Jones'n at the library

Heather Jones & Jones'n -- from left, drummer LaNerrick Harris, guitarist Donny Jones, vocalist Heather Jones, and bassist Randy Dunckley.    

Heather Jones has been singing since she was a child.Since 2006, she’s been doing it as the frontwoman for the band Heather Jones & Jones’n.

Jones and the band will be the featured performers on Wednesday at the Jazz and Blues Series at the Southfield Public Library.

“I’ve been singing ever since I can remember,” Jones said. “My family all sang, my brother is a musician and my Dad and Mom are into music too.”

Jones never pursued a musical career until about 1998 when a friend convinced her to sing at a karaoke bar. According to Jones, people heard her sing and she was soon singing with the country band that played at the bar.

She and her husband, guitarist Donny Jones, were in the country band together for several years until 2006, when they decided to break away and start their own group.

“We just decided to do our own stuff,” said Heather Jones, a Flint native who describes the band’s music as blues-rock with some soul and funk influences. “We wanted to be in a group where we were in control of what goes on.”

The band is currently working on a new CD featuring nearly all originals. Its self-produced 2011 release, “It’s About Time,” had a mix of originals and cover tunes.

Heather Jones writes lyrics, while bassist Randy Dunckley (whom Heather describes as a musical “genius”) and Donny Jones concentrate on the music.

Drummer LaNerrick Harris rounds out the group. He started with Jones’n as a youngster at the start in 2006. After several years away from the group, he rejoined the band about two years ago.

Dunckley has been a member since shortly after the group formed. He and Donny Jones have played together in various bands for 20 years and have developed a musical camaraderie.

“It’s like they can read each other’s minds,” Heather Jones said. “It’s kind of strange. They just have to give each other that certain look.”

For Heather Jones, the best part of being in a musical group is performing live. She loves the interaction with the audience.

“We have our rehearsals, and that’s a lot of fun too, but playing at the festivals is just awesome,” she said. “There are so many things I love about being with these guys. They are all so talented, I never have to worry about anything. They always have my back. It’s like a little musical family.”

Jones and her Jones’n “family” will perform at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road.

Admission is $5. Show your Friends of the Southfield Public Library membership card to receive a discount. There’s no admission charge for children under 12.

The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Southfield Public Library and the Detroit Blues Society.

Hot Blues and BBQ

Mark "Pazman" Pasman

Heather Jones & Jones’n will also perform at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, at the Hot Blues and BBQ festival at Canterbury Village in Lake Orion.

Other scheduled performers include Sweet Willie Tea (noon), Big Smooth (12:30 p.m.), Dirty Basement Blues Band (4:30 p.m.), Broken Arrow Blues Band (6 p.m.) and the Boa Constrictors with special guest guitarist Mark “Pazman” Pasman (7:30 p.m.).

Headliner Greg Nagy is scheduled to hit the stage at 9 p.m. It will be the final show for Nagy with his longtime bandmates,  bassist Jim Shaneberger and drummer Karl Schantz. Click here to see more on Nagy and his new band.

Admission is only $12.

Blues Heritage Series Benefit

A benefit concert for the Blues Heritage Series features seven acoustic blues acts on Friday, July 19, at Detroit's Historic Scarab Club, across the street from the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Paul Geremia

The headliner is Rhode Island's own Paul Geremia. Now in his early 60s, Geremia has been a traveling acoustic blues performer since his late teens.

"I'm very excited to be on hand in Detroit to help raise money for the city's nationally recognized Blues Heritage Series," he said in a release. "I'm proud to say that acoustic blues is still very much alive and well in this great country of ours."
Also on the bill are Toledo's Delta blues duo Stavin Chain; National steel guitar master Rollie Tussing from Portand, Ore., one-man-band Sweet Willie Tea, Leonardo Gianola, Carl Henry, and internationally known acoustic blues, folk, old time Gospel, hokum and blues punk performer Daniel Kroha.

Admission is $10 at the door, and $5 for students and seniors. The show is a Detroit Blues Society production. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Be sure to get there early.

Popa Chubby on tour

Popa Chubby has announced plans to continue touring North America following a July European run. Ted Horowitz, aka Popa Chubby, released “Universal Breakdown Blues” via Provogue Records on May 28.

His North American tour includes a stop on Aug. 21 at Callahan’s Music Hall in Auburn Hills.

