Local musicians were wailing in force again for the White Rock Blues Society’s Yuletide Blues fundraiser for Sources’ White Rock-South Surrey Food Bank, Sunday at Pacific Inn’s Rhumba Room.

Society president Rod Dranfield said organizers were hoping to raise at least $4,000 and 1,000 pounds of food collected at the fifth annual event (tickets were $15 plus two non-perishable food items).

Over the past four years, the event has brought in more than $12,000 and 3,500 pounds of food.

Among bands and performers participating in this year’s marathon were society artistic directors Harpdog Brown and Jason Buie, whose suggestion launched the first Yuletide Blues event in 2007.

As Dranfield has noted, “the blues has always been the song of downtrodden people and hunger.”

Also in the lineup were Steve Kozak, David ‘Boxcar’ Gates (who will represent the society next month at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.), Wes Mackey, Pete Sweetzer, The Harpoonest & The Axe Murderer, Velvet Bulldozer and The Headlines, the Compound Blues Band and Dalannah Gail Bowen.

The numbers say it all.

The White Rock/South Surrey music community righted a wrong with song.

Thanks go out to: 18 acts, over 70 musicians who presented an 8 hour
tapestry of music,

12 volunteers, Ingrid from the The Rhumba Room at the Pacific Inn Hotel for
donating the room and the restaurant staff for preparing an excellent
buffet,

Lil & Vic of Buchanan Printers for donating the posters,

Luke Harley Productions for supplying additional needed sound equipment,

all local newspapers for helping to get the word out,

The Shore 104 Radio station with a big tip of the hat to Dave Chesney,

David of Tapestry Music for much appreciated back line gear, Rod Senft for supplying the drum kit,

Robbie Keene from Surfside Music Vintage Guitars who will be helping Phil
fill the equipment gap resulting from the robbery,

and most of all to the estimated 400 people who came through the doors and donated $3,573, showing their love and support.

A special thank you goes out to Jason Buie the White Rock Blues Society
Artistic Director and society co founder for producing the show, and being
the Master of Ceremonies.  He kept things on time and everyone was able to
hit the stage.

In two short weeks the community came together and rallied for Q Sound to
keep the music alive. Thanks to one and all.

A highlight of the evening was when Phil took to the stage and did a great
impersonation of Joe Cocker singing, “With A Little Help From My Friends”.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5yItNany4k

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Get High on the Blues at Whistler.

WHISTLER VILLAGE, British Columbia, May 16th through the 22nd - for one groove filled week passionate blues players and lucky blues fans will get high on the blues together in Whistler Village at The Whistler Week of the Blues.  Presented and hosted by The Mountain Culture Collective Radio Society to educate, entertain, and celebrate the foundation of all modern music - the blues!

Event organizer, Scott Kittleson, a seasoned supporter of the annual Hornby Island Blues Workshop, decided to create a full week of skill building workshops and unique concert events to offer both blues players and blues fans a full on immersion in learning, playing, and yes, partying!

According to Kittleson, “Watching seasoned players and serious fans come together to share their passion and their playing is the best kind of entertainment going.  When I first saw slide guitar Goddess Ellen McIlwaine play, the hair stood up on my neck. Blues wasn’t my favourite genre, but when Ellen played her first note, I felt like Jimi Hendrix had entered the room.”

Masterful on slide guitar, and hosting a workshop on developing that skill at the upcoming Whistler Week of The Blues, Ellen McIlwaine inspired Kittleson when she confided to him what the incomparable Muddy Waters had said when she shared the stage with him. The legendary blues legend summed it all up with the unforgettable maxim: “The blues is everything and everything is the blues.”

Pre-event weekend blues showcases are being held at The Yale in Vancouver to locate up and coming blues talent to participate on secondary stages during the week long event.  Complete details about showcases, teaching packages, and concert events are featured on the event website, www.whistlerblues.com and Facebook at www.facebook.com/MCCrs.

The Whistler Week of the Blues, May 16th through the 22nd - a blues based event where music lovers learn and play and party.  And nobody tells better stories than road warriors of the blues.

Contact:

Scott Kittleson, Event Organizer

info@thepow.ca

(250) 335-0455

Joshua Spears, Showcase Organizer

(778) 989-6008

16^th Annual Mount Baker R&B Festival

July 29th-July 31st, 2011

Deming Log Show Fairgrounds

3295 Cedarville Rd

Bellingham, WA 98226

WORLD-CLASS lineup for the 2011 Mount Baker R&B Festival!

• Average White Band…Legendary Icons of Soul and R&B


• Matt Schofield…voted “top ten greatest Blues Guitarist” in UK


• Ana Popovic…Serbian born “Guitar Goddess” is back again!


