Tuesday night marked the beginning of another Open jam night. This one at Mustang Sally's in W. Islip.

   The Blue Matter gang with Ralphie Santiago, Arty Panico and Ray Wade had their old bass player Kelly back in the fold and there was a real nice crowd for the debut.

   I walked in around 10:30 and there was a delay in the start. It seems dart players have priority at Mustang Sally's and the whole music crowd was waiting awkardly for some sign that the dart games were over and the music could begin.

   Finally, around 11:30, Sweet Suzi introduced Blue Matter at Mustang Sally's for the first time and hopefully it will be a long run. These guys are built to jam. They play a solid variety or rock/blues and they get a pretty good following of aspiring artists. It is a mix of players strong in guitars and vocals with some good bass and keyboard players stepping in on occasion.

   The place is great for music. It has a large room, wide open with tables and a long bar. There is no stage and the light isn't great but the location is pretty good and there is plenty of parking.

   The guests on opening night were good. Sweet Suzi grooved on a few tunes and Johnny Anderson did the same. Derek Hensley did a few nice numbers on drums and Josh Allen kicked some ass with a new looking, cherry red strat. It was a regular south shore all-star night.

   The place is so close to my Bay Shore abode I may have to rotate my weekly nights on occasion. I just hope the jam gets a steady flow and a patient host. Check it out for a nice night of music and good company.

   The week is young and there are good jams and open-mic's all over the place. Get out there sometime soon. It is good for you, the players and the economy. Hey, you'll be doing your community a service.

   Thanks for checking in.

bill

   Well a weekend just passed and I don't have much to report.

   Part of it is that I only got out on Saturday night but it was late and I had a bad chest cold. It was the kind of congestion that makes me feel like coughing with every breath. I tried a few local spots and a few quick belts of vodka. (hey the Russians swear by it), but nothing much happened. I caught a few sets of Bad Habit and Bluestone but I was not comfortable and nothing was motivating me. I needed something powerful, something potent. I got home swiftly and checked my calendar again. Maybe I missed something.

   No, I was geographically and physically oppressed that night. It just doesn't always work out.

   Even Sunday when there were a few good shows with talented artists I was blocked by circumstance. It was the unavoidable kind. The Ms. was celebrating a big one. We had a nice dinner with family at Dick & Dora's in Massapequa. I used to go to that place when I was a kid and it is still there and it was not bad. Great for a good size group.

   Speaking of which I have one of those noteworthy birthdays coming. I am referring the ones with a round number. Gulp. I think I'll be celebrating somewhere far away where I can get really indulgent and not have to make any calls the next day wondering what happened. So it will be Vegas, maybe New Orleans. I think the jazz fest is near my b-day.

   I have the coming week to look forward to. There is a new jam starting on Tuesday night at Mustang Sally's in W Islip. That's close and I enjoy Blue Matter. Maybe I can sneak out on a Tuesday night for their opening.

   There are still Wednesday night jams I need to re-discover, like Reflections and then there is next weekend.

   I'll post the new schedule soon and I'll be hopeful of getting out more next week and not having respiratory and other issues.

   Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by.

bill

    So I headed up to Katies in Smithtown for my Wednesday night out. I'm like a pinball banging around now since my usual Wed. night groove has been uprooted and last night I dug it.

   So I get there and it was jumping. So I checked my bearings and it was definitely Wednesday night. I saw Jim Moran and his merry band. I saw Pam Betti and she was all  hoppin and happenin. I saw Hitman and he had some players. I saw lots of familiar faces...all having fun. 

   It is a great room for music too. Big open space, a stage, a bar in the back, no massive columns blocking views. Good light on the band and less light on the people. Perfect. I even found a quiet road home which might help some night. Thanks Jim.

   The music was some fresh episodes in cover rock and blues. Hitman has a vast repetoire. You'll hear stuff from him that you don't hear from the cover bands at the corner bar. Jim Moran had his usual hammer and axe working well and I was thrilled to hear Pam Betti wailing on some Led Zepplin....not to mention Joplin and Aretha.  

   I think that may have been a replay of a dream I had once... PB doing some hard rocking. And it was made more surreal by her hair in pigtails. There's a farm-girl looking Pam Betti getting all edgy and metal on some LZ. If I was a visual artist I would try to make an impression of that somehow. I might add a light blue checkered Dorothy dress for effect.

   It was a waker-upper of a Wed. night. A good time.

   I may not make it up there every week but I'll definitely be fitting it in to my new routine. Check that one out some Wed. night.

   I spent some time last night talking about the stuff coming up this weekend. There are some good shows... as usual. Notably there is a big fundraiser for Cancer research at Bobbique's on Sunday with a dynamite cast. Check that out too.

