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In this issue: Meet:

Kyle Rowland Mary Carerra Buddy Guy Book

Back to NOLA Local Jams And more!

Volume 34; Issue 5

October-November 2013

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Sacramento Blues

Society is a

Proud Member

The Sacramento Blues Society (SBS) is one of the oldest blues societies in California, founded in1979, and is a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit corporation formed to preserve and promote blues music as an art form. SBS has kept the blues tradition alive in the Sacramento area by promoting the local blues music scene and bringing internationally renowned

artists to the region and produces and mails a newsletter, “Blue Notes” six times a year for our membership. SBS is an affiliate member of

The Blues Foundation, and provides educational opportunities for young people with The Blues Foundation’s “Blues In The Schools” Program.

2013 Committee Chairs

Blues in the Schools —Cynthia Jaynes/Liz Walker Blue Notes —Valeriejeanne Anderson/Jan Kelley

CD Reviews—Mindy Giles Events/IBC Competition —Mari Lu Onweller

Finance—Liz Walker Sacramento Blues Hall of Fame—Sally Katen/Jan Kelley

Membership/Volunteers —Sharon Allen Merchandise/Concessions/Graphics—Tammie Madill

Publicity—Mac “Guitar Mac” Macknally SacBlues e-News/Calendar—Willie Brown

Website Liaison—Liz Walker Webmaster—David Alcock

2013 Board Officers

Jan Kelley—President Mari Lu Onweller—Vice President

Cynthia Jaynes–Secretary Liz Walker—Treasurer

Cynthia Juarez-Parliamentarian

Board Members at Large

Sharon Allen Sally Katen Kim DuVall

Tammie Madill Mac “Guitar Mac” Macknally

Board of Directors Meetings—2nd

Tuesday Each month; 7:00 PM at the

SMUD Building, 6301 S Street, Sacramento All SBS members in good standing are invited to

attend.

V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

my friends and fellow Cruisers

as they disembark in New Or-

leans. What a BLAST!

A few travel tips if you are plan-

ning to go to NOLA...Spring or

Fall are the best times of year

to go if you aren’t fond of heat with high humidity (and

it still may feel warm). Wait for a “deal fare” on South-

west Air, and book a reasonable (not fancy ) hotel

close in to the Quarter. Preferably one that will feed

you breakfast each day, and book early, they fill up.

Do not bother with a rental car...parking is limited,

expensive, and a pain...instead, walk or take public

transportation (street cars are available and inexpen-

sive) and you will feel like a NOLA local in no time!

...back to NOLA in October, 2013. Last October

(2012), SBS put together a trip to New Orleans to at-

tend the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. A num-

ber of SBS members made the trip and enjoyed the

sights, food, and mostly the sounds of New Orleans.

No such luck to be going with all my friends again this

year, but I had such a good time last year that I’m

making the trip on my own this time.

NOLA was already in my blood from attending several

French Quarter Festivals, held each year in April, and

I have friends who live there. Last year was my first

Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival and it was a great

time.

The Festival is held in Lafayette Square Park, 540 St.

Charles Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana, and admission

is free!! How can you top that? This year’s festival is

October 18 -20, 2013.

Check out this year’s talented lineup, 2013 will be a

fantastic show. Performing at the eighth annual Cres-

cent City Blues and BBQ Festival are:

Jonny Lang, James Cotton, Shemekia Copeland,

Mightily Sam McClain, Mel Waiters, the Lee Boys,

Sonny Landreth, the Iguanas, Cedric Burnside, Alvin

Youngblood Hart, John Mooney and Blind Boy Paxton

and more...for additional info, times, photos visit their

website at www.jazzandheritage.org/blues-fest.

An added bonus this year will be the opportunity to

meet the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise as the

Holland America ship ms Maasdam pulls into New Or-

leans on October 21 for an extended port stop. A vet-

eran Blues Cruiser myself, I planned my trip to allow

me to stay over one additional day to meet and greet

On the Road Again... —By Sharon Allen; Photos by Vj

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

For advertising rates contact

editor@sacblues.com

IBC Winner! Photo by Vj

Congratulations to Lane Baldwin! Lane (bassist

extraordinaire) was chosen from a competition of six

acts to represent SBS at the upcoming International

Blues Challenge in Memphis (Jan 22-25, 2014) in the

solo/duo category.

