Iowa Blues Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony

Due to the Iowa Blues Hall of fame induction ceremony, and upcoming 4th of July holiday, I will be posted sporadically for the next few days. If you need a blues fix find one of the videos and click on the video link below the post. That will call up all the videos on the site!!! Right now there are 192 videos on site!! So enjoy watching some great blues, jazz, R&B, doo wop, soul, and funk!!

Saturday Night Fish Fry: Blues Grove

Blues Grove internet radio comes from Australia. The owner of the internet station is an actual DJ in Australia where she has been playing the blues for years. To listen to Blues Grove Click here. To check out her myspace page go HERE.

Remember that internet radio will go away soon. Only a few more weeks before the door closes on internet streaming. This also may affect podcasts so if you haven't contacted your congress person do so now! Just click on the banner at the bottom of the page to save internet radio!

Thanks!

Mississippi Fred McDowell: My Babe

Great delta guitar blues of Mississippi Fred McDowell.

Otis Spann: The Blues Don't Love Anyone

Otis Spann with Willie Dixon and SP Leary. The master of Chicago Boogie Woogie piano!

Pete Johnson, Albert Amons, Meade Lux Lewis, and Modrian

I am not sure if the above painting looks like boogie blues piano greats Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, and Albert Ammons, but according to an article in the UK Telegraph, it is the three bluesmen interpreted by the great modern artist Mondrian!

The art exhibit takes place in England here are a few of the particulars from the website

'Eye-Music: Kandinsky, Klee and All That Jazz' is at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (01243 774557), from today until Sept 16.

Finally, here is the paragraph dealing with the blues and art.

From the UK Telegraph:

On October 3, 1940, the night that Mondrian arrived as a refugee, his friend Harry Holtzman took him to hear the three jazz/blues pianists Pete Johnson, Meade "Lux" Lewis and Albert Ammons, who performed as a thunderous trio.

"His response," Holtzman recalled, "was immediate. He clasped his hands together with obvious pleasure. 'Enormous! Enormous!' he repeated." By that, in his idiosyncratic English, Mondrian was not referring to the size of the piano players - though they were all pretty hefty - but to the impact of their music.

Two of his late masterpieces, Victory Boogie-Woogie (1942-44) and Broadway Boogie-Woogie (1942-43; pictured above but not featured in the Pallant House show), were named after that rambunctious genre. And as the critic David Sylvester pointed out, their accelerated visual rhythm, in contrast with Mondrian's earlier work, is comparable with the driving "eight to the bar" pace of the music.

Must Have Game For Blues And Jazz Lovers

This comes from PC World. UC Berkley students are creating a kind of second life type environment that you can go back in time and experience the great music scene of Oakland California in the 40s and 50s. The photo on the right shows the actual street and the digital street below! The article doesn't say when this game will be available. However, it sounds like it is going to be an online environment. This sounds cool. For more info Click HERE.

Stompy Jones: Mondine

It is amazing what type of gems you run across on myspace. Here is a band that I didn't know existed. Stompy Jones, is a throwback to the 40/50 jump blues. When I first saw the video I thought they were British, because the video has almost a English look to it, but they are from San Fransisco! Great band, cool tune in the Louis Jordan tradition! Check it out!!!

Stompy Jones - Mondine

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Richard Carr: Suger

This is from a friend from Myspace named Richard Carr. This is a rock'n song! I think it was originally by Albert King.

Matt Woods And The Thunderbolts

These guys are unoffically the best blues band in Iowa! They won the Iowa Blues Challenge put on by the Central Iowa Blues, Mississippi Valley Blues , and Linn County Blues Societies. These guys are also good friends of mine. I briefly had a band with Scott Cochran, and Michael Swanger, with Jeff Baker on guitar as we backed the legendary Jimmy Pryor. Matt Woods came on to the Des Moines scene about the time I was leaving, but him and his friends put on a killer set on the very last Iowa Blues Showcase! Here is Matt and the guys doing a little nasty slide thing.


Matt Woods & The Thunderbolts

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Hambone Blues Jam Austin Minnesota

Austin Minnesota is home to a cool blues fest this weekend. The Hambone blues jam takes place Tomorrow Friday June 30th. Little Charlie and The Nightcats are headlining so it should be a fun time. For More Info Click Here.

Des Moines Arts Festival

While the Des Moines Art Festival is not a blues festival, it is a huge gathering of visual and performing artists. Also, it has a few good blues bands as well:-) The pre fest started tonight at Blues On Grand with a live radio broadcast of one of the hottest blues performers in the US, Watermelon Slim! I must admit that I missed that one, and should have posted about it, since they streamed the show live on the internet on KUNI. Anyway, people in the upper Midwest should try to catch this fest. BTW, the fest winds up with the Iowa Blues Hall Of Fame induction at Blues On Grand! So the might BOG starts and ends the fest!!!


Here is the schedule from the Des Moines Art Festival website.

Thursday, June 28

Des Moines Arts Festival and Iowa Public Radio present LIVE! Load-In Thursday at Blues on Grand
Join us in downtown Des Moines as we celebrate the load-in of the 10th anniversary edition of Iowa's most celebrated festival at LIVE! Load-In Thursday on June 28! Curt Snook of WOI 90.1 FM will take his live show on the road with blues artists Watermelon Slim and The Workers from 7-8:30 p.m. at the legendary Blues on Grand (1501 Grand Ave.).

