Connecticut Blues Society Quarterly Newsletter

State of the

Connecticut Blues SocietyA non-profit organization P.O. Box 651 Higganum, CT 06441 www.ctblues.org

MISSION STATEMENTThe Connecticut Blues Society is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Blues as a unique music form in the State of Connecticut. Founded in 1993, CTBS is a non-profit organization and an affiliated member of the Blues Foundation, a worldwide network of 50 Blues Societies with an international membership in 12 countries. (The Foundation produces the annual W.C. Handy Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Blues Talent Competition, and the nationally syndicated Blues radio show, Beale Street Caravan).

CTBS is a great way to cultivate one’s love for the Blues and make friends that share this interest. Members receive State of the Blues, our newsletter, which provides information on the local and national Blues scene, along with reviews of CDs and other Blues products.

BLUESBLUESThe officialpublicationof theConnecticutBlues Society

FALL 2005 Kent Kirkland

Jr. Krauss & The Shakeswin 10th Annual CT Blues Challenge They captured the crowd opening with

Shawn Leonard’s original, “Nocturnal”, a driving number with a

relentless groove. The rest of their set had smooth, traditional postwar-sounding Chicago Blues, T-Bone Walker, Little Walter, Slim Harpo, and jump tunes, and the judges loved it. Hartford County based Jr. Krauss & The Shakes won the Final Round of the Connecticut Blues Society’s 10th Annual CT Band Blues Challenge at the Hannon-Hatch VFW in West Hartford, CT on Saturday, August 27th. Over 370 Blues music fans, and an additional 110 band members witnessed six finalist bands compete for the chance to represent Connecticut at the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis in January. The competition, which included 24 Connecticut Blues bands, took place over a five week period during May and June. The Finals

included the winners of each preliminary event, Crosseyed Cat, Jr. Krauss & The Shakes, Tinted Blue, Ms. Marci & the Lovesick Hounds, Bluzberry Pi, and a “Wild Card” band (the highest scoring band which did not win a preliminary), The Patty Tuite Band. There was wonderful music all afternoon long. The Mike Crandall Band, a former CTBS Blues Challenge winner, performed while the ballots were tallied at the end of the program. A panel of nine judges, including musicians Dave Stoltz and Mark Nomad, Blues music radio DJs Dana Fargnoli, Rocky Wagner (WCNI), and Kenn Hinton (WTCC), music writer and 2004 Memphis IBC Judge Mary Lou Sullivan, Blues 2000 & 5 promoter Mike Moss, and can’t-get-enough-of-that-stuff Blues fans Ed Stack and Lauren Shea, awarded each band a score of one to ten in the categories of Blues Content, Talent, Originality, and

Continued on Page 2

Jr. Krauss

Patty Tuite

Jr. Krauss & The Shakeswin 10th Annual CT Blues Challenge

BSwinter2.indd 1 12/5/05 5:16:46 PM

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BLUESBLUESThe official publication of the Connecticut Blues Society

2 State of the Blues — Fall 2005

Stage Presence, the criteria used at the IBC. The weighted multipliers, as determined by the Blues Foundation, are Blues Content (4); Talent (3); Originality (2) and Stage Presence (2). Tom Retano, Entertainment Chairman of the Berlin Blues Festival, served as Master of Ceremonies. Acting as photographer and tallying votes was Dom Forcella, CTBS former President, Director, and IBC Board Member. CTBS Directors Dave O’Neil, Zeke Ster, and Kent Kirkland organized the event.

Black-Eyed Sallys provided the Cajun style food, and the VFW handled the drinks and set up the seating.

Jr. Krauss & The Shakes will be Connecticut’s representative to participate in the Band Division of the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis on January 26-28, 2006. The IBC, which is the largest gathering of blues bands in the world, will be entering its 22nd year in 2006. Artists must be an official representative of a Blues Foundation-sanctioned blues society to compete. This is the largest and most respected showcase for “undiscovered” blues talent. Larry Garner, Tommy Castro, Susan Tedeschi, Michael Burks, Michelle Wilson, Albert Cummings and Sean Costello have all gained national recognition through the IBC.

Jr. Krauss & The Shakes will be awarded a cash prize of $1,500. to offset some of the costs of traveling to Memphis. In addition, they will perform at the June, 2006 Berlin Blues Festival. Other opportunities to

perform at venues throughout the state will surface. Formed in 1999 with veteran musicians, the Shakes are Doug “Jr.” Krauss on vocals and harmonica, Andy MacDonald on guitar and vocals, Shawn Leonard on guitar and vocals, Ben Boylan on upright bass, and Bob Bequillard on drums. We’re excited”, exclaimed Doug Krauss, “It’s been a long time coming....Between The Shakes band

and the old Houserocker band, we’ve participated in at least six Connecticut Blues Challenge Finals. It was a great relief and it brought such satisfaction to win. We’ve waited a long time for this. We are glad to get down to Memphis, not only to check out the process and to compete, but we are excited to lay down some traditional blues music, too.”

