Cedar Rapids, IA PO Box 2672 Linn County Blues Society · PDF fileThe Publication of the Linn County Blues Society ... slashing guitar work and hard-rocking spirit. ... riffs and licks

©2010 August-Linn County Blues Society

Friday Blues-• 6-10 PM - Da Friday Blues• 10-11 PM - Backstage Blues• 11 PM to midnight - KCCK Jams• Midnight Blues CDSaturday Blues -• 6-10 PM - Da Blues with Bobby D• 10-11 PM - The Crawfi sh Circuit• 11 PM -midnight - The Melting Pot• Midnight Blues CD

kcck

.org

Linn County Blues SocietyPO Box 2672Cedar Rapids, IA52406-2672

29 S. FrederickOelwein, IA 50662

319-283-1655leositaliandining.com

Annual

BluesMusic

Festival

17th

Cool Issue 193 August 2010

Guitar Shorty celebrates new release2010 Iowa Blues Challenge duo competition13th Annual Prairie Dog Blues Festival (ad)Dr. Phil’s CD review: Bryce JaneyThe Avey Brothers kick off Bluesmore 17Iowa Women’s Music FestivalLocal LIVE music schedules

In this August 2010 issue —

The Publication of the Linn County Blues Society - lcbs.org

also appearing with Deanna Bogart,

Reverend Raven& The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys!The Avey Brothers will kick it off!

IIInnnn tthis August 2010 isst

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The Linn County Blues Society is a way cool, non-profi t organization dedicated to the preservation of Blues music in Eastern Iowa as well as to provide charitable contributions to other commu-nity organizations. LCBS is an Affi liated Organization in the Blues Foundation’s international network. The BLUESPAPER is a monthly publication of the LCBS.

Website: lcbs.org

LCBS Offi cersPresident - Andy DergoVice President - Evan VulichSecretary - Stephanie WestTreasurer - Sue Dergo

Directors at LargeBob De Forest, Bill Meeks, Frank Wilson

ChairsEducation: Gary GibsonPR Chair: Stephanie WestEntertainment - Greg WestMembership - Kevin CutsforthMerchandise - David Andrews

The Bluespaper & LCBS folksEditor - Evan Vulich Photographers -vv see bylinesStaff Writers - see bylinesDistribution - Andy Dergo, Bill MeeksParliamentarian - Bill MeeksProgram - Bob De ForestWeb Admin: Evan Vulich

Membership To learn more about the Linn County Blues Society or to join, see the member-ship form in this Bluespaper or the LCBS website. Your membership includes;

• Discount admissions to many local Blues activities.• Monthly LCBS Bluespaper.• Voting rights in the LCBS elections.• Being a part of the groove!

Bluespaper Contact informationSend news, band or club live entertain

-ment listings or advertising to:Evan Vulich at: [email protected].

Bluespaper Ad Rates$15.00 - Business card size - 2” x 3.5”$25.00 - Quarter page ad - 3.5” x 4.75”$50.00 - Half page ad - 4.75” x 7.25”$100.00 - Full page - 7.5” x 10”

Submission Requirements- All ads, photos or scanned images, either color or black/white, need to be 300ppi. Native Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, JPG, TIFF, EPS, PDF, BMP accepted. Ads created in Word may cause dimentia, severe cramp-ing and diarrhea. Deadline for submis-sions is the 19th of the month.

Moving? Send your new address to; LCBS, PO Box 2672, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2672 so you won’t miss a single issue of your Bluespaper.

2 / Linn County Blues Society ©2010

Guitar ShortyCelebrates new release in Des Moines

press release

“Blistering, modern blues-rock, bris-tles with galvanizing guitar and forceful vocals.” -BILLBOARD

Alligator recording artist and master bluesman Guitar Shorty will celebrate the re-lease of his new Alligator CD, Bare Knuck-le, with a live performance in Des Moines on Friday, August 6, 2010. Credited with infl uencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for fi ve decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings (begin-ning in 1957 with a Willie Dixon-produced single on the Cobra label). Guitar Shorty’s Bare Knuckle, produced by famed songwrit-er and bassist Wyzard (a member of Moth-er’s Finest who has toured with Stevie Nicks and others), burns with heavy blues-rock fi re

from start to fi nish, putting Shorty’s infectious energy and guitar pyrotechnics on full display. Performance information is as follows:

