It's been a long weekend and a long day of writing about it. The three day weekends are rare and so are the ones when I get to out on three occasions.

   Not only was the weather beautiful on Long Island this Memorial Day weekend but there was lots of good music.

   Sunday was a highlight for me at the benefit show for Lance Ong. It was a sunny day in Brightwaters. The Brightwaters Inn on Orinoco is a nice room with a few tables, a pool table, a Hammond B3 brought in , lots of other equipment and it was mostly full the whole day from 3 to 7pm. It felt like a family party with nicely dressed people, smiling faces and a communal mood.

   First band up at the "Ladies for Lance" benefit show was The Sweaty Betty Blues Band. Diane McCardle, lead singer for Sweaty Betty, was in her home turf so-to-speak. SWBB is a popular act on the local scene and it's has a lot to do with a great voice, a familiar and tight band and a nice personality. The set was mostly standards with the exception of Amy Winehouse number which was cool. Diane is always entertaining and it was nice of the whole band to do the benefit. They were a top notch act for an opening and they did a nice job.

   They were followed by The Pat Hunter Project which included an impressive band of musicians. The group included Donnie Celenza who ended up on the Hammond B3, Gary Sellers on axe, Ed Davis III on bass, Eric Smith on keys, Shinya Miyamoto on drums and Ms. Blues Deluxe, Pat Hunter. Ms Hunter displayed deft range and nuance with some sultry lows and some crisp highs. There were more than a few fans and singers in the audience admiring her rich performance. She had me mesmerized. She is in great vocal form and her band was also a rich show.

   A tough act to follow, Pat Hunter, but next up was the high energy Pam Betti Band. Pam Betti is a number of natural resources all rolled up into a blond dynamo. She looks amazing, she has amazing energy and she wills her voice to go anywhere she wants it to go...and she wants it to GO. I get winded watching her sometimes and this day she was bringing it. Pam and Co. are a tight act lately with Jim Kolman on axe, Derek Hensley on drums, Frank Centrone on keys and a new and able face on bass, Craig. Also noteworthy is the fact that Pam can include an original tune and it's at least as good as her covers. Betti's Blues was good. Pam, like Pat Hunter and the others, added weight with her presence at such an event. It says a lot about the people and the community that will do this for someone... not to forget Sweet Suzi who hosted and organized the event. She and Wally from BWI and the BWI staff did a nice job.

   Speaking of which Sweet Suzi finished off the day as the final act. Little Cliff was also billed and Mr. Cliff stood in for a few numbers on harp with various bands. The man can play and it was a nice blues touch for a few numbers.

   The Sweet Suzi Band which was Johnny Anderson on guitar, Tom Foschino on drums, Armando on Hammond and a new bass player who all brought good energy. Johnny A is a guitar favorite of mine and he was nice to hear. Suzi was feeling a lot of love and was bringing a lot too. She was a congenial host all day and she was smooching or getting smooched every time I caught a glimpse of her. It was a nice mood and her good spirits translated into a hearty set even for Suzi.

   It occurred to me that these women are all so high energy. It takes that to succeed as they all do. It takes energy, skill, practise and heart...and they all have it and it was all given to Lance Ong and Nicole Hart and may God bless them both.

   Nicole had just released a new CD, Treasure, and had just signed with Blues Leaf Records when this all came upon them, Imagine the range of emotions and how that must have felt;  joy, disappointment, fear, anger?

   I heard Lance has been responding well to cancer treatment. They are handling it really well and they are kind people and it was nice to see so many people caring.

   Support our local artists. You can see how that helps in so many ways.

   Thanks for checking in.

bill

  

    Back when I was going to bars to hang with pals and socialize, before life got serious, as it were, I was a fan of Bad Company. I dug the guitars and Paul Rogers vocals. I've always enjoyed a dynamic lead performer. As I have described here many times I enjoy a performer's personal expression. I enjoy the soul behind the song. A skilled performance is even better of course but sometimes just a gutsy performance is good.  It feels like a more personal work of art when the artist gives it more nuance. It also means a lot to feel a person sharing themself and connecting with people in an often impersonal world. Even rock performances could be soulful.

   So I was interested in hearing the Bad Co. tribute at Mirelle's on Friday night; Rock Steady. I thought I was getting an early start but in fact I didn't walk in until after ten and I had missed that part of the show. I immediately pulled out my pocket, Billfoolery calendar and checked out what else was around. No offense to Red White & Blues, the heaadline act, but I have specific wish-lists when I get nights out and I have seen RW&B. Well I ran into some friends and the first music I heard from the blues/rock band was good... so I hung out for a set or two.

   Once again there was a nice crowd at Mirelle's. It's a comfortable setting with nice demographics so to speak; over 30 types who can carrry on a conversation and enjoy good music.

   Red White and Blues offered some standard blues/rock fare with some good playes. Len Campanelli on lead vox and guitar brings some good stuff and his guitar was entertaining. The band was also good especially Steve Greenbaum on harp who got blue for a few numbers and then I was pleasently surprised with an appearance by Mike Dimeo. Dimeo was the lead performer with Rock Steady who I missed in the first act. He is a talented keyboard player/vocalist. I have seen and heard him play with Andy Aledort on numerous occasions. This was a nice surprise and he rocked. Dimeo has a muscular voice... so to speak and his keyboard playing great stuff too. I didn't get the covers of the old Bad Co t unes but I heard some good performances. It turned out to be a good set and I had another good night of music at Mirelle's.