-Kent Kirkland

Continued from Page 1

10th Annual Blues Challenge a win for Jr. Krauss

Tinted Blue

Bluzberry Pi

Ms Marci and the Lovesick Hounds

Crosseyed Cat


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BLUESBLUES

State of the BluesFall • 2005

Connecticut Blues Society Board of Directors

DAVE O’NEIL - president, SARAH SANDERS - treasurer DOM FORCELLA - past president, TOM SANDERS - past president

VINNY CERVONI - director, ED STACK - director - ZEKE STER - director DAVE JONES - webmaster, KENT KIRKLAND - director

ART TIPALDI, KENT KIRKLAND, LAUREN DAVIS SHEA, SUSAN DZIEDZIC, - writers SUSAN DZIEDZIC, KENT KIRKLAND - photographs

FRANCES DREW - newsletter design

An Interview With Debbie DaviesBy Lauren Davis Shea

Continued on Page 8

Debbie Davies is a very apt woman to launch the first in a series of CT Blues Society Newsletter features about “Women of the Blues.” She’s one of the first women Blues guitarists to have come up through the ranks, and is proud to have broken barriers. She’s also a Connecticut resident.

L.S. Can you describe some of the challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the Blues and how you’ve dealt with them?

D.D. “From a very young age I wanted to play electric guitar. I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, listened to John Mayall, the Stones. The ‘60s were very gender-specific; jobs were stereotypical, girls (including me) studied classical piano as kids, or violin, maybe folk guitar-but certainly not electric guitar or drums. I wanted to do something that was only open to guys. Although my parents were musicians, they were conservative; they wouldn’t buy me an electric guitar-just an acoustic guitar. It was a sadness for me. And it was not only my parents but also the schools and record companies that restricted women. Bonnie Raitt was the only woman I saw playing electric Blues. When I was 24, when the energy of the women’s lib movement of the 1970s was just really getting going, I decided to do it. I started going to Blues jams at the Inn of the Beginning, north of San Francisco. There were a few other women playing but not too many were very good. I was working harder than the other girls. Very few men would sit with a girl

guitar player but when some of the guys found out I was serious, they were helpful-others laughed at me. I basically taught myself by listening to Etta James, Mike Bloomfield, and Albert Collins’ records and picking away. I started a band, and I played in John Mayall’s wife’s band, Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs. My mentors came down the road; I was playing for 11 years by the time I finally got my gig with Albert. How it happened is that Coco Montoya was touring with John Mayall, while I was playing lead guitar in John’s wife’s band-we opened for John Mayall for 1 1/2 years but never got a record deal. I hooked up with Coco and we became an item . . . Coco introduced me to Albert. He heard me play and he dug it. Albert knew how much I wanted to play serious Blues and we toured together for three years. Meanwhile as of the 70s, the record industry was signing very few women electric guitarists-Heart had a deal and Joan Jett was signed in the ‘80s. And then all of a sudden in the early ‘90s women started being signed like crazy, most of whom were singer/songwriters who ended up playing the Lilith Fair. Then Blues labels started signing up women. Joanna Connor and Sue Foley were the first to get signed as guitar players and Blind Pig signed me a year later. Eventually, other women started getting signed, although still not a lot. As jobs and society have opened up, the culture has opened for women in the Blues too.”

L.S. Are you mentoring any other female Blues singers? D.D. “I have tried to mentor young women I meet

around the country. I stay in touch offering e-mail guitar lessons, and lessons in person. Laura Chavez in CA’s Bay Area plays hellacious rock Blues. Another, Harley Erickson, is a student in CT and works as my assistant.”

L.S. Bands judged for the Connecticut Blues Challenge are evaluated on Blues content, talent, originality, and stage presence. Is there anything in these categories that you feel is different about being a woman in terms of making a name for yourself that a man wouldn’t deal with? For example, stage presence. You don’t seem to wear noticeably sexy clothes.

D.D. “It’s show biz, whether it’s pop, rock, or the Blues. A woman absolutely has extra pressure to look good. I haven’t been playing the sex card; I’m big into the music.

State of the Blues —Fall 2005 3


The Connecticut Blues Society held its annual Acoustic Blues Challenge Sunday evening at The Hungry Tiger in Manchester. And for the skinny price of $5.00, blues fans got a fantastic night of the finest blues music around. Six of the top blues musicians in Connecticut came to pour out their hearts and souls in an effort to win the prize of Connecticut Acoustic Blues Artist of 2005. The winner will go on to Memphis, Tennessee to compete for the national acoustic blues challenge. In addition, the winner took home a check and a very special prize - a Porchboard Bass.

