New Blues Festival II, Labor Day Weekend, Continues Long Tradition

NEW BLUES FESTIVAL II ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN EL DORADO PARK  CONTINUES LONG TRADITION OF THE SOUTHLAND'S FIRST BLUES FESTIVAL - 2 DAYS, 2 STAGES, WITH OVER 30 BIG BLUES ACTS! Saturday, September 5 & Sunday, September 6 /Music Starts 10 a.m.                                     Visit the Vendor Village - Food Court, Beer Garden, & VIP Lounge Award-winning jazz/blues vocalist extraordinaire, Barbara Morrison, showcases her impressive talents on Saturday. Repping SoCal blues with style since 1995: guitarist Kid Ramos, who performs with The 44's on Sunday.

(Long Beach, CA) - The place to be for Blues lovers this Labor Day Weekend is the New Blues Festival II, taking place over two big days, Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, in El Dorado Regional Park, 7550 E. Spring St. Gates open at 9 a.m., and music starts at 10 a.m. each day. Tickets $25, available now at http://www.newbluesfestival.com/. Tickets also available at six Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ locations, including Long Beach, Long Beach Towne Center, and the Cerritos Mall (Lucille's is the festival's Title Sponsor this year). Also available at the gate both days. Amenities include a huge Vendor Village; Food Court; Beer Garden; and all-new VIP Lounge. Bring the family and and settle in amidst the cooling Long Beach ocean breezes!  The festival has expanded due to the overwhelming success of last year's inaugural NBF, when over 2,000 music lovers of all ages filled POA Park in Long Beach. "Los Angeles and Orange Counties have responded very well to the (New Blues Festival) concept. We definitely hit on a pent-up demand for a long-running inter-generational tradition, and we are excited to once again share all this great music with the public", says William Grisolia, Producer of the New Blues Festival, whose own band, New Blues Revolution, is one of Sunday's Main Stage Headliners.        Master harmonicist-vocalist, James Harman, performs Saturday.                   Saturday, September 5 - Main Stage Headliners                        Youth is served: Teen guitar prodigy Ray Goren opens NBF II on Saturday.   Saturday's powerful lineup is headlined by harmonica master James Harman, who has been playing music since the 1960's and whose James Harman Band over the years has included such musical luminaries as Dave Alvin, Gene Taylor, Kid Ramos and the late Hollywood Fats, among countless others. Also topping the first day of music: jazz/blues singing great Barbara Morrison, who continues to maintain a full touring schedule well into her fourth decade of performing, and whose sparkling resume' includes a Who's-Who of musicians including Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Etta James, Dr. John, and more. Also: Long Beach legend, acoustic guitarist, Bernie Pearl; Southland staples 2000 Lbs of Blues, fronted by colorful Mike "Pink" Arguello, blues guitarist (and nephew of legendary John Lee Hooker), Teddy Lee Hooker; Americana-Roots artist, Sean Lane; blues-rock quarter, Union Hobos; and opening the show, fifteen-year-old SoCal guitar wunderkind, Ray Goren.   Guitar dynamo Laurie Morvan shows off her considerable chops, Sunday.              Sunday, September 6 - Main Stage Headliners    Sunday sees no letup with top headliners, the eleven-piece Caravan of All-Stars, a powerhouse R&B/Soul/Blues revue assembled to showcase some of the unsung heroes of West Coast Blues, representing the Bay Area Blues Society. Also: the Laurie Morvan Band, fronted by Red-Hot rockin' blues guitar ace, Laurie Morvan, who has entertained Southland audiences and toured nationally for the better part of two decades, and of whom has been written, "has all the soulfulness of Bonnie Raitt and the swaggering, muscular guitar tone of Stevie Ray Vaughan"; New Blues Revolution, leading Long Beach-based innovators of the New Blues movement; The 44's with Kid Ramos, an exciting pairing of the popular Johnny Main-fronted Roots/Blues ensemble with the legendary SoCal guitarist; another great pairing of talents, respected Inland Empire-based Latin blues group The Delgado Brothers with soulful chanteuse, Sherry Pruitt; San Pedro guitarist-vocalist, Dave Widow, whose "Waiting For The World To End" was voted a "Top 5 Best CD" in the IBC's; rising L.A. quartet, the George Foster Band; and opening Sunday's show, the Chase Walker Band, fronted by the prodigious teen prodigy of the same name. Eleven-piece R&B/Soul/Blues revue the Caravan of All-Stars from the Bay Area Blues Society, are Sunday's top Main Stage headliners. New Blues Revolution, leading Long Beach-based innovators of the New Blues movement, take center stage at the NBF II Main stage on Sunday.     More First-Class Blues Each Day On The Golden Groove Stage!   Saturday: Lil' A & the Allnighters; Kelly Chappue & The Soul Collectors; The Other Mules; Shadow Blue featuring Lady Faye; L.A. Parks & Wrecks; Kenny "Big Daddy" Williams and BLUESPOWER; South River Slim; The Arc Flash Blues Band.   Sunday: East Falsted Blues Project; Jack Roberts Harvey Band; Tracy Niles; Crooked Eye Tommy; Frankie and the Crew; Seatbelt; Matt Picarelli and Raul Watson.  Orange County's blues scene is ably represented by guitarist-vocalist Kenny "Big Daddy" Williams (center) and BLUESPOWER on the Golden Groove Stage, Sunday at New Blues Festival II.                                                     www.newbluesfestival.com                            https://www.facebook.com/theNewBluesFestival         Join us on Facebook       Follow us on Twitter       Send us an Email

