Magic city blues news - Magic City Blues Society
Transcription
Magic city blues news - Magic City Blues Society
Feburary 2016 Magic city blues news Issue #271 Birmingham Alabama October Issue #267 Birmgnham Al Iss Moonlight on the Mountain Feb 11 7:30 $12 Ryders Harley Davidson Feb 20th, Trussville Blues Rock from LA 5;30 $5 BYOB Mr. Sipp Mississippi blues child Workplay feb 25th 7:30 $15 Open jam feb 5th free 7pm Sam Fraz[er/Sassy Brown feb 6th Shelby co arts center 7:30 From the prez February, and continuing into the Spring of 2016, is promising to be a huge and exciting time period for the Magic City Blues Society, pals! But first to recap the opening month of the year: The year started out with a Not Necessarily the Blues two night Iron City stand by the incomparable Gregg Allman. In spite of the well-earned retirement of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg only knows one thing and that’s hitting the road making music. Playing to a packed house on both nights, Allman thrilled the crowd with perennial favorites from the Allman’s catalog, along with select cuts from his 40 plus year solo career. Scott Holt made a return visit to local favorite Ranelli’s on January 8. The blues rocker clearly loves Ranelli’s, and the feeling is mutual. The MCBS had the Annual 23 Birthday Bash on January 16 at Ranelli’s, featuring the John Bull Band. Along with the great music, elections of officers were held. rd th Congratulations to the new (but same as the old) Board of Directors of the MCBS: Roger Stephenson as Vice-President; Cabbie Bowes as Treasurer; and Board Members at Large Eva Beumer, Todd Eckstrom, Mona Lee, and John Braswell. As I mentioned, the first quarter of 2016 is red hot with some national touring acts hitting the stages at some of our favorite venues with some dedicated MCBS events sprinkled in, too. Lisa Mills is at Moonlight on the Mountain on February 11. Look for Todd’s preview of this show further down. Anders Osborne will be back at WorkPlay on Feb 12 in what will hopefully be an early entrant in local concert of the year. The 44’s, a West Coast blues band making a rare trip to the Deep South will be headlining the second version of the MCBS’s Blues & Bikes show at Riders Harley Davidson in Trussville. Roger previews the 44’s in this newsletter below. Gary Clarke, Jr is at Iron City on February 23 – I believe the show is sold out well rd MAGIC CITY BLUES SOCIETY P.O. Box 59506 Birmingham, AL 35259 Executive BOARD MEMBERS President: Jamey McMahon [email protected] Vice President: Roger Stephenson [email protected] Treasurer: Cabbie Bowes [email protected] Secretary: Mona Lee [email protected] Board at Large: Eva Mitchell [email protected] John Braswell [email protected] Todd Eckstrom [email protected] Membership: Susan LeFoy [email protected] Librarian: Mark Giorgi [email protected] www.MAGICCITYBLUES.org Next meeting Ranelli’s Feb 5th 2016 in advance, but keep an eye on their website for a last minute ticket release. And the MCBS brings Mr. Sipp to WorkPlay on February 25 . th Other upcoming events include a very special return of a late 90’s MCBS tradition an official auction/fundraiser at the Daniel Day Gallery on April 2. Susan Collier, exPresident/Board Member of the MCBS for many, many, many (!) years, and collector of all things blues, is spearheading this effort. Featuring dozens and dozens of items from Susan’s personal collection as well as the MCBS archives, this event is sure to rekindle fond memories of previous auctions. We are in the process of booking a band and will have an update on that in featured in next month’s newsletter. Phelan Park show #1 of 2016 is booked for April 17 with Debbie Bond. And two more national acts hit the stage at the newly reopened Lyric Theatre on April 21 and 22 respectively – Taj Mahal and then The Word. th st nd Personally, I can’t wait for all of this!!!!!!!!! Jamey McMahon Mcbs fundraiser Help us Raise Some Money for the MCBS! Let’s Have an Auction! Saturday April 2nd at Daniel Day Gallery the doors will open at 5:30 for our fifth Silent/Live auction of blues memorabilia. There will be live music as well as munchies. This event will help us preserve and promote the blues in Alabama. You will want to buy items worth thousands of dollars and will only spend a fist full. Be sure to tell all your friends, family, and co-workers. SPREAD THE WORD! We are culling through 23 years of memories (while organizing our archives). Items will include lots of posters (framed and unframed), photos, CDs, magazines, and original artwork. Most items are autographed. I will update you in the March newsletter with a list of items so you can begin to put those bucks aside to spend. The items will be impressive as we dig into the archives. I