The Blues Had A Grand Baby

The title is obviously a paraphrase of Muddy’s famous quote, “The Blues had a baby, and they named it Rock and Roll.”  That phrase kept rolling around my head last night as I listened to the Cedric Burnside Project.  If Rock and Roll is the baby of the Blues, then Rap and Hip Hop are the grandkids.  And they were on stage together last night at the Boulder Outlook.  To take the theme even further, Cedric and baby brother Cody are the grandsons of Blues legend, R. L. Burnside, and they offer up all kinds of proof of their lineage.

Cedric, or “Ced,” as his friends call him (and I’m now one!), is a triple threat: guitar, drums, and a voice that makes butter seem bitter.  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.  And then he brought up a couple of friends.

Lionel and Honey: A Friendship Tree

Dear Readers,

I give you fair and advanced warning: This is going to get mushy. I just got off the phone with Lionel Young, the first and only double International Blues Challenge Winner, and my friend. It was an inspiring discussion. As are most with him.

He was returning a call I placed earlier to cover some business. Upon concluding said business, we did as we often do and spent some time chatting and catching up on the topical issues of life.

Lionel and I are lucky, not only to be true friends, but to share a number of true friends, one of them being Bob Margolin. In light of the very recent passing of Pinetop Perkins, Lionel asked me tonight how Bob was doing. [Ed. Note: Since this is a Blues blog, I’m not going to explain that inquiry; Dear Reader knows.] Having had the pleasure of speaking with Bob earlier today, I was able to answer that question: Sad, moved, inspired, and as well as can be expected. We then spent several minutes in a Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin Fan Club Meeting. A lovely place to be. And a place we visit often during our phone chats. More on that club and membership requirements in a later post. 

Top of The World Blues

Literally. Every year on the last full weekend of June, Winter Park, CO, is transformed into a Blues lover’s paradise. At 9000 feet above sea level, this June 24th opens the ninth year of Blues From the Top, another festival I WON’T miss. I know Telluride gets a lot of prestige and attention, but Winter Park is my favorite!

Before I go on to the myriad ways in which this festival is the pride of Colorado, I offer some practical advice. I live in Boulder, which is around 5500 feet above sea level. I’ve been here for 12 years, so I’m acclimated to the altitude. Until I go to Winter Park. Those additional 3500 feet can be tough. However, a couple of years ago I discovered ChlorOxygen, a chlorophyll concentrate which increases oxygenation. Beginning three weeks before the big weekend, I start taking it daily. It really helps. I have no interest in the company, nor am I a paid spokesperson. I offer you this link to make it easier on anyone wanted to minimize the effects of altitude.

Back to the Blues. From the Top. Although officially a two-day festival, it’s actually been three. In past years, things have kicked off Friday afternoon in the courtyard outside of Smokin’ Moe’s. Last year it was Curtis Salgado and Alan Hagar! Seriously! This year however, there will be a surprise in the park on Thursday, followed by concerts in the courtyard, so it’s now unofficially a four-day event.

The Festival Season Is Just Around The Corner

Which means I’m on a diet. Summer clothes are simply too unforgiving of winter’s indulgences.

Here in Colorado, The Greeley Blues Jam (link here) kicks off the Blues Festival season on the second Saturday in June every year. I have a five-year calendar, and that Saturday is marked off each year. I know where I’ll be. For June 11, 2011, they have once again secured a stellar line up:

• Robert Randolph & The Family 

• Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers 

• The Nighthawks 

• Trampled Under Foot 

• Coco Montoya 

• The North Mississippi Allstars 

And that’s just main stage! Second stage always has great local and regional Blues acts as well, and adding the Blues 101 Youth Stage in the mix, well it’s a one-day festival that packs in two days of music. Very efficient. And not only that, but because there is an Event’s Center on the grounds, weather is not a factor. Last year was a deluge of rain, so the organizers got busy and moved everything over to the E.C., and we all enjoyed a great day of music and dry socks.

Before the big day, however, is the Big Night. Every year, on the second Friday night in June, Greeley is the place to be. No exception this year:

Greeley Blues Jam 2011 
Downtown Friday Events, June 11
9th St. Plaza & Surrounding Area

FREE music all day and night!

Connecting The Stars

A few years ago I learned about a wonderful charity called Blue Star Connection (BSC). And I connected. BSC puts musical instruments in the hands of critically ill children. Many of these kids can’t go out in public because of compromised immune systems, so they miss music lessons and being with their friends. Electric guitars and amps are the most popular. They’re easier to play, and these kids are often weakened by their treatment, so it’s a good match. BSC has placed keyboards, drums, tons of harmonicas, acoustic guitars, and even a saxophone (very expensive, but this one was donated). Unfortunately, there is always more demand than supply.

Within weeks of my initial introduction to the organization, I held the first of what would become an annual fund-raiser. On my birthday. This December will be the fifth annual Honey Bee Birthday Blue Star Connection Benefit (that’s a lot of B’s).

Memphis Maniphesto Complete

Memphis Maniphesto

The Characters:

Lionel Young, violin/guitar/vocals

Jay Forrest, drums/vocals

Kim Stone, bass

Andre Mali, trumpet

Dexter Payne, Sax/harp

Ricardo Pena, keys/guitar/vocals (not on the road trip part, is flying in and out, so he won’t make an appearance until the third act: “Memphis”)

Honey Sepeda, cook/problem-solver/distraction/den mother

ACT ONE: “Kansas”

After a four-hour unscheduled detour involving a faulty tire on the rental van, we are now headed through the center of Kansas. It’s almost 8:00 p.m., Saturday, January 29, 2011. It’s dark in the van, and Kim’s watching a movie, while Lionel is driving and trying to talk to me while I’m trying to write to you. Andre, of course, remains the saint of patience and is interceding on my behalf, sitting in the passenger seat, chatting with Lionel about music so I can work on this blogging business. Jay and Dexter are in Jay’s car just behind us. It’s already been an adventure, and we’re but nine hours into the journey.

While temporarily stalled at a truck stop right at the entrance to Prairie Dog Town, between Colby and Oakley, Kansas, Jay pulled me aside and walked me a short way to show me, off in the distance, the world’s largest prairie dog. Well, just the head, but I saw it! No one else bothered. I guess not everyone is into fine art.

"...For The First Time In IBC History..."

Those were the most beautiful words uttered on Saturday night. It’s when we knew

Before I get to all the excitement, my apologies for this being so late. After the band finals, we raced home for the guys to change, then out to dinner, then back to Beale Street, then up Sunday for breakfast, packing, and a twenty-hour trip home. I’ve been off line. And now I have a cold.

Ok, back to Saturday. As the guys went to the stage door to check in, Rose and I waited out in the cold for the box office to open, planning on purchasing tickets then going off somewhere on Beale St. for a coffee or something. However, after said purchase, we entered the lovely Orpheum Theater and saw the crowd. We amended our decision, found two seats, again within line of sight of the judges, and settled in for the next four and a half hours. It went by in a flash.