Dear John, GCJr has come a long way since I first became aware of him. He's still got a lot in front of him. I'm happy for his successes. He's one of the most popular players in the Austin area besides Jimmie. Out & About looks a little skimpy lately. Don't know it it's the weather of acts are not posting but I'm happy to list your shows when I can find them. That means you Rob Nice. Showdown is coming up fast. Hope y'all are sharpening those axes for a real barn burner on Sept. 22 and 29. This is always a fun event and we get to see and hear some of the best around. Make your plans. Many of you knew Chris Welker who passed away this week after a bout with pneumonia. Plans are being made for a celebration-or-life gig a little later in the summer. We'll let you know. In the meantime, be nice to each other and make it a point to hug somebody this week. Make it a good'n... Sincerely, Jim Crawford - PBS
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GC Jr, Pt II The clubs became Clark's second home. "As a kid, you're trying to look for some place to go where you feel comfortable. We had something that nobody else had. I was out 'til, like, two in the morning. I'd come in smelling of cigarettes and booze 'cos some dude spilled his Glenlivet when he was teaching me the chords to whatever song. There was a danger to the fact that we weren't supposed to be there." His skipped classes, and his grades nose-dived. He was busted smoking weed on school grounds and spent a couple of nights in jail. "I was a rebel with a cause, and the cause was music. I'm with the kids who are around the back with the acoustic guitars and the bongos and the smoke that smells funny. I learned how to drink early, hung out with older women. I learned a lot fast. It was blues university."By the time he was out of his teens, he'd already put out two albums: 2001's Worry No More and 2004's 110. But his personal life had become as unfocused as his academic life had been. "I was out of school, I had no responsibilities, I had my own apartment - it was party time," he says. "I was running around, having a good time, but I was also struggling to keep bills happening, trying to figure out how to make it as a musician..." It was the morning after his electricity was cut off that Clark got the text that changed his life. "It was my friend Doyle Bramhall II," he says, naming the Texas musician who's played with everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Roger Waters and Elton John. Bramhall said Clark could expect an offer from Eric Clapton to play the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago, a series of music festivals and events founded by Clapton. "I'm like: 'Don't bullshit me,' and he's like: 'No, this is going to happen." A few weeks later, Clark got a letter from Clapton formally inviting him to play the 2010 Crossroads Festival in Chicago in front of 20,000 people. He thought about his life, and how the fun had overtaken the ambition, and he came to a decision. "I'm, like: 'I need to get my shit together,'" he remembers.Clark did indeed get his shit together. The Crossroads was the point where his career properly achieved lift-off. Afterwards, Clapton wrote him another letter, this one saying that Clark had made him want to play guitar again. That papal blessing led to a major-label deal with Warners - and that whole Saviour Of The Blues thing that he's spent the whole time since trying to shake off. He says he doesn't count Clapton as a friend so much as a passing acquaintance. Same goes for Jimmy Page, who has also sung his praises. Former US President Barack Obama doesn't really even qualify as that, though the two men met when Clark was invited to play at the White House in 2012. "We talked about Chicago blues, Buddy Guy. Then all of a sudden I thought: 'Man, he's been talking to me for a little while. I should probably let him get back to making sure that this country is cool,' you know what I mean?" Still, there's a sense of a torch being passed on. "For the sake of the story, yeah, I'll go with that," he says, not entirely convincingly. "But there was none of this [mimes being anointed]. I didn't get that from Jimmie Vaughan or Doyle Bramhall either. But I felt like I was being accepted. It's like when you're a kid and you want to play with the big boys. I guess I'm part of the squad. They never said I was, but they keep calling me back." There's a reason for that. In a form so hung up on tradition, Clarke is an innovator - to the point where classifying him as a 'blues' artist is a stretch. His multi-genre mash-up is a world away from the reverential approach of the Joes, Walters and Kenny Waynes of this world. Does he think the blues has been hijacked by white guys in shiny suits? "Yes," he says. Then he changes his mind. "Not hijacked. You can't say that, because it comes from a love of it. But it's definitely been borrowed and interpreted and put out in a different way." In a good way? "In some ways. I think Stevie Ray Vaughan was the best thing that happened to the blues in a while. The Fabulous Thunderbirds [in which Jimmie Vaughan was the lead guitarist] were the best thing. Charlie Musselwhite, guys like that. The thing that bothers me is when guys think that they can make a career out of trying to step in somebody else's shoes." How do you mean? "For me, you can't make a record of Muddy Waters or Elmore James songs and say: 'This is my record.' No it's not. It's great to tip your hat, but I'm sorry, I don't want to hear that... It's like: 'I don't want to hear that version, I want to hear Muddy's version.'" Who are you talking about? "You want me to name names?" he asks, laughing. "Man, I'm not going to do all that." For all his iconoclasm and forward-thinking momentum, Clark still sees himself as a classic bluesman: "It's at the heart of everything I do. Blues, R&B, soul music - that's what I grew up on." But at the same time, he stands at the cutting edge of things. He's a modern magpie, a one-man playlist of styles and genres, righteous fury and all. "The prize to me is there's no prize," he says. "It's just a feeling of not feeling contained. Because at the end of the day, when I'm laid up in my deathbed, I don't want to say I was a caricature. I was just a dude who rode a wave, and did whatever I felt cos that's how I felt. Just natural and comfortable." GCJr...LIVE!!