will be donating many of my personal items I have collected over the years as well. We are reaching out for donations of items you may be willing to part with in your personal collection as well as reaching out to record labels, local, regional, national musicians, local artists, and clubs. If you would like to donate anything please contact me at [email protected] or give me a call (205)8355516. All donated items need to be received by March 1st 2016. Thanks for your help, Susan Collier Seeking Past Issues of MCBS Newsletters In order to have two complete sets of MCBS newsletters we need hard printed copies of the following: 2003 Feb and Mar (2 copies) 2004 Feb 2006 Jan Feb Mar April May July Sept Oct Nov 2007 Jan (2 copies) Feb March June Sept 2008 Apr May Aug Sept Nov 2009 Jan May Aug Sept Nov 2010 Jan Feb Mar April 2011 Need all but Mar May June Dec 2012 Need all but May July Dec 2013 Need all but May Oct Nov Dec 2014 Need all 12 months Live music event Lisa Mills Feb 11, 7:30pm $12 Moonlight on the Mountain 585 Shadescrest Rd This is a Moonlight on the Mountain event and we encourage all MCBS members to support this and other events at this venue. If you have never been here you are missing out on one of Birmingham’s truly unique and special places, a venue that exists to support live music for the love of the music. This will be Lisa’s first visit to Birmingham, and we hope to make her feel welcome. Below is her story. Mississippi native, now Alabama resident, Lisa Mills could be called a blues singer, or a gospel singer, or a torch singer, or an R&B singer, and each label would be accurate. In fact, as the reviews of her 2014 album I’m Changing (a remastered and remixed reimagining of her 2005 debut album, enhanced by the inclusion of a handful of new tracks) poured in, she was described in all of these terms, and at least a couple of critics suggested they even heard the nascent stirrings of a jazz stylist in some of her more nuanced readings. Listeners responded to Lisa’s sophisticated, emotional performances by making her 2015 U.K. tour a rousing success marked by sellout or nearpacked venues, brisk postconcert CD sales and the inevitable query as to when she would be returning. To the latter the answer is “2016,” when the excitement of 2015 will be parlayed into an extended U.K. and European tour, on which bookings are being focused on festivals, concert halls and centers. And by the time the 2016 tour gets underway next fall, she will have a new album to promote, titled Mama’s Juke Book. A special and deeply personal project, Mama’s Juke Book will be comprised of songs Lisa found by chance in her late mother’s possessions— specifically, in a Dollar Store General spiral notebook in which her mother had handwritten lyrics to 25 of her favorite country tunes, all dating from the early ‘70s. Her mother, Jan Powell, was a country music devotee who unfortunately passed away in 2012. In addition to her love of music, Jan unconditionally loved her daughter, was her biggest fan and most enthusiastic promoter, and not least of all, was her trusted confidant. In a real sense Mama’s Juke Book is a love letter from daughter to mother, but it is also a Southern cultural timepiece capturing mainstream country music in a transitional period ahead of the emergence of the Outlaw movement in the mid-‘70s. Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker, who steered the retooling of I’m Changing, is returning in a producer’s role on Mama’s Juke Book. Although the content of Mama’s Juke Book is drawn from country, Lisa’s interpretive artistry takes country for a new spin when chestnuts originally recorded by the likes of Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Buck Owens, Conway Twitty and others are revealed to have hidden pockets of soul and blues when considered from a fresh point of view by a versatile vocalist— similar to what she demonstrates on I’m Changing in finding new avenues of expression on covers of the Rev. Robert Wilkins’s “I Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” both of which are remarkable for the way in which her ethereal approach is so completely attuned to the lyrics’ spirituality and mystery as to make these songs her own and of a piece with the original material surrounding them. In a summary that is both specific to the album and a telling appraisal of an artist coming into her own, David McGee, writing in the online roots music/cultural journal Deep Roots (www.deeprootsmag.org), praised I’m Changing as “a rare breed, a roots torch album of sweep and depth comparable to classic pop counterparts such as Sinatra’s devastating Gordon Jenkins-arranged No One Cares,” and concluded: “(Lisa Mills is) a singer and songwriter of the first