23-24 Feb 2011 Boston to Romania
Lenny B. and I started out in Boston, traveled through the night and met up with our cohorts in Germany: Morali Coryell (from upstate NY) Liviu Pop and his wife Raluka (traveling from CT). After a bit of a delay in Germany due to snow, we finally hooked up with Roberto Morbioli (from Italy) at the airport in Romania. We jumped in a minibus together (Why do I always ride the short bus?) and drove for a few hours to the town of Sighisoara.
25 Feb - Sighisoara, Romania
Sighisoara is a quaint little town, near Transylvania where Vlad Dracul lived - yes, the guy that Dracula story was fabled to be about... fiction, I am told... but I have this uncontrollable thirst ... hmmm... Anyway, it is said that it is the oldest Citadel in Romania. All the streets in town are cobblestone, as well as the sidewalks. I'm really glad that I bought comfy flat shoes for this trip!
We were the main attraction in town for the weekend. The people LOVED us. Liviu and Raluka's friends are really warm and kind. Roberto and I SOLD OUT of our CDs during the intermission on Day 1. So much for selling anything in Bulgaria... Friday - Roberto Morbioli and Diane Blue were the first act, followed by Davina and the Vagabonds. She's fabulous -- from Minneapolis, MN. Saturday, Morali Coryell was the main attraction, and Roby and I sat in with him for the big finish. Liviu and Lenny were the mighty rhythm section for both of our acts. Solid.
I bought some rockin' Romanian RED shoes for the show ON SALE in Sighisoara. SCORE!! The people went nutz when I introduced our original song "My Shoes" and pointed out my Romanian Red shoes that I bought that day for them! The audience was very attentive and responsive, standing on their feet by the end of the show. I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of red tulips. How cool - matching my shoes! ;o)
After the gig, we did a jam session in the basement bar of a hotel 2 dorrs up the street. It was like an old cantina where they used to store the wine barrels. Really cool atmosphere. The area for the band was very small -- the people followed us there and jam-packed the room. I left at 5:00am, and I think it was still rockin'... The time really flew by. We made some fans and facebook friends. It was really fun.
26 Feb - Sighisoara - a day and a night off!
Slept in a bit. Roberto and I had the day off because Morali Coryell was the featured artist for Saturday night. We roamed around the town a bit, shopped for souvenirs and gifts, then went to the theatre to catch Morali's act. We joined him for the last 2 numbers; the Grand Finale as it were... again, the audience rose to their feet. Such a great vibe. So wonderful to feel the love.
Again, after the show, we went to the cantina to jam. Our new friends, Emil and Maria reserved their special table and fed me their "special tea" (cognac in a Nestea iced tea bottle!) I left at 3:00am. Rumour has it that Lenny B and Morali stayed there until 6:30am... never did sleep before we got on the bus to Bulgaria... Needless to say, we all slept on the short bus to Bulgaria -- Roberto has photos to prove it!
27 Feb - Ruse, Bulgaria
We were met at the hotel by the organizer's daughter, Gabriella. She was very sweet and kind to us. After a quick freshen-up, we were off to sound-check, dinner, and the show.
We had a nice traditional Bulgarian dinner with Gabriella and her father. They really love Blues and Soul music. Or, as her father said, "I don't really like Blues music, and I don't like sex, either -- I LOVE IT!!"
We played a nice theatre in the center of the town. Because it was a Sunday we didn't know what kind of crowd we would get. The place was PACKED! They also loved us. Again, Roberto and I went on first, followed by Morali Coryell, and then we did the Grand Finale together. The crowd was very responsive again. This time, I got beautiful yellow gerber daisies!
28 February - Bucharest, Romania "Passage Club"
We (Roberto and I, with Lenny B and Liviu) played a club in Bucharest that was another cantina-type of place, with the arched stone ceilings and little separate rooms for the wine barrels. It had a lot of character, and the club was only 3 days into business. Little things were missing, but the vibe was cool, and the people were mostly the same fans we had seen in Sighisoara. Some of them left their job and drove 3 hours to be with us! The only bummer is that everyone smokes EVERYWHERE, any time... It does a number on a girl's voice after 3 days and nights of it in a row, with less than 4 hours sleep each night... Janis was channeling through my groggy voice... OUCH.
We had a very special treat at the Passage Club; a man named Harvis, originally from Cuba, who sat in with the band and played his trumpeta! It was a very nice addition to the vibe.
Overall, two thumbs WAY UP for this tour. I am blessed to be surrounded by some extremely talented musicians who carry my soul to the upper echelons of musical bliss when I share the stage with them.
MERCI!!
