By Dave Mack—Photos by Phil Kampel Officers of SBS Board of

Volume 31; Issue 1
Feb-March 2010
By Dave Mack—Photos by Phil Kampel
Inside this
issue:
Friday, 11th December.
Willie’s Wise Words
2
SBS Events
3
New Year’s
Resolution?
4
BITS News
Oh what a night. The
weather was miserable--a
very rainy evening, but the
folks who turned up were all
delighted to see J B’s filling
up before the performance,
and nobody was disappointed. ‘Twas a wonderful
night of music.
5
IBC Fundraiser
6
Member Party
8
Business Members
10
Officers of
SBS Board of
Directors
PRESIDENT
Willie Brown
VICE PRESIDENT
Dennis Moffett
SECRETARY
Sally Katen
TREASURER
Roni Cook
PARLIAMENTARIAN
Cathy Dubets
effects.
They performed
tune after tune with no
breaks in between, and the
drummer laid down a meter
that only a metronome could
match. Nephew Tyree, the
bass player, was the foundation for the band’s groove
on his 5-string bass. Their
dedicated sound guy was
back and forth between the
audience vantage--point and
the soundboard like a dog in
heat. He did a wonderful
job.
From the start of the first set,
Kenny let rip with a combination of his hits and covered
Kenny Neal
delta blues to modern/big
city blues along with Cajun-zydeco No chance for the music to die between
styles showing off their New Orleans tunes, or the dancers to relax. Their perhome spun roots. Kenny, being a very formance was a knockout, and I must
good harp player, pleased the crowd say, it was a pleasure to hear a band use
dynamics,
no end when he did the wandering so- real
loist thing with his harmonica amongst never overshadowthe audience with some good old ing Kenny at the
mic.
Jimmy Reed songs.
Kenny plays a beat-up Fender Telecaster model guitar with about 180K
miles on it. I was chatting with him
about his funky-looking guitar, when he
told me that his father (the late, great
Raful Neal) came to see the band perform and made the remark that he will
never be a star until he gets a new
paint job on his guitar.
The band consists of five members of
his family, all of whom are very accomplished musicians. There are two keyboard players, one covering most of
the piano accompaniment and digital
piano solos, the other keyboard applying the instrumental voices and synth
1
I look forward to
hearing the Kenny
Neal Family Band
anytime they return
to our area. They
are very good indeed, and if you
Tyree Neal
haven’t yet checked
them out, don’t miss them next time they
come to the area.
Kenny Neal Band awards*
2009 BMA Awards winner/ song of the
year “ Let Life Flow”; 2009 West Coast
Blues Hall of Fame “Blues CD of the
Year” “ Let Life Flow”
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 2
Willie’s Wise Words
Greetings Sacramento Blues Society members and blues enthusiasts,
ready off to a quick start this year
with lectures and concerts being
held throughout Yolo County.
Thanks to the BITS Committee,
Cynthia Janes, Dave Alcock, and
the entire ensemble for a great job,
and to Mick Martin and Jimmy
Pailer for their superb instruction.
One of the duties of being elected
President of your SBS is to write a
bi-monthly article for this newsletter.
As we venture into our 31st year, I
would like to thank our past President Dennis Moffett and the Board
of Directors for a tremendous year.
The 30th Anniversary and Membership Show held last December featured the
Tommy Castro Band and Two-Tone Steiny &
The Cadillacs. The show was absolutely packed
and it truly ‘jumped’! A special ‘tip of the hat’
goes out to Stan Alves, Randy & Kathy Meusling
and John Noxon for coordinating this fine event
at the Capitol City Hotel.
So, here’s to 2010 - may this year
be bright and positive. I want to encourage everyone to continue to support your
local blues clubs. It has been a difficult past year
for some of them, but they continue to bring
great blues to us all. I’ve mentioned this several
times before, but it’s worth repeating: We are
very lucky to have such great talent and dedicated club owners in our area!