Friday, August 6 Blues on Grand1501 Grand AvenueDes Moines, IA 9:30 p.m. $10

With his new CD, Bare Knuckle, Guitar Shorty has created an album that is as memorable for its defi ant vocals and contemporary, socially conscious lyrics as it is for his trademark menacing, slashing guitar work and hard-rocking spirit. What really sets Shorty apart is his absolutely unpredictable, off-the-wall guitar playing. He reaches for sounds, riffs and licks that other blues players wouldn’t even think of. Amazon.com says his guitar work “sounds like a caged tiger before feeding time. His molten guitar pours his psychedelicized solos like lava over anything in his path.” The Chicago Reader declares, “Guitar Shorty is a battle-scarred hard-ass. He is among the highest-energy blues entertainers on the scene.”

Guitar Shorty was born David William Kearney on September 8, 1939 in Hous-ton, Texas and raised in Kissimmee, Florida by his grandmother. He began playing guitar as a young boy, excited by the sounds of B.B. King, Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. After a move to Tampa when he was 17, the young Ke-arney won a slot as a featured guitarist and vocalist in the locally popular 18-piece orchestra led by Walter Johnson. Being younger-and shorter-than the rest of the band, a club owner bestowed the name Guitar Shorty on him, and it stuck. After a particularly strong performance by Shorty in Florida, the great Willie Dixon, who was in the audience, approached Shorty. A few weeks later Shorty was in Chicago and, backed by Otis Rush on second guitar, he cut his fi rst single, “Irma Lee” b/w “You Don’t Treat Me Right,” for Chicago’s famed Cobra Records in 1957.

©2010 Linn County Blues Society / 7

Band Leader; Musician;Independent Radio &

Concert Producer

2000 & 2007 Iowa Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame Inductee2005 Iowa Blues Hall of Fame Inductee

REPRESENTINGBob Dorr & The Blue Band

Hot Fudge Music and ConcertsIowa Public Radio Studio One Network

319-277-4007P.O. Box 14, Cedar Falls, IA 50613-0010

Tomaso’s Pizza

3234 Center Point Rd.

Official Pizzaof Bluesmore!

364-4313

4651 1st Ave SECedar Rapids, IA 319.378.1720guitarcenter.com

Helping peoplemake great music and

pursue their dreams for over

43 years.319-936-6382

Ron

Discounts for LCBS members!

Hey, armchair blues fans! There is no better time to join the LCBS than now! We could use your help now. We have positions open. Bluesmore 17 is now on us and we hope you plan to attend. But we need help for next year! Just fi ll out the application in this is-sue and send it in with your 20 bucks and we’ll see that you are a

part of a really great organization! Help us keep the blues alive! Be a part of this fun groove!

“Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” — Chico Marx

in the 1933 movie, Duck Soup.

6 / Linn County Blues Society ©2010

• LCBS Members SAVE 10% off meals at

Leo’s Italian Restaurant!29 South Frederick Avenue, Oelwein.

• SAVE at - Tic Toc RestaurantBuy one, get one ½ price

on any regular breakfast entrée or sandwich!

• SAVE at - Genghis Grill10% off entire ticket ANYTIME!

SAVE at Hamilton Mortgage$250 off closing costs (ask for Jessica)

Local Music Sat. - The Firehouse- Jam with various players 4-8PMSun.- Mahoney’s - Various artists-Never a Cover, 6pmSun. - Parlor City Rocks New Bohemia District!Tue. - Gibby’s Lab Jam, Parlor City, 8-11PMThur. -J.M.O’Malley’s-T-Bone Giblin Jam FestEV

