News

Blues News

A current sampler, courtesy of BluesWax

To get ALL the news that is Blues, click here to subscribe to BluesWax

	South by Southwest Music Conference & Festival Begins March 17: South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference & Festival Begins March 17 How to improve the troubled global music industry is the focus as artists and professionals gather in Austin, Texas for SXSW to discuss the past, present and future of their trade while experiencing performances from more than nineteen hundred musical acts from around the world from Wednesday, March 17 through Sunday, March 21, 2010. The 2010 SXSW Music Conference held at the Austin Convention Center will feature more than one hundred and sixty conference events and more than five hundred confirmed speakers. The daytime program of presentations is a core component of the event which covers business and creative issues in music. Highlights will include: Smokey Robinson's Keynote Interview on Thursday, March 18 at 10:30 a.m. SXSW Interviews on Wednesday, March 17 featuring Cheap Trick and Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead Saturday, March 21 with cult band Death. This year's panels include: 'Nerdcore 101' with MC Frontalot 'Latin Music On The Global Stage' with Gustavo Santolalla 'Performing Arts: New Frontier for Live Acts?' with DJ Spooky (Paul Miller) 'Case Study: "New Moon"' with Anya Marina 'Music and the Revolution' with Wayne Kramer and Country Joe McDonald 'Miles Davis - Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Tribute' with Lenny White 'Meet the New Soul - Same as the Old Soul?' with Al Kooper 'Elvis at 75' with Raul Malo and James Burton 'I Never Travel Far Without a Little Big Star' with Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel (Big Star) 'The Cultural Significance of Direct-to-Fan Marketing' with John Doe In addition, seven hour-long 'Quickies Sessions' will be offered on a different aspect of the music business including 'Branding, Marketing and Publicity,' 'Publishers and Performance Rights Organizations,' 'Music Supervisors,' 'Managers,' 'Artists,' 'In The Studio," and 'Live Show." Rounding out the conference are Demo Listening sessions that offer registrants a chance to see how music is reviewed and reacted to by representatives from labels, venues, radio and the press; and the Mentor Program that offers registrants ten minute meetings with panelists and industry pros. For a complete list of panel topics, descriptions and speakers, access the SXSW website at http://sxsw.com/music/talks The SXSW Trade Show Exhibition, also in the convention center will host an array of events and exhibitors. The three day music trade show which will be held from Wednesday, March 17 - Friday, March 19 offers a unique opportunity for the showcasing bands and thousands of other industry professionals to meet in one-on-one scenarios and exchange information. Participating organizations from around the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, The Netherlands, UK - England, UK- Scotland, and from every corner of the United States will be on hand to aid in broadening careers for both American and international bands and companies. International Speed Dating Sessions provide an opportunity to meet delegates from around the world with up to nine different sessions, each belonging to one country or pairing of countries with ten delegates for each session. The Indie Village makes it possible for you to network, meet with and learn about thirty five of the nation's Indie Labels. A complete list of Exhibition participants with full web pages and direct links to each company is available at http://sxsw.com/music/trade_show. Also taking place in the convention center is StudioSX, The Day Stage Cafe, Gear Alley Expo and Performance Stage, and the South By Bookstore. The newest attraction this year is Gear Alley Expo and Performance Stage where showcasing artists and registrants will have the opportunity to check out the newest gear from the world's top manufacturers. In addition, the performance stage will offer the chance to really test out the equipment on a fully rigged stage. StudioSX, presented by Examiner.com, is where high profile music industry professionals will be interviewed in front of an audience. The Music Day Stage Café presented by SESAC is a favorite place to enjoy performances from showcasing artists, grab a drink and relax. This year, SXSW has partnered with seven radio stations including KCRW, KEXP, KUT, KXT, WXPN, The Current and Mexico City's Reactor who played a major role in programming the music for the stage. The cafe is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with performances from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The South by Bookstore will feature notable SXSW registrants selling and signing books as well as CDs and DVDs of favorite SXSW participants. During the day, the Austin Convention Center is the centerpiece for networking and business activities for anyone working in the music industry. The ending celebration of the SXSW Music Festival is the Twenty-eighth Annual Austin Music Awards at the Austin Music Hall on Saturday, March 20 at 7:55 p.m. sharp. The evening includes a special performance by Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks with Jim Kweskin, Bruce Hughes, Cindy Cashdollar, Floyd Domino, and Suzy Thompson in honor of Stephen Bruton; the return of ’80s New Wave veterans The Explosives (Freddie Krc, Cam King, Waller Collie) with guests Peter Lewis of Moby Grape and Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival; Grammy-award nominated Sarah Jarosz; and a late night jam hosted by Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Guest presenters include Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, and the Mavericks’ Raul Malo. Music collectors will find all kinds of sweet deals under one roof with The Collectors Exhibition featuring The Flatstock Poster Show, The Austin Record Convention and the Texas Guitar Show in the Austin Convention Center (ACC) Level 1. The Flatstock Concert Poster Exhibition and Collectors Show presented by SXSW and the American Poster Institute (API) takes place Thursday, March 18 from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, March 19 - 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Over 100 poster artists representing decades of styles, colors and techniques will be selling and displaying their posters. Running concurrently is the Austin Record Convention and Texas Guitar Show on Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20. The largest show of its kind and more than 30 years strong, the Austin Record Convention brings together dealers and buyers from around the world. With titles from as far back as the 1930's, you'll find countless 78s, 45s, LPs, CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks, posters and collectibles. Also garnering 30 years of respect and success, the Texas Guitar Show is a true buy-sell-trade event. Bring your musical instruments to sell, trade, or have appraised. Buyers will find everything from guitars, amps, banjos, mandolins, effects, memorabilia, sound gear, parts, drums, violins, books and accessories. For more information, access our website at http://sxsw.com/music or email us at sxsw@sxsw.com.
	High Profile Clarksdale Bluesman to Release Debut CD: On the heels of his 2009 "Best Guitar Player of the Year" award from the Bay Area Blues Society, Mississippi bluesman Terry "Big T" Williams is slated to release a new album on a new label in late March. Entitled Jump Back, Big T's in the House, the CD will signal a new phase in Williams' storied musical career. "Big T is a phenomenal musician and unforgettable performer," says Matt Blumert, founder of Matt The Scat Records and executive producer of the upcoming CD. "I met him during a visit to Clarksdale last year, and from the first note I heard him play at Ground Zero Blues Club, I knew I just had to get him into the studio. He is a living link to the rich history of Delta Blues, but he's managed to update the sound for 21st Century ears. He really has to be seen and heard to be believed." A veteran of both stage and studio, Williams began his Blues career as one of "Mr. Johnnie" Billington's now legendary students in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Eventually, Williams toured with the infamous Jelly Roll Kings and became a regular in the North Mississippi Blues band scene -- performing with recording artists Big Jack Johnson, Wesley "Junebug" Jefferson, Big George Brock and many others. He also scored occasional spots backing such Blues luminaries as Albert King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Cedell Davis. In summer 2009, his luck continued. After a successful season of club and festival gigs, the Bay Area Blues Society's West Coast Hall of Fame came calling on Terry "Big T" Williams. His West Coast concert dates in recent years had brought him to the attention of the area's movers and shakers, and he was presented with the Blues society's prestigious "Best Guitar Player of the Year" honors. Following up on the attention garnered by this award, Matt Blumert chose Williams as the first recording artist for his newly founded record label, Matt The Scat Records. Aiming to capture Williams in his hometown, just five minutes from the "Crossroads" of Highways 61 & 49, Blumert booked a recording session at the recently completed, state-of-the-art Clarksdale Soundstage recording studio. Gary Vincent, the studio owner and sound engineer on the session recently released a George Thorogood DVD currently nominated for a Blues Music Award (BMA). Other recent projects he is involved with include sessions with Elvin Bishop, Jimmy Thackery and Smokey Smothers. John Magnusson, formerly of Electric Lady Studios, co-engineered the Williams CD. Jump Back, Big T's in the House was mastered by Motown legend Bob Ohlsson, known for his past work with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Grateful Dead and Rare Earth. Williams' new CD, "Jump Back, Big T's in the House," will hit the streets on March 23rd. Clarksdale's Ground Zero Blues Club will host a special CD Release Party three days earlier on Saturday, March 20th. More information at www.groundzerobluesclub.com. More information about the new album as well as photos from the recording session can be found at www.terrybigtwilliams.com. A bit of his personal and professional history can also be found on the new web site.