rank, uncompromising in the vision and concept of her art.” In short, the Lisa Mills story is only beginning. Todd T Live music event 44’s Coming to Town When: Saturday February 20th @ 5:30pm Where: Riders HarleyDavidson, 4750 Norrell Drive, Trussville, AL 35173 How Much: $5 Small details: this is a BYOB event. Rain or shine. Food will be available for purchase. Last August we had a very successful event at Riders Harley-Davidson when the Chris Simmons Band played to a full room of bikers and blues fans. When we heard that the West Coast band the 44’s were touring through the South, we decided they would be the perfect band for our second event at this venue. The 44's are a Los Angelesbased band that plays blues-roots-rock music. The 44's are one the brightest rising stars on the American blues roots scene. Make no mistake about it. The raw rough and tough sounds generated by these four expert musicians during live performances and in the making of their sophomore album Americana, on the Rip Cat label, demands to be heard by blues music fans worldwide. They evidence a genuine gift for creating blues in the moment while at the same time showing loyalty to a remarkable blues-and-r&b tradition that goes back decades through the James Harman Band and the Red Devils to storied greats like Howlin' Wolf, Albert Collins, and Muddy Waters. They've become a favorite band of club and festival crowds across North America. The 44's seem to be literally exploding across the blues scene as a fully formed and functional unit commanding audiences with their in your face yet highly contagious musical sound. Their first Release Boogie Disease, was selfproduced for $800 with the help of guitar great Kid Ramos (The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Mannish Boys) and was quickly snatched up and issued on Rip Cat Records, hitting a peak position of No. 12 on the national Living Blues radio charts and No.2 on B.B. King Bluesville Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Critical praise and industry recognition from the blues community soon followed. American Blues News Awarded the band with The Best Blues Band of 2011 and Blues Underground Network Awarded the band with Best Debut Album. The 44s however made the decision not to try and recycle a successful formula but to grow as artists and their second release Americana proves that they are not only a solid live performing ensemble, but are an emerging force to be reckoned with in the studio as well. Americana serves notice that the 44’s are driving down the blues highway at a breakneck speed and are going in the right direction. --David Mac, Blues Junction They play vintage instruments and channel a blues style of winning quartet. Each band member is in fine form. Johnny Main grounds his outstanding singing and guitar playing in real experience–his talent is as honest as the day is long. Mike Hightower on bass brings his years of experience with Johnny Mastro and Mama’s Boys and the Lester Butler and 13 to hold down the bottom end with some greasy glue. Drummer J. R. Lozano, behind his vintage Ludwig Kit, is as solid as any you'll hear, calibrating rhythmic flow with alertness and intelligence. The latest addition Eric VonHerzen, formally of Social Distortion. The 44's successfully mine the tension. Kid Ramos says of his experience with The 44's: "They play like their life depends on it and you can quote me." American Blues News says: "One of the Hardest working, hardest playing blues outfits.” Roger Stephenson Live music event Mr. Sipp comes to WorkPlay When: February 25th @ 8pm Where: WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. S How Much: $15 Malaco recording artist Mr. Sipp was the 2014 International Blues Challenge Winner by way of the Vicksburg Blues Society as well as the 2014 Gibson Best Guitarist Award Winner and 2014 Jus’ Blues Bobby Rush Entertainers Award Recipient. He is the 2015 JMA (Jackson Music Awards) Entertainer of the Year, Blues Artist of the Year, and National Male Artist of the Year. Mr. Sipp was also cast in the recent James Brown movie, “Get on Up.” Mr. Sipp’s favorite quote, “I’m living to love the life that I live, Music!!!!” I have seen him perform several times including the 2014 Howlin’ Wolf festival in West Point, MS and at the 2014 Bob Sykes BBQ and Blues Festival in Bessemer and each time has lived up to that quote. Playing with a big grin, lots of energy and stellar guitar riffs. I can tell you, I am ready to see him again. Castro Coleman a-k-a Mr. Sipp, “The Mississippi Blues Child” was born August 25, 1976 to Johnelle and the late Vera Coleman in the small town of McComb, MS. He began playing the guitar at the tender age of 6. Through hard work and perseverance, Mr. Sipp has become a Delta