Tag Archives: Michael Cloeren

March 7, 2013

2013 The Year of Live Music Update

So here we be about at the “Ides of March”* on the calendar and just want to check in on where we have been and ask where have you gone to support your pledge to make 2013 the Year of Live Music.

With the late December post we, challenged everyone, including ourselves, to make a concerted effort to support live music in 2013, even including a printable calendar to help you keep track on. So here is our meager effort along those lines.

January started with a quick trip to Chicago accompanying radio promotion mega-star Frank Roszak, and spent some quality time at Rosa’s Lounge. Then hit the high seas for some Blues cruisin’ with Roger Naber and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise family, which is always a delight and test of one’s fortitude.

As January faded into February we got ourselves to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. This is an amazing event where you can enjoy artists from around the world displaying their talents in open competition (which is somewhat at odds to the profession) and should be on any music lovers bucket list.

Later in February to alleviate some winter time malaise we hit the road to Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall, to see Tab Benoit bring some Swamp boogie ‘n’ blues to Western NY. One nice surprise that occurred a short while later was a visit from Michael Cloeren, all around music impresario and host of the Pennsylvania Blues Festival amongst other great music events. So he was travelling back from a Folk Symposium in Toronto, Canada and stopped by for some homemade chili and brought two of his friends with him. As it turned out one cat was John Francis a very talented singer songwriter. This guitar playing young man – who treated us to a ‘house concert’ – is out of Nashville where I seem to be finding more and more great blues artists these days.

Ah, back to March. I am hoping to get to the Dinosaur BBQ on the 20^th, for the fabulous Samantha Fish and her band. Then jump an airliner for the West Coast where I will host the Earl Thomas Raise The Roof Benefit Concert for the Blues Hall of Fame. This event will take place March 24, at 1pm PST. It will feature a cavalcade of stars, and be broadcast as a Pay Per View event by VenMundi from Club Fox in Redwood City, California.

The cost of a PPV ticket is $15, with half of the money going directly to the Raise the Roof fund, it is a great opportunity for fans to accomplish three things (at least) at once. Support the Blues Hall of Fame, see great live music and support The Year of Live Music pledge. How cool is that. For tix to the webcast show go to http://bit.ly/V28cxD or for tix to the live in person show go to http://clubfoxrwc.com/.

So that’s where we stand here at Blues411 in regard to the Live Music pledge, where are you at? Let us know by commenting on the post here or going to the Blues411 page on Facebook and share with all of us.

Look for updates as we thaw our way into the Spring and Summer Festival Season and any other surprises we come across.

*In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C.E. Caesar was stabbed (23 times) to death in the Roman Senate by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. The group included 60 other co-conspirators according to Plutarch. Another point which arises is Shakespeare’s use of the Ides of March and (the lack of doubt in) Marcus Brutus’ decision to assassinate Caesar to portray an atmosphere of madness, pleasure, and pandemonium. It is said that on ides of March the sea succumbs to chaos and the full moon brings high tides. All these points give the Ides of March a very mysterious quality.

Love, Peace & Chicken Grease

chefjimi
©Blues411.com 2013
Where Blues Thrives
Photos: Leslie K. Joseph, Blues411

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The 411 in 15 Minutes: Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Des Lauriers

Just a quick bit of background here I had just seen Dawn Tyler & Paul at the Pennsylvania Blues Festival set the tent stage alight with their soulful and heartfelt renditions of original songs and covers of traditional blues and rock tunes.

What I didn’t realize was their story on how they got there and also anything about them. I was so impressed with their energy and stage presence that I corralled them for some quick chat to share with y’all, enjoy it I know I did.
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B411: Wow, what a set ! The emotional drain that you guys must have went thru during the set was incredible and highly visible. I mean you looked like you were wrung out and hung out to dry after it.

Dawn Taylor Watson: On goodness it was quite humid and the tent just kept it all underneath – but the towels and spritzers helped.

Paul Des Lauriers: Well, we managed to get here at three in the morning, and still don’t have our luggage or clothing. Hopefully we will have them all by the second set.

B411: That was the rumor going thru, that you had nothing arrive from your plane. What happened.

