Magic city blues news October Issue #267

Birmgnham

Al

Iss

January 2016

Issue #270

Birmingham Alabama

Happy New Year, Magic City Blues people! And Happy 23rd Birthday to the Magic City Blues Society. The year kicks off with the annual Birthday Bash and Annual Meeting, January 16th at Ranelli’s on the Southside. As usual, the MCBS will have our election of officers, and then the John Bull Band will rip through a couple of sets of blues music. And something slightly different than in years past, the Birthday Bash will be a free event this year.

The other big semi-official MCBS event this month is the International Blues Challenge in Memphis January 26-30. While not local, there is certainly a local contingent that will be playing in Memphis, and a core group of MCBS’ers making the trip up to support our Battle of the Blues Band winners The Janelle Frost Duo and The Elijah Butler Band. We wish them the best of luck.

In other local news, some of which is in the Not Necessarily the Blues type, Gregg Allman is doubling up with two shows at Iron City, January 5th and 6th. MCBS favorite Scott Holt has a return engagement at Ranelli’s on January 8th. As this date is the usual first Friday of the month Open Jam, we’re moving the January Open Jam back one week to January 15.

Further out, there a plenty of things to look forward to in 2016, including both official

MCBS events and things we’re proud to support and attend. Anders Osborne will be at Workplay February 12. Our second Blues & Bikes at Rider’s Harley Davidson in Trussville will take place February 20 with The 44’s, a West/Left Coast band making a rare trek through the Deep South. Gary Clarke, Jr. will be at Iron City on February 23. And Mr Sipp, in an official MCBS event, will be at Workplay February 25.

If you haven’t heard, the Lyric Theatre is set to open up shortly, and they’ve booked at least a couple of shows that will be of interest to all MCBS’ers. On April 21, the Lyric will host one of the blues genre’s Elder Statesmen, Taj Mahal, a contender on the short list of “Greatest Living Blues Musicians.” And the very next day, The Word hits the stage at the Lyric. A combination of the North Mississippi All Stars and lap/pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, it’s a show guaranteed to blastoff. If you like guitar-centric blues, this show is for you.

What a great start for the first quarter of 2016. And we’ve got several more things planned, from the old (Phelan Park) to the new (a Shelby County-Centric Event.) Stay tuned for more big things!

Prez Jamey McMahon

From the prez MAGIC CITY BLUES SOCIETY

P.O. Box 59506 Birmingham, AL 35259

Executive BOARD MEMBERS

President: Jamey McMahon

prez@magiccityblues.org

Vice President: Roger Stephenson veep@magiccityblues.org

Treasurer: Cabbie Bowes treasurer@magiccityblues.org

Secretary: Mona Lee secretary@magiccityblues.org

Board at Large:

Eva Mitchell

board2@magiccityblues.org

Richard Kirby board3@magiccityblues.org

John Braswell board1@magiccityblues.org

Todd Eckstrom board4@magiccityblues.org

Membership: Susan LeFoy membership@magiccityblues.org

Librarian: Mark Giorgi librarian@magiccityblues.org

www.MAGICCITYBLUES.org

Next open meeting Ranelli’s Soul Pit

Jan 16, 2016

The John Bull

Band to play our

birthday bash &

election party.

When:

January 16th

7:30p– 10:30p

Where:

Ranelli’s Soul Pit

How Much: FREE Any blues lover in Montgomery knows the John

Bull band as they play most local festivals and venues on a regular basis. John Bull won the MCBS Battle of the Blues Bands competition as a duo with the late Sheffield Walker in 2012. Entering our competition as a band in 2015 they took second place. These veteran players channel their sound from an era in American music that began about the time Little Walter first “electrified" the harmonica with a tube amp and a dispatcher’s mic, and ended about the time B.B. King recorded "Thrill is Gone". Their sound seamlessly swings from uptown to lowdown, right at home in the swankiest

nightspot or the funkiest juke joint.

