|
• Cover
• News | blog
• Music | blog
• Lazy I
• Film | blog
• Theater | blog
• Art | blog
• Sports
• Lifestyle | blog
• Dish | blog
• Books | blog
• Culture
• 8 Days
• Heartland Healing
• Hoodoo Blues
• MoJoPo
• News of the Weird
• Television
• Letters
|
|
|
Home - Hoodoo Blues
|
This 'N' That - |
By B.J. Huchtemann
If you have this paper in your hands Wednesday, Sept. 1, note that occasional Reader contributor Josh Hoyer’s band Son of 76 & The Watchmen plays the Zoo tonight from 6-9 p.m. If you haven’t seen them, this is one of the metro’s best original music groups. Frontman Hoyer’s wonderful songs and soulful voice take flight with the collaboration of the remarkable talents in this band. See sonof76.com for more on the band and its summer 2010 release, Letters From Shangri-La. |
|
|
|
Caring Scenes - |
By B.J. Huchtemann
CROONING FOR KAT: A fundraiser on Aug. 31 at The Waiting Room is being held to aid Kat Smith, far left, pictured with Black Squirrels. Funds raised will help Smith with bills from medical issues and ongoing treatment. Photo by Kevin Jones.
Mark your calendar for a special night of local music Tuesday, Aug. 31, at the Waiting Room. It’s a benefit for local musician Kat Smith of Black Squirrels who has been fighting health issues diagnosed during her pregnancy. She and husband Jason Ludwick welcomed a healthy baby boy named Leo on May 14. While pregnant Smith was diagnosed with “an unusual desmoid tumor, which is technically not cancerous but is aggressive and tends to act like it,” according to CrooningForKat.com. She had surgery to remove the three-pound tumor once her doctors determined her pregnancy was far enough along. She was generally confined to bed during her pregnancy and has suffered complications from the tumor surgery. Smith wrote via email that, “doctors have told her to expect a long and difficult recovery with a recurring tumor and another surgery a real possibility.” She is seeking additional consultation at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. |
|
|
|
Hot Twang & Blues - |
By B.J. Huchtemann
Local promoters Dean Dobmeier and Gary Grobeck present another intimate show at Jake’s in Benson with David Olney and Sergio Webb Monday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Olney’s Americana songs have been recorded by artists including Lonnie Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Del McCoury and Linda Ronstadt. Olney’s fans include Steve Earle and the late Townes Van Zandt. This is Olney’s second performance for the Sunday Roadhouse concert series, and while you may not know his name, his resume includes over 20 recordings during his 40-year career. |
|
|
|
Fire Finale - |
OFF THE HOOK: Soul-blues-gospel vocalist Ellis Hooks brings his emotion-drenched vocals and high-powered show-band to Playing With Fire on Saturday, Aug. 14, at the riverfront's Lewis & Clark Landing.
By B.J. Huchtemann
The final 2010 Playing With Fire concert of the summer takes place on the Riverfront’s Lewis & Clark Landing Saturday, Aug. 14. Gates open at 4 p.m.
The show kicks off with spotlighted bands from the Blues Society of Omaha’s BluesEd youth performance program from approximately 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Nashville showman and powerful guitarist Stacy Mitchhart kicks off the show at 6 p.m. Omaha fans were wowed by Mitchhart’s blistering horn and guitar-driven blues during his debut appearances at The New Lift Lounge. He and his high-energy group know how to work the crowd. Mitchhart is a popular performer at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Nashville. In 2009, the dynamic Mitchhart was the subject of a documentary, NashVegas Blues, which appeared on The Documentary Channel. |
|
|
|
Hoodoo Blues - |
By B.J. Huchtemann
The summer seems like it’s flying by and July has been packed with music. August promises more of the same.
