MIDWEST BLUES BEAT

by Eric Steiner

GIVE THANKS FOR THE BLUES

(& OUR VETERANS TOO!)

Each and every time I listen to the Siegel-Schwall Band’s new CD, Flash Forward, watch the DVD of the Chicago Blues Reunion, or turn up the Chicago Blues Harmonica Project, I’m thankful for Chicago blues and the musicians who make this magic possible.

This Thanksgiving, I want to offer a blues cornucopia for Turkey Day, and along the way, honor another holiday that I’ve celebrated in uniform and as a civilian. I’m talking about Veterans’ Day, and I’d like to salute Bud Monaco for his work in preserving America’s military musical heritage.

FRONT & CENTER: BUD MONACO

Local promoter Bud Monaco, an Army veteran, has worked tirelessly to capture military music. More info is available at Bud’s web site, www.soproproductions.com

Check out his online music magazine and you will find links to several artists he’s supported in over three decades behind some memorable homegrown blues, including artists like the late Jody Noa or touring artists like Joe Jammer or Jim Zeller.

While Bud’s military music is a decidedly niche market, I am hopeful that new generations of veterans will appreciate this labor of love. Whether you agree or disagree with our country’s role in Iraq, I hope that you would please remember that our soldiers, sailors and airmen are our friends and neighbors as well as our sons and our daughters. Remember their sacrifice and service on Veterans’ Day, November 11th.

A BLUES CORNACOPIA

Each time a blues band gets it right, whether it’s another bar-band send-up of “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Mustang Sally,” or “Hoochie Coochie Man,” I am thankful for the blues.

I am going to talk about three recent blues CDs that will keep you warm on a cold Midwestern November night. They occupy a special place on my CD shelf for the way they rocket me right back to the same emotions

I felt when I first discovered the blues in the ‘70s on Triad Radio and WXRT-FM (when Radio Chicago read all of their radio ads just like WFMT-FM used to do).

J.B. Hutto

Stompin’ At Mother Blues (Delmark)

Slide guitarist JB Hutto was a worthy heir to Elmore James’ throne. While his slide was not as rough and ragged as Hound Dog Taylor’s, I have always appreciated Hutto’s forceful vocals and economic guitar style.

Listen to how his Hawks hang loosely together on “Hip Shakin,” “Evening Train,” or “Alcohol Blues” and you’ll experience important and powerful blues blasts in three minutes or less, thanks to Bob Koester and Delmark Records.

MICHAEL POWERS

Onyx Root (Baryon)

Michael Powers’ 2004 debut garnered praise from Living Blues and Blues Revue. Add Midwest BEAT to this list.

“Another Man Done” hauntingly evokes Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Farm with Powers’ quick-picking and trance-like vocals. “Baby’s Got a Train” is a perfect for a nice and close rumba or samba with the lights down low. It’s been decades since I heard the Sir Douglas Quintet’s version of “She’s About a Mover,” and Michael’s version is faithful to the original version of that nugget from the sixties.

ERIC BIBB

A Ship Called Love (Telarc)

Eric Bibb is one of the world’s premier acoustic bluesmen. Listen to “Like Aretha Loves to Sing,” and “I’ll Never Lose You,” or “That’s What I Do” and discover three of the most heartfelt love songs ever written.

You will not find Eric Bibb standing at the crossroads making a deal with the devil; down and out in an alley with a bottle, or hitching a ride on a blind (what is that type of train here).

If you are in love, you’ll appreciate the way Eric Bibb expresses himself. He captures the silly, giddy, illogical ways of a man in love, and if you’re in the mood for a collection of upbeat and positive love songs, get on A Ship Called Love.

A SPECIAL THANKSGIVING…

Thanksgiving will be different for my family this year. It will be our first Thanksgiving without Rita Jo Steiner.

Mom died in a car accident last spring, and we’ll trade stories about her to honor Mom’s memory. I’ll always remember how she always had a hot meal for me when I worked late at the Chicago International Film Festival or caught the last Illinois Central home after a Chicago Stadium concert in the 1970’s.

This Thanksgiving, raise a glass to absent friends and loved ones during the holidays; and of course, play the blues.

Until our double-shot of an issue rings in 2006 next month, let’s play the blues.

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