Please join us Nov 2nd at the

Torch Club for a great time and

help raise funds to send him on

his way. And if you’ve never

been to the IBC you really ought

to think about going. It’s a fan-

tastic opportunity to hear over

hundred acts from around the

world, all along Beale St. Check

out www.sacblues.com for further updates.

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V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

Got a new CD out?

International Blues Challenge time is here! In addi-

tion to the Sacramento Blues Society’s search for

the best solo/duo act, the search is on for the Best

Self-Produced CD. The CD must have been re-

leased between November 1, 2012 and October 31,

2013 and you (the producer) must be a current

member of the SBS. Visit the Blues Foundation’s

website www.blues.org for all the eligibility criteria

and scoring details. Submit 4 copies of your cd to

SBS by September 30, 2013. You can hand them to

any board member or mail them to: Sacramento

Blues Society, P.O. Box 60580, Sacramento 95860

(they must be RECEIVED by 9/30/13.) Let us (and

Memphis) hear what you’ve got. Good luck!

Message from the President—Jan Kelley

.Hey there, Blues Buddies!

As I write this, I’m thinking of the blues festivals that

were once so well attended but have now gone by the

wayside. Naming them off the top of my head: San

Francisco, Monterey, Blues by the Bay (Eureka), Cen-

tral Valley, Fire on the Mountain, Coloma, Heritage

Festival, Nor Cal, Santa Rosa, Russian River down to

one day, and now the future of the Hayward/Russell

City BF is in doubt.

We’ve been so fortunate to have seen so many of the

true blues greats during these events and experi-

enced such a great time over the years. It’s a real

shame they couldn’t make it financially. Lack of sup-

port from fans and sponsors willing and able to put

out the money involved to bring such top notch acts is

a true reflection of our economy. Travel has become

more expensive for the artists, so they tend to stay in

the region they’re from, thus no new exposures to

would-be fans. What is the solution?

Support all the blues festivals and artists you can!

Bring Blues Music Awareness to people who didn’t

know they liked the blues, or say they do because

they relate only to BB King or another big name!

Show them it’s not sad music, it’s good ol’ dancin’ mu-

sic! Friendships are formed when attending such

events that can often last a lifetime! Let your voices

be heard!

On another note (pun intended), our Society has had

several transitions happening this year and I want to

thank you for weathering the

storm with us. Because of

these transitions and financial

challenges that prevented us

from having many events,

we’ve been able to partner with

some of the local producers

and clubs in the region outside of Sacramento and

expanded in our outreach.

For a better summary of our past and upcoming

events, please go to our Events Column by Mari Lu

Onweller.

Elections are coming up! Please consider contribut-

ing to the success of your organization with your time

and skills. This year your Board of Directors will be

presenting a “What We’re All About” orientation on

October 19th at the El Patron on Folsom Blvd at 65th.

This is a comprehensive look at what your BOD and

Committee chairs work at tirelessly to present to our

Blues community. All members are encouraged to

attend, especially those who are considering volun-

teering or committing to a position to help us keep our

programs and Events going. We hope to provide a

realistic understanding of what is involved before

making such a commitment. Commitments are taken

seriously and it’s good to know what is required in

advance. Hope to see many of you there!

Keep on keepin’ on! Jan

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

SBS NEEDS YOU! Ever wonder what the heck the board does? What

does the Parliamentarian do? What’s the role of the

President? What about all the different commit-

tees? You want to help, you just don’t know how.

Here’s your chance to find out in an informal setting.

On Saturday, October 19th, 2013 from 1:00pm-

3:00pm, SBS will be holding an informational open

meeting for all interested parties. Come find out

what’s going on and how things get done. This is

most important to those of you thinking of joining the

board (which is at least 50 of you, right?) and any-

body else who is just curious. Join your current

board of directors for chips, salsa and information

at El Patron’s (6601 Folsom Blvd, just east of 65th

Ave on Folsom Blvd.) To help keep the blues alive in

Sacramento, your blues society needs you!