“The Connecticut Blues Society, one of the largest in the country, is a non-profit organization whose mission in to promote and preserve the Blues as a unique art form in Connecticut,” explained Dave O’Neil, President of the

organization. And from the sounds of the music on Sunday evening, their mission is being

accomplished in a big way.

The bare stage was the ring for each one of these fine musicians to take their place and show off their expertise. No frills, no special effects, no sound enhancements - just the music. This contest gave the musicians a chance to perform the blues in its bare-bones original form.

The blues artists this year included Pete Scheips, Lisa Rich, Joel Blumert, D.W. Ditty (with Kenny Mack), Chris D’Amato, and DC Jones. At the end of the evening,

Mr. Joel Blumert was the lucky winner and will be on his way to Memphis early next

year.Pete Scheips, a familiar face on the blues scene in the

Manchester area was first up and dove right in with his hard-driving style. Pete’s resume includes opening for and playing with some heavy-hitters like B.B. King, Les Paul, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy, just to name a few. Lisa Rich, the only female artist for the contest, took the stage next and warmed up the audience with her dynamic, foot-stomping energy, her brilliant delta slide guitar work, and her straight-to-the-heart lyrics . Lisa is a student of the great Rory Block, and her style has many of the same

Pete Scheips

D. C. Jones

Lisa Rich

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Joel Blumert Acoustic Blues Artist for 2005


By Susan Dziedzic


sure there is a good, solid future for this art. The musicians were under strict guidelines set forth

by the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee and used by the Connecticut Blues Society for this contest. In addition to using the scoring guidelines, the musicians had to gain points in the categories of talent, blues content, stage presence and originality. The performers were introduced by Kent Kirkland of the Connecticut Blues Society and the judges were Doug MacNeil, host of “The Psychedelic Revue” on WHUS 91.7 FM, Greg Panse ,́ Dana Fargnoli, and Rocky Wagner from WCNI FM, New London, and David Stoltz, Hartford Advocate’s Pick for Best Bass Player. The musicians’ performances were timed by Terri Jones.

All of the artists that competed have websites that fans can visit: Pete Scheips (www.bignoisenow.com/scheips), Lisa Rich (www.lisarichlive.com), Joel

Blumert (www.cdbaby.com/cd/blumert), DW Ditty (www.dwditty.com), Chris D’Amato (www.chrisdamato.net), and DC Jones (www.chiliblues.com). The Connecticut Blues Society also has a website

for blues fans interested in joining and keeping up with all the blues news at www.ctblues.org.

crowd-pleasing components. Joel Blumert pulled his listeners into his prize-winning performance with some “echo” audience participation. With a polished

style and stage presence, Joel wrapped a bit of folk sound around his blues giving him the right combination to place him on the top of the night’s event. DW Ditty put a little different spin on his performance by pairing up with Kenny Mack on saxophone. With DW’s famous delivery and Kenny’s velvety sax; more than a few hearts in the audience melted. Chris D’Amato, (also known for his Smokin’ Opey Band), was another familiar face to blues fans having opened for the blues greats like Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, and John Mayall. Chris delivered his legendary fine performance for the crowd. DC (Dave) Jones, a real blues powerhouse with his unique dobro, delivered some of his memorable originals to the delight of the audience. When Dave isn’t performing solo, he’s fronting the famous Chiliblues Band.

All of these fine artists are the future of the blues and the Connecticut Blues Society is working hard to make

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Joel Blumert

Chris D'Amato

D. W. Ditty

Kenny Mack


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REVIEWS By Art Tipaldi

Maria Muldaur, Sweet Lovinʼ Of Soul, (Stony Plain) Maria Muldaur’s musical odyssey has taken her through the vari-ous forms of American roots music. From her jug band days to her late nights at the oasis to New Orleans R&B

to Memphis soul to torchy love songs Muldaur always paints what her heart feels. Her last CD, Richland Woman Blues, focused on the music of Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, Leadbelly, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bessie Smith, and Memphis Minnie which inspired Muldaur when she discovered the power of the blues. Here, Muldaur chose to shine a spotlight on more of the music of Memphis Minnie. Though there are five Minnie songs, Muldaur also delivers the music of other women singers from the early days of American music. Her varied string accompaniment on each song accurately respects that timeless music. Taj Mahal adds banjo, Fritz Richmond from her jug band days adds the jug, Del Ray plays guitar, Steve James plays mandolin and guitar, Alvin Youngblood Hart picks guitar, Suzy Thompson fiddles, Pinetop Perkins plays piano, and Tracy Nelson lends her voice. Muldaur opens the time machine with Minnie’s “I Am Sailin’.” Her womanly wise articulations spiral throughout the covers of Memphis Minnie’s “Lookin’ The World Over” and “Crazy Cryin’ Blues.” Tracy Nelson and Muldaur res-urrect the music and spunk of the classic blues women when they recreate the Bessie Smith/Clara Smith duet on Minnie’s “I’m Goin Back.” The back and forth personal testifyin’ of these full-bodied vocal spirits gives the song a gospel urgency. Then she and Alvin Youngblood Hart effortlessly modernize the music of Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy on “She Put Me Out.” Combined with the styl-ish guitar picking of Steve James and Del Ray, Muldaur’s nailed Minnie perfectly. But there are other gems here. Like Muldaur and Taj testifying on blind Willie Johnson’s 1929 gospel song “Take A Stand.” Taj and Maria also wax old time jug band music on “Sweet Lovin’ Of Soul” with Richmond and Thompson’s backing, and a double enten-dre X rated dialogue with Muldaur on the old Butterbeans