Warren Haynes, left, and Eric Clapton during the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013. (Photo by Danny Clinch)

Clapton’s ‘Crossroads’ hits area theaters

 “Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013” arrives in nearly 500 select cinemas nationwide, including several locally, for a special one-night event on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

Pre-recorded over two nights at Madison Square Garden in April, cinema audiences will be treated to backstage access and some of the best performances from the sold-out festival, featuring the Allman Brothers Band, Blake Mills, Booker T., Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr., Gregg Allman, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Keith Richards, Keith Urban, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Sonny Landreth, Vince Gill and Warren Haynes.

For a list of participating theaters, click here.

The Crossroads Guitar Festival supports The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, which was founded in 1998 to provide treatment and education to chemically dependent persons, those with other compulsive addictive behaviors, their families and their significant others.

To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com.

Transition time for Greg Nagy

The next week or so will be a transition time for singer-guitarist Greg Nagy.

On Saturday, Nagy performs at the Cooley Lake Inn in Commerce Township. There’s no cover charge and the first 50 people who mention the Facebook event will get a free copy of Nagy’s “Walk That Fine Thin Line” CD on Big O Records.

The Cooley Lake Inn gig and a performance at the Hot Blues, BBQ and Art festival in Lake Orion on July 20 comprise a “farewell tour” of sorts for Nagy and his longtime bandmates,  bassist Jim Shaneberger and drummer Karl Schantz.

According to Nagy, bassist Shaneberger -- who formerly played with Donald Kinsey and who has been with Nagy for four years -- is also a fine singer, guitarist and songwriter who has a new solo record called “Work In Progress.” He’ll be reuniting with Schantz, who has been in Nagy’s band for two years, in a new trio with bassist Robert Pace in their hometown of Grand Rapids. Like Nagy, the new trio will feature a variety of blues-based musical styles.

Greg Nagy

Nagy, meanwhile, has been in twice-a-week rehearsals with his new bandmates,  bassist Joseph Veloz and drummer Scott Veenstra. Veloz, who is classically trained, has performed or recorded with a “who’s who” of blues artists, including Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Lucky Peterson, Joanne Shaw Taylor, and Jason Ricci. Veenstra, a Grand Rapids resident who is originally from New York, is a jazz and roots drummer who has performed and recorded with the critically acclaimed NYC band Hazmat Modine.

The new band makes its debut this Thursday in Monroe at McGeady's Pub and next Wednesday at The Bob in Grand Rapids.

It’s an unusual situation for Nagy, who values the time spent and music created with Shaneberger and Schantz, but who is also looking forward to performing with his new band.

“It’s the first time I’ve had a band break up that’s been amiable,” he said. “It’s liking having two wives. I’m in the transitional stage.”

To see a previous post on Nagy, click here.

Blues around town

Guitarist Bobby Murray, a Detroit Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award winner, will sit in with the Rick Stel Project tonight, July 10, at the Blue Goose Inn in St. Clair Shores. The band starts about 8 p.m. and an open jam follows at 9 p.m.

Murray also performs at noon on Friday at the Midday Music Series at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. Joining Murray for the free concert will be vocalist Lenny Watkins, Mark Thibodeau (keyboards and vocals), Dave Uricek (bass and vocals) and drummer Renell Gonsalves.

Bobby Murray

The weather forecast is good too.

On Saturday, the Bobby Murray Band featuring Lenny Watkins will take the stage at Guy Hollerin’s in Ann Arbor.

On Friday night, catch singer-harmonica player Alvin Smith and the Detroit Blues Crew at Pub 1281 in Clinton Township. The band starts at 10 p.m. and there’s no cover charge.

Also on Friday, the three-day Bluesfest International at Riverfront Festival Plaza in Windsor kicks off with Larry McCray, Dick Wagner, Cactus, and Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels.

On Saturday, Bluesfest International features Saigon Phamacy, Jack deKeyser, Harper, Scott Holt with special guest Neal Evans from Soulive, and Gregg Rolie.

On Sunday, the event’s final day features Ray Fuller & The Bluesrockers, Chuck Jackson with Sab & the Family Band, Thornetta Davis, Savoy Brown, and Powder Blues.

For more info on Bluesfest International, click thebluesfest.com.

On Tuesday, July 16, enjoy a taste of New Orleans with Buckwheat Zydeco at The Magic Bag in Ferndale. Admission is only $20.

On Wednesday, July 17, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and B’nois King return to Callahan’s Music Hall in Auburn Hills. Tickets start at $20.

To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com

Old-timey blues at the Scarab Club

Rollie Tussing and Staving Chain perform old-time blues during a free concert at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Scarab Club, 217 Farnsworth (across from the Detroit Institute of Arts), as part of the Detroit Blues Society’s Blues Heritage Series.

