In This Issue...

Dennis Jones at the Jones Family Christmas (Photo by Suzanne Swanson)

Happy Birthday Richard De Guare! (Photo by Amy Sassenberg)

Americana Woman Valerie June (Photo Courtesy of MusicBox Project)

Letter from the President On the Cover Officers and Directors Blues Bash Preview Pocket Full of Soul Harp-Aggedon Review

2 3 6 7 9 10

KBA Recipients 2014 Jones Family Christmas Happy Birthday! Blues Bash Review Membership Form CD Reviews

11 12 13 14 15 16

Letter from the Editor Whats on Your Label? Talent Guide Blues Calendar Blues Radio Guide Blues Jam Guide

18 18 19 20 22 22

Letter from the President

Hi Blues Fans, I am writing my first letter as the President for the Bluesletter and have so many things I want to talk about, but only so much space. First I want to thank all of you for the kind words and support you have shown me over the first month of my term. I was over whelmed by how many calls, e-mails and texts that came in with congratulations and belief in me and the WBS as we move forward. So Thanks to all of you and I will do my best to live up to your expectations! I have many goals that I hope to accomplish over the next twelve months and a great team working with me to make what I hope will be great improvements as the WBS enters its 25th year as an incorporated non-profit. As many of you know the website is back up and undergoing even more improvements with many others planned throughout this year. One of the first improvements we will be working on has to do with membership and how we manage this database. As large as we have grown the last few years the task of managing this volume has become an incredibly taxing job for our Membership Director Michelle Burge. We are exploring new software and hardware that will allow us to assign all existing members and all new members with membership numbers and a printed plastic card similar to a credit card. It will have your name and membership number, membership renewal date and other data on it so you can use it to take advantage of some of the perks that come with WBS membership. The new software has applications that will allow us to put renewals and new membership services online so you will not have to write a check and mail it in and wait for the mail chain and the delays that that causes. The cards will be automatically loaded into a file for printing as they come in and then instead of making them one at a time as Michelle has had to do for the last several years the card printer will do the work for her. Then its just put the cards in envelopes that are printed as part of the software application and send them off in the mail to our membership. The new software automatically creates renewal notices and sends them via e-mail and also prepares renewal letters when needed too. There are several other features that this software and hardware for membership data that we will be introducing as the year progresses. I hope to have this in place and running within the next six months. These new cards will allow us to create even more membership perks that add value to being a member of the WBS and hopefully will spur even more growth for us. I am working on some of these perks as I write this first Letter from the President, but more about that next month. Until then please keep supporting live music and spread the word to all your friends and neighbors The BLUES is alive and well! Now get out there and take in a show and Ill see you there! Thank you again for reading the Bluesletter and supporting the Washington Blues Society! Tony Frederickson, President Washington Blues Society

Celebrating 25 Years of Blues

February 2014 Bluesletter
Vol. XXIV, Number II
Publisher Editor Secretary Calendar Advertising Printer Washington Blues Society Eric Steiner (editor@wablues.org) Mary McPage Janie Walla (thewallas@juno.com) Malcolm Kennedy (advertising@wablues.org) Pacific Publishing Company www.pacificpublishingcompany.com

1989 - 2014

Bex Marshall at Sunbanks (Photo by Blues Boss)

Blues Venue Guide MusicBox Project Preview Bex Marshall Interview Interview with Jeff Menteer Blues on the Road

23 24 26 29 31

Contributing Writers: Blues Boss, Eric Steiner, Amy Sassenberg, Robert Horn, Rick Bowen, Malcolm Kennedy, Mark Lempert, Todd Slobin, Tony Frederickson Contributing Photographers: Blues Boss, Eric Steiner, MusicBox Project, John Violette, Rick Bowen, Amy Sassenberg, Suzanne Swanson, John Carricoa, Tom Hunnewell Cover Photo: Jeff Menteer by John Violette
The Bluesletter welcomes stories and photos from WBS members! Features, columns and reviews are due by the 5th of each month in the following formats: plain text or Microsoft Word. Graphics must be in high-res 300 dpi .pdf, jpg, or .tiff formats. We encourage submissions. If a submitter intends to retain the rights to material (e.g., photos, videos, lyrics, textual matter) submitted for publication in the Bluesletter, or the WaBlues.org website, he or she must so state at the time of submission; otherwise, submitters rights to the material will be transferred to WBS, upon publication. We reserve the right to edit all content. The Bluesletter is the official monthly publication of the Washington Blues Society. The WBS is not responsible for the views and opinions expressed in The Bluesletter by any individual. WBS 2013 The Washington Blues Society is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote, preserve, and advance the culture and tradition of blues music as an art form. Annual membership is $25 for individuals, $35 for couples, and $40 for overseas memberships. The Washington Blues Society is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization and donations are tax-deductible. The Washington Blues Society is affiliated with The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.

On the Cover...
Jeff Menteer by John Violette. John Violette is the Vice President of the South Sound Blues Association and this is his first Washington Blues Society Bluesletter cover photo. Hes active natioinally in the blues having attended the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and is a stalwart supporter of blues music.

Mission Statement

Washington Blues Society P.O. Box 70604 - Seattle, WA 98127www.wablues.org

MARCH 2014 DEAdLINES

Advertising Space Reservations: February 5th malcarken@comcast.net Calendar: February 10th calendar@wablues.org Editorial February 5th to editor@wablues.org Camera Ready Ad Art Due: February 12 th advertising@wabluse.org

Washington Blues Society

Proud Recipient of a 2009 Keeping the Blues Alive Award from The Blues Foundation
2014 Officers Tony Frederickson Rick Bowen Mary McPage. Chad Creamer Eric Steiner President Vice President Secretary Treasurer (Acting) Editor Music Co-Directors Membership Education Volunteers Merchandise Advertising Downtown Seattle West Seattle North Sound Northern WA Penninsula South Sound Central WA Eastern WA Ballard Lopez Island Middle East Webmaster Web Hosting WBS Logo Calendar president@wablues.org vicepres@wablues.org secretary@wablues.org treasurer@wablues.org editor@wablues.org

Camera ready art should be in CMYK format at 300 dpi or higher.

Graphics: Text: Full Page: Half Page: Back Half Page: Quarter Page: Fifth Page: Business Card: ADD COLOR:

ADVERTISING RaTES:
300 dpi PDF, TIF or JPG Plain .txt or Word $300 (8.5 x 11) $175 (8.5 x 5.5) $260 (8.5 x 5.5) $100 (4.25 x 5.5) $75 (4.25 x 3.5) $30 (3.5 x 2) ADD 25%

2014 Directors Cherie Robbins & Janice Cleven Gage music@wablues.org Michelle Burge membership@wablues.org Roy Brown education@wablues.org Rhea Rolfe volunteers@wablues.org Tony Frederickson merchandise@wablues.org Malcolm Kennedy advertising@wablues.org 2014 Street Team Tim & Michelle Burge blueslover206@comcast.net Open Open Malcolm Kennedy & Joy Kelly advertising@wablues.org Lloyd Peterson freesprt@televar.com Dan Wilson allstarguitar@centurytel.net Cherie Robbins cherieerobins@gmail.com Stephen J. Lefebvre s.j.lefebvre@gmail.com Cindy Dyer cindalucy@hotmail.com Marcia Jackson sunyrosykat@gmail.com Carolyn & Dean Jacobsen cjacobsen@rockisland.com Rock Khan rocknafghanistan@gmail.com Special Thanks The Sheriff webmaster@wablues.org Adhost www.adhost.com Phil Chesnut philustr8r@gmail.com Janie Wallas calendar@wablues.org

Weve Got Discounts! 20% off- 12 month pre-payment 15% off- 6 month pre-payment 10% off- 3 month pre-payment Contact: advertising@wablues.org We value your business. Please send all advertising inquriries and ad copy to advertising@wablues.org with a copy to Malcolm Yard Dog Kennedy at malcarken@comcast.net

FebruaryBlues Bash Preview

Tuesday, February 11at at 7:00 PM The Red Crane Restaurant in Shoreline, WA 16716 Aurora Avenue North - All Ages Show! Electric Set: Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies hail from Snohomish County and are currently playing clubs, festivals, and casinos throughout the Pacific Northwest. The band is made up of Michelle Taylor on lead vocals, Justin Dean on guitar, Jim Shull on bass, Tommy Cook on drums, Jim Barnes on keyboards, and Angelo Ortiz on congas/ percussion, with several of the band members contributing on lead and background vocals. The band formed just over two years ago, but each member contributes years of experience spanning multiple genres. They take the influences of blues, rock, country, and R&B and offer up a variety of danceable music that not only respects the tradition of the blues, but also pushes its boundaries with a mix of contemporary sounds. The stage show is filled with energy and intensity, and there is a camaraderie in the band that is immediately noticeable to their audience. This band has fun and truly enjoys making music together. Those factors, in combination with their talent and a rapidly growing fan base, make for exciting shows and packed dance floors. In their first year 2012 Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies played an impressive 56 shows. Last year, the band added numerous festivals to their regular schedule of clubs and casinos, such as the Edmonds Waterfront Festival, the Taste of Edmonds, the Mill Creek Festival, the Bite of Seattle, the Taste of Tacoma, the Red White & Blues Festival, the Cookin The Blues Festival, the Big Sky Blues Festival, and the Everett Sausage Festival. In 2013, the band added a number of original songs to their diverse set list and garnered a nomination for Best New Band by the Washington Blues Society in the annual Best of the Blues Awards. Heading into 2014, the band already has several months worth of shows booked and is looking forward to the future as they add to the growing list of venues theyve played and to the growing number of fans that discover Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies throughout the Pacific Northwest. In addition to performing at the February Blues Bash of the Washington Blues Society, Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies will celebrate Valentines Day on the 14th and 15th at Baxters in Mill Creek followed by a show at Ashtons Kozy Bar and Grill on the 22nd. Next month, the band

M ICHELLE T aYLOR & T HE B LUES J UNKIES

will play the Tulalip Casino on the 1st, followed by two dates at Marcos in Lynnwood on the 7th and 8th, and end the month on the 29th at the Skagit Valley Casino in Bow. By the time the February Bluesletter arrives in clubs and in Washington Blues Society members mailboxes, there will likely be more shows added to this list! Please visit www.michelletaylorandthebluesjunkies. com to see the bands schedule, demos, and contact information. If you are on social media, the band is also on Facebook. Acoustic Set: Indecent Liberty Cultured in a damp, dark, moldy basement, two sound-wave harnessing meat robots came together to make noise unlike that which had been occupying the current airwaves. After sitting and fermenting for a few months following a hard winter, our duo emerged from the depths of the dungeon and stepped into the early light, smoke rolling out into the cool air. Now back in the outside world after being in seclusion for so long, it looked as if someone had taken an Indecent Liberty with our beautiful country. Hey, thats a good band name. Indecent Liberty consists of two elements; SweetNLo Christi Michelle powering out the vocal melodies and Skid Mark Johnston rocking out on his acoustic bass guitar. Christi has been singing since she was knee high to a grasshopper. She has been involved in many different forms of entertainment throughout her whole life and has worked with several entertainers in the music industry as a singer during her career. Her roots stem from all over the pop, soul, and blues genres and you will feel it in your skin when you experience her hair-raising vocals in person. Mark has played bass and drums in many projects ranging from punk to funk for over ten years and picked up an acoustic bass specifically for this duo. His bottom end holds it down while Christi tears it up. She grew up on hip hop and R&B and he was raised on metal and punk rock but together their sound is some kind of Americana-soul-blues. Indecent Liberty formed in late 2012, right around the time everyone was freaking out about the end of the world. While everyone was digging bunkers and storing food, Indecent Liberty was busy stockpiling music and knowledge. What most people didnt know was the fact that the Mayans werent predicting the apocalypse but a new era of human existence and the emergence of a revolutionary new musical duo. Mark and Christi had been playing for over a year in various projects and had been working on songs together for about six months and the world was about to experience Indecent Liberty ready or

aND I NDECENT

L IbERTY

Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies

Indecent Liberty not. Since first coming onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, they have opened for an eclectic collection of crowds including but not limited to blues, rockabilly, country, metal, bluegrass, and punk. They fit right in just about anywhere. After a performance, people are always looking around for socks that had been knocked off as well as experiencing a sense of euphoria. There is speculation that Indecent Liberty is currently in the studio working on more material and preparing to release their first full length album. With this new, unnamed, super top secret album will inevitably be the release of their whole new line of fancy designer merchandise: t-shirts, buttons, stickers, patches. You can follow Indecent Liberty on the popular social media sites you may have heard of known as Facebook or Reverbnation. Maybe one of these days they will get with the times and make a Twitter or Bandcamp but for now they are busy Googling each other. As they say, Welcome to the Skid and Sweets Show.

Pocket Full of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary - Thank You Seattle!

By Todd Slobin, Producer and Marc Lempert, Director First of all, thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued dedication, support and most of all patience at our second Seattle screening in December of 2013. Conceptually speaking, Pocket Full of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary is merely a package, a vessel for a universal tale of humanity, creative expression and the unique trine formed between the harmonica, the music and those whom make and/or simply enjoy it. At a certain point in the making of the film, this triangular relationship, a creative cycle of sorts, became so much bigger than us and the project. It wasnt for we the filmmakers and anymore, it was for we the people. The air, the tones, the music its about a life force its about breathing. Its what makes the harmonica work. These are elements that truly keep us going, they turn on the soul. See, its easy to get philosophical about this crazy little instrument. But thats just another aspect of the harmonica that some will just never get. But those that do get it well, its impossible to shake. Just to let Washington Blues Society readers know, DVDs and digital downloads premiered on December 13, 2013 through Amazon and www. pocketfullofsoulmovie.com. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to Washington Blues Society Membership Director Michelle Burge,

Tim and Michelle Burge, Lee Oskar and Raffle Prize Winner Suzanne Swanson (Photo by Eric Steiner) the crew at Mighty Mouth Blues and the Washington Blues Society for their help in promoting and hosting the second screening of Pocket Full of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary in Seattle last month. And, we also want to thank Lee Oskar for his exceptional, continued support of the project; it means more than you know.