and Suzy vaudeville tune “Ain’t What You Used To Have.” Finally, Muldaur calls in 91 year old Pinetop Perkins and his barrelhousin’ piano on “Decent Woman Blues.” Anything Perkins touches immediately elevates into the realm of classic. As always, Muldaur’s strength is the vibrant sensuality and passion she brings to everything her voice touches. Not only should this be considered one of the year’s top acoustic CD’s, it also possesses the purity and sense of joy to become one for the ages.

Shemekia Copeland, The Soul Truth, (Alligator) Want the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Year after year, record after record, Shemekia Copeland has lived up to all expectations by steadily rais-ing her performance bar. To challenage herself on this, her fourth CD, Copeland

flew to Nashville and worked with one of the finest in soul and blues, Steve Cropper. From his days with Stax, Cropper understands exactly how to turn a young singer into a soul diva. This is not a nostalgic re-record of Cropper’s Stax tunes. To reach deep into Copeland’s soul, Cropper called in the finest soul drenched musi-cians and singers from Nashville and Memphis. That greasy, southern soul is exactly what Cropper found in buried in Copeland’s Harlem roots. Take the raw blues and rock of her first two CDs, combine that with the growing singer’s feel of her third, and now add deep Southern soul that comes with maturity, (maturity at 26?) and The Soul Truth has something for every music fan. The CD opens with “Breakin’ Out,” co written by John Hahn and Cropper, who was just inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame. Though it’s about lost love, it is also Copeland announcing that as a singer, she’s ready to do likewise. Cropper’s robust guitar, Jim Horn’s guttural tenor sax and the arranged horns of the Muscle Shoals Horns are the perfect frame for Copeland’s pow-erful directives. The follow-up could be the song that is her breakout. “Who Stole My Radio” finds Copeland singing the commercial radio lament that every artist and



State of the

BLUESBLUESfan feels. Written in the same tongue and cheek style as Dire Straits’ “I Want My MTV,” Copeland recalls the days when music on the radio helped us survive. How many of us listened to the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Beach Boys and Cousin Brucie on tiny transistor radios as we fell asleep. Copeland asks where the passion, feeling, soul and rock has gone in the days of Clear Channel. BTW, don’t expect the Clear Channel guys to put this tune on one of their play lists. From there, Copeland shows off some of the finest soul stylings since the days of Otis and O.V. Wright. “Poor, Poor Excuse,” also co-written by Hahn and Cropper, comes right out of an old movie theater on 926 E. McLemore in Memphis. Cropper the producer has brought the finest vocal stylings out of Copeland the singer. As Copeland discovers the crucial emotions at the core of the song, ex-Young Rascal Felix Cavaliere plays Hammond B3, heavy horns and vibrant guitar notes answer. The other soul treasure is “Strong Enough.” This is a fine vocal display of her delicate vulnerability. Copeland shows that s singing with the melody connects. She sing over and around the melody like today’s American Idol show seems to tell young sing-ers. This is the template to study to sing contemporary soul. One of the finest jewels in this crown is “Used,” written by Beka Bramlett. There is enough intimate pain in every syllable Copeland utters to bring every listener into the song. When Dobie Gray, from “Drift Away” fame joins her, the song’s universality is even more obvious. Cropper still wants Copeland to rock her blues. On “You Can’t Have That,” “Givin’ Up You,” and “All About You” Copeland calls upon her all-star studio band to turn up the heat. Musicians like Chuck Levell of Allman Brothers and Stones’ tours handles the piano, Chester Thompson of Tower of Power and Steve Potts currently touring with Booker T played drums while Cropper and Bob Britt, who played lead guitar Bob Dylan’s Time Out Of Mind and has been touring lately with John Fogerty, share the guitar chores. These are three songs sure to become crowd favs on the road. On “Uptown Line,” co-written by Hahn and Chris Thomas King, Copeland rides the modern blinds and accepts life as it is today. The CD ends with Eddie Hinton’s “Something Heavy,” a rappin’ Copeland-Cropper voice and guitar duet. Rap on Memphis soul stew. By crossing over all arbitrary boundary like blues, rock, soul, or R&B, The Soul Truth demands it’s own category called Shemekia.

