BVU BEATS SIMPSON!!!

I caught the last second shot by the BVU womens team to win their game against Simpson College. It was a pretty exciting game, with the Beavers coming back from 3 down with around 40 seconds to win with a last second three pointer.

Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update: YES THEY ARE PLAYING TOMORROW:-)

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said "everybody talks about the weather, but nobody DOES anything about it!"? Well here I am proving my shallowness by talking about the weather. This morning, Sparkle City tied an ALL TIME record of 34 below zero. This is without the windchill! That's right, I've now lived thru the coldest temperature EVER recorded in my hometown. Something people never talk about, is that when it's 34 below zero, it's SIXTY SIX degrees below the temperature that water freezes! Wasn't I the one who said last year "NO MORE IOWA WINTERS!"? (yes I was)...

Speaking of the weather, (the shallowness continues) the 7" of snow on Tuesday forced postponement of the trio performance that Jeff and I were going to be part of in Storm Lake. It was postponed until yesterday (Thur.) Then -45 windchills forced a second postponement. So, Tuesday Jan. 20 will now be attempt #3 (third time's the charm, 'eh?) Jeff and I will join Tom Gary for a trio performance in Anderson Auditorium, Buena Vista University, in Storm Lake. Showtime is 7pm, open to the public, free of charge. The prognosticators say Tuesday will be the warmest day of the week and may even be above freezing! Break out the Hawaiian shirts and shorts! And speaking of 7" of snow (no shallowness there) Cedar Falls now has TWICE as much snow at this point this year as we had last year at this time! Last year was the 4th greatest snowfall total of all time. I'm thinkin' THAT record will now be ours too. Aren't we special?...

Let's face it. The reason that I'm still enduring Iowa winters is because this is the only place that I've got something going on! But that could change too! Usually the band's summer performance calendar is pretty much filled by now. Not so this year. We've got more open weeks at this point of year than ever before (apparently it IS a record setting year) and an all staff meeting has been called at (the station formerly known as) KUNI for 2:30 this afternoon. Rumors of budget "challenges" are rampant. So be sure and let your local town festival organizers/entertainment committee know about us and be sure and pay your annual dues to the Friends of Iowa Public Radio. Otherwise, I might have to come and live in your garage and you don't want that!...

We're hoping to see you Saturday the 24th at the Ottumwa Elks Club and Friday the 30th at the new Porky's Pub and Garage, 5125 NE 14th in Des Moines. Sorry, you need an invitation to attend the birthday party on Jan. 31...

My annual Elvis Presley special on Iowa Public Radio's Backtracks show happens tomorrow (Sat. 1/17) 7-10p and will include a nationally syndicated hour long spotlight on the King's 1968 Comeback TV special. Listen anywhere on the planet at www.iowapublicradio.org. You can make a pledge of support there too! Thankyou, thankyouverymuch for listening...

The weatherman is saying that the temps have zoomed up to -6, so I gotta get out and start shoveling out the band equipment truck (maybe if I start now, I'll have it dug out by next Saturday when it's got to go to Ottumwa) See ya on the Blue Highway, if you rub that zydeco tie fast enough, maybe it'll become like a space heater, it's not too late to send birthday CAKE (hey, it's still my birthday WEEK) and remember our love for you runs hot, even in record low temperatures. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band

PS: our friends Checker & The Bluetones play the "geezer gig" at The Hub tonight, 6-9p. Bring your dancing shoes...

Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

I KNEW I shouldn't have used yesterday afternoon's sunny skies to finally chip away the last of that funky ice that fell last Saturday night. Having everything cleared just encourages Mother Nature to try harder. We're currently adding to our record snowfall for this time of year here in Cedar Falls at the rate of about an inch an hour. They don't call it Sparkle City for nothin'! Actually "they" don't call it Sparkle City, but that's another email. We have about 7" more of snowfall now than we did last year at this time. Last year, Sparkletown had the 4th greatest snowfall total OF ALL TIME! It's clear that "Mom" is going for the record this year. Dr. Dave, you picked a hell of a winter to stay in the midwest...

I guess the "good news" about not having a gig this weekend is that we don't have to travel in this weather. Hopefully roadways will be cleared away by Tuesday when Jeff & I are scheduled to drive to Storm Lake to be part of pianoman Tom Gary's Blues Class at Buena Vista University. Part of class that night includes a trio performance with Jeff, Tom, and me in Anderson Auditorium. Showtime is 7pm, it's open to the public, free of charge. Bring your zydeco tie, you can be part of the band and get college credit! (where were these classes when I was in school?)...

