Seattle Superharp Showcase

The New Orleans Creole Restaurant
October 14 – 15, 2005

We had a great time at the third annual Superharp Showcase this last October. As usual, the gig happened at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, and the Midnight Movers did a sterling job backing up the six featured harp players (including yours truly).

Steve Yonck, Jeff Herzog, and the Mighty Mite.

I opened the show each night with a set of Midnight Movers tunes and then turned the show over to the featured players. On Friday night, Jeff Herzog (Jeff & the Jet City Fliers) played a great second set, followed by Seattle’s resident Little Walter expert, Dave Prez (the Combo Nation). The show was wrapped up (Friday and Saturday) by our friend from Salem, Oregon, Ray Beltran. Ray was killing us with the big, juicy tone he was getting out of his low-power Fender Twin Amp clone (manufactured by Mojo Tone, I believe). Mercy!

Ray Beltran and Mike Lynch

The harp amps of doom!

Friday’s gig was fun, but Saturday really rocked, stoked in part by a standing room only crowd from the very beginning on the night. Also, Tom “T-Boy” Boyle (Becki-Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies) filled in for Steve Yonck on guitar on Saturday and did a tremendous job for us. Northwest veteran harpist Steve Bailey (the Crossroads Band) tore up the second set, followed by another old friend, Kim Field, for the third set. I wish we could see Kim play more often – we usually only get to see him at these occasional harp shows, and he is always great. We wrapped up the show with Kim and Ray both playing harp, while I sang the last few songs with the Midnight Movers.

Tom "T-Boy" Boyle and Steve Bailey. Photo by Tom Hunnewell.

Kim Field - Photo by Phil Chestnut.

My thanks to the owner (Gaye Anderson) and the staff at the New Orleans for doing their usual great job of hosting this show, and for continuing to support the blues (and jazz) all these years. And thanks to all of the fans that made it a great weekend for all of us!

Please drop by the New Orleans when you’re in Pioneer Square for dinner and a show – it’s just about the last roots music club left in the neighborhood.

The New Orleans Creole Restaurant is located at 114 1st Avenue South in Seattle (206-622-2563).

CD Review by Mark Dalton

Blue Universe
Jeff Simmons
Blue Fox Records

There was a popular cartoon image back in the day (both in New Yorker-type cartoons, and the Warner Brothers kind) that you don’t see much any more, but which strikes me when I think about Jeff Simmons and this fine CD he just released – the image is these guys in white uniforms with giant butterfly nets, chasing after a guy in a hospital gown with a gleeful, manic grin on his face… the guy looks smart, if a little crazy, he is quick on his feet, the uniforms look a little slow and none too bright, and you just know our boy is going to get away, at least for now!

This cartoon image, I believe, plays on a classic American archetype, Br’er Rabbit – that quick-witted hare who is always a couple steps ahead of somebody who is seriously irritated with him, usually with very good reason. “Stop! Stop, I say! You can’t get away with that! Somebody stop that man!”

To get to the point here, the will o‘ the wisp Seattle singer and all-around musician, Jeff Simmons, a man with his heart in the blues no matter what he’s doing, has a hilarious persona as a performer that draws from this same well. Simmons has written a whole cycle of great tunes about “Treatment,” for example – with a couple such tunes residing on this CD. Simmons’ ner-do-well musician character is always one step ahead of those pesky treatment program guys - whether he’s “Breakin’ Out of Treatment,”or kicking back and enjoying the life of a “Treatmon’ Center Playboy” while he’s there, as he does on this CD.

This CD is a result of work-in-progress for the last 20 years or so, going through many sessions and many musicians. I used to play some gigs around town with Simmons in his alter ego as Robert Sumpner (aka Little Bobby) and his band, “The Stump Blasters.” Guaranteed big fun with Little Bobby, let me tell you! One time I showed up at a Simmons recording session, and Guitar Shorty was onboard for the evening, but he didn’t make it on this CD. Blues harpist Dave Prez is here, and has been an onboard contributor for many years, as has sax ace Billy Joe McPherson. Simmon’s pals from Vancouver B.C. are also here, along with a great mixture of original tunes and a handful of carefully chosen, duly Simmonized covers.