New Sugar Ray Norcia "Remembering Little Walter" video

NEW SUGAR RAY NORCIA VIDEO FROM LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE - "UP THE LINE" Last December, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter. Blind Pig Records has released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - Sugar Ray Norcia's performance of Little Walter's "Up The Line," which also features a sterling guitar solo by Little Charlie Baty.   To watch the video, please click HERE. In addition to Little Charlie, Sugar Ray is accompanied by Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE.

Blues at the Beach

	Hit up your family and friends and make plans for a day at the beach! The Blues at the Beach will be held at the beautiful Ventura State beach. One of the last hidden jewels on the west coast, just south of the historic Ventura Pier and Promenade. Come and spend the day with like minded people enjoying the Blues at the Beach. The festival includes Live Music, Car Show with classic cars, trucks and motorcycles, Vendors, Kid Zone, and non stop fun for the whole family! Discounts on host hotels walking distance from the festival. Elvin Bishop "…careening slide and razor-edged bursts, all delivered with unflagging enthusiasm and wit." – Rolling Stone Magazine "One of the genre's most distinctive guitar stylists, melding a slashing attack with a keen ear for melody." – East Bay Express The Mannish Boys Revue featuring Sugaray Rayford with special guests Rusty Zinn or Paul Size "…no finer collection of blues talent exists today in one band." – Blues Revue Magazine "Sugaray Rayford is a revelation as he powerfully moans the blues…" – Blues in Britain Magazine "Rusty Zinn... one of the fastest rising guitarists in the blues world. Noted for his incisive, consistently inventive playing and soul-drenched singing..." - Lee Hildebrand "Paul Size's chops remain top-notch since leaving The Red Devils." - No Fightin "...blistering guitar by Paul Size [who] reaches deep into the blues fountain..." - Mudcat Ward James Harman "Harman's in your face harp stylings made it clear why he is recognized as one of the best harp players on the blues circuit." - Blues on Stage "James Harman as one of the most exciting blues traditionalists." - All Music The 44's "One of the hardest working hardest paying Blues outfits anywhere." - American Blues News "Low down Chicago blues spiced with rock and roll." - Muzik Reviews Shawn Jones "A dynamic stage performer who impresses equally with his stunning guitar work and soulful vocals." - Maverick Magazine, UK "Shawn Jones is one of those rare artists that can burrow their way into your soul." - Blues Matters Magazine The R&B Bombers Joyful, elegant, irrepressible, communicative, The R&B Bombers deserve all these adjectives and their musical qualities really prove it." - La Hora del Blues. Barcelona (Spain) "The rhythm section and 4 horns adhere to the swinging verities with vigor and interest." - Downbeat Magazine Guy Martin Band "Martin music is a far cry from that one-beat, one-song, cry-in-your-beer style of blues...rockin' Texas blues by way of California..." - Los Angeles Times "A steady diet of pulse pounding powerhouses...hard driving fret work of an extremely talented player." - BluesRockers.ws WHEN: November 2, 2013 TIME: 10am-6pm LOCATION: San Buenaventura State Beach 901 San Pedro St, Ventura, CA Presented by Roadshow Revival and Totally Local VC Sponsored by Players Casino Buy your presale tickets online today and save! For a limited time get 20% off!!! General Admission tickets using the code: ELVINATTHEBEACH General Admission - NOW $25 - DAY OF $30 Got Blues Section - $50 / VIP Players Casino - $100 / Youth (6-12) - $5 www.roadshowrevival.com PLEASE NOTE: 01. All sales are final; there are no refunds. 02. All prices listed are "per person". 03. Tickets/Wristbands are non-transferable and non-exchangeable. 04. We are not responsible for lost or stolen Tickets/Wristbands, including those delivered by mail. 05. All customers purchasing a ticket to the Blues at the Beach Festival agree to the festival guidelines. 06. General admission tickets will be $5 more day-of-show, while supplies last. 07. Artists and times are subject to change without notice; the festival is rain or shine. 08. Ticket policies, festival guidelines and important information is available on the Roadshow Revival Website. 09. Tickets purchased online are emailed to purchaser. It is your responsibility to print the ticket and present it at the gate. We are not responsible for lost email/tickets. If you don't receive your tickets via email please contact us.