While catching some shade at the July 31 Concert for Equality, I got a text from Jeff Davis, messaging from a trip to Toronto where he caught cooler weather and explored their music scene. The August Playing With Fire concert is Saturday, Aug. 14, on the riverfront’s Lewis & Clark Landing. There are only three Playing With Fire concerts this summer so the August show is the last for 2010. Nashville blues showman Stacy Mitchhart and Blackburn, Canada’s 2010 Maple Blues Award Winners for “Best New Artist/Group,” kick off the show. |
|
|
|
Sizzling Summer - |
SMOKIN' SAX: Boston's Sax Gordon Beadle blasting his way through the summer heat at the July 17 Playing With Fire with a no-holds-barred, rockin' sax blow out. Photo by Conrad Good.
By B.J. Huchtemann
After the sizzling July 17 Playing With Fire show featuring Sugar Ray Norcia & the Bluetones, Sax Gordon Band and Randy Oxford Band featuring Jada Amy, I revisited Sax Gordon Beadle’s 2004 release Live at the Sax Blast (Me & My Blues Records). I’ve been grooving to it all week. Sax Blast was recorded in September 2002 as Beadle played a raucous set opening for one of his own heroes and major influences, Big Jay McNeely. Look McNeely up; born in 1927, he’s still living and rocking the blues saxophone sound that he helped pioneer.
I’ve been following Beadle’s music since the early 1990s when I caught him at a Chicago nightspot (I think it was B.L.U.E.S.) blowing horn with Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson. It was a slow, quiet weeknight and Johnson’s guitar work was fine but Beadle’s ripping old-school sax style knocked me out even then. Beadle has continued to grow as a player, going from work with Johnson to sideman gigs with Matt “Guitar” Murphy and then Duke Robillard before going on to establish himself as a solo artist in Europe while touring with some of the greats like Solomon Burke. Beadle remains one of the few younger cats I know of who play in the rockin’ sax style of players like McNeely, Gene Ammons, Arnett Cobb and King Curtis. |
|
|
|
No Place Like Home - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
One of the coolest things about music beyond the music itself is the sense of community it can build. Omaha and Lincoln are rich with supportive music circles like the Blues Society of Omaha, Playing With Fire, the informal Benson scene community, the Sunday Roadhouse series followers and the Zoo Bar’s network of musicians and regulars. The “Lincoln is a Music City” initiative spearheaded in part by occasional Reader contributor Josh Hoyer and the new hearnebraska.org project being launched by Reader Contributing News Editor Andrew Norman, are other examples of cool community building. You can find Facebook pages for both of the latter projects.
This flourishing atmosphere is on my mind at the end of the July 17 weekend of the OEAA Summer Showcase, Playing With Fire along with the Zoo Bar 37th Anniversary earlier this month.
Congrats to OEAA Music Chair MarQ Manner for his hard work in orchestrating another two days of local band showcases at Benson venues July 17 and 18. Over 60 local bands performed at six venues. While it didn’t seem to me like there were as many people out taking advantage of the event as last year, this remains an excellent and fun way to sample a lot of the fine original music made in our own backyard. |
|
|
|
Festival Fun - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar takes its 37th Anniversary into the community with another street fest Friday and Saturday, July 9-10. All ages are welcome and this is a great opportunity to expose your children and young friends to top local and national roots music. See zoobar.com for complete details.
The Thursday night 6 p.m. club show July 8 features the return of former Lincoln native “Baby Jason” Davis as part of the band Earl and Them, with Earl Cate of the Cate Brothers. Also on the bill are the KC Raindogs and the Mezcal Brothers.
