Attention New York Blues Bands

Sonny Rock sent the following email announcing that he has a local licks show in New York. Bands in New York send him your stuff and get on the radio! Here is his message

Hello to all! I am hosting a brand new radio show on WRIP 97.9fm called "LOCAL LICKS". The show is on every Tues. night 6-8pm est. I'm looking for original, well recorded music. If your interested in having your music played on the air or coming in the studio for a live performance please contact me. Email or phone 518-291-2837. You can catch show by web at (www.rip979.com). Look forward to hearing from you soon!! Thanks. Sonny

RIP Danny Rhodes

More sad news from Bob Corritore

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• RIP Danny Rhodes 1950-5/23/08: Though not a household name in the blues, Arizona blues singer/guitarist Danny Rhodes was loved by those that new him. He passed away on May 23, 2008 after a long bout with gastric cancer. He was 58 years old. Danny was based in Cottonwood, Arizona, and in addition to fronting his own popular band, he generously provided guest slots to many of Arizona's blues veterans at some of his standing casino gigs (Chico Chism, Big Pete Pearson, Tommy Dukes, Small Paul, and Sam Taylor, to name a few). Born in Cairo, Illinois and blues bred in Louisiana, Danny settled in Arizona in the 1980s. He wrote songs that were covered by Etta James, and was inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall Of Fame in 2006. To find out more about Danny, visit his website by clicking here. Memorial services for Danny will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at the Riverfront Park softball field in Cottonwood, Arizona at 10am. More services on June 7, 2008 in West Monroe, Louisiana and June 14, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee are scheduled; check Danny's website for more details. We are sorry to say goodbye to our friend.

Chuck Land Keeping The Blues Alive

City Beat, from Cincinnati has a great article about a musician and film maker, Chuck Land who is trying to keep the blues alive in Cincinnati. Land who plays piano has made a documentary already about the local music scene, and if I read it right he has only sold 3 DVDs ! Hmmmmmmmmmm, that doesn't bode well for Cincinnati blues. (read more about his story here) I suppose you always wonder about the politics involved in something like that. A guy makes a film about the blues, and Cincinnati has a very active blues society, you would think that he could sell more than a few DVDS? Also the funds from the sale of the DVD are suppose to go to a relief fund for musicians. Trust me on this, they need it. If music is your job, there is no retirement plans, or health care, you are on your own. It is a tough life, especially if you are a blues performer. The pay is low, and sometimes the audience can be painfully indifferent. So here is a guy trying to do something right, and no one is buying it. Makes you think for a second.

I am sure there is more to this, and the Cincy Blues Society hopefully will contact me about it and we can get this figured out. In the meantime if you want to check out Chuck's myspace page, Click Here. You want to check out his webpage, and buy his DVD, click here.

More Cool Local Blues News

As you know I am a fan of local blues bands. These can be the weekend warriors, to the retired blues star who likes to stay at home. These people truly keep the blues alive. They also keep alive the local blues sound. Unlike Rock, or Country, Blues is still a local style. All towns develop their own sound. Kansas City, New Orleans, and Chicago blues are just a few examples of local blues styles. so When I come across something that promotes a local area I sometimes like to post it. In the Fayetteville Observer, from North Carolina comes an article about Claudia Swartz, who puts on a local blues showcase every year. (hmmm sounds like something I used to do:-) Brian Dukes does the reporting, and actually shows some compassion for the music, and some knowledge too. None of this blues is dying crap:-) It is a short article, but it is worth your time Click HERE to read it.

A Blast From the Past

Just thought a nice reminder of the old days. This is the Hull Avenue Tap located near Grand View College in Des Monies Iowa. Back in February 1999 Me, Jimmy Pryor, and John "Woody" Wood. Started the Sunday Night Blues Showcase. Originally it was going to feature John Lukehart on Guitar, and a bass player. We couldn't find a bass player, so Woody suggested Scott Long. Scott and Woody were just starting a band called Fat Tuesday, and Woody said he was an alright guy. So, I said okay, and Luke said goodbye. Of course those of you in on the politics of the local music scene probably understand why, but to the rest of the "internets" lets just say there was bad blood between them. So Scott moved to guitar, and Jim Faar joined to play bass. We had a great run there until summer when the volume and bickering between the band forced an ugly split. Me and Jimmy moved the gig over to Razzmatazz while Scott and Woody moved to Carl's. Me and Jimmy lasted a couple weeks at Razzmatazz until we ran afoul of the law. Apparently the town the bar was located in, Urbandale Iowa, had a ban on dancing! I kid you not! It was like something out of footloose. So we packed up and moved back into town. Eventually we ended up at the Hull Ave one last time the a couple of years later, but it never had the magic of the first jam. However, Gary Smith still runs a show there on Sunday nights.