31 March 2014

Ottawa Blues This Week - 31 March 2014



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CONGRATULATIONS!
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To Downchild – Donnie Walsh, Chuck Jackson, Michael Fonfara, Pat Carey, Gary Kendall & Mike Fitzpatrick – on their JUNO win for “Can You Hear The Music”!
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SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEK
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 Buddy Guy
Centrepointe Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Drive
Sunday, April 6
Monday, April 7 SHOW SOLD OUT

Buddy Guy is a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to an historic era in the country’s musical evolution? And still, as one glorious track on “Rhythm & Blues” puts it, he claims that ‘All That Makes Me Happy is the Blues’.

“I worry a lot about the legacy of Muddy, Wolf, and all the guys who created this stuff,” he says. “I want people to remember them. It's like the Ford car—Henry Ford invented the Ford car, and regardless how much technology they got on them now, you still have that little sign that says ‘Ford’ on the front.

“One of the last things Muddy Waters told me—when I found out how ill he was, I gave him a call and said, ‘I'm on my way to your house.’ And he said, ‘don’t come out here, I'm doing all right. Just keep the damn blues alive.’ They all told me that if they left here before I did, then everything was going to be on my shoulders. So as long as I'm here, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep it alive.”

At age 76, he’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues. He has received 6 Grammy Awards, 28 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him in the top 25 of its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

The last year, in fact, has proven to be one of Guy’s most remarkable ever. He was awarded the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to American culture; earlier in the year, at a performance at the White House, he even persuaded President Obama to join him on a chorus of ‘Sweet Home Chicago’.

Also in 2012, he published his long-awaited memoir, When I Left Home, and released “Live at Legends”, which has been nominated for Best New Recording in the Living Blues Awards.
For more information visit:  http://www.buddyguy.net/
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AREA HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
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MonkeyJunk
Frank's Pasta & Grill, 426 King Street East, Cobourg ON
Friday, April 4 @ 9 pm
                and
Gordon Best Theatre, Peterborough ON
Saturday, April 5 @ 8 pm
                and
Wilno Tavern, Wilno ON
Sunday, April 6 @ 2 pm

MonkeyJunk is nominated for Blues Album of the Year for All Frequencies!!  They will be in Winnipeg on the last weekend of March to attend the JUNO awards and all of the other related festivities, then will return to a tour through Cobourg, Peterborough and Wilno.
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LOCALS THIS WEEK
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Saturday, April 5
Buck Tingley & the Hard Lookin’ Tickets
and the Jesse Greene Band @ the Rainbow, 9:30 pm
Sunday, April 6
Brian Downey hosts the Open Jam @ the Rainbow, 4-7 pm
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LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS (almost) EVERY WEEK
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Al Tambay
Bassline Pub & Eatery, 2557 Baseline Road
Every Tuesday, 8-11 pm; no cover
Al plays here every Tuesday with Jansen on drums
 … and sometimes he invites friends to join them.
Check out the food … Al really likes the wraps!
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Jeff and Shane Tuesdays in the Irish Village
Heart & Crown, Byward Market, Clarence Street
Every other Tuesday
Every other Tuesday, you can find Jeff Rogers accompanied by Shane McEwan playing at The Heart and Crown Downtown.
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The Jam @ Kaffé 1870, Wakefield QC
Every Wednesday @ 9 pm, no cover
6 rotating hosts, each specializing in a different genre
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John Carroll
Chateau Lafayette (The Laff), 42 York Street
Wednesdays, 10 pm
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Irene’s Blues AllStars  
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank Street
Thursdays, 9 pm – 1 am; no cover
A bonafide grass roots event that has grown out of the very floorboards of Irene’s Pub and has become a real crowd pleaser for musicians and music lovers alike, this weekly Thursday night jam features Corky Kealey on drums with Vince Halfhide on bass and a host of great local players who rotate according to availability.  Each week the cast is topped up with a guest host who steers the song selections in whatever way they're inspired and the jamming begins.  It's a great concept and the proof is in its continuing popularity. 
Special guests:  
                April 3 – Missy Burgess & Ann Downey
                April 10 – Tonia Hearst
                April 17 – Luke Ambridge
                April 24 – Al Wood
                May 1 – Southside Steve
                May 8 – Chuck Karn
                May 15 – Mark Crissinger
                May 23 – Don Cummings
                May 30 – Conor Gains
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Jeff Rogers
RARE Restaurant & Bar, 570 Kanata Avenue
Thursdays, 6-10 pm
Between 6 pm and 10 pm every Thursday night, you can find Jeff playing at this wonderful fine dining establishment. Make requests, enjoy MARTINI NIGHT, and on Ottawa Senators game nights enjoy half price appetizers!
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The Allaire Show
                with John Allaire & special guests
Quinn’s Ale House, 1070 Bank Street
Saturdays, 3-5 pm
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Firebelly
Atomic Rooster, 303 Bank Street (at MacLaren)
Saturdays, once a month
Firebelly is Mathieu Gagnon on harmonica, Fredy Carriere on guitar, Dan Grewal on bass and Mike McNeil on drums. 
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Jeff Rogers
RARE Restaurant & Bar, 570 Kanata Avenue
Saturdays, 6:30-10:30 pm
Come by on any Saturday night for some amazing food, a great atmosphere, super friendly staff, with some sweet soul music provided by Jeff Rogers.
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Open Blues Jam
Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray Street
Every Sunday, 4-7 pm; cover $3 (jammers free)
The jam is open to all ages.  Jammers sign up on the jam sheet at the door & each jam session lasts for 3 songs.  Drums & amps are provided, you only need to bring your instruments (but you can bring your amps if you want to).
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Sunday Blues, 6-9 pm, no cover
Atomic Rooster, 303 Bank Street (at MacLaren)
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The Break Trio
The Prescott, 379 Preston Street
Sundays, 6-9 pm
Every Sunday from 6-9, you can find Jeff Rogers, Peter Voith, and Shane McEwan playing tunes and having a great time at one of Ottawa's oldest and dearest venues, The Prescott in Little Italy!
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LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS ONCE A MONTH
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Open Blues Jam
Avant-Garde Bar & Restaurant, 135½ Besserer Street
First Thursday of each month @ 8 pm
Hosted by River City Junction and Robert Farrell, this is an open jam.
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Blues and jazz jam at GigSpace
Alcorn Music Studios, 953 Gladstone Avenue
4th Thursday each month @ 8 pm
                $5 donation kindly encouraged
With Tim Bedner - seven-string guitar; David Pontello – drums; Mark Alcorn - bass
A jazz and blues jam on the fourth Thursday of each month: bring your instrument and sit in on some tunes you enjoy playing, or hang out and listen!
www.alcornmusicstudios.com

