Crossroads Blues Society News

100th BITS Program set forJanuary 30, 2012!!!

2012-01-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Crossroads Blues Society's is getting ready to celebrate their 100th Blues in the Schools (BITS) program. Their programs scheduled for January 30, 2012 will be the 99th and 100th programs that Crossroads has hosted since they began providing BITS programs for area schools in May 2002. Who would be better than Fruteland Jackson to do these programs, especially since he did the first BITS program for them? Since that time, they have brought the blues to close to 30,000 student across Northern Illinois.

January 30th brings them to South Beloit for their first visit to that school system. Riverview Elementary School will host the AM program. In the afternoon it is back to Rockford and Martin Luther King Elementary School will host the 100th program.

Crossroads are proud of their efforts in helping to keep the blues alive in the Rockford area. Funding for BITS in the past had come from the generous support of the Rockford Area Arts Council and Illinois Arts Council. Current funding comes from their annual Byron Crossroads BLues festival held on the Saturday before Labor Day weekend in Byron, IL. Programs are held at no cost to the schools. Crossroads already has February programs scheduled for Keith School and Spring Creek ES on February 22nd. More programs are being planned for the Spring.

Fruteland is a singer & songwriter performing acoustic blues, from contemporary to traditional, from the blues of early field-holler songs and work songs to Delta and Piedmont Blues, as well as his own original works. Fruteland is one of a select group of Americans dedicated to gathering, preserving and performing acoustic blues in its many styles. Fruteland has performed at venues across the US, Europe and Russia.

BITS program costs have been maintained low and continue to average only $1 per student in attendance. Assembly attendance averages about 300 per school. Crossroads Blues Society is a non-profit corporation staffed entirely by volunteers. They publish a bi-monthly newsletter of blues music reviews and articles in addition to their BITS work and running the annual festival in Byron. For more information about Crossroads visit http://crossroadsbluessociety.blogspot.com or call 779-537-4006.

Bryan Lee Benefit Friday February 24th at Byron Legion Hall

2012-01-17T14:10:00.001-08:00

2012 Preliminary BCBF Poster

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

Basement Blues Band to Play the Adriatic Cafe and Bar January 7th

2011-12-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

Illinois Food Bank Benefit with Bobby Messano Dec 30 in Mt Morris

2011-12-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

Bobby Messano
Dec 30, 2011 8:30 pm to 12:30 am
Bring canned/dry good donations to get in
Venue: Moose Family Fun Center
Mount Morris, IL 61054

Eastland MS Got The Blues

2011-12-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

Eastland MS Got the Blues

Story, photos and video of BITS with Paul Rishell and Annie Raines at Eastland MS 11/1/11.

RIP Ernie "Sugarlips" Brown

2011-12-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown

On December 11^th 2011, we lost a true treasure of the blues community. Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown passed away at his home in Freeport, IL. Sad as it is, this was only about a week after Carol Coleman, his long time companion and caregiver passed away.

We all will miss his unique style of harmonica playing which truly came from the depth of his heart. Ernie played with great feeling and ventured outside the box to create his own sound and mood. He was capable of playing all genre of music including country, rock and his beloved blues. Over the years, Ernie played with many musicians and bands. Besides playing with the Mississippi Band and Port Bluez, Ernie was well known for being with his namesake band, Ernie and the Po’ Boys.

Ernie Brown was the most kind, gentle, soft-spoken person that I have ever met. He never complained about the fact he could not see you or said bad things about people that he had dealings with. He also had a great love for his family members and Carol. He will be missed by all of them.

The past few years, “Sugar Lips” was unable to perform on stage or even play his beloved harmonicas. This had to be hard for him to bear after all the years of music in his life. He even had me get a harmonica rack for him to try which did not work out well. One day Ernie told me “I’ve had my time in the sun and other musicians will carry on.” I think that he was okay with that.

I want to give a special thanks to Ernie for putting up with me in my endeavor to learn how to play the harmonica. This truly had to be a challenge for him. We had many hours together playing harmonica and talking. Thank you Ernie, you will be truly missed by me and all the people that got to know you.

Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis-Crossroads Blues Society

Ernest “Sugarlips” Brown Home Going Celebration

December 20^th 2011 - 4:00PM till 9:PM

Stephenson County Farm Bureau - 210 West Spring St. Freeport, IL

Catered food will be served, live music and many pictures and memories of “Sugarlips”

No smoking or alcohol allowed

Dishes to pass would be appreciated also.

Contact Kaitlyn Peters 1-815-656-0392

2011 Christmas Party

2011-11-09T11:13:00.001-08:00

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines BITS Nov 1 & 2

2011-10-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Matthew Curry Nominated for Best Self Produced CD by Crossroads Blues Society

2011-10-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Crossroads Officers and Board decided to endorse and submit the CD by Matthew Curry and the Fury "If I Don't Got You" for consideration as the best self produced CD of the year. Our nomination will be submitted to the Blues Foundation for consideration of the CD for this award. We are excited by Normal, Illinois' Matthew Curry and are proud to submit his CD as our nomination. This teenage guitar player and vocalist has a superb style of playing and singing. The CD features seven original cuts and two covers. Curry does not over accentuate and fill every measure with notes; his timing and picking are measured and stylish. He leaves enough air between the notes to let the music breath and be appreciated. We wish Matthew and his band the best and hope they win for best self produced CD!

Track list:

1 If I Don't Got You

2 New York Blues

3 Storm's A Brewing

4 Walk Out That Door

5 Hear The Highway

6 Blinded by the Darkness

7 Dancing To The Blues

8 High Water Everywhere

9 Soulshine

2012 BCBF Lineup Taking Shape

2011-10-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

We announced our probable 2012 lineup at our volunteer party yesterday. We have firm commitments for most bands and we are really looking forward to our third annual festival on August 25, 2012. The lineup is shaping up something like this:

1:30 PM Aaron Williams and the HooDoo
3:00 PM Harmonica Workshop
3:30 PM The Jimmy's
5:30 PM Cash Box Kings
7:30 PM Nick Moss and the Fliptops
9:30 PM Candye Kane

Stay tuned for more info as plans are finalized!

Volunteer Recognition Party Sunday October 9th, 3 to 6 PM at Tailgaters

2011-10-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

In recognition of the fine volunteer effort in executing the 2011 BCBF, we have schedule a party from 3 to 6 PM on Sunday, October 9th at Tailgater's in Byron!

There will be snacks provided along with free beer, Mikes Hard Lemonade and soft drinks for all volunteers.

The Basement Blues Band will also be performing for the party (from start to finish!). Their unique electric and acoustic down home sound has expanded over the years, and the band is much larger than the old trio. The original members, Steve Leigh on guitar and vocals, Rich Gordon on bass and vocals, and Bob Schmitt on drums, harmonica and vocals remain. Added to the band are David Stine (guitar and vocals), Tom Dinwiddie (mandolin, washboard and vocals), and MarkThompson (percussion). They have a big, richer sound and an expanded repertoire, so volunteers are guaranteed to see and hear a great show!

Basement Blues Band Link

Please wear your ash grey 2012 BCBF volunteer shirts if you can and certainly come out for this great event! We hope to see a great turnout! We will also sneak in a few door prizes!

2011-2012 Officers and Board Elected and Meeting Minutes 9/30/11

2011-10-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

The meeting was called to order at 7:35 PM by President Mark Thompson at the Adriatic Cafe and Bar. All officers and board members were present with exception of David Stine.

Steve Jones gave a review of the minutes from the last meeting 8/19/11. Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis moved to accept them, second by Bob Haendler. Minutes approved unanimously.

Al McNary reported that $5231.83 was in the checking account after receipts from membership and the festival. At the meeting, he was also given $222 in tee shirt profits, $170 in fest new and renewed members, $40 from Joe Filisko, and another $50 in membership and donations. $5713.83 are our total financial holdings.

Steve gave a detailed review of the festival. We were very successful and no problems occurred. The bar owners preferred 4 gates to 2 and having beer tickets sales at each beer booth which Mark and Steve agreed will be done. Cleanup went very well and people were satisfied with the efforts. There will be a volunteer recognition party on Sunday, October 9th at Tailgaters 3 to 6 PM with teh Basement Blues Band playing. The large PA is needed and is $80 to rent. Steve will pay out of fest funds.

Discussion occurred that we should get our own PA. The board agreed we should research this.

The new officers and executive board for Crossroads was elected at the annual meeting Friday night.

Mark Thompson remains as President as does Karl Dahlin as VP and Al McNary as Secretary. Steve Jones stepped down as Secretary to run for the board and Bonnie Fox was elected as the new Secretary.

Top vote getters for the five board positions were Harmonica Joe Poluyanksis, Steve Jones, Rick Davis, Denny Barker and Bob Haendler. Rich Gordon and Terry Keller were on the ballot and also received votes in a closely contested set of races.

The new officers and board serve for a 12 month term. Thanks for their service and to off going board members for their service and hard work!

Blues in the Schools (BITS) was discussed. Mark had a discussion with Paul Rischell and Annie Raines and the consensus was to do BITS on Tuesday, November 1st (AM and PM) and an evening show at Just Goods. The normal fee was agreed to with one night's lodging. Mark is to check if Filisko and Noden are also available on the same or next day.

The meeting was closed at 8:45 PM.

Nick Moss and Annual Elections Meeting Friday September 30th

2011-09-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Where: The Adriatic Cafe and Bar (Corner of Jefferson and Church Streets)

When: Meeting 7:30 PM, Nick Moss 9:00 PM

What: Nick Moss and his new Flip Tops band play Rockford. A show not to miss!
Meeting prior to the show at 7:30 PM. Topics:
1. Annual election of board and officers.
2. Discuss 2011 BCBF results/event
3. Plan 2011/2012 school year BITS

The Second Annual Blues Fest Approaches August 27th!

2011-08-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

The blues fest is almost upon us! Round 2 of our festival features Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band headlining the event at the 7:30 PM time slot. Kilborn Alley goes at 5:30 PM and the Jimmy's at 9:30 PM. Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys are on at 3:30 PM and we open with Glen, Matt and Andy at 1;30 PM.

Joe Filisko will be conducting a free harmonica workshop in Leombruni's Italian Village at 3 PM. The first 25 kids 10 and under who attend get a free harmonica (adults can bring their own or buy one at $5 at cost).

Great food abounds, too- for more info go to our fest blog: http://byroncrossroadsbluesfestival.blogspot.com/

Dave & Denise Zellers Benefit September 24th

2011-08-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Dave & Denise Zellers were brutally stabbed in their home in Leaf River on July 3rd and communities are stepping forward to help. Nashville Bluesman Bobby Messano told me he was coming out to play to support his friends in Mount Morris on September 24th. The event is noon until midnight at the Mount Morris Moose Lodge. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Also playing are 12 Pack Pretty, the Crunchy Frogs , Trash 80's, Beaker Street and possibly the Bootleg Flyers. Raffles will be held throughout the event. Proceeds go to help Dave and Denise pay for their medical and other related costs.

There will be horeshoes,bags and plenty of family and kid's games, so bring your entire family out for this great event and worthy cause!

Contact Tabatha Naylon at 815-994-0819 or Sheila Cox at 815-994-4464 for more info. It should be a great event!

Jimmy Thackery Sunday July 31st at the Adriatic Cafe

2011-06-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Janiva Magness Monday, July 25th at the Adriatic Cafe

2011-06-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Recording Academy Starts the Celebration of Blues Music

2011-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

For the ninth time, the Recording Academy - Chicago Chapter - staged a gala event as a lead-in to the 2011 Chicago Blues Fest weekend. The Academy is best known for its’ annual Grammy Awards. The organization also provides professional development and educational opportunities for its 20,000-plus membership. Once again, the sold-out party was held at Buddy Guy’s famous club, Legends.

After opening remarks from Tera Healy, Executive Director, and Larry Sturm, Chapter President, the evening’s master of ceremonies took the stage. Big Lou Johnson, from Sirius XM radio’s B.B. King Bluesville programs, showed off his vocal prowess on a song celebrating his large frame. Big Lou was backed-up by the house band for the evening – Brother John Kattke on guitar and keyboard, Paul Streff on bass and Marty Binder on drums.

Johnson then introduced the former band leader and musical director for KoKo Taylor’s band, guitarist Vino Louden, who got things off to a rousing start with an energetic rendition of “I’m Ready” followed by a solid version of “Rock Me Baby” that opened with a solo segment from Louden that showed off his skills on guitar.

Louden once again thanked the Academy and one of its affiliates, Music Cares, for the help they provided Louden after the Taylor band was involved in a terrible crash several years ago.

The pace didn’t slow when singer Nellie “Tiger” Travis took over and lead the band through a super-charged rendition of “Let the Good Times Roll”. Things mellowed a bit when she covered Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” before Travis used her powerful voice to summon the spirit of the late KoKo Taylor on “Wang Dang Doodle”.

The Chicago Stone Lightning Band was back again, paying tribute to the early Fleetwood Mac band on “Like It This Way”. Then guitarist Ben Pirani did his best John Lennon imitation as he sang on a rocking original tune “Do Yourself a Favor”. Cathy Richardson also made a return appearance. Her strong voice filled the club, especially on an over-the-top performance on “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, from the Led Zeppelin songbook.

Next up was The Brooks Family Blues Dynasty as Wayne & Ronnie Baker Brooks hit the stage. Wayne was featured first on the title cut from his Mystery recording, delivering several fiery guitar solos. Brother Ronnie showed off a few tricks of his own before the two took turns soloing “If It Don’t Make Dollars, Then It Don’t Make No Sense” that featured a hip-hop vocal segment from Ronnie.

The audience erupted when Lonnie Brooks, joined his sons for an obligatory run-through of “Sweet Home Chicago”, with the audience singing along as the family patriarch demonstrated that he hasn’t lost his touch on the guitar.

Matthew Skoller fronted a powerhouse band with Kattke on keys, Binder on drums, Felton Crews on bass and Nick Moss on guitar. Skoller opened with the instrumental “Off the Wall”, his superb harp playing delivering homage to Little Walter. His heartfelt vocal made “One Room Apartment” one of the evening’s highlights and he finished his set with plenty of upper register harp licks on “Get On Down”.

Moss stayed on the stage and brought up his band, the Flip Tops, along with special guest Curtis Salgado. They cruised through “Killing Floor” with Curtis taking the lead vocal. Then Moss slowed things done with a tasteful guitar intro to “Lonesome in My Bedroom”. They closing medley included “Bloody Tears” with Nick using a slide, “Mother-in-Law Blues” with Michael Ledbetter on vocal and Salgado closing things out on a spirited “Yonder’s Wall”.

Billy Branch and the Sons of the Blues made their appearance next with a rousing set of songs. Branch and his band continue to delight their fans with their homespun Chicago sound, and this night was no exception. He did a tribute to Junior Wells on "Hoodoo Man Blues" then did "One More Mile" done as a funky shuffle, and last he did a new song to close the set, a boogie titled "Baby Let Me Butter Your Corn". The crowd was looking for more, but time would not permit as Branch and the SOBs left to a rousing roar from the packed house.

Even with powerhouse musicians like Skoller and guitarist Lurrie Bell in the band behind her, singer Dietra Farr’s voice easily cut through the music and reminded those in attendance that she is one of the premier female blues singers in the city. She rocked “Just Your Fool”, then dug deep into “Mean Old World” with Bell laying down several memorable guitar solos.

Carlos Johnson opened with “I’ll Play the Blues for You”, the lefty guitarist prowling the stage as he delivered one blistering solo passage after another. Johnson then called Billy Branch back to the stage for an instrumental jam that got the crowd going. They finished with “You Don’t Have to Go” as Johnson and Branch traded licks to the delight of the audience.

The evening’s final set was a tribute to the legendary piano player, Pinetop Perkins. The dean of Chicago blues piano, Erwin Helfer, started things off at a slower pace with “After Hours” before picking up the pace on his original composition “Stop Time Boogie” with Bob Stroger on bass and Kenny Smith on drums. Chris “Hambone” Cameron’s did one tune, with his flamboyant style being a stark contrast to the more graceful nature of Perkin’s work.

Barrelhouse Chuck Goering took over the piano chair and delighted listeners with his rendition of “School Days” and “Pinetops Boogie”, a fitting tribute to Perkins. Finally, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith took over on lead vocal and harmonica to lead the band through a number of songs from his Grammy award-winning collaboration with Perkins, Joined at the Hip. Little Frank Krakowski was on hand to add his tasty guitar work to the set, just as he did on the recording. Another fine harp player, Bob Corritire, also appeared during the set. The back line of Kenny "Beady Eyes" Smith and Bob Stroger also provided great suppport.

And then the evening was over – but those fortunate enough to be there got a close-up view of some of the talent that will be on display during the Blues Fest weekend. Make sure you consider adding this event to your calendar for next year – and a hearty thank-you to the Recording Academy for their support of blues music !!!

Written by Mark Thompson and photographs by Steve Jones

Bryan Lee at Mary's Place June 13th

2011-05-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Doug MacLeod returns to Rockford June 24th

2011-04-08T08:43:00.001-07:00

Blues in the Schools Evening Show Monday, April 25th

2011-03-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Lucky Peterson Sat. April 2nd at Big Cities Lounge

2011-03-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

The incomparable Lucky Peterson will be making a special appearance at Big Cities Lounge at 905 E State Street in Rockford, IL at 9:30 PM on Saturday, April 2nd, 2011. Big Cities is still open and they are proud to have Lucky coming out for this special show. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Crossroads Blues Society Members can get advanced tickets for $10 and a portion of all ticket sales will go to Crossroads' "Blues in the Schools" Program.

Lucky Peterson plays a unique and interesting blend of contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll into his blues. He plays both guitar and keyboards. Music journalist Tony Russell, in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray has said, "he may be the only blues musician to have had national television exposure in short pants." He was discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was three years old, released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show.

His new album "You Can Always Turn Around" on the Dreyfus label has received rave reviews and has gotten extensive national airplay on blues radio programs. This is a show blues, soul and gospel fans will ot want to miss- Lucky plays with his heart and soul bared. Come out and hear this great musician and his band and help support keeping the blues alive! Tickets are available at Big Cities (call 815-965-6026) or through Crossroads Blues Society (sub_insignia@yahoo.com).

Candye Kane April 17th Mary's Place

2011-03-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cruisin' Blues

2011-03-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce America's newest and most exciting ride for music lovers and bike enthusiasts alike in support of The Blues Foundation www.blues.org .

Join us online and anywhere along the route April 30th through May 8th for Cruisin the Blues Highway! Yes, cars are welcome too.

Nothing goes together better than cruisin the highways of America while listening to some great blues! So get ready to take a trip of a lifetime and join us for “Cruisin the Blues Highway!” Designed to raise awareness of the Blues Music Awards held each year in Memphis, the inaugural tour will follow the trail forged as Blues made it’s way along the Mississippi. There will be five stops on the tour in cities that played a significant role in the development of the Blues and modern music as we know it today. The mission is to spread the word of the Blues Foundation, educate and entertain those that join us for the experience and to build upon a community based on loyalty and passion.

