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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Canned Heat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canned Heat. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Cleopatra Records artist: Canned Heat with John Lee Hooker - Carnegie Hall 1971 - New release review

I just received the newest release, Carnegie Hall 1971 from Canned Heat and it's a living snapshot of a great live band at it's peak with one of the kings of the blues! Opening with the slinky, Framed, Bob Hite speaks the lines and belts out the chorus. Backed on lead guitar by Henry Vestine, Fito de la Parra on drums, Joel Scott Hill on guitar and Antonio de la Barreda on bass this is a great track! Classic Heat, Let's Work Together is up next and a classic Heat jam. Vestine takes a cool lead solo but this track is all about the mystique of Heat. Hey Babe features the one and only John Lee Hooker on vocal and guitar. There are few vocalists to my hearing that deliver the blues like Hooker and this track spells it out in spades. One of the difficulties that I have complained about with Hooker in a larger band setting was the band's inability to capture Hooker's real sound and trying to make all of his measures even and equal. Hooker's sense of timing is not harmed here and Heat follows the master like a hound on a rabbit. Excellent! Shake 'N' Boogie is an extended track (in excess of 19 minutes) with Hooker leading the way. The track breaks about 7 minutes in for a frenzied guitar solo by Vestine. Cranking this track up to the end is Canned Heat's inspiration by Hooker. A true boogie with loose solos including a longer solo by de la Parra on drums. A great driver! Willie Dixon's Back Door Man is up next opening with a lot of guitar distortion and loose playing. Maturing into a loaded jam, this track is the embodiment of Heat jamming during it's prime. Hooker takes the lead once again for one of his own creations, Tease Me Baby. This track, showing one of Hooker's tracks with a blues rock base, gives the band the opportunity to close this performance with an upbeat rocker while still featuring the super power of JL Hooker. I tight little rocker and a sure closer for a cool live release.


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 Here's a studio version of Framed:

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Adelanto (SoCal High Desert) New Blues Festival Coming Memorial Day Sunday





PRESENTING THE ADELANTO NEW BLUES FESTIVAL AT STATER BROS. STADIUM & HERITAGE FIELD FEATURING LEGENDARY BAND, CANNED HEAT & OTHER TOP INTERNATIONAL, HIGH DESERT SOCAL  BLUES/ROOTS ACTS

Sunday, May 24, 2015 - 12 Noon to 10 p.m.


(Rain or Shine)



    (ADELANTO, CA) - The Blues are coming to the SoCal High Desert in a big way with the announcement of the 1st Annual Adelanto New Blues Festival, at Stater Bros. Stadium & Heritage Field, 12000 Stadium Way, Adelanto, on Sunday, May 24 (Memorial Day Weekend). Festival takes place 12 Noon -10 p.m. Tickets $25. (General Admission); $50. (VIP) in advance, available at www.ticketreturn.com or at www.newbluesfestival.com. Kids 12 and under free with paid adult admission. Info: (562) 762-8317.

   The legendary Canned Heat is the main headliner, supported by a stellar bands lineup that includes SoCal blues staples The 44's, Mighty Mojo Prophets, Boxcar 7, New Blues Revolution and the George Foster Band; as well as popular High Desert-based acts The Blue Henrys, Victor Crain West Coast Project, and DJ Parker. Other acts may be added as the Festival date approaches. Either way- it's a superb entertainment value for only $30.!

    Adelanto New Blues Festival Venue: Stater Bros. Stadium & Heritage Field


   With seating for almost 4,000 people, the oval-shaped Stater Bros. Stadium & Heritage Field (home of the Mavericks Class A baseball team) provides superb sight-lines and great acoustics from virtually every seat in the house. Stater Bros. Stadium is conveniently located off the I-!5 Freeway, at the intersection of 395 Freeway and Stadium Way, and is an integral part of the rapidly-growing Victor Valley metro area, whose combined cities population is approximately 450,000. Adelanto New Blues Festival concertgoers can look forward to enjoying first-class blues music in a relaxed atmosphere, with parking literally at the front gate. 

                                             Festival Headliners

       

 One of the great blues/rock bands of the last fifty years, Canned Heat, headlines the Adelanto High Desert New Blues Festival at Mavericks Stadium in Adelanto on Sunday, May 24. 

   Canned Heat: Known for all-time hits "On The Road Again," "Let's Work Together" and "Going Up The Country," the seminal band first formed in 1966 and continue touring to this day. Formed in 1966, Canned Heat was formed by blues historians/record collectors Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson and Bob "The Bear" Hite. Hite took the name "Canned Heat" from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson. They secured their place in rock 'n' roll history with a performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969 ("Going up The Country" was adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film "Woodstock" and the Woodstock Generation). More than fifty years later and with thirty-eight albums to their credit, Canned Heat is still going strong. They've been anchored the past forty-five years by the steady hand of drummer/bandleader Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra. Joining Fito is original bassist Larry "The Mole" Taylor and new Orleans legend, Dale Spaulding on harmonica, guitar, and lead vocals. Chicago great Harvey Mandel is the regular guitarist but has been temporarily replaced by John "JP" Paulus while "The Snake" deals with his health issues. www.cannedheatmusic.com.