Rusty Zinn, Zinfidelity Vol. 1, (Big Daddy Records) Rusty Zinn is one of the finest young guitarists you can listen to. Zinn’s credits include work with every West coast blues band from Kim Wilson to Little Charlie. Here, on his fourth solo

record, Zinn is actively embracing all forms of the music he’s loved. There’s soul, blues, R&B, reggee, doo-wop, and even some urban club music mixed in this gumbo. His covers on obscure songs from his 45 collection are very strong. The CD opens with “Talkin’ Bout You,” writ-ten by 1970’s Chicago blues singer Ricky Allen. Over the cold sober horn arrangements, Zinn’s straining tenor aches and pleads to his baby. Zinn’s Southern soul take on Roy C.’s “Falling In Love Again” should remind you of everything you’ve always loved in soul music. His gorgeous passionate vocals tied to the heavy Stax styled horns and his precise guitar are what soul music should be. The repetitive horn chorus on Tiny Powell’s “Get My Hat” shows off the joyous energy of old school soul. The combination of horns, B-3, and big guitar work by Zinn gives these songs a dead on inner city lounge aura. Zinn then reworks two songs from his previous albums. On “Treat You Like A Queen,” from his 1996 Black Top record, Zinn fires off thick, B.B. King styled guitar darts. While Zinn funks up “Lucille,” from his 1999 Confessin’ CD. There’s a hint of Reggae on “Put Your Hand In Mine” and some street corner doo-wop on the a cappella CD closer, “Love Him Or Leave Him.” that makes me want to add my voice to the harmonies. The most daring cut is “Zinn bootyism,” a funky groove with a humor-filled dialogue between Zinn and Detrisha Wilson. We get to eavesdrop on this late night, pick-up, club banter. Oakland Red, AKA Zinn, is trying hard to pick up the chocolate drop at the bar. he finally impresses the pro-spective bed mate by informing her that he’s got a license to slide, augmented by Zinn’s slide guitar. Very cool. After three predominately blues records, this record has all the feel of an artist beginning to separate himself from blues imitators and discover his true voice. Play this at your next party and be ready to give a shout out to Zinn’s nostalgic fidelity all night long.



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Plenty of women do play it, because it’s much easier to get the attention of the people in the record industry-who are mostly men. And it’s easier to get people listening to you in a bar to go crazy-but that’s not really focused on the musicianship. It’s a lot easier to be a guy and not necessary to be best-looking; guys are more noticed for their musicianship. Women need to be more eye-catching-although it’s a plus for a man too-if two men are equally good, the cute one will sell better. Sex sells. But #1 I’m a musician-other artists may be more motivated by being on stage. If you’re singing and you’re the front person, you’ve got to maybe focus more on being sexy, whereas if you have the guitar too you already have something going on.”

L.S. Listening to your latest CD, All I Found, I thought your lyrics were in many cases very original ways of describing universal feelings, especially single women’s feelings. For example, on the song, Trying to Keep It Real: “With my insides on the outsides, you know just how I feel. Do I scare you like I scare myself?” Or on the song: What Do You See In That Girl?: “She’s got big feet, ain’t got no style, no job, can’t carry a tune, can’t sing on key, nobody laughs when she tells a joke.” On Every Breath I Take: “I can exercise, meditate, diet-life is still killing me.” On One More Time: “I’m leaving you, baby, but maybe you can rock me one more time before I’m gone.” On Comfort Zone: “She knows he’s a slacker but that’s OK; He’s not the kind of fella you call Type A; he’s in the comfort zone, and so is she”-- which really digs at women who settle.

Debbie Davies Continued from Page 2

D.D. “The Blues is a feeling and it’s gotta be real. I think it’s great that my songwriting partner’s a man. I’m so used to being with male musicians, and many are artistic and sensitive-half those songs are written by my partner.”

L.S. Can you describe your songwriting process?D.D. “Half of the tunes on this CD are written by

my drummer, Don Castagno, who has become my songwriting partner. I’ll be sitting with the guitar, and sometimes like magic a whole song with come-but not too often. More often I get snippets and I have to keep track of that so I keep a notebook all the time to write down the lyrics I think of. I also keep a tape recorder always set up for recording guitar riffs. When it comes time to record a CD, when maybe I’m stumped, then I call my partner.”