Each major city stop will offer an afternoon shuttle to Blues related attractions and the evenings will be filled with great Blues music at our participating venues. From Chicago, Illinois to Clarksdale, Mississippi, riders will experience the thrill of the open road, action packed stops in the greatest Blues cities throughout the country and endless memories for a lifetime.

There's too much to explain in this email, so click below to visit our website and join us for the journey.

http://www.cruisinblues.com

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - JOIN CBH FOR THE KICK OFF PHOTO SHOOT SUNDAY MAY 1ST AT BUDDY GUY'S LEGENDS. WE'LL BE PARKING BIKES IN FRONT OF THE VENUE STARTING AT

12 NOON AND TAKING THE OFFICIAL PROMO PHOTO FOR THE TOUR. THE PHOTO WILL BE TAKEN NO LATER THAN 1:00 PM SO GET THERE EARLY AND BE A PART OF HISTORY!

Hope to see you on the Cruise.....and best Bluesin!

Stefan Levy
Cruisin the Blues Highway

Blues In The Schools March 21, 2011

2011-03-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

It's time for our first set of Spring BITS programs! After two school events in Freeport and two more in Rockford, our BITS artists will join forces for an evening evet at Big Cities Lounge at 905 E State in Rockford. Barrelhouse Chuck Goering and Gerry Hundt will blend their keyboards and guitars to serve up some great blues music. $5 cover, free to student accompanied by their parents and for Crossraods Blues Society Members. Call 779-537-4006 for more info.

BITS Fundraiser

2011-03-04T15:05:00.001-08:00

Gary Phillips/Paradise Guitars Shows

2011-02-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

Crossroads Wine Tasting Benefit for BITS Friday, March 18,2011 at Artale Wines

2011-01-17T04:40:00.000-08:00

Friday March 18th is the final revised date for the Crossroads Blues Society Blues in the Schools Wine Tasting Benefit at Artale Wine Company. Located at 6876 Springcreek Road, Ste. 128, Rockford, IL, 1114, Artale Wines hosts benefits to raise money for local non-profits. Our benefit (note that the date is changed from the newsletter announcement) will run from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. Tickets are $15, with $10 going to Crossroads from each ticket sale. Call Artales for tickets and information at (815) 877-9463. Steve Ditzell will be playing acoustic blues during the event for your listening pleasure. Come on out and support the blues, have some great wine and taste great foods. The events are catered by Josef Barbados and Pearl Restaurants.

Crossroads sponsors scholarship fund blues benefit show January 15, 2011

2010-12-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

All proceeds benefit the Alec Catherwood scholarship fund, which will be awarded each year to a graduatimg HS student at both Stillman Valley and Byron High Schools.

JB Ritchie and the Power Blues Band will be featured with their hot rocking slide guitar blues sound! $10 suggested donation at the door.

Please help the cause, donate items for the auctions and raffles! Contact Steve Jones at sub_insignia@yahoo.com or at 779-537-4006. You can also drop off items for auction or raffle at Leombuni's Italian Village in Byron at any time prior to the event.

Good-Bye Party for Big Cities Lounge!

2010-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Featuring many Rockford blues guitar legends!

Benefit Concert for Donna Linderman with Tab Benoit

2010-11-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Smokin' Joe Kubec and Bnois King Return to Rockford November 18th!

2010-10-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Spencer Bohren BITS 10/5/10

2010-09-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Spencer Bohren http://www.spencerbohren.com/

Blues in the Schools and Community Itinerary
Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Morning BITS
Cherry Valley ES
619 East State Street
Cherry Valley, Illinois 61016
Phone (815)332-4938
Time: 8:45 AM (set up 8:00 AM)
Duration: 60 minutes
Contact: Principal Rori Regan, reganr@rps205.com
Equipment Needed: None

Lunch TBD

Afternoon BITS
Beyer ES
333 15th Avenue
Rockford, IL 6
Phone: 815-229-2800
Time: 1:00 PM
Duration: 60 minutes
Contact: Principal David Sanders, sanderda@rps205.com
Equipment Needed: PA and one mike/stand

Dinner TBD

Evening
Venue: Just Goods Listening Room
905 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61104-1023
Phone: 815-965-6026
Time: 7:30 PM (set up 6:30 PM)
Duration: 2 sets
Event: Blues in the Schools evening show for community; $10 cover advanced, $12 at door, free for students with an adult
Contact: Mark Thompson, 5414-416-1884 kahunablues@aol.com
Equipment Needed: None

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Rockford
7676 East State St.
Rockford, IL 61108
Phone: 815-397-6222

Crossroads Blues Society Contacts: Steve Jones 779-537-4006, sub_insignia@yahoo.com; Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis 815-962-8638, harmonicajoe@comcast.net. Others will accompany and attend varying portions.

Crossroads Blues Society Membership Meeting Friday, September 17, 2010

2010-09-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

Crossroads Blues Society Membership Meeting

Friday, September 17, 2010

Big Cities Lounge

7:45 pm meeting called to order by President Mark Thompson. Officers in attendance were:
Mark Thompson President
Karl Dahlin Vice President
Steve Jones Secretary
Joe Poluyanskis Board
Rich Gordon Board
Rick Davis Board

Treasurer reported $4553 in account with bills paid.

Doug MacLeod Sunday, 7:30 PM at Just Goods. Crossroads cosponsors with Charlotte’s Web. Hopefully no cost to club.

Spencer Bohren Tuesday, October 5, 2010 7:30 PM at Just Goods after two school programs for BITS. Need to pay for programs and for room.

Secretary posted minutes to internet (all Blues Fest planning). Agreed to skip review.

Byron Crossroads Blues Festival reviewed by Mark and Steve. Steve has PowerPoint with all details. Volunteer efforts were recognized. Karl Dahlin singled out for his effort and was given a framed and matted poster from fest by Steve. A volunteer recognition party is to be held Sunday October 17th from 3 PM to 6 PM at a venue TBD in Byron. We are tentatively looking for 2nd annual fest to be August 27, 2011.

Joe Geraghty is sponsoring Smoking Joe Kubek and Bnois King at Big Cities Thursday November 18th $15 advanced/$20 at door.

November 19th Friday Crossroads fundraiser at Artale Wine Company on Spring Creek.

Nino wants to run an outdoor festival with Crossroads help on State Street Saturday May 16th Armed Forces Day. Pistol Pete, Reverend Raven, Magic Slim and Kim Wilson are the bands he wants us to help him get. Costs are possibly very high. City will do liquor license and insurance, park district to do fence and stage. Need to get all specifics. Red, White and Blues Festival.

Lyran Society contact Mark about a festival at Lyran Park with our assistance. Steve and Mark to meet with them and evaluate.

Held election of officers and board. Rick Hein and Rick Davis stepping down. Bob Haendler and Denny Barker agreed to run. Slate elected by written ballot:
Mark Thompson President
Karl Dahlin Vice President
Steve Jones Secretary
Al McNary Treasurer
Joe Poluyanskis Board
Rich Gordon Board
David Stine Board
Denny Barker Board
Bob Haendler Board

Meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Big Bull Falls Blues Fest August 19, 20 & 21, Fern Island Park, Wausau, WI

2010-08-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Freeport Music on Chicago Friday August 13th

2010-08-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Blues Music returns to the summer monthly Music on Chicago Avenue event for August. Friday the 13th at 6 PM Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames take the stage and at 830 PM The Cashbox Kings will play. Only $5 gets you in for a night of great music!

Blues at the Clock Tower August 7th!

2010-07-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

Kim Wilson Encore Performance! August 17, 7 PM, $15 in advance.

2010-06-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival July 2-4, 2010

2010-06-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

For twenty-six years, volunteers of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society have been organizing and presenting the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. The three-day festival is held each year over the 4th of July weekend in picturesque LeClaire Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. After flooding conditions last year forced the Festival to be relocated to the streets of Downtown Davenport, the festival will again be held in LeClaire Park this year for the 26th Annual edition of the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival.

Through the care and attention paid in selecting performers to represent a variety of blues styles and the down-home non-commercial atmosphere of the fest, over the years the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival has become recognized as one of the finest blues fests in the country. This year’s edition will be held from Friday, July 2 through Sunday, July 4. We hope you’ll join us for a great weekend of blues music!

Many Crossroads members are also members of MVBS and/or attend the fest. We will have a Crossroads table in the Blues Central Tent all three days. Come on out and have a great time and listen to some super music.

Fest Lineup

Friday, July 2
Bandshell/Tent Stage
5:00 p.m. The Kinsey Report/5:00 p.m. Little Pink Anderson
7:00 p.m. Mud Morganfield/6:30 p.m. Caroline Shines
9:00 p.m. Bernard Allison/8:30 p.m. Lurrie Bell Chicago Blues Band
11:00 p.m. Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials/10:30 p.m. Shirley King

Saturday, July 3
Bandshell/Tent Stage
1:00 p.m. Iowa Blues Challenge winner/1:30 p.m. Little Brother Jones
2:45 p.m. Ana Popovic/3:30 p.m. Olga Wilhelmine with Cody Dickinson
4:30 p.m. Zac Harmon/5:30 p.m. Little Joe McLerran
6:15 p.m. Vasti Jackson/7:30 p.m. Ruthie Foster
8:00 p.m. Quad City Symphony Orchestra/9:30 p.m. Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues
/10:30 p.m. Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys

Free Workshops
1:00 p.m. Olga Wilhelmine with Cody Dickinson
2:30 p.m. Little Pink Anderson
4:00 p.m. Rosie Ledet
5:30 p.m. Billy Branch

BlueSKool
2:30 p.m. David Berntson
3:45 p.m. Winter Blues Academy Kids w/Hal Reed & Ellis Kell
5:00 p.m. Charles Wsir Johnson and the MLK Center kids

Sunday, July 4
Bandshell/Tent Stage
2:00 p.m. The Jimmys/2:00 p.m. Bill Sims Jr and Mark LaVoie
4:00 p.m. Shawn Kellerman/3:30 p.m. Dave Riley and Bob Corritore
6:00 p.m. Lucky Peterson/5:30 p.m. David Boykin Expanse
8:00 p.m. Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring Tommy Castro,Debbie Davies, Magic Dick and Sista Monica/7:30 p.m. Kim Massie
9:30 p.m. The Nighthawks with Hubert Sumlin

Free Workshops
1:00 p.m. Dave Riley and Bob Corritore
2:30 p.m. David Horwitz, Blues Photography
4:00 p.m. Bill Sims Jr. and Mark LaVoie
5:30 p.m. Little Brother Jones

BlueSKool
2:30 p.m. Charles Wsir Johnson and the MLK Center kids
3:45 p.m. Winter Blues Academy Kids w/Hal Reed & Ellis Kell
5:00 p.m. David Berntson

Crossroads Members at Blues on the Fox

2010-06-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Photo by Rick Davis

Grammy Association Kicks off Chicago Blues Fest by Mark Thompson with Steve Jones

2010-06-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

The Recording Academy, Chicago Chapter held their 8th annual Kick Off Jam on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at Buddy Guy’s famous club Legends, that recently opened at its new location a block north of the old site. Featuring an expanded stage, more tables and clean sightlines, the new Legends is a state-of-the-art facility with an outstanding sound system that certainly was put to the test on this night of celebration.

Opening the festivities was Billy Branch and the Son of Blues, who laid down a boogie beat with Branch using his harp to create a variety of train sounds. After a strong rendition of “Scratch My Back”, Branch brought eleven children to the stage. They were members of a harmonica class Branch had been teaching at a local Chicago neighborhood youth program. The kids showed plenty of spirit and enthusiasm in their playing of their harps as well as their singing on “Stormy Monday” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll”; they even added a bit of hip-hop flavor at one point.

Next up was Vino Louden, the lead guitar player for many years for the late KoKo Taylor. Louden made a point of thanking the Music Cares program, an affiliate of the Recording Academy, which helped arrange transportation home for Vino after a near-fatal auto accident two years ago. He showed his appreciation on an emotionally charged version of “I’ll Take Care of You”, one of the evening’s highlights.

Otis Clay quickly raised the energy level in the room, showcasing his tender side on “I Can Take You to Heaven Tonight” with his full band in support. On “A Nickel and A Nail”, Clay sang in the intense, gritty style that epitomized his legendary career. The raw emotion that Clay draws on and transmits to his audience is powerfully spiritual.

The Chicago Stone Lightning Band showed their appreciation for the original Fleetwood Mac by starting their set with a cover of “Stop Messin’ Around”, led by led by lead singer and guitarist Ben Pirani. They closed with an original tune, “Do Yourself a Favor” they will be featured on an upcoming release.

The talented Dave Herrero was another highlight with his animated performance. Herrero is a soulful vocalist and a fine guitar player who laid down a rocking slice of Texas-style blues on “Halo” and “Nacogdoches”.

The evening took a detour to the dark corner of the world that Otis Taylor inhabits. Backed by members Of Umphrey’s McGee plus Billy Branch on harp and Chicagoan Anne Harris on violin, Taylor strapped on a guitar and took the audience on an intense ride through the gamut of human experience. His searing version of “Hey Joe” mixed sexual overtones with a surging musical accompaniment for another high point of the evening.

Blessed with a powerful voice, Nellie “Tiger” Travis entertained the crowd with her original material including a touching tribute to KoKo Taylor, “Queen of the Blues”. Following her was another woman with a big voice, Cathy Richardson. Her tough, soulful voice brought to mind images of Janis Joplin, a role Richardson once played in an off Broadway production. The blues world has some fine up and coming female singers to continue to carry the torch.

Harmonica ace Matthew Skoller brought the party back to the traditional Chicago blues style with the help of Carlos Johnson on guitar, Marty Sammons on keyboards and Marty Binder on drums. Skoller’s set served up proof that he is one of the top harp players on the Chicago scene. Just after the conclusion of his performance, the Chicago BlackHawks won the Stanley Cup, much to the delight of the crowd.

Then it was star time as Miller brought the legendary club owner to the stage. Buddy Guy graciously acknowledged the compliments and appreciation from friends and fans alike for the new club, thanking everyone for their continued support with a special mention for the city of Chicago. Then Buddy gave a big shout-out to the champion BlackHawks. Guy then did a short set without his guitar, reminding the audience that he is still a superb singer, as he weaved together a medley of classic blues tunes. He finally relinquished the stage, stating that he wanted the other acts to get their time and that no one ws there to see him; I certainly must disagree since it is always a huge pleasure to listen to Buddy.

It is never easy to follow a legend but the next group found Carlos Johnson leading the band that backed the dynamic pairing of Billy Branch and Sugar Blue. The two harmonica wizards showcased their contrasting styles – Branch bending and contorting his body, his hands caressing his harp as he tried to blow the house down while Sugar Blue stood almost motionless, his hands barely moving while he blew intricate lines, improvising like a master jazz musician. The contrast of styles of play impressed both Carlos Johnson and the crowd, woth both harp players laying out intricate licks in their own unique styles and tones.

The big finale started with Ronnie Baker Brooks and his brother, Wayne Baker Brooks, on guitar and vocals with his band in support. They traded guitar licks through a rousing “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” and then slowed the pace on ‘Long Distance Call”. Then the patriarch of the family, Lonnie Brooks, arrived on stage to the cheers of the appreciative audience. Brooks, a recent inductee to the Blues Hall of Fame, tore into “Watch Dog” as the three guitarists took turns showcasing their individual styles. Next, Lonnie started a train rhythm on his guitar, steadily building the pace until the band joined in as Lonnie continued to squeeze notes out of his guitar; he gave the audience quite a show. Finishing with a brief chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago”, Lonnie picked his guitar with his tongue before leaving the stage.

But the evening wasn’t quite over as Wayne called Carlos Johnson and Billy Branch back to the stage for a final jam that ended the evening six hours after it started. The finale was a raucous and wild adventure, with the younger Brooks offering his guitar out to audience members to pluck as he fingered notes and chords.

Congratulations to the Recording Academy for another outstanding party and a truly fitting opening for another Chicago Blues Fest weekend. And a tip of the hat to the Legends staff for the great job they did of taking care of their guests all night long. The new Legends is truly a marvelous venue that will provide a true showcase for celebrating blues music for years to come.

Review by Mark Thompson, photos by Steve Jones

Some short videos from the show:

The Brooks Family at the Chicago Blues Fest Kickoff- "Watchdog"

Billy Branch School Harmonica Project
Otis Clay
Otis Taylor with Billy Branch, Anne Harris and Umphrey's McGee
Cathy Richardson
Buddy Guy
Sugar Blue
Carlos Johnson with Billy Branch and Sugar Blue

Blues on the Fox June 18 &19

2010-06-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Blues on the Fox Link

Friday June 18, 2010 - 6:30 p.m.

Tinsley Ellis

http://www.tinsleyellis.com/

Southern blues-rocker Tinsley Ellis may speak no evil, but he sings and plays with the conviction of, as Billboard wrote, "...a man possessed." Over the course of 11 albums and literally thousands of live performances, Ellis easily ranks as one of today’s most electrifying blues-rock guitarists and vocalists. He attacks his music with rock power and blues feeling, in the same tradition as his deep south musical heroes Duane Allman and Freddie King and his old friends Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. Atlanta Magazine declared Ellis "the most significant blues artist to emerge from Atlanta since Blind Willie McTell."

Friday June 18, 2010 - 8:30 p.m.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

http://www.tromboneshorty.com/

Rare indeed is the artist with the virtuosity to draw the unqualified respect of some of the most iconic legends in jazz and the ability to deliver a high-energy funk rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is one such artist – and there is no one else like him.

Saturday June 19, 2010 - 2:00 p.m.

Hix Brothers Junior All Stars

Aurora’s first family of music, the Hix Brothers, promise to provide the cream of the crop of young students of the Blues.

Saturday June 19, 2010 - 3:30 p.m.
Guy King and his “Little Big Band”
http://www.guyking.net/
The Guy King Band is a blues band that draws its influences from different eras and areas of the blues. It is a soulful and unique blend of gutbucket blues with the "uptown" soul and jazz styles.

Saturday June 19, 2010 - 5:15 p.m.
Ronnie Baker Brooks
http://www.ronniebakerbrooks.com/
Chicago guitar hero Ronnie Baker Brooks is carrying the torch from the previous generation of soul and blues greats and moving the music into the future. As the son of blues great Lonnie Brooks, he came of age watching the fieriest guitar players and most soulful singers of a previous era express their deepest feelings through their music.

Saturday June 19, 2010 - 7:00 p.m.
"Joined at the Hip" featuring Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith with special guests Hubert Sumlin and Bob Margolin
Don't miss these legends of blues performing together in this unprecedented tour.

Pinetop Perkins
http://www.pinetopperkins.com/
Pinetop Perkins is one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen still performing. He began playing blues around 1927 and is widely regarded as one of the best blues pianists. He’s created a style of playing that has influenced three generations of piano players and will continue to be the yardstick by which great blues pianists are measured.