ERY

August CalendarSun. 1 Mahoney’s Irish Pub

Parnell Days, Main St.Skeeter Lewis All Stars/Erickson, 6-10PMBlue Band 1-5PM

Mon. 2 George’s, Iowa City CannonSaul, Kilowatt & White Tornado 8PM

Tue. 3 Parlor City Pub Gibby’s Lab Jam w/ DJ & Craig Erickson 9PM

Wed. 4 Parlor City Pub McMurrin & Johnson 8-11PM

Thur. 5 J.M.O’Malley’sDublin City Pub

Gibby Jams w/ friends 9PMMcMurrin & Johnson 8-11PM

Fri. 6 Leo’s Gen. LoungeErnie’s

Mark Moss, OelweinMcMurrin & Johnson 1st Friday 6-9PM

Sat. 7 Fire HouseLeo’s Gen. LoungeRed BaronWashington FestivalMillstream BreweryShuey’sChrome Horse

Various players jam 4-8PMJefferson Fox, OelweinBryce Janey Group w/ Dan Johnson 9PMBlue Band, downtown city squareCharlie Morgan & Bonecrushers, Amana 4-8PTriple ShotGibbs Brothers Band

Sun. 8 Parlor City PubSummerset WineryTabor Winery

Jeff Taylor & Friends 6-9PMBlue Band - Indianola, IA 3-6PMBryce Janey solo, 3-6PM Baldwin, IA

Tue. 10 Parlor City Pub Gibby’s Lab Jam w/ BF Burt 9PM

Thur. 12 J.M. O’Malley’sShuey’s

Gibby Jams w/ friends 9PMMike & Rob Show

Fri. 13 Winding Stairs FestivalFireside WineryChrome Horse

Blue Band, Traer, IABryce Janey, Marengo, IA 7-10PMO’Connell Bros. 6:30(out) Jeff Bruner (in)9P

Sat. 14 Fire HouseCedar Trails FestivalCootersPaddy O’Rourkes

Various players jam 4-8PMBlue Band, Gateway Park, Cedar Falls 6:30PMike & Rob show 3-6PMElectric Mule 9-1

Tue. 17 Parlor City Pub Gibby’s Lab Jam. DDog & the BBits 9PM

Wed. 18 Sammy’s Mike & Rob Show 8-12

Thur. 19 J.M. O’Malley’sShuey’sCooters

Charlie Morgan & Bonecrushers 9PMJeff MattisonMike & Rob Show 8-11PM

Fri. 20 Leo’s Gen. LoungeErnie’sNext DoorBill’s Boat Landing

Billy Lee Janey, OelweinCraig Erickson & Dan Johnson 6-9PMMcMurrin & Johnson Trio 9PMCharlie Morgan & Bonecrushers, Clayton 9P

Sat. 21 Fire HouseThe Red FrogIA State Fair, AE/TV8Shuey’s

Various players jam 4-8PMMcMurrin & Johnson 7-10PMBlue Band, 7 & 9PM Des Moines - 2 showsTerry McCauley

Sun. 22 IA State Fair, AE/TV8Shuey’s Blues BlowoutShuey’s Blues BlowoutParlor City Pub

Blue Band, 5:30 & 7:30PM Des Moines. IASkeeter Lewis All Stars. McMurrin & JohnsonGary Gibson, Shawn Kellerman. 1-7PMTiffany Christopher Band

Tue. 24 Parlor City Pub Gibby’s Lab Jam w/DJ & Bryce Janey 9PM

Thur. 26 J.M. O’Malley’sPiano Lounge

DDog & The BBits 9PMMike & Rob Show 9:30-1

Fri. 27 Screaming EagleStashed (next door)Chrome Horse

4BoxORocks Waterloo 9:30PMBryce Janey Band, 9PMFunk Daddies 6:30(out) Lady Lowe 9P(inside)

Sat. 28 Fire HouseShuey’sIndependence, IAPitchers, MarionCooters

Various players jam 4-8PM4BoxORocks 9PMBlue Band, Brew & BBQ Riverwalk ParkBryce Janey solo, 8:30PMMike Williams solo 9-1

Sun. 29 Parlor City Pub Hot Hand Blues Band

Tue. 31 Parlor City Pub Gibby’s Lab Jam w/ Charlie Morgan 9PM

A very special THANK YOU to these businesses who have signed up to help us

Keep the Blues Alive!