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The past six or seven years has seen a steadily in-

creasing presence of blues jams in the Sacramento

region. There was a time when we had to drive over

an hour to find a Sunday afternoon jam, - now there

are 4 or 5 all within 20 minutes of Sactown.

There are always changes in venues, days of the

week, and hours to catch a jam, but there are a cou-

ple of important constants – blues players and blues

lovers keep these things rollin. You can find a Blues

jam in the area nearly every night of the week. And

you’re very likely to run into the same musicians,

hopping from jam to jam hoping for a chance to test

out newly mastered licks and grooves. This is where

bands are formed as players discover who has that

certain sound or tone, and which blues players know

and appreciate the same songs or blues styles.

As blues lovers, we appreciate the courage and skills

these musicians must have in order to put themselves

up there time and time again. You never know quite

what’s gonna happen onstage. There are moments

of pure brilliance mixed in with “train wrecks” –

sometimes within the same song! This is

where the music is raw and wonderful,

spontaneous and unrehearsed, and al-

ways a good time! So go out and catch a blues

jam. You will always hear something tasty! Check

on the SBS website – www.sacblues.com to get a

current list of blues jams, open mikes, Pro-jams,

and special events. Sign up for Blues News for last minute news. And a big thank you

to all the players who share their love of the Blues!

We Be Jammin! – by Cynthia Jaynes; Photos by Cynthia Jaynes and Mari Lu Onweller

Call For Board Nominations Board elections are to be held December 1st,

2013. SBS is looking for a few good people to help

govern your blues society. Good people with or-

ganizational skills, public relation skills, web

skills, bookkeeping skills and just plain old skills.

If you’re interested please start attending the

monthly board meetings and the orientation on

Oct 19th. This is to familiarize you with the work

that is done. Board meetings are held the 2nd

Tuesday of the month, 7pm @ the SMUD building

on S street between 59th & 65th. Submit your name

and contact info to president@sacblues.com or

P.O. Box 60580, Sacramento 95860.

Please consider this opportunity to play a larger

role in the Sacramento Blues Society.

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V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

COMING EVENTS—by mari lu onweller

Wow! We’ve had a great summer! The Inaugural In-

ternational Blues Music Day was a huge success! The

Lions Gate Hotel and Convention Center is an awe-

some venue for an event of this magnitude. I want to

personally thank all of those who volunteered to help

out with this huge undertaking!

The entertainment was top notch! The Island of Black

and White is a dynamic, energetic local group with

music that touches all. Cole Fonseca and the Phoenix

Jubilee blew everyone away. Cole was able to over-

come a personal tragedy and a life changing disability

due to his drive and determination to write, sing, and

play the Blues. We have much to learn from this rising

star. Earl Thomas brought his own strength and en-

ergy to the show with his band The Ambassadors.

Ambassadors they all are! Earl has traveled all over

the world spreading the joy and music of the Blues.

Everyone was on their feet. Earl brought in our own

Marta Gee to perform a couple of songs that she

wrote and he has recorded. Then Earl brought Kyle

Rowland up for some dynamite harp playing. They

were on fire and the crowd loved them. The evening

ended with Candye Kane Comin’ Out Swingin’ with

her band featuring the phenomenal Laura Chavez on

lead guitar. All in all it was a night to remember! This

was the inauguration of the International Blues Music

Day, we never want to say the ‘First Annual’ but we

hope it was just that. We plan to hold another festival

again the first Saturday in August 2014. Mark your

calendars folks!

The fall of 2013 is shaping up to be a very busy one for

SBS. The SBS International Blues Competition (IBC)

at the Boardwalk in Orangevale brought some amaz-

ing talent. We are delighted to have Lane Baldwin as

our local Solo/Duo representative at the IBC in Mem-

phis in January. We’ll be hosting a couple of fundrais-

ers to help with the cost of travel and accommoda-

tions for our very special representative. The first will

be Saturday November 2 at the Torch Club. Be there

at 3:00 to show your support for our IBC winner!

Check our website www.sacblues.com for more info.

Other upcoming events: Sunday 10/6 is the ALBIE

AWARE Blues for Life at the Torch. A very special

greet & meet for anyone interested in learning more

about being a member of the SBS Board of Directors

will be held on 10/19, 1-3 PM at El Patron on Folsom at

5th. Please come out and see what it’s all about. Our

annual SBS Membership party will be Sunday 12/1 at

the VFW Hall on Stockton. We’ll have more info about

that a little later but be sure to

mark your calendars now!