www.gigspaceottawa.com
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AREA HIGHLIGHTS ONCE A MONTH
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Blues On Tues  
The Granary Beizli, 3270 County Rd 10, Vankleek Hill ON
Third Tuesday of every month@ 7 pm; $10
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Acoustic Roots Series     
Georgian House Restaurant, 146 Main St. S., Alexandria ON
First Wednesday of Every Month
The best Roots/Country/Americana artists will be joining Terry Gillespie for a new Acoustic Roots Series in Alexandria.  Some of them will be up-coming artists and some will be household names … a different musical guest each month.  All of the musician guests are very accomplished and have toured extensively.  We are very privileged to be able to host them right here at home.
Terry will open each evening with a set of his music then the guest will follow with a set of their music.  Each will accompany the other.  Don’t miss a single one.
If you desire to see a special guest, let us know. If they are on the road, we might be able to grab them.  
The Georgian House special musical menu has something fresh and delicious for all budgets.
http://www.georgianhouse.ca
http://www.terrygillespie.ca
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Mississippi Blues Society Jam
Thirsty Moose Pub & Eatery, Bridge Street, Carleton Place
First Tuesday of every month @ 8:30 pm
Hosted by The Thirsty Moose Pub & Eatery & The Mississippi Blues Society, and featuring Barry Buse & Peter Brown, the MBS Blues Jam is the longest-running blues jam in the Greater Ottawa area & one of the best, attracting both musicians & fans from in & out of town.
*8:30 PM is the Estimated Start Time *There's No Cover Charge *Free Parking *Good Food *Ends Early [approx. midnight]
And - just so you know...we pack 'em in for this event, so come in early if you want a good table.
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SPECIAL EVENTS – APRIL 2014
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MonkeyJunk
The John St. Pub, Arnprior ON
Friday, April 11 @ 9 pm

Swamp, R&B and bedroom funk with MonkeyJunk in Arnprior.
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David Vest and East Meets Vest
Neat Coffee Shop, Burnstown ON
Friday, April 11; $27.50

David Vest and East Meets Vest return (Gary Kendall and Mike Fitzpatrick from Downchild and Teddy Leonard from Fathead). Southern-bred boogie-woogie piano player and blues shouter played his first paying gig in 1957. By the time he opened for Roy Orbison on New Year's Day 1962, he was a seasoned veteran of Gulf Coast roadhouses and honky tonks.
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Calabogie Peaks Presents
David Gogo
Calabogie Peaks Resort, Calabogie ON
Saturday, April 12
                Hotel packages start at $99 (room + tickets)

Before writing and recording his latest album, “Come On Down”, Gogo took a pilgrimage along the Blues Trail starting in Memphis and traveling through Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. Highlights of his southern adventure included sitting in with local musicians at The Shack Up Inn, Ground Zero, and Red's in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He appeared as a guest on Sonny Payne's renowned King Biscuit Radio Hour, and toured the legendary Fame, Sun, Stax, and Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios. Gogo also traveled to towns mentioned in Robert Johnson songs, poured bourbon on Johnson's grave, and even went down to Rosedale with his rider by his side, as those famous ‘Crossroads’ lyrics proclaim.

Inspired by his journey through the birthplace of the blues, Gogo wrote six original tunes and combined them with six reinvented yet classic covers to create a new album that not only honours traditional blues but also gets you dancing with some good old gritty rock and roll.  Come On Down” takes you to a place where Robert Johnson meets the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac meets Ray Charles. It's a wild ride that Gogo navigates with ease, ingenuity and style.
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Bill Durst
Irene’s, Pub, 885 Bank Street
Saturday, April 19

Bill Durst is a Canadian Blues- Rock- Roots guitarist, singer, songwriter, entertainer who has written and recorded over 115 songs on 11 albums with 7 national radio chart hits.
“Bill Durst is…a consummate blues rocker, with killer guitar chops, a distinctive voice and the heart of a showman...a master songwriter…Bill’s style of Southern/Texas blues rock lends itself well to Durst’s guitar skills, which are prodigious.”  - Rex Bartholomew, Los Angeles for Blues Blast Magazine, November 2013
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Steve Dawson
Neat Coffee Shop, Burnstown ON
Thursday, April 24; $20