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

http://www.williebigeyessmith.com/

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith was born in Helena, Arkansas in 1936. At the age of 17 he ventured to Chicago where he heard Muddy Waters for the first time. Willie was hooked on the blues and the attraction to the music persuaded him to stay in Chicago.

Hubert Sumlin

http://www.hubertsumlinblues.com/

In April 2000, a new Hubert Sumlin album was recorded that was expected to bring Hubert’s recognition in line with his accomplishments. The album was conceived and produced by Rolling Stones guitar player Keith Richards, wanting to play blues with Hubert. The album has an interesting and legitimate concept: applying Hubert’s guitar playing to Muddy Waters’ songs. It features Levon Helm on drums, David Maxwell on piano, Paul Oscher on harp, Mudcat Ward on bass, and Bob Margolin on guitar. Keith Richards recorded "Two Trains Runnin’" with just him and Hubert. Eric Clapton plays and sings on "I’m Ready" and "Long Distance Call." In January of 2005 that album titled "About Them Shoes" was released on Tone-Cool Records. On December 8, 2005, "About Them Shoes" was nominated for the 2006 Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Bob Margolin

http://www.bobmargolin.com/

Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin is a blues guitar player and vocalist, carrying on the deep Chicago blues style and creating his original music today. From 1973-1980, Bob played guitar in the band of Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters, touring worldwide and recording, and learning to play Muddy's powerful music directly from him. In 1980, Bob started his own band, and he's still on the road and recording. He won the W. C. Handy award for guitar in 2005, and was nominated again in 2006.

Saturday June 19, 2010 - 8:30 p.m.

Jimmie Vaughan

http://www.jimmievaughan.com/

Jimmie Vaughan is far more than just one of the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world of popular music, as well as a three-time Grammy winner. As Guitar Player magazine notes, “He is a virtual deity—a living legend.” After all, Vaughan provides vital link between contemporary music and its proud heritage, as well as being a longtime avatar of retro cool.

The Windy City Blues Society Sponsors the 2010 Chicago Blues Festival and Hosts Their Own Stage

2010-06-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Windy City Blues Society (WCBS) is proud to announce the music lineup for the WCBS Street Stage at the Chicago Blues Festival. The WCBS Street Stage will be located in the Festival Village next to the WCBS booth on Columbus Avenue, north of Jackson Avenue, and will feature live blues performances daily by many of Chicago’s finest blues musicians. In the spirit of Chicago’s historic Maxwell Street Market, the performances will be held at ground level. The Windy City Blues Society is a proud sponsor of the 2010 Chicago Blues Festival. The Chicago Blues Festival is held in Chicago’s Grant Park from June 11th through 13th and is the world’s largest free blues festival.

WCBS Street Stage Schedule:

Friday, June 11

Noon to 1:00 - Will Jacobs & Dirty Deal

1:15 to 2:15 - Chris James, Patrick Rynn & Rob Stone

2:30 to 3:30 - Kilborn Alley Blues Band

3:45 to 4:45 – Lurrie Bell & Chris Harper

5:00 to 6:00 - Steve Freund & Dave Specter with Bob Stroger, Kenny Smith and Barrelhouse Chuck

6:15 to 7:15 - Rob Blaine Band

Saturday, June 12

Noon to 1:00 - Matt Hendricks

1:15 to 2:15 - Diamond Jim Greene

2:30 to 3:30 - Chris Harper Band

3:45 to 4:45 - Adam Gussow

5:00 to 6:00 - Bob Riedy & Bob Corritore

6:15 to 7:15 - Peaches Staten Band

Sunday, June 13

Noon to 1:00 - Gerry Hundt

1:15 to 2:15 - Cash Box Kings featuring Billy Flynn, Jimmy Sutton & Oscar Wilson

2:30 to 3:30 - Joe Filisko & Eric Noden

3:45 to 4:45 - Chicago Blues Round Robin with John Primer, Jimmy Burns, Carl Weathersby, Kenny Smith, Jimmy Sutton, Steve Doyle and Dave Katzman

5:00 to 6:00 - Lil’ Ed & Mike Garrett

6:15 to 7:15 - Joe Moss Band

Chicago Blues Fest 2010 Kickoff!

2010-05-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Over 1,300 Students Get The Blues!

2010-04-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

It was a blues outbreak. 250 Ralston Elementary School students, 250 King Elementary School students, 370 Byron Middle School students and 450 Monroe Center Elementary School Students came down with the blues courstesy of our Blues In The Schools (BITS) program! Billy Flynn and Barrelhouse Chuck both did superb jobs entertaining and educating their students on Arpil 27 and 28. And on the evening of April 27, almost 50 adults got schooled in the blues at the Just Good Listening Room by these two fine artists.

This gets the tally up over 23,000 students who have gotten the blues through the 81 BITS programs Crossroads has run.

Our thanks go out to the Rockford Area Arts Council for their support each year for this important program. Their funding helps makes these programs a reality. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council which receives support from the City of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council and its members.

Barrelhouse Chuck and Billy Flynn BITS Programs April 27 and 28, 2010

2010-04-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Crossroads Blues Society Blues in the School (BITS) Programs April 27-28, 2010

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

King Elementary School
1306 S. Court St. 61102
Rockford, IL 61102
Artist: Barrelhouse Chuck Goering
Time: 2 PM

Ralston Elementary School
710 Ralston Road
Machesney Park, IL 61115
Artist: Billy Flynn
Time: 1:15 PM
Evening Show

Just Goods Listening Room
201 Seventh St
Rockford, IL
Both Artists
Time: 7PM
Tickets: $8, $5 for members, free for students

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Monroe Center Elementary School
17500 Hwy 72, PO Box 360
Monroe Center, IL 61052
Artist: Barrelhouse Chuck Goering
Time: 9:30 AM

Byron Middle School
850 North Colfax Street
Byron, IL 61010
Artist: Billy Flynn
Time: 9:55 AM

March-April 2010 Music Reviews Now Online

2010-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com/

All the reviews from our Mar-Apr 2010 newsletter and more!

Byron Crossroads Blues Festival Saturday August 28, 2010!

2010-03-24T12:02:00.001-07:00

Carolina Chocolate Drops are Sold Out!

2010-03-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

We're keeping a waiting list in case someone want to sell their tickets, but we are sold out! Thanks to all the advanced ticket purchasers!

Tickets still available for Kim Wilson Thursday Feb 11!

2010-02-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Call Steve at 779-537-4006 or go to Big Cities for tickets!

Carolina Chocolate Drops Coming to Big Cities Sunday, March 7, 2010!

2010-01-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

Bryan Lee at Big Cities with SSGT Ryan Miller

2010-01-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

Brian and Ryan on Facebook

Crossroads member Staff Sgt Ryan Miller just returned from a tour overseas in Iraq and met up with Bryan Lee at Big Cities Tuesday, 1/19/10 during one of the breaks. Bryan is a big supporter of our military!

IBC Coming this weekend to Memphis- January 20-23, 2010

2010-01-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hamilton Loomis- Monday, Januray 25th at Big Cities Lounge

2010-01-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Another not-to-miss show! This hot Houston-based rocker played the blues at last years' Waterfront on the Left Bank and wowed the crowd!

Brian Lee- Tuesday, January 19 at Big Cities Lounge

2010-01-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Brian Lee is your braille blues daddy! This blind blues rock guitar slinger puts on a great show. Come check him out!

3rd Kim Wilson Show set for Feb 11, 2010!!!

2009-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

Minutes of Crossroads Blues Society Meeting December 18, 2009.

2009-12-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Crossroads Blues Society Board and Membership Meeting

Friday, December 18, 2009 at Big Cities Lounge in Rockford, IL

1. The meeting was called to order at 8:05 PM by President Mark Thompson. VP Karl Dahlin, Secretary Steve Jones, Treasurer Al McNary and Board Members Joe Poluyanksis and Rick Davis were in attendance. Absent were Board Members Rich Gordon, Rick Hein and David Stine.

2. Secretary Steve Jones posted the last meeting minutes of 10/9/09 online at: http://crossroadsbluessociety.blogspot.com/2009/10/minutes-of-crossroads-blues-society.html

3. Treasurer Al McNary reported $175 in the treasury with $100 to be added for Tee Shirt profits and $50 for Mandolin Madness Show profits. Of the total $325 available, $120 profit from the Thackery show is designated for future shows.

4. Mark Thompson explained that personal funds were used to back shows, not club money. Profits made from some shows were given to the club to hold and use for future show backing. He explained that all Crossroads funds were used for Blues in the Schools (BITS), Newsletter printing and postage and memberships in the Blues Foundation and Rockford Area Arts Council (RAAC). He stressed that all members of Crossroads should consider joining the Blues Foundation.

5. Mark noted the RAAC had met to discuss 2010 grant awards and we were hoping to continue to receive funding from the RAAC. He and Steve had prepared and submitted the grant proposal to the RAAC.

6. Crossroads did not win the Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Best Organization but will try again next year.

7. Mark also described the BITS Program for the new members in attendance. New members were urged to attend programs and get involved.

8. A benefit concert needs to be held to fund Spring BITS. Bands will be scheduled to perform free of charge, profits from ticket sales, silent auction items and a 50-50 raffle will go to cover our BITS programs. We are targeting a show in late February or early March at the American Legion Hall in Byron, IL.

9. Our Fall BITS with Joe Filisko and Eric Noden was very successful. Two programs at RESA MS of 450 students each were held the first day and shows at Spring Creek ES and Montessori Magnet ES had 340 and 450 in attendance respectively for a total of 1,690 students at all 4 shows. The evening show at Big Cities had several Montessori school teachers and a few area students attending with their parents and was quite successful, too.

10. We discussed Spring BITS needed to be looked at for scheduling but we still have time. Other scheduled shows at Big Cities include Kim Wilson with Billy Flynn and Barrelhouse Chuck on February 11^th, Brian Lee on January 19^th and Hamiliton Loomis on January 25^th.

11. Steve Jones reported a last check for $100 had been turned in for tee shirt profits, for a total of $365 donated to the Crossroads club for the two batches of shirts. A third order is going in soon with long and short sleeve tees, polos, and regular and zippered hooded sweatshirts.

12. The last item of business was the tentative Byron Crossroads Blues Festival on July 24^th in Byron on Second and Union Streets. The 8 bar and restaurant owners approached Crossroads to advise and assist them in setting this up. The current plan is to close off a cruciform shaped part of Second and Union Streets where they cross, with three access points. Fencing will be provided by Dach Fence. Crossroads will coordinate security for the event. The 8 bars and restaurants will provide beverages and food for the event; no outside food and beverage vendors will be brought in. 4 bands are to be scheduled to perform 90 minute sets at 4, 6, 8 and 10 PM. A stage and sound system will need to be brought in. Steve Jones met initially with the bar and restaurant owners and then the Crossroads Officers and Board visited the potential site to scope out the area and plans. Next steps are to approach the Mayor and City Council in Byron and see what Police, insurance, portable restrooms and other requirements need to be arranged for. A meeting is set for January 5^th in Byron to discuss this further. The officers, board and club members are excited about this and are ready to support this effort.

13. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM. The 6th Annual Crossroads Christmas Party and a performance by he Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band with Barrelhouse Chuck followed the meeting.

Submitted by Steve Jones, Secretary, Crossroads Blues Society

Filisko and Noden Blues in the Schools (BITS)

2009-11-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

It’s once again time for Blues in the Schools (BITS) and Joe Filisko and Eric Noden will be returning to the Rockford area for another round of programs and events. They will be in town for two days, Wednesday November 18th and Thursday November 19th.

The first day will be two afternoon programs due to travel and other gigs. The sessions are at RESA Middle School at 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM respectively. That evening we will be hosting an evening show at Big Cities Lounge at 7:30 PM. The show is $7 in advance and for members, $10 at the door, and free for students accompanied by adults.

On Thursday they will be at Spring Creek Elementary School at 9 AM and Montessori Magnet School at 2 PM, both in Rockford. That evening we will hold both a harmonica and guitar lesson workshop. Joe will school those who sign up on blues harp while Eric will instruct attendees on blues guitar. This will be held at Katie’s Cup on 7th Street in Rockford at 7 PM. Lessons are $20 per person.

Joe Filsiko & Eric Noden’s first CD“Live” featured versions of early blues and roots songs by Sonny Terry, Daddy Stovepipe, Fred McDowell and the Gwen Foster. The CD’s success led to several European tours as well as festival and workshop appearances in the US. Their new release “I.C. Special” continues to draw on American music from the 1920’s & 30’s. All 15 tunes on “I.C. Special” were written by either Joe or Eric and each represents a different branch of American roots music. This new work brings Joe & Eric into a realm that embraces their influences while blending them together in unique ways. This fall the duo will be performing at the World Harmonica Festival in Trossingen, Germany as well as the Harmonicales festival in Condat, France. For more information on the two artists, visit: www.ericnoden.com/Filisko_Noden/bio.html.

Contact Steve Jones at 779-537-4006 for information, evening show tickets or to sign up for the workshops. We hope to see a lot of members at the show, workshops and, if you’d like, at the school programs!

Complete schedule:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

BITS School Programs at 1:30 and 2:30 PM

RESA Middle School

Address: 1800 Ogilby Rd , Rockford , IL (near Klehm Arboretum).

Dinner: TBD

Evening Show at 7:30 PM

Big Cities Lounge

$7 in advance and for members, $10 at door; tickets available at Big Cities or call steve Jones a4r 779-537-4006

Address: 905 E..State St., Rockford , IL

Thursday, November 19, 2009

BITS School Program 9:00 A.M. -10:00 A.M

Spring Creek Elementary School

Address: 5222 Spring Creek Road , Rockford , IL 61114

Lunch : TBD

BITS School Program 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M

Montessori Magnet School

Address: 4704 N. Rockton rd, Rockford , IL 61103

Dinner: TBD

Guitar adn Harmonica Workshop 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Katie’s Cup

$20 per attendee- constact Steve Jones at 779-537-4006 to sign up

Address: 502 7th St , Rockford , IL 61104-1215

2009-10-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Nino's birthday. He's gonna be 74 and doesn't look a day over 69. Or something like that.

Nick Moss and the Fliptops in Rockford at Big Cities Lounge. It doesn't get any better than this, people! Be there early, get a good seat. It will be a packed house!

Minutes of Crossroads Blues Society Meeting 10/9/09

2009-10-18T15:44:00.001-07:00

1. Called to order at 8:05 PM by Steve Jones at Big Cities Lounge, Rockford, IL. Board/Officers present: Karl Dahlin, Steve Jones, Al McNary, Joe Poluyanskis, Rick Hein, David Stine. Board/Officers absent: Mark Thompson, Rich Gordon, Allison Johnson
2. Secretary reviewed minutes of 8/4/09 meeting.
3. Treasurer reported $1448 was in our checking account.
4. Blues Mandolin Madness was discussed. Rich DelGrosso, Billy Flynn and Gerry Hundt will perform at Big Cities on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 7 PM. Tickets $10 in advance and $15 at door.
5. Keeping the Blues Alive Award nomination submitted. Awards given out at annual IBC Finals in Memphis in February.
6. BITS discussed for fall. Desire to use Eric Noden and Joe Filisko. 2 days, evening show and workshop as we did last time they were here.
7. Discussed BITS Fundraiser. Byron is a better location to raise funds. American Legion available most weekends, cost may be free to $100; if they do well at bar no coast. Need to pick date, get silent auction items. Have tickets for 50-50 raffle. Also need to get bands.
8. Nino discussed his calendar for November and December. They will be added to Newsletter.
9. Windy City Blues Society held second round of their Blues Challenge at Buddy Guy’s Legends. David Stine was a judge. He reported on the event. Mark Thompson will judge the finals on November 15.
10. Second annual Illinois Blues Blast Music Awards show at Buddy Guy’s Legends on Thursday October 29th at 7 PM. Tickets $25 in advance.
11. October-November 2009 newsletter will feature interview with Gerry Hundt. Need to get reviews done.
12. Election of Officers and Board for 2009-2010 term held. Allison Johnson indicated she did not desire to serve as a board member. Steve Jones nominated Rick Davis to fill her spot on the board, seconded by Rick Hein. Passed unanimously by voice vote. Al McNary moved that the slate of officers for 2009 be:
Mark Thompson- President
Karl Dahlin- Vice President
Steve Jones- Secretary
Al McNary – Tresurer
Joe Poluyanskis, Rick Hein, David Stine, Rich Gordon and Rick Davis- Board Members
Seconded by David Stine. Passed unanimously by voice vote.
13. Karl Dahlin volunteered to scan and send our Constitution to the Board so they can review it.
14. Club likes tee shirts. Desire expressed for polo shirts, hooded sweat shirts and long sleeve tee shirts. Steve Jones will investigate. $265 profit on tee shirts so far.
15. Got 10 new members to sign up at Paramount Blues Fest in Grafton, WI.
16. Meeting closed at 9:10 PM.

Submitted by Steve Jones, Secreatary

Blues Mandolin Madness! 12/6/09- get tickets early!

2009-09-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Crossroads Blues Society Featured in Latest Issue of Big City Blues!!!

2009-08-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Aug-Sep issue was just mailed out and on page 55 there is an article about Crossroads Blues Society! Thanks to Robert Jr. Whitall and Sugar for agreeing to feature us in their latest issue!

The article features a summary of our club's activities submitted to Big City Blues by Club Secretary and Newsletter Editor Steve Jones and a great picture taken by member Rick Davis showing many of the society officers and board members with Robert Jr. and Sugar at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival on the 4th of July.

The issue is also jam packed with great reports on summer festivals, great guitar players from Detroit and music reviews. You can find out how to subscribe or buy issues at: http://www.bigcitybluesmag.com/.

General Crossroads Membership Meeting Tuesday August 4, 2009

2009-08-03T11:49:00.001-07:00

8 PM August 4, 2009 at Big Cities Lounge in Rockford. Meeting to discuss fund raisng, fall BITS and the election of officers. and guitar great Bryan Lee will be playing after the meeting!!!

Jimmy Thackery Show is Sold Out

2009-07-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

And has been for over a week and a half. There may be one or two no shows so call Mark Thompson if you need tix badly. The limit was 80 sold, and the few no shows I know of have already been relplaced and paid for.

Blues Foundation Director Jay Sieleman Speaks Out

2009-06-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jay Sieleman, Executive Director of The Blues Foundation, took time from his busy schedule in May 2009 and spoke with Crossroads Newsletter Editor Steve Jones about the Blues Music Awards, the IBC Challenge and other blues topics.
Pictured are Priscilla Hernandez and her husband Jay Sieleman enjoying the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival.

SJ: We appreciate you doing this interview with us. I guess now that the Blues Music Awards are over that you and your staff can take bit of a breather while the summer festival season begins to rev up. Can you give us your impressions of this years awards and the event in general?
JS: I may be so close to the event that I am not the best judge, but certainly I was very happy with all the events beginning with the Blues Hall of Fame Induction to the Blues Music Awards to the events on and around Beale Street on Friday. The musicians and fans in attendance have universally hailed the 30th Blues Music Awards as the best ever. Some commentators who have not been here for awhile were in awe at how far we have progressed. I will accept their verdict!! They are talking about all aspects--the production, the music, the warmth of the vibe. It truly was something else this year. The nominees loved it.

