Weekly BSO update

[tsedivy]

Greetings Blues fans,

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Although it is my job to hype the music coming to town, would it be exaggerating to say this could be the best week of cool music ever? Phillip Walker, Guitar Shorty, MOE, Anthony Gomes, Johnny O, Roger Clyne, Robert Cray, Bob Weir, Keller Williams, Sarah Borges, Johnny Winter, Fast Food Junkies, Dewayn Brothers, Peter Frampton, Blues Traveler, Savoy Brown, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Guess Who, Marshal Tucker, and Blueground Undergrass are all coming to our area this week.

I don't know if there has ever been so many shows that I would love to see, and two of them are FREE!

One of course, is the Grammy Nominated Johnny Winter "Playing with Fire" show on the riverfront on Saturday. This is by far the most legendary act to have played PWF. Winter has been invited to play Eric Clapton's Crossroad's Guitar Festival in Chicago in a couple of weeks. Please make an effort to attend this PWF, so Jeff Davis knows it is worth it to go after the big names. In the spot before JW is Philip Sayce, a hard-driving young guitarist out of L.A.. You can hear four of his songs at http://www.myspace.com/philipsayce

The Kris Lager Band will hit the stage about 6pm. I have been singing the praises of the KLB for a few years now. I can't wait to see them cut loose on the big stage after all the seasoning they have received backing Mato as Indigenous. The Blues Wanderers and The Side Effects will open the show at 4pm. Visit www.PlayingWithFireOmaha.com for all the details.

We still need some volunteers for Playing with Fire. Please email Vanessa at BSOVolunteers@cox.net if you can help.

West coast Blues legend Phillip Walker plays The Zoo Bar Wednesday at 6pm. Walker backed Etta James and Little Richard in the 1950's, before fronting his own bands. Don't miss this living legend of the blues. His rendition of "Don't be afraid of the Dark" will be worth the price of admission.

Speaking of "Don't be afraid of the Dark", the man that made that song famous, Robert Cray will play the Whiskey Roadhouse inside The Horseshoe on Friday night while the Grateful Dead's Bobby Weir is at STIR concert cove. What to do, what to do???

This Thursday at 5:30pm, Guitar Shorty returns to Murphy's stage on his way to a festival gig in NY. At the age of 16, Shorty joined Ray Charles band for a year. At 17, he had the house band gig at the legendary Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans. It took a job with Sam Cooke to get 19 year old Shorty on the bus and on his way to the West Coast. He lived and worked in both Los Angeles and Canada until in 1961 he met his wife, Marcia, in Seattle. When Shorty married Marcia he also got Jimi Hendrix, Marcia’s brother for a brother-in-law. The young Jimi Hendrix came to see Shorty play often and they were friends until Jimi’s untimely death. Cover charge of just $8.

Friday's FREE Riverfest in Bellevue will feature BSO favorite Anthony Gomes, plus Colorado Blues band Johnny O, and John Crews and 112 N Duck. http://riverfest.designsbyzimm.com/schedule.php

If you live in Lincoln and are not coming to PWF, P.O. Pears has Pearstock, a very cool outdoors show planned with four hot roots acts: http://www.popears.com/link.sp?page=Pearstock_2007

Also Saturday in Lincoln is a Bluegrass show at the Zoo Bar: Blueground Undergrass: — Those who argue about things like what is or isn’t bluegrass would probably get a headache trying to untangle the musical lineage of Atlanta’s Blueground Undergrass. With bluegrass instrumentation, the chops of a jazz ensemble and the attitude of a Southern rock band, its music is as tongue-twisting as its name. Banjoist Jeff Mosier also has deep roots in the jam-rock scene, sitting in with groups such as Phish, Leftover Salmon, Widespread Panic and serving as an original member of Col. Bruce Hampton’s Aquarium Rescue Unit band.

Comstock takes place near Broken Bow this weekend: Impressive line-up: http://www.windmillenterprises.net/rockfestival/comstockrock.htm

I got to sleep. Get out and get into it this week.
Oh... and Blue House is playing Horseman's Park for the live racing all-day Saturday and Sunday. Great time win or lose!

Terry O'Halloran
BSO President and emailer