For over a decade, the Blues Trust treated the city of Boston to two days of free Blues music each September by the banks of The Charles River. Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II is a sampling of some of the outstanding Blues talent showcased at the event. Featuring live performances by Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Honeyboy Edwards, Lazy Lester, Louisiana Red, Hubert Sumlin and Chick Willis, there are also stellar performances by Duke Robillard, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones, Darrell Nulisch and The Love Dogs. Others performers include David Maxwell, Kid Bangham, Monster Mike Welch, Dwight Ritcher, Lydia Warren, Hot Tamale Brass Band and Dennis Brennan.

Click the button to buy it now securely through paypal orsend $17 to:BLUES TRUST PRODUCTIONS 75 Altamont Avenue Melrose, MA 02176

Those wishing to purchase the disc by Pay Pal using the link above will be assesed an additional $1 fee.

BLUES TRUST NEWS

7-1-09

The second half of 2009 brings us some great music; both live and recorded. Read on about new releases from Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl, the return of Enrico Crivellaro to North America and visits from Louisiana Red and Joe Louis Walker. Celebrate America’s Independence by exercising your right to assemble freely at a Blues show near you!

Blues at Your Door

This is the time of year when crowds tend to thin at live music venues as patrons pursue summertime entertainment elsewhere. Which means it is a great time for staycation music lovers to check out some live Blues. In addition to Blues festivals, there are several great shows this month in Boston and beyond.

Enrico Crivellaro is playing both the Montreal Jazz Fest and Mont Tremblant Blues Festival in Canada. But in between you have a great opportunity to see him in the Boston area. He is the special guest with Brian Templeton on Friday July 3rd at the Woburn Sons of Italy Club, 168 Lexington Street. It’s an early show, starting at 8 PM and goes until midnight.

On the 4th Enrico is playing with the same band at a private party, with Matthew Stubbs also slated to perform. Who needs fireworks when two of the world’s best young instrumental based guitar players take the stage?

Louisiana Red and David Maxwell play the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square Cambridge on July 7 at 7:30. David joined Red on stage at the Boston Blues Festival and can be heard on Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II, performing Cotton Pickin’ Blues. That performance led to a recording project the two collaborated on when we flew Red back to Boston for the CD release concert. Expect the unexpected when Red picks up a guitar!

Also coming to the Regattabar on July 23 is the great Joe Louis Walker. He collaborated with Duke Robillard on the Stony Plain release Witness to the Blues, which Duke also produced. The instrumental Highview is a standout. Walker, who is based in the Bay Area doesn’t get to Boston very often, so don’t miss this opportunity to see one of today’s best contemporary Blues guitarists.

Other highlights on the July calendar at the Regattabar include Dave Alvin on the15th and Buckwheat Zydeco on July 21. Pick a show and go!

Duke Trumps Earl?

We never saw the value of music as competition, despite the proliferation of Blues battles. But when a record label (in this case, Canada’s Stony Plain) releases recordings by two of the world’s premier Blues guitarists simultaneously, they intentionally or not, invite comparison and competition. When it comes to availability of airtime, choices about what to play have to be made.

Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard live 50 miles apart in New England. Their careers have taken similar paths and although their musical styles vary, there have always been comparisons due to their virtuosity. The following is one Blues programmer's reasoning why one disc received more spins than the other for the month of June.

Duke Robillard’s Stomp! The Blues Tonight harkens back to his time of fronting Rhode Island’s Roomful of Blues and includes some of the veterans of that musical institution he started so many years ago. Sunny Crownover adds a female touch to vocals on six of the recordings sixteen tracks. Roy Milton, Lowell Fulson, Johnny Guitar Watson and Ike Turner covers are recrafted by Duke on the disc, which also includes three Robillard originals.

Ronnie Earl’s music is largely instrumental. There are guest vocalists on Living in the Light, including Kim Wilson on three songs; Dave Keller on two tracks and one gets a full choir treatment. All but three of the disc’s twelve songs are written by Earl and touch on familiar themes from the artist, such as healing, recovery, hope and paying homage to musical heroes.

Both discs are stellar, but with time restraints on radio, shorter songs usually find more favor. No run time listing on the Ronnie Earl disc is another no no for DJs looking to hit an hour’s marks and doesn’t help when it comes to a decision on what to play. In short, Duke’s disc is more accessible in content and format and was aired four to one over Earl's last month on the WBRS True Blues radio show.

Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for June is available below.

1. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi

2. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats / Twisted / Alligator

3. Duke Robillard / Stomp! The Blues Tonight / Stony Plain

4. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released

5. Davis Coen / Magnolia Land / Soundview

6. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella

7. Radio Kings / Radio Kings / Gibralter

8. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC

9. Louisiana Red / Back to the Black Bayou / Ruf

10. Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt / Slide to Freedon V2 / Northern Blues

11. Clarence Dobbins / The Uprising / CDS

12. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released

13. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released

14. Roy Rogers / Split Decision / Blind Pig

15. Homemande Jamz / I Got Blues For You / Northern Blues

16. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS

17. Ronnie Earl / Living in the Light / Stony Plain

18. Buckwheat Zydeco / Lay Your Burden Down / Alligator

19. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / Vizztone

20. Various / Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues / Delmark

21. Greg Nagy / Walk That Fine Thin Line / Big O

22. Eddie C. Campbell / Tear This World Up / Delmark

23. Henry Gray / Times Are Getting Hard / Lucky Cat

24. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig

25. Big Pete Pearson / Finger in Your Eye / Vizztone

6-8-09

The Blues Trust is partnering with the Westford Rotary Club to help promote the Blues N Brews Festival at Nasboba Valley Ski Area. The Club has designated the Blues Trust as one of its many beneficiaries of the event. So mark your calendar for August 22 and tell all your friends there’s a party going on!

Blues N Brews Festival Nashoba Valley Westford, MA

2009 Blues N Brews Lineup

While waiting for the gates to open and picking up your ticket, you can listen to Lydia Warren’s solo acoustic set. The on stage acts begin with The Delta Generators followed by The Chris Fitz Band, Ricky King Russell Band featuring Daniel Banks and the Cadillac Horns, Blind Pig recording artist Albert Cummings and Blue Bella Records’ Nick Moss & the Flip Tops with special guest Lurrie Bell.

This is always a real fun event (might have something to do with all the great beer!) Steve Gates does a superb job with the sound and Kathi and John have been working hard all year to bring you a great time. Come out and enjoy yourself and prove that you appreciate and want Blues music events now and in the future. In short; help us to help them, so they can help us! And remember, if they can’t pay the bills, NOBODY benefits. So do your part and come out and drink up!

Cultural Data Project MCC redesigns Organizational Support

As and arts organization, one of the roles of the Blues Trust is to advocate for arts funding by communicating to legislators and arts councils the need to recognize the value of America’s original music. We have made our agenda known; to support Blues music. By keeping Blues visible through publicity and performance, we endeavor to claim a share of the money earmarked for arts funding. It is satisfying to see that somebody is listening.

It is critical for citizens to speak up when they feel they are not being served by their government. Conversely and just as important, when positive progress is being made, it is equally important to acknowledge and credit those efforts. Such is the case with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and their goal of maximizing their effecincy and becoming a more user friendly entity. Rather than a grantor and grantee relationship, they are moving towards a climate of cultural partnerships with those entrusted with presenting the arts to the community.

On Tuesday June 9, the Blues Trust is attending the introduction of the MCC’s new Cultural Data Project. It is a tool designed to track funding and its efficiency in arts organizations. At least as we understand it! After tomorrow’s program, we will have more news to share.

The point is, that in this day and age, for a government agency to listen to the community it serves and make an effort to do better to meet those needs is exceptional. When we were presenting the Boston Blues Festival each September, the Blues Trust was always striving to improve upon and build on past programming. We added new elements, events, promotion and publicity strategies in an effort to grow. It is encouraging to see a likewise response. We look forward to being cultural partners with the MCC for a long time to come, as we strive to keep Blues music vital in modern American culture.

Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for May is available below.

1. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC

2. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released

3. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella

4. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi

5. Davis Coen / Magnolia Land / Soundview

6. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS

7. Omar Kent Dykes / Big Town Playboy / Ruf

8. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig

9. Linsey Alexander / My Days Are So Long / Hoochie Man

10. Buckwheat Zydeco / Lay Your Burden Down / Alligator

11. Clarence Dobbins / The Uprising / CDS

12. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released

13. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released

14. Roy Rogers / Split Decision / Blind Pig

15 . Greg Nagy / Walk That Fine Line / Big O

16. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig

17. Mary Flower / Bridges / Yellow Dog

18. Nicole Hart / Treasure / Blues Leaf

19. Louisiana Red / Back to the Black Bayou / Ruf

20. Various / Chicago Blues Harmonica Project / Severn

21. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats / Twisted / Alligator

22. Elvin Bishop / The Blues Rolls On / Delta Groove

23. Richard Ray Farrell / Camino De Sanlucar / Blues Beet

24. Charles Wilson / Troubled Child / Severn

25. Joanne Shaw Taylor / White Sugar / Ruf

5-14-09 The Teddy Edition

In the position as an advocate for Blues music and the musicians who play it, we have had to be the bearer of bad news over the years. Whether it is the closing of another venue, the termination of longstanding events or the death of an artist, it has never been a chore to cherish. But it has never been as difficult as having to share the news of the passing of Blues Trust Mascot, Teddy. Some of you may already have heard and some of you know of the special bond my sister Gail and I shared with Teddy. He was literally one third of the Blues Trust entourage!

Words will never be an adequate vehicle to communicate the connection we had with Teddy. The irony is that the imperfection of language is never an issue between creatures that can’t talk. Their intelligence transcends the spoken word, although Teddy understood and obeyed numerous voice commands. Many will wonder where this edition of the Blues Trust News fits into the usual inform and promote format that you are accustomed to seeing. The purpose is to make an effort to convey Teddy’s importance to the Blues Trust by the role he played in our lives. To relate the true magnitude of his presence is the most challenging bit of writing that I have had to impart.

