The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Live music making a happy comeback
The blues scene continues to improve, as pandemic protocols allow more activity, and live shows are becoming more frequent as venues reopen. When you go, be sure to check their COVID-19 requirements.
Saturday, there’s a big show at the Milford Performance Center, a Drive-In Concert. “Back To The Garden: 1969 Woodstock Experience” will entertain. Formed in 2009, this is a group of versatile musicians and singers that have come together to celebrate the music and spirit of the Woodstock era. Connecticut’s Lee-Ann Lovelace is part of the ensemble.
Some other local shows include the Rich Badowski Blues Band at Maple View Farm at 3 p.m. Saturday; and Cassandra and The Knighthawks play the New Painted Pony Restaurant. Cassandra has a busy schedule coming up.
Also on Saturday, Frankie and The Know It Alls are at Powder Hollow Brewery. Sunday, catch some roadhouse blues at the Brass Horse Café with Phil & The Fireballs. This is a favorite place for Sunday afternoon partying. The Brass Horse is one of Connecticut’s last real-deal roadhouse taverns.
Thursday, Ponza’s Italian
Kitchen welcomes the Tony Ferrigno Band.
The Vintage Rhythm & Blues Ensemble is the "House Rhythm Section" that welcomes a special guest musician to join them at The Pub On Park in Cranston, RI every Wednesday night. In addition to hosting this R&B Series, VRBE is also available for hire as a complete rhythm section unit or as individuals, depending upon your needs, for both live and studio work. This week’s
guest is Rob Nelson.
Chris Barnes has been keeping busy. Six years ago he recorded his first album, and he just wrapped up his fourth, an "All Original Tunes" album. It is produced by Tom Hambridge who wrote the music, Barnes wrote the lyrics and was able to pen three songs with a lyricist he has always wanted to work with. There’s one song with John Hahn (Shemika Copleland), one with Terry Abrhamson (Muddy Waters) and one with his early National Lampoon writing partner. John Murray. All roads lead to this album, and we look forward to the CD.
The Internet has been busy promoting the blues during the pandemic. One such group that might interest you is the Danbury Area Open Mic Community.
The Greater Danbury/ New Milford area has a plenty of musicians and open mics practically every day of the week. The group was created to form a fellowship between musicians, and allow people to post about places to play and meet other musicians, to your friends and friends of friends.
The community is a place where you can feel free to post, keep it more along the lines of where a singer/songwriter can go to perform and meet other performers. Many of the area’s open mics are listed with helpful information. Find them at www.facebook.com/ groups/126859567523415
Matt Stubbs writes, “While 2020 was a tough year all around the music industry, GA-20 certainly made the most of it. Coming into 2021 with four newly recorded LPs, it’s now time to start giving a little taste of what’s to come. In anticipation of this bounty of upcoming albums, they are releasing two new stand alone digital singles. GA-20 and Karma Chief Records are proud to present the first song, “No No”. raw. heavy. blues. Turn it up, all the way up. It is out now on digital/ streaming platforms via Karma Chief Records.”
The new album from blues music award-nominated artist, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, is out. “Dance Songs For Hard Times” is likely to get you dancing. The new album was written by candlelight and then recorded using the best technology available — in the 1950s. But listeners won’t find another album as relevant, electrifying and timely as this one. It conveys the hopes and fears of pandemic living. Rev. Peyton, the Big Damn Band’s vocalist and world-class fingerstyle guitarist, details bleak financial challenges on the songs, and pleads for celestial relief on the albumclosing “Come Down Angels.”
Far from a depressing collection, “Dance Songs For Hard Times” lives up to its name by delivering action-packed riffs and rhythms across 11 songs. The country blues trio that won over crowds on more than one tour knows how to make an audience move.
Some great news from Paul Oscher. The restoration of Muddy Waters' house into the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum has begun. Partially supported by a grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the total Landmark restoration is estimated to cost around $800,000. The exterior of the building will be restored to its 1889 glory. If you love Muddy Waters and you love the blues, please donate what you can to help make this happen by donating.
The museum will also pay tribute to Joseph Morganfield, one of Water’s sons who died late last year, just as his career as a blues musician really began to take off. He’d just released new music he’d created during the pandemic.
The interior of the house will be restored to the way it was when Oscher says he lived in the basement with Otis Spann. He is not the oldest member of Muddy’s band alive today, but he is the only living member of the 1960s band during part of the golden age of the blues,