By Malcolm Kennedy

Harp-Ageddon: Presented by the Madison Pub and Unbound Productions

opened with I Believe I Have The Blues, and he followed by a spirited version of Big Boss Man. Next was a little number called Rollin and Tumblin which featured another choice slide solo by Kevin on his customized Harmony Master F-hole guitar which has a P-90 pick-up installed on it. This guitar has wonderful tone and Kevin considers it one of his favorites to play. Danny next performed an original slow blues called Promised Land, which Sweet Danny Ray and Rafael Tranquilino will include on an EP that will serve as their blues business card during the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. The set concluded with a fun take on Slim Harpos classic Scratch My Back. On stage next was the incredible harp and vocal stylings of Paul Green who has won BB Awards for Best Vocals and Best Blues Harp so many times we named one of those awards for him and his talents were on full display. Paul opened with Statesboro Blues, a long time favorite of mine. This was followed by a fast paced version of Howlin Wolfs Evil, yet another old favorite, which featured a ferocious and extended harp solo. Pauls next selection was a slow blues, Muddy Waters Just To Be With You. Pauls harp solo was simply stunning; in fact, when given his cue to take a solo himself, Kevin just stood there in awe of Pauls performance and clapped his hands for Paul before diving into an impressive solo on John Gullas Hallmark guitar. This is quite the guitar: classic lines, a cool look, wonderful tone; I would describe it as an ES 335 on steroids and Kevin gave it a nice workout. Paul closed his set with a Willie Dixon song performed as a blues rhumba, Shake For Me, which was a hit for Howlin Wolf. The dancers certainly did shake their stuff as they filled the dancefloor while Paul launched into yet another exceptional harp solo. The final Mississippi Saxophone ace to take the stage was harp virtuoso Jim McLaughlin, resplendent in his white suit and blue vest with watch chain and the blue hat he wore at the 2013 Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues Award show in Kirkland. . Jim also featured Angelo Ortiz on congas. Jim received a 2013 Best of the Blues Award in the harmonica category, and he is a twotime winner of the prestigious international Hohner World Harmonica Championship. Jim opened his set with Sean Denton, whom he prodded to help out on vocals, on Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette done in double time. Kevin took over the vocals for the next three selections starting with the slow blues Bring Your Lovin Home To Me. This was followed by a splendid take on Hand Jive performed with plenty of gusto in that special Bo Diddley beat. While the band was rocking the house, Jim took his microphone and blues harp on a crowd walk giving Brian, Paul and Jeff each

The Blues Harp Specialists: Brian Lee, Jeff Nicely, Dan OBryant, Paul Green, Jim McLaughlin The Band: Show producer Paul Quilty, Bass (Unbound), Dave McCabe, Drums (Unbound), Kevin Sutton,Guitar (Tommy Cook Trio, Hot Wired Rhythm Band) This was a simply not to be missed blues harp extravaganza featuring a stellar line-up that promised harp lines beyond compare. Carolyn and I had not been out for a while, and made a real point of making it to this show. Since we, unfortunately, missed the fine line-up at Harp Hysteria held October 12th at Salmon Bay Eagles with Mike Lynch & the Boneyard Preachers along with Portland harp man Arthur Moore and Minneapolis transplant Joe T. Cook, the HarpAgeddon Showcase was screaming my name all the louder. So, I am very pleased to report that Harp-Ageddon was a rousing success on November 2nd at the Madison Pub in Everett. The show started promptly seven oclock with the masterful talents of multiple Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues Award-winning Brian Lee and the Orbiters. Their five song set included a pair of cover s from the bands new release, In Orbit: Sonny Boy Williamsons Ninety-Nine and Billy Boy Arnolds Wish You Would. Brian also played two original cuts from 2012 Best of the Blues Award-winning Identity Theft: the title track and Fourth and Miles, and he finished his set with Rick Estrins tribute to Little Walter, Marions Mood. The next harp master to take the stage was, twotime Washington Blues Society International Blues Challenge solo/duo representative Jeff Nicely performing a five song set. Jeff, along with Randy Norris, represented the Washington Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo competition. Jeff opened by telling us all about some fine barbeque and then Kevin took the vocals on Walking the Dog which they segued into Got My Mojo Workin with Jeff taking over the vocals. This was followed by a funked-up version of Walkin Blues, with Kevin again taking over the vocal duties and laying down the goods with a slide guitar solo and then they did their take on Messin with the Kid which featured a rocking guitar solo. Jeff closed his set with Willing accompanied only by Kevin on acoustic guitar. The third harp maestro up was Dan OBryant, also known as Sweet Danny Ray, one-half of the Washington Blues Societys representatives in this years International Blues Challenge. Danny

Paul Quilty (Left) and Paul Green (Right) (Photo Courtesy of Harp-Ageddon) a solo from their seats out in the crowd. Kevin followed him and passed his guitar off to multiinstrumentalist Brian Lee to finish the song. They closed things out with the classic Summertime. While we could never have guessed, this was the first time Kevin performed this song before a live audience. The night ended with a five-song finale that brought each of the nights five harp players back to the stage. The first song was Roscoe Gordons Just A Little Bit, later popularized by Magic Sam, and sung by Brian Lee with Paul providing harmonica accents that also supported commanding solos from the other harp players. Then, Kevin, Paul, Brian and Danny shared vocals on Little Walters My Babe, supported by an array of great harp solos. Danny continued as frontman for Howlin Wolfs Built for Comfort with Paul on harp. They closed out the evening with an instrumental take on Got My Mojo Workin with Two Feathers and Willow also contributing harp solos. We are very fortunate to have this level of talent readily available in the Pacific Northwest, and wouldnt it have been cool to add other local players like Steve Bailey, Kim Field, Jeff Herzog, Mike Lynch, Stacy Jones, Joe Blue and Lee Oskar to this event? This was a very well organized, paced and run show. It was also clear to me that the players enjoyed themselves as much as the audience appreciated their performances.

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The Blues Foundation honored 20 individuals and organizations with its 2014 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, January 24, 2014, in Memphis, Tennessee during International Blues Challenge week. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA ceremony was held in conjunction with the 30th International Blues Challenge, which began

Congratulations to the 2014 Keeping the Blues Alive Award Recipients

January 21 and featured the final rounds of the worlds largest and most prestigious blues music competition, as well as seminars, showcases and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals. The Keeping the Blues Alive Awards are awarded by a select panel of blues professionals to those working actively to promote and document the music. The 20 recipients represent an outstanding

cross-section of blues advocates. The Keeping the Blues Alive Award Committee selected Blue Star Connection for a Special Committee Award, because its gifting of musical instruments to children and young adults with cancer and other serious medical challenges did not fall into any of the established categories. The Blues Foundation is pleased to honor these people and organizations as a tribute to the years each has given to supporting the blues.

The 2014 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are: Affiliated Organization: Crossroads Blues Society of Illinois Rockford, Illinois Art: Cristen Craven Barnard Senatobia, Mississippi Club: Kingston Mines Chicago, Illinois Education: Tas Cru Chaumont, New York Festival (International): BluesCazorla Cazorla, Spain Festival (U.S.): Mississippi Valley Blues Festival Davenport, Iowa Film, Television, and Video: Stefan Grossman Sparta, New Jersey Historical Preservation: George Mitchell Fort Myers, Florida

International: Royal Mail Hotel Goodna, Queensland, Australia Journalism: Gene Tomko Lafayette, Louisiana Literature: Gerard Herzhaft Lyon, France Manager: Marcia Weaver Jackson, Mississippi Photography: Dick Waterman Oxford, Mississippi Producer: Tom Hambridge Nashville, Tennessee Promoter: Myron Mu San Francisco, California Publicist: Frank Roszak North Hills, California Radio (Commercial): Jerry Schaefer East Islip, New York Radio (Public): Larry Lisk St. Petersburg, Florida Record Label: Stony Plain Records Edmonton, Alberta Special Committee Award: Blue Star Connection Winter Park, Colorado

For additional information on each recipient, please visit https://www.blues.org/about/news.php4.php?Id=1301#ref=about_news.

Blues Festival Preview: The 3rd Annual Coyote Kings Invitational Walla Walla Guitar Festival!
The 2014 Coyote Kings Invitational Walla Walla Guitar Festival kicks off at 8 PM on Thursday, March 13th, in Beautiful Downtown Walla Walla, with Chris Duarte in concert at Main Street Studios, followed by the opening jam at Sapolil Cellars, hosted by Robin Barrett and Coyote Kings. The Party continues at 8PM on Friday the 14th with The Evangenitals with Tom Gnoza & The Millionaires Club at Sapolil Cellars, & The Stacy Jones Band along with Phil Lynch & The Reubens at VFW Post 992. On Saturday the 15th, The Acoustic Showcase begins at noon at Sapolil Cellars with Terry Robb, and with Solomon Jest at VFW Post 992. The LARGE Show follows at two oclock at the Walla Walla Elks with Robin Barrett & Coyote Kings, Polly OKeary & The Rhythm Method, and Big Monti Amundson. The Guitar Crawl begins at eight oclock at Sapolil Cellars with Charlie Butts & The Filter Tips and The Wasteland Kings, and at VFW Post 992 with The CD Woodbury Band and Gary Winston & The Real Deal, while The Walla Walla Elks features Billy D & The Hoodoos and Tuck Foster & The Mossrites. The party continues with the All-Star Jams from 12:00 til 1:45 AM at Sapolil Cellars and The VFW, hosted by Clint Carter & Gary Winston. Everyone who buys a ticket to the festival will also receive one ticket in the drawing, with more tickets available for purchase! Prizes include: guitars, a weekend BnB getaway, tickets to other Pacific Northwest Blues festivals, plus many, many, many bottles of Walla Walla wine! The venues for this years festival are the Sapolil Cellars at 15 E Main Street, Walla Walla Elks Lodge at 351 E Rose Street, the Walla Walla VFW at 102 North Colville Street, and Main Street Studios t 207 West Main. Walla Walla is known for its wine, food, and beautiful and historic Downtown. Tickets, motel and festival packages, and a lot more info are easy to find online at http://wallawallaguitarfestival.com

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By Malcolm Kennedy

The Second Annual Jones Family Christmas Toys for Tots Benefit Show

The Old Village Pub has supported Toys for Tots for many years with an annual toy drive, and in its second year, the Jones Family Christmas brought a full house of blues fans in to fill the Toys for Tots donation boxes with plenty of toys on December 7, 2013. The evenings entertainment started with the spirited guitar of Chester Dennis Jones backed by sometimes band and jam member Mike Baxter on keyboards and the Stacy Jones Bands rhythm section of Rick Bowen on drums and Tom Jones on bass. Chester played a five song set opening with Green Onions showcasing Mikes talents on the organ. There are several songs you will find in almost any Chet set, including Born Under A Bad Sign. Chets guitar work is always notable on this cut and this night was no different. Another staple of his sets is Crosscut Saw with Mikes keyboards rounding out Chets sound and adding another dimension to it. Rick Bowen added an entertaining drum solo starting by playing Chets Stratocaster from his seat behind the drums with a drumstick while Chet held it and fretted the strings. Then, Rick proceeded to pound on everything around him, the wall, the door, the electrical panel all much to the crowds delight. Chet slowed things down a bit for Mean Hearted Woman; but then, he proceeded to play the strongest guitar solo of his set. Next, Chet brought up Stacy Jones to add her harmonica to Treat Her Right. He opened the song with a short Christmas song interlude and then dove right in. During the song, he took a crowd walk playing to the folks sitting in the back of the room, up at the bar and mixing it up with the dancers. Chet introduced his final selection as a song written by a local guy who played a little guitar. I will try to do it justice. The tune, one that Chet frequently ends his sets with, was an instrumental version of Little Wing. I will note that Chets version had little to nothing in common with the popular Stevie Ray Vaughan instrumental version. It was much more nuanced and played in the vein of Jimi Hendrixs original. Of course, Chet added his own original flourishes. Most importantly, Id like to think that Jimi would have been pleased. The SRO audience at the Jones Family Christmas certainly was. After a short break, the Stacy Jones Band took the stage for an eight song set that featured many of the bands more popular songs. Stacy played acoustic guitar for the first two selections and the dance floor was soon full with fans, half of them singing along to every word.

(Photo of Dennis Jones by Suzanne Swanson)

One of my long time favorites is the Rick Bowenpenned Heavy Water: Stacys vocals and harp work on this song were absolutely outstanding. Stacy stayed on harp for the next pair of songs including the Rolling Stones Miss You. Next, she switched over to keyboards for Lets Do It Again and Do What You Wanna, and then Stacy closed out her set back on blues harp with a spirited Big Boss Man. After Stacy, the nights third Jones Act set up. All the way up from Los Angeles, California: the Dennis Jones Band. Dennis works with Rob McDonald on bass and Raymond Johnson on drums and has four CDs out plus a DVD. This trio brought the house down. For his live sets, Dennis mixes old blues standards with originals and he included seven in this set. Dennis played a total 22 impressive fiery, rock-infused cuts. He opened with an original instrumental that really had an excellent groove, and he showed off some of his assertive guitar chops. He followed this by another original, Brand New Day. Dennis followed those with three covers: Howlin Wolfs Whos Been Talking? Freddie Kings Tore Down and Otis Rushs All Your Love. I couldnt even begin to write about each song in his set, so I will hit on some of the more stand out moments. Like the time the bass player sang Buddy Miles Them Changes, which was featured on Jimi Hendrixs Band of Gypsys. Another standout moment for me was Denniss version of ZZ Tops La Grange which segued into John Lee Hookers Boom, Boom, Boom and then back again. Cold Shot, Red House and Road Runner were also in this set. Dennis invited Chet back up to share the stage on The Thrill Is Gone, and it was Dennis Jones squared. Dennis ended with a ferocious Purple Haze, and continued with a really cool version of Peter Gunn. Dennis Jones impassioned, high intensity guitar licks kept the packed house and dancers happy throughout his sharp-edged set. The Toys for Tots collection boxes overflowed with donated toys, and I noticed a number of stuffed animals for the little ones. There were a number of cash donations made as well to this worthy cause. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and we will be looking forward to the third annual Jones Family Christmas at Lynnwoods Village Pub next year. Tonight featured an exceptional night of music from Chester Dennis Jones, the Stacy Jones Band and Dennis Jones in his first visit to the Pacific Northwest.

By Amy Sassenberg

Event Preview: Richard DeGuares 64th Birthday Party

When The Beatles sang, When Im 64, back in 1967, pondering their future circumstances, who wouldve thought their teenage audience would actually be that age someday? Well, if were lucky, many of us are approaching our sixth or seventh decade. And if were really lucky, were still out there playing music or dancing or enjoying someone who is. Seattle Singer and Bandleader Richard DeGuare is celebrating his 64th birthday with a party featuring his band, Richard DeGuare & the Review, at The J&M Caf in Seattle. This promises to be an excellent night of music with the Chicago Blues and R&B Vocalist and the very fine singer Naomi Watson. DeGuare has been a mainstay of the Seattle blues scene since he moved here several years ago from the Chicago area, and his performances are bursting with an energy and vitality of someone half his age. Music and performing is therapy for me, says DeGuare. And he says music has helped him get through some of the hardest times in his life, so hes celebrating. Hes also taken a down-on-hisluck experience and used it as a resource to help others. Washington is blessed with a wonderful mix of blues musicians of all ages, with a lot of the top acts heading into their 50s & 60s. That lyric, Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? can become a little more of a reality for some, especially for a working musician in todays economy. A few years ago, DeGuare spent a few months without a permanent residence. He experienced first-hand how not having a solid base could make nearly everything in ones life feel unstable. He found a way to help himself by helping others; by pulling together people who were working toward the same goal. Now he tries to help others the same way, by pointing people towards services, recovery and group housing solutions. It could just be a ride to the hospital or a talk at the bar. He has formalized his ideas in a program he calls H.M.A.C. or Homeless Musicians Assistance Coalition. Were simple people using simple ideas, he says. He also says he encourages musicians to play when they can. Its therapy, he says, It keeps you from doing the things you dont really want to do. DeGuare regularly plays the downtown Seattle clubs in Pioneer Square like 88 Keys, the J&M and the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, and he has many musicians with whom he networks, because he believes musicians should help musicians.