This is the time of year when I tend to think too much. Post holiday depression is always complicated by my birthday (Christ, Bob, aren't ya getting a little OLD to play in a band and be a radio disc jockey for living?) (excuse me, I'm NOT a disc jockey, I'm a radio ANNOUNCER) On Monday, I'll be marking the 30th time I've celebrated my 28th birthday. There's still plenty of time to SEND CAKE! I use my birthday as an excuse to be totally self indulgent on my Saturday night Rock'n'Roll history show (Backtracks) on Iowa Public Radio. I just got finished recording that program. It's scary to think that I've been carting around Sheb Wooley's Purple People Eater on 45 RPM record for nearly FIFTY ONE years! Don't worry, the pops and scratches on some of those records come at absolutely no extra charge. Join me for the records and stories of my life, Saturday night, 7-10p CST. Get the frequency in your area or listen anywhere on the planet via streamed audio at www.iowapublicradio.org...

We were able to add a few more dates to the appearance calendar this week. Please continue to bring up the band's name to your local festival organizers, club owners, and party planners. We have LOTS (too many) of open dates in the coming weeks! The next Blue Band show happens Sat. Jan. 24 at the Ottumwa Elks Club and we're hoping to see all of our Des Moines area friends at a new Porky's location, Porky's Pub and Garage, 5125 NE 14th St., Friday Jan. 30...

Vicki's place has not had anything new that's half off, so walking the mall for exercise has been a little mundane lately. But there is a question that some of the post holiday sales have me asking. One store advertises certain merchandise at 70% off. Now they have a sign in front of the store that says "take another 50% off of sale merchandise". Does this mean take half off of the remaining 30% or does it mean take 120% off? Which gets me started on another rant that there is only 100%. How many times have you heard that an athlete gave 110%? THERE IS ONLY 100%. 100% is EVERYTHING. You can't give more than EVERYTHING. Oh never mind, that was that "thinking too much" thing coming in again. I'm gonna have to go before I think again...

Thank you for another year of encouragement and support. It's too late to stop now. See ya on the Blue Highway, my original zydeco tie was a BIRTHDAY gift from Gary, Kathy, Mark, and Ginger, so I've been rubbin' it for another year now (!), and remember, there's no better way to celebrate birthdays than with birthday CAKE. We love you, Bob Dorr & The Blue Band

Big Gigs In Storm Lake Iowa

Some cool blues shows are coming to Storm Lake the next few weeks. First it is the return of the Blues history concert series. Once again I am teaching Blues history at Buena Vista University, located on the frozen shores of Storm lake! This year we have on January 9th, The Eric Hovey Band, on January 13th Bob Dorr, and Jeff Peterson of the Blue Band, and on January 15th The Tom Gary Blues Band with special guest Ronn Hill. Ronn is suppose to play with us on the 15th, and this will be the first time he has played in over a year! So this should be a great show! Ronn now lives in Chicago, but he has also been blues and soul legend in every town he has lived in. Born in Des Moines, he has also established himself in not only Chicago, but also in Albuquerque New Mexico, and Las Vegas Nevada.

Also a couple more cool shows coming up. On January 9th Eric Hovey is playing at the Lake Ave Lounge. This is a cool retro bar located on Lake Ave in downtown Storm Lake. It is in the old Masons building, and has been refurbished to its classic 1950s look! Eric is performing from 9-1 on Friday January 9th, and on January 10th The Tom Gary Blues Band will have its CD release party from 8-12! These are some great shows so all of my Iowa readers head on down to Storm Lake and see some legends in blues!!!!!!

January Madness, Or Why I Haven't Posted Much This Month!

We started out on NYE playing at the Gathering place. We had a small crowd but they had a great time.
Here is me and Don sharing a laugh at the Cherokee Jazz and Blues festival
The great Erick Hovey tuning up before he played at BVU as part of the January Blues Series
Here are a couple of nice pics taken by Dolores Cullen of the Storm Lake Times.
The second pic from Dolores.


If it wasn't a gig then it was class, and I still have two more gigs and a week more of classes before I get my nights back!!! It has been a wild couple of weeks and looks to be at least one more great week. Monday night I play piano for Bob Dorr at Buena Vista University, then on Friday after, my class ends at BV, I will rush over to Cherokee and the Gathering Place for our first Third Friday Live! show.

I also wanted to thank the Chronicle Times of Cherokee, the Sioux City Journal, and the Pilot Tribune, and Storm Lake Times, of Storm Lake for there great stories on our band and my blues class.

Hopefully I can return to full time blogging after next week!

January Concert Series At BVU

Here is the schedule of events for the January Blues Series at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake Iowa. If you are lost in the frozen tundra of NW Iowa and need some red hot blues to warm you up then check us out! Here is the press release for the show.

History Of The Blues Concert series

This year marks the fourth year for the history of the blues concert series at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake Iowa. This year features four great blues acts presented in three shows. Ronn Hill with the Erick Hovey Blues Band, Bob Dorr, and the Tom Gary Blues Band.