   Thanks for checking in and thanks to all the artists that keep me posted on their gigs. I appreciate it.

bill

  

    I had a busy weekend with two nights out. If I had the opportunity and the physical stamina I would try and make it three days, what with the good stuff on the calendar today. That ain't happenin though. My body is clearly opting out of that one today...among other obstacles.

   It was fun though!

   Friday night I went to Reflections (Rockville Center) to catch Perrita and The Way of The Groove. That is a nice cast of players with Perrita Kitson, a sweet and soulful singer. Chrispy Chicken on sax, Paul Levant is the regular guitar. Friday night had John Anderson and even some Donnie Celenza sitting in. Dave Burns on drums, Dave Pellegrino on bass and Dan Policar on keys. There were some other cameo's including vocals by James "Ajax" Baynard.

   It was a fun night. The sounds were soul and blues and R&B. The place has a nice atmosphere albeit some difficult drinking/viewing angles. With the room  full of music and musicians and the band sitting close to the patrons it had the feel of a friendly, family affair. 

   Perrita and company exude a good vibe. There is a genuine warmth and joy coming out of the Groove as well as all the funky, velvety soul. They have a lot going on. It was a show with multiple interesting elements; cool sax by Chrispy Chicken, the guitars Friday were amazing. Lots to listen to and make you feel good. Add them to your "must see" list. You won't find much better than that!

   Saturday night was couples night for me and the Ms. and some friends and we were generously invited to Lefty's by manager Rob Lepano and by the band eXonda...so we took them up on it and I introduced some new friends to some of the local fare. More good vocals and soul.  

   eXonda has a mellow style and delivery. Her voice is contained and her cool attitude carries well. Additional vocals are provided by Sugaree who, as her name suggests, offers a sweetness and a higher pitched complement. Rashid Amir also offered some rap vocals. The band was Henning Stumm on drums, Papa G on bass and Jeevan on keys. The result is original with a number of influences like R&B, 80's rock, soul, hip hop. The set list included some originals (co-writte by eXonda, Sugaree and Ayanda) like Give Me Something and At the Party. Another well done number last night was a cover of Glorybox, Give Me a Reason.

   They have lot's to offer and so many sounds. There's another act you'll have to catch. It's nice to have so many styles, so many sounds and so many good people to deliver it.

   Thanks for checking in and thanks to the artists and venues for the info. and the hospitality! 

bill

  

   There is a full schedule of shows this weekend. I hope anyone with the chance to go out does so.

   There is blues of course (with Hitman Blues and Pamela Betti for instance). There is soul, there is country, there is rock, there's folk, jazz. I think it is all covered in just this weekend.

   One thing I have been wanting to do and, hopefull, I will be offering soon is some band and musician biographies. I'll keep it on one of my other pages. I'd like to offer one new one a month and hopefully I can offer some questions and answers when I can set it up...with the band or artist.

   Stay tuned for that and I would also like to get some blues programming on the radio and/or podcasting outlet.

   It is all in an effort to bring the local entertainment scene to the people here on Long Island who could be taking better advantage of it. There is so much to see and hear.

   Once again thanks for stopping by and check in soon for some new stuff.

bill

    Anyone that has lost a partner knows Valentines Day is bittersweet.

    As I was choosing a song to play today memories surfaced of my late wife as well as thoughts of the love I feel in the present. It is the truth that part of what has fueled my love of blues was both the loss I felt and the music I found afterwards over a decade ago.

   The first sounds I heard after sleepwalking through the months that followed was the music of Patty Griffin, Living With Ghosts. Hers was an angelic voice talking to me about my very pain. I learned afterwards that the CD was written about her loss, after a relationship ended. Her pain was practically tangible and I played the CD over and over until I could finally realize that people deal and move on with loss and pain. Having heard the experience in song and having even just one person to talk to me about it was cathartic. I followed other voices from there and there are many that talk to me. It is a good place to find company and comfort. Still.

   In an effort to share some "living" love I chose my favorite Al Green song. I hope you enjoy it. I hope it helps you find some warm feelings in your heart today to dwell on if you weren't lucky enough to wake up next to it.

   Enjoy your Valentines Day!

   It is Wednesday night. I should be out hunting for a jam. I am newly orphaned from my Wed. night routine which most weeks included attending the Blue Matter jam.

   There was something comfortable about that jam. There was a comfortable lack of fighting egos there. The door was always open to players of most levels. More "levels" of skill were welcome there than most places and that was balanced by a good skill level of regular guests and players.

   I am sure the BM boys will show up somewhere else soon. I'm going somewhere in a little while and I will be doing some investigating. I'm looking for a new Wed. night locale for both myself and in the event that Blue Matter find a new place too far from me I will make my case for something local.

