Festivals, Festivals and Relay For Life. The So. Cal. Festival Season Starts With A Bang!!

 In the past weeks I’ve had the pleasure of starting out the Southern California blues festival season ’11 with a bang. Three down and a bunch to go. Starting with the Simi Valley Blues Festival at the lavish Hummingbird Ranch in upscale Simi Valley (header below from official festival website). 

 The Hummingbird Nest Ranch is nothing less than spectacular. 140 acres of prime real estate with a 17,000 sq foot main residence, horse stables, barns, ponds, 10 guest townhomes, a helipad and a backyard big enough to throw this party, it is a place I could really get used to.

The event raises money for the American Diabetes Association and Kiwanis Charities through volunteer efforts and donations from corporate sponsors and local businesses as well as proceeds from the event. Big thanks to all who help make this happen from someone near and dear to your cause.

 

 The legendary Charlie Musselwhite (link above) headlined this year and was absolutely awesome. I could listen to him blow that harp all night! Check Ameriblues coverage of the BMA’s for all the exclusive Charlie you’ll ever need.

 Coco Montoya (photo below with Johnny Rivers) has always been near the top of my list of great players. I’ve seen him more than a dozen times and he never disappoints.

 Coco stood up with a powerful set of his trademark guitar driven blues, far worthy of the giant crowd he attracted (and impressed) but the show stealer for me was Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps (photo below).

TJ was spectacular, her high energy is equalled only by her softness and her ability to show you both in one smokin’ / touching set of music. She’s been on my ‘favs’ list since the first time I saw her with Delbert McClinton back in ’02 and she’s held that spot firmly since. Click her web site  for more details on where and when you can catch up with her, then, look for me and I’ll probably be there too.

From the prestigious Simi Valley to behind the ’orange curtain’ the blues are as pervasive as anything going around these days so it wasn’t a surprise to see the Real Blues Festival of Orange County be reprised with a Real Blues 2 [RBF2]. (flyer below)

 

The festival organizer and local blues man Papa J outdid RBF1 this year by adding even more entertainment to the bill starting with the Santa Ana High School Jazz Band and  11 year old guitar prodigy Ray Goren (photo below with LA Blues Society President Lorey Maurer) to name two.

 After some minor alterations to the bill, when it was all said and done everybody ‘brought it’ to RBF2 but my choice for MVP of the day is Kk Martin. This man lives to play the blues, if you can’t feel it when you see him live, you might be dead.

You’ll be seeing more Kk right here on Ameriblues pages you can be sure.

 As I said every artist who showed, showed big, from the Oozie Blues to the big man Alastair Greene to another good friend, Francesca Capasso of ‘Francesca and the Flames’ fame now ‘singing from her soul’ with fellow diva’s and ‘Scorch Sisters’ Alicia Morgan,   and guitarist Kimberly Allison, (no stranger to SoCal blues audiences throughout the years via her work with Joe Houston, Zola Moon and The Shirelles among others), wowed the RBF2 audience with her playing on opening uptempo shuffle “Blues For Barnaby” and a “scorching” (excuse the pun!) guitar solo on ballad, “Still Remember.”
 Alicia is an awesome keyboard player and a computer wiz kid, give her two clicks and she’ll have you listening live from the seat right next to hers via internet podcast. Francesca will take your heart if you let her (and you will) so be ready for these three Hollywood hipsters because they’ll blue you away. I really dig these gals and I think you will too so keep your eyes open for them.

 And speaking of diva’s, the party was m/c’d by the hottest blues diva in the southland, Ann ‘The Raven’ from KCSN FM. Ann knows more about the blues than anyone else I know except maybe one guy, the biggest little Brooklyn blues fan in California, my pal, Al Factorman (pictured below with ’The Raven’) I’ll give you all the details on Al in an upcoming interview with him. As for Ann, click on over and give her a listen, if you’re a real blues lover, you’ll love her. On-the-air Saturdays, forever.

 Someone who caught my ear this year was a guy I’ve been seeing everywhere lately including two of the three events in this story. He is an LA Music Award Nominee named Ron Tanski. The guy has major league chops, remember his name you’ll be hearing it again. Also delivering a healthy dose of gut bucket blues was a band from my hometown of Highland Park, CA. ‘The Other Mules’. You’ll be hearing more about them right here on our pages coming up soon.