Happy Birthday Richard DeGuare! (Photo of Richard at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant by Amy Sassenberg) Trumpet player David Ruddock, also known as Black Butter, is one of the musicians DeGuare has employed recently. Richard is a good man with good ideas, Ruddock says. DeGuare has been featured on Marlee Walkers Bluesto-Do TV show, filmed weekly out of Seattles 88 Keys Dueling Piano Bar. And about the blues, DeGuare says, if you feel bad about your circumstances, Its in a way that you know you dont have it worse than anyone else, he says. Feel sad as you want, listen to some blues, walk out the door happy. And happy is what Mr. DeGuare hopes to spread around at his birthday party. At the oldest bar in Seattle, The J&M Caf, Friday, February 7 from 7:30 p.m.

Launching a Great Blues Year at the Blues Bash!

By Robert Horn (Photos by Blues Boss) What a way to begin a year for blues fans. The Bluesbash at the Red Crane had a lot of crosscultural flavor while the music was blues. Yes, the first act has been described as a twisted mix of Mexicali-Northwest music (maybe with Delta-Austin-Chicago blues flavoring in it). So, instead of Juan Mohammed ORiley & Billy Bob Hiwakawa doing Norwegian folk music in French while we ate ravioli and drank vodka we listened to Raphael Tranquilino and Sweet Danny Ray put on a great blues show. Danny is one of the most under-rated vocalists and blues harmonica players in the region and Raphael does something wonderful with his guitar. I want to tell more about that as well as I recap last months blues bash at the Red Crane restaurant in Shoreline. When I worked on a project with a former Music Therapy Association of America president, Joe Moreno, I remembered that some of his work included using blues music to shift moods and orientations (like changing tempo to change mood). That applies here. Raphael can take a serious subject and use his guitar, driving up the happy energy, and adding great big smiles, along with interaction with the audience to take whatever the blues song is about and get people smiling and laughing and be so glad they are alive. The audience always loves him. Danny Ray opened with the harmonica with powerful and soulful riffs while Raphael started off with a beautiful acoustic performance on what Danny reminded us are an original song. Danny sang well too. Next, Raphael sang in Spanish (on songs like Mantira O Verdad and Espera) while playing great blues with the mixed flavor of New Orleans gumbo and Chicago sausage in it. Later, Danny Ray sang a song with a great reverb flavoring that was followed by Thats the Blues. These guys performed a bunch of originals, before getting to a Jimmy Reed song. Yes brothers and sisters, in addition to originals, classics like Big Boss Man and Rollin & Tumblin got people on the dance floor. Danny did a lot of the vocals and all the harmonica. Raphael did all the guitar and some of the vocals. I will order a full plate of that anytime in any language in any country. I am glad this duo is heading to Memphis on the ticket stamped by the Washington Blues Society. After the opening act and the blues societys free raffle drawing, there was the other band the Washington Blues Society is sending to Memphis. Bakin Phat is a blues band even if it sounds like something on the menu at Billy Bobs Thai Restaurant. The most beautiful Peruvian woman in the world drank a glass of Merlot next to me as we shared some French fries and loved the jump blues swing delivered by Bakin Phat. They performed a lot of originals like Shake Your Boogie but also some of the greatest blues classics like Born in Chicago and Messin with the Kid. The dance floor was packed and if you love swing dance music you have book Bakin Phat booked for a dance party. They have that kind of music perfected. The feet must move when Bakin Phat tells them to. The next night I had arranged to be at the harmonica extravaganza with the greats like

John Mayall, Charlie Baty and Rick Estrin. Bakin Phat could open for them anywhere any time and lay the foundation for such an act. The great harmonica and vocals of Dave Allen should not be under-rated. The guitar playing of Dennis Higgins is worthy of award consideration statewide. The rhythm section of Ken Danielson on drums and Pat Porter on bass is good enough to take them to Memphis, as well as maybe Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Hong Kong and wherever Anthony Bourdain takes his travel and food show. Great music that is blues should be added to all kinds of other cultural experiences. What a great way to begin the year, and the second Tuesday of each month will deliver more and more in 2014.

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Our 2014 International Blues Challenge Competitors: Duo: Sweet Danny Ray & Rafael Tranquilino - Band: Bakin Phat

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Hard Garden Blue Yonder (Hard Garden Music)

Blues CD Reviews
Blue, which sends shivers down my spine. Earl opens Just For Today with the guitar given romp of The Big Train. The ascending guitar lines over an organ wash on Miracle sound instantly familiar. Rush Hour is a blues shuffle with Booker T style organ by Dave Limina and Earls searing guitar solos and Ronnie displays some of his considerable jazz guitar chops on Coltranes Equinox. Ronnie gives Dave a nod on his own boogie woogie piano romp Vernices Boogie. The aptly titled Robert Nighthawk Stomp is an up tempo blaster and Earl closes out Just For Today with the equally aptly titled Pastorale with its slow mellow groove. Malcolm Kennedy The Seth Freeman Band Seth Freeman Band (Soulful Gypsy Records) The next generation of artists is poised to take their place in the Pantheon of blue and roots rock, and young lap steel stalwart Seth Freeman is ready to join the ranks. With the release of his first full length self titled album Arkansas born Freeman delivers eleven tracks that embrace the future and pay homage to the past with equal measure. The opening track Rollin and Tumblin takes on the classic with the scalding wale of Freemans vaunted lap steel over top a raucous modern rock groove from John Seaberg on bass and drummer Adam Hagerman, Rik Nielsen joins in on slide guitar and the two trade licks like Allman and Betts. Freeman then shifts gears covering Hayden Sayers soul blues ballad Love Wont let Me Go, with Chris Gulley adding funky Wurlitzer piano to the mix. A fine reading of the Jimmy Smith standard Back At The Chicken Shack, may be Freemans way of telling purists that this young man really can play the blues. Finally on the fourth track we get to one of Freemans own tunes, the acoustic campfire love song Good Love, that features some tasty nylon string and dobro solos along with fine harmonica from Clyde Heberling, giving it the right amount of country sadness. Fellow Arkansas soul brother Lucious Spiller not only agreed to let Freemen cover his smooth neo-soul tune Put the Blame, but joined him on harmony vocals as well. After the down and dirty blues of Red Dress, Freeman launches into the Santana styled instrumental Aurora. He then hands over the lead vocals to Zach Bramhall for the soulful In the Reins, and his dad Jeff Freeman for the rollicking jump blues Crazy Bout Ya baby. Rick J Bowen Ron Dziubla Nasty Habit (Rip Cat Records) www.ripcatrecords.com Ron Dziublas name (pronounced joo bluh) keeps popping up in the credits of CDs I have reviewed like Rip Cat Records label mates The 44s along with Janiva Magness, Robert Cray,

Seattle is building quite a lexicon of electronic based music and the trio Hard Garden aim to add a little blues to the mix. Delta blues duo Son Jack Jr. and Michael Wilde along with mix master Garret Williams have released their first full length album Blue Yonder, a fresh take on the basis of all pop music.aka... the blues, by mixing it with an entirely programmed backup, full of found and sampled sounds. Anchored by Jacks deep groovin guitar and Wildes hot harp, the tunes run the gamut from dance hall stomp to tales of personal lament. The first highlight begins by quoting founding father Son House and then transforming his classic Depot Blues, into a Euro dance party anthem. The dark funk of Papas In The Juke Joint, burns with some nasty slide playing and EDM drop outs, and the southern fried techno tango I can Tell, would be suitable for the Treme soundtrack. Jack penned his own theme song in the gritty riff based Dangerous, and we are treated to a bonus remix version from Scudder, who gives it the full treatment. Pour Me Another, displays not only Jacks droll wit and charm but some hot harp licks from Wilde who then recants his own night of debauchery on the minor key Maximum Insecurity. Showtime, is a light hearted tribute to the God father of soul. HG describes the blues as, not unlike an old plot of land that was once fertile but has suffered from neglect over the years, and become a hard garden. With Blue Yonder the group may indeed have sparked new growth in a genre that undeniably is at the root of all things and deserves to be nurtured to a fresh spring. Rick J Bowen Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters Just For Today (Stony Plain) www.stonyrecords.com Ronnie Earls jazzy style of blues guitar instrumentals has long been a favorite and Just For Today, this superlative live collection recorded at three Massachusetts venues is an excellent example why. The 13 tracks feature mostly originals by Earl and his band mates and include tracks from his two most recent Stony Plains releases from 2009 and 2010 as well as a few selections from other previous releases and some new songs. Ronnie frequently honors his mentors in his song titles like Blues For Otis Rush, Wolf Dance,, Big Walter, The Magic of Sam and Blues For Robert Jr. On Just For Today Earl included Blues For Hubert Sumlin and Robert Nighthawk Stomp. The three cover songs included here are John Coltranes Equinox, Jimmy Witherspoons biggest hit, Aint Nobodys Business, now a blues standard and Id Rather Go Blind the lone track with gut 16 wrenchingly soulful vocals sung by Diane

Los Fabulocos, Rick Holmstrom, The Mannish Boys, Kid Ramos and more. Ron has also worked with the Royal Crown Review and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy. Nasty Habit is Dziublas Rip Cat Records debut and his third release and was produced by Ron and Pete Curry (Los Straightjackets). The 11 tracks featured include nine originals and a pair of jazz standards, Harlem Nocturne and Night Train both done Rons own way. It is easy to see why Dziubla is quickly becoming the go to sax man in LALA town. The tunes on Nasty Habit could easily be the sound track to a spy movie or maybe an old 1960s detective flick, just plain cool. From the opening cut Fine Time Dziubla displays his honking horn and flair. The rollicking fast paced Loose has a surf rock feel as does the title track. .My favorite tracks are Lemon Drop Martini with cover girl Mia Muse as enchantress and Rons all so cool take on Harlem Nocturne. Nasty Habit is not your standard blues release; but for those willing to venture outside of the box it is very cool stuff and tons of fun. Highly recommended. Malcolm Kennedy Polly OKeary and the Rhythm Method Compass (Self-Released) Veteran Northwest musician and multiple Washington Blues Society BB Award winner Polly OKeary returns to form with her third studio album Compass, featuring guitar ace Seattle Slim and several stellar guests including The Seattle Horns, piano man Arthur Migliazza and IBC winner Kevin Sutton. The disc of eleven new tunes is a mixture of fresh ideas and classic sounds recorded and co-produced by the legendary Conrad Uno at his Egg Studio in Seattle. At the center is the full force gale of OKearys full throated alto, who clearly pushed herself into new emotional territory as a singer songwriter. The opening track Fools Gold, jumps out with raggedy clavinet funk as Okeary lambastes the bravado of a home wrecker. The soaring trumpet fanfare from Greg Lyons opens the furious spaghetti western blues Nothing Left To Say. The easy swinging 6/8 Your Honor, hides the deep blues as OKeary channels Etta James ,then the trio crank up the shuffle on Harder Than It Has to Be, a dance floor filler for certain. Slim leads the way with a gritty riff for Stop, Train, then trades barbs with OKearys heavy duty bass playing while drummer Tommy Cook keeps the groove rollin on. The slinky Ive Got None, is a bittersweet nod to Cab Calloway, featuring another great solo from Slim. The semi-autobiographical How The Mighty Fall, may feel like sour grapes at first but delivers some valuable life lessons. OKeary allows herself to get intimate during the bedroom confessional Losing You Again. The album closes with an eight minute gospel opus Let Me Be Kind, co-written by Seattle Slim that builds to a soaring crescendo of wailing horns, guitars and

Hammond B3 with Lady A adding her vocal testimony to the benediction. Glorious. Rick J Bowen The Duke Robillard Band w/ special guest Monster Mike Welch Independently Blue (Stony Plain) www.stonyplainrecords.com Duke Robillard has long been considered by many to be one of the finest guitar players in blues and Independently Blue easily backs that sentiment up, oh and special gust Monster Mike Welch didnt get that moniker by accident either. All but, one of the dozen tracks were written by Duke, Welch or long time Robillard associate Al Basile the lone cover being the horn laden blues of yesteryear Patrol Wagon Blues, penned by Porter Grainger (Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Mamie Smith) recorded in the late 1920s by Henry Red Allen and later by St Louis Jimmy Oden. Duke opens Independently Blue with one of Basiles cuts, I Woundnt-a Done That, a guitar driven blues shuffle over the prominent piano of Bruce Bears. He follows with another Basil penned track with t Other tracks to mention include the Texas shuffle penned by Welsh Stapled To The Chickens Back, Laurene with shades of Chuck Berry, and Strollin With Lowell and BB, an instrumental with coolly delivered guitar lines and laid back piano. Musical variety, legendary guitar lines, strong backing players and exceptional song writing all combine to make Independently Blue is another Robillard classic. Very Highly Recommended. Malcolm Kennedy John Primer & Bob Corritore Knockin Around the Blues (Delta Groove Music) www.deltagroovemusic.com Knockin Around the Blues is straight up rough and gritty Chicago style blues with covers from deep in the song books of Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Robert Lockwood Jr, Lightnin Hopkins, Willie Dixon and more. Corritore contributes a lively harp fueled instrumental, Harmonica Joyride, and Primer penned the/// When I Get Lonely. Recorded in two All-Star sessions, Knockin Around the Blues has three tracks laid down in Chicago featuring supporting players Billy Flynn on guitar; Bob Stroger on bass and Kenny Smith on drums and the remaining seven cuts recorded in Arizona with Chris James on guitar; Patrick Rynn on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. Corritores harp playing never ceases to impress, hence his 2013 Blues Music Awar nomination and Primer has paid his dues with 13 years backing the late Magic Slim and time playing with Muddy, Dixon, Cotton and Wells and has numerous BMA nominations and a Grammy nomination himself. Knockin Around These Blues opens with the instantly recognizable high end harp style of Jimmy Reed on The Clock. Primer has affable vocals, which in timbre and phrasing are similar in many respects to Muddy Waters, and he has guitar chops to spare. Lightnin Hopkins Going Back Home and Houston guitar

slinger Lil Son Jacksons Cairo Blues. The bouncing beat of Harmonica Joyride combined with the superlative musicianship all around and Corritores tough blues harp licks makes it a standout track. Knockin Around These Blues is a fantastic album. Very Highly Recommended. Malcolm Kennedy The Strange Tones At Home With The Strange Tones (Meteor Sonic Records) www.strangetones.com Well Strange Tones fans the Meteor Sonic Records new Crime-A-Billy sound is hear for your listening enjoyment on At Home With The Strange Tones. Jim Wallace adds his tremendous blues harp skills to All There Is To It which also nicely displays some of Suburban Slims considerable and multiple Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards winning skills. It is easy to hear why this band is so popular at home and abroad. Another Portland stalwart DK Stewart is featured on three tracks including the cruising blues of Ive Cot Gas. The song about a low down dirty two timing bum Cindy Lu is certain to appeal as is the cool sound of the instrumental title track. Another instrumental, Volcano Sacrifice perfectly encapsulates the molten essence of the Crime-A-Billy sound. Following You, which brings back Wallaces harp, is one of my favorite tracks. At Home with the Strange Tones is simply an outstanding release with a mixture of blues and the Strange Tones own signature sound. Malcolm Kennedy Bex Marshall The House of Mercy (Self-Released) Albert Collins is famously quoted as saying, I sure love what youre trying to do. and that sentiment easily fits the new release The House of Mercy from rising U.K blues sensation Bex Marshall. While the album showcases Marshalls formidable talents as a vocalist with a raspy delivery that draws instant comparisons to Janis Joplin along with her solid slide guitar chops and songwriting skill that create a Delta Blues-meets-country gospel sound. Her choice to self produce the album in a late 80s sonic with a highly compressed rhythm section and multi layered vocals and keyboards takes away the edge a real roots record needs. Strong songs like the swamp rocker Love, featuring a sizzling resonator guitar solo, the slinky Rattlesnake, and country foot stomper Tough Times, carry the album. But Marshalls faux southern drawl becomes pantomime on the hokey Gone Fishin and the ridiculous Bite Me, a song that is a bit too big 80s hair band, to be believable. The real highlights of the album are the sailing bluegrass instrumental Big Man, featuring members of Hayseed Dixie and the acoustic folk ballad Barrys Song, which point towards a more promising direction for Marshalls talent. Rick J Bowen

