• • • • • • Issue 303 Issue Inside this December 2019 issue - issue December 2019 Inside this Peter “BLEWWSMAN” Lauro reviews Theresa James and the Rythm Tramps James reviews Lauro and Theresa Rythm the “BLEWWSMAN” Peter “Live” Live Music Calendar Phillip Smith reviews Biscuit Miller and Mix the “Chicken Grease” Alicia Monee &Invisible Cafe, Jazz Fri at Opus Dec. Concert 6 Finley by Richard Scatting DavisionHenry Scholarship Update by & Steve ‘n’ Springer Buffett DEC2019 Orchestra IowaOrchestra Pops II Holiday Extravaganza Special guest with Kevin “B.F.” Burt Friday -Sunday Paramount at the Dec. and 22 20,21 Theater The Publication of the Linn County Blues Society -lcbs.org Society Blues of Publication County the Linn The Winterland at Marion Photo by Kaelan Barowsky

Music & Arts Festival

Happy Holidays from all of us at the LCBS! Don’t Miss Photo Gafkjen by Alysse December 2019 December

LCBS Bluespaper. © 2019. All rights reserved The Linn County Blues Society is a way cool, Henry Davison Scholarship Program non-profit organization dedicated to the pres- ervation of Blues music in Eastern Iowa as well as to provide charitable contributions to other Update - Board Chair Steve Springer community organizations. LCBS is an Affili- Thanks again for your continued support of the Henry Davison Scholar- ated Organization in the Blues Foundation’s international network. The BLUESPAPER is a ship Program. Henry was the founder of the Linn County Blues Society monthly publication of the LCBS. and he was always proud of all you have accomplished and the support that Website: lcbs.org group gave to the community. He would be especially proud of the latest LCBS Officers events in Czech Village. President - David Antin Vice President - John Lane As I’m sure you are aware, the building that housed the HD Youth Cen- Secretary - Jeff Craft ter has been sold and the proceeds are being used to support students in Treasurer - Bill Graham Social Media - Phil Smith Linn County via educational scholarships. The Board is now finalizing the Director of Development - Mark Rowell scholarship application forms, the actual application process and working Directors at Large very hard to make this process objective with equal opportunity to all, Bob DeForest, Steve Miller which is exactly how Henry would have insisted the process work. Bob Committee Chairs Randklev and his company Cyberinnovation has been a great help setting Education: John ‘Big Mo’ Heim up the web and the electronic transactions that make this possible. Entertainment - Greg West Membership - Open The plan is to open applications on December 1 and award 5 schol- Merchandise - Anita Skelton arships of $4,000 each. I will keep you posted on our progress. The Bluespaper & LCBS folks Board Chair Steve Springer. Bluespaper Editor - David Antin Web Administrator: Kerry Cutsforth Photographers - see bylines 20th Annual Blues ‘n’ Buffett Chili Challenge Staff Writers - see bylines Won’t be long now! Distribution - Bill Graham & Members

