The Blues News – The Real Blues Festival

(SANTA ANA) – No Rock, No Bull, Just Blues – that’s the (excuse the pun) blueprint for the Real Blues Festival of Orange County “2,” taking place Sunday, May 15, again this year at The Olde Ship British Pub & Restaurant, 1120 W.17th St., in Santa Ana.  Info: (714) 550-6700. Showtime 12PM until10PM. Admission is twenty dollars and a discount of five dollars off with any accredited Blues Society I.D. Two dollars from the sale of each ticket goes to the Santa Ana High School Band.

A portion of the proceeds and twenty pair of tickets are also being donated to the Santa Ana Chapter of Hear The Music Live, a non-profit organization that provides free live music experiences to foster youth nationwide. Tickets are available at both The Olde Ship location (Santa Ana and Fullerton) as well as at www.bluesgonesouth.com. The event will be broadcast live over Errorfm.com (BuddhaMan’s International Experience) as well as U-Steam. Emceeing will be longtime Southern California Radio Personality, Ann The Raven, whose Blues program is heard every Saturday afternoon on  KCSN 88.5 FM.  

  Ten great bands are scheduled to perform at RBF 2: Papa J And Friends; Anaheim-based Claude von Trotha Band; Michele Lundeen a/k/a “The Queen of Steam” & Blues Streak; The Scorch Sisters; The Other Mules; K.K. Martin; Oozie Blues; Ron Tanski; Alastair Greene Band;  a special guest appearance by the Santa Ana High School Jazz And Blues Band; and just added, 10-yr.-old blues guitarist Ray Goren with Deacon Jones.   

 ”The opportunity to have underprivileged kids get a chance to experience a different vision of life is very important to me,” says Real Blues Festival founder Papa J, explaining his desire to aid (foster youth group) Hear The Music Live, as well as having the local High School band perform. “I grew up underprivileged and truly understand what it is like to not have the money to do things some of your friends can do. I did go to school with cardboard in my shoes…my mother has been a foster parent for the last thirty-five years. I have reached out to Santa Ana High School so that younger people can experience the art-form of American Blues. We have also arranged for five teenagers from foster homes (via Hear The Music Live program) to be a part of the road crew to set up the sound for the festival. I want them to see the work that has to be done for this kind of event,” he concludes.