Congratulations Diunna!

My good friend, Diunna Greenleaf, and her band, Blue Mercy, is number one all over Europe! I’ve been hearing and reading about her latest CD, Trying to Hold On, and even listening to song snippets on her site, and DAMN! That woman can not only sing the Blues, she can write the Blues. So well that she’s once again been nominated for a couple of Blues Music Awards: for the Koko Taylor Award - Traditional Blues Female, and for Traditional Blues Album.

I’m going to get back to Diunna in a minute. I just moseyed over to the Blues Foundation site to look at all the BMA nominations again. Including Diunna, this year there are SIXTEEN nominees who’ve played the Boulder Outlook at least once, and they are: Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone, Candye Kane, Tommy Castro Band, Trampled Under Foot, Samantha Fish, J.P. Soars, Eric Clapton (just seeing if you’re paying attention), Danielle Schnebelen, Lazy Lester, Keith Crossan, Lionel Young, Otis Taylor, Ben Prestage, Eden Brent, Mike Zito, and Zac Harmon. Right now I feel like I need to have a lie-down. That’s an overwhelming list of talent we’ve had the great fortune of hearing and seeing up close and personal. Wow...

Ok, back to Diunna. Anywho, I had a nice long phone chat with the Houston native late last week, and it was thrilling to share in her much-deserved excitement. Several months ago, I was having a nice long phone chat with another good friend (who also happens to be one of Diunna’s BFFs), Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin, a producer on this CD, and he told me I’d need to fasten my proverbial seatbelt once I got my hands on it. He said it was one of the finest Blues records he’s heard in a very long time. Last week I had yet another phone chat with yet another Bob (who produced six of the thirteen tracks and plays harmonica on four of them), who has this to say: I’m just thrilled to be a part of Diunna’s new record. I feel it is simply brilliant. Diunna’s is one of the greatest voices in Blues today, and the songwriting on this is superb. A simply brilliant songwriter-oriented blues CD. ~Bob Corritore~

Let's Be Gracious

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon in bed, finally getting some time to rest a head cold.  The only way for me to get proper rest is to go off line; no emails, no facebook, no news.  I lasted until about 6:30 p.m.  I opened FB, and saw Matt Hill’s status on the passing of Hubert Sumlin at the age of 80.  My heart sank. 

Just the weekend before, Thanksgiving Weekend, Bob Margolin was in Boulder for the Otis Taylor Trance Blues Workshop/Jam/Festival, and he and I talked about what a difficult year the Blues has suffered.  We were sitting at the bar of Blues & Greens at the Outlook, as we have so many times over the years, having a quick bite in between workshop sessions.  Because the restaurant staff has suffered an inexplicable number of tragedies, particularly in the young sibling department, the subject of loss was heavily in the air: the 39-year old sister of one of our senior bartenders (and one of my best friends) was terminally ill, and passed away the day after this conversation.  Three weeks earlier was the sudden passing of another bartender’s 22-year old brother.

I Have A Cool Job!

I’ve know for a few years now that my job is way cool, but sometimes the severity of the way coolness can be overwhelming. 

First, I’ll not make the assumption that all readers know what I do:  I book and promote live Blues shows at the Boulder Outlook Hotel.   A little history; when hotel owner, Dan King, first started booking music in the hotel’s restaurant, he had a kitchen tenant called Skinny Jay’s.  Some artists would say, “Welcome to Skinny Jay’s!” on the mic.  I asked them to please change that to “The Outlook,” as the tenant had nothing to do with the music, and I didn’t want the name recognition falsely placed.  Then three years ago, Dan took over the kitchen, and named the restaurant Blues & Greens (local food, live music).  I’ve spent the last three years introducing bands with “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Blues & Greens.”   I gave that up a week ago.  Because of my earlier insistence, everyone refers to us as The Outlook. 

I’m coming up on five years at this wonderful Home of the Blues, and am daily grateful that I decided very early on that we needed a weekly “Blues Letter,” as now, all those shows have been documented.  I was genetically blessed with a good memory, but we’ve had so many barn-burners here, that even my near-total recall is tested (Blues Letter archive here).

John-Alex

The first time I met John-Alex Mason was the first time I was to hear him perform. Both events proved to be monumental on many levels. Musically, I couldn’t believe this Nordic version of the Greek God Apollo could sound like an African American native of Clarksdale, MS. But indeed he did.

I would go on to hear John-Alex many, many times over the years, and each time, my mind returned to the first, because each time was sui generis. One of the last times I heard him play, he was at the Boulder Outlook with the Cedric Burnside Project, and I wrote this (complete blog entry can be found here):

The evening opened with the amazing one man wall of sound, John-Alex Mason, alone on guitar. I’ve known John-Alex for a few years now, and yet this was the first time I’ve heard him alone on guitar. He typically plays his solo gigs on guitar and drums simultaneously, creating the illusion of a full band, and with a voice that was made for singing the Blues. I loved hearing him stripped down and raw last night.

