Stepping into March

This month we’re doing something a little different. In this column I’ll hit on weekend and early-next-week events of note. Then, I’ll circle back on Thursday, March 13, with the column looking at recommended events for the rest of the month. And we’re going to start off looking at weekend dates rather than venues to keep this easy to write and read.
So, Friday, March 7, 5:30 p.m. catch Lincoln’s All Star City Blues at The B. Bar while Omaha’s own Sailing in Soup takes the Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) gig at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, 5-7 p.m.

Friday, March 7, 7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Jewell on Capitol, The Hoist Trio is set to perform. The trio is Omaha’s own keyboard virtuoso Mitch Towne, Grammy nominee Ray Brinker and multiple Grammy winner Chip McNeil. Towne wrote about the show on Facebook noting “Chip and Ray are two of the best in the business and have toured all over the world with some of the biggest names in jazz!”
Saxophonist Chip McNeil is a full professor and chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois who currently tours with the Doc Severinsen band and has toured with Natalie Cole, Arturo Sandoval and Maynard Ferguson.
Brinker is a jazz drummer from Los Angeles who has also worked with Maynard Ferguson and the Tierney Sutton Band.
Remember at the Jewell on Capitol there is no cover charge, but you need to go online to make table reservations and there is a minimum food and drink purchase requirement of $25 per person. See details at jewellomaha.com/livemusic.

Blues Society of Omaha General Meeting
The Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) is a volunteer-driven organization and needs the involvement of you, the fan, to help keep the scene vibrant. On Saturday, March 8, 5 p.m., at Philly Sports Bar and Grill, 8116 S. 84th St., the BSO invites anyone who is interested in learning more to attend its annual general meeting. This event is open to the public and a good place to learn more about the non-profit that has been around for over 25 years. Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis to lead in key areas and to help the organization keep the blues alive in the Omaha metro area.
Following the meeting, the guitar-driven blues-rock of Jeremiah Johnson takes the stage for two sets, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Admission charges are discounted for members attending the meeting. See omahablues.com or facebook.com/bluessocietyofomaha for more about the organization, the annual meeting and show and a curated calendar the BSO maintains of local blues and roots shows.

Tommy’s Back
Tommy Castro, a longtime local audience favorite, is back in Omaha for a special Sunday night show Sunday, March 9, 8 p.m. at The Waiting Room. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance at etix.com or $30 at the door. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers are touring in support of Castro’s eighth Alligator record, “Closer to the Bone.” Released in February, advance press for the disc promises “the most unvarnished, straight-ahead blues release of Castro’s career, one that bristles with every ounce of his dynamic energy and raw emotion.” An always charismatic showman, the Waiting Room show is a great chance to see Tommy on a big stage with top-flight sound and lights, but also with the chance to be up close with this dynamic band. K.C. guitarist Brandon Miller opens the show.

BSO Thursday Shows
The BSO’s Thursday music series returns in March with events scheduled at Philly Sports Bar & Grill. Outstanding Texas blues guitarist Mike Morgan and his band The Crawl are scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 6 p.m. Mike has been a noted player on the Texas blues scene since the 1980s with Guitar World magazine calling him “a genuine blues guitar hero.” Mike is a really great, inventive player who’s a master of a good groove and can also swing the blues. This will be a terrific show for guitar fans and blues fans alike.
Thursday, March 20. 6 p.m., popular sax man Jimmy Carpenter and his band hit the stage at the Philly. And Thursday March 27, harmonica player and fine vocalist Brandon Santini brings his high-energy band rooted in traditional blues to town.

Hot Notes
Rounding out this quick list of upcoming blues to-dos, you can catch popular Omaha band Blue House with the Rent to Own Horns at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Saturday, March 8, 5-8 p.m. Blue House just celebrated their 35th Anniversary, they play a lot of original music with an accomplished horn section and they were featured last fall on a reboot of Nebraska Public Media’s “33rd Street Sessions” showcasing vintage concert telecasts from the 1990s.

The Zoo Bar has a busy week of national shows and could use your support. The west coast swing of acclaimed band Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite Boys takes the stage Tuesday, March 11, 6-9 p.m. Mike Morgan & The Crawl gig at the Zoo Wednesday, March 12, 6-9. Mark Joseph of The Big Wu is scheduled Thursday, March 13, 6-9. Triple threat Vanessa Collier has the Friday Afternoon Club spot on Friday, March 14, 5 p.m. Find all the details on the historic Zoo Bar’s shows at zoobar.com and catch the latest updates and show reminders at facebook.com/ZooBarBlues.

The popular Sunday Roadhouse concert series curated by Dean Dobmeier and Gary Grobeck is back with a special Wednesday installment. Sunny Sweeney plays a show with her band at Reverb Lounge Wednesday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 and advance tickets are available at sundayroadhouse.com. Themusicaldivide.com describes her music as a “no-frills, Texas honky tonk sound and bullseye-targeted heartbreak.” See sunnysweeney.com for more about Sweeney and samples of her music. Her acclaimed recent disc “Married Alone” was co-produced by Paul Cauthen and Beau Bedford. And mark your calendars now for the return of iconic Austin songwriter James McMurtry, who appears Thursday, April 17, 8 p.m. at The Waiting Room in a Roadhouse / 1% Productions show.

Check back here on The Reader home page Thursday, March 13, for the expanded column covering the rest of this month’s notable shows.