I've already mentioned the great blues lineup coming your way this weekend, and a couple of our intrepid commenters have helped. I'd like to pass along a few last-minute thoughts, then you should all go out and enjoy the music. Since BlueNotes is still basking in the Florida sun, we'll await reviews from any interested blues lovers.
Tonight's show is by Buddy Guy, at the Palace in Greensburg. Guy is fast becoming one of the few remaining Chicago blues greats. If you've never seen him, give yourself a treat and go. Music this good, with its living blues history, doesn't come around that often any more, will come around even less in the future. If you have seen him, well .... go see him again. On top of all that, he's simply one of the best. And I think he's gotten even better in recent years, since he's taken a bit of a turn back toward his roots with his last few albums.
Tomorrow night (Saturday, for those of you without calendars), finds the blues-belting Shemekia Copeland at Moondog's, and Chicago harp wizard Bill Lupkin at the Thunderbird.
Shemekia is the young daughter of the great blues guitarist Johnny "Clyde" Copeland," but she's matured tremendously as a a performer in the past few years. She cranks out great blues and soul, and has taken a turn toward songwriting and more thoughtful work on her new album, "Never Going Back."
Lupkin has been playing blues harp for more than 40 years in Chicago. If anybody has absorbed the music into his blood, Lupkin has. (That's his photo above, taken last year at the Wheeling Heritage blues festival).
I've seen them both recently. Shemekia put on a heckuva show at Moondog's last year, winding up on the dance floor at the end of the night. Lupkin turned in fine work at Wheeling, but as more of a sideman than a featured artist. So my choice, if I had one, would be to catch the Lupkin show. No matter what you pick, you'll hear some great music.
Then Sunday night, Moondog's will host the finals of the Western Pa. Blues Society's blues challenge, to find a winner who will represent the area in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next year.
Here's the lineup:
SOLO/DUO's + 2 finalists from competitions at DVine Wine and Kendrews
2:00 Monica Yasher and Steve S.
2:30 Dave Iglar
3:00 Gary Prisby
3:30 Guitar John
4:00 Junk Blues
4:30 Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle
5:00 Mack Jump
5:30 Felix and the Hurricanes
6:00 Bubs McKeg and Dr. Blue
6:30 Jill West and Blues Attack
7:00 Gary Applegate and Sal Barberra
7:30 Craig King and Kings Ransom
Posted
Apr 24 2009, 01:00 AM
by
Jim White