April 2013
/Hey All!
Any one ready for spring yet? I am really tired of this winter. A year ago at the time of this writing we could sit outside and soak up some rays, Crocus, Daffs & Tulips were up and blooming in the garden. Oh, well, I guess that was more the aberration than this endless winter.
The Jonestones lit up the Universalist “stage” this last week and they were definitely a warm breath of spring. The Sue Orfield Band will be getting us on our feet and dancing on April 9th. Music starts at 6:30. Tuesday Night Blues Unplugged is on the second Tuesday of each month through May. It’s held at the Unitarian Universalist church, a great venue with plenty of parking and easy access to downtown Eau Claire eateries. 421 S. Farwell in Eau Claire is easy to find, just a block east of Barstow.
April 16th the Sue Orfield Band keeps things jumping and rolling with their special blend of tunes
May 14th Code Blue w/Catya & Sue is the finale for the unplugged series; they are always smoldering, ready to burst into flames!
The 2013 Northwoods Blues Festival is going to be May 25th & 26th in Trego, WI at the Heartwood Conference Center & Retreat. The lineup is looking really hot! Friday it’s Howard Luedtke & Blue Max, Reverend Raven & The Chain Smoking Altar Boys with Westside Andy, Chris Beard, then Joe Louis Walker. Wow! Saturday starts off with The Rhythm Roosters, Mojo Lemon, Kenny Neal, and finishes with Ana Popovic. That is an awesome lineup. Go to www.northwoodsbluesfest.com for ticket, camping and lodging info.
The 5th season of Tuesday Night Blues at Owen Park begins Tuesday May 30th with Howard “Guitar” Luedtke & Blue Max, followed by another 13 Tuesday nights of great music. We have two Grammy nominated artist on the schedule this year! The 2nd week of the season TNB will feature Bryan Lee. A New Orleans legend Bryan will grace our stage with his band on his way to play at Buddy Guy’s Legends club in Chicago the following Friday night. Find out more about this awesome performer at http://www.braillebluesdaddy.com . According to Duke Robillard “Whether he’s wailing a Freddy King inspired blues ballad, stomping out low down and dirty blues, or getting down with a super funky New Orleans groove, Bryan Lee is gonna grab your soul and squeeze it till you scream in blues ecstasy.”
Returning to the TNB venue at the band shell in August will be Ellen Whyte appearing again with the Sue Orfield Band. This will be Ellen’s 3rd appearance at TNB. Coming all the way from Portland, Oregon, Ellen has been a real Tuesday Night Blues favorite, Ellen is known for her astonishing vocals, as she gracefully moves among genres from blues to jazz to funk and ballads, working the crowd and putting smiles on the peoples faces. You can find out more at http://www.ellenwhyte.com .
Every week TNB will present great bands presenting blues stylings mixed with a little rock, funk, soul, and maybe even some country or reggae here and there. The best of the valley will once again be present mixed with some of the best in the region. We have excellent local talent that is often better known in Europe or even other parts of the country than in our own backyard of western Wisconsin. They and we appreciate your support! The entertainment calendar is on our home page (bands be sure to send us your schedules), and there are links to many of the bands (and there scheduled events) at the Chippewa Valley Blues Society website www.chippewavalleyblues.com and the Tuesday Night Blues Facebook page www.facebook.com/tnblues for more info.
We really can use more sponsors to keep Tuesday Night Blues going. If you’re interested, or maybe work for a company that wants to be presented to 500 – 1000 people every week throughout the summer, contact us at the website. There are new links for membership, mailing lists and even sponsor information for Tuesday Night Blues.
Blues On The Chippewa will continue to bring us amazing talent from around the country and Midwest as well. I hope to bring you word about that schedule soon. If you are interested and want to volunteer or contribute go to http://www.bluesonthechippewa.org/
Word about these unique musical events is beginning to leak out to the world. There are many great musical events that are available, but very few have such high quality and are essentially FREE. Hard to beat that, even with a stick!
The Chippewa Valley Blues Society recently joined The Blues Foundation as an affiliate member. This organization coordinates nationwide events and has an annual international competition for the best blues band. The Blues Foundation also maintains and coordinates the Blues Hall Of Fame. We hope to send a representative from here to that competition soon.
Don’t forget to tune in to WHYS 96.3 Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. for Snapshot’s blues show.
Thanks for lending me an ear! We’ll be seein’ ya around.