    
                                                                                    
                                The 44's: Rising stars on the American blues-roots scene.


    The 44's: This Los Angeles-based band is one the bright rising stars on the American blues-roots scene. The raw, rough and tough sounds generated by these four musicians during live performances demands to be heard by blues music fans worldwide. They evidence a genuine gift for creating blues in the moment, while at the same time showing loyalty to a remarkable blues-and-r&b tradition that goes back decades, from the James Harman Band and the Red Devils to storied greats like Howlin' Wolf, Albert Collins, and Muddy Waters. Their first release Boogie Disease was self-produced for $800 with the help of guitar great Kid Ramos and was quickly released on Rip Cat Records,peaking at #12 on the Living Blues radio charts and #2 on B.B. King Bluesville  Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Johnny Main grounds his outstanding singing and guitar playing in real experience, his talents as honest as the day is long. Bassist Mike Hightower brings many years of experience to hold down the bottom end with some greasy glue. Drummer J. R. Lozano, behind his vintage Ludwig kit, is as solid as any you'll hear, calibrating rhythmic flow with alertness and intelligence. Their latest addition, harpist Jacob Huffman, adds excitement and energy in the West Coast style that he learned from his mentor, Rod Piazza. Their sophomore release is Americana (Rip Cat Records). http://www.the44sbluesband.com/.

     Mighty Mojo Prophets: Formed in late 2007 by vocalist Tom “Big Son” Eliff and guitarist Mitch “Da Switch” Dow, the Long Beach-based band lays down some of the most honest, straight-ahead blues you're likely to hear. Their 2011 self-titled national debut for Rip Cat Records landed them a 2012 Blues Music Award nomination for "Best New Artist Debut." The group's follow-up effort, Flyin' Home From Memphis continues the tale with thirteen skillfully written and wonderfully performed songs. Together they’ve summoned a veritable bevy of musical variations beyond their adopted West Coast roots to incorporate other regional styles such as Chicago and Texas blues, Memphis soul, country blues and proto-rock ‘n’ roll. This collection stands out as a refreshingly original take on traditional roots styles in a sea of 'the same ol' thing'. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mighty-Mojo-Prophets/137073739704626?fref=ts.

    Boxcar 7: High-energy seven-piece group recently voted “The Best Band in Long Beach” by a city that knows jazz and blues. With a powerful horn section, a charismatic front man and a seasoned, funky rhythm section, Boxcar 7 plays the best of classic R&B, soul, blues, swing and a bit of classic rock. The nattily-attired band draw from the great music of artists including Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, BB King, Joe Cocker and many more. http://www.boxcar7.com/.

    New Blues Revolution: Forging a unique, distinctive style featuring Bill Grisolia's vocals and piano and Chap Cooper’s guitar, the band brings exciting showmanship to a mix of high-energy New Blues songs – deep, modern, rocky but soulful.  A favorite of critics, The New Blues Revolution has received rave reviews from national trade magazines such as Cashbox and Music Connection.  Critics recognize NBR’s exciting talent and their extraordinary songwriting.  Their song “Blue Revolution” was nominated for a Los Angeles Music Award. http://www.NewBluesRevolution.com/.


High Desert favorites, The Blue Henrys

    The Blue Henrys: These High Desert favorites put their own twist on Chicago blues well-knowns such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Freddie King, Little Walter and Junior Wells, to name a few. Not only do they entertain with great arrangements of blues and rock legends; their own songwriting and arranging hits the mark in a big way - with tunes like "She's Still Lovin' Me", "Change His Mind" and "Always In My Heart" among the crowd favorites wherever they play. The addition of a small but mighty horn section enables them to explore the 'Jump Blues' sound. The fun factor is always high when The Blue Henrys kick it into gear! https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blue-Henrys/159432964135125.

    Victor Crain West Coast Project: Guitarist-vocalist Victor Crain first started playing guitar at age fourteen.  Over the years, the Llano-based musician and High Desert native has played with numerous blues artists including as the late Finis Tasby, Candy Kane, Catfish Fry, Kirk Fletcher and many more. Crain - whose flamboyant guitar style has been compared to Jimi Hendrix -  is also related to the late blues guitar great , Freddy King. Accompanying Crain in the West Coast Project is well-known bassist, Rick Reed.