Our annual SBS Membership

party will be Sunday 12/1 at the

VFW Hall on Stockton. We are

pleased to announce our enter-

tainment for the evening: The

Kyle Rowland Band. Many of you have watched him

grow from a young harp player into a young man.

We’ve seen him grow from an amazing harp player

into a really entertaining act! Kyle continues to grow

as a performer and we are all so fortunate to witness

his growth. If you are a member of SBS, admission is

free. If you aren’t a member yet, you still have time!

Join now and enjoy the benefits that a membership in

SBS will give you!

We are currently planning another IBC fundraiser for

January, something special in February and some-

thing really fun for March. Get ready to enjoy some

great company while you enjoy some fabulous Blues!

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

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V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

Do you know Kyle?—by Val Anderson; Photos by VJ

time, taking lessons from Mick and

finding any stage where a minor

could play while keeping up with his

regular life as a schoolboy.

Kyle released his first CD in 2009. Mick Martin pro-

duced Messin’ with the Kid and Kyle used all local mu-

sicians. His second CD, High Rollin’, was produced

by Rick Estrin in 2012 and showcases The Kyle Row-

land Blues Band with Kenny Marchese-guitar, Kevin

Burton-B3, Jeff Minneweather-Drums and Henry Oden

-Bass; all familiar names if you are a Joe Louis Walker

fan. Kyle wrote 8 of the 11 songs recorded. He also

wrote most of the songs on his newest 2013 CD, Alone

In My Dark Room to reflect how he was influenced by

the delta

blues players

like Lightning

Hopkins and

Robert John-

son. Pick up a

CD to support

this local

young talent.

Finding a

place to play

with the local

musicians is a

challenge for an under-aged musician. Kyle meets

the challenge many ways. He has played at the Sac-

ramento Jazz/

Music Festival the

past 10 years and

his band played

twice at the Mon-

terey Bay Blues

Festival. His de-

termination has

paid off as he of-

ten gets invited to

share the stage

with both local and

touring well known

musicians. He of-

ten joins the musi-

cians at the SBS’

Blues In the

Schools presenta-

tions and shows,

and he is found at

m o s t

Most of us have watched Kyle grow up, and observed

his growing talent. Born in 1993, he teethed on a har-

monica, and never let go. While he always loved play-

ing around on the harmonica, it was when he saw a

harmonica player on

stage that he decided

“That is what I want to

do!” The harmonica

player was music histo-

rian, radio personality

and bandleader - Mick

Martin.

His wishes came true

when, at Sacramento’s

music festival

in 2004, Jim

Papastathi s

(Jimmie Pop)

saw him play-

ing in the au-

dience along with Mick Martin and the

Blues Rockers. Jim pointed him out to

Mick and Mick invited him on stage. Ex-

cited? Yes! Scared? He never thought

about it. After he came down from the

stage, all these people put out their

hands, waved and otherwise gave him

recognition. Excited as he was, he sud-

denly thought “What did I just do?”

Mick invited him to come to another performance that

day, and with family around him, Kyle headed for the

second performance.

When Mick asked if

Kyle was in the audi-

ence, Kyle stood and

frantically signaled

from his seat, but

Mick could not see

him. So he jumped up

on the chair, was rec-

ognized, and joined

Mick on stage. He has

been on stage ever

since. All this was a

bit overwhelming for a

10 year old. After the

show, his Mom asked:

Did Mick give harmon-

ica lessons? For Kyle,

the answer was yes. So Kyle settled into juggling his

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

Continued page 7

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V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5 O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

From rural Louisiana on to Baton Rouge, the young

man was learning his way around the music scene

and picking up on how to capture an audience.

Soon he found himself in Chicago with no job, no

money, and only his guitar to bring in an income.

Not without a sense of irony, Guy describes his jobs

as a car washer, truck driver and other labor-related

ways of earning a living, never expecting his playing

would accomplish this.

