If you've been paying attention, you'll remember that BlueNotes is spending some time in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and, among other things, looking for some good blues.
I had a chance to find some this past Sunday, when the Tampa Bay area blues society -- the Suncoast Blues Society -- and the local public radio station WMNF put together an afternoon and evening of local blues performers at the very unique Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa. Of course, BlueNotes arrived late, had to park way down across the railroad tracks (the bikers got all the best spots), and therefore missed half the show.
The Skipperdome itself is kind of cool -- a mostly outdoors bar and concert spot under a few really huge, spreading trees filled with Spanish moss, in front of a stage that looks almost like a set from something at Walton's Mountain. But it was fun, and the local bands that I saw were very good -- Nervous Turkey and Damon Fowler, now a Blind Pig recording artist (read BlueNotes' review), and later during a jam, the piano boogie of Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues.
I would have had some photos, but BlueNotes was caught with his digital gear down, so you'll just have to take my word for all this atmosphere.
Meanwhile, back in the Burgh, the great blues-rocker Walter Trout is coming to Moondog's in Blawnox tomorrow night. Trout is a fine guitar player, and his last album, "The Outsider," showed off strong songwriting skills and an ability to show more subtlety than some of his fast-hand work implies.
Posted
Apr 02 2009, 09:30 AM
by
Jim White