Dog Gone Blues

I’m sure many wonder, why the big fuss over a pet; what does a dog have to do with the Blues? The Blues has known Hound Dogs, Yard Dogs, Good Dogs and Bad Dogs. During the tenure of the Boston Blues Festival, the Blues Trust was lucky to have the companionship of Teddy B. Dog. He was named after Teddy Bliss, a friend, musician, Blues Trust volunteer and dog lover who decided he didn’t want to be in this world anymore. The Blues Trust established the Teddy Bliss Memorial Scholarship at Berklee College of Music in his honor.

From the very beginning of the Boston Blues Festival, it was evident to those close to me that I was in way over my head. I have always been more of an idea man than an actual practitioner. My loving sister knew this well and did her best to instill some organizational skills to my scatterbrained schemes. I didn’t know how to type or use a computer and to this day, still have a drawer full of scraps of paper with notes and phone numbers written on them. The fact that we produced a free Blues Festival, (in the City of Boston no less) for twelve years, may be the biggest case of over achievement known to mankind!

But the best way to learn something is to do it. We ventured outside of our skill set to take on the roles of fundraising, grant writing and promotion. Because we didn’t have a budget to pay for professionals, we became the accountant, lawyer and principals entrusted with interacting with numerous government agencies, corporations and individuals. All for the simple purpose of getting the Blues out in front of a larger audience than before we got involved.

Many hours were spent in a spare bedroom/office making phone calls writing letters, pitching ideas and climbing a fiscal mountain each year to make the event a reality. I never considered myself to be that person, who assumed the many roles that I had to in order to facilitate the presentation of the music. But once you do something, people assume since it happened, you actually are that person. Teddy knew better.

When too much time was spent in front of the computer, most of the time chasing dead ends, Teddy would stand in the doorway and just stare me down. If I didn’t get it, he would come in and put his head in my lap. It was the equivalent of a Mother saying, “OK, let’s see how fast we can get into our pajamas.”

Teddy knew that each trip to the post office and the bank also meant a walk in the Middlesex Fells or the Groton Woods. These escapes to the woods, especially for the 18 months that Gail was living in Sweden, went a long way towards making sure that my head didn’t pop off. We lost a lot of friends along the way, that’s just the way it is when you present and honor veteran performers. Rosco Gordon and Brewer Phillips both died days before their scheduled performances.

When a moment of silence was requested for Rosco from the Hatch Shell stage in his honor, a Red Tail Hawk circled the oval. At the funeral service for Howard Armstrong, a Red Tail Hawk perched on the cross at the entrance to the cemetery and then flew over the limousine as it left the graveyard. One rainy Blues Festival morning, I was lying in bed dreading hosting an event that I feared would not be well attended. I rose out of bed to see Gail and Teddy coming in the back gate, a Red Tail Hawk swooped directly above them. This reoccurring omen validated that we were on the righteous path and allowed us to overcome many seemingly insurmountable obstacles and rewarded our positive intent.

In the last days of his life, Teddy came back to Melrose to die. The stairs at Gail’s in Cambridge were too daunting for a dog starving from the results of renal failure. After an ultrasound, the Vet could not understand how he was still alive. He lived another month after that. Gail pursued all avenues available to give him a chance to have more time with us. It would have been easier and many would have just given up. But we were raised to have respect and compassion for all creatures. Determination, honor and loyalty, especially during difficulty, are precisely the reasons the Boston Blues Festival endured for so long, despite long odds.

I was full of pride and respect for the spirit that Gail exhibited during such a torturous ordeal. To watch someone you love dwindle away, losing their physical capabilities is not a pleasant experience. The family made Teddy as secure and comforted as possible as we did our best to ease his transition from this world and he fought hard to stay here with us. When dogs are ready to die, they usually separate from the pack to be alone. On his last day he climbed the stairs to my bedroom to be by my side, secure in the fact that he would get a ride back down in my arms. Many who saw Teddy behind the Blues Trust table at the fest thought that he was just a dog. I hope this explanation can begin to convey otherwise. We are still trying to understand the magic and the loss.

Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for April is available below.

1. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released

2. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi

3. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig

4. Various / Chicago Blues, a Living History / Raisinmusic

5. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC

6. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS

7. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella

8. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released

9. James Cotton / Late Night Blues / Justin Time

10. Zora Young / Sunnyland / Airway

11. Elvin Bishop / The Blues Rolls On / Delta Groove

12. Various / Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II / Blues Trust

13. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle

14. John Hammond / Trouble No More / Pointblank

15 . Nicole Hart / Treasure / Blues Leaf

16. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released

17. Various / Down the Dirt Road – Songs of Charley Patton / Telarc

18. Omar Kent Dykes / Big Town Playboy / Ruf

19. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi

20. Marshall Lawrence / The Morning After / mapl

21. Richard Ray Farrell / Camino De Sanlucar / Blues Beet

22. Mary Flower / Bridges / Yellow Dog

23. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig

24. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone

25. The Nighthawks / American Landscape / Powerhouse

4-7-09

Nine years ago this month I was on a pilgrimage with Bluesman Brian Templeton. I was returning to the Southern Italian village of Montefalcione, where my grandparents had immigrated from a century earlier. Only instead of the village in Avellino, I had received the wrong spelling and ended up an hour away in Montefalcone di Val Fortore in Benevento. This is close to where the Earthquake struck in central Italy.

When we exited the Autostrada and paid our toll, there was a monk, who was also collecting money. Can you imagine that on the Mass Pike? Being so far from home, at the mercy of our own misdirection, we were in no position to deny that request. He uttered a phrase which I understood, although I do not speak Italian. I instantly recognized from my youth; “Buona Pasqua.” Happy Easter. For those in the middle of the devastation, it will be anything but.

Blues Power

The villages where the Earthquake struck are ancient. Narrow streets are lined with old structures and I can just imagine the difficulty that rescue workers have had getting to the injured. There are 100,000 without a place to live right now. Thousands are grieving for the victims and praying for the injured.

The Molinara Crossroads Blues Festival is just 75K from the village I first visited on that spring day nine years ago. Antonello Belmonte has been updating us and what we can do to help. Many in the Boston area have roots in the region. Hopefully the Blues community will come together and show some compassion for those struggling to recover. You can make a direct deposit contribution to the following bank.

Banca TERCAS SPA
"Raccolta fondi pro terremotati d'Abruzzo"
Codice Iban: IT 48 L 06060 15300 CC 090 005 35 65
presso Banca Tercas Spa Sede Teramo
corso San Giorgio 36 - Teramo.

Locally, Blues music is enabling the spirits of the less fortunate to be uplifted. Ruth Atherton’s organization, Raising the Blues, brings music to children with physical and mental disabilities, in hospitals and schools. They just presented a successful fundraiser at Arlington’s Regent Theatre.

Also at the Regent, Peter Ward is presenting his annual tribute to his late wife, Blues DJ Mai Cramer. The 4th Annual Blues After Hours Benefit is on Saturday April 24 at 7:30. Proceeds after expenses will benefit the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Follow the link above for this years’s lineup and ticket info.

The Blues is also helping the environment. Tab Benoit’s Voice of the Wetland’s charity helps preserve the coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast. There is a golf tournament fundraiser, held in conjunction with Tab’s two night stand at Chan’s in Woonsocket, RI.

Here's the link for details on how you can golf with Tab and help the planet. Voice of The Wetlands Gold Tournament

On Disc

Speaking of Chan’s, Nick Moss just released his second live recording on Blue Bella Records.. Live at Chan’s: Combo Platter No. 2, features a guest appearance by Lurrie Bell. It comes in at just under 80 minutes of greasy goodness. Bell guests on some Chicago standards, Willie Dixon’s I’m Ready and the Eddie Boyd tune, Five Long Years. But it’s on his innovative instrumentals that Moss has always stood out and Spare Ribs and Chopsticks is another favorite.

Listen to WBRS True Blues to hear the disc featured on Wednesday, April 8, from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for March is available below.

WBRS True Blues Playlist for March 2009. Compiled by Greg Sarni

1. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi

2. Billy Flynn / Blues Drive / Land O’ Blues

3. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig

4. Zora Young / Sunnyland / Airway

5. Shemekia Copeland / Never Going Back / Telarc

6. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released

7. Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat / Tijuana Bible / Underworld

8. Travis Moonchild Haddix / Daylight at Midnight / Earwig

9. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi

10. Shirley Johnson / Blues Attack / Delmark

11. Jeff Healy / Mess O’ Blues / Stony Plain

12. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone

13. Willie King / Living in a New World / Rooster

14. B.B. King / One Kind Favor / Geffen

15 . The Nighthawks / American Landscape / Powerhouse

16. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle

17. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / VizzTone

18. Dave Herrero / Austin to Chaicago / Hero

19. Julian Fauth / Songs of Vice and Sorrow / Electro-Fi

20. Damon Fowler / Sugar Shack / Blind Pig

21. Trick Bag / Hip Shot / Self Released

22. Root Doctor / Live at the Cadillac Club / Big O

23. Ten Foot Polecats / Sterno Soup / Self Released

24. Joe Louis Walker / Witness to the Blues / Stony Plain

25. Ruthie Foster / The Truth According To Ruthie Foster / Blue Corn

3-7-09

It is great to see friends doing well and we have good news to report from the West Coast and Padova, Italy. Eric Mofford a classmate from Emerson College has been making films, writing and directing since graduation. His ode to Blues and Trains, set in 1930’s Georgia won Best Narrative Short at the Big Muddy Film Festival. It was Eric’s first film out of College and set him on his path

I have been crossing paths with Enrico Crivellaro for the past 15 years. We first met at the original House of Blues in Cambridge when he was a student of Ronnie Earl and was asked to sit in one night. His new release on Canada’s Electro-Fi Records, Mojo Zone is brilliant. We’re proud of and happy for our friends; read on to enjoy their talent.

Travelin’ Trains

Through the internet social networking site Facebook, I have been having a blast meeting new people and hooking up with old pals. One of those is Eric Mofford, originally form the Boston area, we attended Emerson College together in the early 80’s. While I was busy smoking and drinking inside Denis Leary’s Comedy Writing Class, Eric was studying filmmaking. Along with Eric, I also reconnected with his sister Lindsay, who is a film editor and Lincoln Morrison, who runs camera, lighting and sound.