Richard Allen & the Louisiana Experience Nows The Time (Pepper Groove Music) www.thelousianarxperience.com The nine original toe tapping selections plus one traditional song on Nows The Time feature a veritable whos who of local blues players. Allen provides vocals, accordion, keyboards and scrub board with supporting players Kevin Sutton on guitar, , Lissa Ramaglia on bass, Andrew Cloutier on drums, Karen England on fiddle and Julia Derby on scrub board and triangle. Other players include Mike Marinig on saxm Randy Oxford on trombone, Ron Hendee on trumpet, Jim McLaughlin on harmonica, Artis on spoons, and Scotty Harris, bass and tenor sax on Hands of Time. That my friends is an awesome collection of talent and it shows from the opening track West Coast Zydeco.The brisk-paced title track is one of my favorites. Karens fiddle on When the World Stood Still adds a Cajun touch, I also really enjoyed Scottys jazzy sax on the slower paced Hands of Time. Allen comes things out with another zydeco barn burner, Lets Start Tonight. Nows The Time is a fun album and I suggest you check it out. Malcolm Kennedy Tommy Castro and the Painkillers The Devil You Know (Alligator Records) Tommy Castros second CD on Alligator Records and his 13th overall features the Captain of the Blues Cruise on another high-energy, guitarfueled blues CD. This time out, Tommys got an unprecedented nine of 13 original or co-written songs, and his guest list includes Marcia Ball (nominated for a 2014 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Blues Music Award), International Blues Challenge competitor Leah Tysse, labelmates The Holmes Brothers and multiple Blues Music Award winner Tab Benoit. This CD reunites Tommy with bass player Randy McDonald who was with Tommy in his halcyon days with the Dynatones, and Painkillers Byron Cadge on drums and James Pace on keyboards form the core band on this set. My favorites include the hard-charging title cut, She Wanted to Give it to Me, and When I Cross the Mississippi as they each propel Tommy Castros sound forward. The spot-on cover of Wet Willies Keep on Smiling is a delightful surprise, and it adds to a solid blues-rock CD that offers a bakers dozen of solid songs. This April, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers return to the Pacific Northwest with dates at the Triple Door in Seattle and the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland in April please add them to your blues calendars! Alligator is releasing this on CD and 180 gram vinyl and whatever format you choose, The Devil You Know is a great electric blues experience. Eric Steiner

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Letter from the Editor

By Eric Steiner I wanted to thank Bluesletter readers and Washington Blues Society members for their continuous and unflagging support of blues music and blues musicians throughout the Pacific Northwest. Over the past few months, Ive seen some of the same and familiar faces at events like the Washington Blues Society Blues Bash at the Red Crane Restaurant in Shoreline, the Jones Family Christmas at the Old Village Pub in Lynnwood and at the blues shows hosted by Engels Tavern (a Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues award-winner) in downtown Edmonds. At each event, I reconnect with Bluesletter readers and blues society members and ask for suggestions on how to improve this publication and how to improve the society. I, too, want to improve the print edition of the Bluesletter, and due to a number of factors, last months issue did not receive the benefit of sufficient proofreading. Thats why the story on the Pocket Full of Soul harmonica documentary was listed in last months table of contents, but left on my spare room floor. The storys included in this issue, along with a picture of raffle winner Suzanne Swanson, who came down from British Columbia to reconnect with Lee Oskar and other Washington blues players and fans. This month, our group is going to look back on the electronic copy of the January issue and make a few necessary (and missed) corrections. As a result, the virtual copy, via PDF, will be as error-free as possible. Another improvement that I would like to suggest is also relatively simple: every week, I get words and pictures that I cannot use. Sure, I want to print

new writers and publish new photographers, but few new contributors review our publications requirements that are usually listed on page three each and every month. If you would like to submit a story for consideration by our editorial team, please send it as a Microsoft Word or text attachment to me at editor@wablues.org. This year, Im adopting practices more consistent with former editors Mary McPage and Jim Vail: I will do my best to work with contributors who contribute editorial content by our published deadline the fifth of the month for inclusion in the following months issue. I get a number of submissions via email: I cannot format and copy and paste editorial copy sufficiently from my email program to the Adobe In Design program. So, please: please contribute with an attachment instead of sending the story embedded in an e-mail.. Same thing goes for pictures. While there are a number of excellent collections of photography online at select Facebook sites or web sites, its best when a contributor reviews the photo for the right resolution (300 dots per inch or greater) and formatting (for color, the print standard of CMYK is preferred; for black and white, we use grayscale images). I appreciate the number of links that fans and performers send me to Facebook and Dropbox resources, but appreciate them more when the contributor ensures that his or her contribution is in the proper format for print publication (as opposed to the lower-resolution environment of the World Wide Web). Whether its a new picture or a new story, the same deadline applies: the fifth of the month. This months Bluesletter had the benefit of early or on-time submissions from Bob Horn, Malcolm

Kennedy and Rick Bowen. I hope that Bluesletter readers and Washington Blues Society members enjoy Bobs interview with Jeff Menteer, the Yard Dogs reviews of the Harp-Aggedon show at the Madison Pub and the Jones Family Christmas, and Rick Bowens conversation with British guitarist Bex Marshall. My Blues on the Road column is back this month, and I hope that it offers some suggestions to support nationally-touring artists who are visiting the Pacific Northwest this month. Ill sign off with a few Blues Years Resolutions that I drew up during the set change at last years Jones Family Christmas in Lynnwood. In 2014, I plan to: - Feature younger blues talent from throughout the region, whenever possible, - Continue to accept criticism, and do a better job of responding to fomer, current and prospective volunteers who want to help with the Bluesletter, - Broaden our readers musical horizons by including reviews and features on acts that are busting through boundaries (like Hard Garden), and - Attend more local, live shows in the greater Seattle area as my schedule allows. Until next month, please go see some live blues. Most importantly, bring a friend! Eric Steiner, Editor Washington Blues Society Bluesletter

Whats on Your Mailing Label?

By Eric Steiner This month, our Board is looking at ways to become more efficient, trim expenses and promote blues musicians and blues music. Along those lines, I am looking at ways to cut our mailing costs. Each subscribers mailing label has a letter code above their names. We use the following codes to facilitating mailing: S a single membership and one vote in our awards process, C a couples membership and two votes in our awards process, H is for thosed inductied into our Hall of Fame or Lifetime Achievement Award winners. Z is a free subscription with no voting privileges. Several years ago, I gave away complimentary subscriptions to artists and record labels I met along the blues trail nationwide, but our costs in mailing and postage require us to revisit this practice. Depending on Board of Directors approval, we will likely continue to provide complimentary subscriptions to fellow Blues Foundation affiliates, national and regional blues publications, and blues record labels. Please take a moment to look at your mailing label. If your code is Z, its likely well part as friends if we do not receive your membership Requests for exceptions will be considered, but weve not heard from over 80% of our free subscribers over the past five years and its time to help our blues society reduce our mailing costs.

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A.H.L. (206) 935-4592 Richard Allen & the Louisiana Experience/Zydeco Trio (206) 369-8114 AlleyKattz (425) 273-4172 Annieville Blues (206) 994-9413 Author Unknown (206) 355-5952 Baby Gramps Trio (425) 483-2835 Back Porch Blues (425) 299-0468 Backwoods Still (425) 330-0702 Badd Dog Blues Society (360) 733-7464 Billy Barner (253) 884-6308 Bay Street Blues Band (360) 731-1975 Norm Bellas & the Funkstars (206) 722-6551 Black River Blues (206) 396-1563 Blackstone Players (425) 327-0018 Blues Attitude (360) 701-6490 Blue 55 (206) 216-0554 Blue Healers (206) 440-7867 Blues To Do Monthly (206) 328-0662 Blues Playground (425) 359-3755 Blues Redemption Blues Sheriff (206) 979-0666 Blues to Burn (253) 945-7441 Blutopia (425-269-3665) Boneyard Preachers (206) 755-0766/ 206-547-1772 Bill Brown & the Kingbees 206-276-6600 Bump Kitchen (253) 223-4333, (360) 259-1545 Brian Butler Band (206) 361-9625 Charlie Butts & the Filtertips (509) 325-3016 Ellis Carter - 206-935-3188 Malcolm Clark Band (253) 853-7749 Colonel (360) 293-7931 Kimball Conant & the Fugitives (206) 938-6096 Jack Cook & Phantoms of Soul (206) 517-5294 Rod Cook & Toast (206) 878-7910 Coyote Blues (360) 420-2535 John Scooch Cugnos Delta 88 Revival (360) 352-3735 Crossroads Band (206) 935-8985 Daddy Treetops (206) 601-1769 Sean Denton Band (425)387-0620 Double Scotts on the Rocks (206) 418-1180 Julie Duke Band (206) 459-0860 Al Earick Band (253) 278-0330 Sammy Eubanks (509) 879-0340 Richard Evans (206) 799-4856 Fat Cat (425) 487-6139 Fat Tones (509) 869-0350 Kim Field & the Mighty Titans of Tone (206) 295-8306 Gary Frazier (206) 851-1169 Free Reign Blues Band (425) 823-3561 Fil Gumbo (425) 788-2776 Nicole Fournier & Her 3 Lb Universe (253) 576-7600 Jimmy Frees Friends (206) 546-3733 Gin Creek (206) 588-1924 Charlene Grant & the Love Doctors (206) 763-5074 Paul Green (206)795-3694 Dennis Juxtamuse Hacker (425) 512-8111 Heather & the Nearly Homeless Blues Band (425)576-5673 Tim Hall Band (253) 857-8652 Curtis Hammond Band (206) 696-6134) Ryan Harder (253) 226-1230 Scotty Harris & Lissa Ramaglia/Bassic Sax

Washington Blues Society February 2014 Talent Guide

(206) 418-1180 Terry Hartness (425) 931-5755 Ron Hendee (425) 280-3994 JD Hobson (206) 235-3234 Hot Rod Blues Revue (206)790-9934 Bobby Holland & the Breadline (425)681-5644 Hot Wired Rhythm Band (206) 790-9935 James Howard Band (206) 250-7494 David Hudson / Satellite 4 (253) 630-5276 Raven Humphres (425) 308-3752 Hungry Dogs (425) 299-6435 Brian Hurst (360) 708-1653 K. G. Jackson & the Shakers (360) 896-4175 Jeff & the Jet City Fliers (206) 469-0363 Junkyard Jane (253) 238-7908 Stacy Jones Band (206) 992-3285 Chester Dennis Jones (253)-797-8937 Harry The Man Joynes (360) 871-4438 James King & the Southsiders (206) 715-6511 Virginia Klemens / Jerry Lee Davidson (206) 632-6130 Mick Knight (206) 373-1681 Bruce Koenigsberg / Fabulous Roof Shakers (425) 766-7253 Kolvane (503) 804-7966 Lady A & the Baby Blues Funk Band (425) 518-9100 Brian Lee & the Orbiters www.brianleeorbiters.com Brian Lee Trio (206) 390-2408 Scott E. Lind (206) 789-8002 Little Bill & the Bluenotes (425) 774-7503 Dana Lupinacci Band (206) 860-4961 Eric Madis & Blue Madness (206) 362 8331 Albritten McClain & Bridge of Souls (206) 650-8254 Brian Jelly Belly McGhee (253) 777-5972 Doug McGrew (206) 679-2655 Mary McPage Band (206) 850-4849 Miles from Chicago (206) 440-8016 Reggie Miles (360) 793-9577 Michal Miller Band (253) 222-2538 Rob Moitoza / House of Reprehensibles (206) 768-2820 Moon Daddy Band (425) 923-9081 Jim Nardos Boogie Train Blues Band (360) 779-4300 Keith Nordquist (253) 639-3206 Randy Norris & The Full Degree (425) 239-3876 Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely (425) 239-3876/(425) 359-3755 Randy Oxford Band (253) 973-9024 Robert Patterson (509) 869-0350 Dick Powell Band (425) 742-4108 Bruce Ransom (206) 618-6210 Red Hot Blues Sisters (206) 940-2589 Mark Riley (206) 313-7849 RJ Knapp & Honey Robin Band (206) 612-9145 Gunnar Roads (360) 828-1210 Greg Roberts (206) 473-0659 Roger Rogers Band (206) 255-6427 Roxlide (360) 881-0003 Maia Santell & House Blend (253) 983-7071 Sciaticats Band (206) 246-3105 $cratch Daddy (425) 210-1925 Shadow Creek Project (360) 826-4068 Tim Sherman Band (206) 547-1772 Billy Shew Band (253) 514-3637 Doug Skoog (253) 921-7506 Smoke N Blues Allstars (253) 620-5737 Smokin Js (425) 746-8186 Son Jack Jr. (425) 591-3034 Soulshaker Blues Band (360) 4171145 Star Drums & Lady Keys (206) 522-2779 John Stephan Band (206) 244-0498 Chris Stevens Surf Monkeys (206) 236-0412 Steve Cooley & Dangerfields (253)-203-8267 Stickshift Annie Eastwood (206) 522-4935 Alice Stuart & the Formerlys (360) 753-8949 Richard Sysinger (206) 412-8212 Annette Taborn (206) 679-4113 Tahoma Tones (253)851-6559 Ten Second Tom (509) 954-4101 Tone Kings (425) 698-5841 Leanne Trevalyan (253)238-7908 Tim Turner Band (206) 271-5384 T-Town Aces (206)935-8985 Two Scoops Combo (206) 933-9566 Unbound (425) 212-7608 Uncle Ted Barton (253) 627-0420 Nick Vigarinos Meantown Blues (360)387-0374 Tommy Wall (206) 914-9413 Mike Wright & the Blue Sharks (360)652-0699/(425) 327-0944 Charles White Revue (425) 327-0018 Mark Whitman Band (206) 697-7739 Michael Wilde (425) 672-3206 / (206) 200-3363 Rusty Williams (206) 282-0877 Hambone Wilson (360) 739-7740 C.D. Woodbury (425) 502-1917 Beth Wulff Band (206) 367-6186, (206) 604-2829

Talent Guide Updates: Please send any corrections and updates to editor@wablues.org by the 5th of the month and well update the Talent Guide.