PD: There was a terrible weather over Detroit, and we got stuck on the tarmac in Omaha for four hours. That was before we could actually take off, but once we got to Detroit all the planes were landing and departing but everything was delayed or canceled which meant that we couldn’t get our flight to Allentown since it was canceled also.

So within twenty minutes I got us on a flight to Newark, but our luggage and gear didn’t make it.
DTW: Yeah, we got here from Newark, NJ at like three in the morning.

B411: How, who drove or limo?

PD: Well thanks to my beautiful girlfriend here who accompanied us on this trip, she drove 100 mph on the turnpike to get us here.
B411: OK I won’t use her photo here we wouldn’t want her arrested (we laugh).

PD: I had to run out and buy a guitar and some gear at five this morning from the local shop so we could actually play today. All they carried was these student guitars so that’s what I played.

B411: Wow, that would be a good guitar for me, but it just shows us all that it ain’t the guitar it’s the player.

So Dawn, you look great today, these are not your clothes?

DTW: Oh thank you, no I just bought this little thing. Thank God there are concessions here, we got in at three – got some sleep and got up at nine, and pretty much bee running around since.

B411: Smashing my dear, quite fetching.

DTW: Well Laura (Carbone) loaned me some things also, otherwise it would be a stinking mess.
B411: The Blues Framily takes care of one another yet again.

B411: So Paul you play that acoustic guitar like it owes you something. What I mean is that you really play it like it’s an electric. Incredible stuff.

PD: Well I do play the electric. I’d even venture to say that the electric is my main instrument.

B411: Really, I’ve never had the chance to hear ya play electric, but seeing you play the acoustic the way you do it’s not a far reach.

PD: As it should be, what happens is that a lot of people are going to see us – an acoustic show and are thinking folk, delicate finger picking and soft stuff – which we do a lot of, and I dig it – but much like an electric guitar you can pull out a lot of notes from it and squeeze out many different sounds from it. I approach it with the same energy that I approach my electric with. I don’t see a difference I am playing it the same way I would play my Les Paul thru a Marshall amp cranked to 10.

B411: To me it’s as close to an electric show but played with an acoustic.

PD: Yeah, people love it, and I like that approach. It sort of developed out of necessity to, part that’s the style I want to play but also out of sheer desperation. I’m the only guy on the stage so I have to be the drummer, the bass player so that’s where the necessity comes in.

B411: You do work a lot of that finger picking styled guitar work in to the show but on the other end you crush that baby when you need to.

PD: We do it all – that’s the neat thing about our show it is that varied. One might think an acoustic duo show would be soft and such, we have those moments but we really rock it out and get loud. I think what we do is very original.

B411: Yes quite so. Now dawn is no slouch vocally either. She can belt it out with the best, but she also can weave a tapestry of sounds that range from Jazz inspired phrasing to taking on Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Cold Shot” – which is what first turned me on to ya’s.

PD: We just played in Omaha and our friend introduced us to the audience as one of those rare occasions where 1+1=3 !
DTW: Well put, it was the Playing with Fire Festival. It’s pretty cool, we are the sum of the parts but we also front our own bands also.

PD: Yeh we came together as both front persons and are used to working like that. So when you bring us together its like we are a one/two punch.

B411: You two seem to be somewhat opposite in musical background or direction. Dawn, I know has a penchant for Jazz typed vocals, while you have a rocker styled image.

PD: Yes that’ quite the case, and we meet in the Blues.

B411: Yes the illegitimate child of a forbidden tryst. There is something quite attractive about mixed genres or races they usually turn out really stunning.

PD: (laughing) well if we’re making analogies about records or music as children then that s correct.
People ask what style do you do, I think that Dawn and my backgrounds are so eclectic that we don’t like to limit ourselves to do one thing. We touch Jazz, Rock, Folk, all sorts of Roots music, and, of course Blues and mix it all together – it’s the sum of all of our influences.

B411: You did a version of “Tracks Of My Tears” that was really great. Then Dawn went off on a jazz-scat vocal voyage, just exactly what you said – an amalgam of influences.