• C.R. Bank & Trust• Chappy’s Safari• Chrome Horse Saloon• The Longbranch• Dudley Bros. Co.• Ron Schantz Const.• J.M. O’Malley’s, 9-1

• 16th Avenue Prod.• KCCK 88.3• Checkers Tavern• Home Town Restyling• Next Door• Tomaso’s Pizza• Mahoney’s Irish Pub

Specializing inRIBS, STEAK, PRIME RIB, LOBSTER & CRAB

Featuring our award winningBBQ Pork Ribs!

Seafood • 30 item salad barKids menus • Specialty desserts

The LCBS meets the 1st Monday of each month. See you at the Longbranch on August 2, 6:30PM for

the LCBS general meeting. Guests are welcome!90 Twixt Town Rd., Marion • 377-6386.

Don’t forget that immediately following Blues-more 2010, the Longbranch in Marion will again be hosting the post jam. Be sure to make plans

to attend this great party!

©2010 Linn County Blues Society / 3

Bryce Janey

“Blues in my Soul”

Grooveyard Recordsmyspace.com/brycejaney

Blues in my Soul, the latest release by Bryce Janey, shows true grit as it show-cases his skillful song writing, fine guitar slinging, and deep soulful vocals. There is a huge Texas blues presence on this album, akin to the likes of Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Accompanying Janey are Dan Johnson on bass, and Eric Douglas on drums. Both are excellent musicians and assist in making Blues in my Soul the enjoyable listening experience that it is.

The bass line Dan Johnson provides for “Walkin’ on a Live Wire”, is infectious and ominous. I could listen to this song all day long. It is my favorite track. Janey has a talent for making his Strat sing, and the way he exhibits that talent makes this song a treat to listen to. Another great song, “Mission For Love”, with its’ funky trance-inducing groove, is pure enjoy-ment.

“City Under Water” stirred up a lot of emotion , as it unleashed memories of the flood of 2008 which hit Cedar Rapids very hard, and left an unfathomable amount of destruction. The feeling of helplessness we all had as we saw the river rise out of its banks are duly expressed as Janey sings, ‘The sky is falling. The ground is coming up. Water at my knees. I’m run-ning out of luck.’.

Other notable cuts include a pair of really cool cover songs, Johnny Winter’s “Medi-cine Man”, and Robin Trower’s spacey ballad “In This Place”. Blues in my Soul is a fine album. Pick it up and have a good listen.

— Phil Smith

Iowa Blues Challenge 2010Solo/duo competition

Press release

The Central Iowa Blues Society, Mississippi Valley Blues Society and Lizard Creek Blues Society are seeking applicants for the 2010 Iowa Blues Challenge Solo/Duo competition. A one round competition will

be held in Des Moines, Iowa at Blues on Grand on Sunday, September 12, 2010 starting at 5 PM. (If needed, another round may be added Sunday, September 19, 2010.) The winner of the Challenge will receive a cash prize along with trav-el expenses and will represent the Blues Societies of Iowa at the International Blues Challenge Solo/Duo competition in Memphis early next year.

The competition is open to any solo or duo act from the state of Iowa. “Solo/Duo” is defi ned as any act with one or two musicians. Vocalists are counted as musicians for the purpose of this competition. Both electric and acoustic instru-ments are allowed. Participants will be judged by the same criteria that are used in Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. Each band is judged based on Blues Content, Talent, Originality and Stage Presence.

Any artist whose name has appeared on a fi nal Handy/Blues Music Award ballot is ineligible. No other entry restrictions apply. This means that manage-ment contracts, booking agent contracts, recording contracts, performance con-tracts (even those that include regular television or radio broadcast) and nation-ally distributed recordings have no bearing on eligibility.

Applications may be downloaded cibs.org. Entries must be postmarked by August 7, 2010. For more information, call 515-225-6638.

The 2010 Iowa Blues Challenge is proudly sponsored by Central Iowa Blues Society, Mississippi Blues Society, Lizard Creek Blues Society, Budweiser and Citadel Broadcasting/94.9KGGO & 98.3WOW.

