The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Stop by Smokin’ with Chris on Friday
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center has Samantha Fish on Friday. She knows that all too well there’s a common bond that suggests a reverence for the roots of the music. It can be seen in the music she’s made her entire career.
While she’s well known as a purveyor of blues, having been lauded by the likes of Buddy Guy, her love of raw, scrappy rock and roll shows through. So when it came time to record her new album, Chills & Fever (released in March), Fish ventured off in another new direction, one she was exploring for the first time in her career.
She traveled to Detroit and joined forces with members of the Detroit Cobras, a band whose insurgent ethic has made them darlings of the Midwest punk/blues scene. The two entities bonded over a common love of classic soul and rollicking rhythms. Covering songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s and revisiting some earlier demos, Fish and the Cobras created an album that’s best described as a pure slab of rocking rhythm n’ blues. Louie Fontaine opens. (The Bettye LaVette show has been postponed until Feb 10.)
Smokin’ With Chris has a touch of blues on the weekend. Friday, Grayson Hugh & Polly Messer are there. Hugh moved back to his home to Connecticut eight years ago. The acclaimed singer/songwriter/pianist along with his wife and harmony singer Polly Messer have been performing intimate show as well as being on concert stages. Smokin’ With Chris provides a unique opportunity for Hugh’s fans to see him perform his songs in a strippeddown, more acoustic setting.
Saturday, Chris D’Amato & Shawn Taylor Duo will be playing. Two entertaining guitarist combined in one evening.
Saturday, at the Maple Tree Café, Easy Baby continues its Road to Memphis tour. They will be off to the International Blues Challenge next month.
Los Lobos, the legendary band with a powerhouse mix of rock, TexMex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music will be at Infinity Music Hall Norfolk on Saturday. On Friday, they will be at Daryl’s House, which has a busy weekend with Kim Simmonds & Savoy Brown, the legendary British blues and rock pioneers Saturday and Sunday’s Gospel Brunch features Alexis P Suter & The Ministers of Sound.
If you like the variety that Aaron Neville brings to the stage, you can catch him at FTC Warehouse on Sunday.
Black-Eyed Sally’s brings is Jim Koeppel on Friday. A music veteran and founder of various roots, blues and country blues combos, Koeppel has led bands in the New York area with some stints in Nashville and Mississippi. He has opened for, played and recorded with artists such as Taj Mahal, Les Paul, Watermelon Slim, Billy Branch and more.
He performs solo, as well as with his acoustic combo, the Delta Coasters, and his electric band, Dust My Blues. His songs and music have appeared in several films and award winning documentaries.
Saturday, Ray Morant’s Soul Tsunami is at Sally’s.
If you stop at Mohegan Sun on Saturday, you can catch Paul Gabriel Lonnie Gasperini at Tuscany. Then Sunday in the Wolf Den, David Foster & the Mohegan Sun All-Stars hold court.
Friday, The Peter Parcek Band play The Stomping Ground. Come Thursday, Larry Parquette and Friends are featured. Some of Parquette’s friends include Ned Peabody, Scott Hopkins, and Mike Barrette.
Nightingale’s Acoustic Café is getting into the season with Dan Stevens leading Nightingale’s Holiday Caroling on Sunday at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Stevens will be with Nightingale’s Fiddlers Holiday Event.
Sandy Connolly joins Washboard Slim & the Blue Lights at the Country Tavern Café on Saturday.
Over at The Knickerbocker Café on Friday, Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood will have James Montgomery as a guest.
The Big Blues Bender, a huge festival in Las Vegas, announced its 2018 Lineup. One act in the lineup really caught Blues Beat’s eye. Playing as part of the four day fest is the Chris Tofield Band.
Don’t forget the blues this holiday season. Tickets to concerts and festivals are always a welcome gift, at least in the Blues Beat household. It is a good time to get a jump on your summer plans. A trip with EasyBaby to Memphis and the International Blues Challenge will have as much blues as you want. Starting Tuesday, players from around the world will keep Beale Street rolling night and day. Besides the IBC, there are showcases of all kinds. One that Blues Beat cannot miss is the Women in Blues, an afternoon of talent, both veterans and newcomers. Tickets and a schedule of the IBC events can be found on the Blues Foundation’s website: https://blues.org/.