<3
Friday, March 4, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Our last hurrah in Memphis...
We had a great time on Saturday. The finals were at 2pm for the bands, and at 7:30pm for the solo/duo performers. We chose to skip going to the band finals, but we went to the solo/duo competition to support our friends in the Juke Joint Devils. They did a REALLY great performance, and in my humble opinion, they should have taken first or second prize... but the German duo won. Coincidentally there is going to be the first International Blues Challenge in Germany next year...
Completely aside from the music, in the afternoon on Saturday, we were "walking in Memphis"... on Beale Street, and decided to go to the King's Palace to see if they had replenished their stock of the fabulous chocolate layer cake with raisins (we shared a couple pieces between 7 of us the other night... it was heavenly...) We asked the hostess to see if there was any more of the cake, and she told us that the girl who makes that cake was the waitress, so she asked her directly. Nope - none of THAT cake, but they had the voodoo chocolate layer cake -- chocolate is chocolate, right? NOT. It was good, but not "heavenly" like hers... We complimented her cake and told her that she needs to go into business for herself -- she has a gift for it. Her eyes welled up; apparently we were meant to tell her that message. Apparently she has been contemplating this decision for quite some time. Her birthday is today. She was feeling sad because she's "getting old"... she turns 42 today. HA! "old.." She told us with tears in her eyes that when she is baking, creating lovin' from her oven, there is nothing like the feeling that she gets from creating her culinary sweet treats. I understand this feeling -- it's the feeling that I get from making music. When something you do makes other people happy or touches another in some way, it makes us "connected" and that good energy grows exponentially. I truly hope she follows her passion. Ask any of the cake-lovers who had even just a little bite of her cake. She has a gift!
I took a nice nap in the afternoon, so that I would be able to stay up 'till the wee hours. Gotta recharge sometimes... We went to the Rum Boogie Cafe for Bob Margolin's jam later. Many of our Boston friends were there. Rosy Rosenblatt was playing harmonica in the house band, Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers got up and did a couple songs, Cindy Daley and Satch Romano got up there...and Bob called up some really fun performers. Then, he did something sorta strange. Rather than have a list of musicians for jammin', he had interludes when he opened the stage, and the first musicians to get there became a band and went with it. I was fortunately sitting at stage left, in front, and Timo was at the front, stage right, so we were able to get on stage together at the first jammin' opportunity. Thanks to Lydia Warren for the little video clip on my facebook! Lydia got up a little later and made us proud! I'm looking forward to performing in the Ladies in the Blues concert in May at the Bull Run in Shirley.
Later in the evening, another call for a free-for-all. The only rule was, you couldn't go up again if you had just gone up the prior song. I watched and waited... drummer, bass, guitar, harmonica... didn't seem to be a singer up there, so I politely asked if I could sing. The response was, "You're up here, sure you can." So - another song with strangers makin' music together. And, I was offered a gig in Minneapolis! (we'll figure that out later...)
We're on our way back home soon... We might have to wait a while to see what good ultimately comes of this trip, but I know something good is on the horizon. We don't need anyone to tell us that we're better than another band. We know that what we do comes from the depths of our soul, and we know that it touches people, and THAT's why we do it.
Thank you for your support!!!
Completely aside from the music, in the afternoon on Saturday, we were "walking in Memphis"... on Beale Street, and decided to go to the King's Palace to see if they had replenished their stock of the fabulous chocolate layer cake with raisins (we shared a couple pieces between 7 of us the other night... it was heavenly...) We asked the hostess to see if there was any more of the cake, and she told us that the girl who makes that cake was the waitress, so she asked her directly. Nope - none of THAT cake, but they had the voodoo chocolate layer cake -- chocolate is chocolate, right? NOT. It was good, but not "heavenly" like hers... We complimented her cake and told her that she needs to go into business for herself -- she has a gift for it. Her eyes welled up; apparently we were meant to tell her that message. Apparently she has been contemplating this decision for quite some time. Her birthday is today. She was feeling sad because she's "getting old"... she turns 42 today. HA! "old.." She told us with tears in her eyes that when she is baking, creating lovin' from her oven, there is nothing like the feeling that she gets from creating her culinary sweet treats. I understand this feeling -- it's the feeling that I get from making music. When something you do makes other people happy or touches another in some way, it makes us "connected" and that good energy grows exponentially. I truly hope she follows her passion. Ask any of the cake-lovers who had even just a little bite of her cake. She has a gift!
