JULY2018 Issue 286 The Publication of the Linn County Blues Society - lcbs.org July 2018 MikeMike Zito,Zito, VanjaVanja SkySky && BernardBernard AllisonAllison BluesBlues 20182018 CaravanCaravan headlineheadline CVB!CVB! Inside this July 2018 issue — • Czech Village Blues announces youth artists • Shane Johnson’s Blue Train at Czech Village Blues! • Phil Smith reviews: Bernard Allison, Let It Go. • Blues Caravan headlines Czech Village Blues! (cover) • The Blues Is Alive & Well, Buddy Guy - Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro • Local music schedules • Cedar Ridge Winery Bourbon/Blues Festival, July 6-8 • 21st Annual Prairie Dog Blues Festival The Linn County Blues Society is a way cool, non-profit organization dedicated CVB 2018 Contest to the preservation of Blues music in Eastern Iowa as well as to provide 2018 Youth Stage charitable contributions to other commu- nity organizations. LCBS is an Affiliated Jeff Craft Organization in the Blues Foundation’s international network. The BLUESPAPER is a monthly publication of the LCBS. Website: lcbs.org LCBS Officers President - David Antin Vice President - Ric Holmquest Secretary - Jeff Craft Treasurer - Bill Graham Social Media - Phil Smith Directors at Large L to R at Parlor City Pub; Bob DeForest, Steve Miller 17 year old, Kris Bries, Brook Hoover, 11 year old, Matthew Committee Chairs Burger Education: John ‘Big Mo’ Heim (no relation to Hamilton) Entertainment - Greg West and Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson. Membership - John Lane Merchandise - Anita Skelton The Bluespaper & LCBS folks Bluespaper Editor - Evan Vulich Director of Development - Mark Rowell Web Administrator: Kerry Cutsforth Photographers - see bylines Staff Writers - see bylines Distribution - Kevin Cutsforth Membership On the left is Paul Zelle along with To learn more about the Linn County Craig Erickson at Parlor City Pub. Blues Society or to join, see the member- ship form in this Bluespaper or the LCBS website. Your membership includes; • Discount admissions to many local Blues activities. • Monthly LCBS Bluespaper. • Voting rights in the LCBS elections. • Being a part of the groove! Bluespaper Contact information Send news, band or club live entertainment schedules, advertising, donuts, Oreos®, or Bailey’s® to: Evan Vulich at: [email protected]. L to R at Parlor City Pub; Tom ‘T-Bone’ Giblin on Bluespaper Ad Rates keyboard, Jon Wilson on $15.00 - Business card size - 2” x 3.5” drums and Andersen Coates $35.00 - Quarter page ad - 3.5” x 4.75” on guitar. $60.00 - Half page ad - 4.75” x 7.25” $75.00 - 2 colums (2/3) - 4.75” x 9.75” $100.00 - Full page - 7.5” x 9.75”” Submission Requirements- All ads, his year’s Czech Village Blues show will once again feature a youth photos or scanned images, either color stage with performances in between the main acts. Auditions are be- or black/white, need to be 300ppi. Native ing held at Parlor City every Tuesday night during the weekly blues Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, JPG, TIFF, T EPS, PDF, BMP accepted. Ads created jam with Tom “T-Bone” Giblin and Dan “DJ” Johnson. A contest open to in MS Word may cause dimentia, severe musicians 18 and under was started by John “Big Mo” Heim with the winner cramping or diarrhea. Deadline for sub- missions is the 20th of the month. receiving a guitar customized by 965 Guitars. Finals will be held at Parlor City on July 10 and 17 with the winner being Moving? Send your new address to; LCBS, PO Box 2672, Cedar Rapids, IA announced on July 17. The winner and runner ups will be invited to perform hair. your cut better had you do, If you elected. yourself try get to don’t no don’t, But 52406-2672 so you won’t miss a single on the youth stage at the Czech Village Blues show, August 11. Hope to see issue of your Bluespaper. you all there! 2 / Linn County Blues Society ~ July 2018 Shane Johnson’s Blue Train Czech Village Blues 2018 Jeff Craft ormed in late 1997, Blue Train was Shane Johnson on guitars, Tony Carton on drums, F“Detroit” Larry Davison on harmonica, and John Resch on vocals and electric bass. Shane Johnson’s Blue Train first came on the local scene by winning the Quad Cities segment of the Iowa Blues Challenge, and just missing Bernard Allison 1st place at the state level in Des Moines. The lo- Let It Go cal win earned them their first appearance at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, where they released and all original eight song cassette that sold Ruf Records 2018 out before they left the stage. I have nothing but the highest of praise for Bernard Allison’s latest album Let it Go. It’s a The following year they released their first full length CD, which was voted delightful blend of blues, funk and soul. With best locally