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~

Stuck Inside of Boulder with The Memphis Blues Again

Apparently I woke juxtaposing Memphis and Bob Dylan.  But with the IBC Preliminary Band Round here at the Outlook this Sunday, ‘tis no wonder I’ve Memphis on my mind. 

But first, tonight.  The wildly energetic Jason Downing will be here with Musketeer Gripweed, and it’s been quite some time.  Jason has unique approach to music, and he’s fun to watch.  See you tonight, Jason.

Tomorrow night brings one of my favorite’s back; Maynard Mills.  The last time he was here, Gretchen Troop and her husband, Biff, were thinking of going out, and so I suggested the Outlook for Maynard since they’d not heard him before.  They picked me up, and on the drive over told me they were only staying for the first set.  I thought to myself, “We’ll see about that.”  By the third song, they were both asking me how it was they’d not heard him before.  We stayed for both sets. 

Saturday night Paul Soderman and BluesHouze is back!  It’s been a long time coming, so don’t forget if you want to get a seat come early, however with them it’s usually come early if you want to get in.  And rest up, because there is always a very crowded dance floor for these guys. 

Do You Remember The Very First Day Of September...

Ok, so I kind of paraphrased Earth, Wind and Fire there, but it fits. Love was changing the mind of pretenders...

Speaking of pretenders, before I go any further, a Craigslist ad was brought to my attention this morning, and I’d like our readers to know WE DID NOT PLACE THIS AD AND IT HAS NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH THE OUTLOOK. Here’s the ad:

“Looking for a Blues Band (Colorado)

Date: 2011-08-31, 4:39PM MDT

Reply to: comm-emg3w-2575956816@craigslist.org

If you are a local blues band and you have not yet played at The Blues and Greens Restaraunt in Boulder.................then I would like to see a pic, bio and hear your music.”

First of all, if I were to place an ad, the spelling and grammar would be correct. Just sayin’. Second, it’s not THE Blues and Greens, it’s Blues & Greens. We at least know the name of the venue, sheeeesh! Amateur!

Ok, so on to the Blues! Tonight is the long-awaited Clay McClinton show! We’ve all been wondering about the Son of Delbert, but we know that he grew up with the Blues in his blood, listening to the best. I can’t wait to hear this future of the Blues Ambassador. And I have to admit that since his posters have been hanging around the room for about four months now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that he’s something of a cutie pie. Again, just sayin’. Here’s something tasty:

“Clay's musical virtuosity shines with the release of his third album, Livin’ Out Loud (2010). He blends Americana and Texas blues with a touch of country to give us a tremendous follow up to his two previous releases—Out of the Blue (2004) and Son of a Gun (2006). Livin’ Out Loud is openhearted and thoughtful, and often explores the tension between the love for adventure and the longing for home. Clay has taken grand leaps both as a singer-songwriter and as a musician, and the eleven tracks also foretell of great things to come. Much like his earlier albums, Clay wrote or co-wrote ten of the tracks. He was honored to write with Bruce Channel, Dave Duncan, Rob Roy Parnell, Ricky Ray, and of course, Delbert. He produced the album with Kevin McKendree, a longtime family friend as well as Delbert’s piano player. Clay describes the process of creating the album with these and other great musicians as one of self-discovery and personal and professional growth.”

To Jason, Shawn, and Todd, With All My Love

It’s been a bit more than a year since one of my favorite bands disbanded; Jason Ricci and New Blood were one of those bands that always filled a room, and we certainly miss them as a unit. There is a lot I can say but I think the review I wrote the first time I heard them almost five years ago, is pretty much to the point:

New Blood for the Blues

For centuries there has existed a rare, temporary medical condition striking a dozen or so tourists annually in Florence, Italy, the cradle of Italian Renaissance, and a city which simply groans under the weight of her myriad masterpieces. For these few tourists, encountering masterpieces pretty much wherever the eye lands, creates symptoms including amnesia, dizziness, and disorientation, and often requires a hospital stay. French novelist and writer Marie-Henri Beyle, known as Stendhal, was struck with the malaise in 1817, thus finally giving the illness a name: Stendhal Syndrome.

Boulder, Colorado has recently experienced an opposing variation of this rare malaise, in that rather than the visiting tourist being struck, it is the locals who are visited by it. And it’s not as much a visual attack, it’s an oracular one. It’s known as “JRS,’ or Jason Ricci Syndrome, and it clobbers Boulder periodically. The symptoms are the same. The treatment, however, rests not in minimizing the exposure, but intensifying it. The patient becomes incapable of resisting finding JRS-related masterpieces online and listening for hours on end, abandoning sleep and nutrition. And on occasion, all mental reason.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like The Beiber?

Like many a Blues fan, I am frequently frustrated at the fortunes of mediocre, auto-tuned talent, while geniuses like Pinetop Perkins and Honeyboy Edwards have to work well into their 90’s to keep food on the table. It isn’t fair, but it is our actuality.

I was in the middle of a big move when the news of Amy Winehouse’s untimely death hit the wire, and was leveled with sadness at the loss of such a talent. I’ve been thinking a lot about her, one of those rare artists who captivated the masses without requirement of bells and whistles, just that raw, scarcely-found innate talent. I don’t often find myself thinking about globally popular musicians, nor the pop world in general, but now that I have, I’ve come to realize a few things:

First of all, I don’t think Justin Beiber is a problem, and in all candor, I’ve only heard approximately four minutes of his music, so I’m too ill-informed on the subject to pass judgement, beyond that those four minutes didn’t speak to me. It is here I must disclose that when I was ten, I was all about Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson, so I do understand the appeal to young girls. And since that will never change, the Blues world needs to embrace it. And I have just the magic weapons to get the Blues into the hands, ears, and hearts of the next generation: Austin Young, Jack Gaffney, Taylor Marvin, Nic Cottonseed Clark, Noah Mast, and Forrest Raup. The oldest in this fantacy band is seventeen.

Given the technology we have today, stars are being made on You Tube. The trick is to get something to go viral, and viola! At the risk of sounding exploitative, all these guys are good looking, charming, and DAMN talented. And whether we want to admit it or not, what initially gets the attention of tweens and teens are looks; the music comes later. I was eighteen the first time I heard live Blues, and I was hooked from moment one. I think kids are smarter than Madison Avenue gives them credit, and if you give them quality, they will recognize it.

Remembering that the word “fan” derives from “fanatic,” once people become fans of a band, they will read every interview and review they can find, and it is through that practice that they are directed toward the influences of their new musical heros. I speak from personal experience: Several years ago I was at the Outlook to review a band I’d not seen, Jason Ricci and New Blood. I became an instant fan, and for weeks searched the internet for all I could find. And, in light of that research, I know about all of Jason’s influences.

So, for the sake of argument, imagine this band of teenagers gets a viral hit, and then the interviews begin. Then, everyone of their fans would know the names and music of Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Kim Wilson, Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, etc. What I’ve realized in all this thinking about Amy Winehouse, is that there is a HUGE audience for true genius, and we have a lot of them in the Blues world, we just need to start thinking like the kids if we want to reach them. I’m going to talk to the parents of the aforementioned geniuses, and see if we might want to put something together. Anyone reading this who also knows of young, genuinely talented Blues artists, consider You Tube. The Blues is the oldest and most deeply rooted music in the American catalog, but our approach can’t be. We need to change the way we think about promotion, and the first step is accepting the reality that the way to the masses’ hearts begins with the youth.

 ~Honey Bee Sepeda~