• Shane Dwight…”Astounding!”…back by popular demand!


• Curtis Salgado…Superstar of the Blues…with his “Big Band”


• Hamilton Loomis…Soul, funk, R&B at it’s best! Young & fresh!


• The Twisters…Canada’s #1 Swing Band…as good as it gets!


• The Fat Tones…Superstars of NW R&B…uniquely “original”


• The Fat James Band…NW blues icon and his “original” band


• Mark Whitman & Sweet Talkin’ Jones…”NW “legends” reunite


• Also featuring…The Chris Eger Band, C.D. Woodbury Band, James King & the Southsiders, Jesse James & the M.O.B. featuring “Jumpin” Josh,

An All-Star Jam follows each evening show…’til 2am on Friday & Saturday…12 midnight on Sunday…..

Again, this year, we’ve scheduled a Sunday morning “Gospel” service hosted by Seattle’s Blues Minister, Rev. Deb Engelhardt…music by the John Stephan Band

         Quickly becoming a “must attend” event, the Mount Baker R&B Festival has, once again, risen to the occasion. With top shelf talent, second to none, anywhere in the State, the buzz is already on. It’s our sixth year at the Deming Log Show Fairgrounds, a 180 acre “built to order” venue for a gathering of several thousand…”premium” camping RV hookups…flush toilets, H&C running water, “FREE SHOWERS”…lots of great food & crafts vendors…two “signed guitar” raffles (all proceeds to Bikers Fighting Cancer), donated by Hugo Helmer Music. Limited to 2000 advance tickets!

    Tickets secure online @ www.bakerblues.com or (360)383-0850

In Bellingham @ Avalon Music, 1330 Railroad Ave-(360)676-9573

In Burlington, Hugo Helmer Music,1025 Goldenrod Rd-(360)757-0270

By Adrian Chamberlain, Postmedia News Service

Folks such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan do little for the harmonica's reputation.

So says Canadian harmonica king Carlos del Junco, who performs with his Blues Mongrels band at Crescent Beach Legion next Thursday, March 10.

His opinion is worth considering, as del Junco once scored two gold medals at the Hohner world harmonica championship in Germany and has been voted top harmonica player seven times at Canada's Maple Blues Awards.

Speaking from his home in Port Hope, Ont., del Junco said Young and Dylan -- while unquestionably brilliant overall -- are "very mediocre" harmonica players.

"They almost give it a bad name, in my opinion."

He has become an outspoken advocate for his instrument of choice.

He plays diatonic harmonica, the pocket-sized instrument also known in North America as the blues harp, which, when properly played, is a delight.

What frustrates del Junco is that most audiences hear them played poorly, whether it be a superstar or the wannabe at a neighbourhood blues jam.

The diatonic harmonica is inherently limited as it's designed to reach a restricted number of notes.

However, experts such as del Junco can note-bend and over-blow with jaw-dropping precision, so any pitch is reachable. In such hands, the possibilities are almost limitless, and certainly not restricted to the blues.

Havana-born del Junco plays an unusually wide array of styles, including Latin, swing, surf, ska, hip-hop, rock, pop and New Orleans-style jazz.

"In my heart of hearts, I'm a blues guy that likes to traipse off into different directions," he said.

Mongrel Mash is the title of del Junco's latest CD, which has him on a tour of B.C. and Alberta venues this month.

In South Surrey, his March 10 concert is staged by White Rock Blues Society.

"I saw Carlos twice in Memphis and he literally stuns his audience with what he can do with the harp," raved Rod Dranfield, a director of the society.

For show info, call 604-542-6515 or click on www.whiterockblues.com.

Although the boys didn't get through to the finals they were very busy meeting industry decision makers and finding the time to not only jam with other musicians but over a two night period laid down a new CD at the world famous Sun Studios in Downtown Memphis.

All and all a very productive few days.

Congratulations guys, you represented the White Rock Blues Society with the highest level of professionalism.

Also, last night Sam & Luke put on a great show at the Blues Hall on Beale Street representing the WRBS in the Youth Showcase. The young men show a poise and level of professionalism well beyond their years. Their music was fresh and wonderful and the audience was treated to a tight set and responded loudly in appreciation. They now head out on their cross country tour to promote their new CD. They drove from Vancouver to Memphis in four days and managed to navigate through the worst winter storm of the season taking as much as five hours to go 100 miles while the storm was doing its worst to impede them. I should point out that their Dad did all the driving but talk about paying your dues as a musician.

Check out http://www.blues.org for more details about the International Blues Challenge.

Rodneyd