Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento blues revue"

Blue Christmas for kids raises funds for Sacramento Children’s Home

2011-12-21T07:50:26Z

People came for the music and because Sunday’s musical feast at Folsom’s Powerhouse Pub was a charity event. At $15 per ticket, with six bands lined up to cover a spectrum of blues music, and all ticket proceeds benefiting the 147 year old Sacramento Children's Home, there was no better place to be.

The Randy Carey Band opened the show at 1:50 p.m. and their rocking country blues sound had people dancing early on. They opened with “Born Under a Bad Sign,” sung by Carey, who also penned several of the songs, including “Blue Boy Blues,” their next to last song. The band’s rendition of “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” had feet tapping and bodies swaying in seats and on the dance floor that was in use for five hours Sunday.

“They really deserve your help,” said Carey, speaking of the children at the Sacramento Children’s Home, the event’s beneficiary. Carey also reminded the audience that it was going to be a great day of music, a promise fulfilled by his band and the five that followed.

The band closed with a slow song, “People, People, People,” originally performed by Jimi Hendrix in the 1960’s, but sung Sunday by Ron Cook. Carey and Cook were the vocalists on an eight song set. The band hosts the first Sunday blues jams from 2-6 p.m. at Louie’s in Rancho Cordova and participate, like many others performing Sunday, in fundraisers throughout the year.

A ten minute break for the scurry of set changing followed. Instruments were carried off and on stage as the Randy Carey Band made way for Gumbo Stew, a Bay Area based band that opened with Kathy Tejcka singing “Maybe Someday Baby,” a Delbert McClinton song that she did more than justice to.

Tejcka, vocalist and keyboardist, also fronts her own band as do many of Sunday’s performers. She previously performed with Johnny Nitro whose musical roots are Sacramento-based, and who passed away this year. Fans may find her New Year’s Eve day in San Francisco at The Saloon.

About Sunday’s event, Tejcka said, “Gumbo Stew had a great day, great venue, great people, great Blues Society!”

Stewart Burr, drummer and leader of Gumbo Stew reminded the audience why they were all there, thanked Rick von Geldern and the Powerhouse Pub for making the event happen and pointed to the bar saying, “Visit Scott.”

Burr’s request to “shake your butts on the dance floor” was answered by more people when the band played an old Billy Preston tune, “Will It Go Round in Circles?” The four-piece band in bright shirts presented their zydeco and soul spin on the blues for nearly an hour and made several new fans.Among attendees at Sunday’s event were members of the Sacramento Blues Meetup group. They had a table away from stage, but the group’s members were fixtures on the dance floor, dancing sometimes alone, sometimes with other members, and sometimes with the musicians. Mari Lu Onweller was Sunday’s meetup host and said that twenty-two members had registered online.

Gumbo Stew completed their set, quickly dismantled their instruments, including Burr’s drum set, and made room for Pinkie Rideau and her band of four, who opened with Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man” and the first harmonica of the day. They lived up to the tune’s lyrics of keeping the audience satisfied.

Rideau, clad in a pink-sequined top and matching pant insets, was playful with both her band and the audience. She offered ten copies of her cd, “Long Walk off a Short Pier – Pinkie & Blind Resistance Live at Lou’s Pier 47,” stating that all proceeds would be donated to the Sacramento Children’s Home. One attendee quickly bought two while Rideau was still on stage. Five more were sold throughout the afternoon.

“We’re here for the kids,” she said. She thanked “each and every one” for attending.

“I thought it was a phenom!” said Rideau about Sunday’s event. “Great music from beginning to end.” She credited the smooth transitions and timeliness to Rick von Geldern and said, “The sound guy, Bradley, did a marvelous job.”

Indeed, Bradley Kent made sure that the sound was excellent, surely not an easy task with six bands playing different versions of blues music.