I took a nice nap in the afternoon, so that I would be able to stay up 'till the wee hours. Gotta recharge sometimes... We went to the Rum Boogie Cafe for Bob Margolin's jam later. Many of our Boston friends were there. Rosy Rosenblatt was playing harmonica in the house band, Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers got up and did a couple songs, Cindy Daley and Satch Romano got up there...and Bob called up some really fun performers. Then, he did something sorta strange. Rather than have a list of musicians for jammin', he had interludes when he opened the stage, and the first musicians to get there became a band and went with it. I was fortunately sitting at stage left, in front, and Timo was at the front, stage right, so we were able to get on stage together at the first jammin' opportunity. Thanks to Lydia Warren for the little video clip on my facebook! Lydia got up a little later and made us proud! I'm looking forward to performing in the Ladies in the Blues concert in May at the Bull Run in Shirley.
Later in the evening, another call for a free-for-all. The only rule was, you couldn't go up again if you had just gone up the prior song. I watched and waited... drummer, bass, guitar, harmonica... didn't seem to be a singer up there, so I politely asked if I could sing. The response was, "You're up here, sure you can." So - another song with strangers makin' music together. And, I was offered a gig in Minneapolis! (we'll figure that out later...)
We're on our way back home soon... We might have to wait a while to see what good ultimately comes of this trip, but I know something good is on the horizon. We don't need anyone to tell us that we're better than another band. We know that what we do comes from the depths of our soul, and we know that it touches people, and THAT's why we do it.
Thank you for your support!!!
Friday, February 4, 2011
The results are in...
We were second-to-last to play tonight, so we got to hear all the other bands, except one, before we played. There was a tremendous amount of talent in BB King's bar tonight. We did not advance to the semi-finals, but I am REALLY proud of our performance. We did 5 original tunes, and we had a really good audience response... but the judges had their biases in another direction...
In my view, we have already won... we got some great exposure, and we played in a really good club -- BB King's on Beale Street!! I was asked to do an interview tomorrow, and it will be distributed through an e-zine (an online magazine) -- based in Chicago. Lots of people were impressed by what we did... so hopefully we'll hear more from them, and it will turn into gig opportunities down the line.
We'll make the best of the rest of the week, hoping for more exposure and to make some connections along the way. It's disappointing that we didn't advance, because we deserved to go ahead... many people told us they thought we were the best... I know -- my band is the BEST. Just because the judges didn't think so doesn't change a thing. My band ROCKS. And I'm blessed to have them backing me.
Keep checking the website for upcoming dates... I'll continue to blog the rest of this week... THANK YOU for reading ... for following us, and for supporting us.
Peace, Love, Happiness, and Music
DB
In my view, we have already won... we got some great exposure, and we played in a really good club -- BB King's on Beale Street!! I was asked to do an interview tomorrow, and it will be distributed through an e-zine (an online magazine) -- based in Chicago. Lots of people were impressed by what we did... so hopefully we'll hear more from them, and it will turn into gig opportunities down the line.
We'll make the best of the rest of the week, hoping for more exposure and to make some connections along the way. It's disappointing that we didn't advance, because we deserved to go ahead... many people told us they thought we were the best... I know -- my band is the BEST. Just because the judges didn't think so doesn't change a thing. My band ROCKS. And I'm blessed to have them backing me.
Keep checking the website for upcoming dates... I'll continue to blog the rest of this week... THANK YOU for reading ... for following us, and for supporting us.
Peace, Love, Happiness, and Music
DB
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Day 1 - Quarterfinals
We were the second band to play at BB King's Club on the corner of Beale and Second Streets. The sound guy, Lewis, was top notch. He gave me a teeny-tiny little amp for my harmonica, but that amp sounded HUGE. The stage sound was good, and we did a really good energy set. We played all original songs - for 25 minutes.
We were very surprised to see our friend Jimi with a few more friends from Boston!! It did our hearts good to see our local fans smiling and cheering us on!
For those of you who saw us at the Mass. Blues Challenge, we did the three songs that we did at our local challenge; Don't Stop, I Will Fly, and Wonderful Addiction, plus Restless (from my first CD) and a brandy new song called "Look Before you Leap". We had a really good reaction from the audience, but it's the judges' opinions that really count.
We were looking good, all the guys dressed in matching black shirts with a wide blue stripe down the sides of the button-down part. And, me, in my matching blue striped sparkley top. We felt good about our set -- did our best, now we just hope for the best!
We will perform at BB Kings again on Thursday, for a different judge panel. All the same bands will be performing with us in the same club. We'll find out late on Thursday night about advancing to the Semi-Finals. Four bands from each club will advance. We're confident that we are one of them!
