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12-1-00
Looking for blues in the afternoon? Try WMSE.org
Actually any time of the day or night works, since they have 8
weeks of broadcasts stored, so that you can download a blues show from
the past and listen with a PC. The time slots for
a live broadcast are 3-6 pm M-F, 9-noon Saturday, or 3-6am Monday night.
Amidst the blues music are interviews with local and Chicago radio artists.
Friday afternoons are the most frequent time for a visit mixed in with
a song or two.
11-1-00
Wow time flies when you are having fun! I was on
the east coast last month AGAIN, with no chance to check out the blues
scene there, but a family wedding is such a busy time. It was a wonderful
time, now back to work. Winter is always such a great time to hear
blues in the Midwest. Lets hope I get a chance to add some new things
here.
5-5-00
It's been an exciting time, but I have just had no time
to work on my pet website. Those of you who know me are aware I have
been traveling and I have been from the west coast to the east. I
am off again shortly to the south. I was looking for something
today and I just realized that the picture page never was uploaded to the
site.
Oh well, now there is something new and exciting to add. I have discovered two new very nice clubs serving up blues to the Milwaukee area. One of them is the Silver Fox in Cudahy at Layton Avenue which is east of Packard. It is a huge club with a big dance floor. The atmosphere is dark and there is plenty of seating with good sight lines at both a large circular bar and at tables. They also have a couple of pool tables away from the band area. There is something happening almost every night from blues to comedy to Karaoke. On Sunday and Tuesday nights there are blues jams and almost every weekend, the entertainment is blues on both Friday and Saturday night. A great place to visit almost any night on the far south east side of town.
The other new entrant to the blues scene is LP's Place
in Cedarburg at 5 points. It has quite an extensive area with a big
dance floor, but they have two rooms. One of them is separated by
a short flight of steps from the band and dance floor; the other room is
directly adjoining the dance floor. There are tables in both
areas providing ample seating. The club has an exciting line up and
the owners obviously know their way around the local blues "scene".
It is a wonderful and welcome addition to the far north west suburban area.
RANT:
And what is all the flap about downloadable music?
How is this different than taping something off the radio or television?
Am I being simplistic or do these bands miss the point? The way to
gather a loyal following is to let the audience hear the music - be it
at a concert, on television or radio, OR ON A STREAMING MP3 FILE.
The trick is to be good enough that the audience wants to hear more (enough
to pay for the next CD or concert. )
OK, so it was being abused, but like any art form in its
infancy, but let's not get crazy! As we go forward we may or may
not continue to have a Listen to the Music page, it all depends on the
court's decision. Pretty sad when the overpaid rock star has to "take
a stand" that prevents "Joe Q Public" from hearing their music without
paying each and every time they turn on a new media. What's next?
Pay radio in the car?................
2-29-00
BluesBaby is still working on expanding this website.
The number of pages has increased as well as the number of links to other
sites. The local links page has been expanded to include things outside
the blues such as dining and entertainment guides for the local area.
Look for a travel page to be added in future months to help you get to
the festivals, find places to stay, site seeing information, and dining
guides.
Unfortunately only one review is included currently, but it refers to a second review of the Blues Cruise that is archived. Follow the link to get to the in depth review. These are both about the annual Delbert McClinton Blues Cruise out of Texas. For more details including information on how to go on the next Blues Cruise see the Review's page.
Too many times recently when I have finally managed to
get out to hear a band, I have arrived at a club only to find out that
the gig was canceled. Occasionally this will happen on a weekend
but more often it is a mid - week reoccurring gig known as a "jam".
These jams are more volatile and tend to last only a short while in some
cases. Too bad no one bothers to cancel the ads in the Journal or the Shepards
Express Metro. Often the event is listed for months after it is no
longer happening. Is it too much to ask to have the event section
of the papers be current?
(Blues Baby will now get down from her soap box.)
1-31-00
This site is brand new and has been an exciting proposition.
It required reviewing hundreds of pictures and a great deal of music.
I have enjoyed every minute of the creation of this site and will continue
to revise and review it's content as I see the world of "the Blues in the
Midwest and Beyond" unfold around me. I am also including festivals
from around the country and some from Canada that may be of interest.
I encourage you to open the links to our local bands, check them out and support our local blues community by purchasing their CD's. Some of these artists have CD's available on their own web sites or you can try BluesCD.com. Most of these artists also sell their CD's at their gigs around town. Many of these websites have music you can download. Which brings us to the "Listen to the Blues" page. Many different formats are presented and the players for them are available on the sites listed.
My love affair with the blues started many years ago when I stopped at a local club and caught a now defunct band known as the Channel Cats. Pairing the soul searing licks of Jan "JA" Arenas on the guitar with the wailing harp of Warren "Sonny" Ziech, they were to become a regular Blues Baby habit until the demise of the band several years later.
You can still catch Sonny and his band (which includes his bass player from the Channel Cats, Grant Garske) at many local clubs in our area. The latest schedule shows a Milwaukee gig on February 11 at Mamies, 3300 W. National. "JA" Jan Arenas can be heard from time to time playing with the great John Brim (an early influence in Jan's music.)
My links pages are by no means a complete list of everything on the web relating to blues, but are a comprehensive listing of what I LIKE. They do include some pretty cool sites and will expand as time goes on, but if you find a link that does not work or have a link to be added e-mail to bluesbaby@usa.com be as specific as possible so that I can correct it right away.
After the technical details are corrected, the picture
page will be the next undertaking. I need to thank my friends for
offering their personal collections of pictures to add to this site.
BluesBaby would be interested in displaying blues related pictures, particularly
for any local bands that you would like to share. If you have any
events or pictures you would like to see listed, submit them to: bluesbaby@usa.com.