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Confusion, anger, sadness, resignation: all usual emotions around here at press time. But this issue, they're amplified many times over due to the stunning loss of O'Cayz Corral in a New Years' Day fire. Fifteen years ago, it was the first location I caught a blues band - A.C. Reed's Spark Plugs (less A.C., who had a habit back then of booking shows and not making every one). I'm just one of thousands that has had a transformative experience from music thanks to that room, and I'll carry many memories…Tate's Last Jam…The Old 97s…Tina & the B-Sides final blast…getting scolded - politely - by Luther Allison. If ever city leaders wanted to demonstrate that money to rebuild a business is available to all, now is the time to be both creative and magnanimous. Madison can't afford financially, culturally, or otherwise to have O'Cayz join the Shuffle Inn and the Club de Wash as charred parcels.
On a better note - hopefully - here's some shows to consider for a few minutes of solace:
Rockin' Johnny Band at the Milwaukee Ale House, Jan. 5: In many ways, Johnny Burgin follows the template of Chicago blues guitarists. He's recorded far more material as a side man than as a front man for his groups, plays in the Chicago area most weekends, and has a regular mid-week Chicago gig at a funky hole-in-the-wall "joint" (in Johnny's case, it's Smokedaddy). But he's just as much a part of the new generation - where ethnicity isn't a part of the performance evaluation. Watch for his new CD, More Real Folk Blues, in February.
Joel Paterson Trio at the Crystal Corner Bar, Madison, Jan. 6: A little twist in billing, as Jimmy Sutton yields those honors to Paterson - with three-fourths of the Four Charms hitting Mad City. Look for Joel to cover a wider range of musical territory - including Merle Travis instrumentals and perhaps some acoustic glimpses at one of his other incarnations, the Wabash Jug Band.
A tribute to Bill Haley with the Original Comets at the Potawatomi Bingo and Casino Hall, Milwaukee, Jan. 16: It's almost 20 years since Haley passed away, marking the end of a roller-coaster ride of triumph, setbacks, rediscovery, and a return to near-anonymity. But that didn't mark the end of the Comets. The troupe of his original sidemen from the mid-'50s - most of whom are now in their 70s - still is Rockin' a-Beatin' Boogie, with a fan base typically born long after the recordings hit.
Winter Dance Party 2001 featuring John Mueller, J.P. Richardson, Jr., and Fernando Vega: at the Riverside Ballroom, Green Bay, Jan. 19; The State Theatre, Eau Claire, Jan. 20; and the Norshor Theatre, Duluth, Jan 21: This tour concept began in 1999 as Mueller, a stage actor who regularly plays Buddy Holly, collaborated on this brainstorm to recreate the final days of the 1959 Winter Dance Party Tour prior to the deaths of Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. While the scale of the tour has been cut back, the spirit is still there - with the Big Bopper's son paying tribute to the father he never met.
Marcia Ball at Luther's Blues, Madison, Jan. 25: The legs catch your eye, but it's her fingers that do the big job of walking with bouncing Louisiana blues, R&B, and other great "swamp boogie" pieces. Her collaboration in 1997 with Tracy Nelson and Irma Thomas, Sing It, brought new attention to her often-overlooked vocal talents.
Byther Smith at the Harmony Bar, Madison, Jan. 27: There are artists that can joke around from the stage with audience members while they're playing. Then, there are artists such as Smith, who enter a trance-like state on stage, connecting to the music with passionate depth broken only at the end of the set. It's cut-to-the-bone Chicago blues guitar at its finest.
Now, while I'm in a reflective mood, are a few things I'll remember about 2000:
Mighty Mo Rodgers: Rodgers' hit Madison early in 2000 on the strength of his debut release, Blues Is My Wailing Wall. His academic interpretation of blues was converted to a stunning cultural/history lesson on the disc and in concert. But the music also works just as well as a blend of powerful, textured soulful vocals with instrumentation to match.
Bob Collins: Chicago's AM Radio titan was killed in a February plane collision, just hours after reading a prophetic essay on "Things I've Learned In Life." He had a colorful history at WOKY in Milwaukee before heading to WGN in 1974; I'll always remember his Friday Afternoon Drive "Rock & Roll Trivia" segments - harbingers of many weekends in the 1980s. I'll also remember his shows on Fridays after Thanksgiving - with fun & funky Xmas tunes such as "Santa's Messin' With The Kid" by Eddie C. Campbell.