I so did love it. Although most know that I’m the promotional director and talent buyer for the Boulder Outlook, I’m still perfectly comfortable blowing our own horn. We’ve had countless “one of those nights” at the Outlook. One jam saw the Tommy Castro Band, The Insomnias, Jason Ricci & New Blood, and the Delta Sonics. No cover. That lucky capacity crowd will be talking about that night for the rest of their Blues-loving lives. The same can be said of the audience that night with John-Alex and the CBP. So much so, that I broke the rules and let them play past music curfew. No one wanted that night to end.

John-Alex Mason, November 30, 19--, October 19, 2011

It is with a very heavy heart that I must report the news of John-Alex’s passing. He had been in the hospital in critical condition for almost three weeks after a routine outpatient procedure. He was comatose for all of that time with massive brain damage.

John-Alex was scheduled to play here this Saturday night with Gary Allegretto. Gary is now hosting a Memorial Concert with the Rob Wilson Band. There is no cover. 8:00 - 10:30.

Sunday we are hosting a Memorial Service and Blues Jam for John-Alex, 6:30 - 10:00. Let’s make sure he hears us. Goodbye my friend. 

~Honey Bee Sepeda

The Future of The Blues

There are several perks that come with being a talent buyer for a popular live Blues venue, and the music itself heads the list. High up on that list is bearing witness to growth of the next generation of great Blues musicians.

Yesterday afternoon, we had the Young Blood Blues Band open for a Dan King for City Council campaign volunteer party, and the kids were a worthy choice for the honor. This band came to be about three years ago, starting with Tony Golden (bass) and Zach Bahn (drums and recently excepted to the Denver School of the Arts ), who were both eight at the time. They were at the Outlook for a Sunday jam, sat in with the adults, and were already a solid rhythm section. I told them if they put together a band, I’d hire them to open on occasion. They took me seriously. Not too long after that, Zach and Tony sat in with Steady Rollin‘ Bob Margolin once at the Outlook, prompting Bob to say on the mic, “I’ve had to pay rhythm sections that aren’t this good.” Oh, and they got their picture in Blues Review magazine in Bob’s column. Not bad. Now a seasoned eleven, they rock the stage with bandmates Ryan Hutchinson, eleven (keys), Brady Hutchinson, fifteen (guitar), Melisa Lundy, thirteen (vocals), and Rhyleigh Abel, ten (harmonica).

Since the conception (Jim Primock and I even came up with the band’s name that very first night), they have played a few times at the Outlook, and I recently arranged for them to open for Bob Margolin at the Buffalo Rose in Golden, CO. They then returned the favor, and had Bob sit in with them. Pure magic. (See YouTube on the right).

The phone call came in at 10:01 a.m., Friday, September 16, 2011. It was John Catt, founder of the Grand County Blues Society. I was moments away from heading out the door for a long walk on an only-in-Colorado September day of glorious beauty; slightly crisp temperature, with glimpses of vibrant golds and reds in the leaves, heralding the upcoming annual display of their brilliant pallet. The mountains are looking on in excited anticipation of the show. It’s my favorite time of year. Then the day crashed and burned into horribleness. The conversation went like this:

HB: Hi Darlin’, what’s up.
JC: You haven’t heard [stated more as a sad fact than a question].
HB: [Cautiously] Heard what?
JC: I’m sorry, Dear, I have bad news.
HB: What.
JC: Willie “Big Eyes” Smith passed away this morning.”

It’s a few hours later, and the word “no” is still screaming in my head.

Willie and I weren’t friends on the level of phone calls and “keeping in touch.” No, ours was a Blues Friendship. Those Big Eyes lit up when he saw me, as did mine. He was one of the sweetest, loveliest people I’ve ever known, and I rejoiced every time his agent (for this region), Derek Smith, would email me with dates for Willie. The last couple of time he’s played the Outlook, I’ve had to move local bands to accommodate his schedule. The local bands didn’t complain. Actually, they felt honored to be rescheduled for Willie.

Willie and Bob Margolin were the first national acts to play the Boulder Outlook. They were on the gig together, and it was the first time I went to the place that was to become my home away from home. It was a sold-out show, and the music was superb. I saw Willie (with his band) about a year later, again at the Outlook. It was a rare weekend night that local Blues heros, the Delta Sonics, had the night off, and Willie Panker and John Butler (drums and bass respectively) came down for the show, and we all sat together. It was remarkable.

He’s played for us a number of times since, and each time our friendship grew a little deeper, with more laughs borne of familiarity and history (not to mention mutual friends). He was last here on April 23rd, and we spent a good bit of time together that day, a few hours before the gig. His son, Javik, was with him as well. We had a lovely time, most of it spent laughing. When I went up to him to say “goodnight,” I was met with the type of embrace, so warm, so genuine, that it was the first thing that sprung to my mind when John Catt delivered the sad news. I may not have Willie here any longer, but that moment is mine forever.

~Honey Bee Sepeda~