Blues force to be reckoned with! Being recognized for his amazing vocals, songwriting ability, and musicianship, ability to produce records and entertain fans with an upbeat, outlandish show all make Mr. Sipp “The Total Package.” Above all of that, Mr. Sipp is a God fearing family man. With over 125 recording credits to his name, Mr. Sipp has played on over 50 national recordings with several Grammy nominated projects. He is well traveled and ready to come to play for you and spread his great gift of music to the world. Mr. Sipp spent 22 years in the gospel music business as a recording artist and a producer. Since his BIG WIN at The International Blues Challenge in 2014 and the release of his debut blues CD, “It’s My Guitar,” the music community has been a buzz and welcomed him with open arms. On his debut, Sipp sings all vocals and plays all instruments for the entire record. That surely made listing the credits easy. Yes sir, when God was handing out musical talent, Mr. Sipp apparently was at the head of the line. What a talent! On his new release, his debut recording for Malaco Records, entitled “The Mississippi Blues Child,” Mr. Sipp once again handles all of the vocals and plays numerous instruments, however this time around he is joined by other reputable Malaco Mississippi “Hitmen.” All songs with the exception of one are originals, and his diverse style of music separates this record from many of the other recent “cookie cutter” Delta Blues recordings. Mr. Sipp is a FORCE to be reckoned with and is proudly endorsed by Ernie Ball Strings and Epiphone Guitars which he plays exclusively. Roger Stephenson Thank You Richard Kirby!!!!! Richard is stepping down from the Board after many, many years of outstanding service to the Magic City Blues Society. We could not have done it without him. And really we won’t be, he is graciously still going to help us with the Web page. We wish him the best of luck during his hiatus from the board. (He may change his mind, after a break.) Thanks again Richard for all your help. Blues ball review Good gracious the Magic City Blues Society had a scorching Blues Ball 2015 at WorkPlay featuring the Eddie Cotton Band. While I had listened to all of Eddie’s recorded music before, this was my first time to see him live and let me tell you, if you were not fortunate enough to be there, he is an absolute must see performer. An old school singer/guitarist in the mold of B.B. and Albert King, the man leaves it all on the stage. Performing both original music along with selected classic covers of blues standards, Eddie had the enthusiastic crowd of about 200 people both spell-bound and dancing in the pit. The five piece band– rhythm guitar, bass, harp, drums–had the classic late 60’s/early 70’s Chicago Blues Band feel. And while he kept it centered in the blues genre, me thinks Eddie would have been just as comfortable tearing into a Earth, Wind and Fire or Commodore funk tune from the 70’s, too. During the brief intermission, the MCBS had drawings for the annual gift packages, which included various compact discs, t-shirts from the MCBS merchandise stash, and assorted goodies collected by various MCBS members and donated by various MCBS supporters, including four bottles of Cathead Vodka. I hope everyone had a chance to make it to WorkPlay for this show. Roger has some great pictures included in the newsletter. And I’m pleased to give everyone some serious advance notice on Blues Ball 2016: December 10th at WorkPlay. If anyone has a great suggestion for musical entertainment, we are all ears! Jamey McMahon Birthday party pictures The 23rd annual Birthday Party/Election at Ranelli’s was another outstanding success. Rick and Sarah are the perfect hosts with the most. The John Bull band was at the top of their game and had the whole Soul Pit up and dancing. Thanks Roger for all the great pics. MCBS calendar music ev The items in Bold are local Birmingham vents. Please check with the venue, events subject to change. Date Live 2/1/2016 2/2/2016 2/3/2016 2/4/2016 2/5/2016 2/6/2016 2/7/2016 2/8/2016 2/9/2016 2/10/2016 2/11/2016 2/12/2016 2/13/2016 2/14/2016 2/15/2016 Artist Microwave Dave Lefty Collins Elijah Butler Band Microwave Dave Lefty Collins Kyle Kimbrell Open Jam Bill Ledbetter Project The Cast Hunnicutt Willis Earl William Sam Frazier/Sassy Brown Band Microwave Dave Mandi Rae and the Status Microwave Dave Elijah Butler Band Microwave Dave Johnny Butts Lisa Mills Marc Harris Debbie Bond and the TruDats Lefty Collins SharBaby Anders Osborne The Sassy Brown Trio Just Us Three Microwave Dave/ Phil Weaver Debbie Bond and the TruDats Venue Mama Annie's, Huntsville Bone & Barrel, Fairhope Dave Pub Southside Cantina, Huntsville Lulu's, Destin Champy's Ranelli's Soul