| Review | Rate | | I am so glad I went to the First Annual Dry Bones Blues Festival Saturday afternoon, June 17th. I found it thumbing through a copy of The Phoenix.
A woman out alone at night is not a safe thing. I can hear the admonishment already. “You were where? Doing what? When!?” I have avoided the live blues music venue. They’re typically at night, in establishments that serve alcohol. I’ve read Twin Cities Blues News, studied it, and even asked my son did he like blues music. “Nope.” Going appealed to him not at all, so I gave up. ‘Settled for listening on Friday nights from to the Blues on KBEM 88 Jazz radio in my living room.
The Phoenix article written by Banjo Tom Hilber stated that a five-dollar donation could be given at the door. We don’t negotiate with the cashier at the grocery store so a five spot’s what I stuck in my pocket. Since St. Paul Blues fest listed their admission price as $25.00 I got all the bang for my buck. And more. And this Blues Fest was in a church; a clean softly lit air-conditioned church. There was copious elbowroom in each pew, room for folks to stretch out comfortably, and amicably.
Performer “Cooker” John Sanger’s control of his slide was so beautiful it would bring Bonnie Raitt to tears. It did me. He toyed with us-- about himself, about the bare-bones proceedings-- with a dry understated sense of humor.
The Brothers in Blues’ vocalist Billie Newel had such a sweet smile I’m surprised they haven’t dubbed him the “Sugar Man.” ‘Reminded me of “Tony,” one of the most polite men I’ve ever met. I heard Tony won a $100.00 in a singing contest one night. This man’s smile said he enjoyed where he was, what he was doing and with whom. His good voice with its sweetness is so tempting. His girlfriend knows that. Before he got on stage it was her arm he was on. The Brothers in Blues started out with a couple standards that choked me up for the injustice of it. Eric Clapton –not these men--gets notice.
Miki Lewi | 7 | | 651-491-6286 | 6 | | June 16, 2007 | 6 | | Each of the entities has a vested interest in recovery and making music sober. When Miki Lewis, of Devlin Entertainment, who grew up as a young man with a guitar strapped to his back in the Mount Airy Housing area up the street from the church, saw the Friday Sober Jammers dedication and staying power, (it will be Jammers fourth year anniversary this August 25th), in his old neighborhood, he added his entertainment company stable of 100’s of musicians and added to the ninety musician contacts the Jammers had fostered and a formidable deal evolved namely The first annual AIR CONDITIONED DRY BONES BLUES FESTIVAL | 7 |
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