   Saturday night I got a late start and I was heading out to Giacomo Jacks for the Wall Street Jumpers featuring John Judd when I got a call from my old friend who was at the Village pub in Massapequa. He had a friend playing with Sound Advice, a rock/blues cover band who I had not had the pleasure of seeing before. I always opt for something new so I veered north in Massapequa rather than south in Amityville. I head that I missed most of the crowd. It was late and I also missed most of the act. I did catch a set however and lead singer/guitar, John was a good player/performer. I am always surprised by how many musically talented people there are out there (and yet how amazing that I have none) that perform right here on Long Island and that I have yet to see. Sound Advice were mostly rock in the final set, AC/DC and some Brit rock stuff, sort of a JD Leonard sound and they were good. It was also my first time at theVillage Pub. It was on Broadway south of Southern State Pkwy. I'm surprised there are not more blues shows there. It fits the description of so many other local blues joints.

   I anticipate even more this weekend so I will be following up with some more to share. Thanks for stopping by and keep me posted on events and I'll do the same for you.

bill

  

   It has been a while since I shared a nights observations with you. It is not for a lack of trying. I have had my usual Wednesday night and at least one night on the weekend lately. I have not had any of those extra times to catch an off-night show or a Sunday event and thats a bummer because there have been some good ones lately.

   Lance Ong, the husband, producer and band mate of Nicole Hart, the talented and vivacious blues singer from this area has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Lance and Nicole are friends of the Long Island blues community including myself and there have been and will be more events to help raise money for Lance and Nicole. Like many self-employed people they don't have full insurance coverage and fighting cancer takes a lot of money... and prayers.

   One of those events took place this weekend and it pained me to have to miss that one. There will be others and I will post them as well and I will do what I can to at least get to the events. I am not a person of means so my announcements here and my presence at events is about all I can do.

   The shows I did get to were on Saturday night. My first stop was The Bad Moon Saloon in Merrick. The newly named place has been a hot spot lately for blues in Nassau County. The turnouts have been spotty but the shows have been good and the word will spread. It is a good location (Merrick Ave. between Sunrise and Southern State Pkwy.).

   This Saturday night I caught The Gail Storm Band with Joe Vicino on guitar, Shenole Latimer on Sax, Bernice Brooks on drums and Gail Storm on keys and vocals.

  I arrived to a half-full room. It is a good room for enjoying music with lots of tables and good sightlines from the back. The music was my kind of stuff in blues with a good guitar, vocals, a sax and a lowkey rhythm.  Vicino has great hands and guitar-attitude and he's made for that stuff if you ask me. Gail Storm has a gutsy voice and plays some cool keys. Shenole Latimer on sax handles blues nicely and coming from a jazz background he offers some edge. The offerings were a little different than the frequent Stevie Ray and rock stuff I hear in these parts; more "Marcia Ball" on keys with a long and eclectic set list.  Ms. Storms varied background and experience filter through in a well run, casual feeling but professional performance and collaboration. It was good entertainment with talented players. 

   I have been taking my annual respite from the usual dirty-vodka routine. I give my liver a rest for as long as I can stand it every year and so far it has been the month of May. I find that I get a little restless and I jump around a little more during these times.

   Saturday night I left The Bad Moon mid-set and headed to ET Quiggs for some SmokinGun and the company of some friends. I usually make my entertainment choices based on the music rather than the company. It is hard to get a consensus among people anyway. I like to hear new stuff as often as possible and keep it varied. I miss the company of friends sometimes and I often look for that on my second choices.

   ET Quiggs also had a half-full crowd but it was late. I know I missed some people and SmokinGun usually gets a nice crowd. They offer a fun, down-home, damn-good-stuff kind of blues with Bill Marino, Rich Thiel, Jeannie B and Ralphie Santiago was on drums. They do some jumpin stuff and some yeehaa guitar blues especially when Marino has another 6-string player in the house. Last night Joe Bivona lent a hand along with others and there was some good guitarin' goin on. They closed with a Rod Stewart number and Jeannie B will beat me up if I complement her on it so I won't. Sometimes I like the effort and the vocal quality might be right-on for the song. The artist may not have liked the performance however. God forbid I should complement a performer when she didn't like the effort. Geesh! So for all but the last number they were good. It was a good Saturday night in Nassau.

   Stay tuned for the coming week and the Lance Ong event(s). There's a doozie coming up at Brightwaters Inn with a bevy of Diva's... always fun!         