Pit Daniel Day Gallery Champy's Champy's Gip's Place Shelby County Arts Council Elijah Butler Band The Starlings Microwave Dave Mardi Gras Parade Huntsville Daniel Day Gallery Mama Annie's, Huntsville Dave Pub Southside Cantina, Huntsville Champy's Moonlight on the Mtn. Champy's Flying Monkey, Huntsvillie Lulu's, Gulf Shores Daniel Day Gallery WorkPlay Champy's Gip's Place Flying Monkey, Huntsvillie Band of Brothers Brewing Co. Tuscaloosa Al Blues Project's 20th Anniversary Iron City Daniel Day Gallery Humphrey's Blues Brunch, Huntsville John Nemeth Microwave Dave Capitol Oyster Bar Mama Annie's, Huntsville Time 5-7 pm 6-9 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 7-10 PM 7-10 PM 7:00 PM 4:00 PM 2-6 PM 5-7 PM 6-9 PM 6-9 PM 7:30 PM 7-10 PM 7-12 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 7-10 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 2-6 PM 11 AM- 2 PM 5:00 PM 5-7 PM 2/16/2016 Elijah Butler Band Dave's Pub 2/17/2016 Microwave Dave Southside Cantina, Huntsville 2/18/2016 Lefty Collins Lulu's, Destin Janelle Frost Champy's 6-9 PM 2/19/2016 Travis Posey Champy's 7-10 PM 2/20/2016 The 44's 5:30 PM Latimore Riders Harley Davidson, Trussville Magic City Blues Society Event Wellington's Bistro Microwave Dave Boot Pizzeria, Huntsville 7-10 PM Elijah Butler Band Smoots Grocery, Natches MS Randy Buell Band Gip's Place George Griffin & the Firebirds Champy's 7-10 PM Blue Devils Daniel Day Gallery 2-6 PM Bruce Katz Capitol Oyster Bar 5:00 PM Microwave Dave Humphrey's Blues Brunch, Huntsville 2/22/2016 Microwave Dave Mama Annie's, Huntsville 11 AM - 2 PM 5-7 PM 2/23/2016 Gary Clark, Jr. Iron City SOLD OUT 8:00 PM Elijah Butler Band Dave's Pub Laz & Joey The Coal Yard Microwave Dave and the Nukes Renaissance Hotel, Huntsville Lefty Collins Bone & Barrel, Fairhope Jarrett Smith Champy's 6-9 PM Mr. Sipp, Mississippi Blues Child Sassy Brown and Glen Butts WorkPlay 7:30 PM Beef'o Brady's 8:00 PM 2Blu & The Lucky Stiffs Mardi Gras Bash, Shelby County Arts Council 7:30 PM After Two Glasses Champy's 7-10 PM Sofa-Q Daniel Day Gallery 8:00 PM Microwave Dave Swampers/Marriott Shoals 8-11 PM Lefty Collins Lulu's Gulf Shores Sassy Brown Band Oasis Elijah Butler Band Sayre Bar Ryan Flynt Champy's 7-10 PM Debbie Bond and the TruDats w/Rachel & Carla Elijah Butler Band Band of Brothers Brewing Co. Tuscaloosa 7-9:30 PM Clay Swafford Band Daniel Day Gallery 2-6 PM Colin Lake Capitol Oyster Bar 5:00 PM Microwave Dave Humphrey's Blues Brunch, Huntsville 11 AM -2 PM 2/21/2016 2/24/2016 2/25/2016 2/26/2016 2/27/2016 2/28/2016 6-9 PM 8:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:30-1:30 AM Gip's Place Please support Your local blues bands Altamont Lipstik & Lead Automatic Slim Little Memphis and Friends Big Daddy's New Band Leonard Watkins Big Papa Mickey Jr & the Stone Cold Blues Band Cahaba Dogs Microwave Dave & the Nukes Christian Herring & True Blues Sam Pointer Debbie Bond & TruDats Sassy Brown Diedra & the Ruff Pro Band Soul Collision Earl "Guitar" Williams and the Juke Band Charlie Soul Band Fat Mouth Blues Band Lefty Collins Band John Bull Band Thick as Thieves John D'Amato Thomas Henry Band Jubal John Local Venues that support live blues music Gip’s Place Red Wolf Lounge Henderson’s Moonlight On the Mountain The Nick Wellingtons Bistro Crescendo Bar & Lounge Iron City Champy’s Workplay Columbiana Center for the Arts Ranelli’s Soul Pit Daniel Day Gallery Zydeco easy 3-step mcbs membership application 1. fill out Date _______________ Name _______________________________________ Address _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Phone (Home) _______________________________ (Work) ________________________________ E-mail _______________________________________ Occupation __________________________________ Please list members’ names for membership cards: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 2. check boxes Choose a membership: STUDENT* INDIVIDUAL FAMILY** BUSINESS** BAND** $20/YR $30/YR $40/YR $60/YR $60/YR Want to do more? Please indicate any committees you would like to serve on: Newsletter Advertising/Publicity * Copy of current student ID required to qualify for Student Rate ** Memberships limited to FIVE members and ONE mailing address Constitution/Amendments Membership Events Merchandising Radio 3. mail i n Mail w/check payable to: Magic City Blues Society, Inc. _____________________________________________ P.O. Box 59506 Birmingham, AL 35259 _____________________________________________ For membership inquires, please contact Susan LeFoy at [email protected] MAGIC CITY BLUES SOCIETY, INC P.O. Box 59506 • Birmingham, Alabama 35259 You can find us ONLINE: www.magiccityblues.org “magic city blues society” /magiccitybluessociety CUT OUT and MAIL IN