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Long-time Valley drummer passes Chris Welker, a long-time percussionist in the Phoenix area, passed away on June 28th due to complications from pneumonia. Those who knew Chris will remember him as a gentle soul forever focused on his music. For many decades Chris was a regular fixture at the many music venues around town supporting and sitting in with many local bands. He also performed over the years with such notables as the Jim Glass Band as well as Big Pete Pearson. A memorial/celebration of life is being planned and we will post that information as soon as it is finalized. If you knew Chris, and/or you can share this post with others who knew him, please do! |
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| OUT & ABOUT Tuesday, July 9 Wednesday, July 10 Chuck Hall, 6 p.m., Corrado's, Carefree Thursday, July 11 Brigitte Purdy/Michele Lundeen, 8 p.m., Rhythm Room, Phoenix Sugar Thieves Duo, 6 p.m., Culinary Dropout, Gilbert Paris James, 7 p.m., St. Armand Kitchen, Chandler Eric Ramsey Hosts OPEN MIC, 6 p.m., Fatso's Pizza, Phoenix Hans Olson EVERY THURSDAY, 6 p.m., Handlebar, Apache Junction Arizona Blues Project, 8 p.m., Harold's, Cave Creek Friday, July 12 Hans Olson, 6 p.m., Fatso's Pizza, Phoenix Rocket 88s, 7:30 p.m., Rags, Youngtown Hoodoo Casters, 8 p.m., El Dorado, Scottsdale Saturday, July 13 Soul Power Band, 9 p.m., Rhythm Room, Phoenix Hans Olson, 6 p.m., Fatso's Pizza, Phoenix Big Daddy D & The Dynamites, 7 p.m., The Raven, Prescott Sugar Thieves, 6:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency, Scottsdale JC & The Rockers, 6:30 p.m., Taco Guild, Phoenix Nina Curri w/Mike Howard, Voodoo Daddy's, Tempe BluZone, 7 p.m., West Alley BBQ, Chandler Outback Blues Band, 5 p.m., Tri-City FOE, Mesa Sunday, July 14 Sweet Baby Ray's Blue Smoke, 2 p.m., Spirit Room, Jerome Mike Eldred, 3 p.m., The Vig, Scottsdale True Flavor Blues, NOON, Copper Star, Phoenix Monday, July 15
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Jams Sunday Rocket 88s JAM, 4 p.m., Chopper John's, Phoenix Bourbon Jack's JAM w/Kody Herring, 6 p.m., Chandler JAM Hosted by The Scott O'Neal Band. Every other Thursday, Windsock, Prescott Sir Harrison, JAM every other Sunday, The Windsock, Prescott MONDAY Bam Bam & Badness Open JAM, 9 p.m., Char's, Phoenix Weatherford Hotel JAM, 6:30 p.m., Flagstaff TUESDAY OPEN JAM Hosted by Jilly Bean & The Flipside Blues Band, 7 p.m., Steel Horse Saloon, Phoenix JAM Sir Harrison, 9 p.m., Char's, Phoenix Gypsy's Bluesday Night JAM, 7 p.m. Pho Cao, Tempe Tailgaters JAM, 7 p.m., Glendale WEDNESDAY Rocket 88s, JAM, 6 p.m., The Last Stop (Old Hideaway West), Phoenix Tool Shed JAM Party, 6 p.m. Gabby's, Mesa THURSDAY Tool Shed JAM Party, 7 p.m., Steel Horse Saloon, Phoenix Jolie's Place JAM w/Adrenaline, 9 p.m., Chandler NEW JAM @ The Bench, Hosted by BluZone, 7 p.m., The Bench, Tempe Friday Saturday Bumpin' Bud's JAM 2nd & 4th Saturdays JAM, 6 p.m., Marc's Sports Grill |
GOT BLUES? If you are a Blues musician, a group, or a club that features Blues music, and would like to be listed, please send your info to info@phoenixblues.org and we'll be happy to list your event in our weekly Out & About section of the newsletter |
Moved? Changed email addresses? Please let us know of any changes in your address, email, or phone number so we can keep you informed about the Blues community in Arizona. Email us at: info@phoenixblues.org or write to: Phoenix Blues Society P.O. Box 36874 Phoenix, Arizona 85067 |
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