Blue Band Update

The latest from Bob Dorr.

I've GOT to quit talking about the weather...but...another 5" of snow this week (it was closer to a foot in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City!) and today (Fri) we try to drive to Minneapolis and back, hopefully before the predicted 40 mph winds and actual low temps of -10 settle in on Saturday night. In the words of the great Vince Lombardi "What the hell's goin' on around here?!!" Speaking of which, what's goin on is: Tonight (2/8) Famous Dave's-Uptown. The Twin Cities #1 blues bar, Lake & Hennepin, Minneapolis MN. 9-12:30a. We'll be the "budget size" 5 piece with Heath driving in right after teaching school all day to play saxophone. The combination of Blue People from Minnesota, plus ex-Iowans who've migrated to the Big City, and Iowans who drive up for the weekend REALLY makes these shows at Dave's really fun and have a certain reunion feeling/atmosphere. Come for the great Bar-b-que, stay for dancing... Hopefully the wicked blowing snow will hold off long enough for us to drive back right after the Famous Dave's show because Saturday night, right here in Sparkle City, one of my all-time favorite rockin' blues harmonica players, Magic Dick, of the J. Geils Band will be part of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring the Tommy Castro Band, Magic Dick & Deanna Bogart. This is the winter Blues Blowout fundraiser for Iowa Public Radio-KUNI at Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo. I'll see ya on the dancefloor. More info: www.iowapublicradio.org... Next Saturday (2/16) we float into Fairfield for a fundraiser for the hospital dialysis unit. The newspaper article says: Bob Dorr and the Blue Band is set to headline a benefit for the Doug Johnson Memorial Dialysis Fund. In addition to its annual golf tournament, the Jefferson County Hospital Foundation has taken on another fund-raising event this year. The event will kick off with a social hour from 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 16 in the atrium of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. The band will begin playing at 8:30 p.m. All of the proceeds from the event will go toward the dialysis fund and the construction of a dialysis center on the future Jefferson County Health Center campus. The dialysis center may open before the hospital. "This fundraiser will really give the dialysis center a shot in the arm," said June Lowenberg, hospital public relations and marketing manager. "You don't have to dance to come." Although the foundation had initially intended to hold a formal event, Lowenberg said those who attend the social and concert are welcome to dress up or go in casual attire. The event is something sort of "out of the box" for anyone looking to celebrate Valentine's Day, which falls on the Thursday before the Saturday event, Lowenberg said. Not only is it something a little different, it's for a good cause, she added... We currently have no work the week of Feb. 17-23. This could change if you decide that we'd be the perfect entertainment for that cabin fever party at your mansion on the outskirts of town... If there is no earth shattering Blue News, this will be the last Blue Note for a couple of weeks. I feel bad that the last few weeks of these notes have been so humorless. The winter is really beating me down this year. It just seems to be wave after wave. Sparkle City has received more than twice the normal snowfall. Iowa City has almost triple the normal snowfall! This puts a completely different meaning on the phrase CAN YOU DIG IT?!... See ya on the Blue Highway (errrr, Avenue of The Saints) bring yer zydeco tie to the rib joint, and if you're traveling in bad weather, be sure to bring along a survival kit that has a generous supply of CAKE. We love you, Bob Dorr & The Blue Band PS: don't forget to tell your local festival committee about us, most of them are making decisions for summer entertainment RIGHT NOW!!