Rideau continued, “We are all so fortunate to be able to perform at concerts like this. We pay it forward and do things for others – without pay. In this instance, it’s Christmas for the kids that are less fortunate. I tell my guys that we do four benefits a year, but we do more than that – it humbles them and me.”

Humble, energized and fun describes not only Rideau’s singing but Jay Cavileer’s harmonica playing. Cavileer played for the audience and used his entire body, at times kicking up one leg or the other.

Channing Heath played bass, Rodney Alcover played guitar and Big Dave Watkins kept the drums beating. Primarily the vocalist and sometimes storyteller, Rideau picked up her guitar for a slower song that Celeste Lemen, one of the Meetup attendees called “beautiful.”

One of the audience favorites was Rideau’s live performance of “Camel Toe Boogie,” which John Rohlman, an audience member, particularly enjoyed.

“It don’t get any better than this,” said Rohlman. “Not only was this a worthy cause but the entertainment was as worthy as the cause.” Rohlman was later spotted dancing with Rideau.

A new cd is expected in March and the band can be found in February in Reno performing at “A Tribute to the Kings of Blues,” another benefit.

A flurry of activity once again ensued to move Pinkie Rideau, an audience favorite, off the stage to make room for the next act.

Ron Alexander, the CEO of the Sacramento Children’s Home, was introduced by Rick von Geldern, the event’s emcee and stage manager and the bandleader/guitarist for Sacramento Blues Revue. Alexander spoke briefly about the history of his organization and thanked the musicians and audience.

Pailer and Adams took the stage next. Wingnut Adams was the harmonica player and primary vocalist Sunday when he, Jimmy Pailer on guitar, Leigh Lonetta on drums and Dave Chanell on bass performed to an ever-growing crowd.

“How’s everyone doing?” preceded “Will you be good enough to let me get funky?” Adams then blew his harmonica and did indeed get funky, much to the enjoyment of the audience.

Adams, the 2008 West Coast Blues Hall of Fame “Bandleader of the Year” released his most recent album, “Will Work for Groove” in June. He teamed with Pailer of the Jimmy Pailer Band for a performance Sunday that was exciting, powerful and fun.

Pailer and Adams perform regularly at Sacramento’s Torch Club on Wednesdays, both have new cd’s, and Adams said that he’s headed to the studio after Christmas to work on an album due out February, 2012.

Like Rideau, Adams is a storyteller and musician who obviously loves to interact with the audience. He often led into songs via stories and played the harmonica with as much passion and fun as any great blues harmonica player, but with his particular funky spin.

“Give yourselves a hand for coming out on a Sunday right after church,” he said. “It’s all about having a good time.”

A good time was had by musicians and audience alike, and Adams said that he was glad to see the musicians come together.

Adams was not the band’s only vocalist, as proved by Chanell’s performance of the Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried,” the band’s final song before passing the stage to the Sacramento Blues Revue.

Von Geldern, the man of many hats and shirts Sunday, had changed into his Sacramento Blues Revue print shirt, and thanked everyone for coming out, reminding them to buy tickets for the raffle to be held after his band finished playing.

Up for grabs with tickets just $2 each was a white, Fender Starcaster guitar donated by Skip’s Music and signed by all of the musicians. Other prizes included signed event posters and a signed canvas piece, “The Blues are Good for a Man.”

The Sacramento Blues Revue took the stage with ten of its eleven band members, rotating vocalists Deacon Baker, Marshal Wilkerson and Lena Mosley throughout their set. Mosley’s rendition of “Chain of Fools” clearly showed why she was inducted into the Sacramento Blues Hall of Fame this year. Jonny “Mojo” Flores led the band as vocalist on at least one song. This Sammie award-winning band with its R&B spin filled the stage and proved to be an audience favorite that many felt didn’t play long enough.

Von Geldern enlisted the aid of Lady Rhythm, the band’s drummer, to pull tickets for the raffle while the stage was being cleared of their instruments and set up for the final event band.