Steve Dawson's music is natural and unforced. It’s possible to forget all of the toil that went into producing it. Behind the organic, flowing guitar, crisp arrangements and that singing voice, lives one of the brightest, hardest working musicians the country has ever produced.  He's also produced albums by Jim Byrnes, Kelly Joe Phelps, Old Man Luedecke, The Sojourners, and The Deep Dark Woods!
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3rd Annual Ottawa Grassroots Festival
Royal Canadian Legion, Montgomery Branch, 330 Kent Street
Friday to Sunday, April 25-27

The Ottawa Grassroots Festival is a family friendly gathering of folk music, dance and spoken word. Grassroots is a unique experience, accessible and indoors with free daytime activities for all ages, featuring workshops, singalongs, special kids’ activities, jam sessions, a Festival Choir, folk dancing, instrument building and much more.
It’s called Grassroots because it is! This not-for-profit organization is run entirely by volunteers. Come find out what hundreds of music lovers have already discovered. The Ottawa Grassroots Festival, the best kept musical secret in our community!
Headliner at this year’s Ottawa Grassroots festival will be award winning Canadian songwriter James Keelaghan.
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JW-Jones
Salle La Basoche, Gatineau QC
Friday, April 25 @ 8 pm

Canadian singer/guitarist JW-Jones tours constantly, and is known for his high-energy show that keeps getting hotter! While keeping one foot firmly planted in the roots he came from, this Maple Blues Award winner is always pushing the boundaries by creating songs and a live music experience that is appealing to a younger audience, which is the most vital way to ensure the evolution of blues and roots music. What's the main ingredient? A world-class performance that exhilarates audiences everywhere.
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Be A Hero Cancer Benefit Concert
                with Friends of Emmet, Wicked Grin, Nothing (the band)
Centrepointe Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Drive
Saturday, April 26 @ 7 pm; tickets $26.25

Presented by:  Music for Life Fundraising Concerts
With every ticket purchased, you are someone’s HERO as you support Cancer Patient Care for someone in need throughout Ottawa and the surrounding areas.
Treat yourself and your family to a musical evening with our special guests from Dublin, Ireland, Friends of Emmet, with our local band Wicked Grin and Nothing (the band)!
Proceeds from the event will support The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and The Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation.
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Calabogie Peaks Presents
Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers
Calabogie Peaks Resort, Calabogie ON
Saturday, April 26
Hotel packages start at $99 (room + tickets)

With the simple honesty of two voices and a six-string guitar, this award-winning duo has forged a solid reputation on the international Blues scene, touring regularly in North America, Europe and beyond. Together they explore a rich pallet of styles and moods, seamlessly blending the borders of the blues into roots, folk, soul and rock & roll.

Delicate and fiery, subdued and electrifying, this talented duo is a study in the art of perfectly fusing these apparent contradictions. Paul bares a masterful acoustic guitar style all his own, complementing it with a strong and sensual voice, while Dawn – renowned for her engaging stage presence – moves with incredible vocal ease from sultry elegance to raw powerhouse.

Successful solo artists in their own right, the “Diva and the Virtuoso” had no idea of the impact their union would have when they decided get together for an acoustic side-project. Their first album, “En Duo” (2007), was released to rave reviews as result of fans asking for a CD of the show they’d been touring for a couple of years. From Moscow to Qatar, the Big Easy to the North Pole, they have enjoyed sold-out live performances, receiving many accolades along the way, including a Canadian Maple Blues Award for Acoustic Act of the Year and a Quebec Lys Blues Award for Album of the Year. They have opened for Artists such as Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Bruce Cockburn, Johnny Winter, Allan Holdsworth and even Dr. Maya Angelou.

In 2012 the duo was selected by the Montreal Blues Society to represent Quebec at the 28th International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, where they made their way to the finals of the Solo/Duo category above more than 100 acts from around the globe.

In the same spirit as their debut release, their sophomore album entitled “Southland” (2013) sees them revisiting their own brand of feel-good, back porch style music with a few new twists. Produced once again by Charles Papasoff, the album contains original songs by Dawn and Paul, Trevor Finlay and Rob Lutes, as well as some truly artful covers from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Bruce Cockburn and Jacques Brel.

The undeniable chemistry between these two artists is wonderfully accessible across the board. Weather on stage or on record, Dawn & Paul continue to entertain audiences, bend borders and break records around the world.
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SPECIAL EVENTS – LOOKING AHEAD
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Carlos de Junco & the Blues Mongrels
NAC 4th Stage, 53 Elgin Street
Saturday, May 3 @ 7:30 pm

It has been well over 10 years since Carlos del Junco has graced any stage in Ottawa. He has certainly matured into a much more finessed player since his days playing at the Rainbow Bistro in the 90’s. Dugg Simpson, Artistic Director for several years at the Vancouver Folks festival said: “Carlos is one of those players whose music is so advanced that when it comes to awards, it's either retire the category or rephrase the question to ‘Best Harmonica Player Not Named Carlos’ ”. This includes two Gold Medals from the Hohner World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen, Germany, as well as multiple national awards in Canada which includes Carlos’ eight time Harmonica Player of The Year from the Maple Leaf Blues Awards. To say he plays the harmonica is like saying "Jimi Hendrix plays guitar". He blows the blues harp through a prism -- suddenly it seems he's holding every colour in the musical rainbow right there in his hands.

Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, his playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz (hence the name for his band “The Blues Mongrels”, they could just as well be called “The Jazz Mongrels”). The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to merrily traipse off in other directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, jazz swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock.