There are a couple of different bands at work here – one is a group of Canadian studio guys that play a kind of commercial blues sound that is just a little bit slick and generic for Simmons, in my opinion, but over which he handily triumphs - on the radio-ready “Bucket of Blues” for example, where Simmons’ pounding piano and Shaft-style wah-wah guitar are notable, along with good lyrics. Simmons’ accurate rockabilly reading of the classic “Bertha Lou” boosts this tune above average, too - but it could be bristling with manic energy – a little more dangerous, you know?

Things start to heat up real nice on the jazzy “Vancouver by Night,” with its funky organ holding things together, and the stuff that really knocks me over begins ha-pen-nin’ next with “New In Town.” Remember “The Shining?” This tune sounds like it was recorded in the lounge of the Overlook Hotel – in the dead of winter – the production is just spectral enough, and Simmons’ wonderfully smarmy delivery has those ghostly bootleg jazz babies swooning… “New in Town” is the first one hit over the fence by Jeff and his long time compadre, Billy Joe, whose sax is perfect here.

“Warned You Baby” is another radio-ready cut, this time in a kind of funky Texas shuffle vein that will sound fine midway through your favorite weekend blues show, but it is really a warm up for the next two great tunes in a row, again with our resident Br’er Rabbit and the Overlook Hotel Band (playing those hotel chords, too you bet!) – the impeccable (send out for a) “Bucket of Beer” (and while you are up, “Send out, for a gallon of wine, if the other men drink it, all their women could be mine!”). Then comes the Simmons classic “CD Party” – “with no cassettes!” The title is also an obvious play on Seattle’s Central District, or “the CD”- a neighborhood that used to be for musicians, adventurous souls and the wildest parties in town before the forces of gentrification spoiled that party too.

For my money, these two tunes capture Simmons (left - photo by Phil Chestnut) at his exuberant best. If this was a better world, Jeff would have a house band gig, Thursday through Sunday, in the lounge of someplace old and plush like the Sorrento Hotel, for the rest of his life, playing tunes like these to his heart’s content. And the rest of us could go down there and sit in, and play them too! Wouldn’t that be heaven?

In the home stretch, “Sweet Little Hobby Rocker” is another great cut – rolling piano, great vocals, and cool lyrics about one of those coast-to-coast teenage dream girls that get further and further out of the reach of grizzled old rockers like us – still fun to write songs about though!

This CD ostensibly winds up with an instrumental – pounding Fats Domino piano and stuttering Hammond organ with some wild guitar flowing over the top, a musical hot fudge sundae of sorts with a tasty glissando conclusion… but wait! Don’t touch that stereo! They haven’t got our boy yet…

“Yon’ come the bus, for the L.A. County Home… I’m going back to Canada, where I’m better known! They try to grab you, put you on the treatment farm, I’m going back to Canada, where you can’t do nobody no harm!”

Things keep on like they are ‘round here, I’m gonna be crying “Take me with you Jeff!” ‘fore you know it!" Meanwhile, I can put this excellent collection on the box, and get a smile back on my face! Check it out!

Originally from Nebraska, Mark Dalton moved to Seattle in the early '70s. He is an accomplished bassist and stalwart bluesman. He currently plays with the Chris Stevens Band. Photo by Ronda Lee.

I was rummaging through the old Caldonia web site vault and came across these pieces written by the late aspiring Blues musician, Tom McFarland. I believe that these were created around 1996. Enjoy!

The first time I met the blues.

By Tom McFarland

In order to figure out when things happened in the past I have to pick an event that stands out in my mind and count backwards. For instance, I know that if I had graduated from high school, it would have been in 1962 at age 17. Therefore, I should be able to figure out when I was in the third grade. Counting backwards, and remembering that I skipped the sixth grade, I can determine that I took a year of piano lessons in 1953-54 at age eight and nine (my birthday is in January). The next year after, after seeing the movie "The Glen Miller Story" with Jimmy Stewart, I switched to trombone.

I started dabbling with the guitar in 1955 at age ten. My brother had an electric guitar and amplifier (Silvertone) which he didn't have time to play and was kept in a closet in the living room. When everyone was gone from my house I would drag it out and fool around with it. When my brother caught me at this, instead of getting mad he gave them to me. And so it began.