13th Annual Prairie Dog Blues FestFriday, July 30, 2010

Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights, Big James & the Chicago Playboys,

Guitar Shorty, Jon Justice, Eddie Turner

Saturday, July 31, 2010Eric Sardinas, Shaun Murphy Band,

Big John Dickerson Show, Debbi Davies & Robin Rogers Band, Vernon Ray Harrington, Sena Ehrhardt Band, Hounds Tooth

Festival website: prairiedogblues.com

Overheard at our backyard party while she was laying into the Bailey’s; “Say it loud. Say it plowed!” — Elaine Mattingly

4 / Linn County Blues Society ©2010

The Avey Brothers take the main stage at 4PM!Bluesmore 17!

The Avey Brothers are bar-room veterans. Playing all the little holes in the wall

and dives between Quincy IL to their home in Davenport IA for the past 20 years in various forms, they are a true heavy-hitting barroom blues outfi t showing signs of being the next up and coming star in the blues. Back on May 17, competing against several other bands, the Avey Brothers won a coveted spot from the Mississippi Val-ley Blues Society to represent Iowa at the International Blues Challenge this upcoming February. Mixing elements of Cajun swamp, blue-rock, and Chi-cago sounds; the Avey Brothers may

have what it takes to jump into the fi nals in Memphis this coming February.

The Avey Broth-ers members are all a group of veteran players. Chris Avey (lead vocals, gui-tar) was recently a member of the Big Pete Pearson Band in Phoenix, AZ for the past 15 years. Mark Avey (bass) is no stranger to the Memphis stage as he went a few years ago as a member of the Mercury Broth-ers. Drummer Bryan West was a fi xture on Chicago’s alter-native rock scene in years past and har-monica man Chris “Westside Slim” Ryan has bounced around in the Dav-enport IA area for

several years in different bands. The quartet, with their mixed backgrounds, come together on this their debut disc as a rough around the edges, no frills barroom blues band that is out to fi ght tooth and nail for the main stages.

The album kicks off with a nasty blues-rocker fi lled with ham-radio sounding vocals on the title track. Chris Avey’s thick guitar attack is coupled with the hard-hitting rhythm section of his brother and Bryan West’s drums. Ryan’s harmonica adds coloration and rhythm around the edges. This is pretty much the typical formula throughout the album. Avey’s vocals, sometimes reminding me of Tab Benoit (check

out zydeco infl uenced numbers “My Little Girl” or “Her Mind is Gone”) or a younger, more invigorated Coco Montoya with a stinging guitar attack and fi re and brimstone howls (the eight minute epic “Restless” is quint-essential). West and Mark Avey are completely in the pocket throughout. In fact, they are rock solid and never straying.

In the end there are only a few gripes I have of the disc. “I Found Out’s” vo-cals are a little off key and out of sync with the rest of the album. Sometimes Chris Avey’s howl is a little too rough around the edges for its own good. Westside Slim’s harmonica needs to be louder and more prominent on his solos and for some of his fl avorings. He seems a little drowned out of the mix at times. However, it’s this rough and tumble style that breeds the Avey Brothers’ energy and hunger. In that sound and in that groove, you can hear how much different they are compared to the rest of the barroom blues bands who play night in and night out. These guys are hungry and they want to break out. Between the ever-dependable rhythm and Chris’s leads, you’ve got the makings of a great band fi ghting its way to the top. Once you hear Chris’ commanding voice pointing a fi nger at you, you won’t want to argue.

legionarts.org

©2010 Linn County Blues Society / 5

Janis Ian to headlineIowa Women’s Music Festival

The 17th Annual Iowa Women’s Music Festival, produced by Prairie Voices Productions,

is gearing up for three amazing days of women in music September 16-18 in Iowa City. Appropriately themed “At Seven-teen,” this year’s festival is proud to fea-ture the legendary Janis Ian.

Ian paved the way for female singer-songwriters with her fi rst Top 40 hit, Soci-ety’s Child, in 1967, and she released her Grammy-winning classic At Seventeen in 1975. She’s been a prolifi c recording artist ever since and routinely sells out venues across the U.S. to this day.

The Iowa Women’s Music Festival is one of the longest continuously running festivals featuring women performers in the country, eclipsed most notably by the National Women’s Music Festival and Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, both of which turn 35 this year.

