June 2010 - Extra

“I’VE GOT A BOTTLE IN MY POCKET AND A BLUES SONG ON THE RADIO"

Bonjour,

I’ve had ‘Dark Hours’ by Mean Read Spiders (see my March 2010 posting) playing in my car as I’ve been driving around in the blazing summer sun. It is one of my all time favourite CD’s and I just cannot hear enough of it. The music is superb – lively and varied – and I always find something new in the lyrics.

Many people mistakenly think The Blues is all about sad songs. How wrong they are and, despite it's title this great album is far from depressing. Rain or shine it never fails to lift the mood.

Of course much of The Blues is the musical description of bad times – that’s the legend! – BUT, it is music set in sad times to lift the spirit. Just listen to track 5 ‘Feel So Bad’ about an evil hearted woman who has just left him in misery but, and this is the great line, he's ‘Got a bottle in my pocket and a blues song on the radio’. Brilliant. Get my point?

Need more proof. Listen to the award winning Connie Lush from Liverpool– now she is a lady to brighten your day. She is up for “Woman of the Year” and “Best female Vocalist” British Blues Awards. Click on these links and vote with your digits – please.

21 June is national FĒTE DE LA MUSIQUE in France.

On 24 June in New York City there will be a Blues Summit with blues legend James Cotton and friends who include pianist Pinetop Perkins and blues harp player Mr Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith. Plus, Hubert Sumlin and the great Taj Mahal. Sure to be a memorable night.

Anyway –

CAHORS BLUES FESTIVAL

We are only 6 weeks away from one of the main blues festivals in France and, if you haven’t got your tickets yet you need to shift your butt.

The nearest international airport is Toulouse (Blagnac) just 1 hour from Cahors or there are train services directly to the town. By car Paris is just 5h30 away. So there really is no excuse, wherever you are, get down here and have a weeklong fun time in a great town.

Saturday 10 July

17:00               Loic Hula Boy    (FS)  

19:00               Viktor Huganet  (FS)

21:00               Malted Milk

23:00               Popa Chubby

Sunday 11 July

17:00               Rolf Lott    (FS)

19:00               Hoffman Family Blues Experience (FS)

Monday 12 July

17:00               Cisco Herzhaft  (FS)

19:00               Fred Chapellier & La Master Class (FS)

21:00               Roland Tchakounté, Amar Sunday, &

                        Fred Chapellier

Tuesday 13 July

16:00               Le Tremplin Cahors Blues Festival

Wednesday 14 July *

17:00               The Honeymen (FS)

19:00               Kevin Texas Band  (FS)

21:00               Nina Attal

23:00               Connie Lush & The Blues Shouters

Thursday 15 July

17:00               Jean Chartron (FS)

19:00               Nina Attal (FS)

21:00               Nine Below Zero

23:00               Liz McComb

Friday 16 July

17:00               Bad To The Bone (FS)

19:00               Las Vargas (FS)

Saturday 17 July

17:00               Lonesome Wally  (FS)

19:00               Dave Goodman  (FS)

21:00               Blues Power Band

23:00               Joe Louis Walker

FS = Free Show

For the ‘Pay Shows’ day tickets are available at 30 euros or 26 euros if purchased in advance. Or a ‘Festival Pass’ is available for access to all the shows for 70 euros or 65 euros if purchased in advance.

Advance tickets are available via http://www.ticketnet.fr/shop/fr/resultat.asp

*          The 14 July is the national celebration of Bastille Day and the town of Cahors will not be an exception to this annual extravaganza and spectacle. An added bonus !

WHAT’S ON IN FRANCE

June

08                    B.B. Brunes are at Place de la Victoire, Bordeaux (33)

09                    Mark Knopfler is at POP Bercy, Paris

10                    B.B. Brunes are at Plage du Mourillon, Toulon (83)

12                    B.B. Brunes are at Esplenade de l’Europe, Montpellier (34)

15                    B.B. Brunes are at Quai d’Honneur Mairie, Marseille (13)

16                    B.B. Brunes are at Parc Mistral, Grenoble (38)

24 – 27             Burgandy Blues Festival, Le Creusot (71)

26                    Eric Bibb is at Chambery, Savoie (73)

July

04                    Stevie Wonder is at Arena de Nimes, Nimes, Gard (30)

05                    Joe Bonamassa is at the Zenith, Toulouse (31)

09                    Joe Bonamassa is at Nimes, Gard (30)

09                    Uncl’ STF is playing at Jarden du Cure, Renne le Chateau    Aude (11)

09                    Al Green is at L Olympia, Paris
10                    Nico Wayne Toussaint is at Dax Motors N'Blues, Dax (40)

10-17                              Cahors Blues Festival, Cahors, Lot (46)

16                    Uncl’ STF is playing at La Guinguette, Lac de Montbel, Léran ,      Ariege (09)

22                    Mark Knopfler is at Nimes, Gard (30)

27                    (to 1 August) Cognac Blues Passions, Cognac, Charente (16)

Thanks for reading.