SJ: The Blues Music Awards seem to grow every year. The last Foundation newsletter mentioned that the ceremony may have started to outgrow the current location. Are you looking at perhaps trying to find a larger location for the awards night?
JS: Recognizing there may be room for improvement is the first step. We will be talking with the folks at the Convention Center in the near future. It was the pre-party and silent auction that seemed too crowded, not the dinner set up in the ballroom. I have never seen that huge lobby so packed. It was not like that when we were last in there in 2007. The 2008 location in Tunica, MS was too small and it caused problems. I guess it is a good problem to have—growing numbers every year. This applies to both the International Blues Challenge and the Blues Music Awards. We have growing pains.

SJ: I believe that you have been with the Blues Foundation now for almost six years. How has the Foundation grown or changed in that time?
JS: Since taking the reins of the Foundation during a period of financial and administrative turmoil, we have engineered a pretty remarkable turnaround of the organization. Reducing staff and expenses, the Foundation was able to turn negative net incomes in 2002 and the first half of 2003 into a significant net income for 2004, allowing the organization to eliminate its 2002 and 2003 debts ($150,000). Today, we have invested in our technology and programming and still built a reserve of over $250,000 so The Blues Foundation will never again face the prospect of closing its doors and ending its programs. During this time, the Foundation has staged some of its best-attended and most highly-acclaimed Blues Music Awards and International Blues Challenges (2004-2009) and doubled individual memberships and affiliated blues societies (170). Each of these has contributed to a much-improved reputation both in the Blues world and the general public. BITS programming around the country is probably at its peak and we are helping musicians with medical expenses through the HART Fund.

SJ: I’m sure you get tired of being asked, but I must ask you what you have in store for the Blues Foundation. What things do you, your staff and the board have planned?
JS: In 2007, The Blues Foundation completed a building feasibility study and in 2009 hopes to begin the capital campaign that will lead to a permanent “home” in downtown Memphis that will serve as the international headquarters of Blues music, serving as office, tourist destination and educational center. This is a tough economic time for fundraising but the downturn offers some advantages too in terms of real estate, borrowing and construction costs. In order to make this happen, we will need the involvement of people who have money and can raise money. There are blues fans that fit this bill and we need them to step up and make this happen. To borrow a rather infamous quote from the 2008 presidential campaign “The fundamentals of The Blues Foundation are sound.” Now is the time for The Blues Foundation and the Blues community to take the next step—establish a Home of the Blues.

SJ: I always have to ask people in the industry about the phrase "keeping the blues alive." When I talked to Bruce Iglauer about this last year I alluded to the “blues industry” which I think he found to be a little amusing when one considers how small of a percentage of total music sales the blues accounts for. Whether or not the term “industry” is appropriate, how do you evaluate the state of blues music as a whole right now?
JS: I do not generally evaluate the state of the blues. I do not have the facts to make a macro assessment. I only have anecdotes and as a lawyer for almost 25 years, I take anecdotal evidence for what it is—one person’s story. I am not, however, a purveyor of gloom and doom. The business of The Blues
Foundation, perhaps, has never been better. The business of Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, perhaps, has never been better. The number of Blues Festivals around the world has probably never been larger. The ability of a musician to make and market music has probably never been more in their own hands. As Doug MacLeod said at the 2008 Blues Music Awards “all things go in cycles.” Some parts of the blues world are up and others are down. Individual musicians and companies have their own perspective and they can speak for themselves, but the industry components that are down, I think are down across the musical landscape and not just in Blues. But that is impression, not fact. I am not aware that anyone in the industry actually undertakes to conduct “studies” of these issues, the way a business might.

SJ: The overall recording industry seems less focused on CDs and is offering more alternatives like DVDs, downloads and perhaps other new formats. How do you see the blues recording labels responding to this?
JS: I have no expertise in running a label. I do not get involved in telling others how to run their businesses. There are some rather massive changes going on in the record and live performance aspects of the music industry. The fact that it ain’t like it used to be is nothing new. Today is never like it used to be. Look at major companies and industries that we thought would never go out of style and they have. Law of the jungle and survival of the fittest and all that.

SJ: The economy is still way down. Some festivals have been cancelled, others have cut back in the quantity and/or the relative quality of artists, yet some new festivals have sprung up. How do you think that the blues industry has been impacted by the general economic conditions?
JS: I am sure they are impacted, but that is to be expected. People need to set priorities and adjust. But this too shall pass. And I do not believe listening to blues, whether live or recorded, is the first thing to go. Indeed, in tough times, people turn to the arts. Blues music is a relatively inexpensive entertainment form. This is related to my earlier answer about cycles and that some aspects of blues are doing relatively well. Eden Brent told me that in the Delta, they say what recession? What does she mean? There have always been tough economic times in the Delta. There have often been tough economic times in the Blues; indeed the music itself grew out of the toughest times. I have no doubt that Blues music will be around long after we are all gone. The music will be here. I do not know about the industry or economic model of a blues industry going forward. But that’s not the music, that is the music business.

SJ: The blues as a music form seems to remain somewhat the same yet it is also constantly evolving. Some of the music that spawned from the blues has come back to influence blues artists to incorporate those styles of music into their blues. Some purists complain about this but I kind of see it as a positive thing because it’s just a natural part of life. How do you see blues music evolving? (and as a follow on to that) In your opinion is that a positive or a negative thing?
JS: Adapt, migrate or die. That is what they say. And most importantly, let musicians do whatever they want to do. They are the artists, not me. I am just a “%$#@*! suit” after all.

SJ: Our Crossroads Blues Society is heavily focused into conducting Blues In The Schools (BITS) programs. We tend to support between 8 and 14 schools a year with blues music programs. Do you have any idea how many organizations are sponsoring BITS programs in the US and perhaps even abroad and what sorts of programs are they sponsoring?
JS: We do not have either qualitative or quantitative studies, but I know there are dozens and dozens and dozens. I know because I read about them in e-mails and monthly newsletters like your own. Your May-June issue heralded “Over 1200 Students Attend BITS Programs.” And it is happening abroad too. European festivals have American artists going into their schools in conjunction with festival appearances. Incredible. Blues societies, blues education organizations, individual teachers and musicians all present and produce BITS programming and most of them do what works for them. Generally, these are local initiatives done in the way that they believe works best for them. Most BITS programming has more in common with the entrepreneur, small business, mom and pop operations than the recently discredited too big to fail, national, one size fits all enterprises that are a cause of all this economic grief.

SJ: Fundraising is always a difficult task and I am sure the current economy raises the bar on the challenges for this. Are there any recommendations you can give Blues Societies about how to improve their fund raising efforts?
JS: Even after six years, I am not an expert on fundraising. I am much more comfortable with a “Field of Dreams” model. Build it and they will come. Make a product that people want and then you will have a chance to “earn” income from blues fans, or those that appreciate the arts or those that just want to do something. When I was able to speak with the founder of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company about becoming a sponsor of the Blues Music Awards, he told me “but we don’t market or advertise” and I told him “I know. You spend all you money on hops.” That is my advice “spend your money on hops.” And don’t forget, you all are the custodians of this art form in your area, just like those in charge of the ballet or symphony. Take this responsibility seriously and continually strive to offer better and more product.

SJ: The International Blues Challenge (IBC) seems to be as popular as ever. Have you any good tips for sponsoring organizations that you would like to share with us?
JS: What is more important than a band getting to the IBC, where it has a 10% chance of making it the finals and a 1% chance of winning (solo/duo odds would be somewhat better), is what the IBC as an event can do for an affiliated blues society. The point is not only Memphis for one band, but about the dozen bands competing in several venues over several weeks and the fans the local competition brings out to those venues and how you use the competition to grow your audience.

Half tongue in cheek, tell your judges--more blues and less rock; more singing and less guitar and harp; more slow than fast; more promise and less past; more solo musicians and less “I can play without my band” and more originality in songwriting, more young than old.

SJ: Sounds like some sound advice. Can you get more into what you mean about what is in it for the affiliated blues society?

JS: We get people who call up and want their band to be in IBC. Or want to start a blues society to get their band in the IBC. If the IBC was about bands, we could just eliminate the requirement that the act must be sponsored by an affiliate. Or we could just let anyone one become an affiliate. We scrutinize applicants for affiliates now and have been for some years. The goal is functioning blues societies, not just another band coming to Memphis . We have enough acts. What we do not have is enough functioning and prop-
erly functioning societies that are promoting blues in their local area 52 weeks out of the year. Sending an act to the IBC is supposed to be the culmination of the local competition and just one of the things an affiliated society does throughout the year, not the only thing it does. That’s why we like to emphasize the IBC is a benefit affiliates, not the entrants. It gives the affiliate something to promote and rally around and build around. The Blues Foundation has ongoing relationships with its affiliates, not the acts those affiliates choose to send in any given year. A properly function-ing society breeds more music and more music breeds better music and in this way the local blues bands have a better shot when they get to the IBC.

SJ: I’d like to thank you for your time in talking with us about the Foundation and the blues in general. How is your summer personally shaping up from a music fan’s perspective?
JS: I will be in Cali , Colombia in late May for a bi-cultural exploration of the Blues, while Joe is at Eureka Springs , AR. Greenville , Leland and Indianola the first week in June. Joe and I will be at other festivals in June and July—have not sat down yet to map it out—before I head to Notodden , Norway for the 2nd European Blues Conference, that once again is being held under the auspices of The Blues Foundation. I am pretty sure Joe is headed to Wheeling , West Virginia . I am trying to figure out how I can attend my nephew’s wedding in Oelwein , Iowa while being in Aurora , IL for Blues on the Fox at the same time.

SJ: Wow! What a busy summer! It looks like it's over 250 miles from Oelwein to Aurora . Assuming the wedding is on a Saturday, the Friday night part of Blues on the Fox followed by a very long drive might work, but it would be tiring. The Chicago Blues fest is the week before that. Our Society has a lot of folks attend those two festivals. Our biggest turn out is for the Mississippi Valley in Davenport over the 4th of July. The Grafton WI blues festival is in mid-August this year and has grown in appeal. We also have a blues stage in Rockford as part of the "On The Waterfront" Labor Day weekend festival. It would be great to see you at one of those!
JS: And there is Prairie Dog Fest in Prairie Du Chien and Bluesmore in Cedar Rapids and several more downstate. You all are pretty centrally located. I have been to Chicago and Aurora but still have to make it to the others.

SJ: Well thank you again so much for your time! We appreciate your insights and what you have done with the Foundation!

Jay Sieleman Bio Facts
· A native Iowan and a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law who practiced law for 25 years
· Served as a Provincial Legal Advisor as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Solomon Islands in 1983-85
· Began his involvement with the Blues Foundation in 1996 as a lifetime VIP member and then served on its Advisory Board from 1999 until his March 2003 appointment to his current position
· Assisted Blues Societies with nonprofit management and legal issues as an Advisory Board Member
· Served as a lead panelist at BluesFirst conventions in 2000 and 2002 and authored articles on Blues Societies as Nonprofit Organizations and ‘So You Want to Start a Blues Society’ that are featured on the Foundation website.
· His wife Priscilla Hernandez and he are huge blues fans; she is a tireless volunteer and the unofficial Blues Foundation hostess

Jimmy Thackery Tickets for July 31st

2009-06-27T06:52:00.001-07:00

Tickets have been going fast. The show will be limited to 80 tickets and over 50 are already accounted for. Contact Mark at kahunablues@aol.com to reserve yours today! See ad below.

The Shirts are In!

2009-06-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ash grey, sand tan, and light blue are still available but supplies are low. $15 each, $16 for XXL.

The Chicago Blues Fest Kick-Off Jam !!!

2009-06-12T08:00:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, June 10, Crossroads newsletter editor Steve Jones and I made it to Buddy Guy’s Legends club for an exciting event that heralded the start of another Chicago Blues Fest. The show was hosted by the Chicago Chapter of The Recording Academy. This is the local chapter of the organization that stages the annual Grammy Awards. The show was a fundraiser for the Academy’s Professional Arts Education programs that are held throughout the Midwest, and a tribute to Chicago’s rich musical heritage.

Arriving at the club, we were directed to a press table where we joined Bob Kieser, founder of the IllinoisBlues.com website. As Bob gave us the latest news in the blues world, the friendly staff at Legends came by with a seemingly endless supply of tasty treats including some delicious mini-crab cakes. Each of us took a moment to check out the silent auction items that included a framed photo of the late queen of the Blues, KoKo Taylor, and another package that include an original artwork featuring piano legend Pinetop Perkins. Both packages also included your choice of ten CDs from the Alligator Records catalog.

Radio personality Buzz Kilman and NBC5 entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter were the hosts for the show. The music started off with the Brother John Kattke Band featuring the leader on guitar and vocals backed by a three piece horn section and the great Marty Binder on drums. Kattke used his wah-wah pedal effectively on a couple of tunes and turned in a strong version of “I’ll Play the Blues For You.”

Next up was guitarist Vino Louden, a long-time member of KoKo Taylor’s band. Louden suffered life-threatening injuries in an auto accident a year ago. After being told he would never walk again or have the use of his left arm, Louden proudly took the stage for his first live appearance since the accident and proceeded to show the audience how wrong the doctors were. The highlight of his set was a moving cover of the bobby Blue Bland classic, “I’ll Take Care of You.” Kattke remained on stage and switched to keyboards for Louden’s set.

Each artist got to do a set of four of five songs. Matthew Skoller was next and started his portion of the show with a hot instrumental featuring his splendid harmonica work. Backed by Nick Moss on guitar, Skoller later did an emotional tribute to Junior Wells on “Hoodoo Man Blues.”

Following Skoller, the band did an instrumental that featured Nick’s inspired guitar playing that was one of the evening’s highlights. That was the set-up for the appearance of Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick fame. Brother John switched back to guitar and traded licks with Nielsen on powerful version of “Ain’t That A Shame”. Nielsen then asked if anyone wanted to come up and sing with the band on “I Want You to Want Me” A woman quickly volunteered and did a decent job on the vocal while Nielsen ripped off some monster power chords on his guitar.

The next highlight was a set featuring Pinetop Perkins, who was quite dapper in his suit and Fedora hat. Perkins may be 95 years old but he can still navigate a piano keyboard, which he aptly demonstrated on “Down in Mississippi.” Part of the way through his set he was joined by his former band mate Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on harmonica. Smith has developed into a fine harp player and his presence elevated the energy level on the stage. Perkins picked out a rolling boogie pattern on “Big Fat Mama” and traded vocals with Smith on “Got My Mojo Working”.

The band switched around a bit as Moss was joined by his regular drummer, Bob Carter, and his wife Kate on bass, with Brother John back at the keyboards. They did several tunes that gave Nick the space to showcase his prodigious talent as a guitar player. Another musical highlight occurred when Lurrie Bell added his guitar to the group. Lurrie took the lead vocal on “Don’t Lie to Me” as he and Moss took turns dazzling the audience with masterful fretwork. Willie Smith returned to the stage and added his harp to “I Got My Brand on You.” It was a treat to be able to hear Moss and Bell trade licks.

Billy Branch arrived at the club after playing the national anthem before the White Sox game. Branch stated that he only missed one note in his rendition. He led the band through several selections including an energetic “Eyesight to the Blind”, his harp playing as strong as ever. Branch then invited Tracee Adams to the stage for “Rock Me Baby” and her powerful voice woke the crowd up. Her performance injected plenty of sparks into the classic tune. The next special guest was singer Nellie “Tiger” Travis, who also dazzled the crowd with a rockin’ “Let the Good Times Roll”. Travis has a strong, expressive voice and knows how to win over an audience. Branch executed some intricate lines on his harp, at one point hitting and holding a note to great effect.

Michael McDermott was up next. This hometown boy is more of a rocker but he started his set with “In My Time of Dying” on acoustic guitar. Another song repeated the phrase “drunk again” and its’ dark nature made it a blues tune at least in spirit.

Then it was time to make the long trip back home. It was an exciting evening and the show certainly served as a tremendous start to the Chicago Blues Fest weekend. Thanks to Robin Clement of the K101 Agency for inviting us and arranging to get us on the press list. Also a big thank you goes out to The Recording Academy- Chicago Chapter- for staging an event featuring some of the best blues musicians in town. Make sure you look for ads for next year’s event and get an early start on the festivities.

Mark Thompson President - Crossroads Blues Society

(note- look below for photos of this great event!)

Paramount Blues Festival, Grafton, WI August 21st and 22nd 2009

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Click picture to enlarge

2009 Chicago Blues Fest Grammy Committee Kickoff at Buddy Guy's Legends Wednesday, June 10th

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Click photos to see entire photo full-size

Mark Thompson and vocalist Tracee Adams

Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick on stage

Willie Big Eyes Smith with his harp joins Pinetop Perkins

Matthew Skoller shows the crowd that Chicago blues harp is far from dead

Nino Louden's first appearance after a serious accident showed us that this former Koko Taylor ax man is back in business in a serious way

Willie Big Eyes Smith seems to have given up drums for harp; he sounds great and sang up a storm

Brother John and Band- he's great on guitar, keys and vocals

Nick Moss is one hot guitar player- he was one of the evening's highlights

Billy Branch gave us some outstanding harp and vocals and introduced us to two great new female vocalists- Tracee Adams and Nellie "Tiger" Travis

More BITS May 29th with Eric Noden

2009-05-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Marsh Elementary School is having an Arts and Music Day on Friday, May 29th. The PTA had seed money and the school asked if we could help them arrange to have three sessions of a half hour each of BITS programs between noon and 2 PM. We made a few calls, added some of our funds, and Eric Noden agreed to come out from Chicago and host three assembly programs for 200 students per program. We are excited to add these programs to our Spring 2009 BITS offerings!

Jimmy Thackery Coming to Rockford July 31!

2009-04-23T15:07:00.001-07:00

Click on the poster for a larger image

Click for a larger image of Jimmy at 2008 MVBF

Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers will be appearing at Big Cities Lounge in Rockford on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 9:30 PM. As many of our local members of Crossroads Blues Society know, Mark Thompson and Jimmy Thackery are good friends. This friendship arose after a conversation between the two after a hot Thackery show at Blues on Grand, and has culminated in the Jimmy Thackery show at Big Cities Lounge. Mark recorded the conversation and it was published in our newsletter in the August and October 2001 editions. Here is the interview reprinted in its’ entirety.

Driving to Survive

Jimmy Thackery talks about cool guitars, surf music, life on the road, dog biscuits, Assassins and plenty of other great stuff!

Interviewed by Mark Thompson at Blues on Grand in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, July 26, 2001

MT: I was reviewing the notes from your disc with David Raitt...

Jimmy Thackery: What a blast that was!

MT: It mentioned that he inspired you when he gave you a Buddy Guy album.