As I’m writing this, our International Blues Challenge representatives are getting ready for their
trip to Memphis. Good luck to Fire & Wheels
and Volker Strifler we are sure they will make us
proud.
We are always looking for blues volunteers to
help with our events and fundraisers. If you
would like to know more about volunteer opportunities, please contact us at [email protected] .
This year we have some new members on the
Board of Directors, specifically Liz Walker &
Roni Cook. They both have stepped up to take
on the Event programs, so look for some new
and interesting things to attend and support during the year (look for the article regarding a St.
Patrick’s dinner & show in this issue).
Lastly, thank you for your continued support of
the Sacramento Blues Society, the Blues In The
Schools Program, the benefits, the local clubs,
the festivals and the wonderful blues musicians
in our area.
Our Blues In The Schools (BITS) program is al-
Willie Brown – President, Sacramento Blues Society
As always, “Save me a seat”,
Mind X at the Torch
2
Volume 31; Issue 1
Feb-March 2010
SBS Events
Hi there! I hope that 2010 has started
well for you all. I just wanted to take a
moment to introduce myself. My name is
Liz Walker and I’ll be your SBS Events
Coordinator for this year. Though newly
elected to the governing board I’m a long
time SBS member and participant. My
goal for this year is to have events that
are new, exciting and different. For instance, in March we’re planning a corn beef
and cabbage dinner for St. Patrick’s Day.
times volunteering seems like a huge
commitment but it doesn’t have to be.
There are many ways you can help.
Maybe you’re good at desktop publishing;
well you could maybe help BITS with a
new brochure, or help layout events flyers, etc. Do you like to talk to people?
You could solicit raffle prizes from businesses, etc. How about putting together
a road trip to Biscuit and Blues for a national
act? It not only takes a village to raise a child
but it takes one to hold a volunteer organization
together. Pick one thing this year, one event to
help with. There’ll be lots of opportunities.
You’ll meet some new fun folks and be part of
something really special.
Our annual membership party in December was
a smashing success (thanks John and Stan!)
with a large membership turnout. I would love
to see you all again, so please plan to attend
more events.
Stay tuned for upcoming plans. Say hello when
you see me out and about and let me know what
you’d like to see in the way of events. I’m looking forward to a great new year.
If you have an idea for a fun happening let me
know. I’m open to all suggestions and comments. I’m also open to
help. I know that some-
SAVE THE DATE!!
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Join the Sacramento Blues Society for a little Irish.
Corned Beef Dinner & Show
Featuring
Volker Strifler & Band
and
Mind X Trio
This is an all ages event.
Photo by Phil Kampel
Dinner: 6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. Show: 7:00 p.
Dinner & Show $25 or two for $45; Show only $15
Dinner tickets are pre-sales only.
Tickets are available at R5 Records or through the Blues Society.
For more info call Liz, 916-712-7277
3
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 4
At their January 2010 Board meeting, Board
members voted in the following changes to
Board Officers and Committee Chairs:
Valeriejeanne continues as Editor of the Blue
Notes newsletter.
Do these names sound familiar? You probably
see these names quite often as authors of articles in this Newsletter; and you no doubt also
see every one of these individuals at every SBS
event, volunteering, setting up & manning equipment, CD, t-shirt and raffle tables, taking fees
and/or applying wrist bands, selling raffle tickets,
making announcements, recognizing musicians
and cleaning up afterward. When not doing this
they work tirelessly procuring donations for raffle
prizes, arranging fundraisers, booking talented
musicians, designing and printing fliers, seeking
grants for educational programs and many more
background chores.
Board changes for 2010 are:
Willie Brown is President,
Dennis Moffett is Vice President,
Roni Cook is Treasurer,
Kim DuVall, Dave Alcock & Liz Walker are
Members at Large.
These Board members will keep their assignments:
Sally Katen was re-elected as Secretary,
Cathy Dubets was re-elected as Parliamentarian, with technical assistance from Valeriejeanne Anderson,
Cynthia Jaynes, Linda McShane & Stan
Alves continue as Members at Large.
