Mark Your Calendars - 15th Anniversary of Blues On The Fox

Where can you see Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Kenny Neal, Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues, Charlie Musselwhite, Eric Lindell and the Hix Brothers all for $10?  Aurora, Illinois on June 17th & 18th.

Aurora, home to the 1930's RCA Bluebird Recording Studio in The Leland Hotel, recorded hundred's of songs considered precursers to the early Urban Blues, by artists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Roosevelt Sykes, Tampa Red, Sonny Boy Williamson and John Lee Hooker among others.

The only catch, it's a bring your own chair event.  "Libations" frozen or otherwise, are extra. Attendees would be wise not to bring their own.

"Something's Going Down"

There are several "Oh hell no" categories of music in my world:  Techno, Trance, Industrial Goth, and Rap.  They just hurt my head. Literally.  Or so I thought.

Twice this week I have found myself listening to things that would shock my traditional blues sensibilities. 

The first was to a young friend of my son's. That can be easily explained away.  He has been out trying to get gigs, I have an odd interest in struggling young artists.  I spent a while talking to him in my driveway about his music.   My son went to one of his gigs on the south side of Chicago.  I smiled as they said they were the only ones who didn't get searched. He has a long way to go, but he has that crazy sense about him that musicians and writers have, when they know that is what they are supposed to be doing.  I like the fact he has his own sense of style.  I can't say I have ever heard classical music, rap verbage, and a smattering of Polish mixed together, but it works for him.  I just might even check back to see if live videos are added.

Today I bought my first... I can't bring myself to say it... (Rap single.) I am sure I blew their whole demographic statistical deviance.  I probably would have bought a whole CD, but single was my only choice.  And... it's not really rap. Sure it has GLC and Twista.  But, it's Chicago.  It's Chicago musicians.  After Mystery, you never know what to expect from the baby Brooks.  But from the first few bars you know, it's blues.  Blues infused with a lil soul, hip-hop, rap, chicago blues.  Sorta like a strawberry smoothie, with a bunch of other fruits thrown in for flavor, but down deep, at it's core, it's a strawberry.   So there... coughs.. I didn't really buy a rap Download from itunes, I bought BLUES.

Besides, I had to buy it.  It has one of my all time favorite Grammy winning Blues men.... Sugar Blue on Harmonica.  It's got blues guitar, awesome drums, and talented keyboardist.  But the whipped cream on top of this smoothie? MiMi Brooks. She wove a blues feeling all through the track from beginning to end.  With any luck, we will all hear more of MiMi Brooks and this Chi Town Music out of Mr. Wayne Baker Brooks in the near future.  I feel so incomplete, just buying a single.