produced CD, and they were also voted best local blues band. Blue this release, Bernard returns to Ruf Records, the label Thomas Ruf created for his father, Train went on to win both the local and state blues competition, earning a spot the late great bluesman Luther Allison in 1994. at the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennes- Bernard’s band is wonderfully tight and consists of rhythm guitarist John T. McGhee, bassist see. George Moye, and drummer Mario Dawson. Then just over a year old, the band chartered a bus to Memphis and took over Recorded by the legendary music producer, Jim Gaines, the album was recorded at Bessie Blue 70 of their fans with them to the international competition, where they made Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee. it into the finals, and placed in the top 8 out of over 80 bands from around the From the beginning, I’m hooked by the spir- world. ited rhythm and bouncy groove on “Cruisin for a Bluesin”. It wonderfully ignites into a smoking On the heels of these successes, they were invited to play many regional guitar performance. His soulful vocals on title shows and festivals, sharing the stage with such blues luminaries as Buddy track “Let it Go” are suave and soulful. This is such a terrific song. There’s a definitely a bit of Guy, Koko Taylor, Son Seals, and Lonnie Brooks. the P-Funk influence on the front end of “Night Having sold over 2500 copies of their original CD, Blue Train released their Train”. I love the bassline Moye throws down as Bernard takes this fresh, funky track to the second CD in 2000, and again, was voted best locally produced CD. next level with his guitar mastery. Covered and topped with Dawson’s dynamic drumming, this After some personnel changes, Shane Johnson’s Blue Train continued on into is one phenomenal listen. the mid 2000s before disbanding. After several years apart, Blue Train reunited Bernard charmingly takes on Brook Benton’s with Shane Johnson, now based in Austin, Texas, to play the Mississippi Valley 1960 hit single “Kiddio”, enlisting the magnifi- Blues Festival and the Des Moines Winter Blues Festival. The band has added cent Jose Ned James on sax. For a fabulous finale, the listener is treated to two wonderful Kansas City based harmonica player, Chris Ryan, for their appearance at Czech covers originally recorded by his father, Luther. Village Blues. First served is the delicious slow-cooked blues of “You’re Gonna Need Me”, from the 1982 al- bum South Side Safari. Then for a captivating closer, Bernard beautifully performs “Castle”, from Luther’s 1994 album Hand Me Down My Moonshine. Over the years, Bernard Allison has continued to push the envelope in his songwriting and art- istry, and that certainly shows in Let it Go. Chris Ryan — by Phil Smith But don’t, no don’t try to get yourself elected. If you do, you had better cut your hair. your cut better had you do, If you elected. yourself try get to don’t no don’t, But 2018 July ~ Linn County Blues Society / 3 Czech Village Blues To feature Ruf Records Blues Caravan Ric Holmquest- City Revealed Magazine usic fans are in for a nominee for Contemporary Blues real treat when the Ruf Album 2018 for his new release Let It MRecords Blues Caravan Go. The recording’s party grooves and 2018 arrives at the second annual funky blues reached number two on Czech Village Blues festival Satur- the Billboard Music Blues charts and day, August 11. The lineup for this hit number one on the Roots Music year’s installment of the Blues Cara- Report’s Top 50 Blues Rock Album van features blues music heavy hit- Charts. Allison’s music subtly moves ters Mike Zito, Bernard Allison and between blues music styles and is a little stick of dynamite guitar sling- genre bending, proving his status as er named Vanja Sky. Quad Cities blues funk master. blues rockers Shane Johnson’s Blue Ruf Records newest discovery Vanja Train make a rare return to Cedar Sky is from the Croatia capital of Rapids for the event, which opens Zagreb. A pastry chef turned blues with Waterloo’s Tim&TheTrutones. singer and guitarist, Sky picked up the Each year since 2005 German guitar just six years ago. Her debut based Ruf Records has sent three album Bad Penny is modern electric of their talented performers out on blues with a straightforward style, a world tour called Blues Caravan. named after a Rory Gallagher song The label, whose motto is “Where that she covers on the record. Sky’s The Linn County Blues Society Blues Crosses Over” received the guitar influences include Stevie Ray teams up again with the Friends of prestigious Keepin’ the Blues Alive Vaughn and Albert King, with her Czech Village for the second an- Award from the Memphis based style compared to Mark Knopfler of nual Czech Village Blues.