From gigging in clubs, being a ‘sideman’ in the stu-

dio, and watching and learning from other blues per-

formers, Buddy matured into one of the best blues

entertainers in the country, eventually becoming

Internationally recognized. Guy is forthright in

speaking of his love life and the children he fa-

thered; the sex, drugs and all that goes with being in

the music business. His accounts of notable blues

musicians and his perceptions of them are fascinat-

ing and revealing.

This autobiography captures the reader’s interest

from beginning to end; giving pause to reflect after a

chapter is read on how Buddy’s life changed enor-

mously from youth up to his 74 years young.

Kyle Rowland—Continued

every festival with harps

ready, just in case he is

called to the stage. He has

shared the stage with James

Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Matt

"Guitar" Murphy, Charlie

Musselwhite, Paul Oscher,

John Mayall, Kenny Neal,

John Lee Hooker, Jr., Anson

Funderburgh, Rick Estrin,

Kim Wilson, Billy "Boy" Ar-

nold, Lazy Lester, Berry "The

Fish" Melton (Country Joe

and the Fish) and Frank Han-

non (Tesla) to name a few. He’s even joined some

shows held in bars with a very long cord from the

doorway. There is just no stopping this young man,

and next year he turns 21. Watch out!

Now attending Sacramento City College, Kyle intends

to join a Sheriff’s Department some day. He also en-

joys his visits to extended family in the South, and

may someday relocate there. But all that is in the fu-

ture. Although school is the first priority by the

wishes of his family, he finds time to do it all, adding

instruments to his musical skills.

He played saxophone in the high

school band and as he got more

into the history of the blues, he

picked up a few stringed instru-

ments, as well. And how can a

musician write music without

knowing how to play the piano? I

haven’t seen him at a drum kit

yet, but it would not surprise me.

When I Left Home: My Story

by Buddy Guy with David Ritz

A delightful read, “When I Left Home: My

Story” is told in a narrative fashion that

causes the reader to envision hearing

Buddy’s voice telling it. Warm and inti-

mate, he speaks of his life as a cotton picking boy on a

farm in Louisiana with no ‘modern’ conveniences,

meaning electricity, running water or bathrooms in the

home. Yet he portrays a family bound by love of each

other and their life together, and how music came to

be such an influence in his life.

Buddy’s memoir is filled with humor and compassion.

The stories he relates are realistic with descriptions of

rural living in those times, touchingly complete and

with honesty. Stories like how a friend of his dad’s

named Coot was playing John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie

Chillen” for young George Buddy Guy and how he just

had to learn it! So he watched Coot, begging him to

play it over & over, in order to memorize how it was

played because he didn’t know how to read music.

Never did learn to either.

When I Left Home: My Story—Book Review—By Jan Kelley

8/3 Big Raffle Winner!

The big drawing for a 3 night package for two at the

huge Sin City Soul and Blues Revival was held at the

International Blues Music Day celebration on August

3rd. Tickets had been sold to hopefuls during Blues

music events all during the summer. The big winner

is Wayne “Zraider” Zampa, longtime Sacramento

Blues Society member. Wayne and his guest won

three nights in a suite at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas,

Nevada, and free admission to all onsite perform-

ances Sept.15-17, 2013. Way to go Wayne!!

Moral of the story: Don’t forget to buy your winning

raffle tickets sold by Sac Blues Society volunteers.

Can’t win, unless you play!

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They came up with the idea of a

pink ribbon guitar. Byron has

been a guitar maker for some

39 years and he and Ginny

worked together on the design.

It took five months for the gui-

tar to be completed and ready

for raffle. Together, they were

successful in raising more than $8,000 for the cause.

“My brother stepping up to make the guitar really

helped me heal,” said Ginny, who is now cancer free.

For Ginny, the best part is the giving and the way it

brings people together. “It’s the happiness,” she said.

Jan Kelley, President of the Sacramento Blues Soci-

ety said “As a breast cancer survivor myself, it’s up-

lifting to see the Jobe’s work going to such worthy

causes and for the lucky lady to win the Yellow Ribbon

guitar at our event makes it even more notable”.

Charity Guitar’s next project will be a guitar made of

myrtle wood to raise money for the Shriners Hospital

for Children in honor of the Jobe’s late grandfather

who was a Shriner.