The first two prizes, the signed event posters, were won by a member of the Meetup group and a woman named Renee. The canvas piece was won by a man who looked like he would have rather won the guitar, but his ticket, like the previous winners’ tickets, went back into the drawing for the signed Fender Starcaster.

The first ticket pulled produced no winner. Von Geldern extended the tension felt throughout the pub as he call “8 – 2 – 4,” then paused. The sound of tickets rustling could be heard throughout the otherwise relatively quiet establishment. Von Geldern asked a couple of people what ticket numbers they had, then finished with “4 – 2 – 7.”

A man headed toward the stage, and Rideau soon caught up with him. “That is our guitarist,” she said, and Channing Heath ~~Rodney Alcover~~ was presented with the guitar signed on both front and back.

Heath ~~Alcover~~ grinned and looked like he wanted to eat the guitar. Lady Rhythm smiled throughout the drawing as she had during her drumming. She, like many of the musicians, had been spotted throughout the day dancing and assisting other musicians with their gear.

“I love kids from the bottom of my heart and they are our future today!” said Lady Rhythm about the day’s event.

Rick Estrin & The Nightcats completed the event with their harmonica-driven, blues/jump style. Indeed, Estrin’s harmonica was heard and enjoyed by attendees upstairs and downstairs.

No matter which band people came out to hear, a great time was had by all.

Sunday’s event, the 2nd annual Blue Christmas for Kids, surely will not be the last based on the response of both musicians and audience, as well as von Geldern’s words.

“I intend this event to be annual.”

Editor's note: Edits have been made to the name of the artists after publication.

Blues to benefit Sacramento Children's Home

2011-12-16T05:12:34Z

If you equate blues music with Robert Johnson, you’re in for a surprise and a treat Sunday afternoon when Sacramento Blues Revue teams with Folsom’s Powerhouse Pub to host the second annual Blue Christmas for Kids, benefiting the Sacramento Children’s Home.

The event kicks off at 1:50 p.m. with the Randy Carey Band, a country blues group, and will finish with Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, a blues/jump band, playing from 6 to 7 p.m. In between, attendees will hear blues/zydeco from GumboStew, blues from Pinkie Rideau & Blind Resistance, rockin’ blues from the Jimmy Pailer Band, and blues/R&B from Sacramento Blues Revue, led by Rick von Geldern.

Von Geldern said he began working on this event back in March and that last year’s event delivered “a couple of vans filled with toys and barrels of food” to an after-school program in South Sacramento.

This year’s event will generate funds for the Sacramento Children’s Home, a Sacramento organization founded in 1867 that provides care to the most vulnerable children and families in our area.

The Sacramento Children’s Home hosts many programs including crisis intervention; home visitation through Birth and Beyond; crisis nurseries encompassing literacy programs and case management; counseling for families; and trauma, residential and transition-age programs that include independent living skills; and various educational programs.

“Christmas is a time for kids,” Von Geldern said. “I know not all kids have families they can share Christmas with, and for those at the Sacramento Children’s Home, I hope their Christmas will be a little bit brighter in some small way from what we’re able to raise from the second Blue Christmas for Kids event.”

Von Geldern is the bandleader and guitarist of Sacramento Blues Revue, past president of the Sacramento Blues Society and committed to blues and kids. In 2003, he was elected president of the Sacramento Blues Society, the same year Congress proclaimed “year of the blues.”

“That’s the first year we put together a Blues in the Schools (BITS) committee and started the program,” he said. “For me, it was a priority to get it started.”

He credits Cynthia Jaynes and her hard work, and the work of others, for helping the BITS program develop through the years. BITS strives to bring musicians, storytellers and educators together in an effort to teach Sacramento youth the historical significance of blues music and its impact on both American and world culture.

While children will not be admitted to the 21-and-over establishment Sunday, adults will enjoy the coming together of names familiar to those who attend local blues events as well as names less familiar. Many genres of blues music will be well represented.