The 20th annual Blues ‘N’ Buf- Membership fett Chili Challenge is just around To learn more about the Linn County Blues Society or to join, see the membership form the corner and we have two more in this Bluespaper or the LCBS website. Your spots open for LCBS contestants. membership includes; • Discount admissions to many local The date is Sunday, February 9 Blues activities. from 1 to 4 PM at the Cedar Rap- • Monthly LCBS Bluespaper. • Voting rights in the LCBS elections. ids Marriott (1200 Collins Rd NE, • Being a part of the groove! Cedar Rapids). Tickets are $8 in ad- Bluespaper Contact information vance and $10 at the door, seniors auction. We have been able to ac- Send news, band or club live $5 (65 and over). Taste over 20 chili cumulate many unique and one entertainment schedules, advertising, donuts, Oreos®, or Bailey’s® to: recipes which includes at least 6 of a kind items which has helped Evan Vulich at: [email protected]. professional entries along with an- boost donations to our charities. All Bluespaper Ad Rates other great silent auction. There proceeds go to the Henry Davison $15.00 - Business card size - 2” x 3.5” called Blues abd“The a baby had they it Rock and Roll” - Muddy Waters will be celebrity judges, including Scholarship Program and the East- $35.00 - Quarter page ad - 3.5” x 4.75” $60.00 - Half page ad - 4.75” x 7.25” local television and radio person- ern Iowa Arts Academy. $75.00 - 2 colums (2/3) - 4.75” x 9.75” alities who will taste and vote on The first year for this event was $100.00 - Full page - 7.5” x 9.75”” the Overall Best Chili as well as 2001 and that year the profit divided Submission Requirements- All ads, photos or Best Chili in one of four categories. between the charities was $537. To scanned images, either color or black/white, need to be 300ppi. Native Adobe Illustrator, (Understand,however, there are no date, this event has donated over Photoshop, JPG, TIFF, EPS, PDF, BMP ac- “losers”. All the competitors from $121,000. cepted. Ads created in MS Word may cause di- mentia, severe cramping or diarrhea. Deadline both clubs are real winners and the Please attend and help us make for submissions is the 20th of the month. Committee appreciates their loyal- this another record year. Again, all Moving? Send your new address to; LCBS, ty, dedication and support). Tickets profits go to the charities and the PO Box 2672, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2672 are available on line. Just “Google” charities are located right here in so you won’t miss a single issue of your Blues- paper. Blues and Buffett Chili Challenge. Cedar Rapids. A big part of the Chili Challenge Please attend the event and help has always been the terrific silent us support our community. 2 / Linn County Blues Society ~ December 2019 Scatting About ... The Tip Jar Richard Finley

Well, I have finally reached the (or nearly so) at the end of the night. point in my musical career (if I may call it a career) where I have made It was the well-meaning folks at the my own Tip Jar. I intend to bring it smaller venues that we were play- way for the audience to be a part of to a Sunday afternoon performance ing who began to erode my resolve the performance. And there is noth- that a local municipality is spon- to keep the Tip Jar from the band’s ing more American than show- soring. As I readied myself and my performance space. A club where ing love and approval by offering equipment for the upcoming gig, the band is face-to-face with the money (think grandparents, tooth going through the list that I keep audience is a setting where tips are fairy, money for good grades, etc.). in my head, I suddenly thought, more likely to be proffered, and as “Tip Jar” and added it to the items. we were setting up at these smaller My eyes had been opened. I be- venues, one of the fine people who gan to see. The small offering I had a suitable clear plastic con- would later be serving food and placed in the Tip Jar provides a tainer and I took one of our drink would haul out the Jar and means for the audience to engage band’s cards and wrote “Tips” offer it. At first, I would still put it more closely in the musical per- on its back and taped it inside aside and keep it hidden. I treated formance, and to get a chance to the jar. Over the years I have it like some piece of good advice maybe call the tune in the bargain. noted a de facto standard for that my mother may have given tips jars and I felt that my cre- me about my blues playing tech- Now I have learned to do my part ation certainly had the right look. nique. It may have been a good idea when playing by putting out the Tip but I couldn’t get past some notion Jar. And when I go see live music, For quite some time our band did that I was too “cool” to accept it. I put an extra couple of $5s or $10s not put a Tip Jar on stage with us, in my pocket so that I am ready even if the venue offered one. I felt Then I happened to view a rerun of to express my love and approval. that the act of begging (albeit pas- a clip of playing sive) was not appropriate. Street on Maxwell Street in Chicago. As I Richard Finley is the harmoni- musicians play exclusively for tips, watched, I saw it… there it was, at ca player and singer for The Blue but we were a band - playing a gig. his side, out in front – the Tip Jar. Dog Band, and a blues historian Heck, sometimes we even had a One of the most authentic and icon- written contract. Without giving it ic (and certainly “cool”) bluesmen much critical thought, I reasoned ever, was laying it down for tips. that there were some types of per- And then I began to understand… formances where, no matter how good the music or how much a lis- He wasn’t begging. Not in the least. tener is moved, tipping is not done. His Tip Jar was being utilized as an For example, church musicians are age-old method of connecting to the not tipped, nor are classical or- audience. The small offerings (often chestras, nor big name performers. accompanied by a request for a song) Our band does not fall into any of were the original “like” button. The these categories but I still resisted contributions were similar to com- putting out the jar. Maybe I was menting an approval on social me- just fearful that it would be empty dia. John Lee’s Tip Jar was a further

2019 December ~ Linn County Blues Society / 3 Alicia Monee & Invisible Jazz Playing Dec. 6 at The Opus Concert Café on Friday, Dec. 6 from 5 to 7 pm.