SBS membership just topped 500 members, yet
most of the work falls to this "dedicated
dozen". And they all have day jobs on top of this
and don't get paid for any of the above work. I
fear our membership in general may be at risk of
having these kind & giving souls get burned out
in spite of their commitment to providing us with
quality events.
Committee Chair changes for 2010 are:
Liz Walker, Events, with Roni Cook assisting,
Sally Katen, Fundraising & Grants,
Kim DuVall, Gene Chambers Musician's Crisis
Fund,
Sally Katen, Hall of Fame, with Dennis Moffett
assisting,
Northern California Blues Festival Board liaison
is Dennis Moffett,
SBS Guidelines Coordinator is Cynthia
Jaynes,
Linda McShane continues as Membership
Chair,
Willie Brown continues as Public Relations
Chair, with Kim DuVall assisting,
Cynthia Jaynes continues as Blues in the
Schools Chair, with Dave Alcock assisting
Dave Baldwin continues as Webmaster, with
Willie Brown as Board web liaison, and
If you want our success to continue, join a committee and help out! Volunteer at a show! Attend board meetings and learn how SBS works
and get early information about planning & dates
for future events.
This is our Society, Step Up. The appreciation
and rewards you receive will be worth it! Just
take a moment and e-mail [email protected] and let them know what you
are willing to do.
Reflections on Turkey Day 2009—By Linda McShane.
Instead of watching the parade on TV, I listened
to a show on NPR called “Insight”. Jeffrey Calleson played the music of and interviewed Jason
Ricci, Saul Kaye, and Tori Sparks! Jason played
Classical harmonica, Saul Kaye explained his
Jewish Blues style and Tori Sparks talked about
her interesting new CD. I have seen all three
perform here in Sacramento, so it was really interesting to hear their stories. What a pleasant
surprise on an otherwise uneventful holiday.
4
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 5
The Blues In the Schools presentations to Yolo County schools
and communities are underway.
We will be returning to Winters,
Woodland, West Sacramento,
and Clarksburg. Thanks go to
By
Dani Thomas and the Yolo
Cynthia
County Arts Commission for their
Janes
loyalty and continuing support.
Yolo County really loves those Blues!
teacher and would like to have your students involved, please send email to [email protected]
or contact me at 916-202-5075. (See below for
more information.)
Afterschool guitar lesson will begin shortly in
Rosemont and West Campus High Schools. I
am just amazed at what these students accomplish. Each year there are more blues bands
formed, new songs learned and performed, and
new blues enthusiasts. Thanks to SCUSD music teachers Steve Boettner, Rosemont High,
and Mike Ousley, West Campus for opening
their classrooms to the blues and making our
BITS teachers welcome.
Joe Bonamassa, renowned guitarist, bluesman,
and spokeman for the Blues Foundation’s Blues
In The Schools program, will be appearing in
Sacramento, at the Crest Theater on Thursday,
March 11. 2010. That afternoon Joe will present
his lecture for our BITS students and teachers.
There will be an opportunity for jamming with
Joe. This is an invitation-only event, arranged
solely for music students and their teachers.
Pre-registration is required. If you are a music
SBS Blues teachers Jimmy Pailer, Lew Fratis
and Joe Lev are invaluable to the program and
work magic with the students. We look forward
to hearing the students perform at the end of the
year BITS show. More details to come!
Exclusive for Teachers and Students Only!
you are passionate
about.
The Sacramento Blues Society, a
Blues Foundation affiliate, would
like to present The Blues in the
Schools program in association
with Joe Bonamassa and 96.9
The Eagle. Bonamassa is a child
prodigy discovered by B.B. King
at the young age of 12 and now at the age of
32, Joe is considered one of the world's greatest guitar players who has been featured on the
covers of Guitar Magazines around the world.
