MIDWEST BLUES BEAT

by Eric Steiner

HOMEMADE BLUES JUST FOR YOU

I’m new to the land of online music, but I clearly understand that musicians and listeners need to find a balance between art and commerce.

Whether they are supported by a record label, distribution deal, or recording original material in the attic, these bluesmen and blueswomen are trying to cover their costs, fuel their passion for the blues, and for the lucky few, make a profit from what is largely a labor of love.

So, it’s with mixed emotions that I mention a few artists that have put their music out there online available at no-cost – I try to remember they’re there to pique your interest in their music.

Please don’t look at this column as a way to scam another full-length blues song for your MP3 player; visit these sites to discover some blues that you can definitely use. Along the way, please support the artist by buying their CD, or better yet, thank them for making full-length songs available to the general public.

This month, I’ll offer Universal Slim and the Blues Kangaroos, the Pat Smillie Band, the Rabble Rousers, and the Antone’s label (part of the Texas Music Group) as a good start to discover the world of free, legal, and downloadable online blues.

“Tore Down” by Universal Slim and the Blues Kangaroos is available under the Audio tab online at www.theblueskangaroos.com.

I particularly liked the way Bob “Slim”" Rader and Danny “Wayne” Koby share guitar leads, while Dave “The Horn” Ford fills in on trumpet behind the rhythm section of Bobby “B” Taylor on bass and Dave’s daughter Hannah “The Killer” Ford on drums.

Universal Slim and the Blues Kangaroos are playing more than most around Chicagoland, checkout their web site for a list of upcoming gigs.

Pat Smillie is no stranger to regular readers of this column. He’s also been a regular at the Best Buy Stage at the Chicago Blues Festival. Check out his soulful vocals on “Last Time I Saw Him” from the 2003 Chicago Blues Festival at http://www.patsmillie.com/ under the “Free Downloads” section of Pat’s site.

The Rabble Rousers play no-frills Chicago blues. Their site features full-length songs for promotional use only, and as I type these bits and bytes, I listen to their exceptional “Travelin’ Blues” at the “MP3s and Store” tab from www.rabblerousersband.com.

Rich Rabble and John Spira founded the Rabble Rousers in 2002, and they have Rick Fobes on the Hammond B-3 (with the classic Leslie cabinet) and Mike Maloney on bass, with several regular drummers that include: Tommy Rugg, Aaron Turner, and Terrell Carter, among others.

If you spend a great deal of your worklife at a computer workstation, like I do, Lavelle White’s “Computer Blues” should hit a familiar keystroke and it’s online at the Texas Music Group,

www.txmusicgroup.com/antones/listen.html

Find Lavelle’s song under the “Free MP3” tab on the right hand side of the page above Barry Goldberg’s “Heart of Stone.”

No matter which you site you click, respect the artists’ copyrights by listening to their music for personal use only. Better yet, buy their CDs and see their shows.

HOT OCTOBER TICKETS…

I’m devoting more ink to the blues calendar this month because there are so many opportunities to experience the blues live in October until the cold chills of November blow in next month.

If you’re free on Tuesdays, Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band play Rosa’s Lounge on West Armitage in Chicago. I’m pleased to report that Marilynn Claire’s web site is finally up – www.marclaire.com – and she’s at the Creole Café in Bloomington on the 1st and back up to Palos Hills at the Peppercorn Grille on the 21st.

One of the finest purveyors of traditional Louisiana music, BeauSoliel Avec Michael Doucet, plays at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn on the 7th. Joanna Connor and Magic Slim and the Teardrops tear up Kingston Mines on the 7th and 8th, and Magic Slim returns to Buddy Guy’s Legends on the 22nd prior to jetting off to Russia to export Chicago blues to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

My favorite British guitarist, Steve Winwood, plays the House of Blues on the 7th and 8th as well. On the 8th, Dyer, Indiana’s Vital Support Band, led by guitarist Paul Hendricks, plays down in Lafayette at the Knickerbocker Saloon. Universal Slim and the Blues Kangaroos play Bungalow Joe’s in Hanover Park on the 14th .

Ready to raise some rabble? Well, get to The Rabble Rousers Band’s CD Release Party and pick up Hot Roddin’ Rock N’ Blues at Quigley’s South in Oaklawn on the 15th.

That same night, Deb Seitz and Frank Anastos return to Molly Malone’s in Forest Park, and be sure to pick up one of J.B. Ritchie’s CDs when he brings his Power Blues to Galveston’s in Michigan City.

Telarc Recording artist Debbie Davies will play Buddy Guys Legends on the 21st, and on the 28th, sample some spaetzle and traditional thuringer at Oktoberfest at the Berghoff on the 28th.

Eric Bibb joins John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers on October 28th at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin and I hope John will let Eric play something from his new Telarc CD, A Ship Called Love.

After Midnight Blues play the Key Palace in Red Key, Indiana near Muncie on the 29th, and later this year, this Hoosier venue will host Big Bill Morganfield, Mississippi Heat and John Primer (more info: www.keypalacetheatre.com/2005/).

Until next month, when we’ll see the 23rd Annual Sopro Productions’ Thanksgiving Chicago All Star Blues Revue on November 26, 2005 at Tommy's Place in Blue(s) Island, go out and support your local blues community.

Musicians covered in the pages of Midwest BEAT depend on your support through CD and ticket sales. Whether you’re out on the town or online, be sure to remember you can usually buy CDs directly from the artist, too.

Until November brings Chicagoland those cold northern winds, let’s stay warm by playing the blues!

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