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Note: Please confirm with each venue the start time and price. We also apologize in advance for any errors as we depend on musicians and venues to send in their information and sometimes, changes happen after we go to press. Saturday, February 1 Owl n Thistle, Seattle - Tim Turner Band 9PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - Tweety & The Tom Cats 9PM White Horse Saloon, Arlington Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely 8PM Razzles, Arlington - Michelle Taylor and The Blues Junkies 9PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Roy Kay Trio 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle - Acapulco Gold 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Bill Frisell in the Space Age 7:30PM & 9:30PM B Sharp Coffee House, Tacoma Billy Stoops 7PM The Triple Door, Seattle - Alice Stuart & The Formerlys 8PM Bakes Place, Bellevue Doctorfunk 7PM Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Sunday, February 2 Johnnys Dock, Tacoma Little Bill Trio 5PM China Harbor, Seattle - Brian Lee & the Orbiters 7PM Edison Inn, Bow - Stickshift Annie w/Kimball & the Fugitives,Dan Duggin host 5:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Tim Turner Band 9PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Bill Frisell in the Space Age 7:30PM H20, Anacortes - Nick Vigarino7PM Monday, February 3 88 Keys, Seattle Blues To Do 7PM 88 Keys, Seattle - Blues on Tap 8PM Madison Ave Pub, Everett - Tommy Cook Trio 7PM Kent Sr Center, Kent -Koffee Klatch w/Norm Bellas 11AM Tuesday, February 4 Feedback Lounge, Seattle Blues To Do 8PM In The Red Wine Bar, Seattle - Tim Turner Band7PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Ana Popovic 7:30PM Wednesday, February 5 Engels Pub, Edmonds - Scott Rosburg Group 8PM Elliot Bay Pizza, Mill Creek - Annie Eastwood w/ Bill Chism 7PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Ana Popovic 7:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Motown Cowboys 8:30PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Billy Stoops & the Rectifiers 8PM

Washington Blues Society February 2014 Calendar

Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Thursday, February 6 Bad Alberts, Ballard - Annie Eastwood, Larry Hill & Tom Brighton w/Bill Chism 5:30PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle - Brian Lee & the Orbiters 8PM Lincoln Theatre,Mt Vernon - Ana Popovic 7:30PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Steve Bailey & The Blue Flames 8PM Dimitirious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Tower of Power 7:30PM & 9:30PM Friday, February 7 Elmers Pub, Burien The Mudsharks w/Rod Cook 9PM Studio 1010, Anacortes - Mia Vermillion 7PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - The Dogtones 9PM Vino Bella Wine Bar, Issaquah -Lady A & the Baby Blues Funk Band 7:30PM Club Hollywood, Shoreline - Michele DAmour & the Love Dealers / Mary McPage & the Assasins 8PM Kirkland Performing Arts Center, Kirkland - A Variety Musical Show w/Bill Blackstone, Geoffrey Castle & Tiger Budbil 7:30PM The Repp, Snohomish Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely 6:30PM Elliot Bay Pizza, Mill Creek: Annie Eastwood with guitarist Bill Chism, 7pm Tiny Ninja Cafe, Seattle Blues To Do Acoustic w/Ahmad Baabahar 8:30PM CCs Lounge, Burien - Tim Turner Band8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle - Kevin Selfe & The Tornadoes w/Mitch Kashmar 8PM Dimitirious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Tower of Power 7:30PM & 9:30PM Bakes Place, Bellevue Patricia Lee 8PM Saturday, February 8 Blue Heart Caf @ the Melody Ballroom, Portland, OR - Blues Harmonica Summit 8PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - The Fat Tones 9PM Scotch and Vine, Des Moines - Brian Lee Trio 7PM Wild Hare, Everett - Michelle Taylor and The Blues Junkies 9PM CCs Lounge, Burien - Tim Turner Band8PM Key Peninsula Civic Center, Vaughn - File Gumbo, Kim Archer, Merrilee Rush, Billy Mack & Gabriel 7PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Seattle Houserockers 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Doctorfunk 8PM Dimitirious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Tower of Power 7:30PM & 9:30PM B Sharp Coffee House, Tacoma - Barleywine Revue 8PM Triple Door Musicquarium, Seattle Rai 9PM Sunday, February 9 The Spar, Tacoma - Hook Me Up 7PM Dimitirious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Tower of Power

7:30PM & 9:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Kid Quagmire 8:30PM Monday, February 10 88 Keys, Seattle Blues To Do 7PM 88 Keys, Seattle - Blues on Tap 8PM Madison Ave Pub, Everett - Tommy Cook Trio 7PM Tuesday, February 11 Feedback Lounge, Seattle Blues To Do w/ Jackrabbit Starts 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle -John Abercrombie All-Star Band 7:30PM Red Crane: WBS Blues Bash 7-9 PM

Wednesday, February 12 Engels Pub, Edmonds - The Blues with Attitude Band 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle High and Lonesome Band 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle -John Abercrombie All-Star Band 7:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Funk E3 8:30PM Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Thursday, February 13 Bad Alberts, Ballard - Annie Eastwood, Larry Hill & Tom Brighton w/Bill Chism 5:30PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Marc Bristol & Doug Bright/duo, Kimball Conant, Gumbo Twins 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle James King & the Southsiders 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Mindi Abair. Band 7:30PM Columbia City Theater. Seattle - EntreMundos Quarteto & Clave Gringa w/Ann Reynolds 7PM Friday, February, 14 The Repp, Snohomish Rod Cook solo 6:30PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - The CD Woodbury Band 9PM TheJ&M Saloon, Seattle - Gin Creek 8:30PM Dawsons Bar and Grill, Tacoma Blues County Sheriff 8PM Match Coffee & Wine, Duvall - Annie Eastwood, Kimball Conant, Larry Hill - Fugitives Trio 7:30PM Tiny Ninja Cafe, Seattle Blues To Do Acoustic w/Eric Freeman 8:30PM Baxters, Mill Creek - Michelle Taylor and The Blues Junkies 9PM Twin Dragon, Duvall - Tim Turner Band9PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Market St Dixieland Band 6PM Tulas, Seattle - Dave Peck Trio 7:30PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Mindi Abair. Band 7:30PM & 9:30PM Triple Door Musicquarium, Seattle Ben Rice Band 9PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle The Ken Derouchie Band 8PM

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Columbia City neighborhood, Seattle (various businesses and venues) - Valentines Jazz Walk (various artists) 6PM Saturday, February 15 Columbia City Church of Hope Swing Dance w/ Leah Natale & The Darlings Swiftwater Cellars, Cle Elum Four w/Rod Cook 7PM The Conway Muse,Conway - Mia Vermillion w/ Jason Edwards 7:30PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Movie plus Music benefit for MusicBox Project Americana Women plus live Blues 7:30PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - The Shortcutz 9PM Egans Jam House, Seattle - Lady A Bluez Show 9PM Baxters, Mill Creek - Michelle Taylor and The Blues Junkies 9PM Tulas, Seattle - Dave Peck Trio 7:30PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Curtis Hammond Band 8PM Columbia City Church of Hope, Seattle Community Celebration Day w/youth & adult showcases =,competitions 1PM Columbia City Church of Hope, Seattle -Swing Dance Party w/ Leah Natale & The Darlings of Rhythm + The Mood Swings 6PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Mindi Abair. Band 7:30PM & 9:30PM B Sharp Coffee House, Tacoma SB Slim 8PM Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Madison Pub, Everett - Hot Wired Rhythm Band Sunday, February 16 Swiftwater Cellars, Cle Elum Four w/Rod Cook 7PM The Spar, Tacoma - Rafael Tranquillino 7PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Gin Creek 8:30PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Mindi Abair. Band 7:30PM The Royal Room, Seattle - Hopscotch & Kathryn Hettel w/the Darrius Willrich Trio7PM Ark Lodge Cinemas, Seattle - Documentary Peggy Gilbert and Her All Girl Band narrated by Lily Tomlin Monday, February 17 88 Keys, Seattle Blues To Do 7PM 88 Keys, Seattle - Blues on Tap 8PM Mr. Villa, Seattle - Annie Eastwood, Kimball Conant, Larry Hill - Fugitives Trio 7PM Madison Ave Pub, Everett - Tommy Cook Trio 7PM Tuesday, February 18 Feedback Lounge, Seattle Blues To Do w/ Steve Bailey & The Blue Flames (reincarnated) 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Kenny Werner Trio/Cecile McLorin Salvant 7:30PM Wednesday, February 19 Engels Pub, Edmonds - The Decoys, Sean Denton Trio 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Dirty Rice Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - Kenny Werner

Trio/Cecile McLorin Salvant 7:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Fabulous Roofshakers 8:30PM Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Thursday, February 20 Bad Alberts, Ballard - Annie Eastwood, Larry Hill & Tom Brighton w/Bill Chism 5:30PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle Rod Cook & Toast Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Vibe Central & Surround Sound 8PM Dimmitirous Jazz Alley, Seattle - Terence Blanchard Sextet 7:30PM & 9:30PM The Triple Door, Seattle - Hot Tuna (acoustic) w/ David Lindley 8PM Friday, February 21 Rendezvous Wine & Brew, Enumclaw Rod Cook solo 7:30PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - Jeff & The Jet City Fliers 9PM Raging River Caf, Fall City Junkyard Jane 9PM Elliot Bay Pizza, Mill Creek - Annie Eastwood w/ Bill Chism 7PM Rockfish Grill, Anacortes Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely 8PM Tiny Ninja Cafe, Seattle Blues To Do Acoustic w/Reggie Miles 8:30PM The Oxford Saloon, Snohomish - Polly OKeary and The Rhythm Method 9PM Dimmitirous Jazz Alley, Seattle - Terence Blanchard Sextet 7:30PM & 9:30PM Bakes Place, Bellevue Seatown Rhythm & Blues 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Michael Shrieves Spellbinder 8PM Providence Marionwood, Issaquah - Norm Bellas 3PM Saturday, February 22 Destination Harley, Fife Little Bill Trio 12PM Vino Bella, Issaquah The British Beats w/Rod Cook 7:30PM Engels Pub, Edmonds - Mary Mcpage & The Assassins 9PM Ashtons Kozy Bar, Everett - Michelle Taylor and The Blues Junkies 9PM Dimmitirous Jazz Alley, Seattle - Terence Blanchard Sextet 7:30PM & 9:30PM B Sharp Coffee House, Tacoma Kareem Kandi 7PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Duffy Bishop Band 8PM Sunday, February 23 The Spar, Tacoma - Rod Cook 7PM Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Tacoma - The Duffy Bishop Band w/Henry Cooper 5:00PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Brian Lee & the Orbiters 8:30PM Dimmitirous Jazz Alley, Seattle - Terence Blanchard Sextet 7:30PM Monday, February 24 88 Keys, Seattle Blues To Do 7PM

88 Keys:, Seattle - Blues on Tap 8PM Madison Ave Pub, Everett - Tommy Cook Trio 7PM Dimitirous Jazz Alley, Seattle - The 10th Annual Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition 6:30PM Tuesday, February 25 Feedback Lounge, Seattle Blues To Do w/ The Rafael Tranquilino Band 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle Buster Williams 7:30PM Wednesday, February 26 Engels Pub, Edmonds - Nick Vigarino Meantown Blues 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Little Ray & the Uppercuts 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle Buster Williams 7:30PM The Central Club, Kirkland - Full Degree 8:30PM Elliot Bay Pizza & Pub, Mill Creek James Bernhard 7PM Thursday, February 27 Bad Alberts, Ballard: Annie Eastwood, Larry Hill & Tom Brighton w/Bill Chism 5:30PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Mark Whitman Band 8PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Monster Road 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - En Vogue 7:30PM B Sharp Coffee House, Tacoma - Lucas Smiraldo 7PM The Yuppie Tavern, Kirkland - Keith Scott Acoustic Chicago Blues 6PM The Swiss, Tacoma The Vicci Martinez Band 9PM Friday, February 28 Engels Pub, Edmonds - Moon Daddy Band 9PM Raging River Caf, Fall City AlleyKattz 9PM J & M Caf, Seattle - Annie Eastwood w/Kimball & the Fugitives and Kid Quagmire 9PM Tiny Ninja Cafe, Seattle Blues To Do Acoustic w/Elnah Jordan & Eric Verlinde 9PM Salmon Bay Eagles, Seattle - Joe Barton Trio 8PM Dimitrious Jazz Alley, Seattle - En Vogue 7:30PM & 9:30PM Bakes Place, Bellevue Butch Harrison & Good Company 8PM The Yuppie Tavern, Kirkland - The Crazy Texas Gypsies 8:30PM Highway 99 Blues Club, Seattle Kim Fields Big Blues Review w/Arthur Migliazza, The Emerald City Horns & The Mighty Titans of Tone 8PM Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park - Alice Stuart & the Formerlys 7:30PM ATTENTION MUSIC PEOPLE! If you would like to add your music schedule to our calendar, please send in your information by the 10th of the month to wbscalendar@ yahoo.com in the following format: New Times Roman 9 point type, date, venue, city, band name, time please no bold or caps. 21