"This is a traditional music with a surprisingly modern twist," said DBS vice president R.J. Spangler. "You can expect two guitars, washboards and a tuba, which is not all that unusual for 'jug band' music. The vocals and themes reflect a more modern perspective."

Patrons are advised to arrive by 1:30 p.m. for the best seating. For information, click detroitbluessociety.org.

Send info to JB Blues via email at Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com

 

Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker coming to Callahan's

Joe Louis Walker

 

Alligator Records artist Joe Louis Walker was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame last week during an induction ceremony at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis.

Walker was joined in his Hall of Fame class by soul blues singer Otis Clay, blues guitarist Earl Hooker, pianist Little Brother Montgomery, "The Blue Yodeler" Jimmie Rodgers, and early Chicago guitarist Jody Williams.

Walker was nominated in four categories for the 2013 Blues Music Awards, receiving nominations as B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Contemporary Blues Male Artist and for the Gibson Guitar award. His recent Alligator release “Hellfire,” received a nomination in the Contemporary Blues Album category.

He will perform at Callahan’s Music Hall in Auburn Hills on Wednesday, May 22, with tickets starting at $25.

Other upcoming shows at Callahan’s include: Coco Montoya with the Royal Blackbirds on May 16, Sugar Blue on May 17, An Evening with the Sauce Boss (who cooks up a batch of gumbo during the show and then shares it with the audience) on May 18, and Philadelphia blues/R&B singer Gina Sicilia on May 25.

For info, click atcallahans.com.

More blues

Enjoy acoustic blues with Josh White Jr. on Saturday, May 18 at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Tickets are only $20.

Also on May 18, join Chef Chris for an afternoon/evening of  blues music and lip smackin' barbeque at the Ribs & Blues Festival at Carr Park in Manchester. The event runs from 4 p.m.-midnight. Music acts include the Royal Blackbirds, the Tosha Owens Quartet, Billy Lewis & the Soul Backs, the Back Door Blues Band, and Chef Chris and the Rumpshakers.

At 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, Round 3 of the Detroit Blues Challenge will be held at the Cooley Lake Inn in Commerce Township. Competing will be Marble Garden, Dirty Basement Blues Band,  Rev. Robert Sexton, Motor City Kings and the Zydeco Hepcats. The top two bands will advance to the finals in October.

The Attic Dwellers acoustic circle jam will be held from 1-5 p.m. May 19 at Paycheck’s Lounge in Hamtramck. Acoustic jammers and listeners are welcome.

To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com

Magness receives two Blues Music Awards

Alligator Records artist and Michigan native Janiva Magness received two Blues Music Awards from the Blues Foundation on May 9 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. The vocalist was honored as Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year,

Janiva Magness
(photo by Jeff Jaisun)

and for Song Of The Year for "I Won't Cry," from her recording "Stronger For it." "I Won't Cry" was co-written by Dave Darling.

Other Blues Music Awards included:

Traditional Blues Album: "Double Dynamite" - The Mannish Boys

Instrumentalist-Bass: Bob Stroger 

DVD: Eagle Rock Entertainment - "Muddy Waters & Rolling Stones, Live at Checkerboard Lounge"

Instrumentalist-Horn: Eddie Shaw

Soul Blues Female Artist: Irma Thomas

Acoustic Artist: Eric Bibb

Traditional Blues Male Artist: Magic Slim

Acoustic Album: "Not Alone" - Ann Rabson w/ Bob Margolin

Contemporary Blues Album: "Show of Strength" - Michael Burks

Gibson Guitar: Derek Trucks

Rock Blues Album: "Everybody's Talkin'" - Tedeschi Trucks Band 

Band: Tedeschi Trucks Band

Instrumentalist-Harmonica: Rick Estrin 

Instrumentalist-Drums: Cedric Burnside

Soul Blues Male Artist: Curtis Salgado

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player: Victor Wainwright

Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Tab Benoit

Historical: Bear Family Records for "Plug It In! Turn It Up! Electric Blues" by Various Artists 

Soul Blues Album: "Soul Shot" - Curtis Salgado 

Best New Artist Debut: "They Call Me Big LLou" - Big LLou Johnson

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female): Ruthie Foster 

Album: "Show of Strength" - Michael Burks

B.B King Entertainer: Curtis Salgado 

Click here to see a previous post on Magness' work as an advocate for foster children at risk.

To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com