THE GOLDEN GATE BLUES SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Issue 4, December 2009 GOLDEN GATE GROOVES FROM THE EDITOR Happy New Year, Blues lovers! This year passed incredibly fast (as they all do, it seems to me). The Golden Gate Blues Society (GGBS), which was founded in April 2009, heads into 2010 with some challenges ahead. We're still looking for a new location for our weekly pro blues jam since the closure of The Little Fox, our beloved home base, in early December. Keep the faith; we hope to be up and running again soon, and continuation at the Little Fox is a possibility. We're proud of what we have accomplished, which includes a viable and growing Blues in the Libraries program. And I'm personally proud of the caliber of contributions to this fledgling newsletter. Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has invested time and energy into making this publication happen! In this issue of Golden Gate Grooves , Dorothy Hill , to whom I owe a personal debt of gratitude for her contributions (for more than what you see in print), reviews a recent Sista Monica show at Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco. Sista Monica is a local (and national) treasure who has battled back from serious illness to once again energize and amaze her audiences with her voice. Joseph Jordan presents his interview with Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace --a musical and life partnership that keeps growing in interesting directions. You may recall the article Johnny contributed to the last edition of the newsletter on bluesman Stu Blank. That article touched many readers in unexpected ways. Cathy and Johnny have just finished a new CD, Shoot to Kill , which they hope will be released in the next few months. I'm very pleased to welcome, and introduce, a new contributor to the GGBS newsletter, Phil Kampel , an artful photographer based in Sacramento. Most recently, Phil has been concentrating on photographing at various music venues around the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay areas. Many California bands and musicians currently feature his photos on their websites, MySpace pages, and Facebook pages, as well as on CD covers and packaging. A showcase of Phil's photos of Bay Area "sidemen" is provided herein. We also present in this issue reviews of two CDs by artists close to the heart of the GGBS. The first CD is by Henry Oden , a prime mover in our Blues in the Libraries program, reviewed by Joel Fritz , and the second CD is by Bluestate , which is the band of GGBS President Vince Caminiti, reviewed by Joseph Jordan . Please look for the dates of upcoming sessions of the Blues in the Libraries program undertaken by the Education Division of the GGBS later in this issue. As a continuing service to the blues community, GGBS Treasurer Brad Robertson has written a follow-up article to his tax tips for musicians presented in the last issue of Golden Gate Grooves , this one entitled " Music Is Your Business ." Go out and support live Blues! See you on the Blues trail. -Deb Lubin _______________________________________________________ Sista Monica Live at Biscuits & Blues Article and photos by Dorothy L. Hill Monica Parker began her musical voyage in the church choir described as an ode to her life story, in her hometown of Gary, Indiana, but it wasn’t until she “Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down.” As moved to northern California that she made her mark in the a survivor who battled life-threatening blues realm. Longtime resident of Santa Cruz, Parker has cancer, she knows whereof she speaks. won acclaim performing at clubs and festivals all over the On “Windy City Burner,” Parker put all world and recorded nine CDs on her own indie label (Mo her projective intensity into the lyrics of Muscle Records & Entertainment). Along the way, she this tribute to Chicago. Searching the garnered a host of prestigious nominations and awards. audience for those who would admit to singing in the bathroom or in the car, Dubbed the Blues Lioness, Parker opened her show on she invited them to join her on a funky version of “I’ll Take November 7, 2009, at Biscuits & Blues looking the part in a You There.” “The Sista Don’t Play” was a smoldering flowing animal print caftan. She opened with what could be warning, crisply delivered with grit and determination. She Page 1 www.tggbs.org Golden Gate Grooves, December 2009 engaged the audience on a long conversational prelude Gary Regina on tenor sax, and background vocalist Tammi related to her tactics to entice a former lover just one more Brown. time before launching into “Never Say Never.” Parker’s Beconcini is Parker’s longtime gospel influence was showcased on an inspirational “Live in cohort and musical director and he the Spirit.” The highlight of the peeled off one powerful, sizzling evening was her passionate solo after another with gospel- rendition of “Pussy Cat Moan,” charged enthusiasm. The entire which she prefaced with a tribute band was crisp with imaginative fills to the legacy of women like Katie and authoritative solos. Webster, saying they made it possible for her to sing the blues. Sista Monica Parker melded gospel, blues, and soul in a She was absolutely delightful on show filled with audience participation and witty “Stop Talkin’ ‘Bout Me Stalkin’ You,” an ultra fast number confessions. Her ability to seamlessly weave original tunes with a danceable groove. Her delivery of Mississippi Fred with spirit and personal vulnerability made for a memorable McDowell’s “You Gotta Move” was just about as bluesy as performance this evening. But I think I forgot to mention she got all night and it beautifully demonstrated her that you will not likely see a more powerful vocalist who textured phrasing. The audience danced to the funky beat digs deep into the lyrics with such rich phrasing and of “Cookin’ with Grease” as she answered the call for an inflection . encore. Check out Sista Monica at www.sistamonica.com . Her superb band was composed of Danny “B” Beconcini on keyboards and organ, Donnie Caruth on guitar, David Tucker on drums, Chris Akin on bass, __________________________________________________________________ Straight Shooters: Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace Interview by Joseph Jordan; photos by Victoria Smith December 3, 2009 Perched high above the streets of San Francisco, in their cozy apartment filled with musical memorabilia, photographs, plants, and an accommodating cat, I sat down with the musical and personal team of bass player, vocalist Johnny Ace and vocalist Cathy Lemons, two stalwarts of the greater Bay Area blues scene. They’ve just finished an excellent CD, “Shoot to Kill” and are currently shopping for a label. TGGBS: How did the two of you come together? JA: And physically. CL: I’ve known John since 1987, that’s about the time I CL: (laughs) Let’s not go there. We finally got together came out here. At the time he was [playing bass] with around 1995 and he had really made a Johnny Nitro. I don’t remember the first meeting, he does. huge change in his life. I think mostly But soon after, when I would run into him, I would find him for his kids. He had four kids he was to be one of the most hilarious people I’ve ever met in my raising and I think he wanted to set a life. solid example that was healthy. So he quit drinking, he quit doing JA: What? Do I amuse you? (grins) everything. [He] got into meditation. CL: Yes, still to this day. He was a maniac. He was drinking He didn’t even drink coffee. Nothing. heavily and I was scared of him… scared because I had my So that was really inspiring to me too. own set of problems. I would say I knew John a good 7 or And we just hit it off after that. We 8 years before we got together. But every time I saw him, started to first slowly bring our music together as a team. we’d have this immediate connection musically and And then, we started to do some rehearsing and writing, energetically and intellectually and everything just fit. which was really wonderful. The thing I love about John was Page 2 www.tggbs.org Golden Gate Grooves, December 2009 that he introduced me to great singers that were unknown… CL: Yeah you did, but I also believed that too. the list is pretty big, but he also found these amazing songs JA: So she knew that already. that nobody knows, that were just buried. And so that was a huge, wonderful experience to broaden blues ideas. That CL: I always knew I had to develop my own sound, and I was really cool. I would say John is a major musical knew it instinctively always. I never tried to sound like influence, as well as personal. And one thing about John is another singer after the age of about 23. What Johnny also he’ll tell it to you straight. No beatin’ around the bush, taught me is that it is important to write. man… if he likes it, he’s going to tell you, but you don’t JA: She always had her own vocal style, that’s what I liked. [have to] guess. It’s probably why we’ve been together for She wasn’t imitating anybody and that goes a long way with 14 years. We do say what we think when we think it and me. say what we feel when we feel it and we’ve kept it honest, which is great.