For the better part of this year, a custom made guitar

has been on display at blues events around the re-

gion. For $5 a ticket, people were invited to take a

chance to win the unique instrument.

Designed in the shape of a yellow ribbon, in honor of

America’s military, the guitar was the special project

of the Fallen Warriors Memorial Organization. Its goal

was to raise scholarship money for Sacramento area

students in the name of those who gave their lives for

this country.

After raising thousands of dollars, a ticket was pulled

from the basket and a winner chosen. Sacramento

resident Pat Altenburg took home the prized instru-

ment. She bought her ticket at the Sacramento Blues

Society’s Saint Patrick’s Day party at the Elk Grove

Sports Club. “Just thought I was helping a good

cause,” said Altenburg. “Never dreamed I would

win.”

The yellow ribbon guitar is the product of Charity Gui-

tar, co-founded by the brother and sister team of

Ginny and Byron Jobe. It all began in 2010 when

Ginny, recovering from breast cancer, wanted to

raise money to help the Susan Komen Foundation.

for Kyle Rowland's band. Kyle arrived

a little late for his set, and he ex-

plained that he got his driver’s license

on June 8, 2011 and today was his

first fender bender of his life! Eve-

ryone was OK, but it made him a

little late. He got started about

7:15, playing his harmonica and

doing vocals with Kevin Burton on keys, Ben

Thompson on bass and snappy drums by Ka Toya

‘Lady Sticks’. It was some truly great music and

had lots of people dancing.

The evening wrapped up

with the Sacramento Blues

Review, an excellent local

Sacramento band.

I would like to welcome all our

new members who signed up

on Saturday, and especially

Bill Brennan, a super photog-

rapher who took these great

photos for us that day.

On August 17th, 2013, SBS co-sponsored the first

"Blues Series" event at the El Dorado Saloon bar/

restaurant in El Dorado Hills. The deck made a shady

outside venue and great food and

drinks were available.

The first half of the show was acous-

tic blues. Leo Bootes played first

from 3:00 - 4:15 pm with his guitars,

drum set and harmonica; a terrific

one man

band. Next

up w as

J i m m y

Pailer, who

played his

acoustic guitar and sang,

along with Dave Channell

playing the electric bass

from about 4:20 - 6:00 pm.

It was a hot, breezy after-

noon and after Jimmy

Pailer's set, we moved inside

Yellow Ribbon Guitar—by Nan Mahon

V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

A Good Time in El Dorado Hills—By Tammie Madill; Photos by Bill Brennan

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

Leo Bootes

Dave Channell Jimmy Pailer

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Sacramento Blues Society

Is Pleased To Acknowledge our Sponsors and Donors

and Thank them for Supporting our Programs

Business Donors

R.J. Painting/Construction

916-752-1687

Bluebird Tours Grady O’Bryant 916-443-8741

www.sactrips.com

Elk Grove Sports Bar & Grill 916-685-6103

www.elkgrovesportsbar.com

Gold Sponsors

Mary Carrera 916-941-9001

Bronze Sponsors

The Couch Sports Lounge www.thecouch.net

Marina Texeira www.torchclub.net

committed their lives to keeping the blues alive in the

Sacramento area. Each year we honor musicians,

venue owners, promoters and others that have sup-

ported the blues in the area for 20 years or more.

Your membership builds support for the venues that

book musicians so you have shows to attend. Your

attendance at the local jams and shows generate

funds for the venues to support the jams and hire live

music. Without this support, we would all be listening

to club DJs.

Your membership supports publicity and outreach for

the musicians and shows in the area. Your support of

the Blues News and the Sacblues website allows

clubs to reach more potential customers for their

shows.

If you like the work that the society does on your be-

half then please HELP keep the society vibrant and

interesting. Bring in a friend as a new member, com-

mit to working on a committee, solicit sponsorships,

write articles for the newsletter, come out to all the

shows. There's so much to do and so much fun to be

had doing it!

Do you know what it means to be a member of the

Sacramento Blues Society? It means you're part of a

community of blues lovers who are dedicated to keep-

ing the blues alive in our region.

It's more than going to the next show and having a

reserved seat with someone to host, it's supporting

The music you love in many ways, and for the cost of

about a beer a month.