A bientôt

June 2010

T-Bone Walker (1910 – 1975) would have been 100 years old this month. Arguably the first bluesman to plug his guitar into an amp, and mentored by the great Blind Lemon Jefferson, his influence has rolled down the years to inspire BB King, Hendrix, Clapton, Bonamassa, and the like.




In the news Sir Paul McCartney got himself into trouble when his tour bus was attacked in Mexico City. Well Paul perhaps you should sack your security advisor for allowing your bus to be taken into a so called ‘no go’ area.

Another Sir, that of Mick Jagger, has put his lips in it by stating that he thinks the Isle of Man should legalise drugs. Off of his cloud again?

Moving on I had two opportunities this month to listen to some good live blues music in this sleepy part of the South of France. Uncl STF played, last Friday, at the Café du Pont, Esperaza (11) giving an appreciative audience three hours of continuous blues songs from Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, and (after my recommendation) Mean Red Spiders.



Interchanging his guitars, from steel, acoustic, and electric, to suit the music style, Uncl STF gave us his version of; Driftin, Walking Blues, I Can’t Be Satisfied, Hoochie Coochie Man, Call Me Long Distance, and St. James’s Infirmary – and much more – despite the occasional technical problem with plugs and connectors.

Being a local chap STF often plays in the area or you can supply your own beer and listen to him on www.myspace.com/unclstf




This was followed, on Saturday evening, by an invite to a practice session with John Lansley’s “The Jam Tarts”. A relatively new band formed to play blues and blues-rock.

After a feast of BBQ duck, chicken, sausages, etc., the band set about tuning up – with greasy fingers – and then set the pace with Crossroads.

Inevitably things turned into a jam with several bluesmen turning up. A really great sax player (I’m kicking myself for not getting his details), Serge on his piano, Tony on his steel guitar, even a little black dog gave an occasional woof when he felt it appropriate. A very informal, and pleasant evening, and I hope I will be reporting on “The Jam Tarts” in future additions of South Of France Blues.




BLUES IN BURGUNDY - BLUES EN BOURGOGNE 24 – 27 June

In the village centre of Le Creusot (71)

By car or train the village is easy to get to. Just 1h20 from Paris or 40 mins from Lyon. There is plenty of local accommodation or there is a free camping aire (for motorhomes) with good facilities.

The four night line-up consists of:

Thursday 24 June
Soulville with Fabienne DELLA-MONICA. Fabienne is a Gabonese gospel soul singer who, apparently, also performs a Pink Floyd tribute ! Interesting.

Elliott Murphy. New York born, now living in Paris, Elliott certainly gets around with more than 20 concerts in Europe this year. He is not shy of the recording studio either and currently has cut 30 discs since 1973 with his latest being “Notes From The Underground”. His debut album “Aquashow” has been rated a classic album by Uncut magazine.

Friday 25 June

Bjorn Berge. Expect to be blown away by this Norwegian guitarist! He will present his tenth album "Fretwork". Alone on stage, Bjørn is universally recognized by the specialized press. Although his main influences are Robert Johnson and Elmore James, he does not hesitate to incorporate sounds from funk and Hip Hop music after the traditional blues.

He also admits his passion for artists like Beck and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This eclectic music may indeed shine in his "Live in Europe" where he took the famous' Ace of Spades "by Motorhead.

Joe Louis Walker. BMA album of the year award winner with “Between A Rock And The Blues” Joe Louis brings his San Francisco blues to France. An accomplished blues guitarist and a lively singer Mr Walker is bound to give a superb performance. 1 year ago If this don't make you stand on the tables and dance then I don't know what??????

Saturday 26 June
Taste. In the true spirit of the Rory Gallagher band this tribute is sure to bring back memories of the legendary Isle Of Weight festivals of the 70’s.

Eric Bell Trio. A long history with bands; Them, The Bluebeats, The Jaguars, Shades, The Dreams, and then Thin Lizzy (and maybe more). Eric now heads up his trio with Brian Bethell on bass and Romek Parol on drums. This music will fill the night air and reach up to the stars.

Pat McManus Band. And finally another Irish band. Famously from his band Mama’s Boys – who played at Thin Lizzy’s farewell tour – Pat McManus has teamed up with Paul Faloon on drums and Gordon Sheridan on bass – and, of course, Pat on violin, guitar and vocals.

Sunday 27 June

A day of free concerts around the village.

Tickets cost 25 euros for a ‘day pass’ or 55 euros for a ‘concert pass’

Enjoy

April 2010

RAMBLINGS

Thanks to all those that are keeping me supplied with blues fodder, and a BIG thanks to YOU for reading this blog. I hope you like it. Any comments, advice, or ideas will always be appreciated . And do please pass the  blog link on to any friends. Thanks. 

In this issue we have news of Joe Louis Walker coming to Cahors. The wonderful voice of Connie Lush (see March 2010 issue) will be in France too. Nico Wayne Toussaint, harmonica fantastic, continues with his tour in France and Spain. Malted Milk are running around, and BB King will be in Cognac again.

