewer on guitar. Ron splits his time between the Hammond B3 and fronting the stage playing High Energy electric harmonica. Ron and his band specializes in doing modern versions of blues standards...always putting their own spin on the song. Ron has independently released two albums: "The Vehicle" in 2003 and "What It Is." Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle won the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania's Blues Challenge in 2006 and again in 2010 in Pittsburgh. They will be representing the BSWPA at the 2011 International Blues Challenge that will be held February 1-5, 2011 on historic Beale St. in Memphis, Tennessee. Ron's thoughts on being a musician, "although we are broke we are among the richest people in the world."

Jill West and Blues Attack
The 2nd place Band Winner

Jill West and Blues Attack were third place winners at the 2006 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. This Pittsburgh based blues band plays their own style of hard edged blues with a guitar blast, in the tradition of the Vaughn brothers, B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Lead by the dynamic vocals of Jill West, Blues Attack has been igniting audiences all over the tri-state area for over ten years. They have gotten their blues education from playing the steel city's smoky bars, road travels and sharing the stage with greats like Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley and B.B. King. The members that back Jill West are: Gregg Kruppa on lead guitar, Hank "the Hammer" Raffetto on bass, Nicky "No Shoes" Crano and keyboard master, Steve Binsberger. Theirs discography include: Faceful of Blues, Code Blue and Headline Blues.

Gary Prisby
The 1st place Band Winner

When asked about his music, Gary stated, "I am a self-taught musician from Pittsburgh, PA. I have been playing the music scene here for over 25 years. While primarily playing solo acoustic gigs, I also enjoy singing and playing electric lead/slide guitar with my band, KPG. I love writing and performing as well as recording my own music. My most recent compositions are blue-influenced pieces. The live audiences seem to connect with them the most. I hope to have an acoustic Blues CD out in the next year entitled, "Bare Bones." Gary draws his music from the likes of: Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Cory Stevens and Santana.


 Chris Yakopcic
2nd Place Solo/Duo Winner

This solo performer specializes in the finger picking Delta and Piedmont styles of the pre-war blues musicians. He first became interested in this music many years ago when he stumbled upon Fruteland Jackson playing an afternoon set at Buddy Guy’s Legends. Since this introduction, Chris has been inspired by the music of Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, Bill Broonzy, and many others. As a guitarist, harmonica player, and vocalist, he can be heard covering many seminal acoustic blues tunes as well as writing his own material.

Debbie Davies Vizz Tone Label Group

Debbie Davies' Holdin' Court release pays tribute to those guitar players that got her started.  This one especially "keeps it real." It is an all-instrumental where her guitar does the talking, but that's what makes the CD special!

As typical Debbie, she 'keeps it real" by exhibiting her own style and tight riffs, while always letting you know where her roots lie and who inspired her along the way. There is a mix of her own instrumentals as well as other numbers from artists that she either honors, or has shared studio or stage with, such as Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Gatemouth Brown, and Kenny Burrel.

Opening up with the Duke Robbillard tune, "Fishnet," the CD starts off with a cool funkiness and then lays into some screamin' riffs along the way.  Many would quickly recognize the tune, "Down at the Honky Tonk Shack." It is where Debbie's passion for the Hammond players, Jimmy Smith and Bill Dogget, brings together the classic Honky Tonk tune through her tight, swing-like guitar riffs.  On one of my favs, "I Wonder Why," Debbie moves on down the line with a classic low-down blues style where you can feel Deb's energy and passion run through the tune. Albert Collins' classic rhythm and blues tune, "If You Love Me Like You Say," Deb uses her wah-wah pedal to send the message through the guitar.  Her "Holdin' Court" is an awesome original cover tune starting off with soulful and melodic sound, then sprinkling in some jazzed-up blues throughout the song.  The last tune, "Zoom-in," is a Deb original that has a classic surfin'-sound, with a powerful tone that finishes the CD with style.

For any blues guitar player who has desired to own a blend of blues instrumentals with Debbie's incredible style, in one package, this is the CD for you!  And, for the listener, you will no doubt want to crank this one up when you are cruisin' down the road!   This CD displays Debbie Davies' extraordinary talent across the board in all styles of the blues.

~Mary Rose Durdak

Zac Harmon
Northern Blues Music

Every so often, someone new comes about that just knocks you out. I heard a song or two from this man, but that was it. I sat and listened to the CD, "From the Root," and was blown away. What a talent! For those of you as clueless as me about Zac, he won the 2004 IBCs in Memphis. He was voted Best New Artist on XM radio awards in 2006 .