The line-up for the Friday, July 9, evening starts with The Tijuana Gigolos rockin’ the happy hour inside the bar at 5 p.m. |
|
|
|
Hot Fun - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
The Zoo Bar is ramping up for its 37th Anniversary festivities. The official party begins Monday, July 5, with acclaimed blues-rock guitarist Coco Montoya. Tuesday, July 6, legendary East Coast blues band The Nighthawks headlines. Also performing Tuesday are The Blues Messengers and The Heartmurmurs. Wednesday, July 7, rocking guitarist Mike Zito is scheduled with Honey Island Swamp Band and Lil’ Slim opening. Thursday, July 8, former Lincoln native “Baby Jason” Davis returns to the Zoo as part of the band Earl and Them, featuring Earl Cate of the Cate Brothers. Also on the bill are the KC Raindogs. Indoor shows begin at 6 p.m. |
|
|
|
Summertime Blues - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
This weekend marks the annual Summer Arts Fest downtown. See summerarts.org for artist schedules. One event that is sure to be special is the Sunday, June 27, tribute to the late Luigi Waites at 1:30 p.m. Luigi passed away earlier this year and is missed by all who knew him. A legendary Omaha jazz musician, Luigi was an active and energetic positive force in our community. His longstanding involvement with the Summer Arts Fest led to the main stage being named in his honor. His beaming, bustling presence off stage was an integral part of the event, too. His performance with his band last summer proved he was still a musical force of finesse and power.
The party sounds of New Orleans roots-rockers The Iguanas heat up the main stage at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. One Iguanas co-founder is Omaha native Joe Cabral. The band’s mix of rock, roots, R&B and traditional Latin music is always a crowd-pleaser. |
|
|
|
Fiery Favorites - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
This Saturday, June 19, is the first show in the summer Playing with Fire Concert Series. The concerts are on the riverfront at the Lewis & Clark Landing. The first of three shows this summer, it features three of my favorite artists and has music that will appeal to rock and jazz fans, too. The national acts begin at 6 p.m.; so don’t be late. See the special PWF Reader insert in last week’s issue for details on all the shows. The “After Burn” Jam is moving to a new location: Union Sports Bar at 1420 Cuming St., adjacent to the Holiday Inn Downtown. Lincoln’s Levi William Band anchors the jam again this year. See playingwithfireomaha.net for details, including a new shuttle that will run from the Union Sports Bar to the riverfront. Remember the event is free, but donations are encouraged. Money collected at the gate goes to assist with the sizeable costs of putting on these events, and a percentage goes to the Omaha Food Bank.
Popular blues-rocker Hadden Sayers kicks off this first show with a 6 p.m. set. The Texas native is a long-time local favorite for his mix of sizzling Strat skills, soulful vocals and original, blues-based rock songs. His high-energy shows are always terrific. |
|
|
|
Struggles, Love & Hope - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
Songs of struggle, love, hope and redemption swell the tracks of Letters from Shangri-La, the third CD from Son of 76 & The Watchmen. Frontman Josh Hoyer is also an occasional contributor to The Reader. On the final track, “Tiny Broken Hearts” Hoyer sings “all these tiny broken hearts they grow so full / Sometimes I feel like it’s all coming together / All these crooked roads could have been the right ones I suppose.”
That snippet from the final song on the disc gives you a sense of the heart within Hoyer’s music. His songwriting ranges from character stories that would be at home in the repertoires of James McMurtry or Dave Alvin, to more intimate songs of searching and hope that echo the themes of Jon Dee Graham.
With a wealth of influences from low-fi band Morphine to Tom Waits and Graham, along with classic R&B and New Orleans’ blues and jazz, particularly the great Dr. John, Hoyer’s new music is excellent. It’s sometimes feverish and troubled, but always passionate, beautiful and searching. He’s not afraid of social commentary, but he also wants the listener to dance and celebrate.
|
|
|
|
Torch and Twang - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
If you’re reading this Wednesday, June 2, put the pedal to the metal and get over to the Waiting Room. Pretty quick. Boston’s Eilen Jewell hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. for the latest installment of Dean Dobmeier’s and Gary Grobeck’s Sunday Roadhouse concert series. Okay, okay. It’s not a Sunday; but deal with it because when Dobmeier and Grobeck break format and do a weeknight show, you know it’s because the artist is one they really want their audience to hear. This is Jewell’s second show for the Roadhouse boys. It’s clear Eilen (rhymes with feelin’) Jewell is on her way to being one of the next “it” girls of Americana/honkytonk.
