MIDWEST BLUES BEAT

by Eric Steiner


 HOT AUGUST BLUES

     This month, I’d like to highlight a great collection of blues from a
most unlikely source, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.  I’ll also tell you
why Chicago guitar legend Guitar Red’s Live in the City is worth checking
out, and give a standing ovation to The Steepwater Band for their new
full-length studio disc, Brother to the Snake.

READY, GET SET, BLUES

   I know Midwest BEAT readers wouldn’t pick me out of a lineup to be a
runner, but I enjoy putting one foot after the other in the back of the pack.
 I used to think that “fun run” was a contradiction in terms, like “military
intelligence” or “business ethics.”  After ten years of running for fun,
usually at a pace many speedsters call glacial, I began to dream of the
classic race, the marathon.  My wife thought I immediately needed psychiatric
help.  My friends thought that I’d best save my energy just to make sure I
can hit the blues clubs on a Friday night.  Well, I’ve surprised my wife and
my friends, and most of all, I’ve surprised myself.  I’ve finished the
Portland Marathon twice, thanks in part to the training plans and virtual
coaching of legendary Chicago runner Hal Higdon, and a cassette full of blues
that helped me reach each milestone in my marathon training calendar.
Remember, I’m a Clydesdale, which is a very polite term for larger runner,
and we’re talking eight to ten minutes per mile, long enough to stop and
smell the flowers and take in the scenery along the way.  I’ve even stopped
in the 23rd mile of a marathon for a massage and a quick brew, but that’s
another story entirely.

    It’s not often that the blues intersect with one of my favorite sports. 
When they do, it’s pure magic, particularly when I’m listening to the blues
as I finish another mile at another race or training run.  I’ve finished the
Portland Marathon twice, and make it a habit of doing several 10 kilometer
and 5-kilometer fun runs throughout the year, rain or shine.  There are many
running clubs in the greater Chicagoland area, and I’ve heard that the motto
of the Park Forest Running Club is: “Start out slow and taper off.”  Well,
Mile After Blues Mile, a collection from Lakeshore Records, starts off and
just won’t quit. 

MILE AFTER BLUES MILE

     No matter what your distance, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and
Lakeshore Records’ have released some of the best new blues that Chicago has
to offer on "Mile After Blues Mile." 

    This compilation has a first-class starting line, including John Primer,
Sam Cockrell & the Groove, and legendary blues drummer Willie “Big Eyes”
Smith.  My favorites include Anthony Gomes’ “Higher,” Pistol Pete’s “Same
Old Song,” and “Dust My Broom” interpreted by The Steepwater Band, who are a
direct link to the era of plugged-in Chicago blues that gave us those classic
Chess sides from Elmore James.   Guitar wizard Billy King gets mighty funky
on “Back to My Baby” and Cathy Richardson’s sultry vocals wrap themselves
right around “Sinners and Saints.”  Mile After Blues Mile will be in my CD
player the next time I cross the finish line, and I hope it'll be in yours,
too.
 
    This year’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will be held on Sunday, October
7, 2001.  Early registration is encouraged, as the field will be capped at
37,500 participants.  Pick up Chicago’s Amateur Athlete for more information
or check out the race’s website,   www.chicagomarathon.com .  For those
athletes who aren’t ready for a marathon, the American Airlines International
Breakfast Fun Run will be held on Saturday, October 6th where elite athletes
and special guests will lead a five kilometer non-competitive jog around the
Chicago’s Museum Campus and Grant Park.  This year’s LaSalle Banks Chicago
Marathon Weekend promises to have something for everyone!
 
GUITAR RED’S ALIVE IN THE CITY

   Guitar Red – aka Paul Johnson – should be a household name in Chicago
blues. His Alive in the City CD release on Chicago’s R&D Records, is well
worth picking up.  According to one of his longtime, fellow musicians,
“Bongo” Dick Shultz – “Guitar Red was a staff guitarist for the legendary
Chess and Checker labels in Chicago.  He was The Dells’ first guitarist and
played with The Spaniels.  At one time, he was the hottest act in Chicago,
doing several shows in different locations in one night.  Over time, he
stopped doing acrobatics with the guitar and developed his own unique style
of playing like a band.  He put a bass string on his guitar and played bass
with his thumb while chording and taking off with his fingers.  Guitar Red
was doing this at the same time he was singing: something few can imagine,
let alone do!” 

    On Alive in the City, Guitar Red is one amazing one-man blues band:  he
plays guitar and bass, keyboards, mini-Grand and blues harp, in addition to
programming an Alesis drum machine.  I took a listen to Alive in the City,
and it’s one of my new favorites.  The jazzy “Until I Lost You,” the funky
“Shoe Booty Blues” and the all-over-the-blues “Retro Glide” all make me
wonder:  what could Guitar Red do with a full band?  This album is so amazing
that I’m going to seek out some of his Excello sides from the 1950’s,
including the all instrumental, Hot Potato.  This guy’s remarkable.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL STEEPWATER

     July 28th was a watershed night for the regional blues quartet –
Steepwater Band.  It was the CD release party at the Double Door in Chicago
for Brother to the Snake, and I hope that they played – “Leo’s Grass,”
“Goin’ Back Home,” or the full-tilt rock of “Feelin’ in the Air” – three
of my favorite cuts from this powerful disc that ranges from country to rock
to blues and everywhere in between.

    Steepwater has just been announced as one of the eight bands selected to
perform on the Midwest BEAT’s October 28 “Region Rumble” showcase at the St
ar Plaza Theatre.  Kudos to Tom Lounges for heeding this columnist’s vote
on that matter.  Dozens of promotional kits and CDs have flooded The BEAT’s
mail box from Chicagoland bands hopeful of doing that show.  I know that
picking the lucky eight was not a decision made lightly, but I know the
Steepwater band will prove a worthwhile choice!

     Until next month, I’m going to load Miles After Blues Mile, Alive in the
City and Brother to the Snake in my CD player and kick back.   You should,
too.