Alicia Monee & Invisible Jazz offer a fresh take on elegant, sophisticated vocal jazz in the styles of , Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Michael Buble, Nneena Freelon and Jennifer Hud- son. Enjoy virtuoso performances of contemporary and smooth jazz by Lee Ritenour, George Benson, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and Herbie Hancock to jazz standards from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Add a delightful mix of original jazz compositions, and you have a de- liciously intimate jazz event! Alicia Monee - Vocals, John Reasoner – guitar, vocals, John Hall – bass, Ken Duncan – drums, vocals, Dave Shawver – saxes, flute, keyboards

The Great Jazz Nightclub experience returns with Alicia Monee & Invisible Jazz. Tickets are available at artsiowa.com/

4 / Linn County Blues Society ~ December 2019 Des Moines Road to Memphis Fundraiser 12/8/19 Lefty’s Live Music, 2307 University Ave, Des Moines

Biscuit Miller and the Mix “Chicken Grease” 2019 – American Showplace

Chicken Grease, the latest release 2019 Iowa Blues Challenge Winners Avey/Grouws Band and Hal Reed of from Biscuit Miller and the Mix is Generations of Blues are holding a fundraising concert to help support their trip absolutely fabulous. Miller, who to the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis! Sunday, December 8 at took home the for 3-7PM at Lefty’s Live Music - $10 Suggested Donation. Bass Player of the Year in 2012 and 2017, fronts a tight band steeped in Chicago blues. Their music is smoth- ered in grease and fortified with funk. The Mix consists of Doctor Love on drums, Bobby B. Wilson on guitar, Alex ‘Southside’ Smith on guitar, and John Ginty on Hammond B3, Vintage Vibe electric piano, and percussion. The funky groove of “Here Kitty Kitty” pulls me right in with its play- ful energy. This one always puts a grin on my face. “Two Legged Dog” keeps the funk flowing with a righ- teously contagious riff, and killer beat. With lap-steel in hand, Marcus Randolph makes a couple of outstand- ing appearances: the first on “609”, and the second on title-track “Chick- en Grease”. Both are superb tracks, and Randolph sounds amazing. Biscuit’s smooth-as-silk vocals are front and center as he suavely slows it down with the soulful “Watching You”. “Get Ready”, a song of peace and love, sweetly brings the album to THE BLUE DOG BAND a close with brilliant keys and a hot December 21, 2019 Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon buttery baseline. Chicken Grease is a must hear for 8 pm/$10 cover @bluedogiowacity The Blue Dog Band is Iowa Walter, along with the more brought their music to blues and soul music aficionados. It’s City's very own old school modern fare of Stevie Ray clubs in Memphis, St. Louis, such an enjoyable listen from begin- blues band. They perform Vaughan. Honoring the and Chicago, The Blue Dog the classic sounds of original electric styles of Band plays nothing but ning to end. Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, the blues pioneers who left pure, raw blues. Muddy Waters, and Little the Mississippi Delta and By Phillip Smith; Oct. 19, 2019

2019 December ~ Linn County Blues Society / 5 Local Music Be sure to CHECK this out! Sat. - The Village Market w/ Dan Johnson 11-2PM Sun. - The Rumors Jam, 4-7PM December 2019 Blues Calendar Tues. - The Famous Parlor City Jam. 7-10PM Wed. - Screaming Eagle’s Deja Blue Jam 7-10PM Sun. 1 Gypsy Highway John Resch and Doggin’ Out 2-4PM Dvpt Thur. - New Adventures, Limestoners, 7-10PM Rumors Bar and Grill Dbl drum Blues Jam w/DJ & Eric Douglas Thur. - J.M.O’Malley’s, TBone Giblin Jams, 8-mid Tue. 3 Parlor City Pub Brook Hoover hosts jam, 7-10PM Thur. - CR VFW, Wild Bill & Pony Express, 5-9PM Thur. - “Daddy-O” McMurrin at Parlor City 7-10PM