JT: Well, it wasn't so much that he inspired me because I already knew who Buddy Guy was. The thing is we were in boarding school and out in the middle of the country someplace in Maryland. There was no way to go to a record store when you're in boarding school. I had a Led Zepplin album and a Steppenwolf album and that was as close as I could get. I knew there were things missing, a lot of them. I knew who Buddy was because I had already had a blues band and had already been experimenting with Buddy and Jr. Wells and all that kind of stuff. David's sister, Bonnie, was dating Dick Waterman, who managed Buddy, so he had all that stuff. David was a couple of doors down from me at the school, so I was able to get close to that stuff.

MT: So you were already playing then?

JT: In boarding school, I remember it real well. I had converted my bunk. I had two amplifiers, a Silvertone Twin Twelve and an Ampeg, on either end of my bed. I played my record player through that and I could plug my guitar in and play along with the record. It was preposterous! Definitely loud. David had a band with a couple of other guys from the school. They would very kindly let me come in and sit in and play, fumble around and try to learn stuff. It was very educational. There was a free period after lunch and we actually all got some sort of high school credit for jammin' our butts off for an hour. It was a Quaker school and it was supposed to be liberal. Of course, it was nothing close to that.

MT: How old were you when you started playing?

JT: I started fooling around with piano at about eleven. I was picking up my favorite tunes by the time I was twelve, getting pretty good. My parents decided it was time for piano lessons, which I just despised. They made me play all that crap I didn't want to play. It didn't take long to realize I wasn't going to get any girls playing the piano. Then at thirteen, I went to a 7th grade dance. There was this great rock band made up of seniors that had Fender guitars and amps. Girls were screaming their heads off and the veins were popping out of their necks as the band was doing Little Richard songs and stuff like that. And all the 7th grade girls that I was trying to get close to were all just swooning at these guys! I went, ok, that's what I want to do. It wasn't necessarily a musical experience, it was a hormonal experience. Once I got the guitar in my hand I began to realize that this is the deal. Then I started hearing the music that made me say what is that noise and how can I make it. I have to learn how to make this noise. Then it was all over.

MT: You mentioned Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells - were there any other people that influenced you early on?

JT: Man, everybody in the world influenced me. At two years old, I was sitting at my father's work bench and he was playing Chopin. I started to cry. My father looked at me and said what in the world is the matter. I said. Daddy, it's so sad! He went. Oh God! Bye, bye, doctorate, you know. There was always music in my house. My mother was real into pop music, she was a musician. My father was listening to classics, my mother to pop music and older music. I basically didn't have a chance, it was around me all the time. The first thing that you do when you pick up an electric guitar in the early 60's was you start playing surf music. What else? It's easy, it goes twang.

MT: So that's where "Apache" came from. (a surf tune that is a staple of Jimmy's live show and is on his Drive to Survive CD)

JT: Sure, that's a salute to my original roots. That's probably where "Sinner Street" came from, the title cut of the last album. I just decided I would write a surf tune, or spy tune 01 whatever you want to call it. I remember being really turned on by the theme from "The Man From U.N.C.L.E" and "Peter Gunn". They were blues riffs basically, they were just real twangy blues riffs. That stuff just got me going. So it just sort of a logical progression. Eventually you just to acknowledge what got you turned on in the first place after you've gone through this whole other gambit of musical styles. Where did it really come from? For me, a lot of it was TV themes. I was born in '53. We were TV kids. TV themes were the most accessible music of all at that point. All the way up to "Mission Impossible", that stuff made a difference for some reason.

MT: I was listening to you with the Nighthawks and you've been playing with the Drivers for some time, starting in 1992 but in between I hadn't heard much about you for a while.

JT: I was playing with this big band called The Assassins that was impossible to move around anywhere. It was a six piece band that would expand from time to time to a thirteen piece band. We had a lot of horns. So it became difficult to move them around. It became so difficult that I decided to go to the trio format. No harmonicas, no nothin'. Just me and a bass player and a drummer. Everything got real rosy all of a sudden. There was just Moe, Larry and Curly. We get along well and it just made more sense.

MT: From listening to you over the years, I know that you have and continue to do a lot of different Hendrix tunes.

JT: Hendrix was certainly a big influence because there I was playing "Gloria" and surf music and Rolling Stone songs that were all written by blues guys we'd never heard of but we were pretty into them. And some Beatles songs but not very many. And along comes this guy who gets fired off the tour with The Monkees in England and his first date in the states is in Washington D.C. I happened to be walking by the place one night with a buddy of mine. He said let's go in here. I said we couldn't go in, we were only fifteen. He said they had a place downstairs where kids can go. It was like a Fillmore thing with the bubbled lights and the black lights. I had never seen anything like that. On comes this black guy dressed in feather boas and psychedelic pants and starts doing back flips. Suddenly I went “Oh, I see, this is all about show business". This is not just get up there and play your guitar, this is something entirely different. Things just really weren't the same after that.

MT: You mentioned The Assassins. Is there anything on the David Raitt CD that's at all similar to what you were doing with that band?

JT: Yeah. Actually the Assassins did more funk and R&B kind of stuff. We did very little blues, per se. That kind of format was real comfortable for me. It wasn't out of my realm at all. I knew that the Raitt CD was going to have horns on it and B-3's, back-up singing. So we approached the lead and rhythm tracks with that in mind. The trick about that stuff is leave a lot of holes. If you're a hundred miles an hour all over the place, there's no place for the horns to go.

MT: I have several recordings where you are a guest guitar player. On every one, you sound like you but you're a little different. You're making adjustments?

JT: Well, sure. You're trying to make adjustments to their styles. I'd like to think that I could hire myself out as a gunslinger. Be myself, but also help make the album what the artist wants it to be. Part of that is through doing some producing on my own, you get to learn how to keep your style but sort of chameleon it a little bit, to modify whatever their approach to their music is so that it fits in with their genre. We're different out here. We're all the same but we're all different. We're all riding around in Ford vans and driving too much. We just finished a string of dates with Debbie Davies. She's been riding in the truck with us for a couple of days. It's so funny to get somebody who's donethe same circuits you have, you have so many things in common. We just keep laughing about it. " You mean that happens to you to!"

MT: I saw you in Aurora and you did a great show. Later that day, you played with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets with Sam Meyers. I thought you really notched the energy up when you sat in with them.

JT: Well, that's nice to hear. Anson is a very dear friend and probably one of the nicest guys I know in show business. One of those very rare people that never has a cross word to say about anybody and is always welcoming you with open arms. There's never a question - if you're in the house, you've got a guitar and a spot on his stage. And likewise. We have a lot of fun together.

MT: It was really apparent. You two seem to be challenging each other a little bit.

JT: I don't know that you'd call it challenging. I'd say that you were feeding off each other and trying to make the other guy play a little better. Some people used to call it headcutting. I call just call it friendly competition. You put in that extra person that's a good player and everybody's going to rally around that. They're all going to say, oh wow, we get to step out a little bit here.

MT: How many dates do you play in a year?

JT: I lost count. I have been spending a little more time at home, which has been nice because it's better for the creative process. We did about 300 nights a year for a long time. Two or three years ago I began to realize I've never had a life. I've been on the road since I was 18 or 19. If I don't start living a little bit and spending some time at home and doing other things. I'm painting again, which is something I haven't done in thirty years. My wife and I opened a restaurant where we live in Arkansas. That's another neat diversion that's a lot of fun. I'm starting to have some other diversions in my life that have nothing to do with playing music on the road. I got this particular band together about three years ago and the band has been so high that you end up being out there just slogging away at it. I can't take the time that I was taking two years ago when the band was in the process of finishing up one level and starting another, I took a great deal of time off to reflect and think where I was going to go next. Once these guys came on, hell, you make hay while the sun shines. We're back to working pretty hard again. I don't know how dates a year it is but it's a lot.

MT: Where's your restaurant?

JT: It's back in my hometown of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It's called the Blues Dog Cafe and it's named after my dear dog, Luther, who's named after my dear friend Luther Allison. It's a late night cafe in a town full of vampires. We sell really great food – way much more of a notch above the local bar food. It's much more eclectic. We've got some very good chefs. My wife is one of the principal chefs and she's one of the creative counselors there. We sell a full line of doggie products. See, I always wanted a restaurant and she always wanted a pet store. So we just combined the two. You can buy collars and leashes. The chili and the salad all come in dog bowls. Sandwiches are served on Frisbees so that you can take them home to your dog. We got doggie t-shirts and our own doggie biscuit line. It's wacky! Bluesdog.com

MT: That's a really different approach.

JT: We're having a ball. It's a lot of fun. It's giving me yet again another diversion. Sometimes it's just the best medicine to be able to not think about this stuff all the time. When you're doing 300 nights a year, it's all you think about.

MT: What are your thoughts on the quality of blues clubs around the country these days and your assessment of the whole business?
JT: The economy has dictated that a lot of the larger rooms which we love to play in are all closing. I mean, there's nothing better than playing a 500 seat club - just big enough to move around, with a good sound system - and putting on a show that we would do at a festival or concert. Smaller places are still thriving, but my theory is that once those medium-sized places start going down, it tends to break down the natural progression. It becomes harder for bands that are starting out to then make that leap from small clubs to medium, to the concert stage. There are so many great blues clubs in this country that are run by people who aren't in it to make money - because there's none to be made. Instead, they do it because they love the musicians and audiences. Bless their hearts - otherwise we'd all be out of a job! Somebody recently said to me that they'd hate to be a newcomer because there'd be no place to go. If you've been established for 25 years or more, you're probably doing O.K. - but a whole section of this business is dropping away simply because the overhead on large clubs is impossible to meet. A lot of these rooms try to put in blues two nights a week, then reggae, or rap and all that... that's the kiss of death. You know that and I know that. You can't be all things to all people in this business, or it goes to hell.
MT: Unless you're The House of Blues...
JT: I guess they're doing fine, but 9 times out of 10, you go in those lands of places and there's nobody there.

MT: Do you have any outside projects that you're working on?

JT: Yes, several. Somebody is getting a bunch of blues artists together for each of them to do a Beatles song. I'm not sure how or if that's going to work. There's also a tribute to Fred McDowell that's underway. I'm not really in a position to do anything until my contract with Blind Pig is up, (this September), so these are all on the back-burner. I'm keeping all of my options open, and am not going to nail myself down right now - just want to get a feel for where I can go. I've been getting a lot of inquiries about doing session work, lately - much of it for people who are getting their foot in the door. That makes me happy because there's the potential for doing a lot of different projects - (more eclectic, outside of my box). But I'll also continue my own...

The only thing I like better than performing live is working in the studio. It's one of my all-time passions, and when it works it works great. You're able to watch everything build, like doing a painting. The two are very similar: you put down the background, or rhythm, then over that the form, or overdubs.

MT: Labels like Telarc, who weren't really known for doing blues, have now been getting into it - and with artists that I found surprising, like Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson. Any possibilities with a label like that?
JT: There's possibilities for all kinds of things, but they haven’t talked to me. We're spreading out all of the papers and looking to see where it will take us. But there are others who have contacted me, too. Let's just wait and see who has the bigger brass ring!

MT: Well, Free Agency works in sports...
JT: It can be a good thing - it's a peaceful feeling to have.

MT: You control your own destiny.

JT: (Laughs.) At least until you sign that contract! It's a little like being married for a long time, then being single for a year or two before getting remarried again. At least for awhile, you have options.

MT: You mentioned stretching outward as a musician. On your Switching Gears disc, the second track was zydeco. When some friends of mine heard that...

JT: ...they went 'huh??

MT: But I thought it was great!

JT: The thing about our fans is that they expect a certain thing when one of my records come out, a certain approach or genre. When I wrote that song for Chubby (Carrier), I never had any intentions of performing it myself. I spent months and months trying to track him down to give it to him - but we never managed to cross paths - it seemed as if our agents had
us at opposite ends of the world! When it came to doing Switching Gears, I thought I might as well record the damn thing, and have him play on it.

MT: Well, I enjoyed it.

JT: I did, too - it was a lot of fun to do in the studio, and Chubby sounded great. We've since had big laughs about the whole thing.

MT: The Drivers have had three different bass players, and yet your drummer. Mark Stutso, has been there all along. What is it about the two of you that makes it such a good combination?

JT: I'm not so sure, except that we've become like brothers over the years. Also, I've always been a 'guitar player's drummer' and he's been a 'drummer's guitar player'! There's often been a certain radar between myself and a drummer. I've had that with (Pete) Ragusa in the Nighthawks and with Dave Palomar in the Assassins, too. Once you've found a drummer who knows what you're going to do before you do it, man, you stick with it. Mark also has a fabulous singing voice and his tempos are always exactly right - he's the one drummer I've found that can count-off a song in exactly the same tempo every night of the year. When you hire a guy like that, you don't let him go-no matter how much money he owes you!

MT: I'll be sure to mention that to him...

JT: ...he'll get a laugh out of it - trust me!

MT: You talked a little bit about how great the band is now. It certainly was a plus, getting Ken Faltinson (bass) from Luther Allison's last band.

JT: Oh yeah, and besides that he's an excellent keyboard player.

MT: I didn't know that.

JT: He did all of the keyboards on the last album, and since Jimmy (Carpenter) plays baritone and tenor sax, I basically have the option to have a 6-piece band. Kenny and Jimmy are good writers, Mark is a great singer...so there's a lot of creative energy going on here. It's no longer just centered around me.

MT: I saw you early on when Jimmy was first starting with the band - he seemed a bit shy.

JT: I'll grant that! He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but I kept trying to encourage him, ("Go out there and knock 'em dead!") and to provide opportunities. The record company wanted a 'guitar hero record' but fortunately my producer, Jim Gaines, was very sympathetic and told them - 'look, he's got this fabulous new player and he's trying to feature him'. It was a fight, but we modified a few things and got all of this great sax stuff in there. Over the last three years we've gotten dynamic - people comment on how great it's been to watch us work together - so I was right in the first place! When you start listening to record companies and guys who've never played an instrument in their lives who think they know what sells...screw that, man! I get up in front of people every night and I know what turns them on. You find out what they want and you deliver. If you deliver it on a disc, they're going to buy it. But those guys have a 'reverse marketing' concept: packaging, looks, 'you've got to lose 60 Ibs.' - it's crap! They may think they know what sells, but what you're doing is selling to the people who want to hear this band.

MT: You've never struck me as somebody that would do anything other than what you wanted to do.

JT: I try to compromise to a certain extent. I've never been in the record selling business, only making them. I have to conclude that those guys probably know more about how to market something, but there's a point where you do have to be true to the people that are paying to come and see you. They're the ones to really count on in the long run – not some record exec. It won't be long before they are out of the loop, anyway, since the internet is going to make such jobs obsolete - and the retailers, too.

MT: I think a lot of people classify your music as blues / rock.

JT: For lack of a better term.

MT: Does that help or hurt in the marketplace?

JT: I don't really give a damn. Some would like to pigeonhole it all, but the fact is I just write music. I've been a blues player from the git-go but it has pushed the envelope at times. But if that's what you want to hear, then I'm willing to say 'yeah, we're a blues band'. The Nighthawks weren't really a blues band - we played a lot of soul, Memphis soul, Motown, rock-n-roll...all lands of stuff. Maybe we all came from that, and it's how we got together, but we went in very different directions. It's the same with this band. We may be in Blues Revue, Blues Access, Living Blues, and you can find our CD's in the blues section at Tower Records but whatever you want to call it, I don't give a shit. The people that come to see us know what it us, and aren't going to bother to describe it.

MT: I have to ask you about the quote that was on Jonny Lang's CD from you – there seems to be some people in the blues community that are upset about all these younger players...

JT: Ah, that's bullshit! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You know I wouldn't be here now if Muddy Waters hadn't done the same for me. He encouraged me, so did James Cotton and Otis Rush. They knew that somebody had to carry the torch. And they knew that young black guys weren't doing it, although some were...but hey, they're all dying. John Lee Hooker just died, Muddy's gone, and God help him but B.B. is probably around the comer...who in the hell are these people going to write about when that generation is gone?

It's not about black and white but about older and younger. I've been beating in the trenches for thirty years and the one thing I would say to these kids is 'get your own style'. Quit being Stevie. They need to get that message. We all had a hero that we emulated when we were coming up - for me it was Buddy (Guy) and Otis, and I wanted to sound just like them. All these lads, their first access to this music was Stevie. He was just this explosion on the scene. So, they embraced him and didn't bother to listen to or care about anything else. My advice is to go and listen to all of the ones that Stevie got it from. Then you can synthesize your own style; carry the torch.

Bless their hearts, I think it's wonderful. When I was eighteen years old, I couldn't play my way out of a paper bag! Of course, we didn't have as much access to music back then. We had to steal records, then slow them down to 16 rpm to pick out the licks. Now, they can stop a video to see what the fingers are doing. That's a big difference. No wonder there's all these little prodigies. (So, you can't get into Jonny Lang's dressing room and he used to beg you to jam with him.. .well, get over it!)

MT: I know you play festivals and you're out there, you hear a lot of folks. Is there anyone that you feel deserves more attention than what they seem to be getting?

JT: Hayden Sayers by a long shot. That guy's a ripsnorter - one of those real blues roots types that's not playing anything like that. Instead, he's playing accessible, young people's rock-n-roll that's blues based. In my mind, he's really got something. Baby Jason and the Stankers - there's another one. He's doing better than Hayden is and I don't know why. They're both great singers, players, and songwriters - energetic, young, and good-looking... they're thin and all that crap...

MT: I don't like them already.

JT: They're just bad ass players; really creative and two nice guys who could use a lot more recognition. And there are a million others out there, like Josh Smith. There's another kid that is fabulous on guitar and nobody is paying any attention to him. Once again, it comes back to - where do they play? If they haven't had the record deal for fifteen or twenty years,
they're land of lost. Nobody is taking chances any more except those that are already proven.

MT: My last question - how did you end up getting your guitar back?

JT: Well, it was stolen near Kansas City and fortunately I have many, many fans and friends there. They took it upon themselves to do a 'Get Jimmy's Guitar Back!' campaign. They went on the internet, made posters, and canvassed every pawn shop, music store, crack house, etc. in the whole area. Turns out the fool that had stolen the thing walked right
into the music store that provided our PA for the show that night in K. City! They'd seen me play a hundred times on that guitar. So basically they asked for and got it back.

It's wild - that story was all over the world, it was amazing. That's when I began to realize how powerful a medium the internet is. It affected me directly in a positive way; I began to realize that it can be used for some good!

End

MT: And it certainly helped me to arrange that interview with Jimmy last July at the Blues on Grand club in Des Moines, Iowa!

Thank you to Jimmy Thackery for sitting down with me and being so generous with his time. Also, a huge thank you to Jimmy Carpenter, sax player and road manager for the Drivers, for a prompt response to my e-mail request for the interview and for making all of the arrangements. Be sure to catch Jimmy and the Drivers in November, when they will be playing at Buddy Guy's Legends and Luther's Blues in Madison.