The Blues Mongrels are: bassist Henry Heillig (founded the nine piece Latin band Manteca), and guitarist Eric St. Laurent. Get ready to trash all you thought you knew about the harmonica. The Blues Mongrels deliver a no-holds-barred display of fun and melodic virtuosity.
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Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton
Regent Theatre, Oshawa ON – with JW-Jones opening
Thursday, May 8
                and
Capital Theatre, Port Hope ON
Friday, May 9

Jimmie Vaughan is far more than just one of the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world of popular music. As Guitar Player Magazine notes, “He is a virtual deity–a living legend.” After all, Vaughan provides a vital link between contemporary music and its proud heritage, as well as being a longtime avatar of retro cool.

Since releasing his first solo album in 1994, he has set the standard for quality modern roots music. Throughout his career, Vaughan has earned the esteem of his legendary guitar-playing heroes and superstar peers along with successive generations of young players. His musical ethos and personal style have had an impact on contemporary culture, from spearheading the current blues revival with The Fabulous Thunderbirds to his longtime, innate fashion sense of slicked-back hair and sharp vintage threads (now seen throughout the pages of contemporary fashion journals) to becoming a premier designer of classic custom cars. But for Jimmie Vaughan, none of it is part of a crusade or a career plan. It’s just his natural way of living his life and pursuing the interests that have captivated Vaughan since his youth.

Jimmie Vaughan is more modest in assessing his abilities, though very clear when it comes to his approach. “I try to speak with my guitar in sentences,” he explains. “The people that I enjoy and the music that I enjoy are not about just a bunch of licks strung together. If you just play a bunch of guitar licks that aren’t connected, it’s like throwing a lot of words into a bowl. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s just words. “When I listen to Gene Ammons, the great saxophone player, I get the feeling he’s telling you a story. That’s how I’d like to play guitar someday, when I grow up. That’s the goal. That’s what I enjoy. That’s what makes me get chill bumps–when you listen to music where the phrasing comes out and it speaks. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after 37 years of playing.”

Jimmie Vaughan’s style as a player, songwriter and bandleader can be thought of as an amalgamation of so many influences. Known for his deceptively simple yet complex attack, his clean, uncluttered style capitalizes on conveying the emotion and message within the music, he utilizes raw emotion, simplicity, and an elegance that is powerful and accessible, yet communicates exactly what he feels inside. It’s an approach that has earned him the respect of many of the greats of contemporary music, and guest appearances on such albums as B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s “Riding With The King”, Bob Dylan’s “Under The Red Sky”, Willie Nelson’s “Milk Cow Blues”, Carlos Santana’s “Havana Moon” and Don Henley’s “Inside Job”.

Yet for all his accomplishments and the admiration he has earned, Jimmie Vaughan remains modest when it comes to his life and work. “I’m just trying to have fun like everyone else,” he concludes. “I’ve been playing since I was 13. I play every day. I’ve never stopped. I can’t imagine that I could exist without it.”

Although she doesn't tour nearly as much as she probably could, Austin-based vocalist Lou Ann Barton is one of the finest purveyors of raw, unadulterated roadhouse blues from the female gender that you'll ever hear. Like Delbert McClinton, she can belt out a lyric so that she can be heard over a two-guitar band with horns. Born February 17, 1954, in Fort Worth, she's a veteran of thousands of dancehall and club shows all over Texas. Barton moved to Austin in the 1970s and later performed with the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

Although she has a few great recordings out, notably “Old Enough” (1982, Asylum Records), produced by Jerry Wexler and Glenn Frey, Barton has to be seen live to be fully appreciated. She belts out her lyrics in a twangy voice so full of Texas that you can smell the barbecue sauce. She swaggers confidently about the stage, casually tossing her cigarette to the floor as the band kicks in on its first number. The grace, poise, and confidence she projects on-stage is part of a long tradition for women blues singers. The blues world still needs more good female blues singers like Barton, to help to broaden the appeal of the music to diverse audiences and to further its evolution.

Barton has a pair of excellent albums out on the Austin-based Antone's Records, “Read My Lips” (1989) and her cooperative effort with fellow Texas blues women Marcia Ball and Angela Strehli, “Dreams Come True” (1990). “Old Enough” was reissued on compact disc in 1992 on the Antone's label. Her recordings at the turn of the millennium included “Thunderbroad” (1999, Blues Factory) and “Someday” (2002, Catfish), and she has also subsequently guested on albums like Omar Kent Dykes' “Big Town Playboy” (Ruf Records, 2009). Here's hoping that this premier interpreter of Texas roadhouse blues will be well recorded in the years ahead. (bio from http://www.allmusic.com)
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Lazy Lester
                with Bharath & his Rhythm Four
Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray Street
Friday, May 9

Blues Hall of Fame Inductee and Living Legend Lazy Lester comes back to Canada for 3 dates only and Ottawa is one of them. Lazy Lester, one of the original bluesmen, still active. Back in 1956, halfway between Louisiana’s blues capital, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, in a small studio outside of Crowley, LA, producer Jay Miller created a unique, legendary sound for EXCELLO records, swamp blues. It would emerge from the bayous, the rice fields, and the stable of blues talent Miller had assembled. They created some of the most memorable American music ever recorded. Lazy Lester was at its heart. Slim Harpo, Raful Neal, Lightin’ Slim, Lonesome Sundown, Katie Webster and Leslie Johnston, better known by the nickname Miller gave him, Lazy Lester. He was the mainstay of the EXCELLO sound as he played all the instruments and sat in everywhere, the man who could back anything. Songs from the studio included Harpo’s “King Bee”, “Rainin’ in my Heart”, “Baby Scratch My Back”, Hogan’s “Everybody Needs Somebody”, Arthur Gunter’s “Baby Lets Play House”, Slim’s “Bad Luck Blues”-“if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all”, his “Crazy ‘Bout You Baby”, “The Things I Used to Do”. Besides playing on some of the above, to this mix Lester added his own swamp blues classics, like: “I’m a Lover Not a Fighter” “I hear You Knockin" “Sugar Coated Love” and “I Done Got Over it”.