Blues on the Radio Dial

MONDAY KSVR 91.7FM Mount Vernon / KSVU 91.9FM Hamilton Blues in the Night (automated) 2:00 AM 5:00 AM Monday through Friday www.ksvr.org DJ, Janice Clevin Gage KUGS 89.3FM Bellingham: Highway 61 8:00AM - 10:00AM as.wwu.edu/kugs/ - DJ, Chalkie McStevenson Mighty Mouth Blues on NWCZ Radio - www.nwczradio.com Monday 8:00-11:00PM Pacific TUESDAY KAOS 89.3FM Olympia: Blues On Rye 1:00PM - 3:00PM www.kaos.evergreen.edu - DJ, Val Vaughn WEDNESDAY KEXP 90.3FM Seattle: The Roadhouse 6:00PM to 9:00PM www.kexp.org - DJ, Greg Vandy KSVR 91.7FM Mount Vernon / KSVU 91.9FM Hamilton - The Blues Note with Janice 8:00PM - 10:00PM www.ksvr.org - DJ, Janice Cleven Gage KSVR 91.7FM Mount Vernon / KSVU 91.9FM Hamilton - Lesters Blues Tour 10:00PM -Midnight www.ksvr.org - DJ, Les Anderson THURSDAY KSER 90.7FM Everett: Clancys Bar and Grill 8:30PM - 10:30PM www.kser.org - DJ, Clancy Dunigan FRIDAY KEXP 90.3FM Seattle: Shake The Shack 6:00PM - 9:00PM www.kexp.org - DJ, Leon Berman SATURDAY KAOS 89.3FM Olympia: Blues For Breakfast 8:00AM - 10:00AM www.kaos.evergreen.edu - DJ, Jerry Drummond KPLU 88.5FM Tacoma: All Blues 6:00PM - 12:00AM www.kplu.org - DJ, John Kessler KSER 90.7FM Everett: Audio Indigo 7:00PM - 9:00 PM www.kser.org - DJ, Robin K PLEASE SEND ANY RADIO UPDATES TO CALENDAR@WABLUES.ORG KBCS 91.3 FM Bellevue College: Living the Blues 8:00 PM 10 PM www.kbcs.fm DJ Kevin Henry, Kevin Morris, Oneda Harris, Winona Hollins-Huage KPBX 91.1FM Spokane: Backwater Blues Hour 10:00PM - 11:00PM www.kpbx.org - DJ, Frank Delaney KPBX 91.1FM Spokane: Beal Street Caravan 11PM-12AM www.kpbx.org - DJ, Pat Mitchell KZPH 106.7FM Wenatachee: The Blues 11:00PM - 12:00AM www.therock1067.com - DJ, Dave Keefe KSER 90.7FM Everett: Blues Odessey 9:00PM - 11:00PM www.kser.org - DJ, Leslie Fleury Sunday KBCS 91.3FM Bellevue: Beal St. Caravan 5:00AM 6:00AM www.kbcs.fm KEXP 90.3 Seattle: Preaching the Blues 9:00AM - NOON www.kexp.org DJ, Johnny Horn KUGS 89.3 FM Bellingham: Exposure NOON 2PM www.kugs.org KYRS 92.3 FM Spokane: Blues Now and Then 6:00PM - 8:00 PM www.kyrs.org - DJs Patrick Henry and Jumpin Jerry KPLU 88.5FM Tacoma: All Blues 6:00PM - 12:00AM www.kplu.org - DJ, John Kessler KWCW 90.5FM Walla Walla: Blues Therapy 7:00PM - 9:00PM www.kwcwradio.tumblr.com - DJ, Biggdaddy Ray Hansen and Armand The Doctor Parada KSER 90.7FM Everett: The Juke Joint 1:00PM - 3:00PM www.kser.org - DJ, Jon Noe

Mondays

Washington Blues Society

Sundays

Blues Jams

Caffe Mela, Wenatchee, 7pm (first Monday of the month) 88 Keys, Pioneer Square: Blues on Tap, 8pm JRs Hideway: Malcolm Clark, 8pm Opal Lounge, South Tacoma Way: Tim Hall, 8pm Ten Below: hosted by Underground Blues Jam, every 1st Monday of the month, Wenatchee

Dawsons, Tacoma: Tim Hall Band, 7pm Conway Muse: Gary Bs Church of the Blues, 6-10pm Raging River: Tommy Wall Silver Dollar: Big Nasty, 8pm Two Twelve, on Central Kirkland: HeatherBBlues, 7pm

Tuesdays

22

PLEASE HELP US KEEP OUR LISTINGS CURRENT: please send in jam listings to calendar@wablues.org. As of press time, we are looking for a new volunteer who will help compile our calendar, jam guide, band listings, and radio station listings. Please email volunteer director Rhea Rolfe: volunteers@wablues.org if you are interested!

Barrel Tavern: hosted by Doug McGrew, 8pm Elmers Burien: hosted by Billy Shew Engels Pub, Edmonds: Open Mic with Lou Echeverri, 8 PM Pacific Rim Marysville Best Western: Mike Wright & the Blue Sharks, 7 - 11pm 907 Bar and Grill Snohomish Sean Denton & Richard Williams 8 PM Summit Pub: Tim Hall & the Realtimes, 7:30pm Uncle Thurms, Tacoma: Blenis, Ely Band, 7:30pm Wild Buffalo, Bellingham: hosted by Rick Baunach, 6:30 - 9:30pm

Venue Guide
Seattle
Clearwater Casino Suquamish (360) 598-6889 Destiny Seafood & Grill Port Angeles (360) 452-4665 Halftime Saloon Gig Harbor (253) 853-1456 Junction Tavern Port Angeles (360) 452-9880 Little Creek Casino Shelton (360) 427-7711 Seven Cedars Casino Sequim (360) 683-7777 Sirens Port Townsend (360) 379-1100 Upstage Port Townsend (360) 385-2216

Washington Blues Society

Peninsula

Al Lago, Lake Tapps (253) 863-8636 2 Wheel Blues Club Tacoma Barnacles Restaurant, Des Moines (206) 878-5000 The Barrel Burien (206) 246-5488

Tacoma, Burien, Federal Way, etc

South Sound

CCs Lounge, Burien (206) 242-0977

Blarney Stone Pub and Restaurant (206) 448-8439 China Harbor Restaurant (206) 286-1688 Dimitrious Jazz Alley (206) 441-9729 x210 EMP Liquid Lounge (206) 770-2777 EMP Sky Church (206) 770-2777 Fiddlers Inn (206) 525-0752 Bellingham, Anacortes, Whidbey Island, etc Grinders (206) 542-0627 China Beach Langley (360) 530-8888 Highliner Pub (206) 283-2233 Just Moes Sedro Woolley (360) 855-2997 Highway 99 Club (206) 382-2171 LaConner Tavern LaConner (360) 466-9932 J & M Cafe (206) 467-2666 Little Roadside Tavern Everson (360) 592-5107 Lock & Keel (206) 781-8023 Old Edison Inn Edison (360) 766-6266 Maple Leaf Grill (206) 523-8449 Rockfish Grill Anacortes (360) 588-1720 Mr. Villa (206) 517-5660 Stump Bar & Grill Arlington (360) 653-6774 New Orleans (206) 622-2563 Watertown Pub Anacortes (360) 293-3587 Paragon (206) 283-4548 Wild Buffalo Bellingham (360) 312-3684 Pike Place Bar and Grill (206) 624-1365 Viking Bar and Grill Stanwood (360) 629-9285 The Rimrock Steak House (206) 362-7979 Salmon Bay Eagles (206) 783-7791 St. Clouds (206) 726-1522 Third Place Commons, Lake Forest Park (206) 366-3333 Triangle Tavern (206) 763.0714 Bellevue, Kirkland, etc. Tractor Tavern (206) 789-3599 Bakes Place - Bellevue (425) 454-2776 Triple Door (206) 838-4333 Central Club Kirkland (425) 827-8808 Crossroads Shopping Center Bellevue (425) 644-1111 Damans Pub Redmond Forecasters Woodinville (425) 483-3212 Raging River Caf & Club Fall City (425) 222-6669 BBQ & Blues Clarkston (509) 758-1227 RockinM BBQ, Golf Range & Lounge - Everett (425.438.2843) Breadline Caf Omak (509) 826-5836 Time Out Sports Bar Kirkland (425) 822-8511 Club Crow Cashmere (509) 782-3001 Top Shelf Broiler & Tervelli Lounge - Kirkland (206) 239-8431 CrossRoads Steakhouse Walla Walla (509) 522-1200 Vino Bella Issaquah (425) 391-1424 Ice Harbor Brewing Co - Kennewick (509) 582-5340 Wild Vine Bistro, Bothell (425) 877-1334 Lakeys Grill Pullman (509) 332-6622 Wilde Rover Kirkland (425) 822-8940 Main Street Tavern Omak (509) 826-2247 Valhalla Bar & Grill, Kirkland (425) 827 3336 Peters Inn Packwood (360) 494-4000 Yuppie Tavern - Kirkland (425) 814-5200 Pine Springs Resort - Goldendate (509-773-4434 Rams Ripple Moses Lake (509) 765-3942 Rattlesnake Brewery Richland (509) 783-5747

North Sound

Capitol Theater/Olympia Film Society (360) 754-3635 Cascade Tavern Vancouver (360) 254-0749 Charlies Olympia (360) 786-8181 Cliff House Restaurant Tacoma (253) 927-0400 Destination Harley Davidson Fife (253) 922-3700 Blues Vespers at Immanuel Presbyterian (253) 627-8371 Jazzbones in Tacoma (253) 396-9169 (The) Junction Sports Bar, Centralia (360) 273-7586 Lighthouse Des Moines (206) 824-4863 Maggie OTooles Lakewood (253) 584-3278 Magnolia Caf Poulsbo (360) 697-1447 Mint Alehouse Enumclaw (360) 825-8361 Pats Bar & Grill Kent (253) 852-7287rr Pick & Shovel Wilkeson (360) 829-6574 The Pony Keg - Kent (253) 395-8022 Riverside Pub, Sumner (253) 863-8369 Silver Dollar Pub Spanaway (253) 531-4469 The Spar Tacoma (253) 627-8215 The Swiss Tacoma (253) 572-2821 Tugboat Annies Olympia (360) 943-1850 Uncle Sams Bar & Grill - Spanaway (253) 507-7808 Wurlitzer Manor Gig Harbor (253) 858-1749

Eastside

Central & Eastern

Bubbas Roadhouse Sultan, (360) 793-3950 Canoes Cabaret Tulalip (888) 272-1111 The Conway Muse in Conway (360) 445-3000 Demetris Woodstone Taverna, Edmonds (425) 744-9999 Diamond Knot Brewery & Alehouse Mukilteo (425) 355-4488 Engels Pub Edmonds (425) 778-2900 Historic Spar Tree Granite Falls (360) 691-6888 Madison Pub - Everett (425) 348-7402 Mardinis Snohomish (360) 568-8080 Mirkwood & Shire Caf Arlington (360) 403-9020 North Sound:Star Bar, Anacortes (360) 299-2120 ( Prohibition Grille, Everett (425) 258-6100 Stanwood Hotel & Saloon Stanwood (360) 629-2888 Stewarts Snohomish (360) 568-4684 Timberline Caf Granite Falls (360) 691-7011

(Lynnwood, Everett, Edmonds, etc.):

North End

Red Lion Hotel Wenatchee (Tomasz Cibicki 509-669-8200)

Tumwater Inn Restaurant and Lounge Leavenworth (509) 548-4232

Wednesdays

Charlies Olympia: Blues Attitude Damans Pub, 8 PM Dogghouse Tavern, Mt. Vernon Alan: Hatley Trio, 7pm Half Time Saloon: Billy Shew & Billy Barner Locker Room, White Center: Michael Johnson & Lynn Sorensen, 8-12pm Madison Pub, Everett: hosted by Unbound w/special guests 7:30pm Wednesday February 5 Unbound with Guy Johnson Wednesday February 12 Unbound with Mark Whitman & Justin Kausal Hayes Wednesday February 19 Unbound with Ryan LaPlante Wednesday February 26 Unbound with Suzie Chrysler & Violet Heart Oxford Saloon, Snohomish: Oxford School of Jam hosted by Rick J Bowen, Teri Anne Wilson and Robert Baker for All- Ages Open Jam 7-11pm Salmon Bay Eagles: Broomdust presents Blues of the Past jam (1st Wed.), 8pm Yuppie Tavern, Kirkland (Totem Lake), HeatherBBlues Acoustic jam, 8pm Ould Triangle Pub: hosted by Jeff Hass, Open Mic Blues Jam, 9pm

Thursdays

Bad Alberts: Invitational w/Annieville Blues Barrel Tavern: hosted by Tim Turner, 8pm Club Flight Nightclub: w/Cory Wilde, 9pm Conway Pub Dawsons, Tacoma: Billy Shew, 8 pm Jimmy Jacks hosted by Rick Bowen, Everett 730 -1130 OCallahans: Tim Hall, 7pm Oxford Saloon: Jam Night w/ Tommy Cook Trio 8PM

Fridays

New Orleans Restaurant: All Star Jam, hosted by Leslie Stardrums Milton & Lady Keys, 7pm (1st & 3rd Fridays)

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MusicBox Project, a Snohomish-based 501(c) (3)non-profit arts organization run by Dyann and Rick Arthur of Mill Creek, is on a mission! Their charter states that they document and preserve music history, but MusicBox Project is way more than that.

Movie + Music A Benefit for MusicBox Project at the Salmon Bay Eagles!
communities first hand and we did that; in folks homes, kitchens and back porches; at festivals and street performances; little folk arts shops, back country juke joints and big festival stages. We like to say we gathered music from A to Z thats Appalachian to Zydeco; recording women from as young as eighteen to as old as ninety three. We really tried to capture the broad spectrum of their diversity and contributions. We wanted the project to be available as soon as it was filmed. Let me tell you, trying to upload video files to our YouTube channel from campground internet hook-ups was the pits! It put a whole new spin on hurry up and wait. With everything being shot in HD, the files could take overnight to upload. We just didnt want the videos to end up on some shelf somewhere, we wanted to make them visible for people to see to enjoy. So, it was really interesting, Dyann said. Not long after they returned to the Northwest at the end of October in 2010, she got an email out of the blue from Steven Weiss who introduced himself as the Curator of the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He said he wanted to have the entire collection there at what is one of the largest archives in the country. When she asked him how he heard about MusicBox Project he said he had been following the YouTube Channel, and cited the video quality and authentic content. We had already gifted the collection on behalf of MusicBox Project to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, she said. And, in fact, we were written up in their 2011 Report to Congress as one of the Key Acquisitions of 2010. I didnt know I was going to become a filmmaker, that wasnt my goal, said Dyann. But, I realized, by making a music documentary about these amazingly talented women, I could help the world to see them, hear them and appreciate them the way Rick and I had. So I started editing the hundreds of hours of interviews & music wed documented for a movie called Americana Women. Theres a short on our YouTube Channel (www.youtube. com/musicboxproject) and a previous version screened at Centrums Acoustic Blues Festival in Port Townsend last July got a very positive reception. Thats where I met Washington Blues Society board members Roy Brown and Zab Zyvoloski. Theyve been so supportive of our work and film they just got it right off the bat. They helped spearhead the MusicBox Project Benefit Movie + Music Night on Saturday, February 15,

2014 at the Salmon Bay Eagles. We are inviting all Washington Blues Society members and Bluesletter readers to come! Itll be a full night of entertainment starting with an optional $10 dinner downstairs in the lounge hosted by the Salmon Bay Eagles from 6:00 7:30 pm. The entire event is open to the public at Seattles longest-running blues performance venue. The Movie + Music premiere will be featured upstairs in the Salmon Bay Eagles main function hall for just a $10 cover. The Salmon Bay Eagles, who are co-sponsoring this event with the Washington Blues Society, will have plenty of seating and a full bar. Well have a big screen for the Seattle Premiere of the newly- edited/ mastered music documentary Americana Women starting at 7:30, and continuing with live blues by The Shed Players (Dave Douglas, Ken Dennis, Rick & Dyann Arthur), Marcia Kester, Chris Ferguson, Sergey & Julia Ignatov, Ilya Ignatov, Andre Zasypkin. Later on, therell be a special blues music video short created just for Washington Blues Society. This special celebration of blues music will go on until 11 pm; and maybe even later if folks are still jumpin and jivin! Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets. com with the event code of #541950 and available at the door at the Salmon Bay Eagles. Music + Movie Night will surely be one of the must-do events of the 2014 blues year. This event not only celebrates Washington state blues music and blues musicians, but it also celebrates some of the nations most treasured women in blues from across the nation in a variety of blues genres. In addition to providing first-class experiences via film and live blues music, well also debut our newest version of the MusicBox Project Americana Women DVD, developed in partnership with Devin Rice Designs. The new version of the DVD includes not only many visual upgrades and extras unique to the opportunities that DVD technology offers, but also includes 80 additional minutes of music videos. Please see our full-page advertisement in this months Bluesletter for more information. We are thrilled to work in partnership with the Salmon Bay Eagles and the Washington Blues Society to help introduce the MusicBox Projects Americana Women to an even wider audience!