Spring BITS Educates Over 1,200 Students

2009-04-23T14:45:00.001-07:00

Over 1,200 students in Northern Illinois were treated to some great blues music this past week! The Crossroads Blues Society once again brought talented musician-educators into four area schools to give our youth a great introduction to the blues. Veteran Blues in the Schools (BITS) educators and performers Glenn Davis and Westside Andy Linderman were in the area with Crossroads members to deliver the blues message to four assemblies of students. They began on Tuesday morning, April 21st at Harlem Middle School, worked their way to Rock Cut Elementary School in the afternoon, then out to Eastland Middle School in the morning on Wednesday the 22nd and eventually to Pearl City Elementary School. All four programs were well attended and quite lively.

Harlem Middle School was rocking to the beat of the blues on Tuesday morning in Loves Park. The staff and principal John Cusimano came out in force with virtually the entire student body of about 300 seventh and eighth graders to listen to Glenn and Andy. We have visited several of the elementary schools in the past in the Loves Park area, so many of these student may not have been newcomers to BITS. Everyone there seemed to have a rocking good time.

Rock Cut Elementary School, also in Loves Park and part of the Harlem School District, was host to the afternoon session and about 300 first through sixth graders attended the program. Principal Jean Akright and her staff seemed to also enjoy the show, with the performers taking them from roots music to rock and roll. The Rockford Register Star also attended this program and covered the performance with a great article in their Wednesday, April 22nd and on-line editions. Thanks go out to them for their coverage!

Eastland Middle School is in Shannon, Illinois, just west of Forreston and south of Freeport. Principal Darcy Feltmeyer and her staff were gracious hosts; the students ranged from third to eighth grade and numbered over 300 in attendance for the BITS program. The kids were quite good singers and beat keepers. This Carroll County school serves Carroll, Ogle, and Stephenson County students in the vicinities of Lanark and Shannon. The blues were quite alive out there in Shannon!

The final session on Wednesday afternoon was in Pearl City, to the west of Freeport and south of Lena in Stephenson County. The large facility contains all three levels of schools (elementary, middle and high school); while the entire elementary school was in attendance, we got several classes of middle and high school students who also came in for the session. There were about 350 students at this show, ranging form pre-K to sixth grade along with many middle and high school grade students. Principal Chris Wallace and all the staff and students thoroughly enjoyed the program! All in attendance were attentive and very into the music.

In addition to the four school programs, Davis and Linderman performed along with the Basement Blues Band at the Just Goods Listening Room on 7th Street in Rockford on Tuesday evening. The Basement Blues Band features Bob Schmidt on drums, Steve "Spider" Leigh on guitar, and Rich Gordon on bass. Their acoustic set was outstanding and was capped off with an acapella sea chanty. Glenn and Andy followed with a great set of their own, and then the Basement Blues Band joined them for a jam session at the end. About $200 was taken in by the Society at the show to help with BITS costs. Thanks to all who planned, ran and attended this great show!

Also in attendance at the show and for the Wednesday programs was Amanda Huskinson, a doctoral student from the UK’s Nottingham University. She is working on her thesis, "Blues, Identity and Place: Blues in the Schools Programs in the United States". She is in the States for a year to research and study the topic and found out about us from our website. We were excited to be able to accommodate her and look forward to becoming part of her important work. She will be attending many of this summer’s blues festivals and we hope to cross paths with her again!

Glenn Davis and Westside Andy did a great job with the students at each school. Their material was age appropriate and kept the students attentive and actively involved. Our thanks go out to them for their support of our program!

We now have had over 20,000 students attend our BITS programs since their inception in 2002. The Crossroads Blues Society is proud to have reached this milestone and will continue to attempt to grow and expand these programs as funding allows. It takes a significant amount of money to run these programs. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council which receives support from the City of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council, and its members. They are one of our long time sponsors for these programs whom we dearly thank for their continued support! Membership dues and other fund raising also go to support our BITS efforts. Our costs to plan and conduct these programs remains at about a dollar per student who has attended, which is a great bargain in any periods’ dollar value measure.

We are negotiating with Saffire, The Uppity Blues Women, to get them to conduct a day of BITS for us. If successful, we plan to have Ann Rabson, Gaye Adegbalola and Andra Faye each conduct BITS programs individually in two schools (an AM and PM session each), and then join forces to present an evening performance for the public. We are teaming with Charlotte’s Web for the Performing Arts in this effort. We are currently scheduled to attempt this in late September, so stay tuned for up to date information on this event in the making. We will also be holding a Blues in the Schools fundraiser this summer, so watch out for information on that event, too!

Kilborn Alley Show was a Killer!

2009-02-20T18:08:00.001-08:00

Kilborn Alley at Big Cities Lounge on Thursday, February 19th. The crowd was small but fiery. The music was hotter than hell. Those who braved the cold stayed warmer than they would have with a hot night in the Reeperbahn! The show began promptly at 8:30 PM and the boys layed out two sets of the hottest blues along with some of the funkiest soul I've heard in 2009! All I can say is that if you missed this show you shuold be kicking yourselves in the ass for not coming out. This show was as hot as the one we did a few weeks before!

They are white and they are young musicians but they are fast learners with a lot of understanding of what the blues is all about. The music we were treated to belied their age. Whether burning up the place with their uptempo stuff or winding it down a notch with slow blues and soul, these guys deliver the goods. They have almost a decade of experience together, yet are still in their 20's. These guys are on the road to become something big in the blues world!

Lead singer and guitar player Andrew Duncanson is a great blues and soul singer. He's gritty, he's soulful, he's mean, he's everything you could want in a blues singer. And his guitar work is equally great. Josh Stimmel also plays lead guitar and provides some backup voals. His style is unique and strong, with chords and notes delivered with an abruptness and sound that makes your soul stir. Harp player Joe Asselin is also amazing. Amazing may be not strong enough. The harp wails and sings and tears at your heart and gut. He also sings harmonies and background vocals. Chris Breen on bass and backup vocals is stellar, too. Clean, crisp bass lines to carry the beat. And last but certainly not least is the old man of hte band Ed O"Hara. Old enough to be their father but younger in spirit than anyone else in the band, he anchors the group with his exceptional percussion work and harmonious vocals.

I snuck in a little video treat of one of the soul numbers. Enjoy!

Steve Jones

"Blues and Brews" Live Monday Night Jam!

2009-02-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

"Blues and Brews Live" every Monday night at Sud's O'Hanahan's in downtown Beloit featuring Dave Potter and the Alley Kings. Monday night 2/16/09 was the first show and the place was packed. It is a jam session and over 12 musicians were there. The show runs from 7:00 pm till 10:00 pm. This looks like a great way to hear some good music and for local musicians to showcase their skills!

Sud's O'Hanahan's Irish Pub
(608) 368-1933
435 E Grand Ave, Beloit, WI 53511
Map It: http://maps.yahoo.com/map?q1=435%2BE%2BGrand%2BAve%20Beloit%20WI%20US&mag=5&lat=&lon=&ard=1#mvt=m&lat=42.499775&lon=-89.03483&mag=5&zoom=14&q1=435%2520E%2520Grand%2520Ave%2520Beloit%2520WI%2520US&gid1=16770360

The Kilborn Alley Blues Band to Perform at Big Cities Thursday, February 19, 2009

2009-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well, this is quite the short notice but we have the opportunity to have The Kilborn Alley Blues Band come to town and who could pass that up? On Thursday evening, February 19, 2009 the band will be at Big Cities starting at 8:30 PM for some of their great music! Many of our members will remember them from last year when they opened the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival with a hot set of down and dirty blues!

Cover charge is only $5- a great deal! The music will be hot and you will not want to miss this show. Mark and Steve crossed paths last with the boys in the band at the Illinois Blues Music Awards at Buddy Guy's in Chicago and have been in touch with the band to get them to Rockford. Another cancellation was our good luck. Check them out on Myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/thekilbornalleybluesband "The Kilborn Alley Blues Band was formed in 2000 when Andy Duncanson was still in high school, and Chris Breen and Josh Stimmel were barely out. Within a few months Joe Asselin, from Maine, signed on, and in 2005 Ed O'Hara

joined the band. The line-up is Duncanson vocals and guitar, Asselin harmonica, Breen electric bass, Stimmel guitar, and O'Hara drums.The Kilborn Alley Blues Band plays filthy Chicago blues, with just a little bit of southern fried soul. The point of the act is to deliver the blow out bar show associated with blues at its zenith. Kilborn Alley is not about youth angst; it is about adult delirium.If we wrote the history of this band here, you wouldn't believe us. Just put it this way; Kilborn has played over seven hundred shows, and knows how to smile in your face and then kick you in the ass-- musically. "

This is "in your face blues," the kind that after you hear it your hair ismessed up and your clothes are disheveled as if you've just been run over by a blues train! That's because after you see them you will have heard some of the hottest music played by these young and talented musicians!!!

Kim Wilson Show Draws Huge Crowd!

2009-02-04T17:22:00.001-08:00

Over 90 people packed into Rockford's Big Cities Lounge to listen to Kim Wilson on Tuesday night, February 3rd. Kim, backed by by the superb Doug Deming and Jeweltones and special guest Jeremy Johnson (and with a surprise appearance by piano legend Barrelhouse Chuck), gave the crowd a legendary perfromance. Whether it was the electricity in the air or the near zero temperatures ouside requiring attendees to get warmed up, the place was on fire after only about 12 bars into the first song. Kim and the bandmembers perfromed two strong sets of music that had the crowd clapping and on their feet.

Wilson's harmonica and vocals were strong. Whether blasting out originals or working great covers of other blues legends like Sonny Boy Williamson's songs, Kim captivated the audience. Doug Deming's guitar work continues ot amaze me for it's precision, clarity and just the fine overall musical quality of his work. He can pick out a tune with the best of them! Joing Deming on guitar this night was Jeremy Johnson from Minnesota, who held his own with some great riffs! The first set was hot and when finished the band mingled with the excited crowd.

At the onset of the second set, the old upright piano was broken out and Barrelhouse Chuck joined in the fun for the entire set! It was an even more rousing time when Kim's co-conspirator with the Cadillac Records Band played along. To note, Kim, Chuck and the Cadillac Records Band recently played one of the inaugural bashes in Washington. The music and performance by all were just outstanding. It was probably the finset show ever put on at Big Cities based on the size and reaction of the crowd!

Kim's newest album, Kim Wilson's Mix Volume I and Demmings' Double Down (along with some older CDs) were scarfed up by the adoring fans. We were also excited to learn that Deming has a new CD that is very close to release and that Volume 4 of Barrelhouse Chucks' Chicago Blues Piano is out!

If you missed this show, you probably missed the Rockford blues even of the year! Thanks go out to the Crossorads Blues Society whose hard work and financial backing once again made a another great show possible!

Kim Wilson to Return to Rockford!

2009-01-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:00 PM in Big Cities Lounge. Click on the poster below to expand.

Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang Show Saturday, December 20th at Big Cities

2008-12-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang's show at Big Cities has been moved to Saturday, December 20th (one day later than previously announced).

Eddie Shaw on tenor and alto saxes (and harmonica) is a very talented singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and band leader. He was Howlin'Wolf's personal manager for five years. Eddie is one of the most respected blues musicians alive today. Originally from Benoit, MS, Eddie now lives on Chicago's South Side.

Band Members include Eddie Vaan Shaw Jr., Eddie's son, who is one of the best guitar players in the blues business. Vaan has music of his own , CD's, MORNING RAIN and THE TRAIL OF TEARS. Lafayette" Shorty" Gilbert, has been Eddie's bassplayer for over 20 yrs. Strong vocalist , his version of " Rainy night in Georgia" brings tears to your eyes. Tim Taylor on drums, is son of the late Eddie Taylor .

2008 Crossroads Blues Society Christmas Party

2008-12-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

Well it's time to get off your Yule logs and get ready for the season in style! That's right, it's the annual Crossroads Blues Society Christmas bash at Big Cities Lounge. This is a long-standing and time-honored tradition that goes a long way back (all the way to 2005, which is amazing that some of us can remember it!). Friday, December 12th is the big night of fun!

This year we will celebrate the holidays with a local blues fan favorite- the Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys! In addition to the music, we will have food (bring a dish to pass if you can) and a short meeting at 8 PM. The meeting should not take too long, but we have to start thinking about a BITS benefit after the New Year rolls in.

Members can check out CDs from our library at the meeting- everything we review (and more) is in the library and can be checked out on loan for free to our members. Membership is only $15 a year for individuals and $25 for families, with 6 newsletters a year jam packed with music reviews and articles and unlimited CD borrowing (up to 5 at a time) throughout the year! And if you need a gift for a blues fan, why not make them a member of Crossroads? Gift memberships are a great way to remember your blues fan friends!

Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown Benefit Raises Almost $1,500!

2008-11-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

The benefit show for Ernie "Sugar Lips" Brown was held at Big Cities Lounge on Sunday, November 16, 2008. It was a great day of music, food and fun! The event raised $1,495 thanks to the generosity of all who attended. Over 70 people turned out to honor and support the 5-time RAMI Award winning musician.

The Port Bluez Band played first. The band reformed and got back together to honor the man who mentored them, a man whom they love like a brother. They were exciting to listen to and watch. They played and sang their hearts out and put on a great show. Between the music and conversation amongst the band members, the crowd was treated to some excellent music and entertainment. Keyboardist and singer Bob Lowther also made up 50 copies of CDs of a 1996 show with Ernie and the band to sell; the proceeds will go to Ernie. Dozens of copies were sold at the show.

Next up was The Po Boys! The band played and their leader Ernie joined them on stage and sang with them. It was a pretty touching set of music with Ernie leading the band again. Bob Levis and Larry Pendleton were on guitar, Victor Wattes was on bass, Link Leary was behind the drums and Teddy Lawrence provided some great harp as Ernie was unable to play the Mississippi saxophone. The guys put on a great show and the crowd was excited and fired up.

Brother Dave Kaye and Bob Lowther put together a set of musicians that did a third set. The crowd really enjoyed their rockin' blues!

The money from the door, donations received by Crossroads, a 50-50 raffle and silent auction raised $1,495 dollars for Ernie Brown. There were also some private donations and CD sale money that will raise that sum over $1,500! Ernie was humbled by the generosity and turn out of support by his friends and fans.

A big note of thanks goes to Nino for opening Big Cities early for this event and for hosting the benefit. The bands who played also deserve a big thank you for coming out and playing. Thanks also need to go out to Alligator Records who sent us 20 CDs to use a prizes and auction items. Lastly, thank you to all the attendees who came out, donated auction items, prepared food, and gave of their time and money! It was great day with three super sets of music, delicious food, fun to support and man who has been so instrumental in keeping the blues alive in the Rockford, Northern Illinois and Chicago areas!

Upcoming Blues Events November-December 2008

2008-11-09T20:31:00.001-08:00

A big month is coming up in November for Crossroads Blues Society Members and blues fans in the Rockford area! The main event is the Ernie Brown Benefit that will be on Sunday, November 16th at Big Cities. It will run from 3 PM to 9 PM and features Port Bluez, The Po’ Boys and The Barstool Bob Band. Food will be provided. Cover is $10 and donations will be accepted. Fundraising events will be held during the day to support this Rockford-area Bluesman in need!

Friday November 7th is Westside Andy and Mel Ford at Big Cities for a big night of blues and for Nino’s birthday. It should be a good night with these bluesmen from Madison!

The annual Crossroads Christmas Party will be Friday, December 12 at Big Cities. Reverend Raven will be playing up a storm! Bring a dish to pass if you can, but for sure come out for a great night of blues!

Eddie Shaw and the Wolfpack return for big show at Big Cities on December 19th, too! Check our calendar inside on page 12.

Our next Blues in the Schools Benefit will be after the Holidays, so watch out for news of that in the next newsletter.

We are also working on a big show but can’t mention anything yet. If things work out, stay tuned for a big announcement!

November and December are shaping up to be two big months of great music and fun. We hope to see you out and about keeping the blues alive!

Mississippi Valley Blues Society

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The Mississippi Valley Blues Society (MVBS) provides our members a home away from home. I say that because I see more of our members in Davenport at the MVBF every Fourth of July weekend than any other time of the year. But what if that home away from home goes away? It could, without your help.

Last Spring, Iowa encountered flooding of near epic proportions. The 2008 MVBF was moved from LeClaire Park to downtown Davenport. Attendance was way down. Fundraising efforts have helped but they remain $96,000 behind the level of funding they need to make the 25th Anniversary Festival a reality in 2009. They need your help to raise money and close that gap to keep the show going and keep the blues alive.

Membership in MVBS is one way to help. Membership is available at a variety of levels; see table below. Business/Organization supporting memberships are available for $250.00 per year. You can send us a check along with an explanation of what membership you want to:

Mississippi Valley Blues Society102 South Harrison Street,
Suite 300Davenport, IA 52801-1811

1 Year 2 Years 3 Years Lifetime
Single $15.00 $25.00 $35.00 $400.00
Family $25.00 $45.00 $65.00 $500.00

Fundraisers are also being held. The next one is with Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater will play a fundraiser for the Mississippi Valley Blues Society on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Redstone Room in Davenport. The night will also include a silent auction of blues memorabilia including framed photos. Doors open at 6 p.m., with Ellis Kell and “Detroit” Larry Davison playing from 6:30-7:30. The first of Eddy Clearwater’s two sets begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20.00, which includes hors d’oevres as long as they last.

Stay in tune with MVBS news, events and fundraising at www.mvbs.org!

Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown Benefit

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Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown Benefit
Sunday, November 16th
Big Cities Lounge 3 to 8 PM
$10 Cover
Food will be provided
Music by:
Port Bluez
The Po Boys
Barstool Bob Band

Blues in the Schools with Fruteland Jackson

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Fruteland Jackson returned to the Rockford area for two days of Blues in the Schools (BITS) on October 21st and 22nd. We were proud to bring Fruteland to schools to help keep the Blues alive.

Tuesday’s programs were at Winnebago Middle School where 150 6th graders were treated to the program in the morning and McNair Elementary School in Winnebago where the entire student body (250) of 3rd and 4th graders attended the program.

On Wednesday Jackson was in Rockford. He began in the morning at Lewis Lemon with 250 students from the 3rd and 4th Grades. The afternoon program was at Thompson Elementary where the entire student body (400) of K through 4 attended. In all, over 1,050 students were at the four programs.

There was also an evening show on Tuesday at the Just Goods Listening Room on 7th Street in Rockford. Acoustic bluesman Todd Lorenz opened the evening with a set of his original acoustic blues and folk music. His set was well received by the attendees. Todd also introduced his first two CDs of songs from his Twenty Aught Eight song-a-week project. He released the first 26 songs or new music on two CDs (reviewed inside). Fruteland Jackson was accompanied by Paul Kaye, a Wisconsin artist who recently accompanied Honeyboy Edwards at Grafton. Kaye played harp and mandolin with Fruteland and added a nice touch to the roots music. Jackson gave the crowd a great set of songs from his repertoire to enjoy. He also made his three CDs available for sale.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council which receives support from the City of Rockford, the Illinois Arts Council, and its members.

