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| March 27, 2009 |
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| Hey Blues Fans, The festival lineup include more than 65 artists with 5 stages of music each day running from Noon to 9:30pm daily . Here is a partial list of performers: Friday, June 12, 2009 - Big Bill Morganfield and Mud Morganfield, Pinetop Perkins, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, Charlie Musselwhite, Mary Lane, Grana’ Louise, Charles Wsir Johnson, Eddie Taylor Jr., Donna Herula, Sam Lay, Shirley Johnson and Eddie C. Campbell. Saturday, June 13, 2009 - Ray Allison, Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, Lurrie Bell, Cyrus Hayes, Travis “Moonchild” Haddix, Jeremy Spencer, John Primer, Samuel James, Terry Harmonica Bean, Eden Brent, Little Dave Thompson, Walter Scott, Miss Peaches, Trudy Lynn and Bettye LaVette. Sunday, June 14, 2009 - Lee Boys, Lou Pride and the Blues Disciples, Vernon Harrington and the Atomic Blues Band, Tre’ and the BlueKnights with Lady Kat, Ernest Lane and the Kings of Rhythm, Eden and John’s East River Band, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Dom Flemons, Ben Payton, Big Jack Johnson, David Honeyboy Edwards, Devil in a Woodpile, Grady Champion, Johnny Drummer and the Starlighters and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. To see the complete lineup and schedule with links to the artist biographies CLICK HERE. Get your hotel reservations NOW! Urbana Blues Brews and BBQ's festival - June 26th & 27th, 2009 June 26th and 27th, 2009 is the Urbana Blues Brews and BBQ's festival in Urbana, Illinois. This is the second year for this festival and the promoters, Fluid Events made one major change you should know about before you hear of the GREAT lineup they have. THIS YEAR THE FESTIVAL IS FREE! Free as in NO ADMISSION charge at all! Based on our current state of the economy such a thing is great news. Ok but now their lineup: Friday - June 26th Show starts at 5:30pm with The Blues Deacons, followed by the Kinsey Report and Sonny Landreth Saturday - June 27th The Impalas, Gina Sicilia, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, Eddy The Chief Clearwater, Pinetop Perkins w/ The Willie "Big Eyes" Smith Band and Buckwheat Zydeco Blues Blast Advertising Special Ends on March 31st For a limited time, you can advertise your Blues event or CD in Blues Blast Magazine for less that the cost of a small ad in your local newspaper. If you reserve and pay for your ad space by March 31st, 2009 we are offering a special combo rate of $100 a month to get both a weekly Blues Blast magazine ad AND a sidebar ad on our website (Minimum of 2 months). SO for $200 your ad will run in eight issues of the Blues Blast and be on the website for 2 months. Your ad will be seen by THOUSANDS of Blues fans! Ads can be scheduled for any dates in 2009. Space is limited during some summer festival season times and will be sold on a first come first served basis. See our ad below for more details or email We are always fans of young Blues players. Last February we told you about a young guitarist from Illinois named Matthew Curry. We ran a review of a show by The Legendary Blues Review in Bloomington, IL. That night Matt got the chance to sit in with the band and it was an amazing performance by the 12 year old guitarist. We also ran a video of Matt going toe to toe playing lead with Ronnie Baker Brooks, Tommy Castro, Magic Dick and Deanna Bogart. CLICK HERE to see that amazing video. CLICK HERE to read the review. Now at the age of 13 Matt has formed his own band called "Matt Curry and the Curfew". We got to hear them last Friday at a club in Bloomington, IL. Matt has teamed up with a group of seasoned Blues musicians and has found his singing voice. He really sounded great singing too. The band played a mixture of original and cover tunes. We predict you will hear more from this young man including a new CD soon! Stay Tuned. In this issue - Blues Reviews and MORE! James Walker reviews a new CD from Joe Bonamassa. Ben Cox reviews a new CD by Cool Disposition. Belinda Foster reviews a new CD by Motor City Josh. Eric Steiner send us a review of a new CD by Billy Gibson and a CD by Big G and the Real Deal. Our video of the week is a clip of Luther Allison, Eric Clapton & Otis Rush at 1986 Monteux Jazz Festival. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!! |
| For tickets and info CLICK HERE |
Blues Society News