Most of these performers are gone but there is Lester, 55 years later and he still has his chops. He is carrying on a tradition for those who have passed. Lester, now 81, still performs with gusto and precision. His nasal pitched voice, imitated by his harp, and his tight playing and arrangements still give the music a homemade feel. His biggest influences are two of the greatest bluesmen, Jimmy Reed and Little Walter, one on his vocals and the other, his harp playing. Lester mixes this sound with dashes of the country music he grew up with all around him, the real kind, traditional Cajun or Jimmie Rodgers-influenced country. “The music has a lazy, loping feel, rhythmic edge, bathed in simmering, pulsating tape echo” says AllMusic. Lester, fed up with the music business, dropped out for twenty years. After his break he emerged and fashioned a long acclaimed revival. Lester was a W.C. Handy Award winner in 1987 for “Lazy Lester Rides Again” recorded in England. He followed in the US with his 1988 album, “Harp & Soul”, music with a sound redolent of all those Louisiana Swamp Blues Classics but with an updated edge that works well. He is a member of The BLUES HALL OF FAME in Memphis. His song “Pondarosa Stomp” gave its name to the roots festival that runs during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, The Ponderosa Stomp. This is a chance to see one of the great pioneers of the blues … take it!

Lazy Lester will be backed by: Bharath Rajakumar; Keith Hallett; Peter Rioux; Buck Tingley and Bill Brennan.
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Terry Gillespie Band
Manotick United Church, Manotick ON
Saturday, May 10 @ 7:30 pm

 “Going back to the days of Ottawa’s criminally unheralded ‘Heaven’s Radio’ Terry Gillespie has been a soulful groove master.  On  “BLUESOUL” his eclectic musical taste has honed in on a distinctive highbred body of intelligent material, resulting in his first, long awaited ‘all blues’ release.  Terry says:  ‘getting inside the groove is where it’s at’.  Like Mark Knopfler, JJ Cale or JB Lenoir, he is a player whose comfortable voice perfectly suits his economical deep guitar grooves.   Nothing’s wasted and nothing’s missing. “ Holger Petersen, CBC’s Saturday Night Blues, CKUA’s Natch’l Blues and Stony Plain Records
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George Thorogood & the Destroyers
                opening Trampled Under Foot
National Arts Centre Southam Hall, 53 Elgin Street
Friday, May 16 @ 8 pm

On December 1, 2013, George Thorogood and The Destroyers celebrated 40 years of performing hard driving kick ass rock and roll! Ever since their first gig at Lane Hall, on the campus of The University of Delaware in 1973, the band has traveled the world with their brand of Booze & Boogie Rock. A main stay on Classic Rock Radio with hits like “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,“ “Move It On Over,” “Who Do You Love,” “Bad To The Bone,” “I Drink Alone,” “Get A Haircut,” “You Talk Too Much,” “Treat Her Right,” “The Fixer,” and “Tail Dragger.” The band has kept up a grinding pace; performing for a loyal fan base the world over, and after 40 years, there is no sign of slowing down.

George and the band have been busy working on a new album to be released in early 2014. They have once again joined forces with Nashville producer Tom Hambridge, who worked with the band on the critically acclaimed record “2120 South Michigan Avenue” a tribute to the Chicago Blues Label: Chess Records. This time the project consists entirely of original material. Songs that will demonstrate the broad reach of George’s song writing. With some titles going back to the beginning of his recording career. George and Tom have combed through the vaults and found a hand full of nuggets that no one has heard, along with a few songs that they wanted to record again, with a new sound.
After finishing up the new album, George and the Destroyers return to the road in late February & March 2014. They return to Canada to warm up the North Land with some blistering Rock & Roll in May 2014. Plans are under way for a special treat - touring through the summer months “Back in the USA.”
As always, you know what you’re getting. No guess work here. It’s hard rocking, thirst quenching, over the top Rock & Roll with a generous serving of the Blues.
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Morgan Davis
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank Street
Wednesday, May 21

For nearly four decades Morgan Davis has been on the road travelling across Canada, the United States and Europe. His performances draw from a rich tradition of country blues, as well as his own contemporary songs infused with wit and a large dose of humour.

Originally from Detroit, Davis grew up listening to a prolific mix of rhythm and blues. The music of Jimmy Reed, Ike and Tina Turner, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino was in the air. He later moved to California with his family, and then in 1968 left for Canada. While living in Rochdale College, Toronto's mecca for the subculture of the late 1960s, he immersed himself in the study of Delta Blues, especially the music of Robert Johnson. Toronto's music scene in the early 1970s was the perfect place for Davis to cut his teeth as a journeyman, having the opportunity to see and play with many legendary performers. Bukka White, Johnny Shines, Sunnyland Slim, Snooky Pryor, Hubert Sumlin, and John Hammond were encouraging supporters. Davis hit the road with the Rhythm Rockets, The Knights of The Mystic Sea, and David Wilcox's first band, eventually forming his own trio.