   I  had a late start. If I had been able to go out earlier I would have run up to see Jim Moran and Pam Betti at Katies or Donnie C at Reflections. I look forward to doing some roaming when I get back to my usual start time.

   At least I have a good weekend to look forward to. There are some really good shows this weekend. Friday and Saturday night are tough choices. Even Sunday has more than one quality show.

   It is good news that there is so much to see. I hope to find a new Wed. night home and in the meantime I welcome the opportunity to check out some new scenes.

   Try a few new scenes yourselves. There is so much to see and hear.

   Thanks again for stopping by.

bill

  

   The Grammy awards is a spectacle that I enjoy. The artists, being aural specialists are sometimes clumsy in person both visually and in spoken word. That vulnerability is what is so attractive about the awards show.

   Seeing live performaces of great recording artists is also sobering... and inspiring.

   Take the opening. Alicia Keys with all her youthful beauty and power was an underdog in her duet with a "holographic" Frank Sinatra and as a blues moment I'll take it. The blues are so under-represented it was nice to see Mr. Blue Eyes and Ms.delicious-diva-of the moment, Alicia Keys. It wasn't in perfect harmony but it was a nice touch to see them together. Her voice is a pretty thing and so is she. Sinatra's profound confidence was always intimidating. That was a good thing.

   I saw two sides of Kanye West. His performance of "Mama" was an homage to his mother recently passed and he showed humanity in both his performance and his expression. That was cool. By the time he received his Grammy for Best Rap Album he had recovered his steely confidence and left a little chill.

   Vince Gill (Best Country album) referenced that soon after when he accepted his award from Ringo Starr. He asked West if HE ever got an award from a Beatle. Good moment...for both. They laughed. Leave it to the country guy to lay down some gravity with a grin.

   A much anticipated moment was the preformance of Amy Winehouse via satellite  from London.

   Ms. Winehouse won a few Grammy's, much deserved. Her album, Back to Black is unique, enjoyable. She came out of nowhere and made a favorable impression on practically the world...in spite of being as unstable as uranium. She is almost as potent.

   Her performance was so interesting. It was staged in a bluesy room. It looked like a place the size of Mirelle's. It was the kind of room I like and never see around here;  a stage and low tables and chairs for the patrons. She had some male dancers in black suits really working a Blues Brothers kind of groove and a 3 or 4 piece band with some brass I believe. She performed "You Know I'm No Good" and Rehab". Of course her voice was not as tight as a studio recording and she was so idiosyncratic. She was both hard to watch and impossible to not watch. She looked as vulnerable emotionally as she did physically, moreso.   

   I believe it is from such an unstructured place that some interesting art comes. Her vocals, her expression and even her appearance is stimulating or at least curious. That is why new statements are rare. It is hard for "open-ness" to exist. It is hard for people to live so ungrounded from convention. Societies pressure them/us to comform, obey and yet still create. If a person's ideas and methods are counter-culture their expressions will provide thought provoking images. It doesn't have to be deliberate or constructive, per se' ...for me to enjoy that. It just has to be genuine and driven by an expressive ideal.

    That is why I find award shows interesting. I get to see the frailties that they have the courage to live with and hence, give us some things that allow us to see outside our boxes. These Grammy's provided some good moments. Do you agree?

    I'll have the new weekly schedule up real soon.

   Thanks for checking in.

bill

  

   First of all I want to mention that my favorite local jam has been whacked! It seems Lefty's wasn't finding the Wednesday night jam lucrative enough so they pulled the plug on it.

   The boys in Blue Matter were told it was a music program issue and the $$'s weren't adding up. I guess we've heard that before. Oh well, the boys will find another home and I hope it is close. I also hope it is somewhere where the owners know that a jam is not packed every week and it generates a long term following of music people. I hear they have a place or two in mind as some bar owners have approached them over the years about moving the event.  Good luck boys. I'll show up pretty often as long as it is Wednesday night and it's in the same general local.  I have made my whole life work for Wednesday nights. Changing that would be like changing my job.

   As for the weekend fare, I caught Sweet Suzi and The Blues Experience Friday night at Giacomo Jacks. That was a blast! Suzi had her mojo going, Johnny Anderson kept the ride going with his usual flair and Mr. Foschino and the rest of the Blues Experience had their Friday night attitudes as well. The place, the music and the people make for a great weekend night. I recommend it for all the stressed out people in suburbia who sit home and open their bills and sweat it out every day. Wait, you all do that too don't you?

   Anyway, there's more out there and this IS Saturday night. So get up, take a shower (please), find somewhere safe to lock the kids up and get the hell out for some music...and make that blues if you really want to know whats good for you.