Our Fall BITS effort thus far was hugely successful. We have brought BITS programs to area schools for over 7 years now and over 16,000 students have learned about and heard the blues because of it. Thanks to all the club members who helped make the program a success!

BITS Notes
· We have maintained our costs to be able to deliver BITS programs at the cost of about $1 per student attendee
· So far, we have provided eight programs to schools in Northern Illinois in 2008
· Funding for the programs comes from membership dues, benefit shows and grant money from the Rockford Area Arts Council.
· BITS programs are provide with zero cost to supported schools

Interview with Bruce Iglauer: Alligator Records Owner Discusses the State of the Blues with Steve Jones

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SJ: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. How are you doing?
BI: I'm in Wisconsin where my wife lives. Yesterday I went to FitzGerald's for Janiva Magness, the Holmes Brothers and Marcia Ball. Really nice event, as always

SJ: Everyone associated with blues music uses the catch phrase "keeping the blues alive." How do you evaluate the state of blues music industry right now?
BI: I think that we're at a very crucial moment in the history of the blues, and those of us who love this music have to work hard to assure its future.

Let's look at some reality. The phrase 'the blues industry' is kind of funny, like 'jumbo shrimp' and 'military intelligence'. Blues CD sales represent about 1% of the music sold in the USA , and less in the rest of the world (down from about 1.5% six or seven years ago). The best paid blues artists in the world, like B.B. and Buddy, make about as much as second and third level rock bands. So I'd say those of us who love the blues are a very particular and perceptive minority group! Right now, what the blues desperately needs is both some new, younger champions who have the ability to reach outside the hardcore blues community and also some more support from the media. Losing Stevie Ray was a huge blow; he was the last true popular crossover artist who was bringing new fans to the blues from the rock world. It would also be great if there were some younger artists who could reach black-oriented radio and a younger black demographic. As you know, blues is really considered 'old people's music' in the black community. Blues is the creation of black Americans, and I'd like to see it more attached to the community that created it in the future. In other words, we need some exciting young black blues men and women who will give their contemporaries some sense that the blues is relevant to them, not just to white people.

For either of these things to happen, we need visionary artists--artists who can do more than restate what's already been done. We need contemporary stories, contemporary rhythms, and charismatic artists who can really communicate. I can imagine a young, multi-racial blues band incorporating traditional blues instruments along with hip hop rhythms, some rap sections, and maybe a turntablist. And great songs that have the elements of tension and release and emotional soothing that are key to blues. But I hear this band only in my imagination.

So right now, I'd say that we're at a critical time for the blues. If we bring in some new fans, blues has a possibility of becoming a petrified form of music, like New Orleans Jazz. That's what we have to prevent from happening.

SJ: You started Alligator at 23 years of age. What advice could you give people today who want to be young interpreneurs?
BI: I assume you mean someone who wanted to start a record label?

SJ: Yes, that’s what I was referring to.
BI: First, don't do what I did! It's much, much harder now than when I started. So, I'd tell anyone who wanted to do this to start by finding a job or an internship with an existing label to try to learn the business. It's also helpful to work at a record store (if you can find one, which is much of the problem; real record stores virtually don't exist). You must, must understand how distribution works. Being very aware of new technologies is important too. Digital distribution is probably the future, as much as I wish it weren't.

Understand publishing and copyright law in its basic form. Know what you can and can't do with a song that you don't control. This can be a major can of worms, and you don't want
to be infringing on copyright!

Work only with artists that you 100% believe in. Ultimately a label is only as good as its artists. Artists must have live charisma, fresh songs and musical ideas, the ability to run a band (very different skill set from the ability to play music), some facility to be on the road (a van, for example) and most of all, the artist needs to have his or her head on straight and understand that this is a job, not a hobby or something to do for fun. Being a touring musician is really hard. Selling enough CDs to make sense without touring is really impossible.

Finally, don't go into the record business thinking you're going to make much money. In the beginning, I ran my business out of a one-room apartment, sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Then I moved up to a two room apartment, then a falling-down old house. It was seven years before I had a full time employee and it was 14 years from when I started Alligator until when I wasn't living in the same place as my label. And times were easier then, and I was also very lucky. And I say that the business is much, much harder now than back then.

SJ: The recording industry seems less focused on CDs and is offering more alternatives like DVDs, downloads and perhaps other new formats. Are you seeing a demand for other formats? If so, how are you gearing up for this apparent change in consumer demands?
BI: I have always tried to be responsive to new formats and new marketing techniques. We began as an LPs company, we made 8-tracks on a few titles, tried some 45s for juke boxes (a big failure), made cassettes on every title, and we were the first blues label to commit to CDs (which was a very good move and helped us dominate the early years of blues CD sales). We began marketing from our web site in the mid-1990s. We began working with the legitimate downloaders as soon as these services were available, and our music is available on all the major services except E Music (because they don't pay at the same level as the other services). We have looked at DVDs, but can't make quality (surround sound, multi-camera) DVDs make sense financially. So far the DVD market for blues and other niche music is very small. With what's going on with retailers carrying less and less titles, I really don't see that we're going to enter the DVD market soon. It appears that physical formats (CDs) are ultimately doomed, and digital files will replace them. I'm not happy about that, but no one is asking me. I wish that digital files sounded better; MP3s are truly awful sounding if you compare them to the source CDs or vinyl albums. There are some services (Music Giants, HD Tracks) that are offering better quality downloads at slightly higher prices. It's worth it.

By the way, I totally believe that illegal downloading has been the most terrible thing that's happened to all kinds of musical creativity. Although Alligator has mostly adult consumers (I wish we had more younger fans), the downloads have run the legitimate stores out of business, and the stores that are gone are no longer stocking our music. The death of the good record store has been especially murderous for niche music--blues, jazz, classical, folk, world, etc. etc. At this point, for most people who don't live in a big city, the only way to buy most of this music on CD is through Amazon or of course at Alligator.com.

SJ: Alligator's catalogue seems to be venturing further and further into areas far from the traditional "Chicago Blues" that has always been Alligator's mainstay. While the big electric guitar sound of CDs like the recent issues from Eddy Clearwater and Michael Burks continue to be produced, we are seeing some interesting sounds and styles from artists like Eric Lindell, JJ Grey and Mofro, Janiva Magness and even Marcia Ball. Is this something you are pushing or is it just a natural progression in the blues music industry?
BI: As I said above, I think blues must evolve or become petrified. So I like to see my artists continue to grow, and I look for artists who have one foot deep in the blues but aren't just trying to recreate what's been done. So Eric and JJ definitely fell in that 'one foot in the blues' category. In the case of Marcia, she's been evolving musically for years, and continues to do so. She's a very smart and incisive thinker, so she likes to push the boundaries. I was especially taken with "Miracle In Knoxville" on her new "Peace, Love & BBQ" album. Really an exciting approach, bluesy but fresh. Janiva is a new artist with us, but I've been watching here grow musically for a few years. I'm very pleased with the new album and I'm curious to see where she's going next.

Notice which artists I do and don't produce myself. I'm a blues guy--I love working with artists like Michael Burks and Lil' Ed and Koko Taylor and Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King. But if the music gets too sophisticated or too far from blues, I'm not the right guy. For my own taste, I would be happy to produce artists like Ed and Michael and Eddy Clearwater for the rest of my life. But those are old school artists, and there just aren't a lot of old school artists coming up that move me as much as the ones I've already signed and recorded. I'd love to find someone 20 years old who played (and convincingly SANG) straight-up blues with the attitude and talent of the veterans, but I haven't heard that person.

What new artists associated with your label excite you the most? You can't ask me which of my artists I like best! I only sign artists whose music I truly love and care about. In many cases, we establish close personal relationships, so they become almost like family. So ALL my artists, new and old, excite me.

SJ: Alligator has been and remains the leader in blues recordings for many years. There seems to be a lot of growth in labels like Delta Grove, Blind Pig, and some of the smaller studios. While the growth of the blues industry is great for artists and fans, is this apparent growth of the competition good or bad for Alligator?
BI: We've seen a lot of labels come and go over the years. Blind Pig is well established (and Jerry del Guidice, the co-owner, and I are close friends). Delta Groove has emerged as a real competitor, as has Northern Blues. At the same time, Rounder's Bullseye Blues label seems to be gone, Telarc is releasing less blues, Fat Possum seems to have pretty much abandoned blues, and HighTone has been sold. BlackTop has been gone for a long time now and we miss them. Meanwhile, there are a lot of blues artists who deserve recording (though not a lot of new ones coming up, as I've said) so we can't own the blues, and don't want to. There's plenty of room for other labels. On the other hand, there are not nearly enough clubs dedicated to blues and roots music, and certainly not enough fans coming out to support the live artists, or to buy the CDs. The blues is in a real recession, and of course, as I said already, the fact that the economy is in a recession is hurting the situation too.

SJ: The economy is in recession and oil prices continue to rise.
BI: Yup

SJ: How is the blues recording industry being impacted by the general economy?
BI: As I said above, these are hard times for the country and hard times for the blues. For most blues artists, the center of their income is touring. Record sales aren't good enough for them to live from royalties (even for the stars). But the money for touring artists, especially in the clubs, hasn't grown much at all over the years. In 1975, for a sideman to
make $75 and a hotel room on the road was good pay. Now, over 30 years later, to make $150 and a hotel room is often good pay. On bad nights, band leaders make no more than the sidemen. When the price of gas goes up, the price of motels goes up, the price of food goes up, the musicians' fees don't go up (and gig attendance goes down). Try to find a touring bluesman with health insurance, unless it comes through a spouse. Good luck. It's a very, very difficult way to make a living, and getting harder.

Despite the economy, I am amazed at the growth of the festival industry. Every year there seems to be more and more new blues festivals. Do you think this is because of a growing interest in the blues as a genre? Is there more interest in the blues now than, say, 10 or 15 years ago? I'm heartened to some extent by the growth of festivals and other special events (like "Taste of _____ (name your suburb)") that hire blues artists. Also, there have been some interesting arts center tours with packages like Charlie Musselwhite, The N. Miss All Stars and Mavis Staples, and also Dr. John and Shemekia Copeland. These draw adult audiences that often won't come to bar gigs (partly because they no longer enjoy bars, and partly because bar gigs traditionally start late and adults traditionally start their days early. But at the same time, the number of younger fans who come out for blues at all is smaller and smaller, and I mostly see lots of gray hair (like mine) at blues gigs, wherever they are. Based on CD sales and the number of clubs that have closed or changed music format, and decreasing radio play combined with no new champion for the blues, I'd say that the audience is shrinking at the moment.

I know my children (who are getting beyond the term "child") are interested at least in some level by blues music. Maybe I've forced it on them a bit, but I see a lot of younger fans at festivals and blues music shows. Honestly, I don't. In a couple of weeks I'm going to the Deep Blues Festival in Minnesota, which is made up of what I'd describe as a lot of Fat Possum-influenced young white bands, plus T-Model Ford. I'm very curious to see what the audience is there. What are you impressions on the next generation of music fans and how do they relate to the blues? This is tough; I'm not one of them. I think if I were younger, I'd want music that I could embrace as 'mine,' like my generation did with the 60s rock bands, including the blues-influenced British ones. I see some hope with the Black Keys in being a band like this. I thought the N. Miss All Stars would be the big crossover blues-rock band, but it didn't turn out that way. So my feeling is that if younger music fans are going to relate to blues, it will be because the music seems raw, direct, a little scary and maybe a little alien to them. This is the way I felt when I discovered blues (thank you, Fred McDowell). Like it was the most honest, unvarnished music in the world. I think that's what younger fans want--something that seems real and honest in this pre-packaged world.

SJ: Chicago has always been a hotbed for the blues. Since the 1960's the West Coast has had a large and viable blues scene. Where do you see other major interest in the blues in the US ? Where does it surprise you that the blues has never caught on in a big way?
BI: Obviously Chicago became a blues hotbed because of the huge number of black people who emigrated from the blues heartland of the Delta from the early 1900s until about 1970. So they brought their music with them, and long before there was a North Side scene with white fans, there were small clubs on the West and South sides filled with black patrons who were enjoying the music that had come with them from the South. Of course the same thing happened when Texas blues moved with black people to the West Coast, also influenced by Kansas City swing. The current West Coast scene is mostly from those roots, along with the strong influence of George "Harmonica" Smith, who went to California and taught Rod Piazza, William Clarke and others.

I hear blues artists from all over the country and all over the world. I'm surprised that there is a strong club scene in Florida . Of course there are still excellent bluesmen and women around Austin , though surprisingly few clubs that features blues. There seem to be a lot of good Houston musicians too. One of the best times of my year is going to the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge in Memphis , where aspiring blues artists from almost everywhere come to compete. The variety of talent (and quality) is amazing.

Where does it surprise me that blues has never caught on in a big way?--Well, to be frank, my feeling is that blues is always going to be be a minority music. When it's done right, it's full of tough adult emotions and not the kind of simple sentimental pap that is the center of much of pop music. So, although the structures of the blues are heard everywhere (including in tons of commercials), the inside of the blues is really hard to do right.

SJ: In what new directions do you see yourself and Alligator going in the next 10 years? BI: I'm really so artist-centered that I don't think in terms of directions. I think in terms of finding artists who are saying something fresh that's in the blues tradition. The label will follow the artists. I won't take a right turn into a whole new field of music. I must have artists whose music I relate to personally on a very gut level. If I can find those artists, I will be happy to keep making records until the day I die.

SJ: What is the best advice you can give to a new blues band trying to establish itself in today's scene?
BI: Boy, a lot of things. First, learn as much of the blues tradition as you can. Stevie Ray not only was inspired by Albert King, Albert Collins and Lonnie Mack, but was also deeply into solo Delta blues artists. Muddy Waters idolized Son House. Howlin' Wolf based some of his music on Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson. And House, Patton and Johnson were all inspired by bluesmen and women from before records were being made. The blues is a very deep well. If you just say "I want to be a hot blues-rock guitar player", you're missing 90% of the water. Second, all the great blues men and women found something of their own to say. They were singing of their own lives and of the world around them. If you can write at all, start writing honest original songs from your own experience. Third, get in front of an audience. Blues is not music you make by yourself. It's music that is designed to meet the emotional needs of the listener. Imagine a preacher preaching without a congregation. That's what a blues artist performing without an audience is like. Fourth, don't perform the blues thinking that you are going to get rich. Perform it because you love it. Like John Lee Hooker, because "it's in him, and it's got to come out." Fifth, remember that blues is a music of both singing and playing. It's ultimately about telling a story, with both words and music. Blues isn't just a long solo with 12-bar chord changes. It's a proud tradition of music designed to reach the deepest part of the human soul.

SJ: Bruce, I know that our readers and blues fans in general are appreciative of everything you have done to progress the blues as an art form and to give them and the world great music to enjoy. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us and give us the pulse of the blues world!
BI: I'm always glad to be in touch with fellow blues fans. I hope to meet your readers at club gigs and festivals, when they come out to support the men and women who make the music we love so much.
SJ: And I am sure they would enjoy meeting you, too! We'd love to have you come out to some of the event in the Rockford area. Thank you once again for the interview and all the great music!

Bruce Iglauer and Alligator records Facts
· Born July 10, 1947
· Attended Lawrence College, Appleton, WI
· Radio DJ and frequent visitor to the Chicago Blues scene while n college
· Was $30 a week shipping clerk at Delmark records in 1970
· Founded Aligator in 1971 when Bob Koester refused to record Hound Dog Taylor
· Used $900 of an inheritance to produce the Hound Dog Taylor album, and the rest of it to press 100 copies to market
· Built Alligator records over the last 37 years to become the #1 blues label in the world
· Named “Allgator Records” after Bruce’s habit to click his teeth in time with the nusic
· Find out more about Bruce and Alligator at www.alligatorrecords. com

September-October 2008 Newsletter

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You will note that this is a rather hefty issue. We have so much music coming in that we have reviewed that the issue is just overflowing with good stuff. And adding to that we also got a great interview with Bruce Iglauer from Alligator Records that is featured on the first three pages.

With this newsletter being created and delivered a little late, we still have a lot of shows to announce. Berghoff and Blues in Monroe WI on September 19 and 20 has an ad and info inside. The even years at the Fairgrounds are Cheesefest Years in Monroe, but the lineup at Minhas Craft Brewery is a good one. Competing for your attention that weekend is the Third Annual Grafton Blues festival also in WI. A great lineup is offered there at the home of Paramount Records. See inside for their ad. Lastly, Beausoleil is playing at Beloit College that Friday night. Difficult choices, but you cannot go wrong at any of them!

We will be holding a meeting to elect officers and a board of directors. Please submit any nominations to Mark Thompson.

Planning is also underway for our fall BITS. We have some interesting directions that we can go with BITS and will discuss this at our next meeting. Some possibilities exist to bring back some old, favorite BITS artists or to possibly use more local artists.

Another planning item is a benefit show that we will be planning. We need to raise some funds for our Spring BITS programs and ideas for this are welcome.

The actual meeting time and date has not been scheduled due to some schedule conflicts, but it will be announced via our news group on email.

We had a great summer of blues, and the fall is shaping up to be just as much fun. We hope to see you all at shows and our meetings!

The 2008 Summer of Blues

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Festivals abound over the summer. Every weekend seems to have something going!

One new event in late June that was added to Big Cities calendar is Bernard Allison on Saturday June 27th. This will be a rocking time! More late June events: Stars and Guitars and The Rockin’ Rib Fest have joined forces June 26th to June 29th. Blue’s fans will especially enjoy Saturday’s events with Devon Allman’s Honeytribe and Dicky Betts and Great Southern.

MVBF is featured in the cover story. The following weekend is Bamfest; it is a Friday and Saturday event, July 11&12, at Belleville Community Park in Belleville, Wisconsin. The festival features Larry McCray, Wayne Baker Brooks, Eric Sardinas & Big Motor, Sonny Landreth, Robben Ford, and Jeremy Spencerthe Original Fleetwood Mac. Check it out at www.bamfest.net. Also on the 11th is Blues on Chicago, an annual Freeport IL event . This year it is featuring the Reverend Raven and the Cash Box Kings. 6 to 11 PM. Admission is only $3.

Nothing But the Blues Festival In Bloomington, IL is July 18&19 in Tri

Lakes. Check it out at www.nothinbutthebluesfestival.com. Larry McCray, Janiva Magness, The Holmes Brothers and Thornetta Davis are featured there.

The next weekend is Prairie du Chein’s turn. Friday

-Saturday, July 25-26, 2008 is the Prairie Dog Blues Festival in Wisconsin. Check them out at www.prairiedog-

blues.com. Jason Ricci, Walter Trout, Nick Moss, Kilborn Alley, and Bernard Allison are but a few of their acts!

Charlottes’ Web has the Blues with Chubby Carrier July 13th at Klehm Arboretum and the Rockford Versus Beloit Guitar Shootout in Sinnissippi Park on July 25th.

The second annual Waukesha WI BluesFest, will be held August 8 and 9, 2008 at Naga

-Waukee Park in Delafield, Wisconsin. Doyle Bramhall headlines on Friday and Popa Chubby on Saturday. Check http://www.waukeshabluesfest.com/.