	Delta and Electo Groove Acts at Cajun Creole Fest: After twenty years of success, the 21st annual Simi Valley’s Cajun Festival has added a new element – a Blues stage with Delta Groove’s All-Star Blues Review. On Saturday and Sunday, May 29th and 30th, Memorial Day weekend, six Delta and Eclecto Groove acts have been added. Some of the confirmed acts are the Jackie Payne, Steve Edmonson Band, Candye Kane, Los Fabulocos, The Insomniacs, Arthur Adams, and a very rare Southern California performance by the Mannish Boys! Stay tuned because more acts will be confirmed and announced in the coming weeks!
	Johnny Winter and Kenny Neal at Vermont Blues Fest: Johnny Winter and Kenny Neal will headline the Second Annual Vermont Blues Festival at Mount Snow on August 27,28 and 29 2010. The 2010 the Vermont festival will be a week later than last year so as not to conflict with The White Mountain Boogie & Blues Fest, Nnew Hampshire and The Chenango Blues Fest. FRIDAY AUGUST 27 TENT STAGE: Harrison Kennedy & Julian Fauth 7.30pm - 8.30pm James Armstrong 9.00pm - 10.00pm Alexis P. Suter Band 10.30pm - 11.45.pm SATURDAY AUGUST 28 Main Stage: Andrew Jr Boy Jones 1.00pm - 2.30pm Tent Stage: Ryan Shaw 2.45pm - 4.15pm Main Stage: Ruthie Foster 4.30pm - 6.pm Tent Stage: Trombone Shorty 6.15pm - 7.45.pm Main Stage: Johnny Winter 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm SNOW BARN AFTER PARTY" Andrew Jr. Boy Jones 9.30pm to 1.30am. SUNDAY AUGUST 29 Tent Stage: Big James Montgomery Noon - 1.15pm Main Stage: Teeny Tucker 1.30pm - 2.45pm Tent Stage: Joe Louis Walker 3.00pm - 4.30pm Main Stage: Marcia Ball 4.45pm - 6.15pm Tent Stage: Kenny Neal 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
	Otis Taylor Digs The Past on His Next Album: Whether it’s the songs he wrote a decade ago, or ancient civilizations that lived more than 10,000 years ago, Otis Taylor is drawn to stories from another time, and he’s compelled to retell them in a way that’s relevant in the modern day. On Clovis People, set for release May 11, 2010, on Telarc International, Taylor writes his own history. It’s the ideal project for the architect of a sparse and hypnotic style that has come to be known as “trance Blues.” Taylor has spent his career crafting songs that are wide open to interpretation — thematically as well as structurally. “I give people a starting point, and then they can take it where they want to take it,” he explains. “That’s true for the people playing my music as well as the people listening to it. That’s how art should be. A person looking at a painting should be able to interpret it in whatever way he wants. The more words you put into a song, the less freedom the listener has to decide what it means.” The album title is inspired by a recent scientific discovery very close to Taylor’s home in Boulder, Colorado. Barely one hundred yards from the edge of his property, archeologists dug up a cache of tools and other implements belonging to a civilization known as the Clovis people, who walked the earth briefly about thirteen thousand years ago and then mysteriously disappeared. “That’s amazing to me,” says Taylor. “There have only been four or five sites like this found all over the country. That means these people probably walked on my property. My music only goes back about ten years, but there’s something about reaching back to an earlier time and revisiting the stories of the past from a new perspective that I find compelling.” Helping to shape that new perspective is a crew of players who lend a variety of shades and voices to the mix. Among them is guitarist Gary Moore, a guest musician on two of Taylor’s previous recordings (Definition of a Circle in 2007 and Pentatonic Was and Love Songs in 2009), who moves in and out of the tracks with a hard riff here, a subtle accent there, and atmospherics wherever he appears. Also on hand for nine of the twelve tracks is pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell — a member of the Campbell Brothers, the African-American gospel group that has developed a sound commonly known as “sacred steel.” In addition, Clovis People features cornetist Ron Miles and bassist Cassie Taylor (Otis’ 22-year-old daughter).