DTW: Oh goodness Paul is the ultimate interviewee. I can barely get a word in, perfect!

B411: So do you guys get down across the border often? Last time I saw ya’ was at the IBC’s, and just briefly too.

DTW: Not as much as we’d like. There are always issues with work visas, the amount of time needed to get them in plus the whole legal workings that are always sticklers for details.

PD: I think that both sides make it really difficult for musicians to come across the border and work. These are the only two countries that I don’t like coming home to. You go to Europe they stamp your passport and big you are done. Have a nice day – play some music and than you. Here it’s where have you been, what have you got, a big hassle.

B411: Who can help with that – who on your end would handle it?

PD: A lot of it is handled by our manager also the ACFM (American Canadian Federation of Musicians) helps us some with some of that.

Note: At this point Ms.Anne Harris came over and we broke down the interview so the artists could spend time together and enjoy each other-that’s how Blues411 rolls.

Please visit their site to learn more about this dynamic duo of Blues/Roots music: http://dawnandpaul.com/

and individually:
Dawn: http://www.dawntylerwatson.com/
Paul: http://www.pauldeslauriers.ca/

Until next time,
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease
chefjimi
©Blues411.com 2012
Where Blues Thrive
photos: Leslie K. Joseph, Blues411

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Photo Gallery/Review: Pennsylvania Blues Festival

Well, Blue Mountain Resort was aptly named as the Pennsylvania Blues Festival held court from Friday thru Sunday this past weekend.

Michael Cloeren with an able assist by Virginia Buckley and staff, managed the festival with outbursts of rain, thunder, lightning and even a rainbow to throw down one of the baddest festivals to date this year. Featuring The Brooks Family Dynasty, Joe Louis Walker, Wallace Coleman, Lurrie Bell & Billy Branch man o’ man i can just go on but . . .

Some interesting things happened:
Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers barely made it in. Their plane was delayed and the hit Newark airport only to be stranded. But thanks to Gussie (Formula one driving school graduate-well not really) they hit the NJ Turnpike and made it there by 3:00AM – but their clothes and gear did not. An early (well later) morning foray to the local music shop snagged Paul a student guitar that he tied a string around and played that mutha till it cried out in surrender and became one with his talents. Paul & Dawn Tyler Watson put on such a great show that people were lining up in the rain for their return to the acoustic stage later in the day.

Earl Thomas and The Blues Ambassadors played their sold out regularly scheduled Saturday night gig at Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco and then took the red eye to the East Coast for their first ever appearance on this side of the Mississippi. They went away leaving hordes of old and new fans yelling for more as they thrilled everyone with a seventy five minute set of Soul tinged R&B that transcends categories and genres.

Another rarely seen visitor to the East (and US it seems) was Eugene Hideaway Bridges. Bringing his Texas-styled combination of Blues, Jazz, Roots and Gospel Eugene won the hearts of many of those in attendance with superb vocals accompanied by some righteous guitar work.

While on the gospel and righteous path/stream here, Sun day morning we were all called to the Blue Mountain for some old tiem religion with Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY this band has been thrilling crowds in the NY Metro area for years. Their soul and gospel infused set was just the perfect touch to get us all moving and positive until the heavens opened up in response to their soulful sound.

Originally Michael K. Burks was slated to appear, but his untimely death created a void that no one could fill. In his place Otis Taylor & Band played with a passion and delivery that seemed downright otherworldly. Ms. Anne Harris fiddled and bowed in a seemingly trance-like state, while Otis weaved his contra-synched music and vocals into a musical pastiche that amazed even the most veteran fans of Otis. There was a moment when Otis, Anne and guitarist Shawn Starsky took to the runway in front and co-mingled their sounds that seemed to reach right to the heavens in honor to their fallen comrade and brother in the Blues.

There was so much more than even I, can you believe it, can write about. So let’s all mark this festival down s a MUST DO for next year. Michael has been doing one helluva job on this for over 20 years and to me that deserves strong support which means showing up and buying artists CD’s, beer, food and anything else to keep these types of events happening. It’s not good enough to ‘keep the Blues alive – that’s sounding like a respirator type thing – we need to keep the Blues thriving and vital.

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