It matters to us is that we see women musicians (players) overlooked in the history books, and if we dont do something now, to change this, theyll simply slip into oblivion. The real picture of our American musical landscape will be left incomplete, say Dyann and Rick. It was a labor of love right from the start. Dyanns been playing and performing all her life; she graduated with honors from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. When she and Rick - after a career in aeronautics -retired in 2009, they felt the urge to give something back to society. I literally woke up one day and said, related Dyann I know what I want to do there are no women players in these history books, there are women out there they deserve to be seen, they deserve to be heard, they have stories to tell and I want to see those stories in future history books. So, in April of 2010 the Arthurs made it their mission to save from obscurity some 80 contemporary women players across the country, spending seven months traveling and filming women playing traditionally based roots music. They compiled a huge digital collection from their fieldwork that started with eighty oral history interviews and over a thousand songs, all captured in HD video. Some familiar names to Bluesletter readers include Ruthie Foster, Deanna Bogart, Gaye Adegbalola, Eden Brent and Eleanor Ellis. They traveled 26,000 miles over seven months filming in 60 cities across 20 states. While they have a treasure trove of stories, music and video from their efforts, Rick and Dyann are still collecting like those early, legendary musicologists John Work and Alan Lomax. People thought we were nuts a husband and wife team in our 99 Toyota 4Runner hauling a pop-up Coleman tent camper filled with video cameras, audio and lighting gear, computers, back-up storage drives and a bunch of musical instruments of our own, they said. Dyanns dad said to Rick Youll never make it Ill give you three months. We had a running joke, they continued. Youre breathing my air! We quickly learned to stay focused on what was important, and to keep a sense of humor. We were determined to learn about these Americana Women their lives, families and 24

Ruthie Foster (Photo by John Carricoa)

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By Rick J. Bowen

Bex Marshall: Bawdy British Blues Woman with Brains and Bravado
basis, by some of the worlds greatest guitarists. They come in, they see it, then they drool and beg to barrow it for the session. Then they change their whole set because theyre playing it. And thats exciting; its a joy to see. RJB: Is your uncle still alive? Does he know people are still playing that guitar? Bex: Yes, hes about seventy three, and he still has jet black hair, and he still plays every week in the old peoples home. He was actually in a band called The Marauders in the sixties. They had a hit, and he supported The Beatles, he was doing it back then. He took the Gibson Hummingbird and toured America for two years before he gave it to me. So its got some history. RJB: Did you use that on your records? Bex: I always record with it. I love it. Ill never sell it. It will be passed on to the next member of my family that plays guitar. RJB: Great story. You started at eleven playing guitar. Why guitar vs. anything else? Bex: It chose me. It was an amazing need to play it. When I saw it as a child I had to play with it. Obviously I had seen my uncle playing, and knew it was a good thing to play. He had this voice like Roy Orbison, and he would strum, just the big strumming sort of thing, and sing. His voice with that vibrato would always shock me; it would kind of scare me. Id love it. I saw this little guitar under the stairs with two strings, and thought Ill have that one, cause I want to do that too. That was it I was hanging on to it and begging for someone to teach me. RJB: Any other people in your family that play? Bex: No, but its a very musical family. A lot of them sing, its a very Irish sort of Celtic bunch and we all sing at parties. RJB: Most guitarists are collectors, are you? What do you have? Bex: I do collect; I mean there is always a pretty guitar to buy. RJB: Great answer! Bex: its a passion thing. I dont trade guitars, some people do. When I get a guitar I am very loathe to get rid it. RJB: how many do you have?

A Devonshire lass now residing in London, Bex Marshalls unique style of guitar playing is a combined technique of slide, blues rock, ragtime and roots pickin. Marshall came in second for the 2013 Best British Vocalist Award and her self produced, self released Album The House Of Mercy came in third in the 2013 Best British Blues Album category. I got to chat with Marshall after her sound check at 88 Keys in Seattle on her 2013 summer tour of the states. We talked about her unique guitar playing and The House of Mercy. Rick J Bowen: Welcome to Seattle. I have some super geeky guitar fan questions for you that must be answered. Bex: Oh my god, Brilliant, ok. Its cool. RJB: Ok, what was your first guitar and do you still own it? Bex: Yes. Its a 1963 Gibson Hummingbird. My Uncle gave it me when I was eleven, a couple of years after I had started playing. It has been with me since that day. When he gave it to me I was like,oh why do I always get all the old rubbish? I want something new. But as time went on I begin to realize how amazing it was compared to everything else. RJB: That 25 years ago, when you were eleven, and it was already a twenty year old guitar. Bex: Yeah and when it came into the country it was part of the first batch of Hummingbirds that came to the UK. from America. There was only four in the batch and my uncle had one and Mick Jagger had one of the other ones, and thats a fact. Ive seen him playing a Gibson Hummingbird now and again, but maybe hes got hundreds of them. RJB: Maybe not, they are quite special. Bex: I tell you what, that guitar has the ultimate sweet spot. And now it hangs on the wall in the house of Mercy which is my home in London. Which happens to be a home studio and the House of Mercy radio station. My husband records several bands a week for a syndicated show, featuring roots, Americana and blues. Its the house guitar. When people come they want to play it. RJB: wow now people are paying you to play that guitar. Bex: I cant think of a better thing for that guitar, to be there and have people admire it on a daily

Bex: I have about fifteen. Which is not too bad, but Ive got a six string banjo as well. I am very much into the whole; anything with six strings Ill have a go at it. The resonators I play are very roots sounding. I love it. That back porch metallic sound of the national guitar. Its sort of a nightmare to try and amplify that sound when youre in front of a band, because its a resonator and the feedback. I am adamant about that sound. I dont want to go into an electric guitar sound. Thats my thing. It would be easy for me to pick up a Les Paul or something like that. RJB: I saw a photo of you with a Les Paul. Bex: Yeah, thats my gold top, but that one doesnt come out either. I do use it for recordings and things. RJB: What year is it? Bex: its a sixty nine. RJB: Oh wow so its lives at the House of Mercy as well? Bex: Yes. I have left my Gibson on the bus before, drunk. Luckily I was the last one off the bus so I got it back. Thats probably why I havent had children because Im afraid Id leave them on the bus. (Both laugh) I like collecting things. Ive got a lovely little limited edition Ibanez, actually made from flamed maple that really looks like flames, thats sweet. Ive got a Gretsch and my banjo, I want them all but I can only play one at a time. At the moment I am playing Ozarks, they are sponsoring me. It is very difficult to get a resonator with a cutaway. The style I play is like a rag time with a slide, and its filled with wax that sits in the end of my little finger. RJB: Clever idea did you think that up? Bex: Yeah, I filled the slide with hot wax, then put my finger in to size it up. Its like agony. Then it fits perfectly. Then you can pick and slide, whatever you need to do, with a lot more versatility. Its not heavy like a regular slide. Thats my idea. I do invent things. I tried to patent an idea of mine, I invented a stomp boot. Like the stomp box, but inside your boot, and wireless so you can stomp about. People would go nuts for it when I used it. I will manufacture it one day under the House of Mercy Ltd, and if they sue us, bugger em. RJB: Who patented it? Bex: Yamaha. They had already patented it back in the seventies. When I submitted the patent they came and said its already been done by Yamaha,

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Above: Bex Marshall at 88 Keys in Seattle Right: Bex Marshalls Slide (Theres a story behind that slide...) (Photos by Rick Bowen) and they all gyrate at the same time and playing. And then I can pull off with the left hand and get those extra notes, you pull it off to get that last impossible note. RJB: Who taught you this? Bex: Nobody I worked it out. You know what. This is the story a real blues story, about eight nine years ago, my bass player committed suicide and I found him. Which is you know, uugh. I found him and I was so pissed off that hed killed himself. He was one of these people that never complained and kept it all in. He was thee most reliable person in the world. He was a lovely giving person and a great bass player, and producer I was so disappointed and it inspired me to do my own bass lines. I was so defiant and angry with him, I thought screw you Ill do my own bass lines then, so I developed this style of doing a rag time rock. Doing what you would do with one string on a Les Paul, and doing as a rag time. Like when I do covers its a rag time, like I do Johnny B Goode and its got the lead parts and the rag time underneath. Its fun. So its why I cant get to technical, and I play in so many different tunings, you know as detune the whole s scale changes, so thats why I think in patterns. RJB: That takes us to the next question; what is you amp set up? Bex: You know what, Fender amps for me they just work with those resonators. They give a great acoustic electric sound, which is a sexy sound. I dont like to be too heavy or grungy or overdrivey, I dont want to sound like too heavy. I like a clean sound for the picking, and then you know a little bit of drive when I go into my rag time and slide. Thats it. That is a Fender 212R solid state. Pretty straight amp really, but it has a lovely metallic sound. You get that nice metallic crunch when you slap it. I dont like a wooly sound. You know I could go through the best amps in the world but with the resonator it would still sound like rubbish. It has a tendency to sound like rubbish through anything else but a bloody Fender. Just that tiny bit of reverb for sustain. RJB: You have a couple pedals, what are they? Bex: Ive got a Route 66, which I play my slide resonator through. And a Blues Breaker which has a different sound for the black guitar. And a boost with an equalizer, cause once again with a resonator you can get these, whaaaa, frequencies. And different venues with odd wiring you get some zzzz, but thats normal and I stopped panicking about that a long time ago. Again with these resonators have just a simple lipstick pickup; you dont need too much messing about with them to be honest. You know a bad workman blames his tools. (Laughs) RJB: Do you use the same set up for recording? Bex: I recorded on several guitars, on The House of Mercy, all my goodies. Whatever is hanging around and makes the required sound. I produced this record myself and Im very proud of that fact. RJB: You should be it was nominated a British Blues Music award. (Continued on Page 28)

and they have never done anything with it. I went into the patent office in Adelaide Australia where I was using it and the officer said If this isnt selling millions by Christmas I dont know why, it is such a simple idea. Like my wax filled slide just a simple idea. RJB: You need to go to Dunlop and have then make your Bex Marshall Signature slide. Bex: Im gonna contact them tomorrow, yeah. RJB: Everybody calls it G.A.S syndrome or Gear acquisition Syndrome because musicians are always buying more stuff. Do you have that problem? Bex: No. All Im gonna say is I am very simple. Im not very technical. I think in colors and patterns not in technical, thats me Im a creative on the spot person. RJB: So you dont need all the gadgets. Bex: No. I dont even like pedals. I am using them now because I am using two different resonators and I need to control the volume and sound because they are different. The action is higher on one for a better slide sound, and lower on the other because I like to play my electric rag time leads. All my lead parts are rag times, so I do two time signatures at once and I love doing that, its cool. The bass line is always solid but the style is a slap style, so Ive got a certain amount of percussion going on. Ive got percussion and the bass line and then these four fingers, Ive got four plectrums here,

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Bex Marshall Interview (Continued)

(Continued from Page 27) Bex: Basically, when Im in the studio and have the luxury of time, and I did this time. Because of that I can be really imaginative on it. I was very aware of not being too sort of precious, not every track needs to be Bohemian Rhapsody. Though The House of Mercy is different because it has this outtro jam, blue grass thing that happens. I wanted to put across what happens in our house; its full of musicians and musicians love to jam. Its all about the excitement of a jam. Thats what I wanted to capture in that song. Thats what the House of Mercy really represents for me as our company and our radio station and this record. Its all about the music. Ive got a lot of wonderful musicians who donated their time because they love what we do at the House of Mercy; keeping it real. Its a cottage industry. There are no adverts on it. No sponsorship. We sold the CD through Amazon. And there is a little book store on there. We have a list of what artist are reading on the road and that is our book shop. You can look at the bookshop at House of Mercy dot TV; its quite a great collection of books. If you buy from us through Amazon we get a tiny percentage and it is what is keeping us running. We are very independent. My husband Barry was one of the original pirate DJs of Radio Caroline in the seventies. His whole jazz collection is at the bottom of the ocean at the moment, when the main rig sank in the end. He has always been in radio, he worked on a syndicated show called Rock Around the World, where he was meeting people like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters and The Doors back in the seventies. He was a tour manager for T Rex and booked a top venue in SOSHO at one time. He was just awarded a lifetime achievement award in the U.K, he is a tastemaker, subsequently all the bands that come through are top. Thats what we are promoting, real music. We look after them we put bands on the road, put them up, there is always something on the stove, always leftovers in the fridge. RJB: A real nature evolution Bex: Well Im Irish so thats kind of an open door policy that we have anyway. So I am on the road promoting what we do in London. Thats what a cottage industry is; its a brand, weve got The house of Mercy record label, studio and an album. Everything promotes everything. RJB: The music business is a do it yourself industry now. Bex: Thats right, its not easy and you have to trade. When I come to America and Ive needed to be put up for five days like I have been here, and with my whole band, people help out. I call whoever has done that The House of Mercy Seattle Branch, or Denver branch or Memphis branch. We have branches all over the world. Thats the network. When people come to London they come and stay with us. Its important because it is expensive to tour and its getting harder and harder for independent artist. I am lucky with Facebook with all the help I can get just putting it out there. RJB: Another guitar question. Do you feel like youre playing hardball in a mans world? Bex: No. I dont feel like its a man vs. woman anything. All the men guitar players I know are respectful of what I do. They dont do what I do, it would baffle them to try, you know I do my thing and they do their thing. I enjoy jamming with guys. I am a different sound but I fit to what the category is. RJB: Do you run into the oh you play pretty good for girl thing? Bex: No I dont cause they just look and gohow the hell do you do that? (laugh) and we leave it at that. (laugh) You keep to your one string Ill keep to my five. There is an incredible amount of great guitarists out there, and I think people excel at different things. I dont think too much about it and I dont study too much, and try to be particularly anything, I like to soak things up when they feel right for me. Thats pretty much the way to go for me. Im always learning, I pick up stuff all the time and put them in their, thats the way you get better and better. Playing every night is just wonderful. Its the best thing about doing what I do. The live in the moment thing is the best job on the planet. RJB: Studio vs. live what is better? Bex: Id much rather be out playing, but there is something about it. Its just as good to record when youve got good production. I was weary of it. I could not trust anyone else to do this record. I had so many ideas, and I knew they would work. Putting them in the hands of somebody with a fresh outlook on it I knew I would be disappointed. I had the help of the most incredible engineer; we spent hours and hours on the mix. It is all in the mix. RJB: You received nomination as a producer that is a big achievement. Bex: I am very, very happy about that, more that being nominated as a singer; which I am over the moon about. But the album for me is such a big achievement because Ive never done it before. Certainly a huge honor, one up for the girls as well; It put it forward that you can produce something yourself. You dont need be too scared. RJB: What are your thoughts of being a woman in the music industry? Bex: I am practically my own manager, so I have to put on hats. I look at my image ya know, you have to make sacrifices. I am not a size eight by any means, so I manipulate my image to be the way I want it to be and the way I feel comfortable. Its always a battle as a women, youre never happy, but I am very aware of how I look. You have to be as good as you can be. I work so hard on the music and production, and the image wasnt an issue when I was in the studio. You have to use everything you can to your advantage in this game and its not easy. Yes doors will open if youre looking good and you walk in with a wink and smile. That is not a difficult thing to nail if you put your mind to it; the hard part is the music, and getting that right. Nobody presses me to do anything, and that is the beauty if being an independent. I think these days you just got to go for it, its always going to be tough but go for it.