Wed. 4 QDogs BBQ Co. Skeeter Louis Trio. 6-9PM Marion EVERY Screaming Eagle Deja Blue hosts jam, 7-10PM Waterloo Fri. - Checkers Tavern, LIVE Music 7PM Thur. 5 J.M. O’Malley’s Craig Erickson, 8-midnight QDogs BBQ Co. BillyLee Janey, 6-9PM, Marion Parlor City Pub McMurrin,Johnson & Douglas 7-10PM New Adventures Limestoners Blues Jam 7-10PM Waterloo Fri. 6 Opus Concert Café Alicia Monee & Invisible Jazz 5-7PM Linccoln Wine Bar McMurrin&Johnson 7-9PM Mt. Vernon Sanctuary Pub Mike Maas & Carlis Faurot, 8-10PM IaCty Spicoli’s Reverb Deja Blue, 9:30-11:30PM Waterloo Sat. 7 Village Meat Market McMurrin & Johnson (Final) 11AM-2PM QDogs BBQ Hines-Johnson-Douglas, 6-9PM Marion Sun. 8 Rumors Bar and Grill The Rumors Jam, 4-8PM Tue. 10 Parlor City Pub Craig Erickson hosts jam, 7-10PM Wed. 11 QDogs BBQ Co. Bryce Janey, 6-9PM Marion Screaming Eagle Deja Blue hosts jam, 7-10PM Waterloo River Music Exp - John Resch & Doggn’ Out opening for Redstone Room Victor Wainwright, 7:30 PM Davenport Thur. 12 J.M. O’Malley’s Matt Panek, 8-midnight QDogs BBQ Co. Robert ‘One Man’ Johnson, 6-9PM Parlor City Pub McMurrin & Johnson, 7-10PM New Adventures Limestoners Blues Jam 7-10PM Waterloo The LCBS meets on the 1st Monday of each month! Fri. 13 QDogs BBQ Co. Skeeter Louis Trio, 6-9PM Marion Lincoln Wine Bar Mike Maas Trio, 7-9PM Mt. Vernon See you at The Best Western Longbranch PLUS Famous Mockingbird Joyann Parker, 7:00 PM Marion on Dec 2 6:00PM for a soft-start. General meeting Checkers Tavern Live Music!, 7PM begins at 6:30PM. Guests are always welcome! Sat. 14 Village Meat Market Merril Miller last appearance, 11-2PM 90 Twixt Town Rd., Cedar Rapids • 377-6386. Famous Mockingbird Eddie Piccard Quartet, 8PM Marion New Adventures Deja Blue, 8-11PM Waterloo Sun. 15 Old Neighborh’d Pub Daddy-O Trio, 5-8PM A very special THANK YOU to these Tue. 17 Parlor City Pub Doug Ducey hosts jam, 7-10PM businesses who Keep the Blues Alive! Wed. 18 Skeeter Louis Trio. 6-9PM Marion QDogs BBQ Co. • Cedar Ridge Winery • Dr. Ronald W. Miller Screaming Eagle Deja Blue hosts jam, 7-10PM Waterloo • The BW Longbranch • Acme Electric Thur. 19 J.M. O’Malley’s Merrill Miller, 8-midnight. • KCCK 88.3 • Strategic Print Solutions QDogs BBQ Co. BillyLee Janey, 6-9PM Marion • Kings Materials • Village Meat Market Parlor City Pub McMurrin & Johnson, 7-10PM • J.M. O’Malley’s Famous Mockingbird two many banjos, 8:00 PM Marion • New Leader Mfg. Corporate Sponsors Fri. 20 Checkers Tavern Live Music!, 7PM • Checkers Tavern • Sports Clips Famous Mockingbird Marbin w Craig Erickson’s Sky Train 8PM • QDogs BBQ • Q Dogs BBQ Sat. 21 Village Meat Market Skeeter’s last appearance, 11AM-2PM • Tomaso’s Pizza • Wired Production Group Fat Cup Coffee Co The Blue 2, 3-4:45PM Waterloo Famous Mockingbird Beaker Brothers, 8PM Marion Sun. 22 Old Neighborh’d Pub Bryce Janey Dan Johnson Trio, 5-8PM Rumors Bar and Grill The Rumors Jam, 4-8PM Notice: Sometimes there just isn’t enough room for all Thur. 26 J.M. O’Malley’s Charlie Morgan, 8-midnight the submitted schedules in the Blues Calendar. Please New Adventures Limestoners Blues Jam, 7-10PM Waterloo be sure to check the EVERY MONTH box above to see Parlor City Pub McMurrin & Johnson, 7-10PM regularly scheduled gigs that are always on for each day Sat. 28 Famous Mockngbird Aaron Kamm and the One Drops, 8PM of the week. We certainly don’t want to exclude anyone Tue. 31 Parlor City Pub New Years Eve jam w/ Craig Erickson 7PM from our schedule. Thanks! Waterloo Ctr for Arts Bob Dorr’s Iowa Music Revue, 7PM Famous Mockingbird Kris Lager Band, 9PM Marion

