Special show for Rusty Wright Band

The Rusty Wright Band is one of Michigan’s top blues outfits. The group won the Detroit Blues Challenge in 2010 and made it to the semifinals at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Saturday’s show at Callahan’s Music Hall in Auburn Hills will be a special one for the group. It will be the last show with current drummer Pete Haist and keyboard/organ player Dave Brahce.

Rusty Wright

Brahce has been in the band since 2007. Haist, who joined in 2008, has continued as a key member despite developing eye problems that have left him legally blind.

The demands of touring have become too much for the duo, explained singer-guitarist Laurie LaCross-Wright, who co-headlines the group.

“We'd like to send them off with a really great crowd Saturday,” LaCross-Wright said. “They have been hugely important to the band and wonderful to work with and travel with. We don’t want to see them go because they have been an integral part of our sound, especially the dueling parts between Dave and Rusty. Their lifestyles changed ... it wasn’t anything between the band members.”

The group, which also includes singer-guitarist Rusty Wright and bassist Dennis Bellinger, will soon be auditioning to fill the two spots.

“We intend to continue on and we’re really excited about the people who are applying,” LaCross-Wright said.

They have a unique method of auditioning potential band members.

“We set up a Web page with an audition application and detailed information about what we are doing, what we expect, and what they can expect as a member of the band,” LaCross-Wright said. “Once they respond, we send three songs for them to work on.”

The band isn’t your typical three-chord blues group. Their music is more complex.

“For last year's bass auditions, 40 people applied and, after they got the songs, only four came to the audition,” LaCross-Wright said.

“We already have applicants from as far away as Oklahoma. It should be interesting this time around.”

Click here to obtain audition information: http://www.rustywrightband.com/audition.html

For information on Saturday’s show, click atcallahans.com. For more on the Rusty Wright Band, click www.rustywrightblues.com. Click here to see a previous blog post on the Rusty Wright Band:  http://jbblues.blogspot.com/2013/03/rusty-wright-shows-versatility-on-new-cd.html

Detroit Blues Challenge continues

Round 4 of the 2013 Detroit Blues Challenge will be held Saturday at Freddy’s Bar in Clinton Township.

Competing in the band competition will be the Delta Twins, The Hatchetmen, Sweet Willie Tea and the Teabones, Sanctuary Blues Band, and the Lost City Band.

The top two acts will advance to the finals on Oct. 20 at Callahan’s. The ultimate winners of the Blues Challenge  -- in the solo/duo and band categories – will represent Detroit at the International Blues Challenge.

Michigan Blues Hall of Fame

There will be an induction ceremony for the Michigan Blues Hall of Fame from 4:30-8 p.m. Sunday at Freddy’s Bar.

Inductees include Sir Mack Rice, Curtis Sumter, Aaron “Little Sonny” Willis Sr., RJ Spangler, Bobby Murray, Terry “Thunder” Hughley, Howard Glazer, Harmonica Shah, Johnnie Bassett, James Anthony, Don McGhee, Larry McCray, Greg Manning, Jef Reynolds, James Cloyd Jr., Jeff Grand, Freddy’s Bar (Geno Genova)

, Emanuel Young, Ray Cooke, Alberta Adams, and Joe Ballor.

The event will be hosted by Sweet Claudette and the Vibe Axis Band. Sweet Claudette has been recognized as a Master Blues Artist and Ambassador to Michigan by the Blues Hall of Fame.

Admission is $15, with $5 from each ticket going toward school supplies for needy students.

Click here for more information.

http://www.blueshalloffame.com/Local_Blues_Talent/Local_Blues_Talent_of_Michigan.html

 Blues Heritage Series

The Detroit Blues Heritage Series continues with a performance by singer-guitarist Billy Davis at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Scarab Club in Detroit.  Davis, who was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, will be joined by special guests the Boa Constrictors.

Be sure to get there early.

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

Down home blues at the library

The Jazz and Blues Series at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen, continues at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Aug. 21) with a performance by Glemie Beasley and the Down Home Blues Band.

Glemie Beasley  (BluesPhotos by Don McGhee)

Beasley, a Detroit resident born and raised in Little Rock, Ark., is an urban hunter who likes to hunt raccoons.

“He’s known internationally as the ‘Coon Man,’” said Don McGhee of the Detroit Blues Society. “Google 'Glemie Beasley' and you’ll find all kinds of things about that side of him.

“He’s a great down home blues man too.”

Beasley will perform tonight at the library with his backup group, the Down Home Blues Band. The event will also serve as a birthday celebration for his son, Glemie Jr., who plays bass in the band.

“He’ll play some down home blues, but also a little bit of country and little bit of gospel,” McGhee said.

”He’s been performing off and on for a long time, but he’s never been really well known. He released a CD  ("The Best of Glemie D. Beasley - I Was Born Down in Arkansas") a few years ago that is wonderful. It has a lot of original songs. One is called ‘Chain Saw.’ It’s an answer to Albert King’s ‘Crosscut Saw.’ It is very funny and cool. It has a line in it that says something like ‘with me and the chain saw, you’re not going back to the crosscut saw.’ It’s that double entendre stuff.

“The album is amazing.”

For many years, Beasley had his own small recording studio, McGhee said. Beasley has recordings made by many of Detroit’s blues performers that have never been released.

Admission to the concert is $5. There’s a discount if you are a member of the Friends of the Southfield Library. Children under age 12 are admitted free.

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

Workshop canceled

The Detroit Blues Society sponsored workshop -- How to Handle the Business Side of the Music Business -- scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25, has been canceled, due to limited advance registration.

The DBS plans to videotape a similar session, with multiple visual aids, in the near future and make it available as a very affordable DVD.

This will resolve the issues some musicians had with schedule conflicts, travel distance, etc.

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

Buddy Guy at Freedom Hill

Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy and George Thorogood & the Destroyers perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre.

Guy is touring in support of his new album, “Rhythm & Blues,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart this month.

My colleague, Gary Graff, has written an article about the 77-year-old multiple Grammy award winner. 

To see it, click here: Buddy Guy at Freedom Hill

T-Model Ford dies

According to the Associated Press, bluesman “T-Model” Ford, who taught himself to play guitar when he was 58 years old and his fifth wife left him, died Tuesday at his home in Greenville, Miss.

His age was uncertain. Reported ages ranged from 89 to 93.

Ford had reportedly been under hospice care and died of respiratory failure Tuesday morning.

See the complete story: Miss. blues guitarist, singer ‘T-Model’ Ford dies

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