I recently ran across his first flick out of Emerson; Travelin’ Trains is a 30 minute 16 MM Black & White story, with Blues and Trains playing the story background in the search of Sam Unterman. You’ll wish the journey continued longer as you ride along with him as he tries to catch up with his past while learning how to catch a moving freight train. The other cool connection is that 2007 Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Chicago Bob Nelson plays a rail worker named Timber. There is a lot of great Country Blues in the movie. Eric has given permission to watch the entire Travelin’ Trains for free. Follow the link to watch this cool tale.

Mojo Zone

After meeting Italian guitarist Enrico Crivellaro in Boston, when he was soaking up all the Blues he could find like a Deep Sea Sponge, I thought it was great to meet him and wished him well. Then about ten years back, while visiting my friend Desire (another acquaintance met at the House of Blues!) in Orange County, we went to see some Blues at the Blue Café in Long Beach. Jim, the drummer of that band recognized me; he had played with James Montgomery in the 80s. A familiar figure approached me and with an Italian accent said, “Greg! How you doing?” It was Enrico.

After I returned to Boston I heard that Enrcio hooked on with Royal Crown Revue. He also played guitar for James Harman and Janiva Magness. He made a lot of friends on the West Coast, one of them, Finis Tasby sang on Enrcio’s Key to My Kingdom recording.

We reunited the pair at the Boston Blues Festival and Enrico was the presenter of the Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award to Finis in 2006. Local Blues Belter Brian Templeton, who sang with Enrico on tours of Italy, played harp that day and Monster Mike Welch and Sax Gordon sat in for a memorable performance.

Mojo Zone is an all instrumental recording, made with his hometown band. He has taken all of his experience, listening, learning and traveling the world over the past fifteen years pursuing his passion and the listener is the beneficiary. Anyone, who enjoys the music of Ronnie Earl, Hubert Sumlin or Earl Hooker will adore this release. There is also a hint of Santana influence.

Hooker’s Guitar Rumba is fairly faithful to the original, but the instrumental version of the Mel London tune, made popular by Junior Wells, Come On In This House is a nine minute burner that bears little resemblance to the song in its lyric form. He notes that the song is inspired by and dedicated to three guitar geniuses; Byther Smith, Magic Sam and Ronnie Earl. He covers another song from one of his teachers, Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell. The other eight tracks on the release are Enrico originals, but if Ronnie Earl hears them, he may think that he released a record that he forgot about! In the best Ronnie Earl tradition, Crivellaro dedicates two songs to guitarists dear to his heart; Hubert and Blues For Larry Johnson.

Whether there is a large market for a release like this is immaterial. Enrico Crivellaro has made a huge contribution to the Blues landscape in 2009. Those who believe in true talent and virtuosity and seek it out will be ecstatic to run across this artistic statement.

The presence of the WBRS True Blues radio program has expanded, with internet streaming and greater publicity. I began broadcasting Blues fifteen years ago, prior to founding the Blues Trust and Boston Blues Festival. Like many music events, the Boston Blues Festival has suspended production. Even the oldest Blues Festival in America; the San Francisco Blues Festival, was not immune to the fickle variables of economics, media coverage and a change in entertainment trends. The intent of rededicating the promotion of Blues music, by any means available is underway. To that end, the monthly WBRS True Blues Playlist below. You can listen online each Wednesday morning at 10 AM ET.

WBRS True Blues Playlist for February 2009. Compiled by Greg Sarni

1. Jeff Healy / Mess O’ Blues / Stony Plain

2. Shemekia Copeland / Never Going Back / Telarc

3. Billy Flynn / Blues Drive / Land O’ Blues

4. Joe Louis Walker / Witness to the Blues / Stony Plain

5. B.B. King / One Kind Favor / Geffen

6. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig

7. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone

8. Damon Fowler / Sugar Shack / Blind Pig

9. Trick Bag / Hip Shot / TBM

10. Van Morrison / Back On Top / Pointblank

11. Ten Foot Polecats / Sterno Soup / Self Released

12. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi

13. Homemade Jamz Blues Band / Pay Me No Mind / Northern Blues

14. Steve Strongman / Blues in Colour / Self-Released

15 . Dave Herrero / Austin to Chaicago / Hero

16. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle

17. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / VizzTone

18. Mark T. Small / Screaming & Cryin’ the Blues / Whaling City

19. Davis Coen / Blues Lights For Yours and Mine / Soundview

20. Nicole Hart / NRG Band Live / Self-Released

21. Keith Hallett / Bear With Me / MAPL

22. Ruthie Foster / The Truth According To Ruthie Foster / Blue Corn

23. Eddy Clearwater / West Side Strut / Alligator

24. Sweet Claudette / That Man’s Got To Go / No Cover

25. John Earl Walker / Come Over Here / Walkright

2-11-09

Blues Radio - Throw the Dog a Bone

You have the opportunity to give Blues music and the musicians who perform it a louder voice. Dawg FM is the pet project of the Torres Brothers from Canada to license and operate a network of five all Blues radio stations in Canada from coast to coast.

The license was at first approved, but sent back to the Canadian broadcast authority; CRTC for reconsideration and hearing. A show of support, in the form of a letter to advocate the need for media access for Blues music, will help their cause greatly. Like America, Canada is a democracy and a part of that process is to speak up for what you believe in and what will add to the quality of life for society.

If you are a musician or simply a person who believes that Blues music deserves a broader reach, you owe it to yourself to take the simple, easy steps to be heard. Too many people do not participate in a cooperative manner because they do not see the value to them as an individual. It’s not their deal, so they can’t be bothered. We have to be united to reap the benefits that a network of 24/7 Blues station can bring.

The Blues Trust knows all too well what governmental bureaucracy can do to sap the will out of good intentions. In DAWG’s case they must satisfy a language criterion, spelled out in the broadcast act in their licensing process. It is ironic that the music that transcends cultures should have a stipulation liked this placed as an obstacle to being heard. But there is strength in spirit and the music referred to by Ronnie Earl as The Language of the Soul will triumph; but only if we speak up. Don’t pass up this huge opportunity to help Blues music thrive in Canada and beyond.

The old copy writing formula of AIDA is in play here friends. We hope that the sweet picture of Teddy B. Dog has grabbed your Attention; that the prospect of having five broadcast outlets playing Blues music fulltime has grabbed your Interest; that our shared passion of the music causes a Desire to take the initiative to help and that you take Action immediately, because the deadline for a show of support is Thursday, February 12!

That means this has to be done right now! Follow the link to Blues in Canada to file your letter online. http://www.bluesincanada.com/

Do it for the music ~ Do it for The DAWG!

Gig News

Severn Records recording artist Darrell Nulisch appears at the Regattabar in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge on Thursday February 19. Nulisch is joined by Mike Welch on guitar, Mark Teixeira on drums and Wolfe Giandes on bass. It’s an early show, starting at 7:30 so you can be back in home to tuck the kids in; or yourself, as the case may be.

1-23-09

Welcome Blues Friends and Colleagues

It was a pleasure to meet so many like minded people at the Toronto Blues Society’s Blues Summit IV last weekend. Heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to participate as a delegate and panelist at the conference. Along with the artist showcases, networking opportunities and alliances established at the event, the exchange of knowledge that was freely shared will benefit participants individually and most importantly, Blues music as a whole; our common passion that gathered us together in the frozen north.

To that end, I would like to welcome newcomers to the Blues Trust News, our way of keeping the music and musicians visible through promotion and publicity of Blues worthy happenings from Boston and beyond. The weekend would be wasted if we didn’t carry forth the Summit’s intent to move the music forward and preserve its legacy. To that end you have been included in our endeavors. We sure hope that the friendships established last weekend will last a lifetime.

A Change HAS Come

Waiting for an afternoon flight back to the US, I was fortunate to catch President Obama’s Inauguration; it is a moment I will never forget. Too many times in our lives we recall where we were and what we were doing when tragedy struck; assassinations of our leaders, the Twin Tower tragedy in New York on 9/11. I can honestly say that I now have a positive memory of where I was on January, 20, 2009 when Barrack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Seated in the lobby bar of the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, the name of the bar; Monarch’s Pub, struck me as ironic. The reign of King George had come to an end; our new Chief was taking over. I was in one of the World’s most International cities and it was as if time had come to a stand still. I was surrounded by a group of visiting Nigerians, flanked by Asian hotel staff, with me one of the few token whites! The reality of true change finally taking place in our lifetime was poignant. Watching the address unify and inspire all those who were listening intently caused tears to well up and for the first time in as long as I can remember I felt truly proud to be an American.

My thoughts turned to all who suffered for equality and the message of the Blues to overcome adversity and injustice. Our Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, their career struggles for recognition and fair compensation came to mind. In particular, Louisiana Red, who lost his Father to hatred and the Ku Klux Klan. Blues Trust pal Honeyboy Edwards was in the thick of the celebration in DC this week. It was rewarding to see him sporting the Boston Blues Festival hat we gave to him when he showed up at a gig in Beantown wearing a New York Yankees cap. Flanked by Southern Belles and sipping a cold one; looking good my man!

Don’t forget to tune in to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday morning at 10 AM. This is my 15th year on the program and I’m pushing to give the artists a boost by reaching out to increase the online presence of the show. So if you are in front of your computer on Wednesday mornings, it would be great to have you along for the ride. The Boston Blues Festival was an outgrowth of True Blues. Since the artists no longer have access to the publicity that the Hatch Shell venue afforded them, we request that you forward this message to your friends and family to give them the opportunity to share in the passion of the Blues.

1-9-09

The Blues Trust wishes you a Peaceful and Happy New Year. We are grateful to those who kept us in mind and supported our efforts to promote Blues and assist musicians. Your contribution is always welcome and appreciated. Without your support we can not achieve our mission, so please donate whatever you can afford via PayPal or by sending your tax deductible contribution to:

Blues Trust Productions
75 Altamont Avenue
Melrose, MA 02176

RIP Sam “Bluzman” Taylor 1934-2009

Sam “Bluzman” Taylor passed away Monday January 5, 2009 at his Islandia, NY home. Taylor was an accomplished performer who wrote and recorded songs for five decades. He was a member of the first integrated rock band, Joey Dee & The Starlighters, who had the 1962 hit The Peppermint Twist. He was replaced in the band by Jimi Hendrix.

His songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Son Seals, Albert Collins and the BT Express. He received a Gold Record for the song Do It til Your Satisfied, but as he said, “I got the record, they kept the Gold.”