John Bull, lead vocals/harp, dabbled with blues harmonica though his teens and early twenties, but got serious when as a riverboat captain he brought his riverboat to Montgomery, AL and began running a "Blues Cruise" on Sunday evenings. He hired the best local and regional blues entertainment, learned all he could from them, and eventually began fronting his own bands. Some fifteen years later he left river boating to devote all his energy to music. Today, some twenty-five years later, John performs all over the River

Birthday party / elections

Region, but you can still catch him and his band most Sundays on the Blues Cruise in Montgomery.

Dr. Phillip “Pete” Terrell, guitarist, has a Ph.D. in Music Industry Studies and taught Audio Recording Technology at Alabama State University in Montgomery. His musical history is diverse, having played with Ray Charles and toured with Steppenwolf, and recording for Kay Tel records in the early ‘70’s.

John "Clam Chop" Etheridge began his musical journey early in life. He attended all-night gospel sings with his grandfather, J. Harvey Etheridge, Sr. who was an organizer and promoter. John Harvey Etheridge, Jr., his father, was a world class bassist with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force Bands.

Adept at all styles and grooves, John prefers to focus his timekeeping skills in jazz, blues, and R&B styles. As a sideman or a bandleader for nearly half a century, "Clam Chop" is RIGHT ON TIME!

James "Bassface" Strankman, bass, is a multi-instrumentalist who began his musical career at the age of three when he was asked to sing onstage with Glenn Campbell while vacationing with family in Golden Colorado. At the age of eighteen Bassface enlisted in the United States Marine Band as a percussionist where he learned to play not only the drums but how to be proficient on instruments such as marimba, xylophone, tympani, and all the instruments of the percussion section. Having always been a

member of the rhythm section, the move to bass

guitar was a totally natural transition. Currently a middle-aged senior at Alabama State University majoring in music education, Bassface plans to one day teach music at the college level. Having started playing with The John Bull Band as the back-up drummer, subbing for "Clam Chop" when needed, he became the full time bassist after the unfortunate passing of the late Sheffield Walker.

When these veteran players combine their talent and experience to breathe new life into old blues and traditionally-inspired originals, the results are sometimes surprising, always inspiring, and never to be missed.

Roger Stephenson

Johnny Lang / Iron City Hope you were able to attend the Johnny Lang show at Iron City in early December as it was one of the best he’s done in Birmingham! The original date was in September, which he had to cancel after becoming ill. He has a reputation for following through on commitments, and boy did he ever. The opening band was actually his young keyboard player, who had a more independent and somewhat jazz influenced style, with several more introspective original compositions. The feel was definitely a polar opposite to the blues sets Mr. Lang was about to unleash. Johnny had not been to Birmingham in a few years with his own show. He had done a short performance, with all the leading guitarists at Alys Stephens paying homage to Jimi Hendrix several months back. The Iron City performance was his first full show with his band in some time. He didn’t disappoint either. I noted that despite Mr. Lang’s mid-30s age, more

than half the crowd was well over forty and above. Of particular note, I happened to attend with a varied group, and there was a young lady with our group who had heard his name, but had never attended one of his shows, and only really knew his “Lie to Me” hit. She’s pretty astute when it comes to music, and had that, “okay, let’s see attitude”. We were able to get around to the left side of the stage, and up fairly close, so we could see his fret work. Well folks, after Johnny smoked that show, she’s now a big FAN! He performed several new songs from a soon to be released album. True to form, he continued to show why he’s noted for great live performances. He was able to vary his delivery of his classic hits with new arrangements, Butt still brought his fully immersed style to each song. He can seamlessly go from delicate ballad style right into powerful, gut-punching blues and pulls as much out of a guitar cord as any performer you’ve seen! He closed his encore and show by starting “Lie to Me” on solo acoustic. He started alone on stage for a

soulful 4 to 5 minutes on acoustic, then his band ran on stage and started the buildup. He kept singing and switched to electric without ever leaving the mic, and finished with his powerful blues frets! Man, I’m already craving the next show right now!