Most of the electric guitar I heard on the radio in those days was country, except for Les Paul. My brother had 78's of him and Chet Atkins. In 1955 or 1956 I heard Elvis singing "Milk Cow Blues" on a jukebox. The thing that got me was Scotty Moore's guitar. Soon after, a cousin from L.A. turned me on to Little Richard and Chuck Berry. By 1962 I was listening to Duane Eddy and then the Ventures. I also had three jazz LP's: An Oscar Peterson Trio record with Barney Kessel on guitar, an album by guitarist Billy Bauer and an album by Herb Ellis called "Nothing But The Blues." On the first Duane Eddy album there is a song called "3:30 Blues" which knocked me out. I was starting to wonder - what is this blues stuff?

In Byrd's Market, in Grants Pass, Oregon, there was a record rack. Crown Records was the label. LP's for 99 cents. Most of it was country artists you never heard of, along with polka music and some comedy. One day I was searching through these records in hope of finding something I could relate to, and there IT was: "B.B. King - King Of The Blues". Here was this guy smiling at me, wearing a white shirt with French cuffs, and holding a Chet Atkins Gretsch guitar, the same model Duane Eddy played.

Needless to say, I forked over my 99 cents and rushed to the nearest turntable. The first thing I noticed when I opened the album was that the record was red. I put it on the turntable. After a brief horn intro I heard this heavenly voice singing "I've got a right to love my baby," followed by a three note guitar fill. I literally fell on the floor. It was what I had been looking for all my life. I felt as if my every need had been met. That sound went into the marrow of my bones, AND ALL THINGS WERE MADE NEW.

The King - B.B. King.

By Tom McFarland

Way back yonder in the days of old there was a record store on Union Avenue in Portland called Bop City. This was the local ghetto blues and gospel music source. I scored many a B.B. King side there on the Crown label. I found a store just like it in Oakland called The Pink Pelican. From there I bought the Phil Upchurch album with the instrumental "You Can't Sit Down," among other things. Around this time I also had an EP on Capitol by T-Bone Walker.

In 1962 I moved to Las Vegas and promptly began searching for the record store. I found it in North Las Vegas. It was called Larry's Music Bar. One day I was astounded to see a poster in the window saying, "Live-In Person-B.B. King And His Band!" I could hardly believe my eyes. Needless to say getting to that gig was my top priority. B.B. was appearing in The Gold Room at the convention center. This was a room about the size of the New Orleans that you could apparently rent from the city.

When the big night finally arrived I dressed in my only suit and drove through the desert. The place was packed. I was the only white person there, but no one seemed to mind or notice. The opening acts were Marvin Gaye and the Drifters. B.B.'s band of the time was one of the classic urban blues line ups: piano, bass, drums, and tenor, alto, and trumpet. After the opening acts and a few instrumentals by the band, B.B. made his appearance.

A small sea of humanity rushed to the stage. This was in 1962, so B.B. was 37 years old. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt and a black tie. He was playing a sunburst Gibson ES-345 with a Bigsby (which he never used) through a tweed Fender Twin amp.

He opened with his hit "Please Love Me." This is the one that has the Elmore James-type intro, but in the key of E-flat. He looked like a preacher, sang like an angel and played like the devil. I remember thinking if any of those people in the audience (although it wasn't really an audience, it was something else) had been onstage singing with the guitar they would have sounded much like B.B..

Later, in the book "Urban Blues" by Charles Keil, I came across the phrase, "Spokesman for his people", and a bell rang. This is really all I remember about my first experience of seeing B.B. King live because shortly into the first song, I became entranced. In fact, I don't remember much of anything that ever happened after that.

Tom McFarland and Mike Lynch at the Owl Cafe - Seattle, about 1989.

Amplified harp tone tip – channel jumping.

By the Tone Chaperone

I blow harp through a Victoria Bassman clone that I bought from Stoop Down about a year ago. A damn fine amp, it’s a clone of the classic 1959 Fender Bassman amp that was a flop as a bass amp but became very popular with guitarists. The original Fenders are collectors items now – originally costing about $340, these amps in very good condition are selling for over $4,000 these days.

The Bassman is also a great harp amp. In fact, it’s kind of unusual to see pro blues harp players not using a Fender Bassman or a reasonable facsimile. With 45 watts of power and four ten-inch speakers, this amp can deliver the big, fat harp tone that has been heard on gazillions of blues recordings.