Jewell’s moody alto voice can be haunting or sweet. Mojo magazine said her sound “suggest[s] Lucinda Williams fronting Chris Isaak’s band.” The Washington Post enthused that Jewell’s voice recalled what might happen “if Neko Case, Madeleine Peyroux and Billy Holiday had a baby girl who grew up to front” a roots band. Chronogram Magazine said “Just a shot glass full of Eilen Jewell’s sweet, deep, desert-dry voice, and rollicking, high-twangin’ band makes it clear enough why she’s the reigning queen of America’s new roots landscape.”
|
|
|
|
Summertime Blues - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
Since this issue includes a feature on outdoor concerts of note, mark your calendars for the return of the Playing With Fire concert series and the Zoo Bar 36th Anniversary. Those are among the roots music shows that will make this a great summer for fans.
Playing With Fire has reduced the number of summer shows from five to three, but the three are packed with great music. The dates are all Saturdays: June 19, July 17 and August 14. All shows begin at 4:30 p.m. with music from the Blues Society of Omaha’s BluesEd kids bands. All shows are free but donations at the gate go to help defray costs of the event and a percentage goes to the Omaha Food Bank. What better way to enjoy a sweet summer evening than to hit the riverfront’s Lewis & Clark Landing for a night of world-class music that brings fans together and gives back to our community. |
|
|
|
Music al Fresco - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
This weekend marks the much-anticipated opening of the Stir Concert Cove and also Lincoln’s Jammin’ Away The Blues event.
Saturday, May 22, is the second annual Jammin’ Away The Blues concert, aimed at using blues music to help raise awareness for the Mental Health Association of Nebraska. Legendary Chicago blues man Lonnie Brooks, an Alligator Records guitar star, headlines the event. Brooks represents some of the best of the electrified Chicago blues guitar tradition. Brooks is also the father of Ronnie Baker Brooks, another popular artist known for his rockin’ blues. Popular Kansas singer-songwriter and boogie keyboard queen Kelley Hunt will also perform. Up and coming Lincoln blues-rocker Levi William kicks things off. The show starts at 7 p.m., at the New Grove, 340 W. Cornhusker Hwy. (formerly Uncle Ron’s and the Grove) in Lincoln. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door and are available at etix.com or mha-ne.org.
|
|
|
|
Blues Music Awards - |
by B.J. Huchtemann
The Blues Music Awards were handed out in Memphis Thursday, May 6. Winners included some old and new favorites among metro audiences. Portland, Ore., vocalist Curtis Salgado took home the “Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year” award. Salgado is expected to be among the acts performing at the Zoo Bar 36th Anniversary in July.
Tommy Castro, who was at the Zoo Bar en route to the Memphis ceremonies, was a big winner. Castro and his popular group took home the prestigious “Band of the Year” honors. Castro was also recognized with the notable “B.B. King Entertainer of the Year” and “Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year” awards. Castro’s Hard Believer CD on Alligator won “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.” |
|
|
|
Jumpin' with John - |
LAST MINUTE VENUE & CITY CHANGE: Due to a double-scheduling issue at the Zoo Bar, Blues Music Award nominee John Németh will now be appearing at BarFly in Omaha on Friday, May 7, at 9 p.m.
by B.J. Huchtemann
John Németh hits the Zoo Bar Friday, May 7, the day after the prestigious Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Németh is nominated in the “Contemporary Blues Male Artist” category alongside Derek Trucks, Joe Louis Walker, Michael Burks and Tommy Castro. That should give you some idea of the praise surrounding Németh’s recent performances and recordings.