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Jeff Menteer & the Music That Surrounds Us

By Robert Horn If you like the sound of The Stacy Jones Band, I would like to think that you like the guitar playing of Jeff Menteer. Jeffs guitar playing is an essential part of the bands sound. Jeff is not just the guitar player of that band, though. He has a history, and sometimes he has other irons in the fire. Jeff averages over 100 shows a year as part of the Stacy Jones Band; like many local musicians, he also has a day job and has side projects as a solo artist. When interviewing any musician associated with the blues scene, I try to delve deeper by asking a number of questions. Since I think this music comes from somewhere deep, I try to shed a little light on that in each interview. I recently sat down with Jeff Menteer and the following captures our dynamic and thoughtful conversation. RH: What, growing up, were some of the first things you were influenced by in terms of music? JM: I would say my mom pushed music in the house. She got a piano in the house and we all had to take piano lessons and we were probably starting at about seven or eight years old. Then, I went from that to clarinet in the school band, but I never liked the whole structured thing so they asked me to stop coming because I would never practice. In sixth grade, I discovered a guitar in the house my dad bought. It had Hawaiian Luau people on it and everything like that on it. I just started bangin away on that thing. I took some lessons in seventh grade, but I never flourished in that environment so I always just figured things out by ear. Back then, that meant putting the needle to the album and playing that lick and putting it back, and playing that lick RH: What were the types of music you were doing that with and playing by ear? JM: Well, you know, because of my age, you know I grew up when the Beatles were the biggest thing around. They took over the music scene. But when I started playing I just basically started writing songs. I wrote songs before I learned another song I could play with other people. Around seventh or eighth grade is when I first started playing with other people in my school RH: During that period, what were some things that led you in a direction you kept going in and what things do you think you left behind? JM: Well, that was a strange time to grow up. In 68, a lot of things happened and I think I was in eighth and as soon as I found guitar I found a companion. I got to the point where I practiced three hours a day throughout high school. The guitar was an extension of me RH: When was the first time you were in a band? JM: The first band I ever played gigs with was in about the ninth or tenth grade. We played in bars, so I had to sit in the side room. All through high school I was in bands. We played at a lot of high school functions around Spokane. RH: Mainly rock classics? JM: Oh yeah. Totally. That is what everyone was doing around Spokane. Country had not hit there yet. RH: Really? When I think of Spokane I think of wheat, cattle and country. Even blues guys from their have some country influence. JM: Yes, it got more popular there in the 70s. I was in a band that did the college circuit that included Idaho, Montana and Canada. After that, I went to school and I played in a country band out on the state line. There were a lot of clubs out there. I played every Friday and Saturday night for two years when I was in school. That was around 73-74. RH: When did you come to the Seattle area? JM: It wasnt very long after that. I had been going to school and eking out an existence playing gigs on weekends. My sister worked over here and I worked for a tug and barge company. There were a bunch of barges stuck up in Prudhoe Bay that summer. So I went up to Prudhoe Bay and worked. RH: Did that work experience relate to any songs you wrote? JM: Yes. I worked in tug and barge for about 12 years. I was riding a boat called the Neptune up by the Arctic Circle. I wrote this song called The Neptune and it ended up getting air play on stations around here. I remember one time I was standing on a barge and another guy came down the river and started singing my song to me. RH: At what point did more blues influence come in? JM: Well, let me back up a little bit. I have kind of had phases in guitar playing. When I was in high school and practicing so much I studied two people: Carlos Santana and Jimmy Page. I could mimic them.The tug and barge thing took me out of playing music a while, it took up a lot of my time right. After I retired from that and my kids got a little older I had the time to devout back to music. When your kids are younger they deserve to take up most of your time. At that time I started studying Robben Ford. I really like Robben Ford. I studied him for four or five years and I studied Warren Haynes, Jeff Healey, Luther Allison. I still like blues with a tinge of something, a shade of rock to it or a shade of jazz to it. I love players who are true blues guitar players, I love that, but its just not me. RH: What would you say about the different phases you went through and the different songs you wrote? JM: Well, song writing is just something I have always done. I dont know why but its just something I was driven to do. Some people are blessed to be able to write a very good complete song when they are young. It has taken me a lot of years to perfect it: getting in touch with your inner voice to know if something is a keeper. Every song writer gets tons of ideas but having that inner voice that says thats a song. RH: What bands did you play with around here before the Stacy Jones Band? JM: I didnt. I played in Spokane, then worked tug and barge, then raised a family. I played in a couple duos for a little while; then, I had the opportunity to play in the Stacy Jones Band. We have grown over the years, matured, and we still play a few of the early songs. A great thing about the Stacy Jones Band is that everyone is a really good listener. When somebody does something in a song and that thing sounds really good we all remember it and it becomes part of the song. RH: What are a couple examples of that? JM: One example is a song Tom Jones wrote called Tell Me Why. We have just matured that over the years. It has all these parts and accents it didnt always have. RH: Several people in the band write songs, not just you and Stacy, right? JM: Yes, mainly Stacy and me but Tom has written a couple and Rick has written a couple. RH: Sometimes you move the chairs around and have the same band calling itself the Jeff Menteer Band instead of the Stacy Jones Band dont you? JM: Yes. I only do that a couple times a year just because we are so busy. Its fun to do that and play from my CD. I dont get to usually do my stuff there but it is fun to do that sometimes. RH: Where did you get the idea of the CD? JM: I have always wanted to do an album or a CD. That has been a goal of mine since I was in high school. I think it is important to hold on to your dreams and attempt to fulfill them. You dont always have to obtain them but by attempting to

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(Continued from Page 30) fulfill them you can learn a lot about yourself. I went on a songwriting binge for a couple years and wrote a lot of songs. We talked about doing a couple Stacy Jones CDs and then my CD. It was a huge undertaking because I wanted it to be as good as I could do it at the time.On some songs I came in with the basic idea but not the arrangement worked out so Tom and Rick and they were working on their parts so I would then work on the arrangement. Five or six days a week, two or three hours a day, for four or five months I was working on the CD. RH: What do you wish more people knew about your music that many dont know about? JM: Well, as a lyricist, I always write in a way that I know what I am writing about right, but the way I chose my lyrics I try to do it so that the listener can get a picture, and whatever that picture is, thats their interpretation. So each one of those songs is part of me, really. It is how I spiritually look at the world or a real life situation. (Jeff told about a couple songs and the story of a movie he watched where a character said the great mystery that surrounds us and it was a movie made in Latin America. The song had a Latin American flavor to it too. That is the title of the first song on the CD that some would pick as a favorite without knowing anything about how it came about). RH: Is the Stacy Jones Band working on something new for 2014? JM: We are just in the middle of a two month break. We take it easy a little in the winter, do some gigs but not too many, and then start back up again. We had a really big summer season and I anticipate we will have a really good summer this coming year. Stacy has been writing so we will do some of her new songs. Next summer weve already booked a festival in Wyoming. RH: Is that a blues festival? JM: Yes, its a blues festival well be headlining. They sought us out. That happens a lot. RH: Thats a good thing. JM: Thats a position we all want to be in. RH: You see yourself playing in the Stacy Jones Band for a long time as far as you can tell? JM: As far as I can tell. Theyre a lot of fun to play with and they are all great people. RH: What are some bands you have some things in common style-wise you wouldnt mind doing a gig with? JM: Well, tons of people, all sorts of people. I love

Jeff Menteer Interview (Continued)

Jeff Menteer at Sunbanks - Photo by Tom Hunnewell playing with Tommy Wall and Andrew. Randy and I have always had a nice sound. I wouldnt mind doing a gig with them. I have always liked Blues Redemption out of Tacoma and I think they are awesome, and they may be fun to play with. Maybe Snake Oil, every gig could be different and fun. RH: Who do you think has a guitar style that would go well with yours? JM: Around here? That is tough. Sean Denton and I play well together at different jams. We just sort of sync together. He is probably unique in that sense. He has sort of a jazz tint to his stuff and so do I a little. For some of our things, jazz and swingy sort of things we just play well together and just sort of boom, sounds great. RH: What influence has jazz had on you over the years? JM: That came about because I studied Robben Ford. I took a couple years of music theory in college. But I really liked how Robben Ford interpreted some blues songs with the scales that Robben Ford used. At one point he was just killin it. I took a clinic from him in California. RH: What did he do in that clinic? JM: Here is a tape of it Jeff handed me the tape and I have been listening to it. It not only had Robben discuss fundamentals: technique, notes, tone, and chords but also his thinking in a more sweeping sense and how he interprets music. Jeff then told me that all I ever wanted to be is a guitar player, and told me about how his son is playing guitar in a band and Jeff thinks that as a parent and an artist it is important to be supportive of your kids if they are active in the arts. When the interview ended we were still talking about the importance of the arts and what it does for everyone. Jeff is one of the many great guitar players in the area and it is always a pleasure to hear his music. Jeff creates new music that is sometimes along the borderline between blues and jazz or blues and rock. Many of the great guitar players play along the borderline between blues and other genres of music and its along that borderline where sometimes genius arises.

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By Eric Steiner I have received a number of positive comments regarding recent Blues on the Road columns, and Im pleased to highlight a number of nationally-touring artists who will return to the Pacific Northwest this month and next month. Not all of the acts Ill highlight are blues as I also listen to a lot of rock, country and reggae music, too. Chicagoland bluesman Keith Scott returns to our area for a number of shows including the Oasis Sports Bar in Sequim on January 29th, followed by two shows at the Seven Cedars Casino on January 31st and February 1st. Keiths also an avid angler, and after a few days of fishing, hell play at the Snoqualmie Ridge Country Club on the 7th and the Rattlesnake Brewery over in Richland on the 8th. On the 9th, hell play the Seattle Home and Garden Show and on the 13th hes got an early lunch gig at 11:30 AM at North Seattle Community College. The week of our blues bash brings Keith up to Birch Bay on the 13th at 6:30 PM, down to the Northwest Brewery in Auburn on the 15th, the Yuppie Tavern in Kirkland on the 16th and Seattles Hard Rock Caf for a 5:00 PM show on the 20th. His 2014 West Coast tour ends at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton on the 21st and 22nd. When I was an undergraduate at Illinois State University in Normal, I often went to the longshuttered Gallery nightclub to see singer Suzy Bogguss early in her storied career in country music. This month, shes returning to the Pacific Northwest with dates in Spokane and Ellensburg, and shell play the Green Frog in Bellingham on the 18th (home to Hambone Wilsons jams) and the Tractor Tavern on the 19th prior to heading down to

Oregon for shows at the Alberta Rose Theatre on the 20th and The Belfy in Sisters on the 21st. Keb Mo is back, too! On the 21st, hell headline at the Edmonds Center for the Arts and the next night, hell play the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham. While the Presidents of the United States of America are decidedly not blues, they have been one of the signature bands of this region for decades. They play a rare local gig on the 15th at ShowBox at the Market. The following week, the Georgetown Orbits open for the English Beat there. Last year, Rocky Nelson and I enjoyed a memorable and spirited (or spirits-filled) weekend at the Winter Blues Festival in Portland. This year, Davina and the Vagabonds will be the featured national act at the Bobwhite Theatre on the 22nd and 23rd. The Third Annual Winter Blues Music Festival will also feature the Joanne Broh Band, the Renegade Stringband, the Sportin Lifers, Kevin Selfe & the Tornadoes, The Sale, and Ben Rice. This excellent winter festival also features Billy Rhoades & the Party Kings, Tracey Fordice & the 8 Balls, Tevis Hodge, Jr., the Hank Shreve Band, the North Coast Blues Band, the Rae Gordon Big Band, Norman Sylvester and The WIRED! Band. This month, the Triple Door welcomes Patty Larkin on the 5th, Suzanne Westenhoefer on the 8th, and Hot Tuna with David Lindley on the 20th. On the 21st, roots-Americana-bluesman Tony Furtado returns to Seattle to play the Triple Door on the 21st.

Black Uhuru, one of my favorite reggae bands, will play the Nectar Lounge on 12th with the Indubious trio opening. Black Uhurus album Anthem won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985, and one of their more memorable radio hits include Sponji Reggae. Next month, two blues superstars return to the Pacific Northwest. B.B. King returns to Salem to play the Historic Elsinore Theatre followed by his show at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on the 3rd. Blues Music Award winner Janiva Magness returns to our region with shows at Jazz Alley on March 4th and 5th, followed by Jimmy Maks in Portland on the 6th, the Roxy Wine Bar in Kennewick on the 7th and the Coeur dAlene Blues Festival in Idaho on the 29t. I remember when B.B. King presented Janiva with the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Blues Music Award in 2009, and she continues to tour and promote her latest release on Alligator Records, Stronger For It, which garnered a 2013 Blues Music Award for Song of the Year for I Wont Cry co-written by Janiva and David Darling.

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