This is a private
event that is FREE
to all high school
students and teachers. To reserve
your seats contact
our booking coordinator David Alcock at (916)
897-0692 or [email protected]. We ask that
teachers call for reservations, with the following
information:
For more information about Joe Bonamassa
please visit: www.jbonamassa.com and more
details
about
BITS
program
visit:
www.blues.org or www.sacblues.com
-Teacher/Sponsor Name
-Contact information
-School information
-Number of seats needed
Joe Bonamassa's BITS music presentation is at
the Crest Theater on Thursday, March 11,
2010 from 1PM - 2PM. This is an educational
and entertaining event where a real Blues-Rock
star relates with the students and teaches them
about the importance of blues music for our society and its affect on students, also Joe explains the importance of working hard at what
Music reflects the feelings of the times and by
exposing students to Blues music, it can lead
them to new found interests that will help them
to develop and grow with increased self-esteem
and confidence in themselves- Don’t miss out an
opportunity to inspire your students!
5
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 6
A Day in Review—Saturday, January 9, 2010
International Blues Challenge Fundraiser– Torch Club—
By Lizzie—Photos by Roni Cook
Have The Blues” and
brought the house
down. They played a
couple of long sets
with the dance floor
jamming.
Let’s just say that it
was an excellent afternoon starting with
some
great
front
porch picking from
Volker Strifler (SBS
solo nominee). He’s
got a great relaxed,
sitting on the stoop
playing the blues,
style. That slide action
was sweet!
The thing I like about
Fire and Wheels
Steve
I got to be a rock star
for a half a beat before Muong Choy
claimed her prize of
the autographed
Starcaster Fender
guitar. A first timer to
Volker
Dave
the Torch, she came to
support Dave Channell
who had in the past presented a Blues in the
Schools program at
Peter Burnett School
where she teaches.
What a great circle.
(SBS band nominee) is they make
me wan' a dance.
You just can’t help
it-your feet start to
tap, your head
starts to bop, your
hips start to move,
and the next thing
you know you’re up
against
some
strong firm thing
getting your groove
on.
Steve Wall
(crazy
guit ar),
Lots of folks came out
to support the musicians headed to Mem-
Darrell
phis. I’m bummed not
to be going this year.
But I’m looking for a
cool short road trip to
check somebody out,
so if you’ve got an
idea let’s hear it.
Leigh Lunetta (rock solid
rhythm), Dave Channell
(great bottom) and Hank
Spece (cool keys) with
guests Darrell Mansfield
(absolute electricity) and
Kyle (Rockin) Rowland,
had it all going on. The
push and pull between
Kyle and Darrell was fantastic to watch. Marshal
Wilkerson joined the
band for “Everyday I
Marina and her crew
were excellent hosts
and, on behalf of the
Sacramento Blues Society, I would like to
Leigh
6
Kyle
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 7
Saturday, January 9, 2010—Continued
thank them for their
continued support.
This day was full of
surprises, joy, some
sadness and lots’a
love.
Winner—Muong Choy
Marina
Darrell & Kyle
Willie
Patrick and Craig
Marshall
Phil
Craig, Rhonda and Sue
Mark
Nice teeth, Leo
Uh-Oh!
Dave and Cathy workin’ hard
7
Sally and Linda, the $$$ gals
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 8
December 2009 Member Party—Text and Photos by Vj
local favorite, The Tommy
Castro Band. Tommy is always high energy and the
joint was jumpin’ in no time.
Tommy has won many
awards through the years,
and is again nominated for
the 2010 BB King Blues En-
I always look forward to the
annual member party, because so many of our members come out to enjoy the
music and camaraderie.
Our charter member Mick
Martin was our Master of
Ceremonies this year. As
Tommy
Mick Martin
tertainer of the Year Award.
