The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Take a festive trip to Memphis this year
The Christmas season is already starting to fill the blues lists. It is time to make plans. Think about festival tickets as a nice gift. Many festivals are offering early purchase discounts.
Of course, the big gift suggested by Blues Beat is a trip to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge.
The Bijou Theatre brings in the “Knights of the Blues” on Friday. This is a special show with two great bands, Chris Bergson and Paul Gabriel. Bergson is a New York guitarist/singer who has established himself as an act to see. Known for his flair for writing songs with a fine look at today’s modern blues music. He has created his own blend of blues, roots and soul. Bergson has performed and/or shared the stage with with many blues luminaries including Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, and Etta James to name just a few.
Gabriel is a Blues Music Award nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter. In March 2018, Gabriel was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Blues Society for excellence in guitar playing, singing and songwriting; also for outstanding bandleader and entertainer. While almost always performing with a blues band under his own name, he has been a member of a number of groups, and can be heard playing with Blue In The Face, The Mojomatics and HooDoo Band. Gabriel has a new release scheduled for the near future, featuring new original songs with a versatile format highlighting his talents.
The Bijou Theatre has Christmas special: Saturday and Sunday, the Vagabond Theater Company appears in a live radio play, presenting “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The fall series of monthly Connecticut Blues Society Sunday afternoon blues jams continues this week at the Pine Loft Café. Featured guitarist Mark Nomad will join The CTBS All Stars — Phil Caron, Joey Primo and River City Slim — for a full day of blues. Nomad was a founding member of the pioneering Connecticut blues band Little Village, and has gone on to enjoy a long and eclectic career, leading bands and performing as a riveting solo artist. Musicians, bring your instruments; amps, drums and a keyboard are provided. Music starts at 1 p.m.
New Horizons Village presents Blind Boys of Alabama at Infinity Music Hall in Hartford on Sunday. This renowned band has received five GRAMMY Awards and collaborated with everyone from Mavis Staples and Stevie Wonder to Prince and Lou Reed.
Over at Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk, the Sunday feature is Gary Hoey and his Ho-Ho Hoey Christmas Show. Hoey attracts a crowd for this event. Saturday, up in Norfolk, is Tom Rush with Matt Nakoa.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, Crosseyed Cat will be at The Shamrock Pub & Grill on Saturday for The United States Marines’ Annual Toys for Tots collection drive.
Black-Eyed Sally’s has a busy weekend with Jake Kulak and Low Down on Friday, and Saturday it welcomes the Bruce Katz Band.
Jake Kulak and the LowDown, winners of the Connecticut Blues Society Blues Challenge, are heading to Memphis in January to represent Connecticut in the International Blues Challenge. They are a busy trio. In 2017, they were New England Music Award Nominees for Best New Act of the Year. They play original blues and contemporary rock music, as well as unique covers of blues.
Guitarist and vocalist Kulak has been performing professionally since the age of 12. He has played from Norway to Boston to the Mississippi Delta, while still attending high school. Laying down the bass grooves for the band is Anthony Dailey, and anchoring the band’s beat is multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Peck. These young artists have been Connecticut’s entry in the International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase in Memphis. Kulak has also released a new CD.
Katz is a four-time nominee for the Blues Music Award (W.C. Handy Award) for “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year” selected by the Blues Foundation of Memphis, TN.
Blues is a important part of his music, but it is more than that. Katz and his influences occupy a unique space where blues, soul, jazz, jamband rock, and all aspects of Americana music collide into a style of original music all his own. He is equally comfortable playing Hammond B-3 Organ and Piano.
Besides leading the Bruce Katz Band, he performs regularly with the Delbert McClinton Band and is asked to sit in with many other artists as well. He was a member of the Gregg Allman Band from 2007-13.
After touring in the Midwest, Danny Draher is back in the state with a gig at Vivo Lounge on Friday. Dave Robbins with Sebastian & The Hitmen are appearing Friday at Vero Cucino Rustico.
Saturday, Angelico’s Lakehouse has the Rich Badowski Trio, while Thursday, the Guy Zinda Band is at Bill’s Seafood.
Best Video brings in some jug band blues with a Saturday performance by Washboard Slim & The Blue Lights. Wednesday, it is Coda Blue.
On the human interest side and the California wildfires: Kinsmen Brewing Co. is proud to announce that they have joined with Sierra Nevada and will dedicate one of its tanks to brew “Resilience: Butte County Proud IPA,” and sell it on their taps, with all the proceeds going to the “Camp Fire Relief Fund” which Sierra Nevada generously set up.
Get the complete Blues Beat schedule on Thursday at the blog http://bluesbeatnews.wordpress.com/. Any questions or comments should be sent to Domenic Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com.