Davis' songwriting talent received international recognition when Colin James covered his searing ballad "Why'd You Lie". Morgan's recording "Blues Medicine", on Electro-Fi records, garnered critical acclaim as well as awards for songwriting and production. His multi- award winning release "Painkiller" won an impressive four awards at the 2004 Maple Blues Awards and not long after took home Canada's top music prize...the Juno for Blues Album of the Year. Davis has established a rich career as a solo artist, and also performs with stellar line-ups of musicians as a trio or full band. His most recent recording, "Drive My Blues Away on Electro-Fi records is his first solo disc. His previous recording "At Home In Nova Scotia", pays homage to Atlantic Canada where he has been a resident since 2001.

Morgan's passion for the Blues has never wavered... and he fully expects to be on the road for the rest of his life.
http://www.morgandavis.com
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Joe Bonamassa
NAC Southam Hall, 53 Elgin Street
Thursday, May 22 @ 8 pm

As Joe Bonamassa approaches his 26th year as a professional musician, he continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative and soulful body of work.  Bonamassa’s career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989, when he was only 12 years old.  Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation, and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter who has released 15 solo albums in the last 13 years, all on his own label, J&R Adventures.  Bonamassa’s tour schedule consistently hovers at around 200 shows worldwide each year, and a heaping handful of markedly diverse side projects keep him thinking outside the box and flexing every musical muscle he’s got.
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The 24th Street Wailers
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank Street
Saturday, May 24

“Wicked”, the 24th Street Wailers’ 3rd release, was recorded at Fort Horton Studios in Cedar Creek Texas and produced, engineered and mixed by Billy Horton. Eleven of the 13 songs are originals, written or co-written by Lindsay Beaver and Emily Burgess. Following their official “Wicked” CD release in Toronto in early March, they have been on a very successful US tour covering Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, then returning home via Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. New this year … the band has a fifth member … talented keyboard player Jesse Whiteley has re-joined Emily Burgess on guitar, Jon Wong on saxophone, Mike Archer on base (and booking agent extraordinaire) and Lindsay Beaver fronting the band on drums and lead vocals. 
Check out their official video for the first ‘single’ from the recording, “Aim To Please”
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Steve Strongman
Salle La Basoche, Gatineau QC
Friday, May 30 @ 8 pm

Hamilton, Ontario based bluesman and JUNO Winner Steve Strongman is making waves internationally and at home in Canada.
His breakthrough 2012 release “A Natural Fact” is being recognized as a standout blues & roots record with three 2012 Maple Blues Awards (Recording, Songwriter & Guitarist Of The Year) of the six for which it was nominated. The record was also recognized with the JUNO AWARD for Blues Recording Of The Year and also took home the Canadian Folk Music Producer Of The Year Award (for Producer Rob Szabo).

Steve has played major blues festivals the world over including Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City & Memphis,TN, as well three appearances at The Montreal International Jazz Festival, multiple appearances at Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival and Cisco Ottawa Blues Festival. He is a hometown hero in his adopted home of Hamilton, Ontario. In 2010 he was chosen by the Hamilton Spectator as one of Hamilton's "Top 40 under 40", was featured on the cover of Hamilton Magazine, and had a total of 8 nominations for Hamilton Music Awards in ’09-10 winning Blues Recording Of The Year in ’09. He also won the Mel Brown Blues Award in 2009 in his hometown of Kitchener. Having established himself as a musical force to be reckoned with, Strongman has quickly moved into the top ranks of Canadian Blues music, and is undeniably one of the most compelling young bluesmen in the scene today.
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Ross Neilsen
Irene’s Pub, 885 Bank Street
Saturday, May 31

Ross Neilsen just finished his 15,000 km solo tour of Canada and had a great time.  Now it’s time to get ready for a tour with his band.  As Ross says, “I love playing solo but I also REALLY love to RAWK OUT. … I officially switch gears into “band mode”. I’m so stoked to fire up the band and get wood shedding. We’ll be rehearsing hard over the next couple weeks so we can sound good for our spring tour. The Spring band dates are posted [on his website] if you want to see what’s going on. There are lots more shows coming down the pipes so stay tuned to the tour date page to know when we’ll be around your neck of the woods. We’re really stoked to get back out across the nation and rawking your town! There will be a couple new tunes in the sets this tour. Both originals and covers.
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Jonny Lang
Regent Theatre, Picton ON
Sunday, June 1

Sixteen years ago, at the age of 16, Jonny Lang found incredible success with the release of his major label debut album “Lie To Me”.  Fame does not seem to have impacted him from being the same country farm boy from Fargo, ND who got his start in the local clubs of Minneapolis.  He survived the passage of youth to adulthood, fell in love, began a family, and in the process passed through the life lessons we all endure.  He has a keen sense of what he aims to achieve creatively, what music means to him, and is focused on the impact that his songs bring to the lives of those that encounter his repertoire.  For Lang, with the release of “Fight For My Soul”, he is entering a chapter wherein he has found his true voice.
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BLUES ON THE RIDEAU – 2013-14
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The 9th year for what has become one of the most popular Blues Series in Canada, the first BOTR show takes place October 25, then one show a month (December excluded) right through to May. As in the past all BOTR Shows are fundraisers for different Westport charities. To date over $45,000 has been raised and the goal this year is to hit another $5,000.

For the third season in a row, despite higher costs and inflation, the price for these nights is staying the same - $60 (plus HST) which includes a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet served up by The Cove, the Show, dancing and a donation to charity. Being able to hold the price is due in part to the support of our new Sponsor – Dan Aykroyd Wines
DanAykroydWines.com – for which we are very grateful and we welcome them on board. 101.9 DAWG FM Ottawa www.dawgfm.com also continues as a Sponsor and again, we are very grateful for their support.