Németh is touring in support of, Name the Day on Blind Pig, which doesn’t actually “street” until May 18. But I suspect he’ll have copies on hand at his gig. The disc continues his crisp, sassy and heartfelt exploration of vintage R&B. His vibey, soulful vocals and classic R&B sound inspired this rave from the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Classic soul and R&B sounds have been revitalized by artists such as James Hunter, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and Sharon Jones. You can add John Németh to any list of the best of them.” |
|
|
|
Shinning Lights - |
HARP MASTER: Blues harmonica star Mark Hummel brings his jumpin' West-Coast-meets-Chicago-style blues to McKenna's on May 1 with a special guest, guitarist Rusty Zinn.
by B.J. Huchtemann
Music is essential, pretty much like breathing, eating and sleeping. If you read this column regularly you’ve likely figured out that’s where I stand. Music is mandatory for my soul and peace of mind. So, it’s like nirvana when I hit Austin, Tex., which bills itself as “the live music capital of the world.”
The centerpiece of the trip was catching my personal hero Jon Dee Graham’s electrifying regular Wednesday night set at the Continental Club. Guitarist Mike Hardwick’s six-string power makes Graham’s Austin band a four-piece to be reckoned with. Together, Hardwick and Graham’s guitar forays sizzle and spark. Graham’s luminous spirit is at the core of material that’s sometimes fierce, sometimes tender, but always hopeful. His new CD, It’s Not As Bad As It Looks (Freedom Records) has gotten rave reviews by many critics who’ve called it not only the best of his career but also one of the best discs of 2010 to date. If you go to Austin, the Continental Club’s Wednesday night double-bill of Graham and James McMurtry is the best mid-week show in a town dripping with great music. |
|
|
|
Blast Off - |
ROARING INTO OMAHA: Phil Alvin, second from left, leads The Blasters as
they rev up BarFly on Friday night for what is sure to be a kick-ass
roots-rock throwdown. Photo by Gary Leonard.
by B.J. Huchtemann
If you consider yourself any sort of serious fan of 20th Century roots rock, you should know about The Blasters. If you don’t, here’s a chance for you to get schooled. The iconic West Coast roots-rock band plays BarFly Friday night. The current version of The Blasters is three-fourths of the original band that helped make roots-rock hip again on the Los Angeles club scene when punk was rocking the world. The Blasters became popular on the West Coast scene alongside bands like X. The Blasters shared the punks’ take-no-prisoners approach to all-out rock, but applied it to the old school R&B, blues and early rock they learned at the feet of some of the greats like Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker.
To be clear, the current band is three-fourths of the original: vocalist Phil Alvin with the original rhythm section of John Bazz and Bill Bateman. Guitarist Keith Wyatt has held down the guitar duties long enough to be an integral part of the current Blasters machine-gun attack. This band still fires through many of its classic tunes penned by original guitarist and co-founder Dave Alvin, along with gems Phil pulls out of his vast repertoire of classic blues and roots music. |
|
|
|
Blues-Rock to Bluegrass - |
CATCH THEM ON THE RISE: Ryan Montbleau Band plays the Holland 1200 Club this Friday, April 9, This summer they'll be opening for Dave Matthews Band on his arena tour.
by B.J. Huchtemann
The Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards will host a spring showcase in Council Bluffs Friday, April 9. Local bands have been scheduled for 40-minute showcase slots beginning at 7:30 or 8 p.m. at various venues in the 100 block of Broadway including Barley’s, Fiddlin’ Monkey, Glory Days, The Venue and T’z. Watch oea-awards.com for final details.
BSO presents Eric Jerardi
The Blues Society of Omaha presents a special show at the Ozone inside Anthony’s Tuesday, April 13. Veteran local guitarist Dave Barger & Friends play from 6-7 p.m. Headlining is the Eric Jerardi Band at 7:30 p.m. Jerardi has been working on the national scene for 20 years, picking up sponsorships by Fender and Budweiser. The House of Blues, Boston, called Jerardi “one of this country’s foremost blistering blues/rock players.” The BSO Volunteer Appreciation Party recognizes the many volunteers who help with BSO events, including the annual Playing With Fire concerts. Volunteers have been sent special invites. Renewing or new Blues Society donors will also receive free admission. Admission for everyone else is $10.
|
|
|
<< Previous 1 2 Next >>
|
|
|
