Big Blues Show Tuesday!

[tsedivy]

Another huge week of music just got busier:

Curtis Salgado will be in town for a couple of more days getting tests done at UNMC. His band asked me if I could get them a gig while they are in town so we have quickly thrown together a show at SHAG (www.SHAGaVodkaBar.com) for Tuesday at 7:30pm. We are billing this as The Fulero Five, named after Curtis' guitarist, Josh Fulero. Curtis plans to sit in for what should be a very cool night of improvisation. Curtis sounded great Saturday at Playing with Fire.
Admission for this last minute gig will be a voluntary donation. Please give what you can as these musicians could certainly use your generosity as they have been short on gigs while Curtis has been getting back into playing shape since his Liver Transplant here last year. This show will be non-smoking to allow Curtis to breath easier.
Here is a recent article from the OWH on his progress:
Published Saturday | June 16, 2007
Blues/soul singer's gig a homecoming of sorts
BY ABE WINTER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


Curtis Salgado is enjoying his second life.

"I certainly have a different view," said the Portland, Ore., musician, who brings his band to Omaha for tonight's Playing With Fire blues concert at Lewis & Clark Landing.

Salgado has a special feeling for Omaha after he received a liver transplant Sept. 30 at the Nebraska Medical Center.

"Everything means more to me," he said. "Once you get cancer, it's always a part of your life, so you're never out of the woods, and you have to enjoy every day of your life."

Salgado, a blues/soul singer who also plays harmonica, spent nearly three months in Omaha recovering from the transplant. Almost nine months after the operation, he is touring the country again. He is in the midst of an eight-month tour that extends from the West Coast to Illinois.

Besides tonight's concert, Salgado will appear June 26 at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln after gigs in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri.

"So much has happened," he said, adding that he is trying to become mentally, spiritually and financially sound again. "I was given eight months to live and was told I better hurry up and get a new liver because the one I had was a time bomb."

He was considered too high a risk for some hospitals to accept him as a transplant recipient.

"It was very intense, and I was considering (hospitals in) Washington, Florida, California and Oregon," Salgado said. "I ended up stumbling into the finest transplant center in the world, in my opinion."

Salgado inspired the late John Belushi to form the Blues Brothers. Salgado said Belushi was filming the movie "National Lampoon's Animal House" in Eugene, Ore., when he saw Salgado perform at the Eugene Hotel.

Belushi later dedicated the Blues Brothers album "Briefcase Full of Blues" to Salgado.

Salgado was diagnosed with liver cancer during his 18th year of sobriety. When a close friend agreed to give him half her liver in a risky $300,000 double operation, they flew to Omaha.

On the morning of the scheduled surgery, however, a healthy liver from a dead donor arrived at the hospital.

"That was just a complete miracle," Salgado said.

Omaha was one of the communities in several states that held a benefit for Salgado to help him defray medical costs.

"I didn't ask for anything," he said. "They just came, and it was very humbling. How do you return that? How do you say thank you?"

He said he would try to do it with his music.

"I love playing music. It's the only thing I do," he said.

Tonight's concert, which is headlined by James Hunter, starts at 5:15 p.m. and opens with the Side Effects. Gates open at 4 p.m.

There is no admission charge, but fans are encouraged to donate money, a portion of which goes to the Omaha Food Bank.

"It's a sweet engagement," he said. "Omaha is a remarkable place. To me, it's like a homecoming, so I can't wait to play."

Tickets are on-sale now for the June 30th Blues Cruise at McKenna's, Murphy's, The Lift, and SHAG. Tickets are $25 per person and BSO members may purchase up to two at the member price of $20 each. Headlining will be Big James and The Chicago Playboys, the great horn band that thrilled at The BSO New Year's Eve Bash a couple of years ago. Also on the bill are Rockin' Jake from New Orleans and The Johnson Brothers. We will board at 9pm and cruise til midnight. George Walker will play the pre-party on the dock beginning at 7:30pm.

This weekend is The fabulous Summer Arts Festival downtown around 15th & Farnam. Visual artists from all over the US will have their work on display and available for purchase. I'll be there for the live music though. Highlights for me are Friday's 7pm show from Cajun Zydeco Stars Beau Soleil and Reggae from Public Property at 9pm. (PP also plays Murphy's late slot this TH, after The Bel Airs).
Saturday 6/23 will feature Alt.Country from the Waybacks at 5pm, 16 yr. old Blues Star Eric Stekel at 7pm and Latin Party Band Son Venezuela at 9pm. Sunday is Rhythm Collective at 11:30am, then Jazz from Luigi, and Zydeco from Chubby Carrier at 3pm.
See you in the Beer Garden! (Admission is FREE!)
Here are all the details:
http://summerarts.org/2007/worldmusic23.html

Huge weekend in Lincoln w/ Bernard Allison at the Zoo Bar on Friday and CoCo Montoya outside with The Tijuana Gigolos on Sat.

Check out the Zoo Bar's schedule for next week's anniversary celebration.
Get out and get into it!!!

Terry O'Halloran
Blues Society of Omaha Prez and emailer