Taking after the quality of these fes-tivals, Prairie Voices Productions has worked to bring some exceptional music to Iowa City over the years, including Joan Baez, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Laura Love, Ruthie Foster, and last year’s headliner, Michelle Shocked.

There is entertainment for everyone at the IWMF: folk, pop, rock, coun-try, Americana, hip-hop, spoken word, acoustic blues, soul, and alternative mu-sic, as well as provocative performance art. From an Internet mega celebrity, to a feminist violin virtuoso, to multilingual world folk-rockers, the eclectic line-up features it all.

Accessibility is the aim of the IWMF, and for the third year, the festival events will provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation for the deaf and hearing-impaired. All performances will be open to the public, with most being free of charge or “sliding scale / pay-what-you-can.”

The 2010 IWMF kicks off with a mind-blowing, eye-popping multi-act show on Thursday, September 16 at 8 p.m. at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St. in Iowa City. IWMF’s opening night fea-tures Ames, Iowa performance artist/co-

medic satirist/gem sweater queen/YouTube phenomenon Leslie and the Lys, paired for the fi rst time ever with Bitch, outspoken alt-folk musician (the violin is her weap-on) and poet. Popular Minneapolis-based band Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps open the show. Tickets are available for $16 at the Englert, by phone at 319-688-2653, or on-line at www.englert.org.

The Blue Moose Tap House, 211 Iowa Ave. in Iowa City, is the place to be when Iowa Women’s Music Festival showcases some of the best local female musicians for our Anniversary Party on Friday, Sep-tember 17. On tap are Lojo Russo, The Vagabonds, Sarah Cram and the Derelicts, Natalie Brown, Kelly Carrell, and more. A sliding-scale cover charge will be request-ed at the door and all donations will benefi t the 2010 Iowa Women’s Music Festival.

The festival’s traditional main event, the “Day Stage” in Iowa City’s Upper City Park, comes to life on Saturday, Septem-ber 18 at noon and continues until approxi-mately 6 p.m. The non-stop stage lineup includes (in reverse order) headliner Janis Ian, the Chris Pureka Band, Ruth King, Desdamona with Carnage, Mary McAd-ams, and a singer-songwriter round-robin with Rae, Emily Louise and Jenny Kohls. High-energy emcee Kim-Char Meredith returns for the third year to host the show. The “Day Stage” is the main event of IWMF, and it’s free to attend.

The festival blasts indoors to the Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St. in Iowa City at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The clos-ing celebration lineup features Miami’s edgy alternative duo The State Of, passion-ate world-music troubadour SONiA and disappear fear, and Congress of Starlings featuring IWMF veterans Andrea Bunch and Aerin Tedesco. A sliding-scale cover charge will be collected at the door.

The Day Stage in Upper City Park on Saturday afternoon is free (no tickets re-quired), everyone is welcome, and fami-lies are encouraged to attend. Food and merchandise vendors will line the festival, and Iowa Shares will host a silent auction. Attendees should bring blankets or chairs for grass seating. The park is wheelchair

accessible. Pets on leashes are welcome. In case of inclement weather during the outdoor portion of the festival, the rain location will be The Mill Restaurant in Iowa City.

For more information about the events of the 2010 Iowa Women’s Music Festi-val, or to apply to be a vendor, go to www.prairievoices.net, call 319-335-1486, or e-mail [email protected]. The fes-tival is also seeking volunteers, who may call Laurie at 319-335-1486 to sign up.

The mission of Prairie Voices Produc-tions (PVP), the 501(c)3 non-profi t orga-nization that produces the IWMF, is to support and promote the work of women artists and musicians through accessi-ble events for the community. PVP also strives to provide women diverse volun-teer skill-building experiences in plan-ning, organizing, producing, and imple-menting major public events such as the music festival.

The festival is supported by Toyota/Sci-on of Iowa City, Rockwell Collins, a grant from the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Shares, the Women’s Resource and Action Center of the University of Iowa, and many other generous community businesses and indi-viduals. To become a sponsor, please call Laurie at 319-335-1486.

by Lisa Schreihart

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