Untitled Document
What is it about playing the blues that makes everyone
feel so good? Who knows, and who cares? Just play the music, ’cause I
got the blues bad and I want to feel good. In August, during the Old Capitol Blues & BBQs,
the Illinois Central Blues Club held its first Blues Challenge for bands.
Darrien Saffron and the Soul Sensations emerged the winner from the
nine-act field and will represent the ICBC at the 2008 Blues Foundation
International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 31-Feb. 2. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Alamo (115
N. Fifth, 217-523-1455), the ICBC hosts its inaugural Blues Challenge for
solos and duos to decide which lucky (and talented) act will represents our
local blues society in that category next year in Memphis. The local
challenges, much like the Memphis main event, are juried performances rated
by judges on several levels. Contestants can come from anywhere, as long as
they are members of the ICBC. The entry deadline is Oct. 15, and performers
need to check out the Illinois Central Blues Club Web site,
www.icbluesclub.org, for rules, forms, and other pertinent information. May
the best bluesman or woman win and do us proud at the big show. But enough of this contest stuff: Two professional
traveling shows hit town this week, bringing with them powerful, edgy
sounds that skate just beyond the blues. First, on Saturday, Oct. 6, the Tommy Andrews Band
takes the corner stage at Marly’s Pub (9 W. Old State Capitol Plaza,
217-522-2280) with some rockin’ blues from Kansas City. Born and
raised in central Illinois, Tommy Andrews eventually settled into the
Kansas City blues scene, but the story veered off track about four years
ago, when Andrews sustained a skull fracture and brain injury that
drastically curtailed his ability to play guitar. He worked through the
pain and suffering by playing the blues and writing songs — and the
TAB eventually made it all the way to the Kansas City finals of the 2006
International Blues Challenge. The blues power trio released Spaceheater, their first CD, in
2007. On Monday, Oct. 8, at the ICBC’s “Blue
Monday” jam at the Alamo, experience the electrifying blues/funk/rock
of gutsy guitarist Shawn Kellerman. The native of Kitchener, Ontario,
Canada, mixes standard blues progressions with screaming guitar and takes
the blues to a new place sonically and artistically. Kellerman paid his
blues dues jammin’ on the Southern circuit with Bobby Rush and others
for several years, then set out on his own. His promo materials put him in
the “modern blues” category, and it’s as a good a way as
any to define his fiery interpretation of the music. There you go — all the blues that’s fit to
print.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2007.