Send your Blues Society's BIG news or Press Release to: Please submit a maximum of 175 or words or less in a Text or Word format ONLY. Friends Of The Blues Shows - Kankakee IL The Friends of the Blues has started their 2009 Blues concert Series. Here are thie shows for April. Tuesday, April 14- Too Slim & The Taildraggers, 7:00 Pm, Legacy Bar & Grill, 135 N Kinzie Ave (Route 50), Bradley Il 60915. (815) 936-1649. Saturday, April 18 – Reverend Raven & Chain Smoking Altar Boys, 8:00 PM, Kankakee Valley Boat Club, Cobb Boulevard, Kankakee IL(815) 936-1699 Tuesday, April 21 – Damon Fowler, 7:00 PM, Kankakee Elks Country Club, 2283 Bittersweet Drive, St. Anne Il. 815-937-1228 Arkansas River Blues Society - Little Rock, AR The Arkansas River Blues Society has settled in to its home base at Jazzi's, 5200 Asher Ave. in Little Rock. The jam is held on the 1st Wed. of each month. A different house band is featured each month and on April 1st it will be Jess Hoggard and Southern Soul featuring Charles Wood. The May house band is Unseen Eye from Hot Springs. Recent house bands have been Joe Marks and NTO, Joe Pitts Band, Mike Dollins and the Cruise Bros., Big John Miller Band, N-2 Blues, and John Craig. Regular jammers have been Dan Sokoloski, Jawbone and Jolene, Charlotte Taylor, Ed Bowman, Charles Wood, and G-Funk the Tree Trunk. Joe Pitts brought in a touring band from Italy called Shanghai Noodle Factory. Jam begins at 8:30 and runs till midnight. People are friendly and the food is good. You can find out about special events by visiting the MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/arriverbluessociety Mississippi Valley Blues Society - Davenport, IA The Mississippi Valley Blues Society presents Bob Dorr and the Blue Band at the Redstone Room Saturday March 28 Davenport, IA ( 129 Main Street). Doors open at 7:30 and the music begins at 8:30 Admission is $10. The show is a fundraiser for the MVBS. For more information Contact: Karen McFarland, (563) 508-6596 The Mississippi Valley Blues Society presents the duo of Hal Reed and Donald Kinsey for its Blues in the Schools Artists in Residency Series for April. Hal and Donald will conduct their “Generations of Blues” workshops at nine area schools and four Open to the Public performances between April 6 and 10. Free, Open to the Public Performances are Monday, Apr. 6, 11:45 a.m. at CASI, 1035 W. Kimberly, Davenport. IA. Monday, Apr. 6, 4:00 p.m. at M.L. King Center, 630 9th St., Rock Island, IL. Wednesday, Apr. 8, 7:00 p.m. at Mojo’s in the River Music Experience, 129 Main, Davenport, IA. Thursday, Apr. 9, 1:30 p.m.at Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Dr. Bettendorf, IA. For more info contact call the MVBS office at 563-32-BLUES or Hal Reed at 563-650-4303 Illinois Central Blues Club - Springfield, IL BLUE MONDAY SHOWS Held at the Alamo 115 N 5th St, Springfield, IL (217) 523-1455 every Monday 8:30pm $2 cover - Mar 30 - Frank Herrin & Blues Power, Apr 6 - Blues Deacons, Apr 13 - Too Slim & the Taildraggers, Apr 20 - Pleasure Chest, Apr 27 - Nothin' But Trouble River City Blues Society- Peoria, IL The River City Blues Society's Wednesday Blues Series in Central, Illinois are early shows each Wednesday at 7:00pm, featuring the best traveling regional and National Blues musicians. The shows feature a budget priced cover charge of $4. The shows are held at the Dragon's Dome, 3401 Griffin Ave in Pekin, IL. Shows scheduled are: Apr 1 - Reverend Raven & The Chain Smoking Alter Boys, Apr 8 - Third Degree Blues Band, Apr 15 - Too Slim & The Tail Draggers, Apr 22 - Damon Fowler Group, April 29 - Bob Dorr & The Blue Band, May 6 Shannon Curfman, May 13 - Scott Ellison, May 20 - Deak Harp, May 27 - The Insomniacs |
Featured Blues Review 1 of 5
| J & R Adventures 12 songs; Time 64:28; Meritable - Style: Rock; Pop The necks of eleven guitars were visible just above the stage-side wall at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. Had the MVBF folks created a guitar store for the artists, or did all these belong to one player? Befitting a young, absolutely amazing guitar player like Joe Bonamassa, they were all his. He used a different guitar on most every song, even switching guitars in mid-song once or twice. Since his birth in May 8, 1977 and his phenomenal guitar prodigy story (see bio below), Joe Bonamassa has emerged as a major artist and a major money making business machine complete with merchandising, production, agents, and theatre-show touring including a coming appearance at the Royal Albert Hall. Move over Eric Clapton? Just as one’s physical body makes dramatic changes between the ages of ten and twenty, Joe’s music has gone through extreme changes as his genius evolves. Gone are the early recording days when he was a young guitar slinger playing with a three-piece band that showcased his fiery, high-octane style. His recordings in the early 2000s showcased a rollicking boogie blues monster playing instrumental excursions and free style blues-rock. Since meeting producer Kevin Shirley, Joe has toned down the guitar histrionics, polished his singing, and concentrated more on songwriting. “The Ballad of John Henry” continues the journey away from what Joe was a few years back. While Joe considers this to be his “finest work to date” and to be a “Blues” album, it isn’t, and it isn’t! For example, why would a guitarist of Bonamassa’s caliber indulge in power chord plodding like a heavy metal band? The opening to the title track is heavy thuds, for 47 seconds. But, the most glaring example is track 5, “Story of a Quarryman.” This song is like a stale white bread sandwich with delicious