Taylor’s recognitions included an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1995, a Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award at the Boston Blues Festival in 2003 and induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Coming Attractions

Some good Blues shows coming to the area in January: Paul Geremia visits Johnny D’s on Tuesday January 27. Matthew Stubbs and Sax Gordon play there on Friday January 30. The Stubbies kick off a Blues Jam at Jake’s Dixie Road House in Waltham every Monday night. The Love Dogs are at Scullers on Thursday, January 29. Make a resolution to see more live Blues and support the artists by buying their recordings.

BLUES TRUST PRODUCTIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The following are highlights of the promotional, charitable, entertainment and educational accomplishments of this non-profit 501(c) 3 public charity :

Promoting blues music and musicians through the free two-day Boston Blues Festival, exposing the genre to a mass audience

Established Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes and honors veteran blues musicians annually

Established Berklee College of Music Scholarship in memory of Teddy Bliss

Presented free performance by Lydia Warren at Arlington High School

Presented Music Clinic at Brandeis University

Publicity of music venues and other music industry business

Publish online Blues news and publicity to large media list and fan base

Charitable donations and musician aid include:

Contributed to burial expense for wife of drummer Leroy Pina
Contributed to Spider John Koerner medical expenses
Contributed to burial expense of Brewer Phillips
Contributed to Eddie Kirkland Transportation Fund
Contributed to Bobby Rush Band Fund
Contributed to John Lee Hooker Foundation
Contributed to Matt Guitar Murphy Medical Fund
Contributed to Luther Guitar Junior Johnson Medical Fund
Subsidized artist residency for Brian Templeton and Birds of Prey
Donation to New England Blues Society Medical Fund
Obtained and distributed donated musical instruments
Distributed grocery gift certificates to needy artists and families
Contributed to Shirley Lewis Medical Fund
Contributed to Robert Killoran Memorial Music Scholarship
Contributed to the Teo Leyasmeyer Family Fund

OUR BENEVOLENCE IS LIMITED ONLY BY OUR BUDGET

BLUES TRUST NEWS ARCHIVES

BOSTON BLUES FESTIVAL SUSPENDS PRODUCTION

It is with mixed emotions that Blues Trust Productions announces that, for the first time since 1995, there will not be a free Boston Blues Festival in September at the Hatch Band Shell. Due to spiraling usage fees administered by the State of Massachusetts for the venue and the challenge of securing the necessary support of sponsors, arts councils, and media coverage, there is no other option than to take time to rethink how best to fulfill the mission of promoting Blues music and assisting the artists who perform it.

We are grateful to those who assisted us in presenting and showcasing this great music in the picturesque setting by the Charles River. We were astonished that we were able to pull it off once. The twelve year run is nothing short of a miracle! The acknowledgement and appreciation of veteran Blues artists, who were recognized with the Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award, made the hard work gratifying.

The positive aspect of this announcement is that we are now free of the stress and uncertainty of meeting the burden of raising the necessary capital to present the artists. To be able to pursue other passions and make sacrifices, which benefit us personally, is a new and liberating feeling. Springtime is the time for renewal and rebirth! You’re invited to check back to this space to witness our metamorphosis.

8-12-08

The next two weeks are loaded with live music in New England. With the Boston Blues Festival on hiatus, this gives us a chance to sit back and look at how others do it. The beauty is that each and every event has its own personalities, which are a derivative of the booking policy, the individual music tastes and the way the music is presented and the venue of the production. These elements all make up the vibe, felt by the audience and performers and each is unique.

Rumor has it that Greg Sarni has been chosen to receive a Keeping the Blues Alive Award by the promoters. Everyone who has either owned a Blues club or been to one has already received this award. They are really scrapping the bottom of the barrel now!

Next weekend on Sunday, August 24, the companion Green Harbor Roots and Blues Festival will be presented. Both events are held at the Marshfield Fair.

Also this weekend, in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, it’s The White Mountain Boogie and Blues Festival.

Next Saturday, August 23 rd, the Westford Rotary Club present their annual Blues’N’Brews Festival. at Nashoba Valley Ski Area.

Buddy Guy has just released his latest recording on Silvertone Records titled Skin Deep. It is produced by Bay State native Tom Hambridge, who now lives in Nashville. Hambridge is listed on song writing credits on 10 of the 12 tracks on the disc. TH has assembled some of his friends for the recording, including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Other special guests include Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph.

On the tracks which Hambridge isn’t on drums, Richie Hayward of Little Feat, who has appeared with Guy for years, hits the kit. Reese Wynans, who played keyboards with Stevie Ray Vaughan adds his talent, as does David Grissom on guitar and Willie Weeks holds down the bottom on bass throughout the recording.

Standout track, Whose Gonna Fill Those Shoes, features Boston area guitar protégé 9 year old Quinn Sullivan. The track is a reference to the departure of so many Blues icons and who will step in to fill the void. Those real deal cats are still out there, but now that the Boston Blues Festival is on parole, our questions is who is going to book the old school Blues?

TH returns to town at the end of the month, playing Parker Wheeler’s Blues Party at the Grog in Newburyport on August 31. The next night, Labor Day, there is a benefit at the Grog for Amadee Castenell.

Tommy Hambridge will be interviewed on WBRS True Blues tomorrow around 11 AM ET. He’ll chat with Greg Sarni about making the new Buddy Guy disc, we’ll spin some tracks from Skin Deep and no mention of TH can go without paying homage to one of his early bandleaders, guitar God Roy Buchanan.

True Blues will also feature some of those who are filling the shoes that you won’t hear about in the mainstream, like 2001 Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement award recipient Chick Willis. His new release Don of the Blues, includes the following lyrics from the song, I Had the Blues Two Times:

“There ‘s a whole lotta old Blues players, sittin’ around looking like they had a wreck, most of them are retired from the Blues, but they don’t get no retirement check, they got the Blues y’all, and it sure is hard. Somebody please take in the old Blues players and give ‘em a Blues payin’ job.”

News from Martha’s Vineyard is that Maynard Silva left this Earth early on the morning of July 16. Silva had been battling cancer for the past few years. Maynard's memorial service will be on Saturday August 2nd... at the New Ag Hall in West Tisbury from 4 to 8pm

Maynard Silva was as pure a Bluesman as there is in the World today. He learned his craft at the feet of Bukka White and was also inspired by the raw Chicago Blues of JB Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor and Brewer Phillips.

Whether playing Telecaster or National, Maynard Silva’s growl and grit were a direct lineage to those whose spirit he assumed and emoted each and every time he picked up a stringed instrument. As important as his musical contributions and respect for presenting authentic Blues music were, with Maynard, it all started with his attitude and philosophy of what was real and what wasn’t.

The Boston Blues Festival was started as a vehicle to give artists like Maynard a voice. A way for us to get up on the pulpit and tell anyone who would listen, “You have to check this guy out.” He played the very first Boston Blues Festival, with JB Hutto’s Band.

When Brewer Phillips died weeks before his scheduled Boston Blues Festival performance and Lifetime Achievement Award presentation, Maynard was there. He led the Brewer Phillips Memorial Jam, which appears on A Beanpot of Songs.

Maynard played the 10 th Anniversary Reunion in 2005 in the middle of undergoing chemotherapy. He believed in the Blues Trust and our efforts to publicize the music and improve the lives of those who perform it. I don’t think he was ever paid more than gas money and ferry fare from the Vineyard. And he was OK with it. As a matter of fact, when he wasn’t at the Hatch Shell, he was sending the Blues Trust a contribution! Maynard was a sign painter; he didn’t have a whole lot of cash to donate to a struggling non profit. But he did it anyway.

Maynard Silva was an intelligent individual with and edge to him. If you combined the ornery personalities of Gatemouth Brown and Robert Lockwood and mixed in some Portuguese spice, that was Maynard. He had a mystic ability to cast off the veils that obscure life’s truths to reveal a reality that most of us are afraid to accept.

I have only encountered a few of his ilk in my existence and his aura caught my attention the very first time our paths crossed. I was a DJ at a radio station on Martha’s Vineyard and I met Maynard at a promotion for station sponsor Island Tire. There was this guy banging away on a National guitar, amidst the retreads. I can still smell the stale air emitted from the round rubber objects that no doubt lost air pressure in awe of the power of the performance. One of life’s greatest pleasures is to have no expectations and then to get blown off your feet; garage music indeed!

Watching Maynard and Silvertone Steve trying to “out slide” each other at the first "Charles River” Boston Blues Festival. They used any object they could find to make their guitars cry and scream, including the steel railing and the necks of each others guitars. Meeting his young son, Milo, who was obviously wise beyond his years due to the influence, afforded him by a Dad who cared. It was the first time I saw a 10 year old with a walking stick and behaving like a Bodhisattva. Backstage conversations.

His solo performance at the 2000 Boston Blues Festival; bridging the borderline Blues of the Vermont power trio of the Seth Yacavone Band and the West Side

His triumphant return to the Hatch Shell stage in 2005 in between chemo treatments. Talk about tough! He and Rick Russell backstage talking about subjects they were familiar with; Blues music and the Big C.

Hanging on the front porch on the Vineyard, listening to Maynard spin stories about meeting his Blues heroes and the early years of Boston and Rhode Island Blues.

Most of all, I will remember Maynard for the inspiration, support and sage advice that were always available at the end of the line anytime I picked up the phone to vent. Maynard would usually impart a; “Gregory my boy, don’t let the bastards get you down.”

Whatever obstacle we had to overcome to get him up in front of a new audience was always worth it. There was a mutual respect and appreciation for each other that is just hard to come by. In a superficial world, awash in a sea of veneer, Maynard Silva was pure Mahogany.

For more insight on the man and the legacy he left behind, read last summer’s Vineyard Gazette article about Maynard and Milo.