Another stand out was Michele Lundeen who hasn’t gone unnoticed by me in the past and delivered like Dominos Pizza (fast and hot) at RBF2. Something I like a lot about Michele (besides her talent) is her outward support of her fellow musicians and obvious love of the music. I was at yet another festival just last week and who did I see dancing in the front row? Michele Lundeen! Give her some well deserved love by clicking her website and learning more, in fact click any of the links below to find out more about any of the featured artists at RBF2.

Scorch Sisters - formerly:(Cats-A-Renos)

Ann the Raven OR (KCSN FM)

 

To put the cap on this installment from the west coast I’ll tell you about a huge event which takes place every year for at least the past 13 years which isn’t really a blues festival per se’, although, the musical entertainment is and has been provided by my friend Lynn Parker and the Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society for as long as the music portion of the event has been held.

 The American Cancer Society’s Annual ‘Relay For Life’ (Santa Clarita) is not only huge like I said but of the thousands of these events held around the world every year, this is one of the 10 biggest. [second largest in California] .

                                                                        (flyer below provided by Music For The Cause)

 Lynn has been the entertainment chair of this event ever since she took over the position when her late husband John Parker passed several years ago from cancer. John was dearly loved and will always be deeply missed by all who knew him.  We were fortunate enought to have been allowed in with our video cameras and captured miles of spectacular footage of every act who performed and all of the festivities and I can’t wait to let everybody have a peek, but, for now I hope these photos will help you get a small glimpse of the fellowship and intense positive energy that comes from this and every event like it. 

From the opening ceremonies and testimonials to the luminaria ceremony to the 24 hours of relay walking  and seeing all the survivors I’ll admit, I got weepy more than a couple of times. This event raised $475,000 at last count and is expected to reach well over a half million dollars by the time they’re done counting the pledges.

 None of this would be  possible without people like Lynn Parker and every behind the scenes organizer who contribute so much time and energy to this amazing effort  

The vibe at this event is awe inspiring without the music, add the line-up of talent from the flyer above all donating their talent and time and it turns into pure magic.

 I was pretty impressed with everyone who played and can’t say enough about the live performances. You won’t need to take my word for it once the videos start coming out so stay tuned. My friends Toni Dodd and her drummer hubby Eric Davis with their band ‘Southbound Blues’ kicked up the jams like they meant it and Bob Malone stood out to me with a set filled with high energy  boogie woogie and ‘Little Richard’ charisma that made me stop and look twice. Also performing were a band I’ve seen around town workin’ hard, ‘Wumbloozo’ sounding as good as I’ve ever heard them with a powerhouse set worthy of more than a second listen. With 12 straight hours of nearly non stop music I can’t say who impressed me the most. Here’s the list of performers and their web info:

 My dear friend Kelly Zirbes (Kelly’s Lot) played her first gig in 14 years without her guitar player hubby Perry Robertson. Perry was in New York payin’ the bills while his better half tore up the stage in Santa Clarita. Here’s a video we shot of Kellys Lot (with Perry) just weeks before the Relay For Life at Irwindale Speedway

  http://youtu.be/WaUmIWPlgpI

 I love Kelly but when Teresa James came out last to close the music portion of the program all by herself with only a keyboard and her Texas charm, I know I wasn’t the only one who nearly melted. Her set was touching beyond words and one I’ll never forget. Teresa sang songs that touched my heart and soul that night, and she did it for free, for that my hat is off.

 Watch MusicUCanSee for shot live music video from every band on the list above and many many more. And stay tuned to Ameriblues.com for everything news and blue.  My partners over at Axis 4 Studios provided services along with hundreds of others to make this event the huge success that it is. To The American Cancer Society, Lynn Parker and every walker, sponsor, provider, vendor, artist, organizer, director, contributor, volunteer, and survivor out there…                             

… Thanks for the ride!!  

Southern California Festival Season 2011 pt.1

Story/Video and Photos by:

Casey Reagan/MusicUCanSee/Axis 4 Studios

For: American Blues News

all rights reserved 2011