We had a fun night of band bonding, trolling around the other nightclubs, watching other bands. There's a LOT of talent concentrated in this little part of town. Beale Street is hopping and crawling with musicians. Just about everyone is carrying a guitar case or musical gear of some sort. It's fun to witness, and really fun to be a part of it all!!
Until tomorrow, y'all....
We were very surprised to see our friend Jimi with a few more friends from Boston!! It did our hearts good to see our local fans smiling and cheering us on!
For those of you who saw us at the Mass. Blues Challenge, we did the three songs that we did at our local challenge; Don't Stop, I Will Fly, and Wonderful Addiction, plus Restless (from my first CD) and a brandy new song called "Look Before you Leap". We had a really good reaction from the audience, but it's the judges' opinions that really count.
We were looking good, all the guys dressed in matching black shirts with a wide blue stripe down the sides of the button-down part. And, me, in my matching blue striped sparkley top. We felt good about our set -- did our best, now we just hope for the best!
We will perform at BB Kings again on Thursday, for a different judge panel. All the same bands will be performing with us in the same club. We'll find out late on Thursday night about advancing to the Semi-Finals. Four bands from each club will advance. We're confident that we are one of them!
We had a fun night of band bonding, trolling around the other nightclubs, watching other bands. There's a LOT of talent concentrated in this little part of town. Beale Street is hopping and crawling with musicians. Just about everyone is carrying a guitar case or musical gear of some sort. It's fun to witness, and really fun to be a part of it all!!
Until tomorrow, y'all....
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Gang's All Here!
All the band members (and our fans and friends) made it to Memphis safely!!
We will register our band in the morning, bring some CDs over to the Handy Bar where CDMojo will be peddling them for us this week, and then discuss our song arrangements.
We found out that we are scheduled to perform at BB King's Blues Bar on Beale Street, one of the nicest venues!! We're really excited -- we perform at about 6pm on Wednesday, and then at about 10pm on Thursday.
The weather turned REALLY cold tonight... but we're happy there's no snow here!
More tomorrow...
Peace,
DB
We will register our band in the morning, bring some CDs over to the Handy Bar where CDMojo will be peddling them for us this week, and then discuss our song arrangements.
We found out that we are scheduled to perform at BB King's Blues Bar on Beale Street, one of the nicest venues!! We're really excited -- we perform at about 6pm on Wednesday, and then at about 10pm on Thursday.
The weather turned REALLY cold tonight... but we're happy there's no snow here!
More tomorrow...
Peace,
DB
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Waiting & Wondering...
It's Tuesday morning, 1 Feb. Monday night was pretty tame on Beale Street. There was music in most of the clubs, but not many people out and about. We caught a good band at BB King's -- the BB King Allstars. Funky, bluesy, horny (sax and trumpet!).
The rest of the band is traveling to Memphis today; hopefully will arrive safely this afternoon.
Tonight is the International Showcase; different acts from around the world performing. The International Blues Challenge competition starts on Wednesday. We'll learn of our venue assignment on Wednesday when we register. The entire band must be present for registration, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they all arrive safely.
The weather is messing up a lot of people's travels... and if the bands are not present before 2:30pm on Wednesday for registration, then I think they cannot compete. From what I understand, the show goes on with the bands who can get here, no exceptions. Heartbreaking for the folks who won at their local level, and now Mother Nature is not being very good to them.
The routing for our band members seems to be avoiding the worst of the weather -- so hopefully we'll get all checked in and do our thing tomorrow!
Check back for more news later!!!
Peace,
DB
The rest of the band is traveling to Memphis today; hopefully will arrive safely this afternoon.
Tonight is the International Showcase; different acts from around the world performing. The International Blues Challenge competition starts on Wednesday. We'll learn of our venue assignment on Wednesday when we register. The entire band must be present for registration, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they all arrive safely.
The weather is messing up a lot of people's travels... and if the bands are not present before 2:30pm on Wednesday for registration, then I think they cannot compete. From what I understand, the show goes on with the bands who can get here, no exceptions. Heartbreaking for the folks who won at their local level, and now Mother Nature is not being very good to them.
The routing for our band members seems to be avoiding the worst of the weather -- so hopefully we'll get all checked in and do our thing tomorrow!
Check back for more news later!!!
Peace,
DB
Monday, January 31, 2011
Clarksdale, Mississippi- Birthplace of the Blues... 29 - 31 Jan, 2011
Clarksdale is only a couple hours drive south from Memphis, Tennessee, but it's like a world away. It has its own sort of southern charm; sometimes stores and restaurants are open, sometimes not. But, we experienced some true southern hospitality... even before my lost luggage was delivered... (yes, upon arrival, I learned that my suitcase was lost...luckily my harmonica gear in my carry-on bag...)
