Thursday, May 12, 2011

I LOVE The Blues!

If you are a music fan, and specifically, a Blues fan in the Tri State area, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of.... and get out, and not just "support"....but treat yourself to some of the best blues music around!

Much of what follows is highly personal to me, yet because I have already written articles about several of the musicians involved for News 4 U Magazine, (click the names to read the articles)- Boscoe France - Tommy Stillwell - and Paul Blake, I decided to just write and publish it here, and do what I can to support and promote this as best I can.

A couple of things have happened simultaneously, each of which on their own would have been cool, but together, they are going to be HUGE for the music community here in Evansville Indiana.

There was an initial conversation between John Lutrell and Boscoe France during a studio performance & interview with Boscoes' Band: The Library Trio, on Johns weekly radio program: "A Case of the Blues" on WUEV 91.5FM,(The show is archived on Johns internet Blues Radio website www.fulltimeblues.com), where they discussed the possability of setting up a local Blues Society to gain affiliation with The Blues Foundation in Memphis. For 26 years now, The Blues Society has organized the anual International Blues Challenge (I.B.C.), where unsigned bands participate in regional competitions and the winners advance to Memphis for the finals where they compete for cash, prizes and the gigs and notariety that comes with a win. A great article on The Blues Foundation and the IBC can be found here .

An initial meeting in April, speerheaded by Lanette Miller and attended by several of the area's top blues musicians produced the official formation of the brand new River Basin Blues Society. ( find it on Facebook) A second meeting is scheduled for May 18th at Lamasco Bar & Grill at 6:00pm. If you are a musician, fan, or just want to be involved, please join us!

The second verse of this tune....incidental to, more or less simultaneouly, and totally spontaneous was the "informal" formation of what is being called "The Blues Co-op".
The Library Trio has been playing the "Bikers & Blues" night at Lamasco Bar & Grill every Tuesday from 7-10pm (followed by Open Mic Night). As it happens the trio's Bass player (Sean O'Brien) has been unable to play on Tuesdays, so Big Jon Rochner has been sitting in with the trio and they have been refering to the gig as "The Blues Co-op" and encouraging other blues musicians to come and join in. On Tuesday May 8th they were joined by Art Woodward on the harp and Roy Carter showed up with his Sax and it was an awesome blues jam! (There's a rumor afloat that Tommy will be showing up one Tuesday real soon!)

Over the past few years, through the photos and articles I do for the magazine, it has been my great honor to have formed some great friendships with many local musicians, and we are very fortunate to have a plethora of quality musicians in our area. Many of whom I love, and by no means intend to lessen my love and respect for any of them by writing about my favorite genre of music-The Blues.

I have been a fan, a friend, a "brother" and kind of a "manager/gig finder" for The Library Trio since the first night I heard them playing "Soulshine" at their first appearance at the Open Jam night at Lamasco Bar & Grill in April of 2010.

Having been a fan for many years, when I wrote an article on Tommy Stillwell, I got to spend some quality time with him, and consider Tommy and the other Soul Crackers - Big Jon Rochner and Jimmy Cummings my friends as well.

What people may not know is that when Boscoe was 16, Tommy used to let him sit in and play at his gigs at The Duck Inn, and it had been close to 20 years since these two had shared a stage. It had been a "bucket list" item of mine, to one day get to see and hear these two cats play together again but one never knows how things will turn out. Over the past few months I had brought the subject up with several of the musicians involved, and was proud to have even been a tiny part of what happened on Sunday, April 17th when Boscoe and I met at The Deerhead to listen to The Amazing Soul Crackers.

Tommy invited Boscoe to come up and play a few tunes with them and the only thing cooler to me than seeing them together on stage was the friendship, respect and love on the stage that night! Our local young guitar playing stud Paul (O.G. Saltine) Blake was also present and got to play with Tommy on stage for the first time when Boscoe asked him to "please come up here and play my guitar. Tommy did it for me and I want to pass it down to you" It was hugs and handshakes all around as you will see in some of the photos.

It was mutually decided that they should do this again, and often, and Boscoe joined Tommy and the Crackers again on Sunday May 8th at The Deerhead (Videos from May 8th can be found by clicking on the graphic below this article!).

To watch these two guys play is an amazing and it was clear to me that each was doing their part.....knowing when to step back, when to step up, and when to simultaneously just rip it up. I confess to being biased, but I could watch these guys play all night long!

So we have a dynamic guitar duo shredding at The Deerhead on some Sundays, and The Library Trio & "Blues Co-op at Lamasco on Tuesday nights

It's just "my" opinion, but I've been involved with the local music scene for several years, so I like to think I have at least a clue about what is going on, and from my point of view, it is the spontaneity of these events, and the obvious yet simple love of the blues and just wanting to play music, which is giving all of this a decent chance of being something not only very cool, but HUGE for the Blues scene here in Evansville!

With NO disrespect intended to any other local guitar players....many of whom I like and admire their playing....because of my love of guitars in general and of The Blues in particular, for my money we have two of the absolute finest blues guitar players right here with Tommy and Boscoe.

I know that life has it's priorities and people often can't be everywhere they want to be, but if you are a serious Blues lover, please please do yourself a favor and make it a point to get to The Deerhead on Sundays at 9pm.....(ah Hell....show up at 5 and support brother Troy Miller as well!) Also mark Tuesdays on your calander, starting at 7pm, at Lamasco Bar & Grill for Bikers & Blues with The Library Trio/Blues Co-op"! Bring yourself....bring a friend....bring an instrument and sit in with the co-op. You never know now who will show up and sit in! Plus you also get to enjoy the open mic jam immediately following the blues show! What more could a music lover want?