   Thanks for checking in. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

bill

This weeks featured Juke Joint is Terra Blues, NYC http://www.terrablues.com Terra Blues is a modern-day blues saloon on the second floor overlooking Bleecker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village. For Fifteen years it's arched ceiling has carried the sound of some of the best blues guitar players and singers from New York and around the country. Little Milton, Edgar Winter, Robert Lockwood Jr., Johnny Clyde Copeland, Phillip Walker, and The Holmes Brothers are among the names of the national acts that appear on Thursday nights. Doors open at 7:00pm. Acoustic acts begin nightly from 7 to 10pm. These shows are the intimate portion of the evening. Usually consisting of a solo performer who plays guitar and sings. Get lucky, and you might catch HoneyBoy Edwards, Louisiana Red, or Hubert Sumlin in a stunning up-close performance that is matched by none.
After 10, the band plugs-in. Weekday performances (Sun-Wed) consist of sit-down, shuffle blues with an upright bass. It's a real down-home, down-south atmosphere where all the hot locals strut their stuff. Thursdays are reserved for national acts from other cities including Chicago, Baton Rouge, Clarksdale, and Austin.
A NYC favorite-- Be sure to check it out--you won't be

   It's been a busy few days for music. My Wednesday night got interesting at Big Daddy's in Massapequa and then Lefty's in Lindenhurst.

   For starters the cast at Big Daddy's was the A-team with John Judd, Ralph Santiago on drums and "Batman" on bass. There were some dynamite guets again too. Chrispy chicken on bass, Dave Burns on axe, "Ray" with trombone and Joe Bivona showed up for some guitar as well. It was a raucaus jam with those creative juices flowing and then some blues broke out when Sweet Suzi waltzed in during the last set. That kicked in another gear both in music and energy levels.

   For such a small space there was a lot going on and once again that jam was fun couple of hours.

   As the players and patrons were mingling and packing up gear I mentioned to Suzi that I was heading over to Lefty's. It was not that late and there is usually another set or two going on over there. Well all you have to do is suggest something like that to Sweet Suzi and she's in high gear recruiting the idea to the band. I left as she was lobbying the idea and arived at a break in the music at Lefty's on Hoffman Ave. in Lindenhurst. Popa G, Tim D, Andy Witt,Henning Stumm, Bill Galante, Clem (bass, O'Zone) and others were huddling at a table looking like they were holding a committee meeting for a bookie operation. I mentioned that Suzi might be arriving and soon enough she walks in with the travelling Chrisberry's behind her.

   Chrispy, "trombone Ray", Dave Burns and others followed and the jam at Lefty's took off as well. That one played on well into the night and it got more interesting every minute. I eventually headed home but that was as good as it gets, musically, on a Wednesday night in suburbia.

   My weekend was less eventful but not bad. I bounced around a bit before ending up at Millers Place in Masapequa. It's a new venue for me and a nice one; a real classy joint as they say.

   Trick Bag was playing and there was a nice looking crowd and good music. Dave Burns offers a unique sounding guitar and Craig Bestoff is a smooth lead vox and harp player. The rhythm is solid and it was a good cast all around. Whatever they cover isn't obvious and it it's done for a reason. I tried a few other shows but either the crowd was too large to deal with or I was not happy with the set list. I found the "just right" set of elements with Trick Bag and it was a nice show.

   I have to move on today, Mothers Day. I have things to do, like make a few calls but this is a tough day in our house. I don't hear many media sources mention the homes that are "mother challenged".  I'm trying to keep it low key here but I hope you enjoy yours. It's a worthy cause. No one has to tell me how important the role of "mother" is.

  Enjoy!!

  Thanks for stopping by.

bill

  

    Before the past weekend becomes history I wanted to give it a mention. I had an enjoyable Saturday night at Bad Moon Saloon and I have been swimming furiously in the mire of life unable to find the time and a quiet moment to sit and tell you about it. Tonight, finally, I have that.

   I liked the show for the location (the Bad Moon, formerly J Farrells, is not too too far) and the time of course. I had to tuck in the details at home before I could enjoy a night out so as usual I arrived around ten thirty to a light to medium crowd and with the Pat Hunter Project performing with a five-piece. Those were keys, bass, axe, drums, conga and Ms. Hunter. By the end of the night the room had filled nicely.

   They looked dressed for blues, men in black even some hats and she in browns and black with a decidedly western flavor. Pat looks lean but sounds deep and bluesy lately. The band was tasty with Eric Smith on keys, Al Davis III on bass, Shinya Miyamoto on drums, Dave Nesdall on 6-string and Manny Martinez on conga and they were all good.

   The Pat Hunter Project are making some cool sounds lately. By the way, they will be performing at a big shindig at Brightwaters Inn on May 24. It's a fund raiser for local friend and artist, Lance Ong (Nicole Hart's husband and keyboard player) who has been diagnosed with cancer. That looks like a great show as well as a great cause with PHP, Pam Betti, Sweet Suzi and Sweaty Betty. Stay tuned for more details.

   The show Saturday was a nice mix of blues and R&B including some Chaka Kahn and and some other stuff that inspired my friends to wish they had a dance partner... which I am not. It was good listening though with Eric Smith and Davis adding some enjoyable solos. There were some good cameo's as well with Lynn Watson and Allan Tootal on vocals and Joe Bivona on guitar.  All that made for an interesting night of quality entertainment.

   The coming weekend has some exciting stuff so check the schedule and get out there. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you soon.

bill