Cleopatra Records Inc.: Canned Heat - Stockholm 1973 - New Release Review

I just received a new, never before released, Stockholm 1973, by Canned Heat and it's really super. Featuring Bob "The Bear" Hite on vocals, Henry "The Sunflower" Vestine on guitar, Adolfo 'Fito" La Parra on drums, James Shane on guitars, Richard Hite on bass and Ed Beyer on keys this lineup rocks! Opening with Let's Work Together the band really gets the audience cranked up. Driving bass line, organ solo, jamming guitar and bear on vocals how could you go wrong. Next up is the ever popular boogie On The Road Again. Hite leads off with wailing harp and never looks back. This band had jam in it's blood and that's exactly what it does. Very cool. Harley Davidson Blues has that country style blues that lets you sit back in your seat and just smile. With Hite's yodeling vocal and again jam like instrumental this track is a good pacing point for the concert as a whole. Election Blues slows the pace down nice and easy. At over 10 minutes, this jam has really super extended guitar and piano soloing giving the band a nice opportunity to shine bright. Excellent! So Long Wrong is a strong blues rocker with gritty vocals from Hite. Wailing guitar soloing on this track stretches the band a bit and trading with keyboard player Beyer gives this track a solid anchor. Shake 'N' Boogie is a solid boogie that lasts more than 14 minutes. Along with Vestine and Shane even Richard Hite and Fito get some pretty extended solos on this track. Canned Heat at it's best! Wrapping the release is another slower blues track along the lines of Jimmy Oden's Going Down Slow ... Goodbye For Now. Hite does a super job on vocals and this develops into a very hot albeit truncated blues jam.

 This is a very cool release showing Canned Heat really jamming and one of the best I can recall.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE”

 

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Cleopatra Records To Release Three Unreleased Live Albums By Blues Rock Legends Canned Heat


Cleopatra Records To Release Three Unreleased Live Albums By Blues Rock Legends Canned Heat
Los Angeles - Cleopatra Records are happy to announce the release of three unreleased live albums by legendary blues rock band Canned Heat! Canned Heat is an American blues/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and Bob Hite, who took the name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 “Canned Heat Blues”. After appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals at the end of the 1960s, the band acquired worldwide fame.
Canned Heat with John Lee Hooker - Carnegie Hall 1971 Release date – April 14, 2015
Canned Heat teamed up with blues legend John Lee Hooker for the classic 1971 double album Hooker n' Heat and embarked on a subsequent historic tour together that has been captured here in all its glory!This vintage set shakes and boogies with tons of authentic blues rhythms including the fantastic “Back Door Man” and “Let’s Work Together” as well as the Hooker-led bonus track “Tease Me Baby!” Available on both CD and limited edition green vinyl, and packaged with liner notes by Dave Thompson with a brand new interview by Heat drummer Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra!
1. Framed 2. Let’s Work Together 3. Hey Babe 4. Shake ‘n’ Boogie 5. Back Door Man BONUS TRACK 6. Tease Me Baby

Purchase the digital version on iTunes: http://geni.us/CHandJLHCarnegie71digi

Canned Heat - Stockholm 1973 Release date - May 12, 2015
A very special never before released concert that features the revered post-Alan Wilson Heat line-up including vocalist Bob “The Bear” Hite, guitar Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine, drummer Adolfo “Fito” La Parra, guitarist James Shane, bassist Richard Hite, and keyboardist Ed Beyer!
1. Let’s Work Together 2. On The Road Again 3. Harley Davidson Blues 4. Election Blues 5. So Long Wrong 6. Shake ‘n’ Boogie 7. Goodbye For Now

The third Canned Heat release Illinois Blues 1973 will be released July 7, 2015!
Canned Heat official website: http://www.cannedheatmusic.com/

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Fest lineup announced: Candye Kane, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Leo "Bud" Welch, Dwayne Dopsie, more





SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, CANDYE KANE, DWAYNE DOPSIEROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOO(FEATURING CYRIL NEVILLE AND DEVON ALLMAN)CANNED HEAT, LEO “BUD” WELCH, BIG BAD VOODOO DADDYGUITAR SHORTY, TERRANCE SIMIENBIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANYHEADLINE 25th ANNUALSIMI VALLEY CAJUN & BLUES MUSIC FESTIVALSATURDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 23-24
Los Angeles area’s largest Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Roots music festival, held over Memorial Day weekend, features two stages, a Mardi Gras parade, crafts and dozens of food booths
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The 26th annual Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival will rock once again at Memorial Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, at Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Ave., in Simi Valley. The event features two full stages for each of its musical genres. Music will proceed non-stop each day from 12 noon until 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults (13 and over) and children 12 and younger are free.  Discount single day tickets of $20 and two-day passes for $35 are available only online at http://www.simicajun.org. Parking is ample and free. Fast-moving California Hwy. 118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway) can be taken to the Stearns Street exit; the festival is four blocks south.
The blues stage features classic blues-rock (Spencer Davis Group, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Canned Heat) with a side trip into swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy), plus the first-ever West Coast appearance of 82-year-old Mississippi bluesman Leo “Bud” Welch. West Coast legends Candye Kane and Guitar Shorty return to the blues stage, while “super group” Royal Southern Brotherhood (featuring Cyril Neville, Devon Allman and Mike Zito) make their Southern California festival debut.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers become the first band to cross over from the Cajun/Zydeco stage to the blues stage. Two-time Grammy winners Terrance Simien & His Zydeco Experience make their Simi Valley debut, as do Grammy-nominated Arhoolie recording artists The Magnolia Sisters. Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, Ruben Moreno, Curley Taylor and Jeffrey Broussard round out the lineup, making the Cajun/Zydeco Stage the pre-eminent Southern California showcase for Louisiana-inflected music.
The annual Mardi Gras Parade will take place both days at 4 p.m.
About the performers:
• Candye Kane, according to B.B. King, “has that big, brassy voice that has authority and sass; the kind of thing men like because it’s seductive and women like because it’s powerful.” Candye cut her musical teeth in the early ‘80s onstage with Hollywood musicians and friends like Social Distortion, Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, The Blasters, X, Fear and Los Lobos to name just a few. Her fans are a mixture of true outsiders: bikers, blues fans, punk rockers, drag queens, big girls, burlesque dancers, rockabilly and swing dancers, gray-haired hippies, and everyday folk of all ages. Her live shows are the stuff of legend  she belts, growls, shouts, croons and moans from a lifetime of suffering and overcoming obstacles.
Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. The band gained international attention and secured its legacy with performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival. Canned Heat’s unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie has earned them a loyal following and influenced many aspiring guitarists and bands during the past 40 years. Their hits “On the Road Again,” “Let’s Work Together” and “Going up the Country” became rock anthems throughout the world with the last being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock and the “Woodstock Generation.” More than 40 years later and with 36 albums to its credit, Canned Heat is still going strong. Anchored throughout by the steady hand of drummer/band leader Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra (a member since 1967) and with one of their strongest lineups ever, Canned Heat is on track to carry the boogie-blues it made famous well into the 21st century. Since 2009, the lineup has Fito on drums, Greg Kage on bass and vocals, Barry Levenson on lead guitar, and Dale Spalding on guitar, harmonica and lead vocals. The band’s most recent CD is entitled Friends in the Can. This record brings together a number of Canned Heat’s musical friends from the past and present to join them in this musical collaboration and celebration of Canned Heat’s career. Fito’s book, Living the Blues, is available through the band’s web site.
• Royal Southern Brotherhood: Before they even hit a chord, this band has your attention. In the South, where music is religion, two rock ‘n’ roll bloodlines tower above all others. In saloon bars from Mississippi to Maryland, mere mention of the Allman and Neville Brothers casts a magic spell. With a lineup that includes both Cyril Neville and Devon Allman, Royal Southern Brotherhood come pre-loaded with expectations. The family tree might be auspicious, but the new band trades on talent, not genealogy. Let’s rewind to the summer of 2010 and the stifling heat of New Orleans and a pivotal meeting between Cyril, Devon and Mike Zito. Talk turned to forming a new breed of blues-rock band, and when jams began at a secluded studio in the city’s Garden District, the fizzing chemistry was too strong to deny. Their debut album was produced by the legendary Jim Gaines in Louisiana. The rest is history as the band is set to release their third studio album, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions, on May 26.