Like most gearheads, I’m always fooling around with my amp, mics, cords, etc. in the never-ending quest to improve my tone. I recently discovered that, by jumping the two channels in my Victoria, I can sort of supercharge my sound. I guess this is a trick that guitar players have known about for ages. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Plug the mic cord into the No. 1 jack of the Normal channel.

2. Plug one end of a patch cord into the No. 2 jack of the Normal channel.

3. Plug the other end of the patch cord into the No. 1 jack of the Bright channel.

Now the Volume controls on both channels are active and affect the volume and tone of the amp. This seems to add more punch and presence to an already great sounding amp. The channels can also be jumped the other way - that is, from the Bright to the Normal channel. I really dig this sound and patch the channels together on my amp all the time now.

Normal to Bright channel jump.

However, channel jumping might not work too well for a rookie harp player having the usual problems with feedback. Getting the two volume controls balanced will be a lot easier for an experienced player with good mic technique.

Next up: I’m probably going to replace the Chinese and Russian tubes in the Victoria with New Old Stock (NOS) tubes. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Nick Carnavalli for hipping me to the channel jumping technique. For an excellent reference on Fender amplifiers, check out “Fender Amps – The First Fifty Years” by John Teagle and John Sprung. Good stuff!

Blue Monday do's...and don'ts.

Blue Monday Jammers - Hwy 99 Blues Club

Harmonica Playboy & the Midnight Movers have been hosting the Blue Monday jam session at the Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle for ten months now. We've sort of modeled the gig after the Blue Monday jams that occurred for years at the late, great Owl Cafe (now the Conor Byrne Pub) in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. That is, the house band plays the first set and jammers play the next two or three sets. If there's time, the house band plays another short set at the end of the night.

I never use a sign-up sheet at Blue Monday, because I prefer to have the freedom to arrange sets of jammers that I think will probably be compatible. Sometimes this arrangement works, and the crowd gets treated to some excellent music. Sometimes it doesn't work, and the result can be an agonizing sonic train wreck.

There are three things that I like about Blue Monday: (1) we get to play with other pros from around town that we don't see very often otherwise, (2) we get to meet the occasional blues or rock celebrity - for instance, pianist Pinetop Perkins sat in with the band a few months ago, and (3) it's a great place for upcoming talent to play and network with other musicians that might be looking to put a band together.

Anyway, here are some tips for jammers new to the Blue Monday concept:

1. Do bring your own axe - It is unlikely that anyone in the house band is going to lend you their guitar, bass, or drum sticks, not even if you just flew in from Toronto and stumbled into the gig by accident. And don't even ask about my harps, thank you very much.

2. Do keep it simple - It is unwise to get on the stand with a stage full of people you don’t know and expect them to play Percy Mayfield’s “River’s Invitation” flawlessly. It’s also a good idea to give the band some clues about how you want to start and stop the song, and who will take the next solo. I have noticed that, for some reason, musicians’ telepathic powers seem to be diminished during Blue Monday. See the “train wreck” comment above.

3. Don’t wear your leather pants – Take a look around. Almost all of the Blue Monday Jammer Guitar Army are guys. Save it for the weekend, pal.

4. Don’t bring your Marshall half-stack – It will be too loud. Thank you.

5. Do hang out – Get to the club early and socialize with your fellow jammers. You might make some new friends and learn some new chops while listening to the others play.

6. Do have some basic blues chops – There’s nothing worse than trying to play with a drummer that can’t keep time, a guitarist that can’t play in tune, or a harp player that can’t play single notes. I have noticed that some players are totally clueless when their amateurish playing is eliciting giggles from the audience. Don’t let this happen to you!

7. Don’t get wigged out because you didn’t get to play with the house band – Hey, sometimes I only get to play one set with my band at Blue Monday. I can’t guarantee what the set lineups will be before the gig. Sorry!

8. Do bring your whole band to Blue Monday – Your Blues band, that is. I’ll always try my best to get bands up that have made the trek to downtown Seattle. A word to the wise, though – the guy that books the bands at the Highway 99 is not there on Mondays, so don’t consider your set an audition for a gig.