6 / Linn County Blues Society ~ December 2019 Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps Jesi-lu Records (10/25/19 Release date) “Live!” Publicity: Blind Raccoon By Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © Oct 2019

“Live!” is the eleventh release by Teresa The next track - “I Like It Like That” (L. James & The Rhythm Tramps. It was re- Pauling) - could not have been more of a per- corded live at Bogie’s, over four different fect segue. Musically, it’s another one for the nights with four different lineups. The disc movers and the shakers, and it features Teresa contains thirteen tracks that include seven showcasing those sassy vocals of hers. At tracks originals and six covers of some of Teresa’s end, it’s obvious the crowd liked it like that. favorite songs. Many of these tracks are from Back in February of 2008, while reviewing some of the band’s earlier releases of which the bands “Bottom Line” CD, these are the ex- one - “Here In Bablyon” - garnered a Grammy act words I used to describe the next original Other tracks on “Live!” - which is pretty Award nomination, and another - “Bottom song: “As Teresa begs ‘(Please) Put The Squeeze much a “best of” Teresa James & The Rhythm Line” - earned Teresa a nod for “Contempo- On Me”, she does it in such a soulful and sul- Tramps release - include: “Easier Said Than rary Female Blues Artist of the Year” at the try way it made me wish it was me she was ask- Done;” “Forgetting You;” “Don’t Make A 2008 Blues Music Awards. Not only did I have ing”...and nothing has changed. I’m sure it’s Habit Of This” (all originals); “Shoorah the pleasure of reviewing that CD but It was at throw back fifties style presentation makes it a Shoorah” (A. Toussaint); “Everyday Will Be those awards where I also had the pleasure of favorite for the slow dancers. like A Holiday” (W. Bell/B. Jones); “I Want meeting Teresa for the very first time. Another of the original songs is one called It All” (G. Clark. B. Swan); and “Long Way The players responsible for the wonderful “She Has A Way With Men”. With that in From Texas” (T. Klemperer). music on “Live!” are: Teresa James on lead mind, it’s Teresa’s plan to make sure she’s not vocals and keyboards; Terry Wilson on bass getting a way with her man. Not that that To find out more about Teresa James & The and background vocals; Billy Watts on guitar, would ever happen, right Terry? Great old Rhythm Tramps just go to www.teresajames. background and lead vocals; Herman Mat- school soul sound with Lee and Paulie leading com, and should you have not yet received thews, Jay Bellarose, and Tony Braunagel on the way on the horns and Jay joining Terry for your copy for airplay, please contact Betsie drums; Lee Thornburg and Darrell Leonard the hard driving rhythm. Brown at www.blindraccoon.com. Remem- on trumpet; and Joe Sublett, Paulie Cerra and On this duet, not only does the track come ber, wherever you go andwhoever you con- Ron Dziubla on saxophone. from Etta’s songbook but on their rendition of tact, please let them know The Blewzzman The story Teresa’s telling on the opening “If I Can’t Have You” (H. Fuqua/E. James), Te- sent you. and original track could very well be told by resa James and Billy Watts seem to have nailed many of us blues fans, as well. As she tells it, the song in a way that Etta and Dr. John did on “The BLUES is my PASSION& since she found the blues, she’s been “In The some of their many duo performances. That, Pink”. As a matter of fact, it took all of the along with some low down blues piano and THERAPY” track’s first five seconds to put me in the pink. guitar leads from them as well, easily make this Peter “BLEWZZMAN” Lauro The funky horns of Lee and Ron; the smoking one of the disc’s best. P. O. Box 12285 rhythm of Terry and Herman; and Teresa’s The last of the originals is titled “The Day Fort Pierce, FL 34979-2285 boogie piano playing; immediately had me The Blues Came To Call”. It’s a song off of the [email protected] dancing in my chair and there was no look- bands Grammy nominated release titled “Here 2011 “Keeping The Blues Alive” ing back from there. Teresa started belting out In Babylon” - and as far as I’m concerned the the names of those who helped her find these song should have garnered a “Song of The Year” Award Recipient blues; the horn and piano highlights became nod as well. Vocally, musically, lyrically and powerful solos and things just kept getting delivery wise, the blues just don’t get any better Please “Like” Our Facebook Page..... pinker. than this. https://www.facebook.com/Mary4Music Linn County Blues Society Membership Application Name (Please Print) Phone / Street City/State/ZIP Email (Please Print Clearly) Annual Membership Levels $20 Member 2019 $100 Blues Booster/ Corporate Sponsor Please mail form & check to: Linn County Blues Society, $250 Blues Contributor P.O. Box 2672, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2672. $500 Friend of the Blues We at the LCBS thank you for pledging your support for $1000 Sustaining Member LIVE music in the Linn County area.