John Braswell

Live music review

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers “Method to my Madness” Alligator Records This album will be great for “TC” purists, but will also be a great introduction to Tommy Castro for “newbies”. The formula is straight forward: guitar, keys, bass and drums. There are twelve cuts that all maintain a solid medium-paced rhythm through most of the songs, with a couple of faster rhythms in the earliest tracks, and at least two rhythm/mood changes in the last few. Tommy has a distinctive guitar sound that is immediately recognizable if you’re familiar with his signature licks and vocals. You’ve heard folks speak about a perceived style difference from some “west coast” blues artists, as opposed to blues artists who grew up in the mid-west, or eastern parts of the country. While you definitely know it’s TC playing, these tracks are more universal and follow a straight forward blues style. Tommy had a hand in writing ten of the

twelve cuts, while the B.B. King song “Bad Luck” closes as the last track, and the Rick Hall/Quinn Ivy song, “I’m Qualified” finds its way as the 8th track. The rolling rhythms and signature fret style make this a highly “danceable” album. One of the late tracks has a nice surprise, in that its keyboards sound very similar to certain early Doors songs, with a similar keys sound that I believe you’ll really enjoy, although the song is in the definitive TC style. There’s also a classic player piano style accompaniment in the track “Lose Lose” that follows a traditional “regret” style blues theme.

Additionally, the last track, “Bad Luck” follows a great rolling “big blues band” sound from yesteryear, thoughtfully reflecting and paying homage to BB King, who helped pen the song. If you couldn’t tell, I really enjoyed this album. Tommy Castro has always been one of those artists that you know it’s him, after just a few guitar licks or his distinctive voice. The songs are mostly an upbeat/rhythmic story telling style, but the lyrics are straight forward and you’ll definitely be tapping your toes, then up stomping around. Be sure a check this one out. I bet you’ll like it!

John Braswell

CD review

Altamont

Automatic Slim

Big Daddy's New Band

Big Papa

Cahaba Dogs

Christian Herring & True Blues

Debbie Bond & TruDats

Diedra & the Ruff Pro Band

Earl "Guitar" Williams and the Juke Band

Fat Mouth Blues Band

John Bull Band

John D'Amato

Jubal John

Gip’s Place

Red Wolf Lounge

Henderson’s

Moonlight On the Mountain

Champy’s

Columbiana Center for the Arts

Daniel Day Gallery

Lipstik & Lead

Little Memphis and Friends

Leonard Watkins

Mickey Jr & the Stone Cold Blues Band

Microwave Dave & the Nukes

Sam Pointer

Sassy Brown

Soul Collision

Charlie Soul Band

Lefty Collins Band

Thick as Thieves

Thomas Henry Band

The Nick

Wellingtons Bistro

Crescendo Bar & Lounge

Iron City

Workplay

Ranelli’s Soul Pit

Zydeco

Please support Your local blues bands

Local Venues that support live blues music

We cannot thank the members—new and continuing—enough

for their support. Without you we could not bring the high quality and wide variety of artists to the Birmingham area.

Stephen Harris Douglas Hoffman Pat Vander Meer

Bruce Donnellan Kay Donnellan Max Mayfield Sherie Mayfield Richard Teel Maria Francesca Mereu

Sergey Vasilyev Cabbie Bowes

New and returning members

Venues in bold local Birmingham area venues.

Please check with venues as events are subject to change.

Date Artist Venue TimeFri. 01 Elijah Butler Band Stillwater Pub

Sat. 02 Bobby Messano Gips’s Place

Kyle Kimprell Champys 7-10pElijah Butler Band Stillwater Pub

Sun. 03 Lefty Collins Lulu’s ,DestinMicrowave Dave Blues Brunch Humphrey’s, Huntsville 11a-2p

Mon. 04 Microwave Dave Mama Annie’s, Huntsville 5-7pElijah Butler Band Dave’s

Tues. 05 Gregg Allman Iron City 8pWed. 06 Gregg Allman Iron City 8p

Automatic Slim Blues Band Syndicate 6pMicrowave Dave Southside Cantina, Huntsville 6-9p

Open Jam Red Wolf 9pThurs. 07 Janelle Frost Champy’s 6-9p

Wes Lee , resonator slide blues from MS Moonlight on the Mt.