April 18
THE HOGTOWN ALLSTARS
All stars indeed! 6 veteran players from two of Canada’s most famous Blues bands - Downchild and Fathead. Chuck Jackson vocals & harp, Teddy Leonard guitar, Michael Fonfara keyboards, Pat Carey sax, Gary Kendall bass and Mike Fitzpatrick drums. All of them have won Junos and/or Maple Blues Awards. High grade, big time Blues!
PROCEEDS TO WESTPORT’S RIDEAU VISTA & ST. EDWARD’S ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

May 9 & 10 – *2 night stand*
DAVID ROTUNDO BAND

www.davidrotundo.com
David blows harp as if possessed by the ghosts of Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and George Harmonica Smith. Combined with his great voice, mesmerizing stage performance and tight band this is the most popular act to ever play BOTR @ The Cove and that’s why they’re back again for 2 nights. Get your tickets early for this one.
PROCEEDS TO RIDEAU DISTRICT MUSEUM & WESTPORT IN BLOOM

$60 DINNER & SHOW
ADVANCE RESERVATIONS REQUIRED 
Book ahead – most shows sell out in advance
1-888-COVE-INN or (613) 273-3636
Well-priced accommodation available at the Cove and nearby B&Bs

More information including bios, YOUTUBE & song samples of the artists at
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VIRÉE BLUES BORÉALE
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The 19th edition of Virée Blues Boréale presents

April 9 @ Petit Chicago
            Brian Lee with Wayne Sharp & The Sharp Shooter Band (New Orleans)

April 30 @ Gainsbourg
             Album Launch of the Paul Deslauriers Band

May 14 @ Petit Chicago
         Jerome Godboo

May 28 @ Gainsbourg
         Kevin Mark Blues Band

June 11 @ Petit Chicago
         The Soul Brothers

Venues:
The Gainsbourg Bistro, 9 Aubry Street, Gatineau (Old Hull sector) QC
Le Petit Chicago, 50 Promenade Du Portage, Gatineau (Old Hull sector) QC
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KINGSTON BLUES COMING EVENTS
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BLUES BANDS OF ONTARIO SERIES
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturdays (see below) @ 8:30 pm; $3.00 @ door

This extremely successful series presents blues bands from all across Ontario. These are some of the very best bands in the province; most of them have had incredible success in their own cities but have yet to crack the national scene. This is a great opportunity to see some high quality blues bands that you would not normally get to see - and for just $3 - you just can't find a better way to spend the first Saturday of each month - hope to see you there.

The Fall Line-up for the Blues Bands Ontario Series
Saturday, April 5 – Wicked Grin
Saturday, May 3 – Double Double
Saturday, June 6 – Redneck Limousine  

Kingston Blues Society
613-384-8168
info@kingstonbluessociety.ca
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Sonny Slide Maddams
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, March 27 @ 8:30 pm; $3.00 @ door

Sonny Slide Maddams is a gifted slide guitarist, specializing in Roots and Blues music. He plays the classics of the Blues masters, such as Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Bukka White, and Sleepy John Estes. His repertoire also includes contemporary blues as well as many originals. Sonny favours playing his music on National Resophonic guitars and his Banjitar.
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Rough Mix
                Hosts the KBS Monthly Jam
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, April 19 @ 8:30 pm; $3.00 @ door

Rough Mix have been hosting weekly jams in Kingston for close to 2 years now  the band  is Mark Taras on Guitar & Vocals, Rene Vermette on Blues harp & Vocals, Mike Pacey on Bass & Vocals, Gary LaVallee on the Skins.
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Al Wood and The Woodsmen
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, April 25 @ 8:30 pm; $5.00 @ door

Al Wood and the Woodsmen deliver four on the floor double barreled blues with a reverence to the tradition of the masters. The Woodsmen avoid the cliches while tipping their hats to simpler times and classic grooves. The Woodsmen won the Ottawa Blues Society "Road to Memphis Challenge"  in 2013 and represented Ottawa in Memphis, TN 
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Three Times Lucky
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, May 17 @ 8:30 pm; $5.00 @ door
Three Times Lucky is comprised of 6 veteran Ottawa area musicians, who have been playing across Canada and internationally for the past 30-35 years. They record and play their own brand of Blues/roots/rock and have just released their second CD which made it to the Dawg FM top 20 this year.
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Irene Torres and The Sugar Devils
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Friday, May 23 @ 8:30 pm; $10.00 (reserve by email to bruce@kingstonbluessociety.ca)

One of Bruce's favourite bands – that’s why he has asked them to play for him on his birthday. So come on out and help Bruce celebrate with one of the tightest, talented and most amazing bands to ever play for KBS. 

In 2013 Irene and The Sugar Devils won the Loyal Blues Fellowship "Road To Memphis" competition and as a result, had the honour of representing them at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. For the past few years they have been touring in both Canada and the United States, as well as opening for Big Rude Jake, New Orleans piano giant Jon Cleary and legendary organ player Ike Stubblefield. In addition, the band spent this year playing some of Canada's and US’s biggest music festivals, and recently released their full length album "In The Details”.
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Brandon Powers
Backed by Jerome Goodboo Band with Eric Shenkman
The Standeasy @ the RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Saturday, May 3 @ 8:30 pm; $20.00
reserve by email to bruce@kingstonbluessociety.ca

"International Harmonica Player of the Year 2011/12"
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KINGSTON REGULAR EVENTS
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KBS Monthly Jam
The Standeasy
RCHA Club, 193 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Third Saturday each month @ 8:30 pm, $3 at the door