Your membership supports local musicians in times of

crisis. Musicians are private contractors without the

employment benefits most of us enjoy. They have no

sick days or covered health insurance. When needed

your membership helps musicians through the Musi-

cians Emergency Fund.

Your membership educates the next generation on

the history of the blues and exposes them to this in-

digenous American music that is the root of all other

genres of American music through Blues in the

Schools. Without this program many students would

not have music in their schools or the after-school

programs we provide.

Your membership honors those musicians who have

MEMBERSHIP IN SBS MEANS SO MUCH MORE

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V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5

Meet Sponsor Mary Carrera of Carrera Productions—by

Jan Kelley; Photo by Bob Cosman

For nearly 10 years Mary Carrera and Carrera-Productions has been involved in some of the re-gion’s best and most successful events and produc-tions. From El Dorado Hills Art & Wine Af-faire held on Mother’s Day Weekend

to Coloma Blues Live! (inception in 2006 thru 2010), to the Thursday Concert Series at the El Dorado Hills Town Center, Live on the Boulevard (2009-2010), over the past several

years Carrera Productions has been involved in bringing great entertain-ment to our region. Add the productions presented at the Harris Center for the Arts, for-

merly Three Stages, and the Folsom Rhythm & Brews event that featured Curtis Salgado this year, and you’ve got a snapshot of what Carrera Pro-ductions does.

What most people don’t know, however, is how Mary has contributed to the SBS’ Blues In The Schools program these past several years. Her love of the Blues and desire to see school children get some musical education in their school is exem-plified in her continuous donations to this program.

“I love giving back to a program that teaches our kids about the history and roots of all music”, states Carrera. “It’s important to have these youngsters exposed in order for the next generation to continue to carry the torch. The music may morph and look a

little different in the end – but look at Hendrix, the Stones and Led Zeppelin – their blues influences helped create some pretty phenomenal music!” Mary’s successful experience of over 20 years comes from managing regional marketing, events

and promotions for the demanding telecommunica-tions industry with such companies as Home Box Office, Showtime Networks, Country Music Televi-sion, VH-1, Discovery Channel and more. After leaving telecommunications, Mary began

working with one of her former vendors, handshake Marketing (hsM) where she was responsible for sell-ing and management of strategic consulting pro-jects across a range of industries including cable television, retail, and concert/entertainment ven-

ues.

Work demands caused Mary to live in various areas in this region, one of which was Santa Cruz, CA, where

she learned her love of the blues by frequenting Moe’s Alley. There she teamed up with ‘Mighty Mike Schermer’

and others on a Moe’s Alley soft ball team and helped with mar-keting and volunteering for sev-eral years at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival - further igniting

her desire to bring the blues to even more areas. It was through these adventures that Mary realized that events were truly her forte and that this

would become the direction of Carrera Productions. She met her husband Steve in 2001 and they were married the following year. They moved to

the Folsom area and had daughter Allyson. Mary continued to build on her expertise with planning events when she was contracted to work as the part-time Marketing Director for the El Dorado Arts Council and in 2006 launched the Coloma Live! Blues Festival, which would be the first of many for

Mary in this region. The Sacramento Blues Society is grateful to Mary for her generous support of our Blues In The Schools program as well as her knowledgeable

guidance with our blues events. Future Carrera Productions in 2014 at the Harris Center include: March 14 – Elvin Bishop and Friends featuring James Cotton and Ruthie Foster; May 17 – The Fabulous Thunderbirds; Mother’s Day week-

end, May 10 and 11 El Dorado Hills Art & Wine Af-faire at the El Dorado Hills Town Center; Father’s Day week-end Sat., June 14 – Folsom Rhythm & Brews Festival at the Palladio Shopping Center in Folsom, with more still in the planning mode. Mary hopes that in the near future she will be bringing

events to the Harris Center every other month while continuing her festivals! Keep your eye on this little lady; she knows how to deliver a big package of entertainment!

O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

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Support our Band Members— Hire an SBS Member Band!