• Spencer Davis Group: Davis, born in Wales, created the famed Spencer Davis Group in 1963, helping to bring British rock ‘n’ roll to the rest of the world. Among nearly 20 Top 10 hit songs are “Gimme Some Lovin,” “Somebody Help Me,” “I’m a Man” and “Keep on Running.” The popularity of these tunes lives on as Davis continues to tour internationally. His latest album is titled So Far on Fuel Records.
• Big Brother & the Holding Company first performed in the Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1965. After their appearance at The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, lead singer Janis Joplin quickly became a phenomenon, and Big Brother made a real contribution to Janis’ rise to international fame. Big Brother’s classic 1968 album Cheap Thrills charted at #1 for eight weeks. After Joplin left the band in 1968, Big Brother continued to perform with a new female vocalist before disbanding in 1972. Having reformed with the original four members in 1987, they have performed worldwide and throughout the United States. In 2007 Big Brother joined the Summer of Love 40th Anniversary Tour with Jefferson Starship, Quicksilver Messenger Service, David & Linda LaFlamme (It’s a Beautiful Day) and the Grateful Dead’s Tom Constante. Big Brother carries on today with original members Peter Albin and Dave Getz, with Tom Finch and Tommy Odetto playing outstanding guitar. Darby Gould (Jefferson Starship) fronts the band, singing all of the classic material made famous by Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company.
• Leo “Bud” Welch was born in Sabougla, Miss. in 1932. Bud picked up a guitar for the first time in 1945. By 1947 at age 15, he played well enough to perform publically and garnered the blessing of many elder guitar players. Welch was offered an audition by B.B. King but could not afford the trip to Memphis. He remained under the radar for 65 years, undetected by the vast majority of blues aficionados. Welch’s debut album, Sabougla Voices, was released in 2014 on Fat Possum’s Big Legal Mess label, just two months before his 82nd birthday. The follow up, I Don’t Prefer No Blues, was released on March 24 of this year, receiving notices in The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy celebrate their 22nd anniversary with a first-ever Simi appearance. The band co-founded by Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren made their debut in their hometown of Ventura, Calif. in April of 1993, helping to usher in the swing revival founded on a colorful fusion of classic American sounds including jazz, swing, and Dixieland mixed with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture. Having secured their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world — in the middle of the grunge era, no less — that it was still cool to swing, big-band style. Today the high-energy nine-piece ensemble continues the party and takes things to the next level with the release of Rattle Them Bones, which still urges their millions of fans worldwide to shake and move to their inimitable grooves.
• Guitar Shorty, a.k.a. David Kearney, was born in Houston in 1939, raised in Kissimee, Fla., and now makes his home in Los Angeles. Over the years he’s played behind T-Bone Walker, Willie Dixon, Guitar Slim, Big Joe Turner, Little Richard, Sam Cooke and fellow Simi Valley Festival performer Swamp Dogg. His recent albums on Evidence and Alligator albums attest to the high energy level of this survivor of blues’ classic era. Texas Music Magazine writer John Morthland summed things up perfectly: “Axebuster extraordinaire Guitar Shorty is an old-school guitar showman. He plays with technique and flash, without ever sacrificing the passion. He’s a blues-rock hero.”
• Reverend Tall Tree plays original blues and American roots music in the tradition of Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and others. His debut album was recently released on Nine Yards Records. In addition to his own headlining tours, Reverend Tall Tree has opened worldwide shows and tours for such artists as B.B. King, Al Green, Toots and the Maytals, Seal, Aaron Neville, Beth Hart, Robert Cray, Blues
Traveler and Jamie Cullum. His music has been heard in numerous films including Soul Men and the Academy Award-winning motion picture Crash and has been licensed by such TV shows as True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Single Ladies, Eli Stone, In Plain Sight, Dawson’s Creek and Army Wives.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers have been rated one of the “Top 100 Reasons to Visit Louisiana.” Dwayne (Dopsie) Rubin hails from one of the most influential Zydeco families in the world. Although inspired by tradition, he has developed his own high-energy style that blazes a new path for 21st century Zydeco music. Dopsie and the Hellraisers have played throughout the world since Dwayne debuted the band at age 19. First appearing at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival in 2014, Dopsie’s set was such a big hit that he’ll return in 2015 and will on both the Cajun/Zydeco and blues stages.