Randy Carey Band is a new group focusing on country blues. Carey is the bandleader and will be accompanied by Zane Toberer, Ron Cook and Paul Whitney.

GumboStew hails from the Bay Area. Led by Stewart Burr who has toured and recorded with Chubby Checker, Sista Monica and others, this band is sure to keep people dancing. Joining Burr are Jim Caroompas who was a featured player with John Lee Hooker’s band and has opened for Van Morrison and Tower of Power, Richard Burgan who plays bass guitar, and Kathy Tejcka who credits Luther Allison’s passionate and powerful performance one evening for a career change.

Pinkie Rideau & Blind Resistance are Modesto-based musicians. Rideau listened to Madame Butterfly, Hank Williams and the Rolling Stones growing up. Her list of non-music occupations range from body builder and power lifter to carpenter and salesperson and include stints at massage therapy, waitressing and wedding planning. Rideau will be joined by four talented musicians, each hand-picked.

Von Geldern calls Rideau a “tremendous talent” who “will put on an excellent show.”

The Jimmy Pailer Band follows with rockin’ blues. A regular at Sacramento’s Torch Club and at the San Juan Club in Fair Oaks, Von Geldern says Pailer is “one of the best blues guitarists. He’s been my hero for many years and has a great voice.”

Von Geldern will lead the Sammie Award-winning Sacramento Blues Revue in nearly an hour of blues/R&B. Ten of the 11 members will perform Sunday, including vocalist Lena Mosley, 2011 inductee into the Sacramento Blues Hall of Fame. Also on vocals are Marshall Wilkerson and Deacon Baker. Joining Von Geldern on guitar will be Jonny “Mojo” Flores, Marty Deradoorian, Charles Williams, Katoya Moore, Mark Heggen and Zot.

Closing Sunday’s event will be the harmonica-driven, Alligator Records artist Rick Estrin and the Nightcats. Estrin said he will be in the studio next Monday working on a new record, the first since 2009’s “Twisted.” He hopes that the yet untitled album will release mid-2012. Joining Estrin Sunday will be J. Hansen and Lorenzo Farrell on rhythm and guitarist Kid Andersen performing their blues/jump style that Estrin calls his “unique stamp” on blues music.

About participating in Sunday’s event, Estrin said “I feel bad for any kids having a hard time,” and hopes that the combined efforts of this event will help.

Six bands, five hours of live music in the funky Powerhouse Pub, a tour of blues genres, and all for only fifteen dollars, proceeds that will benefit the many programs of the Sacramento Children’s Home.

Auburn plays the Blues

2010-08-09T16:43:19Z

The Northern California Blues Festival played Saturday afternoon at the Auburn Regional Park in Auburn, California. Headlined by the Elvin Bishop Band, the festival featured seven Blues bands that performed on a stage in front of a grassy slope for an enthusiastic crowd. Audience members avoided the heat by filling the shaded areas of the park until early evening when it was cool enough to move closer to the stage. By the time Elvin Bishop’s band took the stage, the area in front of the stage was crowded with cheering and dancing fans.

The festival’s lineup included performances by Volker Strifler, Dennis Jones, Kaye Bohler, Chris Cain, Sacramento Blues Revue, Zac Harmon and Elvin Bishop.

Dennis Jones

Kaye Bohler Band (above and below)

Dancing on the grass during Chris Cain's set

Chris Cain

Sacramento Blues Revue

Katoya Moore, drummer for the Sacramento Blues Revue

As the shade moved toward the stage, so did the dancing.

Jason Haxton organized the Northern California Blues Festival

Lena Mosley of the Sacramento Blues Revue sings the blues

Late afternoon sunlight hits the stage

Zac Harmon

Zac Harmon's band plays at Saturday's blues festival in Auburn

Elvin Bishop headlined the Northern California Blues Festival

Ed Earley, trombonist for Elvin Bishop's band

More photos of the Northern California Blues Festival can be viewed here .