L.S. What was your greatest moment on-stage?D.D. “There are wonderful moments when other artists

are sitting in with you or you sit in with others. At the San Francisco Blues Fest in 1987 Albert Collins asked me to sit in and he also invited Robert Cray at the same time. Albert had to hear me before he made the offer to tour with him. That was a really exciting show for me.”

L.S. I was at The Red Door in Watertown when a drunken woman took up the whole dance floor and managed to knock over your mic; you demanded she be ejected. Is it tough to be a woman and keep control of the crowd? What can fans do to contribute to a musician having a great night?

D.D. “That kind of behavior is just as irritating to the men. The artist’s job is to keep people happy and dancing.

Continued on Page 10


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“YEAH MAN!” CD WINS FIRST CTBS CD CHALLENGEFive bands and one solo acoustic musician ended up participating in the first CTBS

Challenge to enter inthe new Blues Foundation’s “Best Self Produced CD Award” competition. The CDs in the Challenge, which were produced over the past year, included Dan Stevens’ Road to Memphis, Stephen James Roane’s Dancing in my Bones, The Liberty Blues Band’s I Remember, The Mike Crandall Band’s Black Rain, Idlewilde’s Full Throttle, The Hoodoo Band’s Turning Blue, and Ryan Hartt & The Blue Hearts “Yeah Man! The Blue Heart’s “Yeah Man!” garnered the most votes from the judges, which included Boston-based Blues writer Art Simas, WCCC Radio’s Sunday Night Blues DJ Beef Stew, and Blues CD Producer Joe Roesch of Roesch Records. The judges evaluated each recording on the basis of the Blues Foundation’s criteria, specifically musical performance, audio quality of the presentation, cover art and design, and credits & liner information. Congratulations to the Blue Hearts for some outstanding work! The Blue Hearts “Yeah Man” will be CTBS’s submission to the Blues Foundation’s “Best Self-Produced CD” award in Memphis. This CD will be judged along with CD submissions from other Blues Societies around the world on the same criteria listed above. The five finalists will be announced one week prior to the IBC Blues Challenge in January. Music professionals will judge the five finalists at the IBC Challenge. Last year’s judges were Alligator Records’ Bruce Iglauer, Memphis International Records’ David Less, Northern Blues’ Fred Litwin, Archer Records’ Ward Archer, and Severn Records’ David Earl. Winners will receive national airplay on XM Satellite Radio, Music Choice, and ABS Web Cast.

-Kent Kirkland, Event Coordinator, Connecticut Blues Society

Available at ryanhartt.com or through iTunes

The CTBS is proud to announce the undertaking of our follow-up compilation CD. Our first effort “Local Flavor” was

a big success and we are ready make this second effort even more successful.

We invite CT Blues Society membership bands to submit an original song to be a part of this new

CT. Blues Society compilation CD. If you would like to be a part of this, please contact Dave O’Neil via email at [email protected] our looking for, original songs that are 5 minutes or less in length. We would prefer that these be pre-mixed and sent on CD format or better. We are only taking approximately 17 songs and song/band selection will be based upon the following criteria:

1. Past Finalists of the CTBS Blues Challenge will be given the highest priority.

2. Next priority will be given to past Blues Challenge Semi-Finalist bands.

3. Third priority will be given to past band participants of the Blues Challenge.

4. Then active CTBS members with Connecticut based Blues bands.

5. Finally, if slots are still available, then non-membership Connecticut based Blues Bands will be offered the opportunity.

For this first phase, we will be soliciting submissions from today until December 31, 2005. At that point we will determine, based upon the above criteria, whose song submission will go on the future CD. Bands will then be notified of their acceptance in this project and will be required to submit their song in an acceptable format.We expect the CD to be completed before the start of the 2006 Blues Challenge. Right now, we do not have a working title for the disc, if you have any suggestions, we would certainly welcome your thoughts.

CONNECTICUT BLUES SOCIETY BEGINS NEW COMPILATION CD

Local Blues on Thursday at Black eyed Sally's

On Thursday nights, local blues is sponsored by the CT Blues Society. All

bands have competed in the CT Blues Society Challenge held during the

summer. Please come out and support local blues bands. We ask for your

membership and support to make this a continued success. Thank You.

All bands start at 8:30

Thursday Dec 8th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patti Tuite Band

Thursday Dec 15th. . . . Mike Law and the Playboys

Thursday Dec 22nd . . . . . . . . Cobalt Rhythm Kings

Thursday Dec 29th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XY Eli

Thursday Jan 5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy T blues Band

Thursday Jan. 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chili Blues Band


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Send your classifieds to [email protected]

Musicians Looking For BandsIm a 25 y.o. female in Mystic, CT with too much time on my hands. Love the blues, but can get into just about anything. Strong voice and background. Jennifer at [email protected]

Experienced Bass Player with good attitude and pro gear looking to play some Blues. Open to serious fun, gigs or recording in the Greater Hartford area. Contact Jim 978.869.4450.