Now, to the present! We get a lot of music to review for our newsletter and can only choose 5 at the most to do each issue. It would be a crime to omit this CD.  I liked about every tune on the CD. Those who have read my reviews before know that after talent, the most important thing for a CD and the artist to have is 'versatility.' If you heard one song a day from this, you would think that you were listening to a different artist each time . From delta blues, 'Man Is Not Meant to Be Alone,' to Reggae, 'That's What a Woman Needs,' to R & B, "Smile on Your Face" and 'Price of Loving You' (a kind of gospel/R&B). This reminded me of the old Delfonics style. But mostly...just great Blues! "Enough" features some great guitar. 'Don't Give me Another Reason' contains some good Blues lyrics..."If I ever lose a good thing, it won't be because of losing you. "  Other great blues tunes include 'Scratch,' ' Keep the Blues Alive' and 'Honeybee."  You can't pass this CD up- Go get it!
 
~ Don Vecchio

The Jimmy Warren BandElectro Glide Records
The Jimmy Warren Band’s record, No More Promises, delivers plenty of fat toned guitar playing; mixing power ballads with soulful upbeat grooves. Warren, a native of Kankakee, Illinois has a tone reminiscent of Gary Moore’s more bluesy outings and his singing puts one in the mind of Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish.

This set is made up of twelve Warren originals that provide plenty of creativity without straying too far from the essence of the blues. From the opening Albert King-styled minor grove of “Watermelon Money,” Warren sets up a pattern where the songs are templates for him to cover the canvas with his lush and precise guitar technique. Plenty of fast flurries from the guitar are often juxtaposed with tender and tasteful melodies, as Warren never loses sight of making every note count.
On “A Love That Hurts,” Warren laments the futility of a lost lover. Warren’s fine accompanying organ throughout is justification that he is a clearly versatile musician and artist. The closing track features more precision-like fat guitar tones that trickle down around a talk-like lyric. The message is one of three of Warren’s social comments about the struggles of a workingman who can’t see eye to eye with his boss
The Jimmy Warren Band plays a tight set mixing power ballads with soulful upbeat grooves that create a nice blend to go with his complimentary clean and semi-distorted guitar tones. This is not your Chicago or Texas Bluesy shuffling sound but it will bode quite well to those who love their guitar a little more on the rock side played with high energy, commitment to precision, and a love of the sweet guitar tones of the power ballad.

~ Jimmy Adler

Tim Woods - Earwig Music CD 4962

Make no mistake about it; this is a blues record! Tim Woods went on a personal journey and discovered the deep satisfaction of meeting and recording with some of America’s best living purveyors of the genre. He writes in the liner notes that, “When I began this project, I had no idea what I would end up with….” What Woods has captured is a blues record that is not about recreating or writing original songs so much as it is all about reinterpreting some of the classics, with a heavy emphasis on the songwriting of Willie Dixon, particularly those recorded by Howlin’ Wolf. Where Woods scores big, is on his interpretation of these classics as he breathes new life into the compositions and includes a variety of respected pros such as Honeyboy Edwards, John Primer, Bob Stroger, and Big Jack Johnson, to name a few.

Michael Frank’s Earwig label can be satisfied and proud in that Woods took the time, and had the foresight to seek out these artists and create these inspiring interpretations of fresh new versions of the songs. The guitar playing is clean and crisp throughout. The songs include full ensembles as well as the acoustic gems of the Honeyboy Edwards driven tracks, of which there are three. These alone are worth the price of admission as Woods trades guitar and vocals with Honeyboy in a sympathetic and respectful manner backed by the accompaniment of Franks and Eric Noden on the Mississippi saxophone.

Woods brings a fresh read to these timeless songs that any blues lover would relish. After a successful CD Release show at Memphis’ Rum Boogie Cafe, Woods is back in Irwin, PA where you can find him at timwoodsmusic.com.

~ Jimmy Adler

Trivia Answer for question on Page 3
CORRECT ANSWER: a.)
In the late sixties, Bruce Iglauer worked for Bob Koester (founder of Delmark Records) at a record store in the Loop during the day and prowled the city's South Side and West Side blues clubs by night. Iglauer was so amazed by the playing of a raw and fiery guitarist who wielded a wicked slide on the sixth finger of his left hand that he formed Alligator Records in 1971 for the specific purpose of recording him.

Fifty-five-year-old Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was a sensation on the club scene, but he had only three singles on his recording resume when the light went on in Iglauer's head. Taylor's unschooled playing was wild, raucous, and sometimes out of tune, but it never failed to get audiences up hooting and dancing. Sadly, Taylor's recording career lasted only four years. He died of cancer in 1975, shortly before the release of his third album, Beware of the Dog.

~ Cary Wolfson