Other news is that the UK government has announced that they want to put a stop to the illegal downloading of music. I cannot imagine how they will do that, it is all a bit too late, but I wish them luck - after all it is wrong. But then, so is fiddling one's expenses!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think about music downloads and copying? Has the music industry shot itself in the foot? Let me know your thoughts.

WHAT'S ON?
April

01   Eric Bibb is at salle Grappelli, Nice (06)

02   American Gospel Connection is at Palavas les Flottes

02   Eric Bibb is at Mainvilliers -­ Salle des fêtes

03   Connie Lush is at Regneville-Sur-Mer (76)

03   Eric Bibb is at St Rémy-Les ­Chartreuses -­ Jazz à Toute Heure
06 - 10  Nico Wayne Toussaint is at Hotel Meridien, Paris  
15   Nico Wayne Tousaint is at Ruel Malmaison (92)
17   Little Bob is at Le Mans (72) - Circuit 24h Moto
23   Pura Fe is at Merville (59) - Espace Culturel

23   Malted Milk is at Le Thor (84) -­ Le Sonograf   
24   Malted Milk is at Périgueux -­ Les Toquets
25   Pura Fe is at Grande-Synthe (59) - Centre Culturel
25   Malted Milk is at La Roche Posay ­- Festival Images en Scènes

BLUES NOTE

Joe Louis Walker adds to the line-up of magnificent blues artist to perform at the Cahors Blues Festival in July 2010.

Starting out in his teens, in San Francisco, Joe Louis hung out with guitarist Mike Bloomfield and jammed along with visiting bluesmen in the local clubs.

At some stage he moved to gospel and sang with the gospel quartet, the Spiritual Corinthians which, at the time when blues was more clearly defined as ‘Delta’, ‘Chicago’, or ‘West Coast’ seemed to confuse his listeners. But by the mid 90’s he was becoming more consistent and set about setting himself new challenges. Great Guitars (1997), with leaders like Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and Ike Turner is an interesting feature of his work and reveals his wide knowledge of the blues.

Multiple Grammy and WC Handy award winner, Joe Louis Walker, is now a ‘must’ to see and hear. A guitar legend and a singer/song writer he now relentlessly tours the world spreading his unique style of his blues passion. He now has 19 solo albums and countless compilations with guest appearances.

Joe Louis Walker is truly keeping the legend alive and he is coming to the South Of France this year. Don’t miss him.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

John Lansley - Musician

John’s first visit to the Aude (11) was more than 4 years ago, when he and his then musical partner made the long trip down from Luxembourg to play at a birthday party. Seduced by the south of France, he has now made his home here and has started to get actively involved in the music scene.

South Of France Blues – What is your musical background?

JL – I started at the tender age of 13 and within a few years was serving my apprenticeship in various bands playing everything from Cream to Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath to Genesis, Pink Floyd to Yes. Over the years I have graduated from what might be termed English Blues through ProgRock, experimental music, reggae, and latterly back to the blues.

South Of France Blues – Guitar favourites and influences?

JL – Early on I guess it was Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Tony McPhee (The Groundhogs), then people like Santana, John McLaughlin, Steve Howe, Bob Fripp, Allan Holdsworth, Mick Ronson. But stand out influences are Peter Green and Jeff Beck – both have superb sense of touch, dynamics and melody, originating in blues forms, but taking the original ideas forward rather than churning out the same riffs.

South Of France Blues – What are your plans now?

JL – I love playing live and have been trying to find suitable opportunities here in France. I also love playing with interesting musicians who are involved in different types of music, and seeing what happens. So creating, writing and recording are also very important to me.

It is clear there are some good musicians in the area, and lots of people interested in listening to live music, but there seems to be relatively few venues capable of providing for the demand. I’m involved with a group of people trying to address this. Watch this space!

South Of France Blues – Aha! Do tell us more...

JL – Well its early days but we’d like to set up a sort of Blues Association which would help put musicians in touch with each other, publicise and even arrange gigs, help with recording projects and so on. But we’ve got some work to do before we’re ready to launch it. Anyone interested in helping should get in touch with me (john.lansley@yahoo.co.uk)!

South Of France Blues – So you’re a professional musician? Or (dare I suggest it) retired?

JL – Ha ha. Neither. I have always wanted to have fun playing and made the decision not to rely on music to pay the rent. My ‘day job’ is in the investment planning field – I was a tax consultant advising expatriates around the world and over the last 20 years have also been specialising in helping people invest their money tax-efficiently, deal with pensions, inheritance issues, and related financial matters. I am a member of the Spectrum IFA Group (www.spectrum-ifa.com) and will gladly discuss either music or finance with anyone!

At the time of this Blog chapter South Of France Blues is working with John to find a suitable venue in the Aude (11) for blues events and for ‘open mic’ jamming sessions. Anyone who can also assist in this direction, or is interested to play, can contact John on the link above or through the comments link on this page.

Loads more gigs coming up in May. Keep watching this space. As the South of France starts to warm up so will The Blues.

A bientôt