The Four Charms: Although nay-sayers have written off neo-swing, groups like Jimmy Sutton's Four Charms give evidence that it's mostly those who joined the bandwagon late that have fallen off it. Not these guys, whose debut CD was one of the year's best. In concert, the hot quartet from Chicago translates musical vitality to kinetic motion in the spirit of legends such as Wynonie Harris and Tiny Grimes.
D.C. Bellamy: One of my highlights from the Chicago Blues Festival, Kansas City's Bellamy is a fresh blues voice that doesn't steer far into rock or funk. His taut guitar work and playful lyrics also elevate him beyond the more derivative performers of his generation.
Beverly Watkins: Imagine if Deborah Coleman had a musically influential aunt. That's the best image I can suggest of Watkins, who came from Atlanta to the Chicago Blues Festival - and left with an infantry of new fans. She's a dynamic guitarist with a vitality devoid in players half her age - and a performance history dating to the 1950s.
Johnnie Mae Dunson and Maxwell Street: From the late 19th Century on, Maxwell Street in Chicago was the place where the working classes came to shop. From the 1940s on, it was the "Port of Entry" for many Chicago blues legends, who would perform for tips in front of stores and vending spots. By the 1980s, the street was taking the rap as a market for stolen goods. The solution? Better policing? Nope - too labor intensive. Just kick out everyone - even long-time businesses - and bulldoze a century of history so the University of Illinois at Chicago - a school that SUPPOSEDLY has good programs in Urban Planning - can expand its parking and green space. I guess the planners there have yet to hear about Greenwich Village, The French Quarter, Beale Street, and other places that used to be viewed as blighted. Of course, Chicago politicians always did see high-rise housing as salvation for the poor...So when I saw Maxwell Street this summer during Chicago Blues Festival, with former Jimmy Reed collaborator Johnnie Mae Dunson wailing out vocals from her wheelchair, it was with recognition that the fight to save the street was lost.
Big Barn Combo & Jack Earls: I spent a whopping 8 hours in Indianapolis at the Rockabilly Rebel Weekend - and came away tired but excited about two acts who teamed up at the festival. Jack Earls recorded several obscure tracks for Sun in the '50s (the biggest was "Slow Down"), but can still rock the house. Detroit's Big Barn Combo came out of nowhere to land in the top five of contemporary rockabilly troupes - I hope they'll get several gigs in Wisconsin in 2001.
BR5-49: Big label Nashville group...only plays at huge halls and amphitheaters, right? Wrong! These guys take a dose of hillbilly humor to the hills and dales of America. What other band would play in front of tens of thousands at Summerfest one day, then play for about 150 people outside of a roadhouse in rural Southern Wisconsin just a few days later - on the 4th of July? That show, at Jones' Bluff View Inn outside of Brodhead and one later in the year at Automatic Slim's in Neenah - prove that success isn't always measured by the size of crowds.
Sam Butera: Lots of neo-swingers try to follow in the steps of sax-man Butera and his mentor, the late Louis Prima. But one thing they'll never capture - the same influence found in Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and others - is the Italian cultural heritage, with family, religion, and a certain level of mischief. That's what made Butera's show at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee so special - an increasingly rare opportunity to experience both the music and culture at the core of the Golden Era of Vegas and Tahoe.
Luther's Blues: It goes without saying that the opening of Luther's ruffled a few feathers in this town - and compelled the Crystal and the Harmony to change their strategies. But what I've noticed is that Luther's audience base has been drawn from beyond those two venues. The club consistently showcases blues artists to larger audiences - many of whom have never set foot in East Madison bars. If only some of these new blues fans stick with the music once the hype passes, that's a positive to me - and a boost to talented bands, local and beyond.
Nick Curran: Just when I think I can't get excited about any new recordings, I get wind of Nick Curran. "Stunning!" "Awesome disc!" are just some of the phrases uttered by my friends with his Fixin' Your Head album. Yeah, OK. Then I travel 2 hours to see him, and get the disc. WOW. I am quickly baptized as an acolyte, and begin my own evangelical outreach to let everyone else know about this kid who records the best R&B since Larry Williams' Specialty tracks. |