Microwave Dave Rock House Eatery, Guntersville 6-9pFri. 08 Willis/Hunnicutt Band Daniel Day Gallery 8:30p

Sassy Brown and Glen Butts Pleasure is All Wine

Scott Holt Ranelli's Soul Pit 8pMarc Harris Champy’s 7-10p

Microwave Dave solo/Dawn Osborne Band Straight to Ale, HuntsvilleMCBS open jam Ranelli’s Deli

Sat. 09 Todd Simpson – Mr. Gip's Birthday Gip's Place

Little G Weevil Champy’s 7-10pElijah Butler Band Sayre Bar

Sun. 10 Microwave Dave The Boot, Huntsville 7-10pCharlie Soul Band Daniel Day Gallery 2pMicrowave Dave Humphrey’s Blues Brunch, Huntsville 11a-2p

Spencer Bohren & The Whippersnappers Capitol Oyster Bar, Montgomery 5pMon. 11 Microwave Dave Mama Annie’s, Huntsville 5-7pTues. 12 Elijah Butler Band Dave’s

Wed. 13 Automatic Slim Blues Band Syndicate 6pMicrowave Dave Southside Cantina, Huntsville 6-9p

Open Jam Red Wolf 9pThurs. 14 Ryan Flynt Champy’s

Kelly Hunt Capitol Oyster Bar, Montgomery- 5p

January 2016 calendar

Fri. 15 Dough Lee–Don Tinsley Project Daniel Day Gallery 8:30pGeorge Griffin Solo Pleasure is All Wine 6:30p-8:30p

Travis Posey Champy’s 7-10pThe Fine Folk Art Exhibit Opening–Hooteneers The Shelby County Arts Council 6p-Free

Sat. 16 Sassy Brown Trio Champy’s 7-10pMatt Harvey Band Gip's Place

MCBS Birthday Bash John Bull Ranelli’s Deli

City & Colour/Greyhounds Iron City 8pSun. 17 Abigail Palmer Group Daniel Day Gallery 2p

Lefty Collins Lulu’s, DestinSteepwater Band Capitol Oyster Bar, Montgomery 5p

Tues. 19 Lefty Collins Bone and Barrel, FairhopeElijah Butler Band Dave’s

Wed. 20 Automatic Slim Blues Band Syndicate 6pMicrowave Dave Southside Cantina, Huntsville 6-9p

Open Jam Red Wolf 9pThurs. 21 Jarrett Smith Champy’s 6-9pFri. 22 TBA Daniel Day Gallery 8:30p

John Bull Champy’s 7-10pMicrowave Dave Swampers/Marriott, Florence 8-11p

Sat. 23 Spatnick Band Gip's Place

Elijah Butler Band Big Al’s

Webb Wilder/Michael Carpenter The Shelby County Arts Council 7:30pSun. 24 The Dozens Daniel Day Gallery 2p

Microwave Dave Humphrey’s Blues Brunch, Huntsville 11a-2pJames Armstrong Capitol Oyster Bar, Montgomery 5p

Mon. 25 Microwave Dave Mama Annie’s, Huntsville 5-7pTues. 26 Elijah Butler Band Dave’s

Wed. 27 Automatic Slim Blues Band Syndicate 6pMicrowave Dave Southside Cantina, Huntsville 5-7p

Open Jam Red Wolf 9pThurs. 28 Lefty Collins Bone and Barrel, Fairhope

Rick Carter Champy’s 6-9pFri. 29 Open Mic Daniel Day Gallery 8:30p

Lefty Collins Lulu's, Gulf ShoresJoe Breckenridge Champy’s 7-10p

Sat. 30 Rex Tex and Hotrod Gip's Place

The Ray Reach Jazz Trio/Howard Paul The Shelby County Arts Council 7:30pMicrowave Dave & The Nukes Voodoo Lounge, Huntsville 9:30p

Sun. 31 Lefty Collins Lulu’s, DestinMicrowave Dave Humphrey’s Blues Brunch, Huntsville 11a-2p

Mail w/check payable to:Magic City Blues Society, Inc.P.O. Box 59506Birmingham, AL 35259For membership inquires, please contact Susan LeFoy at membership@magiccityblues.org

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