New "Remembering Little Walter" video!

NEW JAMES HARMAN VIDEO FROM LIVE LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE Last December five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs. All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter performing songs written by or associated with the late blues icon. Blind Pig Records has just released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - James Harman's performance of  "It's Too Late Brother."  To watch the video, please click HERE. Harman is accompanied in performance by Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. For more info and sound samples from Remembering Little Walter, please click HERE.

First video of Remembering Little Walter tribute

On December 6th, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter. Blind Pig Records has released the first video from that memorable evening - Mark Hummel's performance of Walter's "I Got To Go."  To watch the video, please click HERE. Mark is accompanied by Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE

Blind Pig Records artists: Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia and James Harman - Remembering Little Walter

I just received a new Blind Pig release, Remembering Little Walter and it's great! Featuring 5 of today's greatest harp players, Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia and James Harman this live recording gives each of the featured artists a chance to perform 2 of their choice little Walter tracks and then of course a collaboration. Opening with Mark Hummel on I Got To Go, the band featuring Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on bass really gets it going. Charlie Musselwhite steps up next with Just A Feeling. James plays some great guitar riffs under the lead and Musselwhite really does a nice job delivering the goods. Billy Boy Arnold has a great sound coming right out of the chute on You're So Fine. James Harman is next in line with It's Too Late Brother. Keeping it tight on his solos and presenting his fine vocals Harmon has the crowd hopping. Sugar Ray Norcia does a terrific version of Mean Old World getting just the right amount of distortion on harp to push the track into the ozone. Norcia also has a great voice and James again shows nice guitar chops on this track. Musselwhite is back with One Of These Mornings, a great Chicago groove. Charlie really does a super job on this track playing creative runs and unique phrasing. Mark Hummel returns on instrumental, Blue Light, a real deep track. His feel and sensitivity really shine through on this track. Again James is delivering really nice guitar runs that nicely compliment the lead player. On Crazy Mixed Up World, Harman keeps his vocals subdued but grabs a hold on the track and literally blows the top off with his harp. Norcia steps back to the mic for Up The Line. This time with less blow and more voice, Norcia trades riffs with James for a clean track. Arnold is the final soloist up and does a dynamite job on Can't Hold Out Much Longer. His vocals are rich and he blows some real mean riffs on this track. On the finale, My Babe, each of the players takes his turn at the mic and also added is Little Charlie Baty on vocal and guitar. This really is a great track featuring the players exchanging rather than competing and it is nicely done. This is a great tribute to Little Walter and the people in the crowd of this recording at Anthology in San Diego saw a super show.

