CapitalCapital BluesBlues MessengerMessenger Celebrating the Blues in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia July 2012 Volume 6 Issue 7 DCBS & Lamont’s Presents Memphis Blues Blowout Saturday, July 21 Photo by Thomas Hawk DCBS Hotter Than July Inside Fish Fry ‘n’ Blues DCBS July Events Saturday, July 14 Aug. 3 Zac Harmon Show and more Blues News & Reviews THE DC BLUES SOCIETY Become a DCBS member! Inside This Issue P.O. BOX 77315 Members are key to the livelihood of the President’s Drum 3 DCBS. Members’ dues play an important DCBS & Lamont’s Presents Memphis WASHINGTON, DC 4 part in helping DCBS fulfill its mission to Blues Blowout 20013-7315 promote the Blues and the musicians who keep the music alive, exciting and accessi- CD Review: Rick Estrin 5 www.dcblues.org DCBS Hotter Than July Fish Fry ‘n ble. Members receive discounts on advance 6 - 7 Blues; Blues Foundation Efforts The DC Blues Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) sale tickets to DCBS events, DCBS merchan- organization dedicated to keeping the Blues alive dise and from area merchants and clubs Zac Harmon Interview 8 when you present your DCBS membership through outreach and education. The DC Blues Blues Calendar 9 Society is a proud affiliate of the Blues Foundation. card (see p 11). Members also receive the monthly Capital Blues Messenger (CBM) CD Review: Lil’ Ed & Blues Imperials 10 The Capital Blues Messenger is published monthly newsletter and those with e-mail access get DCBS Discounts, Miscelleneous 11 (unless otherwise noted) and sent by e-mail or U.S. the CBM via e-mail plus additional e-mail Annual DC Blues Festival, DCBS mail to members. Past newsletters are available at updates about DCBS events. 12 www.dcblues.org. Becoming a member is simple, quick Battle of the Bands and easy: Cover Photo of Preston Shannon: By Thomas Send changes in name, address or membership ▪ Use the mail-in application, or status to [email protected] or mail to Hawk, a professional photographer who some- DCBS Attn: Membership at the address listed ▪ Apply on-line at www.dcblues.org, or times likes to think of himself as a “photography above. ▪ Sign up at DCBS events or DCBS- factory.” Learn more about Thomas on sponsored events/venues where you http://thomashawk.com/. The Capital Blues Messenger is your publication see the DCBS booth. and members are encouraged to submit articles, Unless noted, photos & articles were contributed photos, and ideas for articles, reviews, cartoons Members are invited to attend the monthly by DCBS Board Members and Newsletter Editor. and photography. Please submit material via DCBS Board meetings. For information, Printer: Quick Printing Inc. Wheaton, MD e-mail to: [email protected]. send an e-mail to [email protected]. www.quickprintinginc.com This issue is © 2012 DC Blues Society Blues listings for bands should be sent to [email protected]. D.C. Blues Society Membership Corporate DCBS Memberships Note: The deadline for all submissions is the 15th Application/Renewal Form DCBS offers a Corporate membership of the month prior to publication. DCBS reserves option that provides small and large busi- Date: _________ If renewal, check here ____ nesses the opportunity to advertise through the right to edit or refuse any content, including advertising, that it deems inappropriate. DCBS while supporting DCBS programs. ___________________________________________ For only $200 per year, businesses receive DCBS Board Members Name (please print clearly above) the same benefits of individual DCBS members President: Felix McClairen (see above) PLUS 6 postings of any combina- [email protected] __________________________________________ tion of 1/4 page ads in the DCBS monthly Vice President: Nick Dale Address newsletter and/or web icons on the DCBS web- [email protected] site. Each web icon/event posting will remain Secretary: Celina Wood ___________________________________________ on the DCBS website for one week per posting. [email protected] City/State/Zip Code — for a total of 6 weeks presence on the DCBS Treasurer: Frank Kahan website. This is a $240-$280 value, for only [email protected] ___________________________________________ Advertising: Jazs Telephone $200. [email protected] To get more information, or to establish Jams & Festival: Sam’i Nuriddin ___________________________________________ corporate membership, visit: [email protected] E-mail www.dcblues.org/memb/mbr_join.php. Merchandise: James Ginyard [email protected] Dues per year (circle appropriate one): ADVERTISE IN THE DCBS Media: Howard Herrnstadt Student: $15 (Include photocopy of student ID) CAPITAL BLUES MESSENGER [email protected] Individual: $25 Family: $35 Corporate: $200 Canada: $35 (US funds) Honorary Directors: John Cephas (1930-2009) AD RATES Barry Lee Pearson, Joseph Wilson Other Countries: $50 (US funds) Contributions (not dues) are tax-deductible. Business card $20 Key Volunteers Please allow up to six weeks for processing Blues in the Schools: Dr. S.O. Feelgood If Family, list member names:__________________ 1/8 page $25 (301-322-4808) 1/4 page $40 E-Blast Producer/Membership Assistant: Your volunteer time/talent is always welcome. If Chris DeProperty interested in volunteering, check interest(s): 1/3 page $55 Grants Manager: OPEN [email protected] __ Update Website 1/2 page $75 Membership: Sam’i Nuriddin __ Work a shift at a show (DCBS table, door, etc.) 2/3 page $110 [email protected] __ Promote shows (distribute flyers, handbills, etc.) Newsletter Full page $140 Editor: Pat Bransford __ Raise funds (sell ads, organize auctions, etc.) [email protected] __ Write reviews or take photos for Newsletter Rates are based on camera-ready artwork and Staff: Mary Knieser, Sylvia Kiser (see your name in print!) must be received by the 7th of the prior month. Blues Calendar: Mike Wolk __ Other? ___________________________ Design service is outsourced and a fee will be Volunteer Coordinator: OPEN charged. Ads should be at least 300 dpi in either [email protected] ___________________________________________ PDF or JPG. Submit in B/W and color when possi- Website ble. Ad size and space allocation contingent on Administrators: Jazs, Fred Morser Mail with check to prior commitments and editorial content. DCBS [email protected] THE DC BLUES SOCIETY reserves the right to refuse advertising it deems Forum: Crawlin’ Kingsnake [email protected] P.O. BOX 77315 inappropriate. Ad specs and on--line rates: DCBS on Facebook: Stacy Brooks WASHINGTON, DC 20013-73 www.dcblues.org DCBS on PayPal: Fred Morser Questions? E-mail: [email protected] President’sJuly 2012 Drum Capital Blues Messenger 25 Years Kickin’ It! Directors. This is a great chance to see Zac I’m on a volunteer kick. I’ll get to that in a sec’. DCBS was officially up close in an informal nightclub setting born on June 17, 1987. For many legacy Bluesmen (and Blues songs), and enjoy this gifted songwriter, singer, and actual or verifiable “dates of birth” are often hard to come by. Not so killer guitarist. See p. 8 for more informa- with the DC Blues Society. We use official documents that declare the tion on Zac, and come and write your own organization a corporation on a given date. In this case, that’s June 17. review! We are thrilled to have served the Blues-loving fans in the DMV for Kickin’ & Beggin’ all this time! And we look forward to another 25 years. The Blues ain’t Or is that beggin’ and kickin’? Guess it going nowhere. In fact, I predict a severe outbreak of Blues in the next depends on the context… 10-15 years if we, our politicians, and corporate titans stay on track. [I Back to my volunteers kick and the beg. digress.] We need you for the Fish Fry and the Mem- Felix McClairen Yeah, DCBS keeps kickin’ it fueled by the time and dedication of phis Blues Blowout. All you have to do is by Ron Weinstock volunteers. Think about it. Corporations that pay folks to work don’t send me an email ([email protected]), stay around this long consistently fulfilling the mission for which they or visit the DCBS website (www.dcblues.org) for more details and to were born! The difference is that for volunteers, it’s a love thang. And sign up. love trumps a lot of stuff… I’m not ashamed of begging, it’s the nature of most 501(c)3 organi- And on that note, instead of my typical volunteer beg, I have a zations. I’m just representin’. We’re always begging for donations of “Thank You” message. time and money. I’ve been talking about time donations, but I want to I want to welcome Chris DeProperty to the ranks of indispensable thank a donor who recently gave DCBS $250 in “symmetry” with our DCBS volunteers. You heard me pleading for Mona’s replacement for 25th Anniversary (yes, that’s $10 for each of our 25 years) and thanking months now. Chris recently answered that plea and has assumed re- us for what we do. That’s very encouraging and heartwarming. I’ll let sponsibilities assisting with membership, and producing and e-mailing him remain anonymous, but I call him one of DCBS biggest fans, sup- DCBS updates, announcements, newsletters and more. This isn’t the first time Chris has volunteered with us. We’re happy to have her back. porting our events and fundraising efforts at every turn. I encourage those of you with the wherewithal, to follow this member’s lead. You should know Chris from her hosting the ‘Bama Hour on WPFW 89.3 Symmetry is symmetry though… A $25 donation makes us smile, too. FM, Saturdays 11 am - 12 pm. Chris is one of the best music pickers in the biz. Check her out.