And there is more! His band
has been nominated for the
2010 Band of the year. And
last, but certainly not least,
Tommy’s sax player and longtime bandmate, Keith Crossan, has been nominated for
always, the second
place band in our
competition to go to
Memphis and represent us was our opening band. Two-Tone
Steiny
Steiny’s Cadillacs took the
stage, and soon were joined
by Mark Steinmetz, dressed
to the nines with harmonica
in hand. Steiny plays a
jump style blues that soon
gets you out of your seat
Keith Crossan
the 2010 Blues instrumentalist—
horn. If you belong
to the Blues Foundation, you can
vote for them. Check
Ronnie Smith
out the website at
To
www.blues.org.
really appreciate this band, you must see them in
action. As Scot Sutherland scoots his boots across
the stage (they were red alligator at this performance) he
gets sounds out of his bass
that are extraordinary. Keith is
wailing on the sax, and gets a
real, lowdown dirty sound, then
turns sweet. Ronnie drives the
tempo, and bursts into breathtaking solos. They are an experience!
Paris Clayton
and on the dance
floor.
Paris Clayton, an impressive guitarist (is
that a word?) plays
Paul Vieira
with many groups, but always seems to fit in seamlessly with each one. He
instinctively knows when to
fall back and when to take
no prisoners. Paul Vieira
played his steady bass and
joined in the fun. Vern Foster, a fan of Chicago style
blues, fit right in with is
drumming skills.
Then came our headliner, a
If you missed all the fun at the
Member Party this year, plan
on not missing it next year.
Vern Foster
8
Scot Sutherland
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 9
Welcome new SBS Band Members!
Showcase Your Band With the $50.00
annual SBS Band Membership. Bands
receive a Free Business card size ad in
the first Blue Notes Following your
membership date and follow-up listings
for as long as you remain a Band Member.
you will also receive a link from our
website to yours and the announcements
and offers to Musicians received on our
website.
H i r e
Allie Marcel Blues Riot
916-451-1075
Allie@Allie’s Alley.net
Andy Keane & Kinda Blue
[email protected]
Black Cat Bone
www.blackcatboneblues.net
[email protected]
530-753-5265
Bluz Catz
916-769-7934
[email protected]
Bluesion Band
[email protected]
916-517-0837
www.bluesionband.com
Bobby “Blue” Ray
Brad Wilson Band
[email protected]
Dave Channell’s Fire & Wheels
Band
916-705-8628
www.davechannell.com
David J Eisel
916-966-2992
[email protected]
Delta Wires
Prime Management
510-601-9277
[email protected]
Diamond Bob & the Alley Sneakers
[email protected]
408-313-7194
www.diamondbobsblues.com
Equinox Blues Review
Stan Alves
916-969-3995
a n
S B S
m e m b e r
b a n d
Freewheelers
Ilene Spain
707-365-4792
Freewheelersforlife @gmail.com
Mr. December Band
mrdecembermusic
@yahoo.com
Myspace.com/mrdecembertheband
Steve Hall
1-888-468-8663
[email protected]
www.stevehallblues.com
Gordon Groft Band
916-374-0874
[email protected]
www.gordongroft.com
Midtown Creepers
Jerry McGuire
916-455-3358
916-203-9781
[email protected]
Stevenson Proffitt & the
Vintage Overtones
916-475-2566
[email protected]
Johnny “Guitar” Knox
Dave Croall & the Soothers
916-455-6349
[email protected]
O Street Jumps
Dan 916 -944-7292
Cari 916-725-4889
Kyle Rowland
916-236-9204
[email protected]
Phil Berkowitz & the Dirty Cats
415-337-5448
www.philberkowitz.com
Linda Bracamonte
[email protected]
Rick Donaldson Blues Band
Jay Beaumont
530-902-8600
rickdonaldsonbluesband.com
Lisa Phenix
916-719-6106
www.Lisaphenix.com
Rock of Ages
[email protected]
Lowdown Dirty Dogs
www.lowdowndirtydogs.com