  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”
 

BLIND PIG RECORDS ANNOUNCES LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE RECORDING

"Little Walter Jacobs was one of the best singers of the blues and a blues harp player par excellence" - Keith Richards "Little Walter was a very, very powerful influence on me" - Eric Clapton Blind Pig Records has announced a live recording date for a special tribute to Little Walter Jacobs featuring some of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Mark Hummel, James Harman, and Sugar Ray Norcia. The show will take place on Thursday, December 6th at Anthology in San Diego, California. The virtuosic Little Walter is without doubt one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time. AllMusicGuide said, "The fiery harmonica wizard took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions that were unimaginable prior to his ascendancy. His daring instrumental innovations were so fresh, startling, and ahead of their time. His influence remains inescapable to this day -- it's unlikely that a blues harpist exists on the face of this earth who doesn't worship Little Walter." The idea for the Little Walter tribute recording grew out of a number of highly successful West Coast concerts in early 2012 that were part of an ongoing series of "Blues Harmonica Blowout" concerts organized by Hummel, who will serve as producer of the recording project, to be entitled Remembering Little Walter. Said Hummel, "Walter changed all the rules and raised the bar so high that nobody has yet surpassed him either in innovation or technical prowess. Walter's original sides have become the holy grail all other harpers are still trying to aspire to." Those sentiments were echoed by Charlie Musselwhite and Billy Boy Arnold, who both knew and were friends with Little Walter. In fact, both used Walter's backing musicians (Louis and Dave Myers, Fred Below, and Luther Tucker) in their own bands in the 60's and early 70's. Musselwhite said, "If you listen to Walter's earliest recordings you can see that he came from a down-home country style much like John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. And then, probably with the urban influence of Chicago horn players, started phrasing like a saxophone. This phrasing combined with his creativity and amplification really took harmonica playing to a whole new level that hadn't been heard before. For me personally, besides Walter's being an influence, he was even more of an inspiration; an inspiration and invitation to experiment, take chances, see where it'll take you and to always follow your heart." He went on to recall, "Walter was always real nice to me. He'd give me a ride home after the gig or sometimes he'd walk with me to the bus stop and wait until the bus came. He was always acting like he was looking out for me; like he was going to be there if somebody started some nonsense with me." Billy Boy Arnold added, "When I heard Little Walter's harmonica playing on the recordings with Muddy Waters and others, I knew that Little Walter was the new Harmonica King. I bought every record that Muddy Waters made with Little Walter's harp playing on it. He was miles ahead of all the other harp players on the scene. No one could touch him. He was creative, innovative, and spontaneous. Little Walter is still the top and most influential harp player that ever played." CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE is one of the most recognized names in blues harmonica. Born in 1944, Musselwhite has traveled the long road from backwoods Mississippi to a teenaged upbringing in Memphis, where he first heard and learned the blues from its originators. On the South Side of Chicago, Charlie served his apprenticeship with Robert Nighthawk, JB Hutto, Johnny Young and Big Walter Horton and developed close friendships with blues icons Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. In the late 60's and mid '70s he and Paul Butterfield were very influential in introducing traditional blues to white audiences and the burgeoning scene of young rock and rollers. Renowned for his mastery of the traditional blues idiom, in recent years he's introduced elements of jazz, gospel, Tex-Mex, Cuban and other world music into his recordings. In 2010 he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall Of Fame. In addition, Charlie, who is one of the most beloved blues musicians in the world, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won 24 Blues Music Awards. BILLY BOY ARNOLD, a contemporary of James Cotton and Junior Wells, started with Ellis McDaniels (later to be known as Bo Diddley) in Chicago in 1955, where they created the "Bo Diddley" sound at Chess Records. Billy Boy learned harp at the feet of the legendary John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson when Billy was just 12 years old. Billy went on to record singles for VeeJay like "Wish You Would", "Ain't Got You" and "You Got Me Wrong." In the mid-60's young British groups The Yardbirds and The Animals discovered Billy Boy's 45s and had hits with their own cover versions. In the early 90's Arnold firmly reestablished himself as one of the foremost practitioners of classic Chicago blues with a pair of critically acclaimed releases on Alligator. His most recent CD, Billy Boy Arnold Sings Bill Broonzy, has been receiving extensive airplay. MARK HUMMEL has been touring nationally since 1984 and has most recently written a memoir, "Big Road Blues: 12 Bars on I-80," put out by Mountain Top Publishing. Mark started his band The Blues Survivors in 1977 with Mississippi Johnny Waters and has since toured/recorded with Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Charles Brown, Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Rogers and many other blues legends. In 1991 Mark started the Blues Harmonica Blowouts which have grown to be a much heralded blues event on the national scene. These multi harp packages have included John Mayall, Huey Lewis, Snooky Pryor, James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza, Carey Bell, Lazy Lester plus almost every other player of note on the blues harp. Mark has been nominated four times for the best harmonica player Blues Music Award. Hummel's eighteenth and most recent CD is entitled Retroactive. JAMES HARMAN was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama, where he quickly picked up on the black blues and soul music being played on juke boxes and the radio in the Deep South. In his teens, he started playing juke joints and dance clubs throughout the South and recorded a number of 45s. In 1968 Harman moved to Southern California, where he became friends with Canned Heat, The Blasters, and led bands with top-notch talent such as Hollywood Fats and Kid Ramos. He's released numerous albums over the years, picking up 10 W.C.Handy/BMA nominations along the way. He has been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and is the harmonica player of choice on recordings and live performances by ZZ Top, appearing with them on both David Letterman and Jools Holland's TV shows. SUGAR RAY NORCIA started the popular East Coast blues band The Bluetones 30 years ago with guitarist Ronnie Earl. They backed Big Walter Horton, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Rush, JB Hutto and countless others in the early '80s all over the Northeast. In 1991 Norcia hooked up with the legendary Roomful of Blues band and toured the world with the 11 piece band, appearing on their Grammy-nominated release Turn It On, Turn It Up. Norcia also recorded the Grammy nominated release Superharps during his Roomful tenure with harmonica heavyweights Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton and Billy Branch. In 2001, he reunited the Bluetones with guitarist Kid Bangham and later Monster Mike Welsh. The latest Sugar Ray and the Bluetones album, Evening, received four BMA nominations in 2012 including "Album of the Year" and "Traditional Blues Album" of the year. Following Little Walter's approach of having the very best musicians in his bands, Hummel has handpicked a sterling lineup of musicians for the show and recording in San Diego - Little Charlie Baty, the world renowned guitar slinger and former bandleader of Little Charlie and the Nightcats; second guitar will be Harman bandmate, Nathan James; June Core (Musselwhite, Little Charlie and Nightcats, Robert Jr. Lockwood and Hummel) will be on drums and RW Grigsby (Mike Morgan, Gary Primich and Hummel) will play upright bass. To see a video of the finale of the Little Walter tribute in Eugene, Oregon last February “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 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”