The KBS monthly jam is now in its 6th year. The house is always full and both the musicians and the audience always have a great time. Always one of the best nights of entertainment Kingston has to offer – come early as seating is limited. Sponsored by the Kingston Arts Council and the City of Kingston
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The Ones
Monte’s in the Prince George Hotel, 200 Ontario Street, Kingston ON
Every Thursday night @ 9 pm 

Shaun Riley and the Chrome Hearts
Host a regular open jam every Thursday, 9:30 pm – 1 am
at Tir Nan Og, 200 Ontario Street

Sam Hopkins and Spencer Evans
Upstairs @ the Brew Pub
Every Second Sunday 2-4 PM

Shaun Riley and the Chrome Hearts
Host a regular open jam every Sunday, 8-11 pm
Rhea's Bar and Grill, 493 Princess St. (at University Ave.)
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For more, please contact Kingston Blues Society
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BLUES ON THE RADIO
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101.9 DAWG-FM, CIDG, is ON THE AIR!  Blues 24/7
Live streaming on the website at http://www.dawgfm.com/

Sundays: 8-9 pm
Ottawa Blues Society DAWG’ON BLUES
Each week OBS hosts keep you up to date on what’s happening on the Ottawa area blues scene, play some great blues from local bands and showcase regional and Canadian talent.
This week, April 6 – OBS DAWG’ON BLUES – Debuts & First Impressions
Next week, April 13 – OBS DAWG’ON BLUES

Sundays: 7-8 pm
INSIDE THE BLUES
with James Doran
Inside The Blues features music and interesting backgrounder information on today’s top Blues artists with a strong focus on Canadian talent mixed in with some great Blues classics. All Shows are archived on www.insidetheblues.ca after broadcast and can be listened to there at any time. 
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On CKCU-FM 93.1
The Mighty 93.1
Community Radio serving the Ottawa Carleton Region

Sundays: 9-11 pm
Black and Blues
with John Tackaberry
The show features a heavy dose of electric blues and rhythm and blues, with the occasional selection of sixties soul.  The first hour is dedicated to artist profiles and reviews of recordings on particular labels.  In the second hour there is a blues calendar, a rundown of events in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and interviews with “new and reissued blues and rhythm and blues tracks on wax”, alternating with “live blues and R&B for a Sunday night” in the last half hour of the show. On the last Sunday of every month, the show goes “down in the delta” for a selection of acoustic blues tracks in the final half hour of the program.
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Wednesdays: 9-11 pm
In A Mellow Tone
with Ron Sweetman
Jazz from every era & every style – from 1917 to 2014. Each program features an artist, group, instrument, event, city or record label.  Check out Ron’s website www.inamellowtone.com for info on upcoming shows and playlists (current show is posted several days in advance and past shows are archived).  Stream and view past episodes here: http://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/94/info.html.
Ron is always happy to hear from listeners at ronsweetman@kalixo.com
This week, April 2 – Delmark's 60th Birthday!: We'll celebrate the 60th birthday of this prestigious jazz and blues label with recent CD issues by Ari Brown, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Ernest Dawkins, Kahil El'Zabar, John & Sylvia Embry, Sleepy John Estes, The Fat Babies, Fareed Haque, Detriot Junior, Nicole Mitchell, Magic Sam, Little Walter and Big Joe Williams.
Next week, April 9 – Paul Dunmall: Ron Sweetman introduces four recordings from 2011 and 2012 by this inexhaustible British tenor saxophonist/composer with sidemen Jim Bashford, Tony Bianco, Yorgos Dimitriadis, Phill Gibbs, Hillary Jeffery, Nick Jurd, Mike Majkowski, Tony Marsh, Frank Paul Schubert and Alexander Von Schlippenbach.
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On CBC Radio Two 103.3 FM
Saturdays: 6-8 pm
On CBC Radio One 91.5 FM
Saturdays: 9-11 pm
Saturday Night Blues
Host Holger Petersen has been a broadcaster, record producer, album collector, and serious blues fan for over 30 years.  His collection of blues records numbers in the thousands.  On Saturday Night Blues each week you’ll hear a mix of classic blues from the ‘Petersen Vaults’, concerts, interviews, artist features, new releases, plus anything that boogies, jumps, or swings, plus your requests from the Bluesline.
And check out SNB videos here http://www.cbc.ca/snb/video/
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On CJHR 98.7 Valley Heritage Radio
Thursdays, 8-10 pm
Got The Blues
Pat Watters is your host for this blues only radio show, now in its 6th year.  It can be heard throughout the Ottawa Valley and streaming on the internet at valleyheritageradio.ca.
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Streaming great Blues, Roots, Soul, R&B, Folk, East Coast and Celtic music across Canada and around the world 24/7/365.
Check out their Canadian Blues shows and hosts, including James Doran’s ‘Inside The Blues’, Brant Zwicker’s ‘At The Crossroads’, along with Mark Stenzler's ‘Blues Zeppelin’ from Switzerland … and lots more Canadian and international Blues shows. 
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LOCALS LOOK AHEAD
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Saturday, April 12
Wicked Grin @ Irene’s, 9:30 pm
Sunday, April 13
Maria Hawkins hosts the Open Jam @ the Rainbow, 4-7 pm
Saturday, April 19
The Steve Marriner Band @ the Rainbow, 10 pm
Friday, April 25
Jivewires @ Irene’s Pub, 9:30 pm
Sunday, April 27
River City Junction hosts the Open Jam @ the Rainbow, 4-7 pm
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