Friday, June 29
U.S. Cellular Stage
3:30 p.m. - Roxi Copland Trio
5 p.m. - Big Wooden Radio
7 p.m. - Iowa Blues Hall of Fame Band

Meredith Corporation Stage
4 p.m. - DiJohn
6 p.m. - Inner Rain
8 p.m. - Stallions versus Unicorns

Prairie Meadows Performing Arts Stage
4 p.m. - Kelly's Clan
6 p.m. - Hot Club of Des Moines
7:30 p.m. - Party Gras Classic Jazz Band
9 p.m. - The 34th Army Band Rhythm Majors directed by Sergeant First Class Roscoe Porch

Saturday, June 30
U.S. Cellular Stage
10 a.m. - The Heroes
11 a.m. - The Trained Professionals
Noon - Bob Hillman
1 p.m. - Forty Watt Bulb
2 p.m. - Josh Davis
4 p.m. - The Tyler Thompson Band
5 p.m. - Dick Prall
6 p.m. - Benjamin Wagner
7 p.m. - Randy Burk and the Prisoners
8 p.m. - The Nadas
9:30 p.m. - All-Star Jam

Meredith Corporation Stage
10 a.m. - Nic Arp
11:30 a.m. - Las Guitarras de Mexico
1 p.m. - Lojo Russo
2:30 p.m. - Homemade Headtrip
3:30 p.m. - Isiserettes
4:30 p.m. - Deja Voodoo Band
6 p.m. - Little Mojo
8 p.m. - Blue Island Tribe

Prairie Meadows Performing Arts Stage
10 a.m. - Nurturing a Student's Vision Visionary Artists' Ceremony
Noon - Clubhouse at the Playhouse
1 p.m. - Iowa Dance Theatre/Tap Des Moines
2 p.m. - Makeup Application Demonstration by Bobbi Brown Cosmetics exclusively at Younkers Jordan Creek
2:30 p.m. - Des Moines Playhouse-Selections from Disney's High School Musical
3 p.m. - Foy School of Irish Dance
4:30 p.m. - Roberto the Magnificent
6 p.m. - Party Guise
8 p.m. - WORLDPORT

Library Loading Dock Concert for Teens
If you love to listen to local garage bands, you will want to head to the Central Library’s loading dock where local bands will be perform on Saturday, June 30, from 5-9 p.m. From rock to hip-hop and high school to professionals, you can see (and hear) them all for free!

Sunday, July 1
U.S. Cellular Stage
11 a.m. - Lady Blue featuring Tina Haase Findlay
1 p.m. - Electric Junction
3 p.m. - The Kissers

Meredith Corporation Stage
11 a.m. - Box Brothers Band
1 p.m. - The Sons of Gladys Kravitz
3 p.m. Swing Crew

Prairie Meadows Performing Arts Stage
11 a.m. - Des Moines Poetry Slam
12:30 p.m. - The Railmen Lincoln High School All-Male Dance Squad
1:30 p.m. - Roberto the Magnificent
3 p.m. - Capitol City Swing
4 p.m. - Clubhouse at the Playhouse

Red White And Blues Riverfront Festival

Cool Free Blues fest in Corvallis Oregon. Looks like it is mostly local blues, but I personally lke these kind of local festivals. The fest is known as the Red White and Blues Riverfront Festival and is taking place on July 3rd, and the 4th. For more info check out the Corvallis website.

Ray Charles: I Can't Stop Loving You

This is Ray doing country music! Ray could play and sing anything and it would sound great:-) Jimmy Pryor loved covering Ray's country tunes, and this was probably Jimmy's favorite Ray song. I only wish I could have played it better for the old man:-(

Watermelon Slim: Smokestack Lighting

Wow! talk about playing slide guitar in an unorthdox fashion. Much like Jeff Healy except, Slim plays it LEFT HANDED, and with the strings basically BACKWARDS!!! Very cool!

North Mississippi All Stars: Teasin Brown

Short clip of the North Mississippi All Stars performing Teasin Brown. Also the first part is a short interview about Luther Dickenson and the influence of great Otho Turner.

Blog Critic Review: North Mississippi All Stars

A new band to me, but obviously a band that has been around for awhile. They have a couple of releases and have played with many of the RL Burnside family, including the legendary RL himself. Blog Critic has a review of their New DVD Keep On Marching which was released yesterday June 26th 2007. It sounds like a fun disc. If you happen to see it you should pick it up to see some interesting Mississippi hill country blues.

Blog Critic Review: Watermelon Slim, The Wheel Man

Probably the hottest blues band in the country right now is Watermelon Slim and the Workers. Slim was nominated for six BMA's and while he was shut out, he is still getting tons of good press, and great reviews. Blog Critic has a review on his latest release, The Wheel Man. This is some good ol down home in your face pass the delta and give me some Cajun music please! For the review click HERE.

Triangle Blues Society Blues Challenge Hillsborough NC

Got an email from former Iowa Bluesman Andy Coats about the Triangle Blues Society Blues Challenge. The show is in Hillsborough North Carolina, and here are the particulars from the email.

Come on out for the best local blues in the Triangle!

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

--->2007 Triangle Blues Society Blues Challenge 8pm $10 21&up

Blue Bayou - 106 S. Churton St., Hillsborough 919-732-2555

Scheduled to appear:

Andy Coats

Bad Mojo

Clark Stern

Contagious Blues Band

Electric Church

Hip Sauce

Rootzie

T-Hammer

Full details at www.triangleblues.com

Hope to see you there!

Best,

Andy

www.andycoats.com