   Thanks for stopping by and thanks SS&BE and Giacomo's for a much needed good time.

bill

   Unfortunately I have only little to report from the weekend. It was one of those weekends...musically speaking.

   For the sake of entertainment I might as well report on a bad movie from Friday night. Untraceable; starring Diane Lane. Playing a FBI agent investigating internet crime Ms.Lane's character comes across a murderer who webcasts the gruesome events. We get to see the slow, torturous murders and they get progressively closer to (her) home. Finally the big ending comes and it was sudden, anticlimatic and formulatic. There was a collective groan when the credits appeared. A real Friday night fizzle.

   That was one weekend night and there were shows that night that were very inviting. I was hopeful of a good movie and then at least a good show on Saturday night. It can't be all blues and live music as long as there are other people to consider.

   I was optimistic about Saturday night. It was a good Saturday for a number of reason and I had time to relax, shower and even iron a favorite shirt. The anticipation of a Saturday night never gets old even when I'm taking in a show alone. I feed on the energy of not only the music but the spirit of enjoyment being had by patrons and players.

   So I decided to try Speedo's Billy Rose at Eleanor Rigby's in Mineola. I had read a good review of the band and wanted to catch their show. I had never heard of Eleanor Rigby's. A bit of a drive wasn't a problem. It was a mild night and I had some new tunes on my iPod to keep me company.

   As usual I walked in at the end of the first set. I have a knack for that. I caught a song and it was a cover so I wasn't too bummed that I missed it. The lady had a decent set of pipes. There was a good harp and the 16 strings (do the math) sounded good so far. I was hopeful.

   Waiting in an unfamiliar place is not always easy. If I know the place I know where to sit it out or I know someone to chat with. If there's a big crowd I sometimes remember how to ignite a non threatening conversation with a potential source of helpful information. If all else fails I look for some geography at the bar.

   In this case the bar opened up and I did manage to pick a brain or two. Finally SBR lit up my night. They opened up with some blues. Yes! They sounded good. I was warming up and the dubious setting, even for a blues event, was showing signs of taking on some mood. With that my phone rang and it was my daughter. She was supposed to be home dreaming of, well, whatever the hell it is teens dream of these days. It was not good news. A fever had occurred. It was a hot one too. I made my dirty vodka disappear like magic and like magic, my weekend was now all about the Super Bowl.

   Thank God my daughter is feeling better and it was one helluva Super Bowl. I have almost gotten over not getting even a full set of music this weekend. If every missed weekend turns out like that I'll not complain too much.

   So a new week has begun. There will be some blues for me in the coming days. That I know.

   Come back tomorrow for the new schedule and please let me know of your blues events and correct me on my calendar this week if I miss anything or if anything changes.

   Thanks for checking in.

bill

    Not having any idea that the coming issue of LI Pulse was an entirely Music issue I was pleasently surprised tonight when I picked one up at Barnes & Noble.

   I am enjoying the many articles about local music and musicians. I am a regular journalizer of local music and there are names of songwriters and some performers in the magazine that are new to me. I love it when that happens. It seems the local music scene is a vast world. That is encouraging because I hope I never stop discovering it all.

   Pick up a copy. It is really enjoyable reading

   As for the piece I researched and contributed about the Open-Mic events and Open-jams I tried to cover the events thoroughly.  Please keep me posted on new and changing events. (Bill@Billfoolery.com)

   Speaking of Open jams I was able to get to Lefty's late last night. I was informed upon arrival that I missed a great set with Papa G and the Blue Matter boys. I stuck around and was lucky enough to catch a set after all.

   Sometimes the open nights get small crowds and sometimes an all-star team and crowds of people show up. In any case there is good music and I am glad for all of it. There is little pay for the hosts and none for the visitors so these people are doing it for all the right reasons and it is almost always worth hearing. The juke box is turned on only after the live stuff ends no matter who the live players are.

   As for the coming weekend there is a slightly light schedule and I am guessing it has something to do with the Superbowl on Sunday and also that the winners of the LI Blues Society events are either on the way to Memphis or taking it in right now. Come to think of it there are plenty of other blues artists going there to enjoy the International Blues Competition. There you go. Memphis has a big chunk of our blues talent pool.

   Another new and noteworthy item is a new link to the Long Island Podcast Network (Cool Links Pages). I am intrigued by the potentials of podcasting technology and I am glad to be starting to offer some of it here. I may also be offering some web-based, local music radio here soon as well. Stay tuned.

   With any spare time you may have during the daylight hours pick up a copy of LI Pulse and enjoy. After dark take in a show of some local live music. Inspiration is a rich dessert.

    Thanks for stopping by and have a Super weekend. Go Giants!

bill