meat in the middle. It opens with plodding power chords for 2:25 minutes. Then, in the middle we get 68 seconds of the wonderful string picking and note bending and blending for which Joe is famous. At the end is 1:25 minutes of more head banging, heavy riff drivel. “The Ballad of John Henry,” his seventh studio album, isn’t totally devoid of any redeeming values, however. For example, “Stop” is as good as “...Quarryman” is bad. It is still Joe Bonamassa playing mostly fantastic guitar to which his voice is equal, the songs are good, and the band is superb. Produced by Kevin Shirley, the album features seven tracks penned by Bonamassa himself. There are also five covers, including a strong vocal on Tom Waits' “Jockey Full Of Bourbon,” Tony Joe White’s “As the Crow Flies,” and the Newley/Bricusse song “Feelin' Good.” Like his eleven varied guitars, this is his most varied album. This leaves the listener with choices: if one song or song passage doesn’t trim your hedge, perhaps the next one will. Bio: By the time he was twelve, Joe was touring with King, which led to opening slots for many other stars including Buddy Guy, Foreigner, George Thorogood, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman. After a collaborative stint in the band Bloodlines, Bonamassa’s solo debut was 2000’s A New Day Yesterday. The powerhouse original “Miss You, Hate You” remains a cornerstone of Joe’s repertoire, as does the slide guitar showcase “Cradle Rock.” He followed it up in ’02 with his first #1 album So, It's Like That. Blues Deluxe came next in 2003 (the “Year of the Blues”) and is Bonamassa’s soulful tribute to the genre. Bonamassa’s forward propulsion of the blues continued with 2004’s Had To Cry Today. Enter Kevin Shirley: Spring 2006 saw the release of You & Me. With 2007’s Sloe Gin, Bonamassa’s music continued to evolve as did his own identity as one of contemporary music’s most profoundly talented stars. Note: Joe is also highly respected for his Blues In The Schools program, which educates students nationwide about the legacy and influence of the blues. Reviewer James “Skyy Dobro” Walker is a noted Blues writer, DJ and Blues Blast contributor. His weekly radio show “Friends of the Blues” can be heard each Thursday from 4:30 – 6:00pm on WKCC 91.1 FM in Kankakee, IL For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. |
Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry 
| Advertising Special Blues Blast Magazine advertising rates slashed (Ads must be reserved by March 31st, 2009) Blues Blast Magazine is a great way to promote the Blues. More than 12,000 Blues fans, Blues society members, festival promoters, record companies, artists and Blues publishers read our Blues Blast magazine each week. They are located in all 50 states and in more than 60 countries. We get more than 800,000 hits and more than 10,000 visitors a month on our website. If your Blues Society is organizing a Blues Fest we offer cost effective advertising that really "Gets The Blues Word Out"! If you are a Blues performer, we can help promote your new CD. We know times are hard and Blues music is the Music for the times! So for a limited time Blues Blast Magazine is offering "recession prices" on festival and CD advertising. Normal 2009 Advertising rates are $30 a week for Blues Blast magazine ads. Website ads are $40 per month for a small ads on the sidebar of the homepage and $55 per month for a larger ad on the main homepage area. BUT, for a limited time, you can advertise your Blues event or CD in Blues Blast Magazine for less that the cost of a small ad in your local newspaper. If you reserve and pay for your ad space by March 31st, 2009 we are offering a special combo rate of $100 a month to get both a weekly Blues Blast magazine ad AND a sidebar ad on our website (Minimum of 2 months). SO for $200 your ad will run in eight issues of the Blues Blast and be on the website for 2 months. Your ad will be seen by THOUSANDS of Blues fans! Ads can be scheduled for any dates in 2009. Space is limited during some summer festival season times and will be sold on a first come first served basis. To get more information email |
Blues Want Ads
| Blues Musicians Place Your Want Ad here for FREE "workin Blues performers" ONLY can place Want Ads here for FREE. NO Commercial Ads! Blues Music Writers wanted Blues Blast Magazine is looking for reviewers to review new Blues CD's. If you have a background and experience with Blues music and like to write we can provide new CD's for you to review. Person must be willing to write a minimum of one review every other week. Reviewer keeps the CD's for writing the review. If interested please send a sample of your writing and a short bio of your Blues background to All ads submitted will be used if space allows. If space is limited, ads will be randomly selected to appear in the Blues Blast. Ads may be edited. Send your ad submission to |