2019 December ~ Linn County Blues Society / 7 Linn County Blues Society PO Box 2672 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2672 scan for LCBS web info

Happy Holidays!

Current list of members of the IBHOF

Andre Mosqueda Grant Townsell Richie Hayward Ardie Dean Greg Sutherland Rico Cicalo Big Mike Edwards Harlan Thomas Rob Lumbard Billylee Janey Hawkeye Herman Robert“One-Man” Bo Ramsey J.C. Anderson Johnson Bob DeForest James Kinds Ron DeWitte Bob Dorr Janey Hooper Ron McClain Bob Pace Jay Sieleman Ronnie Brewer Bruce McCabe Jeff Banks Rose Marie Webster Catfish Keith Sam Salomone Chicago Rick Lussie Scot Sutherland Craig Erickson Scott Cochran kcck.org Dan “DJ” Johnson Shaun Murphy Darrell Leonard Sid Wingfield Dartanyan Brown Sonny Lott Del Saxman Jones Speck Redd Dennis McMurrin Stephen Miller Friday Blues- Dwight Dario Steve George Jeff Petersen Eddie Haywood Steve Hayes • 6-10 PM - The Big Mo Blues Show Jeff Taylor Ella Ruth Piggee Tom Giblin • 10-11 PM - Backstage Blues Jim DeKoster Ellis Kell Tommy Gordon Jimmy Pryor • 11 PM to midnight - KCCK Jams Elvin Bishop Tony Blew Joanne Jackson • Midnight Blues CD Ernie Peniston Vicki Price Joe Price Eugene Jackson Willis Dobbins Saturday Blues - Frank Strong Kevin Burt • 6-10 PM - Da Blues with Bobby D Fred Walk Louis McTizic Mel Harper • 10-11 PM - The Crawfish Circuit Gary Gibson • 11 PM -midnight - The Melting Pot Gary Jackson Patrick Hazell George Davis Perry Welsh • Midnight Blues CD Gilbert Davis Philip “Bunky” Marlow

8 / Linn County Blues Society ~ December 2019