9. Do be patient – Sometime so many guitarists show up that I’ve got to get three guitar players on the stage per set. Your time will come, Grasshopper! Please – don’t show up at 10:15 then start whining to me at 10:30 about when you’ll get to play. This annoys me mightily.

10. Do be nice to the club staff – The staff at the Highway 99 are great and do everything they can to ensure that the clientele has a good time. Don’t pester the staff for free food or drinks because you’re going to play that night. Show some class.

OK, ‘nuff said. Now grab your axe and come on down to Blue Monday and show us what you got!

The Highway 99 Blues club is located at 1414 Alaskan Way in Seattle, across the street from the Seattle Aquarium. The Blue Monday gig starts at 8:30 PM most every Monday.

CD Review by Mark Dalton

Absolutely
David Brewer and the Intimidators
Crossed Arrows Music

The chorus for one of my favorite tunes on this excellent disc says "You don't know me that well..." and it is true that I don't know David Brewer, the man, that well. We have friends in common however, and I've never heard anything said about Brewer except that he is a good, true friend and a righteous man. What I know better, personally, is David Brewer's music. I remember the first time I ever heard him play very well. It was at one of the Seattle Blues Review shows put on at the old G-Note Tavern out on 85th by promoter Jim Hamilton. I can refresh my memory of this 1977 show, because we got it on tape, including performances by Tom McFarland, Isaac Scott, Kim Field, and a scorching set by David Brewer and his band, Blueseye. He did a tune then called "Texas Strut" that blows me away to this day - all the energy of Freddie King in his Shelter Records prime, with explosive solos that also reflected Brewer's then-recent apprenticeship with Albert Collins - louder than hell, with an edge that cut like a machete. Complex, funky arrangement that turned on a dime. To say I was impressed with Brewer's debut in my musical life that night would be a terrible understatement.

Our paths continued to cross over the years as Brewer settled into the Seattle Blues scene as a major player. I have a tape of a jam in Twist Turner's basement in the north end, just before Twist pushed off for Chicago to seek his fortune, with Brewer, Isaac and Brian Butler all playing guitars together, making a hellacious, wonderful racket - screaming Blues like you rarely hear in a more civilized Seattle of 2005.

I was hanging out on a break at the Salmon Bay Eagles last week when a friend of mine gave me a copy of Brewer's (right, at the Jolly Roger Roadhouse in Seattle in the mid-'80s) new CD and said "here - you have got to have this." Okay...I took it home and put it on, and you know what? This is a really good CD. I mean a really good CD. This is not another local blues band CD - you know what I'm saying - a relatively unadorned, low budget, live in the studio, what-you-hear-is-what-you-get any night out in the clubs type-CD. This is an album of good songs - a mix of covers and original tunes - with creative arrangements, and good engineering and production. Some songs have a very cool wall-of-sound effect - layers of guitars in harmony, a solid horn section that sounds like Phil Spector himself at the board; these are compositions, obviously approached song-by-song with as much time, energy, and creative thinking as necessary given to each one to make the man happy! Listening to this album over and over hearkens back to a time for me when I would anxiously be awaiting a new release from Freddie King, or Albert Collins, or the Allman Brothers Band, and as soon as I had my hands on it, I would just play it non-stop until I'd crawled all the way inside and the cuts were as broken-in and familiar as a good pair of boots.

Brewer's always interesting take on the Blues is strongly in evidence here - listen to what he has done with an old saw like "Walkin' By Myself" - a tune you've heard hundreds of times if you've been around Seattle Blues for any time at all - and yet, with Brewer's able hands and well-worn voice on the job, it sounds fresh and new. Another familiar tune, the old Animal's hit, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," is given new life, in a convincing reading that, like all of Brewer's music, seems to come straight at you, from the heart. One of Chuck Berry's several delightful continental-flavored songs, "You Never Can Tell," gets the full studio treatment here - horns, vocal chorus, big fat sound - and the result works just great in my book.

Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" was perhaps the choice of a song that surprised me the most - but a couple times through and I was sold completely. The ringing guitar chorus, backed by a horn section that will make your feet vibrate, is just a great sound, and Brewer sings this tune with deep soul. As it says on the cover of this satisfying set, "Not everything that counts can be counted..." Believe it! Get it!