Roy Rogers
www.roy.rogers.com
Marshal Wilkerson & Smoked
Sugar
916-443-3392
marshalwilkerson@
hotmail.com
Sacramento Blues Revue
Rick Von Geldern
[email protected]
Spotted Dog Rockin’ Blues
Revue
Greg Gantrell 916-332-5417
[email protected]
Marta Gee
[email protected]
Mill Creek Blues Band
[email protected]
www.myspace.com/
millcreekbluesband
Steve Foster Band
916-276-9170
[email protected]
Mitch Kay & Groove Deluxe
916-217-1263
Steve Gatz &
Double Shuffle
209-217-7532
9
The Aces
707-490-8126
www.acesfan.com
The Cold Truth
Isis 408-835-4168
Myspace.com/coldtruthband
The Hucklebucks
Doug James
916-454-0577
www.thehucklebucks.com
Melonnee Desiree Blues Band
Melonnee Desiree Pagano
916-838-2170
www.melonnee.com
The Used Blues Band
Sean McGroarty
916-204-9800
[email protected]
Tim Noxon’s Rockin’ Blues
Band
Tim—916-201-4648
George-916-343-3172
Two Tone Steiny & the
Cadillacs
916-765-5564
[email protected]
Volume 31;
Page 10
Issue 1
RECORDS WANTED
Buying 1 9 5 0 's & 6 0 's
Blue s, J a zz, Soul, Roc k & M ore
Blue s 7 8 's & M usic M e m ora bilia ;
Re e l t o Re e l T a pe s
Please contact
(530) 265-4545 or
c le a rblue sk y@sbbm a il.c o
Northern California Blues Festival
3941 Park Dr., Ste. 20-339
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-4549
(916) 350-4640
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.norcalbluesfest.com
10
Volume 31;
Issue 1
Page 11
Please Patronize these Businesses that Support your Blues Society
313 Laurence Ave.
Kansas City, Mo 64111
1-888-BLUESIN’
www.bluescruise.com
11
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
SACRAMENTO, CA
P. O. Box 60580
Sacramento, CA 95860-0580
Blue Notes! is
The official bi-monthly
Newsletter of the
Sacramento Blues Society.
Send information for the
newsletter to
[email protected]
or to
Editor—Blue Notes!
4116 Lotus Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
VISIT OUR WEBSITE!
WWW.SACBLUES.COM
Sacramento Blues Society
(SBS)
is a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit corporation
formed to preserve and promote
blues music as an art form.
The Sacramento Blues Society
is one of the oldest blues societies
in California, founded 1979.
SBS has kept the blues tradition
alive in the Sacramento area by promoting the local blues music scene
and bringing internationally renowned artists
to the region.
SBS is an affiliate member of
The Blues Foundation.
SBS provides educational opportunities for young people with the Foundation’s
“Blues In The Schools” Program.
SBS produces a newsletter,
“Blue Notes”
Bi-Monthly (six times a year)
to our membership.
SBS
Dave Alcock
St an Alves
Willie Brow n
Roni Cook
Cat hy Dubet s
Kim DuVall
Cynt hia Jaynes
Sally Kat en
Linda McShane
Dennis Moffet t
Liz Walker
Board of Directors
Meetings
are the 2nd Tuesday of each
month, 7:00 PM at the
SMUD Building,
6301 S Street,
Sacramento, CA.
All SBS members in good standing
are invited to attend.
12
Blues I n The Schools
– Cynt hia Jaynes & Dave Alcock
Blue N ot e s N e w sle t t e r Edit or
– Valeriej eanne Anderson
Conce ssions/ M e r cha ndise
- Cat hy Dubet s & Kim DuVall
Eve n t s
– Liz Walker & Roni Cook
Fun dr a ising a nd Gr a nt s
– Sally Kat en
Ge n e Cha m be r s M u sicia n ’s
Cr isis Fund Com m it t e e
– Cat hy Dubet s & Kim DuVall
Guide line Coor dina t or
– Cynt hia Jaynes
H a ll of Fa m e Com m it t e e
– Dennis Moffet t & Sally Kat en
I nt e r na t ion a l Blue s Cha lle nge
– Event s Com m it t ee
M e m be r ship & Volunt e e r s
– Linda McShane
N or t he r n Ca lifor nia Blue s Fe st iva l
– Dennis Moffet t & Dave Alcock
Pu blic Re la t ions
– Willie Brown