THE BLUES TRUST WELCOMES YOU BOSTON BLUES FESTIVAL 1996-2007 `For over a decade, the Blues Trust treated the city of` Boston to two days of free Blues music each September by the banks of The Charles River. Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II is a sampling of some of the outstanding Blues talent showcased at the event. Featuring live performances by Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Honeyboy Edwards, Lazy Lester, Louisiana Red, Hubert Sumlin and Chick Willis, there are also stellar performances by Duke Robillard, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones, Darrell Nulisch and The Love Dogs. Others performers include David Maxwell, Kid Bangham, Monster Mike Welch, Dwight Ritcher, Lydia Warren, Hot Tamale Brass Band and Dennis Brennan. `Click the button to buy it now securely through paypal or``send $17 to:``BLUES TRUST PRODUCTIONS 75 Altamont Avenue Melrose, MA 02176` `Those wishing to purchase the disc by Pay Pal using the link above will be assesed an additional $1 fee.` `BLUES TRUST NEWS` 7-1-09 The second half of 2009 brings us some great music; both live and recorded. Read on about new releases from Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl, the return of Enrico Crivellaro to North America and visits from Louisiana Red and Joe Louis Walker. Celebrate America’s Independence by exercising your right to assemble freely at a Blues show near you! *Blues at Your Door* This is the time of year when crowds tend to thin at live music venues as patrons pursue summertime entertainment elsewhere. Which means it is a great time for staycation music lovers to check out some live Blues. In addition to Blues festivals, there are several great shows this month in Boston and beyond. Enrico Crivellaro is playing both the Montreal Jazz Fest and Mont Tremblant Blues Festival in Canada. But in between you have a great opportunity to see him in the Boston area. He is the special guest with Brian Templeton on Friday July 3rd at the Woburn Sons of Italy Club, 168 Lexington Street. It’s an early show, starting at 8 PM and goes until midnight. On the 4th Enrico is playing with the same band at a private party, with Matthew Stubbs also slated to perform. Who needs fireworks when two of the world’s best young instrumental based guitar players take the stage? Louisiana Red and David Maxwell play the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square Cambridge on July 7 at 7:30. David joined Red on stage at the Boston Blues Festival and can be heard on Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II, performing Cotton Pickin’ Blues. That performance led to a recording project the two collaborated on when we flew Red back to Boston for the CD release concert. Expect the unexpected when Red picks up a guitar! Also coming to the Regattabar on July 23 is the great Joe Louis Walker. He collaborated with Duke Robillard on the Stony Plain release Witness to the Blues, which Duke also produced. The instrumental Highview is a standout. Walker, who is based in the Bay Area doesn’t get to Boston very often, so don’t miss this opportunity to see one of today’s best contemporary Blues guitarists. Other highlights on the July calendar at the Regattabar include Dave Alvin on the15th and Buckwheat Zydeco on July 21. Pick a show and go! Duke Trumps Earl? We never saw the value of music as competition, despite the proliferation of Blues battles. But when a record label (in this case, Canada’s Stony Plain) releases recordings by two of the world’s premier Blues guitarists simultaneously, they intentionally or not, invite comparison and competition. When it comes to availability of airtime, choices about what to play have to be made. Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard live 50 miles apart in New England. Their careers have taken similar paths and although their musical styles vary, there have always been comparisons due to their virtuosity. The following is one Blues programmer's reasoning why one disc received more spins than the other for the month of June. Duke Robillard’s Stomp! The Blues Tonight harkens back to his time of fronting Rhode Island’s Roomful of Blues and includes some of the veterans of that musical institution he started so many years ago. Sunny Crownover adds a female touch to vocals on six of the recordings sixteen tracks. Roy Milton, Lowell Fulson, Johnny Guitar Watson and Ike Turner covers are recrafted by Duke on the disc, which also includes three Robillard originals. Ronnie Earl’s music is largely instrumental. There are guest vocalists on Living in the Light, including Kim Wilson on three songs; Dave Keller on two tracks and one gets a full choir treatment. All but three of the disc’s twelve songs are written by Earl and touch on familiar themes from the artist, such as healing, recovery, hope and paying homage to musical heroes. Both discs are stellar, but with time restraints on radio, shorter songs usually find more favor. No run time listing on the Ronnie Earl disc is another no no for DJs looking to hit an hour’s marks and doesn’t help when it comes to a decision on what to play. In short, Duke’s disc is more accessible in content and format and was aired four to one over Earl's last month on the WBRS True Blues radio show. Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for June is available below. 1. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi 2. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats / Twisted / Alligator 3. Duke Robillard / Stomp! The Blues Tonight / Stony Plain 4. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released 5. Davis Coen / Magnolia Land / Soundview 6. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella 7. Radio Kings / Radio Kings / Gibralter 8. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC 9. Louisiana Red / Back to the Black Bayou / Ruf 10. Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt / Slide to Freedon V2 / Northern Blues 11. Clarence Dobbins / The Uprising / CDS 12. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released 13. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released 14. Roy Rogers / Split Decision / Blind Pig 15. Homemande Jamz / I Got Blues For You / Northern Blues 16. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS 17. Ronnie Earl / Living in the Light / Stony Plain 18. Buckwheat Zydeco / Lay Your Burden Down / Alligator 19. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / Vizztone 20. Various / Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues / Delmark 21. Greg Nagy / Walk That Fine Thin Line / Big O 22. Eddie C. Campbell / Tear This World Up / Delmark 23. Henry Gray / Times Are Getting Hard / Lucky Cat 24. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig 25. Big Pete Pearson / Finger in Your Eye / Vizztone 6-8-09 The Blues Trust is partnering with the Westford Rotary Club to help promote the Blues N Brews Festival at Nasboba Valley Ski Area. The Club has designated the Blues Trust as one of its many beneficiaries of the event. So mark your calendar for August 22 and tell all your friends there’s a party going on! *Blues N Brews Festival Nashoba Valley Westford, MA* 2009 Blues N Brews Lineup While waiting for the gates to open and picking up your ticket, you can listen to Lydia Warren’s solo acoustic set. The on stage acts begin with The Delta Generators followed by The Chris Fitz Band, Ricky King Russell Band featuring Daniel Banks and the Cadillac Horns, Blind Pig recording artist Albert Cummings and Blue Bella Records’ Nick Moss & the Flip Tops with special guest Lurrie Bell. This is always a real fun event (might have something to do with all the great beer!) Steve Gates does a superb job with the sound and Kathi and John have been working hard all year to bring you a great time. Come out and enjoy yourself and prove that you appreciate and want Blues music events now and in the future. In short; help us to help them, so they can help us! And remember, if they can’t pay the bills, NOBODY benefits. So do your part and come out and drink up! Cultural Data Project MCC redesigns Organizational Support As and arts organization, one of the roles of the Blues Trust is to advocate for arts funding by communicating to legislators and arts councils the need to recognize the value of America’s original music. We have made our agenda known; to support Blues music. By keeping Blues visible through publicity and performance, we endeavor to claim a share of the money earmarked for arts funding. It is satisfying to see that somebody is listening. It is critical for citizens to speak up when they feel they are not being served by their government. Conversely and just as important, when positive progress is being made, it is equally important to acknowledge and credit those efforts. Such is the case with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and their goal of maximizing their effecincy and becoming a more user friendly entity. Rather than a grantor and grantee relationship, they are moving towards a climate of cultural partnerships with those entrusted with presenting the arts to the community. On Tuesday June 9, the Blues Trust is attending the introduction of the MCC’s new Cultural Data Project. It is a tool designed to track funding and its efficiency in arts organizations. At least as we understand it! After tomorrow’s program, we will have more news to share. The point is, that in this day and age, for a government agency to listen to the community it serves and make an effort to do better to meet those needs is exceptional. When we were presenting the Boston Blues Festival each September, the Blues Trust was always striving to improve upon and build on past programming. We added new elements, events, promotion and publicity strategies in an effort to grow. It is encouraging to see a likewise response. We look forward to being cultural partners with the MCC for a long time to come, as we strive to keep Blues music vital in modern American culture. Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for May is available below. 1. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC 2. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released 3. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella 4. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi 5. Davis Coen / Magnolia Land / Soundview 6. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS 7. Omar Kent Dykes / Big Town Playboy / Ruf 8. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig 9. Linsey Alexander / My Days Are So Long / Hoochie Man 10. Buckwheat Zydeco / Lay Your Burden Down / Alligator 11. Clarence Dobbins / The Uprising / CDS 12. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released 13. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released 14. Roy Rogers / Split Decision / Blind Pig 15 . Greg Nagy / Walk That Fine Line / Big O 16. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig 17. Mary Flower / Bridges / Yellow Dog 18. Nicole Hart / Treasure / Blues Leaf 19. Louisiana Red / Back to the Black Bayou / Ruf 20. Various / Chicago Blues Harmonica Project / Severn 21. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats / Twisted / Alligator 22. Elvin Bishop / The Blues Rolls On / Delta Groove 23. Richard Ray Farrell / Camino De Sanlucar / Blues Beet 24. Charles Wilson / Troubled Child / Severn 25. Joanne Shaw Taylor / White Sugar / Ruf 5-14-09 The Teddy Edition In the position as an advocate for Blues music and the musicians who play it, we have had to be the bearer of bad news over the years. Whether it is the closing of another venue, the termination of longstanding events or the death of an artist, it has never been a chore to cherish. But it has never been as difficult as having to share the news of the passing of Blues Trust Mascot, Teddy. Some of you may already have heard and some of you know of the special bond my sister Gail and I shared with Teddy. He was literally one third of the Blues Trust entourage! Words will never be an adequate vehicle to communicate the connection we had with Teddy. The irony is that the imperfection of language is never an issue between creatures that can’t talk. Their intelligence transcends the spoken word, although Teddy understood and obeyed numerous voice commands. Many will wonder where this edition of the Blues Trust News fits into the usual inform and promote format that you are accustomed to seeing. The purpose is to make an effort to convey Teddy’s importance to the Blues Trust by the role he played in our lives. To relate the true magnitude of his presence is the most challenging bit of writing that I have had to impart. Dog Gone Blues I’m sure many wonder, why the big fuss over a pet; what does a dog have to do with the Blues? The Blues has known Hound Dogs, Yard Dogs, Good Dogs and Bad Dogs. During the tenure of the Boston Blues Festival, the Blues Trust was lucky to have the companionship of Teddy B. Dog. He was named after Teddy Bliss, a friend, musician, Blues Trust volunteer and dog lover who decided he didn’t want to be in this world anymore. The Blues Trust established the Teddy Bliss Memorial Scholarship at Berklee College of Music in his honor. From the very beginning of the Boston Blues Festival, it was evident to those close to me that I was in way over my head. I have always been more of an idea man than an actual practitioner. My loving sister knew this well and did her best to instill some organizational skills to my scatterbrained schemes. I didn’t know how to type or use a computer and to this day, still have a drawer full of scraps of paper with notes and phone numbers written on them. The fact that we produced a free Blues Festival, (in the City of Boston no less) for twelve years, may be the biggest case of over achievement known to mankind! But the best way to learn something is to do it. We ventured outside of our skill set to take on the roles of fundraising, grant writing and promotion. Because we didn’t have a budget to pay for professionals, we became the accountant, lawyer and principals entrusted with interacting with numerous government agencies, corporations and individuals. All for the simple purpose of getting the Blues out in front of a larger audience than before we got involved. Many hours were spent in a spare bedroom/office making phone calls writing letters, pitching ideas and climbing a fiscal mountain each year to make the event a reality. I never considered myself to be that person, who assumed the many roles that I had to in order to facilitate the presentation of the music. But once you do something, people assume since it happened, you actually are that person. Teddy knew better. When too much time was spent in front of the computer, most of the time chasing dead ends, Teddy would stand in the doorway and just stare me down. If I didn’t get it, he would come in and put his head in my lap. It was the equivalent of a Mother saying, “OK, let’s see how fast we can get into our pajamas.” Teddy knew that each trip to the post office and the bank also meant a walk in the Middlesex Fells or the Groton Woods. These escapes to the woods, especially for the 18 months that Gail was living in Sweden, went a long way towards making sure that my head didn’t pop off. We lost a lot of friends along the way, that’s just the way it is when you present and honor veteran performers. Rosco Gordon and Brewer Phillips both died days before their scheduled performances. When a moment of silence was requested for Rosco from the Hatch Shell stage in his honor, a Red Tail Hawk circled the oval. At the funeral service for Howard Armstrong, a Red Tail Hawk perched on the cross at the entrance to the cemetery and then flew over the limousine as it left the graveyard. One rainy Blues Festival morning, I was lying in bed dreading hosting an event that I feared would not be well attended. I rose out of bed to see Gail and Teddy coming in the back gate, a Red Tail Hawk swooped directly above them. This reoccurring omen validated that we were on the righteous path and allowed us to overcome many seemingly insurmountable obstacles and rewarded our positive intent. In the last days of his life, Teddy came back to Melrose to die. The stairs at Gail’s in Cambridge were too daunting for a dog starving from the results of renal failure. After an ultrasound, the Vet could not understand how he was still alive. He lived another month after that. Gail pursued all avenues available to give him a chance to have more time with us. It would have been easier and many would have just given up. But we were raised to have respect and compassion for all creatures. Determination, honor and loyalty, especially during difficulty, are precisely the reasons the Boston Blues Festival endured for so long, despite long odds. I was full of pride and respect for the spirit that Gail exhibited during such a torturous ordeal. To watch someone you love dwindle away, losing their physical capabilities is not a pleasant experience. The family made Teddy as secure and comforted as possible as we did our best to ease his transition from this world and he fought hard to stay here with us. When dogs are ready to die, they usually separate from the pack to be alone. On his last day he climbed the stairs to my bedroom to be by my side, secure in the fact that he would get a ride back down in my arms. Many who saw Teddy behind the Blues Trust table at the fest thought that he was just a dog. I hope this explanation can begin to convey otherwise. We are still trying to understand the magic and the loss. Listen to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for April is available below. 1. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released 2. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi 3. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig 4. Various / Chicago Blues, a Living History / Raisinmusic 5. Cyril Neville / Brand New Blues / MC 6. Barbara Carr / Savvy Woman / CDS 7. Nick Moss / Live at Chans, Combo Platter No. 2 / Blue Bella 8. The Dirty Mac Blues Band / Victory Bar / Self Released 9. James Cotton / Late Night Blues / Justin Time 10. Zora Young / Sunnyland / Airway 11. Elvin Bishop / The Blues Rolls On / Delta Groove 12. Various / Live at the Boston Blues Festival Volume II / Blues Trust 13. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle 14. John Hammond / Trouble No More / Pointblank 15 . Nicole Hart / Treasure / Blues Leaf 16. Sammon/Holland / 190 Proof Blues / Self Released 17. Various / Down the Dirt Road – Songs of Charley Patton / Telarc 18. Omar Kent Dykes / Big Town Playboy / Ruf 19. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi 20. Marshall Lawrence / The Morning After / mapl 21. Richard Ray Farrell / Camino De Sanlucar / Blues Beet 22. Mary Flower / Bridges / Yellow Dog 23. Commander Cody / Dopers, Drunks & Everyday Losers / Blind Pig 24. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone 25. The Nighthawks / American Landscape / Powerhouse 4-7-09 Nine years ago this month I was on a pilgrimage with Bluesman Brian Templeton. I was returning to the Southern Italian village of Montefalcione, where my grandparents had immigrated from a century earlier. Only instead of the village in Avellino, I had received the wrong spelling and ended up an hour away in Montefalcone di Val Fortore in Benevento. This is close to where the Earthquake struck in central Italy. When we exited the Autostrada and paid our toll, there was a monk, who was also collecting money. Can you imagine that on the Mass Pike? Being so far from home, at the mercy of our own misdirection, we were in no position to deny that request. He uttered a phrase which I understood, although I do not speak Italian. I instantly recognized from my youth; “Buona Pasqua.” Happy Easter. For those in the middle of the devastation, it will be anything but. *Blues Power* The villages where the Earthquake struck are ancient. Narrow streets are lined with old structures and I can just imagine the difficulty that rescue workers have had getting to the injured. There are 100,000 without a place to live right now. Thousands are grieving for the victims and praying for the injured. The Molinara Crossroads Blues Festival is just 75K from the village I first visited on that spring day nine years ago. Antonello Belmonte has been updating us and what we can do to help. Many in the Boston area have roots in the region. Hopefully the Blues community will come together and show some compassion for those struggling to recover. You can make a direct deposit contribution to the following bank. Banca TERCAS SPA "Raccolta fondi pro terremotati d'Abruzzo" Codice Iban: IT 48 L 06060 15300 CC 090 005 35 65 presso Banca Tercas Spa Sede Teramo corso San Giorgio 36 - Teramo. Locally, Blues music is enabling the spirits of the less fortunate to be uplifted. Ruth Atherton’s organization, Raising the Blues, brings music to children with physical and mental disabilities, in hospitals and schools. They just presented a successful fundraiser at Arlington’s Regent Theatre. Also at the Regent, Peter Ward is presenting his annual tribute to his late wife, Blues DJ Mai Cramer. The 4th Annual Blues After Hours Benefit is on Saturday April 24 at 7:30. Proceeds after expenses will benefit the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Follow the link above for this years’s lineup and ticket info. The Blues is also helping the environment. Tab Benoit’s Voice of the Wetland’s charity helps preserve the coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast. There is a golf tournament fundraiser, held in conjunction with Tab’s two night stand at Chan’s in Woonsocket, RI. Here's the link for details on how you can golf with Tab and help the planet. Voice of The Wetlands Gold Tournament *On Disc* Speaking of Chan’s, Nick Moss just released his second live recording on Blue Bella Records.. Live at Chan’s: Combo Platter No. 2, features a guest appearance by Lurrie Bell. It comes in at just under 80 minutes of greasy goodness. Bell guests on some Chicago standards, Willie Dixon’s I’m Ready and the Eddie Boyd tune, Five Long Years. But it’s on his innovative instrumentals that Moss has always stood out and Spare Ribs and Chopsticks is another favorite. Listen to WBRS True Blues to hear the disc featured on Wednesday, April 8, from 10 AM - Noon EDT. The playlist for March is available below. WBRS True Blues Playlist for March 2009. Compiled by Greg Sarni 1. Enrico Crivellaro / Mojo Zone / Electro-Fi 2. Billy Flynn / Blues Drive / Land O’ Blues 3. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig 4. Zora Young / Sunnyland / Airway 5. Shemekia Copeland / Never Going Back / Telarc 6. Shawn Pittman / Meridian / Self Released 7. Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat / Tijuana Bible / Underworld 8. Travis Moonchild Haddix / Daylight at Midnight / Earwig 9. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi 10. Shirley Johnson / Blues Attack / Delmark 11. Jeff Healy / Mess O’ Blues / Stony Plain 12. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone 13. Willie King / Living in a New World / Rooster 14. B.B. King / One Kind Favor / Geffen 15 . The Nighthawks / American Landscape / Powerhouse 16. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle 17. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / VizzTone 18. Dave Herrero / Austin to Chaicago / Hero 19. Julian Fauth / Songs of Vice and Sorrow / Electro-Fi 20. Damon Fowler / Sugar Shack / Blind Pig 21. Trick Bag / Hip Shot / Self Released 22. Root Doctor / Live at the Cadillac Club / Big O 23. Ten Foot Polecats / Sterno Soup / Self Released 24. Joe Louis Walker / Witness to the Blues / Stony Plain 25. Ruthie Foster / The Truth According To Ruthie Foster / Blue Corn 3-7-09 It is great to see friends doing well and we have good news to report from the West Coast and Padova, Italy. Eric Mofford a classmate from Emerson College has been making films, writing and directing since graduation. His ode to Blues and Trains, set in 1930’s Georgia won Best Narrative Short at the Big Muddy Film Festival. It was Eric’s first film out of College and set him on his path I have been crossing paths with Enrico Crivellaro for the past 15 years. We first met at the original House of Blues in Cambridge when he was a student of Ronnie Earl and was asked to sit in one night. His new release on Canada’s Electro-Fi Records, Mojo Zone is brilliant. We’re proud of and happy for our friends; read on to enjoy their talent. Travelin’ Trains Through the internet social networking site Facebook, I have been having a blast meeting new people and hooking up with old pals. One of those is Eric Mofford, originally form the Boston area, we attended Emerson College together in the early 80’s. While I was busy smoking and drinking inside Denis Leary’s Comedy Writing Class, Eric was studying filmmaking. Along with Eric, I also reconnected with his sister Lindsay, who is a film editor and Lincoln Morrison, who runs camera, lighting and sound. I recently ran across his first flick out of Emerson; Travelin’ Trains is a 30 minute 16 MM Black & White story, with Blues and Trains playing the story background in the search of Sam Unterman. You’ll wish the journey continued longer as you ride along with him as he tries to catch up with his past while learning how to catch a moving freight train. The other cool connection is that 2007 Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Chicago Bob Nelson plays a rail worker named Timber. There is a lot of great Country Blues in the movie. Eric has given permission to watch the entire Travelin’ Trains for free. Follow the link to watch this cool tale. *Mojo Zone* After meeting Italian guitarist Enrico Crivellaro in Boston, when he was soaking up all the Blues he could find like a Deep Sea Sponge, I thought it was great to meet him and wished him well. Then about ten years back, while visiting my friend Desire (another acquaintance met at the House of Blues!) in Orange County, we went to see some Blues at the Blue Café in Long Beach. Jim, the drummer of that band recognized me; he had played with James Montgomery in the 80s. A familiar figure approached me and with an Italian accent said, “Greg! How you doing?” It was Enrico. After I returned to Boston I heard that Enrcio hooked on with Royal Crown Revue. He also played guitar for James Harman and Janiva Magness. He made a lot of friends on the West Coast, one of them, Finis Tasby sang on Enrcio’s Key to My Kingdom recording. We reunited the pair at the Boston Blues Festival and Enrico was the presenter of the Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award to Finis in 2006. Local Blues Belter Brian Templeton, who sang with Enrico on tours of Italy, played harp that day and Monster Mike Welch and Sax Gordon sat in for a memorable performance. Mojo Zone is an all instrumental recording, made with his hometown band. He has taken all of his experience, listening, learning and traveling the world over the past fifteen years pursuing his passion and the listener is the beneficiary. Anyone, who enjoys the music of Ronnie Earl, Hubert Sumlin or Earl Hooker will adore this release. There is also a hint of Santana influence. Hooker’s Guitar Rumba is fairly faithful to the original, but the instrumental version of the Mel London tune, made popular by Junior Wells, Come On In This House is a nine minute burner that bears little resemblance to the song in its lyric form. He notes that the song is inspired by and dedicated to three guitar geniuses; Byther Smith, Magic Sam and Ronnie Earl. He covers another song from one of his teachers, Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell. The other eight tracks on the release are Enrico originals, but if Ronnie Earl hears them, he may think that he released a record that he forgot about! In the best Ronnie Earl tradition, Crivellaro dedicates two songs to guitarists dear to his heart; Hubert and Blues For Larry Johnson. Whether there is a large market for a release like this is immaterial. Enrico Crivellaro has made a huge contribution to the Blues landscape in 2009. Those who believe in true talent and virtuosity and seek it out will be ecstatic to run across this artistic statement. The presence of the WBRS True Blues radio program has expanded, with internet streaming and greater publicity. I began broadcasting Blues fifteen years ago, prior to founding the Blues Trust and Boston Blues Festival. Like many music events, the Boston Blues Festival has suspended production. Even the oldest Blues Festival in America; the San Francisco Blues Festival, was not immune to the fickle variables of economics, media coverage and a change in entertainment trends. The intent of rededicating the promotion of Blues music, by any means available is underway. To that end, the monthly WBRS True Blues Playlist below. You can listen online each Wednesday morning at 10 AM ET. WBRS True Blues Playlist for February 2009. Compiled by Greg Sarni 1. Jeff Healy / Mess O’ Blues / Stony Plain 2. Shemekia Copeland / Never Going Back / Telarc 3. Billy Flynn / Blues Drive / Land O’ Blues 4. Joe Louis Walker / Witness to the Blues / Stony Plain 5. B.B. King / One Kind Favor / Geffen 6. John Nemeth / Love Me Tonight / Blind Pig 7. Buddy Guy / Skin Deep / Silvertone 8. Damon Fowler / Sugar Shack / Blind Pig 9. Trick Bag / Hip Shot / TBM 10. Van Morrison / Back On Top / Pointblank 11. Ten Foot Polecats / Sterno Soup / Self Released 12. Julian Fauth / Ramblin’ Son / Electro-Fi 13. Homemade Jamz Blues Band / Pay Me No Mind / Northern Blues 14. Steve Strongman / Blues in Colour / Self-Released 15 . Dave Herrero / Austin to Chaicago / Hero 16. Jeff Beck / Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scotts / Eagle 17. Matthew Stubbs / Soulbender / VizzTone 18. Mark T. Small / Screaming & Cryin’ the Blues / Whaling City 19. Davis Coen / Blues Lights For Yours and Mine / Soundview 20. Nicole Hart / NRG Band Live / Self-Released 21. Keith Hallett / Bear With Me / MAPL 22. Ruthie Foster / The Truth According To Ruthie Foster / Blue Corn 23. Eddy Clearwater / West Side Strut / Alligator 24. Sweet Claudette / That Man’s Got To Go / No Cover 25. John Earl Walker / Come Over Here / Walkright 2-11-09 Blues Radio - Throw the Dog a Bone You have the opportunity to give Blues music and the musicians who perform it a louder voice. Dawg FM is the pet project of the Torres Brothers from Canada to license and operate a network of five all Blues radio stations in Canada from coast to coast. The license was at first approved, but sent back to the Canadian broadcast authority; CRTC for reconsideration and hearing. A show of support, in the form of a letter to advocate the need for media access for Blues music, will help their cause greatly. Like America, Canada is a democracy and a part of that process is to speak up for what you believe in and what will add to the quality of life for society. If you are a musician or simply a person who believes that Blues music deserves a broader reach, you owe it to yourself to take the simple, easy steps to be heard. Too many people do not participate in a cooperative manner because they do not see the value to them as an individual. It’s not their deal, so they can’t be bothered. We have to be united to reap the benefits that a network of 24/7 Blues station can bring. The Blues Trust knows all too well what governmental bureaucracy can do to sap the will out of good intentions. In DAWG’s case they must satisfy a language criterion, spelled out in the broadcast act in their licensing process. It is ironic that the music that transcends cultures should have a stipulation liked this placed as an obstacle to being heard. But there is strength in spirit and the music referred to by Ronnie Earl as The Language of the Soul will triumph; but only if we speak up. Don’t pass up this huge opportunity to help Blues music thrive in Canada and beyond. The old copy writing formula of AIDA is in play here friends. We hope that the sweet picture of Teddy B. Dog has grabbed your Attention; that the prospect of having five broadcast outlets playing Blues music fulltime has grabbed your Interest; that our shared passion of the music causes a Desire to take the initiative to help and that you take Action immediately, because the deadline for a show of support is Thursday, February 12! That means this has to be done right now! Follow the link to Blues in Canada to file your letter online. http://www.bluesincanada.com/ Do it for the music ~ Do it for The DAWG! Gig News Severn Records recording artist Darrell Nulisch appears at the Regattabar in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge on Thursday February 19. Nulisch is joined by Mike Welch on guitar, Mark Teixeira on drums and Wolfe Giandes on bass. It’s an early show, starting at 7:30 so you can be back in home to tuck the kids in; or yourself, as the case may be. 1-23-09 Welcome Blues Friends and Colleagues It was a pleasure to meet so many like minded people at the Toronto Blues Society’s Blues Summit IV last weekend. Heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to participate as a delegate and panelist at the conference. Along with the artist showcases, networking opportunities and alliances established at the event, the exchange of knowledge that was freely shared will benefit participants individually and most importantly, Blues music as a whole; our common passion that gathered us together in the frozen north. To that end, I would like to welcome newcomers to the Blues Trust News, our way of keeping the music and musicians visible through promotion and publicity of Blues worthy happenings from Boston and beyond. The weekend would be wasted if we didn’t carry forth the Summit’s intent to move the music forward and preserve its legacy. To that end you have been included in our endeavors. We sure hope that the friendships established last weekend will last a lifetime. *A Change HAS* Come Waiting for an afternoon flight back to the US, I was fortunate to catch President Obama’s Inauguration; it is a moment I will never forget. Too many times in our lives we recall where we were and what we were doing when tragedy struck; assassinations of our leaders, the Twin Tower tragedy in New York on 9/11. I can honestly say that I now have a positive memory of where I was on January, 20, 2009 when Barrack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Seated in the lobby bar of the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, the name of the bar; Monarch’s Pub, struck me as ironic. The reign of King George had come to an end; our new Chief was taking over. I was in one of the World’s most International cities and it was as if time had come to a stand still. I was surrounded by a group of visiting Nigerians, flanked by Asian hotel staff, with me one of the few token whites! The reality of true change finally taking place in our lifetime was poignant. Watching the address unify and inspire all those who were listening intently caused tears to well up and for the first time in as long as I can remember I felt truly proud to be an American. My thoughts turned to all who suffered for equality and the message of the Blues to overcome adversity and injustice. Our Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, their career struggles for recognition and fair compensation came to mind. In particular, Louisiana Red, who lost his Father to hatred and the Ku Klux Klan. Blues Trust pal Honeyboy Edwards was in the thick of the celebration in DC this week. It was rewarding to see him sporting the Boston Blues Festival hat we gave to him when he showed up at a gig in Beantown wearing a New York Yankees cap. Flanked by Southern Belles and sipping a cold one; looking good my man! Don’t forget to tune in to WBRS True Blues each Wednesday morning at 10 AM. This is my 15th year on the program and I’m pushing to give the artists a boost by reaching out to increase the online presence of the show. So if you are in front of your computer on Wednesday mornings, it would be great to have you along for the ride. The Boston Blues Festival was an outgrowth of True Blues. Since the artists no longer have access to the publicity that the Hatch Shell venue afforded them, we request that you forward this message to your friends and family to give them the opportunity to share in the passion of the Blues. 