Hardline Blues

Blues Jukebox

Here's this week's Jukebox Lineup:
Comments, questions, requests to hardlineblues@gmail.com or post below!

1. Just How Bad I feel -- Walter Higgs
2. The Highway is Like A Woman - Albert Collins,
3. I Tried - King Biscuit Boy
4. Can't Quit the Blues - Lara Price
5. I Like That THing You Did - Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters
6. Lyin' On the Truth - The Rance Allen Group
7. Payin' The Price - The Chris Mawer Band
8. A Good Fool is Hard to Find - Tommy Castro
9. It Serves Me Right to Suffer - Jimmy Dawkins
10. $100 Bill - Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets

Download blues_jukebox.mp3

Back and posting regularly -- let me know what you think!

Sooooo....how are ya?

Seriously, though, it's been awhile since Hardline
Blues put out an edition, and that has a lot to do
with my flakiness over the time crunch. Things were great
until the band started getting regular gigs and I started
covering politics for my paper. Then, kablooie.

Something had to give.  But here it is back after a short (six month)
sojourn. In an effort to reduce the amount of time
these little blues updates take to put together,
I've decided to get back at it but in an
easier-to-handle blog format. The magazine was a
cool idea, but took about 10 hours to lay out and
design every week, and had other, software-related
limitations.

Anyway, this blog will feature most of the same
content, including CD reviews, news and notes, and
interviews with blues types. Some of our regular
features will be back, and we welcome submissions
from writers, shameless self-promoters, and other
natural blues types. It will also be updated
regularly, usually several times per week as I
get time.

Additionally, the typepad widget format makes it
easy to include a weekly roster of songs here for
your enjoyement.

I'll never have two songs from the
same disc in the same week, and the thing is one big
file, to discourage copying. Just think of it as a
juke box, I guess.

Plus, blogs feature that ever-attractive feature:
instant feedback. So, on the likely occasion that
you think I'm full of bullpaddies, fire away.
And even when you don't, fire away.
In fact, if you just want to ramble in
Cliff Claven fashion about blue esoterica,
that's cool too.

At the time of Hardline's last edition in July, we
had up to 1,500 readers a week, although that was
mostly repeat hits from the same dedicated 300 or
so. Thanks to you folks, and I hope that you keep
visiting. Please excuse my occasional rant, and
feel free to invite someone over you think might
enjoy the blog.

Cheers,
Jeremy Loome
p.s Newstips, shameless plugs and promos and
anything else you'd like to send can go to
hardlineblues@gmail.com

TOMORROW: CD reviews.I've got some catching up to do, with several dozen to come over the next dew days! A plateful of goodness including Sam Lay, Root Doctor, Ronnie Earl, Magic Slim, Nappy Brown, Rory Gallagher and much more. As always, review material can be sent to Jeremy Loome, c/o The Edmonton Sun, 4990 92 Ave., Edmonton, AB. T2B 3A1

Canadian Kudos coming

There are only two weeks left until Canada's
national blues awards, the Maple Blues Awards, are
handed out in Toronto. The Jan. 29,  8 p.m. show is at the
Mod Club, 722 College St., in Toronto. More info on nominees,
including international artists, can be found here.

Tickets are  available through Ticketpro at
this location

Nice to see Johnny Max's excellent CD "Lessons
I've Learned" pick up multiple nominations.

Nice gig!

The things you miss when you're away for six
months: 2008 IBC challenger Ben Prestage -- he of
expert diddly-bow and slide fame and much acclaim
at the 2006 IBCs -- will be peforming at Half time
of the Memphis Grizzlies game Jan. 30 as part of
competition festivities. Great gig!

And another desperate grab for cash.....

Speaking of fundraisers... anyone in the Mill
Valley, California area on Thursday night should
check out Leah Tysse's IBC trip fundraiser at the
Larkspur Cafe Theater. Big-time special guests
include Bay-area hero Tommy Castro, Frankie Lee
and Mick Martin. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Heck of a lineup
and well worth the visit.

Film credits

Documentarian Bob Axelrod has set up a
fundraiser Saturday for his Blues
Foundation-supported film project Bluesified, on
the state of the music today.

The show, in Highfield, Ill., is the Chicago
SuperBlues Bowl, a showing of the film. It
features Honeyboy Edwards, Lil' Ed Williams and
the Blues Imperial, local guitar great Tom
Holland, the late, great Chico Banks and many
more. More details are at http://www.bluesbowl.com

Hey, it's a fundraiser for a guy out there
promoting the blues; even if you can't make it to
Highfield this Saturday, buy some tickets and
donate them to a local group or something. You can
reach Axelrod at r.axelrod(at)steeleweb.com

Veteran Bassist Earl May dies

Veteran bassist Earl May has reportedly died at age 80. He
started playing in 1949 and recorded with a who's
who of greats, including Charles Brown, Ruth Brown
and John Coltrane. Here's a link to an extensive
piece on May from the  National Jazz Museum in
Harlem:
National Jazz Museum In Harlem

Oi, get yer bloody drongo amp out me way, ya pillican!

If you're going to troll a blues newsgroup, I have
to wholeheartedly recommend the Australian BluesOz
group at yahoo groups. They piss and moan like
you've never bloody heard, but they sure do love
their blues. And Canadians like Trevor Findlay and
JW-Jones have been having a kick-ass time down
there of late. Plus, the homegrown blues scene is smoking, producing artists like Fiona Boyes, Adam Pringle, Lloyd Spiegel, Chris Mawer, Collard Greens and Gravy and a host of others.
This week, the group had John Durr, the supremo at
Black Cat Music, calling for more promo and blues
discussion and less negativity. He'll probably get
it, too; Durr has been quietly turning his label
into that nation's blues powerhouse, and the
people who post regularly are as passionate as any
you'll meet about the music.

Label seeks responsible talent

A press release of sorts:

Jan Mittendorp of Black and Tan Records and the
Crossroads agency in the Netherlands is looking
for new talent for future releases / tours:

- ORIGINAL artists with original material and an
original style
- that can really SING
- have a real STORY to tell
- are willing and able to TOUR
- and have NO drug or ego problems

(Editor's interjectory note: "Uhhh.....snicker,

snicker, bwaa-ha-ha-hHAHAHAHAHAH. I have to read

that again...snicker, snick -- nope, just as funny

the second time.)

If this applies to you and your music (or if you
want to suggest an artist you know) send him a
link to the music on the internet (website, MySpace, Sonicbids etc).
To get an idea of his personal taste, please visit
http://www.crossroads.nl and
http://www.black-and-tan.com

Harp heaven out west

Of course, I have to take Flohil's word for it:
he's in Toronto, and we write this blog from
Edmonton, a two-day's drive across the nation. In
this area, however, there are a bevy of good harp
players to check out instead over the next couple
of weeks,  none so much these days perhaps as
Richie Pollack. The Calgarian has a neat show
coming up in Westlock, just northwest of E-Town,
this Friday at 8 p.m.. It's at the Westlock
Cultural Arts Theatre. Pollack was a 2006 West
Canadian Music Awards nominee for his disc 'Stew.'
Check out his site at http://www.richiep.net