Originally from Nebraska, Mark Dalton moved to Seattle in the early '70s. He is an accomplished bassist and stalwart bluesman. He currently plays with the Chris Stevens Band. Photo by Ronda Lee.

A mystery, wrapped in an enigma...

I was reminiscing the other day with my buddy, Seattle bassist John "The Savage" Lee, about a memorable gig we played with the late, great blues guitarist Isaac Scott back in the late '70s. This job was at a tavern on Vashon Island. Guitarist Jerry Christie was also on this gig, but neither John nor I could recall who the drummer was.

Have you ever heard the Wild Child Butler tune "Hippie Playground?" Well, that was a pretty apt name for Vashon Island in the '70s. Especially in the fall, you know, during the mushroom harvesting season. Such lovely dancing by the bar patrons during that time of the year...

But I digress. When we arrived at the tavern, Isaac was complaining that he didn't feel well and had an upset stomach. Just before we were to begin playing, he started looking really bad. He suddenly took off towards the end of the stage where an old upright piano was parked. He then pulled open the front panel of the piano and threw up into the piano for a good long time. When he was done puking, he closed the piano up, and, apparently refreshed, commenced to playing the gig.

Now here's the mystery - I was telling this story a couple of weeks ago to Kim Field, another harp player that worked with Isaac many times. Kim said that he was familiar with the story because it happened at a gig that he was playing! What the...?!

So, here's what the inquiring minds at Jet City Blues want to know: how many players recall gigs where Isaac Scott threw up into a piano? I mean, this is going to turn into an apocryphal story into a few more years.

We await your feedback on this vital issue.

Isaac Scott, playing a different piano at the G-Note Tavern in Seattle, sometime in the mid-'80s.

KT's Kicks at the Salmon Bay Eagles - 10/20/05

Man, I just love it when a plan comes together! Midnight Movers drummer Kirk (KT) Tuttle (left) assembled the KT's Kicks band in June 2004 to play at the Salmon Bay Eagles during a visit by one of his sisters to Seattle. He picked some of his favorite players for the band, including yours truly on harp and vocals, Ron "Sweet Talkin' Jones on tenor sax and vocals, Mark "Tall Cool One" Dalton (Chris Stevens Band) on electric bass, and Tom "T-Boy" Boyle on guitar. The band has continued to play occasionally since that first date, every time at the Eagles club.

Now, this is a great collection of players, but, in my opinion, this lineup never really jelled until our gig at the Eagles last Thursday. I dunno what it was, but the band was swingin' hard all night and we finally were able to do justice to a couple of Ron Ussery's tunes. Of course it helped that there was a good crowd at the Eagles that was ready to rock, as usual.

Ron (right) is a long-time veteran of the Northwest rock and R & B scene, and if you're not familiar with him, you've got to check him out! He's a great tenor player, with a mellow tone and laid-back phrasing that is great for the blues. Plus, he's a terrific blue-eyed soul singer. I mean, this cat can sing! Two of the songs I dug the most this night were his versions of Junior Parker's "Next Time You See me" and Big Jay McNeely's "(There Is) Something On Your Mind." Ron also helped me out on some background vocals on Z.Z. Hill's "Down Home Blues" and Lee Dorsey's "Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky."

Another highlight of the night was when Becki-Sue (Becki-Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies) sat in with the band during the third set. Tom Boyle and Becki-Sue are both in the Big Rockin' Daddies, and they are quite a team. I dig Becki-Sue's style - she's a strong singer that doesn't do the typical over-the-top Janis Joplin impersonation that we've all heard too many times.

Anyway, come out to see KT's kicks at one of our Eagles' gigs. Mark and KT are one of Seattle's best blues rhythm sections and T-Boy is a hella guitar player. See you at the nightclub!

KT's Kicks at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club - Seattle, October 2005

KT's Kicks next gig at the Salmon Bay Eagles will occur on January 19, 2006. All photos in this article were created by Phil Chestnut.

Ballard Blues - The Salmon Bay Eagles Club

If you're a blues fan, you need to check out the Salmon Bay Eagles club (left), located in Seattle's north end Ballard neighborhood. Yes, that's right, the Salmon Bay Eagles, as in "Fraternal Organization of..." This club has been hosting blues bands on Thursday nights for 15 consecutive years now, and many of us musician types consider it to be our official blues clubhouse.