Blues Bass Players, Drummers, Keyboards and Horns wanted for recording and gigs. southeast CT. [email protected]

Singer looking for pro band. Can sing various styles. Located in New Haven area. [email protected]

Exp. Blues bass player available 203 913 8474

39 year old singer/lap steel guitarist looking for a band. 20 plus years exp. good equip ready to play. love the blues/southern blues Allmans,Johnny Winter, etc. 860-669-9997

Harp Vocals Great chops, pro attitude, much experience available for the right situation. Any type retro music. blues, country, rockabilly, jazz, bluegrass, etc, etc Band Looking for Musician Date of Message Blues Bass Players, Drummers, Keyboards and Horns wanted for recording and gigs. southeast CT. falbert@cttel.

Bands Looking For MusiciansDanbury-area blues/rock band looking for harmonica player. One practice per week. Relaxed atmosphere, but good music. Vocals and/or doubling on another instrument nice but not necessary. Contact Mike at [email protected] or call (203) 270-0853.

Northern CT, Western MA Blues Band forming. Seeking guitar, piano or B3, drums and stand up or electric bass. Rehearse first, then gig. Vocals a big plus. Must have good dynamics, technique, tone , musicianship, showmanship, and attitude. If you have an appreciation for vintage blues, rockabilly, jazz, rock, r&b, surf or any other roots type sound , then we’re on the same page. No loud bluesrockers, classic rockers or heavy drinkers please. I look forward to hearing from you.Central Ct based high energy blues band seeks a funky drummer with a good ear Many originals and room to explore the blues Have a good attitude and pro equipment we have gigs booked like at foxwoods etc Looking for a serious player with good ethics, great timing and doesn’t mind rehearsing Contact [email protected]

Drummer wanted for blues/classic rock band. We are ready to play out once the band is complete. We are keyboards/vocals, bass and guitar. We are all in our early 50s. We practice once a week in Bethany. Here’s our website http://www.ctlocalbands.org/abovethesalt/ You can contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]


The club should control that kind of behavior. We’re on the road a lot, we might be tired-that particular woman when she knocked over the mic spilled drinks on the electronics. I know players who’ve lost their teeth from unruly patrons knocking into the equipment-a person like that has got to go. And as much as we tour, Blues crowds are generally great.”

L.S. How do you deal with being on the road so much? D.D. “It gets harder being on the road as you get older.

I can’t put up with the craziness anymore-the Albert Collins Band was wild and crazy . . . that was fun at the time.”

L.S. You’ve been all over the world, and born in CA. Why do you choose to live in CT?

D.D. “When I got my record deal for Blind Pig the music scene was stronger on the East Coast. Plus it’s tough out west to jump out on tour, with wide open spaces. When you’re based in L.A., it takes 8-10 hours to get to the gigs-there’s just not that many towns. The Blues scene is not as vital as it was, both because a lot of the clubs from the ‘80s and ‘90s have closed and because lots of the big stars have died. Junior Wells, Albert King, Johnny Copeland, Ray Charles, Lonnie Brooks-I toured with all of them. There are a lot of Boomers who play the

Blues but we don’t have the clout like the old guys had. Boston and Providence have been hotbeds for the Blues for 30 years. It’s more crowded with clubs on the East Coast so I can work more often when I live here. Also I’ve played a lot in Europe and it’s much easier to fly to Europe from the East Coast.”

L.S. What are your musical goals?D.D. “As a younger player you’re concentrating all the

time on your chops. I’ve been playing for so long that my main goals now are to play from the heart and connect with my audiences, make people feel good. And when I get the chance, to make good CDs.”

L.S. As a woman Blues musician and songwriter, what advice would you have for women breaking in?

D.D. “The women have to work as hard as the guys. Some women have only gotten to a certain point because they fall back on being female. I encourage women to not settle for “oh, you’re good for a girl.” Instead, become as good a musician as you can, keep learning, keep working on it. I hung in there. I’ve been willful, I’ve had stubbornness, I’ve had a strong drive to want to do this. It’s only your own drive that keeps you moving forward. People my age encourage all their children, including daughters, to do whatever it is they want to do. Younger women wanting to do nontraditional things can do them now, and that really makes me happy.”