• Terrance Simien has been performing Zydeco music for more than 30 years, and is a two-time Grammy winner and eighth generation Louisiana Creole. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music today. Last year marked their 28th consecutive appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, an event that is the gold standard for showcasing and celebrating all Louisiana music traditions.
• Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic: Thierry’s French Creole heritage is deeply rooted in Louisiana although he was born and reared in Northern California. Thierry and Zydeco Magic won the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame award for Best Zydeco Group in 2008. The 33-year-old is a multi-dimensional musician who has a finely honed ability to merge traditional Zydeco music with hip-hop, blues, jazz and rock. Building from his love and respect for traditional Zydeco, his original music is a blend of old and new.
• Ruben Moreno, making his debut on the Cajun/Zydeco stage, was born in Houston and was immersed in Zydeco music and culture from day one while living in the same building as his grandmother’s bar, Henry’s Lounge. He literally fell asleep each night listening to Clifton Chenier blare out of the jukebox on the other side of the wall. He developed his musical style while playing and touring with C.J. Chenier and Leroy Thomas. And it was Andre Thierry, also performing at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, who guided him to his love of the accordion in the summer of 2009.
The Magnolia Sisters are a band of women who can play the whole gamut of musical styles from southwest Louisiana: Cajun, Creole, dancehall favorites, and front porch ballads. They each switch from one instrument to another during their shows. They are also an ideal band for seated concerts because, in addition to their vast dancehall repertoire, they tell stories, sing rich harmonies on a cappella ballads, and play string band numbers from the 1930s. Much of the Magnolia Sisters’ music has been gleaned from long-buried Cajun music jewels. Their most recent album, Stripped Down on Arhoolie Records, was nominated for a Grammy in 2010.
• Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble: Curley Taylor’s bluesy, soulful vocals and the band’s hard driving Zydeco beat blend to create high-energy dance music for all audiences. Curley’s music is true to its roots in Zydeco and blues,
but contemporary enough to appeal to a broad range of music lovers. When at home in Louisiana, Curley can be found in the studio working on his latest album, or playing in one of the local clubs around the Lafayette/Opelousas area to the delight of his hometown fans.
• Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys: One of the most influential accordionists and vocalists in modern Zydeco music, Jeffrey Broussard continues to be one of the genre’s most dynamic performers. He began his career with traditional Creole Zydeco music playing drums in his father’s band, Delton Broussard & the Lawtell Playboys, then moved on to develop the nouveau Zydeco sound in Zydeco Force, and now returns to the more traditional Zydeco sound with his own band, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys.
Once again the blues stage is booked by Martin Fleischmann and his company, Rum & Humble. For more than 20 years Rum & Humble has played a key role in presenting some of the world’s most celebrated musical talent (Radiohead, Manu Chao, and the Rolling Stones, to name a few) to Los Angeles audiences, in venues ranging from the Echoplex to the Orpheum Theatre to the Hollywood Bowl. The company has co-produced the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series since 2011. In addition, Rum & Humble has collaborated closely and creatively with artists such as Jackson Browne and Paul Oakenfold as well as with a varied roster of corporate and non-profit clients ranging from KJAZZ Radio to the Conga Room nightclub to the National Geographic Society.
The festival has received national press accolades: “Everywhere you turned, there was something exciting happening. Put this on your 2013 festival calendar,” wrote Blue Revue editor Art Tipaldi, who made the trek from New England. The Blues Blast writer enthused, “I attend many venues and festivals throughout the year but the ones that seem to impress me the most are the ones that serve the community in some way. I highly recommend you put this on your calendar for next Memorial Day weekend.” And the music industry trade journal Hits added, “As the last strains of [Candye] Kane’s set rang in our ears, we left the grounds fully sated by music, food, drink and, as the saying goes, bon temps.”
The festival boasts dozens of food booths featuring a variety of fare: authentic Cajun creations and Southern BBQ as well as multi-cultural cuisine. More than 100 craft booths and retailers will be scattered throughout the festival grounds.
Tickets may be obtained online at http://www.simicajun.org/2015/tickets.html
Support of the not-for-profit Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival has benefited dozens of local community, national and international organizations, a list of which may be found at http://www.simicajun.org/2014/whobenefits.html.
Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival web site:http://www.simicajun.org 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Fest lineup announced: Candye Kane, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Leo "Bud" Welch, Dwayne Dopsie, more





SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, CANDYE KANE, DWAYNE DOPSIEROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOO(FEATURING CYRIL NEVILLE AND DEVON ALLMAN)CANNED HEAT, LEO “BUD” WELCH, BIG BAD VOODOO DADDYGUITAR SHORTY, TERRANCE SIMIENBIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANYHEADLINE 25th ANNUALSIMI VALLEY CAJUN & BLUES MUSIC FESTIVALSATURDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 23-24
Los Angeles area’s largest Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Roots music festival, held over Memorial Day weekend, features two stages, a Mardi Gras parade, crafts and dozens of food booths
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The 26th annual Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival will rock once again at Memorial Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, at Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park, 5005 Los Angeles Ave., in Simi Valley. The event features two full stages for each of its musical genres. Music will proceed non-stop each day from 12 noon until 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults (13 and over) and children 12 and younger are free.  Discount single day tickets of $20 and two-day passes for $35 are available only online at http://www.simicajun.org. Parking is ample and free. Fast-moving California Hwy. 118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway) can be taken to the Stearns Street exit; the festival is four blocks south.
The blues stage features classic blues-rock (Spencer Davis Group, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Canned Heat) with a side trip into swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy), plus the first-ever West Coast appearance of 82-year-old Mississippi bluesman Leo “Bud” Welch. West Coast legends Candye Kane and Guitar Shorty return to the blues stage, while “super group” Royal Southern Brotherhood (featuring Cyril Neville, Devon Allman and Mike Zito) make their Southern California festival debut.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers become the first band to cross over from the Cajun/Zydeco stage to the blues stage. Two-time Grammy winners Terrance Simien & His Zydeco Experience make their Simi Valley debut, as do Grammy-nominated Arhoolie recording artists The Magnolia Sisters. Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, Ruben Moreno, Curley Taylor and Jeffrey Broussard round out the lineup, making the Cajun/Zydeco Stage the pre-eminent Southern California showcase for Louisiana-inflected music.
The annual Mardi Gras Parade will take place both days at 4 p.m.
About the performers:
• Candye Kane, according to B.B. King, “has that big, brassy voice that has authority and sass; the kind of thing men like because it’s seductive and women like because it’s powerful.” Candye cut her musical teeth in the early ‘80s onstage with Hollywood musicians and friends like Social Distortion, Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, The Blasters, X, Fear and Los Lobos to name just a few. Her fans are a mixture of true outsiders: bikers, blues fans, punk rockers, drag queens, big girls, burlesque dancers, rockabilly and swing dancers, gray-haired hippies, and everyday folk of all ages. Her live shows are the stuff of legend  she belts, growls, shouts, croons and moans from a lifetime of suffering and overcoming obstacles.
Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. The band gained international attention and secured its legacy with performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival. Canned Heat’s unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie has earned them a loyal following and influenced many aspiring guitarists and bands during the past 40 years. Their hits “On the Road Again,” “Let’s Work Together” and “Going up the Country” became rock anthems throughout the world with the last being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock and the “Woodstock Generation.” More than 40 years later and with 36 albums to its credit, Canned Heat is still going strong. Anchored throughout by the steady hand of drummer/band leader Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra (a member since 1967) and with one of their strongest lineups ever, Canned Heat is on track to carry the boogie-blues it made famous well into the 21st century. Since 2009, the lineup has Fito on drums, Greg Kage on bass and vocals, Barry Levenson on lead guitar, and Dale Spalding on guitar, harmonica and lead vocals. The band’s most recent CD is entitled Friends in the Can. This record brings together a number of Canned Heat’s musical friends from the past and present to join them in this musical collaboration and celebration of Canned Heat’s career. Fito’s book, Living the Blues, is available through the band’s web site.
• Royal Southern Brotherhood: Before they even hit a chord, this band has your attention. In the South, where music is religion, two rock ‘n’ roll bloodlines tower above all others. In saloon bars from Mississippi to Maryland, mere mention of the Allman and Neville Brothers casts a magic spell. With a lineup that includes both Cyril Neville and Devon Allman, Royal Southern Brotherhood come pre-loaded with expectations. The family tree might be auspicious, but the new band trades on talent, not genealogy. Let’s rewind to the summer of 2010 and the stifling heat of New Orleans and a pivotal meeting between Cyril, Devon and Mike Zito. Talk turned to forming a new breed of blues-rock band, and when jams began at a secluded studio in the city’s Garden District, the fizzing chemistry was too strong to deny. Their debut album was produced by the legendary Jim Gaines in Louisiana. The rest is history as the band is set to release their third studio album, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions, on May 26.
• Spencer Davis Group: Davis, born in Wales, created the famed Spencer Davis Group in 1963, helping to bring British rock ‘n’ roll to the rest of the world. Among nearly 20 Top 10 hit songs are “Gimme Some Lovin,” “Somebody Help Me,” “I’m a Man” and “Keep on Running.” The popularity of these tunes lives on as Davis continues to tour internationally. His latest album is titled So Far on Fuel Records.
• Big Brother & the Holding Company first performed in the Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1965. After their appearance at The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, lead singer Janis Joplin quickly became a phenomenon, and Big Brother made a real contribution to Janis’ rise to international fame. Big Brother’s classic 1968 album Cheap Thrills charted at #1 for eight weeks. After Joplin left the band in 1968, Big Brother continued to perform with a new female vocalist before disbanding in 1972. Having reformed with the original four members in 1987, they have performed worldwide and throughout the United States. In 2007 Big Brother joined the Summer of Love 40th Anniversary Tour with Jefferson Starship, Quicksilver Messenger Service, David & Linda LaFlamme (It’s a Beautiful Day) and the Grateful Dead’s Tom Constante. Big Brother carries on today with original members Peter Albin and Dave Getz, with Tom Finch and Tommy Odetto playing outstanding guitar. Darby Gould (Jefferson Starship) fronts the band, singing all of the classic material made famous by Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company.