We started Saturday night at Ground Zero Blues Club, where we had a little something to eat and caught the first set of the TCB Band. The frontman, Otis Taylor, is a cop by day, soul singer by night. Although it was good music, we were really looking forward to the down-home vibe at Red's, so we went there to catch Big A and the Allstars (Anthony Sherrod - an amazing young man who has so much raw talent). Red remembered me from a few years back, when I came for the Juke Joint Festival, and Dick Lourie introduced me to Mr. Big Jack Johnson. I was thrilled to sit in with Mr. Johnson that time, and was hoping that he would be back in business again, but he's actually quite ill at the moment. If you are reading this, please say a prayer for his return to good health. He has been ailing since October. Send him some healing vibes!
I sat in with Anthony, Saturday night, sang and played a little harp. It was really a pleasure to watch his act. Like I said, so much raw talent.
On Sunday morning, we went to church at the Baptist Church of Lyon, Mississippi. We had been invited to go there by Big Jack Johnson a few years ago, when we were here last time. We had such a beautiful experience, we wanted to go again. What a deeply moving spiritual experience it is to witness the joyful noise of the music and singing and praying there. The members of the church are so welcoming and friendly. We were, again, deeply moved by the service. My mama always said, you pray twice when you sing to the Lord! And, did I SING!
After church, we went to Abe's for BBQ; mmmmmmm. That's all I have to say about that.
We learned about a free concert at Coahoma Community College. It was Ladybird Black Mumbaza, the African choral group that performed with Paul Simon. For free! It was REALLY good. Afterward, we met up with producer Gary Vincent and had a meal together. A nice ending to a wonderful Sunday.
Monday morning started with more southern hospitality; home-cooked breakfast with Gary and Carol at the Vincent Productions studio. Then, we went to visit with Mr. Big Jack Johnson. He is really struggling to regain his good health. Again - please say a prayer for him. He asked his grandson to go and get his guitar. He told me it was the first time in months that he picked up his guitar. Said, nothing really gave him the feeling to play, until today. He played a bit, and I blew my harp with him. What an honor and a pleasure.
We said farewell to Clarksdale (we hope to come back!) and drove up the road to Memphis, where we are anxiously awaiting the start of the International Blues Challenge!! Stay tuned for more news....
We started Saturday night at Ground Zero Blues Club, where we had a little something to eat and caught the first set of the TCB Band. The frontman, Otis Taylor, is a cop by day, soul singer by night. Although it was good music, we were really looking forward to the down-home vibe at Red's, so we went there to catch Big A and the Allstars (Anthony Sherrod - an amazing young man who has so much raw talent). Red remembered me from a few years back, when I came for the Juke Joint Festival, and Dick Lourie introduced me to Mr. Big Jack Johnson. I was thrilled to sit in with Mr. Johnson that time, and was hoping that he would be back in business again, but he's actually quite ill at the moment. If you are reading this, please say a prayer for his return to good health. He has been ailing since October. Send him some healing vibes!
I sat in with Anthony, Saturday night, sang and played a little harp. It was really a pleasure to watch his act. Like I said, so much raw talent.
On Sunday morning, we went to church at the Baptist Church of Lyon, Mississippi. We had been invited to go there by Big Jack Johnson a few years ago, when we were here last time. We had such a beautiful experience, we wanted to go again. What a deeply moving spiritual experience it is to witness the joyful noise of the music and singing and praying there. The members of the church are so welcoming and friendly. We were, again, deeply moved by the service. My mama always said, you pray twice when you sing to the Lord! And, did I SING!
After church, we went to Abe's for BBQ; mmmmmmm. That's all I have to say about that.
We learned about a free concert at Coahoma Community College. It was Ladybird Black Mumbaza, the African choral group that performed with Paul Simon. For free! It was REALLY good. Afterward, we met up with producer Gary Vincent and had a meal together. A nice ending to a wonderful Sunday.
Monday morning started with more southern hospitality; home-cooked breakfast with Gary and Carol at the Vincent Productions studio. Then, we went to visit with Mr. Big Jack Johnson. He is really struggling to regain his good health. Again - please say a prayer for him. He asked his grandson to go and get his guitar. He told me it was the first time in months that he picked up his guitar. Said, nothing really gave him the feeling to play, until today. He played a bit, and I blew my harp with him. What an honor and a pleasure.
We said farewell to Clarksdale (we hope to come back!) and drove up the road to Memphis, where we are anxiously awaiting the start of the International Blues Challenge!! Stay tuned for more news....
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