1-9-09 The Blues Trust wishes you a Peaceful and Happy New Year. We are grateful to those who kept us in mind and supported our efforts to promote Blues and assist musicians. Your contribution is always welcome and appreciated. Without your support we can not achieve our mission, so please donate whatever you can afford via PayPal or by sending your tax deductible contribution to: Blues Trust Productions 75 Altamont Avenue Melrose, MA 02176 Click here to contribute! RIP Sam “Bluzman” Taylor 1934-2009** Sam “Bluzman” Taylor passed away Monday January 5, 2009 at his Islandia, NY home. Taylor was an accomplished performer who wrote and recorded songs for five decades. He was a member of the first integrated rock band, Joey Dee & The Starlighters, who had the 1962 hit The Peppermint Twist. He was replaced in the band by Jimi Hendrix. His songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Son Seals, Albert Collins and the BT Express. He received a Gold Record for the song Do It til Your Satisfied, but as he said, “I got the record, they kept the Gold.” Taylor’s recognitions included an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1995, a Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award at the Boston Blues Festival in 2003 and induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Coming Attractions Some good Blues shows coming to the area in January: Paul Geremia visits Johnny D’s on Tuesday January 27. Matthew Stubbs and Sax Gordon play there on Friday January 30. The Stubbies kick off a Blues Jam at Jake’s Dixie Road House in Waltham every Monday night. The Love Dogs are at Scullers on Thursday, January 29. Make a resolution to see more live Blues and support the artists by buying their recordings. `BLUES TRUST PRODUCTIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS` The following are highlights of the promotional, charitable, entertainment and educational accomplishments of this non-profit 501(c) 3 public charity : Promoting blues music and musicians through the free two-day Boston Blues Festival, exposing the genre to a mass audience Established Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes and honors veteran blues musicians annually Established Berklee College of Music Scholarship in memory of Teddy Bliss Presented free performance by Lydia Warren at Arlington High School Presented Music Clinic at Brandeis University Publicity of music venues and other music industry business Publish online Blues news and publicity to large media list and fan base Charitable donations and musician aid include: Contributed to burial expense for wife of drummer Leroy Pina Contributed to Spider John Koerner medical expenses Contributed to burial expense of Brewer Phillips Contributed to Eddie Kirkland Transportation Fund Contributed to Bobby Rush Band Fund Contributed to John Lee Hooker Foundation Contributed to Matt Guitar Murphy Medical Fund Contributed to Luther Guitar Junior Johnson Medical Fund Subsidized artist residency for Brian Templeton and Birds of Prey Donation to New England Blues Society Medical Fund Obtained and distributed donated musical instruments Distributed grocery gift certificates to needy artists and families Contributed to Shirley Lewis Medical Fund Contributed to Robert Killoran Memorial Music Scholarship Contributed to the Teo Leyasmeyer Family Fund OUR BENEVOLENCE IS LIMITED ONLY BY OUR BUDGET `BLUES TRUST NEWS ARCHIVES` BOSTON BLUES FESTIVAL SUSPENDS PRODUCTION It is with mixed emotions that Blues Trust Productions announces that, for the first time since 1995, there will not be a free Boston Blues Festival in September at the Hatch Band Shell. Due to spiraling usage fees administered by the State of Massachusetts for the venue and the challenge of securing the necessary support of sponsors, arts councils, and media coverage, there is no other option than to take time to rethink how best to fulfill the mission of promoting Blues music and assisting the artists who perform it. We are grateful to those who assisted us in presenting and showcasing this great music in the picturesque setting by the Charles River. We were astonished that we were able to pull it off once. The twelve year run is nothing short of a miracle! The acknowledgement and appreciation of veteran Blues artists, who were recognized with the Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement Award, made the hard work gratifying. The positive aspect of this announcement is that we are now free of the stress and uncertainty of meeting the burden of raising the necessary capital to present the artists. To be able to pursue other passions and make sacrifices, which benefit us personally, is a new and liberating feeling. Springtime is the time for renewal and rebirth! You’re invited to check back to this space to witness our metamorphosis. 8-12-08 IT'S FESTIVAL TIME IN NEW ENGLAND The next two weeks are loaded with live music in New England. With the Boston Blues Festival on hiatus, this gives us a chance to sit back and look at how others do it. The beauty is that each and every event has its own personalities, which are a derivative of the booking policy, the individual music tastes and the way the music is presented and the venue of the production. These elements all make up the vibe, felt by the audience and performers and each is unique. Here are some events for you to attend.: North River Blues Festival Sunday August 17 Check out the lineup Rumor has it that Greg Sarni has been chosen to receive a Keeping the Blues Alive Award by the promoters. Everyone who has either owned a Blues club or been to one has already received this award. They are really scrapping the bottom of the barrel now! Next weekend on Sunday, August 24, the companion Green Harbor Roots and Blues Festival will be presented. Both events are held at the Marshfield Fair. Also this weekend, in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, it’s The White Mountain Boogie and Blues Festival. Check out the lineup: Next Saturday, August 23 rd, the Westford Rotary Club present their annual Blues’N’Brews Festival. at Nashoba Valley Ski Area. Check out the lineup: Buddy Guy Skin Deep Buddy Guy has just released his latest recording on Silvertone Records titled Skin Deep. It is produced by Bay State native Tom Hambridge, who now lives in Nashville. Hambridge is listed on song writing credits on 10 of the 12 tracks on the disc. TH has assembled some of his friends for the recording, including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Other special guests include Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph. On the tracks which Hambridge isn’t on drums, Richie Hayward of Little Feat, who has appeared with Guy for years, hits the kit. Reese Wynans, who played keyboards with Stevie Ray Vaughan adds his talent, as does David Grissom on guitar and Willie Weeks holds down the bottom on bass throughout the recording. Standout track, Whose Gonna Fill Those Shoes, features Boston area guitar protégé 9 year old Quinn Sullivan. The track is a reference to the departure of so many Blues icons and who will step in to fill the void. Those real deal cats are still out there, but now that the Boston Blues Festival is on parole, our questions is who is going to book the old school Blues? Buddy Guy plays the Bank America Pavilion with George Thorogood this Sunday. TH returns to town at the end of the month, playing Parker Wheeler’s Blues Party at the Grog in Newburyport on August 31. The next night, Labor Day, there is a benefit at the Grog for Amadee Castenell. Tommy Hambridge will be interviewed on WBRS True Blues tomorrow around 11 AM ET. He’ll chat with Greg Sarni about making the new Buddy Guy disc, we’ll spin some tracks from Skin Deep and no mention of TH can go without paying homage to one of his early bandleaders, guitar God Roy Buchanan. True Blues will also feature some of those who are filling the shoes that you won’t hear about in the mainstream, like 2001 Blues Trust Lifetime Achievement award recipient Chick Willis. His new release Don of the Blues, includes the following lyrics from the song, I Had the Blues Two Times: “There ‘s a whole lotta old Blues players, sittin’ around looking like they had a wreck, most of them are retired from the Blues, but they don’t get no retirement check, they got the Blues y’all, and it sure is hard. Somebody please take in the old Blues players and give ‘em a Blues payin’ job.” 7-17-08 MAYNARD SILVA 1951-2008 Sad Day on Planet Earth – Maynard Silva Passes On News from Martha’s Vineyard is that Maynard Silva left this Earth early on the morning of July 16. Silva had been battling cancer for the past few years. Maynard's memorial service will be on Saturday August 2nd... at the New Ag Hall in West Tisbury from 4 to 8pm Maynard Silva was as pure a Bluesman as there is in the World today. He learned his craft at the feet of Bukka White and was also inspired by the raw Chicago Blues of JB Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor and Brewer Phillips. Whether playing Telecaster or National, Maynard Silva’s growl and grit were a direct lineage to those whose spirit he assumed and emoted each and every time he picked up a stringed instrument. As important as his musical contributions and respect for presenting authentic Blues music were, with Maynard, it all started with his attitude and philosophy of what was real and what wasn’t. The Boston Blues Festival was started as a vehicle to give artists like Maynard a voice. A way for us to get up on the pulpit and tell anyone who would listen, “You have to check this guy out.” He played the very first Boston Blues Festival, with JB Hutto’s Band. When Brewer Phillips died weeks before his scheduled Boston Blues Festival performance and Lifetime Achievement Award presentation, Maynard was there. He led the Brewer Phillips Memorial Jam, which appears on A Beanpot of Songs. Maynard played the 10 th Anniversary Reunion in 2005 in the middle of undergoing chemotherapy. He believed in the Blues Trust and our efforts to publicize the music and improve the lives of those who perform it. I don’t think he was ever paid more than gas money and ferry fare from the Vineyard. And he was OK with it. As a matter of fact, when he wasn’t at the Hatch Shell, he was sending the Blues Trust a contribution! Maynard was a sign painter; he didn’t have a whole lot of cash to donate to a struggling non profit. But he did it anyway. Maynard Silva was an intelligent individual with and edge to him. If you combined the ornery personalities of Gatemouth Brown and Robert Lockwood and mixed in some Portuguese spice, that was Maynard. He had a mystic ability to cast off the veils that obscure life’s truths to reveal a reality that most of us are afraid to accept. I have only encountered a few of his ilk in my existence and his aura caught my attention the very first time our paths crossed. I was a DJ at a radio station on Martha’s Vineyard and I met Maynard at a promotion for station sponsor Island Tire. There was this guy banging away on a National guitar, amidst the retreads. I can still smell the stale air emitted from the round rubber objects that no doubt lost air pressure in awe of the power of the performance. One of life’s greatest pleasures is to have no expectations and then to get blown off your feet; garage music indeed! Favorite Maynard Memories: Watching Maynard and Silvertone Steve trying to “out slide” each other at the first "Charles River” Boston Blues Festival. They used any object they could find to make their guitars cry and scream, including the steel railing and the necks of each others guitars. Meeting his young son, Milo, who was obviously wise beyond his years due to the influence, afforded him by a Dad who cared. It was the first time I saw a 10 year old with a walking stick and behaving like a Bodhisattva. Backstage conversations. His solo performance at the 2000 Boston Blues Festival; bridging the borderline Blues of the Vermont power trio of the Seth Yacavone Band and the West Side Chicago Blues of Eddy Clearwater. Backstage conversations. His triumphant return to the Hatch Shell stage in 2005 in between chemo treatments. Talk about tough! He and Rick Russell backstage talking about subjects they were familiar with; Blues music and the Big C. Hanging on the front porch on the Vineyard, listening to Maynard spin stories about meeting his Blues heroes and the early years of Boston and Rhode Island Blues. Most of all, I will remember Maynard for the inspiration, support and sage advice that were always available at the end of the line anytime I picked up the phone to vent. Maynard would usually impart a; “Gregory my boy, don’t let the bastards get you down.” Whatever obstacle we had to overcome to get him up in front of a new audience was always worth it. There was a mutual respect and appreciation for each other that is just hard to come by. In a superficial world, awash in a sea of veneer, Maynard Silva was pure Mahogany. For more insight on the man and the legacy he left behind, read last summer’s Vineyard Gazette article about Maynard and Milo.
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Blues Trust Productions 75 Altamont Avenue Melrose, MA 02176

Blues Trust Productions
75 Altamont Avenue
Melrose, MA 02176