There is never a cover charge, the drinks (served up by the hostess with the mostest, Jimmie Jean) are strong, and Marcia (the Kitchen Wench) is usually cooking up soul food dinners for under $10.00. So what's not to like? There is also a pretty good juke box, with local blues CDs mixed in with the Eagles' favorites such as Guy Lombardo and Frank Sinatra.

Jimmie Jean (right, serving up one of my favorite libations) has been working behind the bar every Thursday for all of those 15 years. The musicians get treated with respect in this joint - there's nobody on our back telling us what to play, or how loud to play it. Also, the Eagles popped for a decent PA system a few years ago, so I don't have to lug mine down there when I play with the Midnight Movers or KT's Kicks. Nice!

Most of the bands invite their friends to join them when they play at the Eagles, so you never know who you might see sitting in. We usually have some great harp players sitting in during the Midnight Movers gigs, and Mark Dufresne (vocals/harp for Roomful Of Blues) sometimes drops in when he's in town.

Here's a couple of the bands I've seen recently at the Eagles:

The Hudson Blues Band

Daddy Treetops & the Howlin' Tomcats

So, waddya waitin' for? Get down to the Eagles and support live Seattle blues on Thursdays. And tell Jimmie Jean I said hi. If I'm at the bar, say hey and I'll buy you a drink.

The Salmon Bay Eagles is located at 5216 20th Ave. NW in Seattle (206-783-7791). The Thursday night gigs happen from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM.

Weird Gig No. 1 - Beware the Hipnotizer!

By Mark Dufresne

Note: This piece was originally published on the old Caldonia web page around 1996. Mark Dufresne (left - photo by Michael Kurgansky), a Seattle resident since the late '70s, is currently employed as the lead singer for the band Roomful Of Blues.

You know, there's just nothin' like trying to play blues and R & B at a good ol' county fair. First you park your auto in the mud about a mile away from the gate. Then you put your amp on a school bus that takes you to the gate. Then you walk another half mile with the amp to the stage. Not the medium size stage across from the main stage, but the tiny-ass
one between the bovine pen and the dog kennels, nestled next to the honey buckets, which are routinely vacuumed during your show. Nice.

You find the stage covered in tissue paper. Strange? Well, you're sharing the stage with the Hipnotizer. It's part of his act, I guess. He's a nice guy, however. His show gets about 200 folks each time. Our show gets about two folks that stay and gawk. People come and go while we're playing, wondering what the hell were doing there and frankly we are also wondering what the hell were doing here. We play three one-hour shows and head back to Seattle from Enumclaw. We did this for three days. By the third day my old dishwashing job was beginning to seem pretty damn rewarding again.

While taking a little break, Laura and I had a brew across the way from the stage where The Shoppe (a professional State fair cover band from Dallas-they played 18 shows over 12 days) was playing. On their break we saw an Elvis imitation show complete with decline-period cape, jewels, and lamb chops. There were possibly 200 or more folks in attendance witnessing the entire 1975 MGM Grand Elvis Vegas act. The amazing part was - no band! Yes indeed folks, Karaoke Elvis, or as I prefer to call it, Hellvis! We then returned to the hypnotist and his 200-plus audience who eagerly ran away when we hit the stage so they could enjoy the llama exhibit next door.

Above: Unknown country band - Skagit County Fair, Mount Vernon, WA (late '80s).

In fairness, we were paid well for this ordeal so it was hardly the worst gig ever. But check this out; a month later we went to play the county fair in Mount Vernon. We get to the stage that was supposed to have a sound system, and there was none except for two small Peaveys mounted on the side and a 50-watt power amp. On the stage was a pile of tissue papers again. I made the sign of the cross.

This time it was not the man in Enumclaw who out-drew us, but a young, personable 22 year-old woman. She out-drew us 200 to two, and she was the daughter of the hypnotist in Enumclaw. Apparently, the wife was also in the game and was working another fair elsewhere.

Above: One man band - Skagit County Fair, Mount Vernon, WA (late '80s).

So remember, if you work one of these fairs and a cowpoke comes and asks you what kind music ya'll play, tell 'em "Both kinds, rhythm AND blues."