V o l u m e 3 4 ; I s s u e 5 O c t - N o v 2 0 1 3

Andy Keane & Kinda Blue ajkeane3@aol.com Bad Behavior

lawdgc@yahoo.com Bad Catz www.badcatz.com Big Earl and the Cryin' Shame

bigearl@gmail.com Blusoul Band blusoulmusic1@yahoo.com Bluez Houndz

916-991-6148 Blues Vandals bluesvandals.com Bobby Blues Ray

916-422-5830 Catfish & the Crawdaddies www.raycatfishcopeland.com Dave Croall & the Soothers

rightdave@hotmail.com Gary Mendoza Band www.garymendozaband.com Foxtrot Mary

abrisson@pacbell.com

Groove Diggers 916-217-1263 Guitar Mac & His Blues Express

www.guitarmac.com Jeramy Norris & The Dangerous Mood

www.facebook.com/JeramyNorrisTheDangerousMood Julie and The Jukes

cmoriel@ucdavis.edu Lane Baldwin Band lane@lanebaldwin.com Marshal Wilkerson

www.marshalwilkersonband.com Melonee Desiree & Causin a Ruckus cometruemusic@aol.com Mr. December Band

www.mrdecemberband.com Nedra Russ www.njrmusic.com Randy Carey Band

randrock@prodigy.net Ro Harpo and the Blues Busters www.facebook.com/Roharpo

Rube & the Rhythm Rockers www.ruberhythmrockers.com Sky O'Banion Blues Band

www.facebook.com/sky.obanion Spotted Dog Blues Band booking@spotteddogmusic.com Steve Foster Band

www.stevefosterband.com Stonecold janjer1@hotmail.com Sunny Blue Bland Review

kingsoftheblues@ymail.com Tessie Marie and the Poor Man Band

alliemarcel@yahoo.com The Big Little Rowland Experience www.kylerockinrowland.com Used Blues Band

Sean@myifp.com Val Starr & the Blues Rocket www.valstarrandthebluesrocket.com Wingnut Adams

www.wingnutadams.com

SBS Musician CDs Available!

Listed below are our SBS member musicians and bands with CDs available for purchase. Please consider adding a CD to your collection to support the Sacramento area's live music scene.

Bad Catz Nasty Confrontation www.reverbnation.com/badcatz; Amazon, iTunes Blues Vandals Partner in Crime www.bluesvandals.com , Amazon, iTunes Bobby Blues Ray Blues Knight of the West Coast www.bobbybluesray.com Gary Mendoza Band Keep 'em Dancin' www.cdbaby.com

Guitar Mac— She Done Moved www.guitarmac.com/cd Jeramy Norris Band Blues Man www.cdbaby.com; www.reverbnation.com Kyle Rowland Alone in my Dark Room & more www.kylerockinrowland.com Lane Baldwin/Deeper Blues Dig the Hole www.lanebaldwin.com; www.cdbaby.com; itunes, apple

Marshal Wilkerson Propaganda propagandarecordsonline.com Nedra Russ / NJR Everybody’s Been Somewhere www.cdbaby.com; njrmusic.com Wingnut Adams Welcome to Grooveland & more

www.wingnutadams.com; ; www.cdbaby.com; iTunes

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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U. S. POSTAGE PAID SACRAMENTO, CA PERMIT NO. 2149

Blue Notes! is The official bi-monthly

Newsletter of the

Sacramento Blues Society.

Co-editors Vj Anderson & Jan Kelley

Send information for the

newsletter to editor@sacblues.com

or mail to Editor at above address

Not a Member?

Join on our website

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Current calendar, news, past

newsletters and more!

P. O. BOX 60580 SACRAMENTO, CA 95860-0580

Cover photo of Kyle Rowland by Bob Hakins. When asked for a bio, he sent this: “Born in Newport R.I. about a thou-sand years ago (actually 65 years ago). Picked up a camera for the first time when I was about 21, just to photograph Ice Hockey games. Started to photograph musicians at San Francisco's Winterland Arena in 1974. Through a lucky break I became house photographer at Rancho Nicasio in Marin about 10 years ago. Got the same gig at Bis-cuits & Blues a few years later.” “I have a great deal of respect for anyone who can play music and en-tertain people. I have met some of the most interesting people since I've been photographing musicians. Not only the musicians but the fans too. They seem to come from all walks of life. So I try to give back to the music community by giving free access to all my photos.” Thanks, Bob!

Carlton Armstrong Royal Southern Brotherhood