Debbie Davies Continued from previous Page

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ADELPHIA-NORWICH Tuesday 9:00 PM, Ch. 14: Bozrah, Colchester, Franklin, Lisbon, Norwich, Preston, Sprague

ADELPHIA-OLD LYME Tuesday 9:00 PM, Ch. 27: East Haddam, Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Salem

COMCAST-BOLTON Thursday 8:00 PM, Ch. 5: Andover, Bolton, Ellington, Hebron, Marlborough, Tolland, Vernon

COMCAST-HARTFORD Saturday 2:00PM, Ch. 5: Hartford

COMCAST-SIMSBURY Thursday 2:00 PM & 9:00 PM, Ch. 5: Simsbury

CABLEVISION-NORWALK Friday 7:00 PM, Ch. 77: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Westport

CABLEVISION-SOUNDVIEW Thursday 10:00 PM, Ch. 71: Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Orange, Woodbridge

CHARTER-NEWTOWN Monday 2:00 PM, Tuesday 8:00 PM, Ch. 21: Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Kent, Monroe, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury, Trumbull, Washington, Woodbury

CHARTER-WINSTED Thursday 9:00 PM, Wednesday 3:00 PM, Ch. 13: Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Harwinton, New Hartford, West Hartland, Winchester, Winsted

CHARTER-WILLIMANTIC Monday 9:00 PM, Ch. 14: Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, Hampton, Lebanon, Mansfield, Pomfret, Scotland, Thompson, Willimantic, Willington, Windham, Woodstock

COMCAST-CLINTON Thursday 8:00 PM, Ch. 19: Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Durham, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Westbrook

COMCAST-CROMWELL Thursday 10:00 PM, Ch. 3: Cromwell, East Hampton, Middlefield, Middletown, Portland

COMCAST-NEW HAVEN Tuesday 9:00 PM, Ch. 27: Hamden, New Haven, West Haven

COX-CHESHIRE Wednesday 9:30 PM, Ch. 15: Cheshire, Meriden, Southington

COX-ENFIELD Thursday 9:30 PM, Ch. 15: East Granby, East Windsor, Enfield, Granby, Hartland, Somers, Stafford, Suffield, Union, Windsor Locks

COX-MANCHESTER Wednesday 9:30 PM, Ch. 15: Glastonbury, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, South Windsor, Wethersfield

COX-RHODE ISLAND Sunday Midnight, Ch. 13: All of Rhode Island except Warren & Block Island

COX-WARREN, RI Sunday Midnight, Ch. 49: Warren

EASTERN-NEW LONDON Sunday 9:00 PM, Ch. 24: East Lyme, Griswold, Killingly, Montville, New London, Plainfield, Putnam, Sterling, Waterford

TELE-MEDIA-SEYMOUR Thursday 7:00 PM, Ch. 10: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton

State of the

BLUESBLUES Blues Plate Special Weekly listings for blues on the tube . . . www.BluesTV.net

Tune in to the BluesA Directory of Blues Radio Shows in ConnecticutWNHU 88.7 Sunday 11:00 pm – 2:00 am, Dr. Bill Monday 8:00 – 11:00 pm, Miss Rusty J.

WESU 88.1 Thursday 10:00 am – Noon, Garson Fischer

WRTC 89.3 Saturday 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Chris/Dave

WPKN 89.5 Sunday 6:00 – 10:00 pm, Bill Nolan Thursday 6:00 – 10:00 pm, Bob Shapiro

WECS 90.1 Wednesday Noon – 2:00 pm, Don Denley Tuesday 8:00 11:00 pm Ramblin' Bert: Rockin the Blues

WCNI 91.1 Sunday 9:00 – Noon, Rocky Wagner: Sun. Morn. Blues Monday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Kim Scott Red Hot Smokin’ Blues Monday 6:00 am – 9:00 am, Dan Loftus: Wicked Madam Blues Review Saturday 9:00 am – Noon, Dana Fargnoli: Out of the Blues Saturday 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Dan Sefton: Not So Blues

WWUH 91.3 Monday 3:00 – 6:00 am, River City Slim Monday 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Mike Marti: The Marti Party, Blues, R&B, Oldies

Monday 9:00 pm – Midnight, Bart Bozzi: Blue Monday Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 am, River City Slim: Pine Grove Blues Friday 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Dwight Thurston: In The Weeds

WHUS 91.7 Sunday 2:00 – 4:00 pm, Ramblin’ Bert Rand: Bluesline Tuesday 5:00 – 7:00 am, Mac Thursday 1:00 – 3:00 pm, Ramblin’ Bert Rand Friday 2:00 – 5:00 am, Matt Talbot: Blues Before Sunrise Saturday 9:00 pm – Mid., Dave Carpenter: The Blues Bus

WEFX 95.9 Monday – Friday 10:00 pm, Lonesome Dave

WCCC 106.9 Sunday 6:00 pm – Midnight, Sunday Night Blues with Beef Stew

WFCS 107.7 Thursday 10:00 am – Noon, The Road Hog


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Connecticut Blues SocietyA non-profit organizationP.O. Box 651 Higganum, CT 06441 www.ctblues.org

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Connecticut Blues Society Quarterly Newsletter

Entertainment & Humor

Transcript of Connecticut Blues Society Quarterly Newsletter