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12-2-01
Wow what a month! Starting off with the 1st Annual
Women of the Blues Weekend at Sandes National PastTime where I had the
pleasure of seeing Debbie Davies again and ending the month with a visit
to the suburbs of Chicago to see Koko Taylor at Fitzgeralds. Debbie
Davies was electrifying up close at a table adjoining her stage. My visit
to Fitzgeralds was a first but not a last as even their warm up band Felix
and the Cats was enjoyable. Koko Taylor a veteran of the Chicago scene
put on a full performance despite a bit of a scratchy throat. Both ladies
have new albums on sale.
The more difficult part of the month was the merger between
Launch and Yahoo which caused a change in the radio station name.
Now the station is called blues_n_more_blues and it has not been easy to
get it functioning but when I did, I could see some improvements in the
website design. At this point I believe the option is to listen to a Launch
program station or your own music. I will be looking for them to bring
back the ability to listen to someone else's programmed station.
9-30-01
HOB.com has moved most of the Summerfest webcasts to
the concert archive section. (UPDATE: Summer 2002 - Archives unavailable.)
Make sure to check out Big Bob and the Ballroom Blitz or Reverend Raven,
as well as a wide range of national talent. As always, please support
our local Blues scene. As usual with House of Blues the pleasure is all
ours.
7-25-01
Time slips away from BluesBaby, as usual. But who
can blame her since its festival season in Milwaukee. Anyone who
has ever been here for our Summerfest will tell you its
the greatest music showcase in North America. If you don't believe
me, check out Summerfest.com or
better yet the webcasts on The House of Blues.com.
This year our own Reverend Raven was included with a webcast of their live
show from Summerfest. Other notable blues bands with webcasts include:
Susan Tedeschi, Blues Traveler, The Belairs, Bryan Lee, and The Mighty
Blue Kings. Unfortunately those with a faster connection will again
be the winners.
5-17-01
We have new local blues jams again in the Milwaukee area
at Kokopelli's and Sande's National PastTime. Always glad to welcome more
blues music to Milwaukee. The old standbys are still Sunday nights
at Mustang Shellys and Tuesdays at Liquid Johnnies. Sunday's check
out Rick Holmes and a guest from the local area or one of the many people
he has played with over the years. Other players are welcome to play in
the second set. Tuesdays are still the province of Steve Cohen
and a wide variety of local talent. Unfortunately the size of Liquid
Johnnies prevents more than two performers.
3-9-01
BluesBaby has a new online radio station at Launch.com
What a great website! Look for the bluesbaby station. Programmed
in different moods: Jazz and Blues, Blues and More Blues, or an eclectic
combination of Blues, Classic Rock, Comedy, and a small bit of more modern
music, it works best with a faster connection (a T1 line, DSL, or Cable).
If you prefer you can program your own music, listen to a Launch programmed
selection, or look for other DJ's who have musical taste similar to your
own. They also have downloads and music news.
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.)
If you have any events or pictures you would like
to see listed, submit them to: bluesbaby@usa.com.