March 2012

Man! If you missed Keb Mo at The State Regional Arts Center on Jan. 22, you really missed an incredible concert. Eau Claire was only the 3rd stop on this tour and was a bit of a warm up for the performance at the Guthrie in the Twin Cities the following weekend, but the Chippewa Valley gave them a very warm welcome on a chilly frosty evening and I think the band enjoyed it as much as the crowd. While not sold out the 7-800 in attendance let these guys know their efforts were appreciated and loved. The crowd was up and dancing with a knot of 30 or more in front of the stage for the end and the four song encore. That band brought it! One of the crowd monitors sitting near us even said it was the best he had seen in all the years he has been working there.

You should have been there!

March 11 the Chippewa Valley Blues Society will be presenting a concert for your enjoyment at the annual fundraiser known as “Lust For Blues’. This will be the 5th of these events, which is sort of a milestone. Lust For Blues will again be at Action City on the south side of I-94 just west of the Hwy 93 exit in Eau Claire.

Doors open at 1:30 and the very talented and soulful Mary Cutrufello will open things up. This woman has been lauded from Minneapolis to Michigan and from the East Coast to Europe. Releasing a new album of rockin’ country & blues this February she will be off to tour Europe again shortly after appearing at Lust For Blues V. Visit her website at http://www.marycutrufello.com to get a sample of the power Mary brings to a performance.

After Mary warms things up Howard Luedtke will step to the stage to bring us his roots stylings of some of the blues immortals on both acoustic and electric guitars. Howard is a Chippewa Valley secret not very well kept. If you are aware of him you know this is a truly awesome performer. While his legend may be greater outside our area, he sometimes is taken for granted near his home in Augusta. But if you get outside western Wisconsin he is not just admired and appreciated, but in some places practically worshipped for his talent and performances are nearly always packed and sold to standing room only. If you haven’t seen him, this is an excellent chance to catch him at his best!

The Ross William Perry band will be topping our showbill for this 5th Lust For Blues. This young man has been playing a few venues in our area for the last year or so, to a very responsive audience. Last Oct. 30 Shari’s Chippewa Club hosted a CD release party and they put on a helluva concert for the Halloween weekend crowd. These guys can kick out some jams! From a large presentation of original tunes to Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix the will rock your socks off and get you dancing to those slow sexy blues.

In the past we have had an admission fee with a discount for membership. This year we are admitting all current members free, or $10 for non-members. Memberships and admission can be purchased at the door. Single annual membership is $10 and $15 for a family. There will be food and beverages available, and all the action Action City provides for kids of all ages. So bring the family for a great afternoon of music and fun and chase away those wintertime blues!

Other musical happenings around the area.

Sena Ernhardt March 23, 7-8 p.m. at the Relay for Life Cancer Benefit, River Falls, WI

Howard 'Guitar' Luedtke w/ Jim Schuh, Sun, March 18, 2pm–5pm Poo's On the Pond

Pete Neuman  will be at Brady's Brewhouse, New Richmond, WI Sat, March 24

Comin’ up in April will be Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin Altar Boys at Shari’s Chippewa Club in Durand on the 17.

For more details and info go to ChippewaValleyBlues.com and check out the calendar on the home page. If you want us to list your band send us the info at “contact the webmaster. We will decide if it is appropriate for our site.

In case you forgot, remember to catch Snapshot’s blues show every Sunday morning from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. on WHYS local community radio 96.3. If you can’t dial it in, you can stream it on the web at www.whysradio.org

Well, that’s about it for now, thanks for lending me an ear! See ya around! We’ll look for you at Lust For Blues at Action City! Yeah it’s OK if you take a spin on the Go-Karts, you’ll still be able to hear the music cause we’ll be right next to the track.