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It’s the beginning of February, so it is a good time of the year to sing the blues. Fortunately, there are a few excellent blues shows happening this week.
Steve Dawson pays tribute to blues icons
Renowned Canadian record producer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Dawson is excited about bringing his musical tribute to ’30s blues icons the Mississippi Sheiks to Lethbridge on Feb. 2 at the Southminster United Church.
“I used to collect their records when I was young. Quite a few blues musicians were influenced by them,” Dawson said.
“They used to play really loud, fast and furious and aggressive. They were a full band and this was before sound systems.”
Dawson, a backing band plus Del Ray, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jim Byrnes will all play their favourite Sheiks songs. The Mississippi Sheiks mostly recorded during the 1930s, but influenced many a blues musician with their blend of delta blues, ragtime, jazz and several other genres.
“They were truly a magnificent band, but they were completely forgotten for some reason,” he said.
So back in 2009, the longtime fan decided to make a record of a dozen of his favourite artists recording some of their favourite Sheiks songs.
“This tour is an extension of that project,” he said, adding they are only touring for two weeks with the project.
Tickets cost $47.50. The show begins at 8 p.m.
From Sheryl Crow to blues
New York-raised, Los Angeles-based guitarist Todd Wolfe used to play with Sheryl Crow before she hit it big, but he has a hot new new psychedelic blues trio, which makes its debut to the Slice on Feb. 6.
“No, I won’t be singing any Sheryl Crow songs. I don’t think I can do them justice, though one time a guy wanted to sit in with us and wanted to play one of them and I hadn’t played it since the early ’90s,” he said.
He met Crow through mutual friends when she was singing in Michael Jackson’s band.
“In 1987 she would come and visit us in New York where I’m from. We started writing. We did a five-song demo, and by 1989, she was in Don Henley’s band, and she said why don’t you come out to Los Angeles and do some writing.”
He ended up playing in her band along with former Textones member Carla Olson in the early ’90s as Crow’s career started taking off.
“I played in her band for about five years. She’s a hard worker and she could be a task master. She liked things done her way,” he said.
“She was a hard worker and expected everyone else to be the same. So it was a good learning experience.”
Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $7 in advance or $9 at the door.
Hedley and more
If you like modern rock, Hedley and guests play the Enmax Centre on Feb. 2 as well. In the same vein, there will be an excellent hard rock show at the Slice, Feb. 3 featuring Mr. Personal, Berserker, Milwaukee Talkie and the Dirti Speshuls.
Other cool shows this week include Del Barber, who plays the Slice on Feb. 2.
Lethbridge College presents its third annual band wars at the D.A. Barn, Feb. 3. Diminished 5th, Red Rum Triumph, Berserker, Vista Park, the Ketamines, The Two Tubes, Cosmic Charley, Gravity Crash, Caste of Shadows and Lightworker are all scheduled to perform at the event which begins at 7 p.m. They will compete for more than $1,000 in cash and prizes, with the winner taking home $800. The runnerup receives $200 and Long and McQuade has donated gift certificates for the third through 10th place. A panel of judges including Ray Burgess, CLRC The Kodiak; Richard Amery, LA Beat Magazine; Bridgette Yarwood, The Living Luca; Bente Hansen, U of L Music Department; Cameron Skip, Communication Arts will help make the tough decision.
There is even a rockabilly show this week as Buzz Elroy and his Hayseed Rockets rock it at the Slice on Feb. 4.
This weekend, Lethbridge blues-tinged singer-songwriter Leigh Doerksen has a gig at the Owl Acoustic Lounge on Feb 4.
Joel Bryant and Pete Watson will be playing the Owl the night before.
For something completely different, The Lethbridge Symphony presents “The Magic Flute” at Southminster United Church, Feb. 3-4, featuring members of the University of Lethbridge opera workshop.
For reviews of past shows and a list of upcoming performances, read The Buzz in its entirety at www.lethsuntimes.com.
The week that was . . .
Marshall Lawrence and John Rutherford put on the best blues show of the year but nobody was there to hear it.
They took turns playing original songs as well as blues classics.
They definitely showed how differently they could play the blues. Marshall Lawrence played upbeat Delta blues on several different acoustics as the two traded good natured jabs with each other. Lawrence played several originals including one of my favourites “Keep Walking,” as well as blues classics. Robert Johnson was the theme of most of the night for much of the set, though Lawrence threw in some obscurities from people like Willie Brown, who Lawrence said even Robert Johnson learned from. Rutherford played numerous catchy, jazz tinged originals on a battered Stratocaster, many of them from one of his bands called No Guff.
One of Rutherford’s highlights was a sweet cover of NRBQ’s “12 Bar Blues,” which had all five of the people in the audience counting along.
Rutherford switched to an old national steel guitar and talked about saving it from an abandoned church closet
Their second set included the duo playing off each other and jamming on a variety of songs including a lot more Robert Johnson.
Jenny Allen and Leslie Alexander are slowly increasing their fan base in Lethbridge. The duo, both who have relocated back to Alberta played an appealing set of Indigo Girls style folk-pop, Jan. 27 at the Slice, for their umpteenth Lethbridge performance.