Lookin' At Lucky - Steve Kozak with special guest James Harman - New release review

I just received the newest release, Lookin' at Lucky, by Steve Kozak and it's quite good! This recording is packed with 12 solid tracks, 5 originals by Kozak and the balance by such names as Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter, JD Miller and William Clarke. Lookin' at Lucky opens with the title track, a bright swing blues with Kozak laying down cool guitar riffs and Dave Webb backing him up with notably nice keys. Blues Dance Party takes a rockin' boogie posture and again Kozak is right on the guitar attack. Kozak also sings these tracks and his voice is well suited to deliver the news. Your Funeral and My Trial features James Harman on harp along with the balance of Kozak's band. This track by Williamson is a a solid swing with an anchored beat.Chris Nordquist keeps this tight on drums and Webb and Harman sound like they have been playing with Kozak for years. Kozak plays a particularly hot solo on this track ... maybe Canada's best kept secret! Lay Low and Go Slow takes that Jimmy Reed lope and each artist gets his chance to put up. Harman, Webb and Kozak each take their turns showing their stuff and generating a great balance. Harman's track Is It Yes has the Latin beat and traces of N'awlins with the piano roll. This is a really nice track with well executed instrumentals. Little Walter track Little Girl is a nice slow blues that really finds Harman digging deep in to the Chicago sound. Come To Me is a a rockin' swing blues and with backing vocals by Catherine St. Germain and Kelly Brock, reminds me a lot of music done by Elvin Bishop in the early 70's. This is a great track. Big Walter song Need My Baby finds Kozak taking an understated initial approach on guitar but building as the tracks gets going. I Know You're Fine, a William Clarke track is a bit of a blues rockabilly track and Tim Hearsey plays some nice bass runs kicking Kozak up a notch on his guitar. James Harman's Read My Mind with heavy piano on the back beat sets a nice swing tempo. Another sweet piano solo from Webb tops this track and leaves a good trail for Kozak on guitar to close out. JD Miller's I Hear You Knockin', a boogie track has a strong lope to it as well great vocals by Kozak. Harman leads Kozak down the solid path and he rips off a nice finish to a really cool release. If you like Chicago style blues with harp and T-Bone walker style licks, you should really check this release out.

  “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 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”