| Listen to GLT Blues every weekend in March for MOJO MADNESS! It's your chance to win tickets to the Illinois Blues Festival in Peoria on Labor Day weekend as you call GLT to vote for your favorite blues artists. Here's the deal: We've seeded and bracketed 32 great blues artists from yesterday and today for a blues tournament we're calling "MOJO MADNESS." MOJO MADNESS is just like the NCAA Basketball tournament every March, except YOU decide the winner of each round with your phone votes. If you're the 89th voter in a particular match, you'll win concert tickets. You may call to vote as often as you like, but you can only win once during the tournament. Every person who wins concert tickets by being the 89th voter qualifies for the Grand Prize: A Black Cat Bone ... that is, an iPod with songs from all 32 artists who made it into the 2009 MOJO MADNESS bracket. Look at and download your own MOJO MADNESS bracket so you can keep track of the winners, as well as the date and times of each MOJO MADNESS match. Here's the link to the bracket: http://wglt.org/programs/blues/mojo-layout.pdf The first "match' this week is Friday night from 8pm - 9pm, featuring Koko Taylor vs Willie Kent. Listen Live and phone in your votes at 309 438-8910 Here are the matchups for this weekend: This Weeks Matches
Week Three Winners
For more info, go to http://www.wglt.org To tune in to GLT Blues Radio 24/7 and Play MOJO MADNESS simply CLICK HERE |
Blues Video of the Week
| This week we feature a video from a 1986 that has Blues greats Luther Allison, Otis Rush and Eric Clapton playing "Every Day I Have The Blues". It doesn't get any better than this! To see this cool video on our website, click the play button below.
. For other videos on our website CLICK HERE. |
Luther Allison, Eric Clapton & Otis Rush 
| The Simply The Blues Festival May 8th and 9th 2009 in Fort Madison, IA. May 8th -Bobby Rush, Sugar Blue, porterdavis, Patrick Hazell and the The Smokin Mojo Kings. May 9th - Johnny Drummer, Liz Mandeville, Michael Frank, Chris James and Patrick Rynn, Bob Corritore, Harper, The Soul Of John Black, Shannon Curfman, 2009 International Blues Challenge band winner JP Soars And The Red Hots, IBC solo/duet winner Little Joe McLerran, Rich Berry, The Avey Brothers and Brad McCloud and the Case of the Blues. For more information go to www.simplemanenterprises.com. |
Featured Blues Review 2 of 5
Reviewed by Ben "the Harpman" Cox. Visit his website Juke Joint Soul For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. |
Cool Disposition - Jumping In the Mudd| | The River City Blues Society presents Wednesday Blues 7:00pm Early Shows featuring Apr 1 - Reverend Raven & The Chain Smoking Alter Boys The Dragon's Dome To see Map- CLICK HERE Admission $4 - One free admission with new Society membership
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Featured Blues Review 3 of 5
For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. |
Motor City Josh with Special Guest Jason Ricci - Forty Four - a Tribute to Howlin’ WolfFeatured Blues Review 4 of 5
For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. |
The Billy Gibson Band - Live At Rum Boogie CaféFeatured Blues Review 5 of 5
For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE. |
Big G & the Real Deal - Chicago Blues PartyLive Blues Calendar
| YOU can submit your Blues performances for FREE at: http://www.illinoisblues.com/submitnews.htm
Performance dates were submitted by Musicians, Club Owners, Blues Societies and Blues festivals. TheBluesBlast.com is not responsible for errors or omissions.
or click a state to see Blues shows by State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Performance dates submitted by Musicians, Clubs, Blues Societies and Blues festivals. The BluesBlast.com is not responsible for errors or omissions. |
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| Get the Blues word OUT! Festivals... Blues Blast Magazine & TheBluesBlast.com's website are great ways to promote ANY Blues event or product. In fact we believe we just might have THE best Blues advertising vehicle anywhere to promote YOUR Blues event! Blues CD's... For less than the cost of one small ad in a newspaper, you can advertise your shows, new CD or any Blues product. A great way to get the Blues word out! Blues fans WANT to know about your Blues event of product. Call Bob at (309) 267-4425 or send an email to Blues Blast Magazine covers Blues all over the US - NOT just in Illinois! We also offer effective advertising for Festivals and Club Owners, Recording Companies and Performers. Put your Blues advertisement on our homepage at: http://www.TheBluesBlast.com either as a sponsored event or as a featured event, product, recording or merchandise. We get 10,000 visitors and 800,000 hits A MONTH on our website! More than 12,000 Blues Fans, Musicians, Recording Companies, Club Owners, Blues Societies and Festival Promoters in all 50 states and in 40 countries read the Blues Blast magazine each week. You can feature your event or product in the largest FREE internet Blues magazine delivered right to your inbox each week. Contact us Today at |
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