Ronn Hill was born in Des Moines and grew up in the legendary Center Street neighborhood of Des Moines. Both Ronn’s father and uncle were musicians who played on Center Street, and many times they brought home some of the most legendary blues and jazz musicians of the era with them. Performing since he was 16 years old, Ronn grew up playing blues, soul, and gospel music, and traveled all over the United States. Now living in New Mexico, Ronn is returning to Iowa to perform for the Blues History class at Buena Vista University. He also has a CD available for sale called, Healed. Ronn performs at BVU’s Anderson Auditorium at 7pm on Friday January 4^th.

Backing up Ronn Hill, is Iowa’s own Erick Hovey Blues Band. Erick has performed for many years here in NW Iowa, and has a large following not only here in Iowa, but overseas as well. Erick will also be performing Saturday Night at the Cherokee Jazz and Blues festival with the Hooterville Allstars.

At Anderson Auditorium at 7pm on Thursday January 10^th , The Tom Gary Blues Band performs for the blues history class. The newly reformed Tom Gary Blues Band features some of the areas best talent. Tom Gary, Jim Davis, Don Demers, and Paul Sleezer have put together a tight band with incredible back up. They certainly entertain the crowd, and bring to life some of the best music of the 1950s, with a touch of early 70s funk.

Finally on Monday January 10^th, 7pm in the Anderson Auditorium, Iowa Rock and Roll, and Iowa Blues Hall of fame member Bob Dorr performs with Tom Gary for the last show of the series. Bob Dorr returns from last years show where he thrilled the crowd with his singing and harp playing skills, and also took time to teach all the students how to play harmonica with instruments he bought for them! Bob has performed for years as the leader of the Blue Band one of Iowa’s most storied bands.

All show start at 7pm at Anderson Auditorium and are FREE. Make plans to warm up your night with some red hot blues. Also since it is J-Term there is always plenty of seating available so don’t miss out on some great blues!

Another Wild Weekend

I went to Des Moines in search of blues, and instead I ended up playing them!! The weekend started off with a windy football game down in Pella Iowa, as the Buena Vista Beavers got spanked by Central College 31 to 14. BVU has struggled after winning the first game of the season. Three straight losses has certainly given me the blues! (although the Cubs are in the playoff!!) However, all was not lost. I picked up a gig that night playing for a night disc golf tournament put on by the Des Moines Disc Golf Club. Years ago I played disc golf, I even had a pro number, 3266!! I retired years ago, so I really didn't know many of the people there, but it was fun to play the blues outside on a hilltop to a bunch of disc golfers who were throwing their Frisbees in the dark! Finally, I made it to blues on grand to see my good friends The Soul Searchers who were having a release party for their latest cd called The Soul Searchers. A pretty good Saturday. Tonight has been fun watching severe weather cross the state. No tornado up here, but south and east of me were some twisters, but no damage. Just rain, rain, rain, and a little hail.

BVU Upsets Bethal University!!!!

I know many people will wonder what football has to do with the blues. Baseball and blues certainly go hand in hand, especially in Kansas City, when the Kansas City A's, and the Negro League Monarchs played near 18th and Vine, then catching some blues and BBQ after a game was a no brainier. However, in KC, it has become also customary to tailgate, and what is better than blues and BBQ! Today was a great day for a football game, as you can tell from the above photo BVU has a nice little stadium right next to Strom Lake. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and even though it was warm, there was a nice cool breeze off the lake! PERFECT!

BVU has some new uniforms, and at first I didn't like them, but they grow on ya, especially when they win:-) Last year they were blue and white, this year they brought back the gold for the alumni so they were very happy

It seemed like most of the first half was played in BV's end of the field, but Bethel coundn't score, and BV drove the field at the end of the half to take the lead 7 to zip. The second half started good for Bethel with a field goal, but BV drove the field, and scored a TD. Bethel's next series they threw an interception which the Beavers returned for another touchdown. At this point Bethel with about 10 minutes left scored two quick touchdowns to come within 5 of BV. Bethel had a couple chances late, but the Beaver defense stiffened, and BV won. Here is a clip of the last play of the game. Sorry for the quality. I was planing on buying a new camera for football season and I haven't got around to it.

BVU Upsets Bethel!!
Video sent by bluesman2001

It was a great game and a great day. Now to eat some dinner, or supper as we call it in the midwest, and then listen to some internet blues radio! Ah, yes a perfect day:-)

Photo Of The Week: BVU In Winter

I know it is July, and it is hot, but I just wanted to give everyone a gentle reminder that it could be a lot worse. The photo may look pretty, but this photo was taken by me TWO days after we had 2 feet of snow fall on Storm Lake. It closed schools for three days, and all the roads leading out of town were blocked for 2 days. It was the biggest snow storm I had been in since the 1970s. I couldn't get my car out of the garage, and even if I did I had no where to go, so I walked around town in drifts up to my waist taking pictures. So even if you are hot now, just wait in 6 months you will wish it was summer again:-) OH BTW, for my friends south of the Equator, I know you are in the middle of Winter, but Spring is on the way!