• Leo “Bud” Welch was born in Sabougla, Miss. in 1932. Bud picked up a guitar for the first time in 1945. By 1947 at age 15, he played well enough to perform publically and garnered the blessing of many elder guitar players. Welch was offered an audition by B.B. King but could not afford the trip to Memphis. He remained under the radar for 65 years, undetected by the vast majority of blues aficionados. Welch’s debut album, Sabougla Voices, was released in 2014 on Fat Possum’s Big Legal Mess label, just two months before his 82nd birthday. The follow up, I Don’t Prefer No Blues, was released on March 24 of this year, receiving notices in The Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy celebrate their 22nd anniversary with a first-ever Simi appearance. The band co-founded by Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren made their debut in their hometown of Ventura, Calif. in April of 1993, helping to usher in the swing revival founded on a colorful fusion of classic American sounds including jazz, swing, and Dixieland mixed with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture. Having secured their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world — in the middle of the grunge era, no less — that it was still cool to swing, big-band style. Today the high-energy nine-piece ensemble continues the party and takes things to the next level with the release of Rattle Them Bones, which still urges their millions of fans worldwide to shake and move to their inimitable grooves.
• Guitar Shorty, a.k.a. David Kearney, was born in Houston in 1939, raised in Kissimee, Fla., and now makes his home in Los Angeles. Over the years he’s played behind T-Bone Walker, Willie Dixon, Guitar Slim, Big Joe Turner, Little Richard, Sam Cooke and fellow Simi Valley Festival performer Swamp Dogg. His recent albums on Evidence and Alligator albums attest to the high energy level of this survivor of blues’ classic era. Texas Music Magazine writer John Morthland summed things up perfectly: “Axebuster extraordinaire Guitar Shorty is an old-school guitar showman. He plays with technique and flash, without ever sacrificing the passion. He’s a blues-rock hero.”
• Reverend Tall Tree plays original blues and American roots music in the tradition of Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and others. His debut album was recently released on Nine Yards Records. In addition to his own headlining tours, Reverend Tall Tree has opened worldwide shows and tours for such artists as B.B. King, Al Green, Toots and the Maytals, Seal, Aaron Neville, Beth Hart, Robert Cray, Blues Traveler and Jamie Cullum. His music has been heard in numerous films including Soul Men and the Academy Award-winning motion picture Crash and has been licensed by such TV shows as True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, Single Ladies, Eli Stone, In Plain Sight, Dawson’s Creek and Army Wives.
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers have been rated one of the “Top 100 Reasons to Visit Louisiana.” Dwayne (Dopsie) Rubin hails from one of the most influential Zydeco families in the world. Although inspired by tradition, he has developed his own high-energy style that blazes a new path for 21st century Zydeco music. Dopsie and the Hellraisers have played throughout the world since Dwayne debuted the band at age 19. First appearing at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival in 2014, Dopsie’s set was such a big hit that he’ll return in 2015 and will on both the Cajun/Zydeco and blues stages.
• Terrance Simien has been performing Zydeco music for more than 30 years, and is a two-time Grammy winner and eighth generation Louisiana Creole. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music today. Last year marked their 28th consecutive appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, an event that is the gold standard for showcasing and celebrating all Louisiana music traditions.
• Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic: Thierry’s French Creole heritage is deeply rooted in Louisiana although he was born and reared in Northern California. Thierry and Zydeco Magic won the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame award for Best Zydeco Group in 2008. The 33-year-old is a multi-dimensional musician who has a finely honed ability to merge traditional Zydeco music with hip-hop, blues, jazz and rock. Building from his love and respect for traditional Zydeco, his original music is a blend of old and new.
• Ruben Moreno, making his debut on the Cajun/Zydeco stage, was born in Houston and was immersed in Zydeco music and culture from day one while living in the same building as his grandmother’s bar, Henry’s Lounge. He literally fell asleep each night listening to Clifton Chenier blare out of the jukebox on the other side of the wall. He developed his musical style while playing and touring with C.J. Chenier and Leroy Thomas. And it was Andre Thierry, also performing at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, who guided him to his love of the accordion in the summer of 2009.
The Magnolia Sisters are a band of women who can play the whole gamut of musical styles from southwest Louisiana: Cajun, Creole, dancehall favorites, and front porch ballads. They each switch from one instrument to another during their shows. They are also an ideal band for seated concerts because, in addition to their vast dancehall repertoire, they tell stories, sing rich harmonies on a cappella ballads, and play string band numbers from the 1930s. Much of the Magnolia Sisters’ music has been gleaned from long-buried Cajun music jewels. Their most recent album, Stripped Down on Arhoolie Records, was nominated for a Grammy in 2010.
• Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble: Curley Taylor’s bluesy, soulful vocals and the band’s hard driving Zydeco beat blend to create high-energy dance music for all audiences. Curley’s music is true to its roots in Zydeco and blues, but contemporary enough to appeal to a broad range of music lovers. When at home in Louisiana, Curley can be found in the studio working on his latest album, or playing in one of the local clubs around the Lafayette/Opelousas area to the delight of his hometown fans.
• Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys: One of the most influential accordionists and vocalists in modern Zydeco music, Jeffrey Broussard continues to be one of the genre’s most dynamic performers. He began his career with traditional Creole Zydeco music playing drums in his father’s band, Delton Broussard & the Lawtell Playboys, then moved on to develop the nouveau Zydeco sound in Zydeco Force, and now returns to the more traditional Zydeco sound with his own band, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys.
Once again the blues stage is booked by Martin Fleischmann and his company, Rum & Humble. For more than 20 years Rum & Humble has played a key role in presenting some of the world’s most celebrated musical talent (Radiohead, Manu Chao, and the Rolling Stones, to name a few) to Los Angeles audiences, in venues ranging from the Echoplex to the Orpheum Theatre to the Hollywood Bowl. The company has co-produced the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series since 2011. In addition, Rum & Humble has collaborated closely and creatively with artists such as Jackson Browne and Paul Oakenfold as well as with a varied roster of corporate and non-profit clients ranging from KJAZZ Radio to the Conga Room nightclub to the National Geographic Society.
The festival has received national press accolades: “Everywhere you turned, there was something exciting happening. Put this on your 2013 festival calendar,” wrote Blue Revue editor Art Tipaldi, who made the trek from New England. The Blues Blast writer enthused, “I attend many venues and festivals throughout the year but the ones that seem to impress me the most are the ones that serve the community in some way. I highly recommend you put this on your calendar for next Memorial Day weekend.” And the music industry trade journal Hits added, “As the last strains of [Candye] Kane’s set rang in our ears, we left the grounds fully sated by music, food, drink and, as the saying goes, bon temps.”
The festival boasts dozens of food booths featuring a variety of fare: authentic Cajun creations and Southern BBQ as well as multi-cultural cuisine. More than 100 craft booths and retailers will be scattered throughout the festival grounds.
Tickets may be obtained online at http://www.simicajun.org/2015/tickets.html
Support of the not-for-profit Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival has benefited dozens of local community, national and international organizations, a list of which may be found at http://www.simicajun.org/2014/whobenefits.html.
Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival web site:http://www.simicajun.org