The Fargo Blues Fest is the next weekend., Friday and Saturday August 5 and 16. For complete, up to date information on this and all festivals, check out www.blues-festivalguide.com. It is a great on line resource.

Closing out the month of August is the 25th anniversary of On the Waterfront in Rockford. The festival begins with a Styx concert on the Great Lawn on Thursday the 28th, and goes into full swing Friday through Sunday. The Left Bank Stage features blues, and fans will love the headlining artists there this year. Tab Benoit will close out Friday evening the 29th with his brand of cajun blues. Saturday the 30th features the ever

-youthful and soulful Bettye LaVette. Bettye was honored with the Best Contemporary Female Artist ard at this years’ Blues Music Awards while Tommy Castro received honors as both the BB King Entertainer of the Year and for Best Contemporary Blues Alum. Tommy is featured on Sunday the 31st as part of the Legendary Rythym and Blues Revue, along with Deanna Bogart, Magic Dick and Ronnie Baker Brooks. It will be a wild finale to a great weekend of music! Barstool Bob Levis and his Band, New Orleans’ Trombone Shorty, Madison’s Westside Andy and a host of other acts will be playing over the weekend, too. Check it out at www.onthewaterfront. om.. It’s going to be a great summer of blues music!!!

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival July 3-5 Will Go On- Come Hell or High Water!

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The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is always a big a event for Crossroads Blues Society members. The relaxed atmosphere, the great music and great setting get our members out in numbers that are equal to (if not better than) some of our meetings! This year’s festival is over the 4th of July; it begins on Thursday evening the 3rd and runs through Saturday night the 5th of July this year.

The location of the festival is still being determined. With the flooding of LeClair Park in Davenport twice this year, the park may not be ready to support this year’s festival. Despite the flood waters rising, the festival organizers assure us that the fest will go on! Check out the Mississippi Valley Blues Society (MVBS) website for the announcement of the location: www.mvbs.org.

This year’s lineup is another great one for blues fans. The organizers from MVBS have done a great job getting a lot of great talent to perform. We appreciate their efforts to stay afloat and make this great event happen despite the regional flooding in Iowa and Illinois. Many members are going, so car pooling and room sharing opportunities abound! Come on out and have a great time and help keep the blues alive!

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival July 3-5

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For twenty-four years, volunteers of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society have been organizing and presenting the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. The three-day festival is held each year over the 4th of July weekend in picturesque LeClaire Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. Through the care and attention paid in selecting performers to represent a variety of blues styles and the down-home non-commercial atmosphere of the fest, over the years the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival has become recognized as one of the finest blues fests in the country. This year’s edition will be held from Thursday, July 3 through Saturday, July 5. We hope you’ll join us for a great weekend of blues music!This site has information pertaining to the festival, from the line up to ticket and hotel information.

Advance tickets for the 2008 IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival are now available at all IH Mississippi Valley Credit Untion locations, the River Center/Adler Theatre box office and through Ticketmaster®. A three-day pass for the Fest is available in advance for $40. The admission price at the gate will be $18 per day, so the three-day pass offers a significant savings. Mississippi Valley Blues Society and IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union members will also be able to purchase individual fest tickets in advance at a discounted rate of $15 each at all IHMVCU locations.
Ticket purchases through the RiverCenter/Adler can be mailed to you if you include a self-addressed stamped envelope with your check or money order. There is a handling fee for mail orders. The box office can also deliver your tickets to the Will Call table at the Ripley Street Festival Entrance.

Ticket purchases through Ticketmaster are subject to a per ticket service charge.
RiverCenter/Adler Theater Box Office
136 East Third Street
Davenport, IA 52801
(563) 326-8555
www.riverctr.com
mailto: boxoffice@riverctr.com
Ticketmaster® retail outlets do not accept phone orders.
Advance ticket holders will receive one half-hour early gate admission.

Barstool Bob CD Release Party at Leombruni's in Byron June 21st

2008-06-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

More history to be made! Byron's first CD release party ever!

Barstool Bob Levis and his band will be in Byron on Saturday, June 21st at Leombruni's Italian Village. The show will be from 9:30 PM to 1 AM. Bob and the band are celebrating the release of their new CD, Barstool Blues and will be featuring selections from the CD and a host of great rocking Chicago-style blues tunes!

The evening will feature Bob and 5 band members playing in the restaurant area, so there is plenty of room for the show. Come out and enjoy a great musical experience and come early to have an authentic Italian meal before the show! Cover charge is only $5.

The new disc features dynamic guitar work from Mr. Levis, who has toured and recorded with blues greats like Lonnie Brooks and Otis Rush in addition to performing for seventeen years as a member of the house band at the Kingston Mines club in Chicago.

Levis is the consummate musician, admired by guitar players all over the world for his stellar rhythm guitar work. This recording is the first that focuses on Bob’s equally impressive skills as a lead player.

The disc was recorded at Fuse Productions in Rockford with many of the best blues musicians in the area including Steve Ditzell on guitar & vocals , Brother Dave Kaye on bass, Big Jim Johnson on vocals & harmonica, Link Leary on drums, Ted Lawrence on harmonica, Larry Pendleton on vocal & guitar and Dave Wood on guitar. Special guests include Westside Andy Linderman on harmonica, Jimmy Voegeli on keyboards and Marty Binder on drums. Lonnie Brooks is the featured vocalist on a stirring version of “I Can’t Hold Much Longer.”

"... the instrumentation—especially Levis’s playing—and choice of material is outstanding ..." - Karen McFarland for IllinoisBlues.com

Featuring thirteen tracks and over 73 minutes of hard-hitting Chicago style blues, this recording documents the outstanding talent in the Rockford musical community. Tracks like the brooding “Double Trouble” or the rousing instrumental “Barstool Breakdown” are sure to please blues fans all over the world.

"...thirteen tracks of very authentic, string-bending, blues-harp blowing, gut-shouting boogie and blues..."
- Bert Saraco for http://www.tollbooth.org/

The disc was produced and released by Big Paw Records, a new and upcoming blues record label. Copies of the disc are also available for purchase on-line at CD Baby.com.
Bob lives in the Rockford area and he has played before in Byron and in cities all over the world. For advanced tickets or more information, call Steve Jones from the Crossroads Blues Society at 815-234-3118. You can get more info about Bob at http://www.myspace.com/boblevis. Copies of the CD and information about the blues will be available at the show. This is a unique event and a show you do not want to miss!

Smokin’ Joe Kubec and Bnois King

2008-06-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Live and Smokin’

June 13th, 9 PM Big Cities Lounge

$15 cover

A Rosemary Production
For more info contact Joe Geraghty at joeygiii@att.net for info

Barstool Bob CD Release Party March 1 at Big Cities

2008-02-19T23:47:00.001-08:00

History will be made at Big Cities on March 1st. Barstool Bob Levis will release his first ever CD with him leading a band! This is an event not to be missed. This will be the first opportunity to purchase the CD, and you can be among the first to buy this monumental musical achievement and to listen to the artists live!

This is the first release for Big Paw Records whose logo is featured below. For those of you who have see our illustrious Society President Mark Thompson in a tank top, you will understand why this logo exists. Otherwise, you will have to ask him yourself. Mark and Bob produced the CD and it features a host of talent helping out on the recording.

Check out the official CD review inside this issue. CDs are $15 each and will be available at the party. Come on out for this show– you will not want to miss it! This is another Rockford first in the blues music world and you can be a part of the action. Special guest– Lonnie Brooks!

Bob Levis Interview by Dave Stine

2008-02-19T23:46:00.001-08:00

I sat down with Bob Levis at Big Cities during the belated Crossroads Blues Society Christmas Party/meeting and Reverend Raven gig to talk with him about his upcoming CD, Barstool Blues.

At first Bob was a little hesitant to talk to me, since I’d recently become somewhat of the Simon Cowell of blues reviewing for newsletter. He said I was pretty “brutal” to Grady Champion, Charles Burton, and even Howlin’ Wolf. I told him, I just call ‘em as I see ‘em, but that he didn’t need to pre-worry. (NOTE: Wolf did call me from beyond the grave to ask “how many more years” was I gonna wreck his life!)

Anyway, about the CD. First, for those of you who don’t know--and I can’t imagine who you’d be--Bob was guitarist for both Lonnie Brooks and Otis Rush back in the day. You’ll see his name pop up on Cold Day in Hell, Live at Kingston Mines, and other albums that may be floating around library. He moved to Rockford a few years ago, and he hosts a Wednesday night blues jam at Big Cities as well as adding guitar to Ernie and The Po’Boys.

I asked Bob how the CD came about and he said some things happen; some things you make happen; and some things just seem to happen on their own. He is very thankful that all the various things DID come together at one time: a financial backer (Mark Thompson), some great players (see below), a studio (see below), and the opportunity to combine all these things. Locals should recognize all the players on the CD. Bob had been in Chicago when Steve Ditzell was with Koko Taylor and Junior Wells. They knew of each other but had never played together. Steve also transplanted to Rockford over 10 years ago. Hanging out at Big Cities allowed Bob to hook up with Steve and Dave Kaye and some of the other players on the CD. Bob doesn’t sing so put out the call to people like Steve, who he knew could help him with the project. His old friend Lonnie Brooks contributes a song, as does Larry Pendleton from Ernie and the Po’Boys. Big Jim Johnson, another local icon, sings and plays harp on the disc as well. The rhythm section is Dave Kaye and Marty Binder (mostly). I can’t even begin to mention with whom both of these men have played--the list is too long. Other players on the CD include Westside Andy and Jimmy Voegeli from the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band, Teddy Lawrence from Johnny and the Boomers and Cross Eyed Cat, and Dave Wood from????

Bob warned me that the CD breaks no new ground: it’s just a blues album. He wanted a CD of blues played “the way it should be played” and nothing more. He picked people to play whose style he knew would fit with what he and Mark wanted to do. There were no band rehearsals, just various players in the studio, live, who he told to “play what you know.”

Bob and Mark used Miles Nieslen’s The Fuse studio and appreciated to care that Miles, and Chris French took with the project. (NOTE to Tricksters--dad Rick dropped by during the Lonnie Brooks recording.)

Mark Thompson acted as executive producer and Bob as producer. I don’t know what these titles mean, but I think that means Mark had the final say. Arrangements were simply talked out. Most songs were complete in 1 or 2 takes.

The gear head in me wanted to know what guitar(s) Bob used, but I already knew the answer. Although this isn’t an Otis Rush tribute, Bob relies heavily on his mentor’s tone, so he used his red Epiphone Riviera.

I told Bob that I am a HUGE Otis Rush fan, that I was familiar with most of the players, and really look forward to hearing the CD (I got a pre-release copy that night).

So, with no further adieu . . . see the review on http://crossroadsreviews.blogspot.com/2008/02/barstool-blues-reviewed-by-david-stine.html

Crossroads Blues Society News and Notes by Steve Jones

2008-02-19T23:44:00.001-08:00

In addition to the Bob Levis CD release party on March 1, we have a lot of other stuff to report on. We are a busy club and things are happening every month.

We are working on the remainder of the Spring semester BITS programs. At press time we had no specifics, but look for the Spring to be all local acts supporting our programs. We have a lot of strong BITS acts in both Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, and we intend to use them! Stay tuned for more info.

Wednesday March 26th at Big Cities is a big night. We are sponsoring a show entitles “A Tribute to Little Walter.” Harp players Dennis Gruenling and Steve Guyger with guitar player Doug Deming will be featured that night starting early at 8 PM. Dennis is releasing a CD entitled “Just Keep Lovin” Him: A tribute to Little Walter” and this will be one of the stops on the CD release tour. It will be a great show so get there early to get a good seat!

We got some good press in the Rockford Register Star and Rock River Times for Pistol Pete’s BITS shows, but then a larger scale article in the RR Star came out on February 2nd as part of the Black History Month Celebration which was entitled “Blues Survival: Has modern music forgotten its roots?” by Edith Webster of the Register Star. Mark Thompson and Crossroads get quoted and mentioned in the well-done piece.

And lastly, the RAMI Awards! Don't forget to vote in the RAMI Awards - Crossroads is nominated in the Musical Outreach Organization category. It is free to vote and you can help our club get recognition that may elp us to get more funding and grants so we can do more to keep the blues alive. Check it out and vote at:
http://www.ramiawards.com/

March and April will be busy months. Come on out and support the blues and

Presidents Corner by Mark Thompson

2008-02-19T23:42:00.001-08:00

In January, The Crossroads Blues Society received confirmation that the Rockford Area Arts Council had awarded us a $1,000 grant to help fund our 2008 Blues in the Schools programs. The Arts Council has been supporting our efforts since we started BITS. We thank them once again for their confidence and support of our programs. Please consider signing up for an individual membership to the Arts Council. A one year membership starts at $25. They certainly deserve our support !!
We also want to thank several people who made recent donations of CDs to the Crossroads CD Library.
- member David Stine donated about ten discs from his personal collection, including several Duke Robillard discs
- Member Kevin Becker contributed 45 promo discs from Borders Books in Rockford. Most of these titles were not currently in the library. Kevin manages the store that has a Blues cd section that is #1 in sales in the company !!!
- Karen Howard of Charlotte's Web contributed several new releases from the Blind Pig label - Poppa Chubby, Webb Wilder live and Nappy Brown.

Thanks to their generosity, the library is chock full of great stuff for your listening pleasure !!

Remember that any current member can check out up to five CDs from the library at one time. The library is available at each Crossroads general membership meeting.

BITS Programs with Pistol Pete are Another Huge Success for Crossroads Blues Society!

2008-02-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

On January 16th our Crossroads Blues Society presented Blues in the Schools (BITS) with Pistol Pete. We presented the program to about 620 students. Approximately 400 students at Nashold Elementary school attended and about 400 of them shook Pete’s hand or hugged him after the show. We also had about 120 music students at Lincoln Middle School attend the BITS program. The middle school students were into music and asked numerous questions, including, “What is your favorite color?”. For the record, purple is Pete's color of choice.

Pete did a fine job of performing and explaining the history of Blues and the value of getting an education. He also had to put up with Harmonica Joe on stage. It took little to no coaxing to get Joe up there; for those of you who know Joe this will not come as a surprise. Actually, Pete would probably had to forcibly restrain Joe from playing as it is believed that Joe arranged this as part of Pete’s agreement to work with us.

In all seriousness, Joe did a great job arranging the programs and escorting Pete around. It was also good to have other Society members attend the shows. Pat Reilly , Mark Thompson and Rick Hein attended at least one of the BITS programs. We would like to give a special thanks to Rick Hein for all his help with BITS.

Both the Rockford Register Star and Rock River Times showed up at Nashold School to cover Blues in the Schools programs. The Register Star article featured a picture of Pistol Pete, another of the students and a nice article about the program. The Rock River Times also featured the programs in a fine article with pictures.

At Lincoln MS, Joes’ granddaughter Aubrey got to be on stage with Pete and was also thanked by the Band Director for getting her Grandpa to bring BITS to Lincoln. A good time was had by all.

BITS trivia: Pete really likes the new Kentucky Fried Chicken hot wings.

Christmas in January and BITS with Pistol Pete

2008-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas in January? More BITS? You heard it right! We’re back and kicking right after the first of the year. The December snow storms and weather put a damper on a lot of things, so we are starting the New Year with a bang!

Pistol Pete will be performing in two area schools on Wednesday, January 16th. Pete has wanted to work in our BITS program, and we have the funds and opportunity to put on another day of programs. He will be at Nashold Elementary School at 10 AM and Kenedy Middle School at 1 PM. This should be exciting for the kids to see a local guy who is an enormous talent! Both Pete and Crossroads look forward to this opportunity. One of our goals was to use more local talent for our BITS programs, and Pete helps us achieve that goal once again!

Our Christmas Party at Big Cities got cancelled as did Reverend Raven’s gig at Big Cities, so we are back on for Friday, January 25th at 8 PM. The party starts first with food and fun, and then the Rev and his Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys will tear the place up with their Chicago-style blues from North of the Border. With the new Illinois smoking laws, I guess the Altar Boys will have to bechain smoking’ outside!!!! We know that their sounds will still be smoking’ in doors!

So we are kicking the year off with a bang. We as a club had a fantastic year in 2007 and we hope that all our members and friends did, too! We wish all the best to everyone and hope that the blues you have in 2008 all feel and sound good! Here’s to a great’08!

Gina Sicilia and Dave Gross BITS Programs are Another Huge Success for Crossroads!

2008-01-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Our Crossroads Blues Society Blues in the Schools efforts continued and wrapped up for 2007 in style. Gina Sicilia and the Dave Gross Band. performed at Guilford HS at 9:30 AM on the 14th of November and at 12:45 PM at Spring Hill Elementary School. Over 125 music-oriented High School students and the entire 650 student body at the elementary school were given lessons by two of the blues worlds’ newest and brightest stars. They also performed an evening g show at Big Cities Lounge at 7:30 PM on the evening of November 14th.

Gina has quickly become one of my favorite new vocalists and is now nominated for a Blues Music (formerly WC Handy) Award as Best New Artist. There is so much vocal talent and sound that comes out of this petite young woman’s vocal chords. She is going to become a big time blues star. The kids all identified with her and had a grand time clapping and dancing as she sang for them. You can find out more about Gina at www.gina-sicilia.com.

Dave Gross is equally talented; his guitar work and vocals are super and one has to wonder how far this guy will go in the blues world and I think great things are in his future. The students were quite impressed by Dave.

The band supporting Dave and Gina were equally good. Scott Hornick on upright bass is a hugely talented artist. His bass picking and slapping were superb and the joy emanating from his presence throughout the performances was just fascinating to watch. He is certainly into his music and craft! Check out his web site at www.davegrossband.com.

Matt Hill was added as a second guitarist for the band. Matt hails from North Carolina, His raw and uninhibited style is rrefreshing to watch and listen to. His Little Richard impersonations really got the kids going. His is a great guitar player, vocalist and performer who compliments
Dave Gross quite well. Check him out at www.matthillblues.com. I think you will hear more from this artist!

Dave’s drummer is also new to the mix from Dave gross’ last visit to Rockford. Steve Pozzelanti is a great addition to Dave’s band! He is a very talented guy.

We were the first publication to review Gina’s CD (Mar-Apr 07 Issue) and every review since ours has been equally glowing n the praise for this great new young artist. She is only 22 yet sings with the conviction and soul of a much more worldly aged woman. She is a huge talent and this is an artist that you should not miss. Dave Gross is another exceptional young talent. He was nominated for the best new artist Blues Music Awards held earlier this year because of the fire in his guitar play and vocals. He and his band are from the New Jersey area and are touring with Gina; they will be part of all the BITS events. His CD was reviewed in our Jan-Feb 07 Issue. Gina is now nominated for the same award Dave had been nominated for last year.

This is a talented group of musicians and we were glad to have them here. Next up for BITS is Wednesday, January 16th with Pistol Pete. We had a good year in 2007 and look forward to an even better one in 2008.