The duo took turns playing songs off their latest CDs as well as some new songs while adding extra guitar and beautiful vocal harmonies to each other’s songs.
They cracked jokes and showed how comfortable they were up on the stage, as the told stories and played pretty songs.
Some of Leslie Alexander’s song were highlights of their second set. Her song about New Orleans is an unabashed nod to the Kinks’ early ’70s hit “Lola” and borrowed a line from blues classic “Baby Please Don’t Go” while painting a vivid picture of post Katrina New Orleans.
Allen chipped in a “happy love song” then Alexander played my absolute favourite “Supergirl,” as Allen added some washboard and Alexander played a kazoo solo during it.
I caught the tail end of Marc Ross’ peppy set at the Owl Acoustic Lounge. Backed by a stand up bass player, the Vancouver/ Winnipeg singer songwriter played a solid couple of folk/ pop songs which were reminiscent of the ’60s stars like the Beatles and Monkees in places with just a touch of John Mayer.
He had a good sized crowd cheering appreciatively and actually paying attention.
I’m not the biggest rap fan in the world, but could not resist checking out a high energy performance by the Swollen Members and La Coka Nostra at the Stone, Jan. 27.
I arrived mid-way through the Swollen Members set. They Vancouver rappers had the massive crowd frothing in front of the stage. Mad Child was giving it his all, pumping up the crowd and getting them to “jump, jump, jump.” One of the fans jumped off the stage and into the crowd, attempting to crowd surf.
The crowd shouted along with their favourites throughout the energetic set.
Hardcore rappers La Coka Nostra, stalked onto the stage clad in identical black winter jackets, shirts and black toques emblazoned with “Bounty Hunter.” Slaine’s toque had “Death” written on it. They got the crowd even more pumped up, as they shouted back the lyrics and raised their hands in the air at Slaine’s exhortation. I couldn’t make out a lot of the lyrics in the echoing room, but could tell how much the crowd was into the performance.
They kept the energy levels high well past 1 a.m.
It is always a good time when Andrew and Julie Scott return to Lethbridge for a show as they did at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Jan. 28.
Andrew Scott, hammered on his guitar while howling his own quirky , country / folk tinged lyrics, while Julie kept the beat on djembe drums.
They had a good crowd cheering appreciatively as they played a variety of songs, mostly from Scott‘s Latest CD “My Time in The Empire.” But they also had some fun of their own rearranging and countrifying disco hits like “Crazy,” as well as country classic “Jolene,” in the same medley before ending their first set.
It was prog rock night for Jeffrey Orriss’s birthday at the Slice, Jan. 28.
So three bands, two featuring Orriss on bass, took turns playing three song sets.
Lustre Cream, featuring Orriss on bass and vocals had some fun with a tight set of some of their finger -bleeding crowd favourites. Lustre Cream played a lot of big, dark, Tool inspired riffs while guitarist Aaron Trozzo and Orris took turns singing lead.
They took a brief break before Orriss and Lustre Creame drummer Chris Lipinski backed John Greenshields for Big Jim and the Twins’s psychedelic set of mind bending rock.
Greenshields laid into his screeching wah wah pedal for their groove filled, ear-splittingly loud set of upbeat, experimental rock.
Lethbridge psychedelic progressive rock group The Bohemian Cause tweaked their line up for their set by adding Lustre Creame’s Aaron Trozzo on bass as well as Brenna Lowrie on keyboards, which added a ’60s element to their psychedelic sound which relied heavily on ear piecing organ.
Feb. 1
Owl — L.A. Beat Open mic
Ric’s Grill — Ain’t Misbehavin with Bridgette Yarwood and Evan Schaaf
Black Tomato Lounge — Chris Craig and Dano
Feb. 2
Good Earth Coffee House — Renee Werenka and Friends
Enmax — Hedley with guests
Southminster United Church — Steve Dawson’s Mississippi Sheiks tribute with Alvin Youngblood Hart, Del Rey and Jim Byrnes
Slice— Del Barber
Feb. 3
Owl Acoustic Lounge — Joel Bryant and Pete Watson
Average Joes — Dueling pianos
Jimmy’s Pub — open mic with Cory Oryniak and Dave Tillsley
Ric’s Grill — Davidson Porter Trio
The Barn — Band Wars
Mocha Cabana — Kevan Tolley with Bud Haycock
Southminster United Church — Lethbridge Symphony
February 3 & 4: Master Series III :: Magic Flute, University of Lethbridge Opera Workshop
Casino Lethbridge — Suite 33
Slice — Mr. Personal, Berserker, Milwaukee Talkee, Dirti Speshuls
Trianon Wine Bar — HBO3
Feb. 4
Owl Acoustic Lounge — Leigh Doerksen with Brenna Lowrie
Mocha Cabana — Riviera Paradise Bluses Trio
Casino Lethbridge — Suite 33
Southminster United Church — Lethbridge Symphony February 3 & 4 :: Master Series III :: Magic Flute, University of Lethbridge Opera Workshop
Slice — Buzz Elroy and His Hayseed Rockets with Bent 8
Feb. 6
Owl Acoustic Lounge — open mic
Slice — Todd Wolfe Band
Feb. 7
Slice — open mic
Bo Diddly’s — open mic with Double Jack
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