An exceptional weekend of music began for me late on Friday night. Due to the often documented parental circumstances beyond my control I am a late-night guy and thankfully that did not cause me to miss some good moments.

   The Bad Moon Saloon on Merrick Ave. in Merrick was hosting Jim Moran Band w/ Chrissie O'Dell, the strikingly gritty and true-blues vocalist. It was also Jim Moran's birthday celebration. Joining the two lead performers was Frank Anstiss on drums and Tim Smith on bass.

   The set was a combination of inspired guitar with cool and genuine vocals. And Anstiss was creating a poignant blues setting with all the right beats and rhythms. The Bad Moon has been unfailingly offering top of the line blues talent and this was another good show. Stay tuned this week for more cool blues.

   Saturday night was an even later start but thankfully blues shows often go late into the night.

   I arrived at ET Quiggs in Bellmore around midnight. There was a great crowd. The band was SmokinGun with Bill Marino, Jeannie B, Rich Thiel and Ralph Santiago was on drums. Joining SG this night was Felix Cabrera on harp and vocals. The music was awesome. It was blues/rock with killer rhythm, great lead axe and the harmonies with Jeannie B and Cabrera were really tasty. There was an impressive array of guest players and the night ended up being one great combination of players after another.

   The guest list included John Judd, Scott Ross, Chrissy O'Dell, Brother Dave, Bill Post, Bruce Dixon and more.

   The patrons were also a collection of appreciative blues fans and it was one of those nights when the atmosphere and the music were electric; even intoxicating. I said to myself and others a number of times that more people should be aware of this great live music.

   Both nights this weekend there were terrific shows and lot's of them and more Long Islanders need to be told.

   I, for one, am appreciative of the artists and the venues. It was a lot of fun and it was local and not expensive and it was even inspiring.

   Spread the word.

   Thanks for stopping by.

   bill

   It's been a busy busy week but if you want something done ask a busy person...my mother used to say.

   I have been moving, working numerous projects, bidding more numerous projects (thankyou God), celebrating my childs birthday(thanks again) and even enjoying various nights of blues and other live music. There are 24 hours in a day and I've been using them creatively to put it mildly.

   I vowed to attend another Wednesday night jam and last week I hit up the Donnie C/Dave Patrick jam at Harvey's in Cedarhurst.

   Harvey's is a nice room with good food, nice waitresses, a nice crowd and Donnie Celenza on guitar. Dave Patrick on bass is a cool player and an excellent host. The cast of jammers was a good size group with vocalists and drummers and horns. It's an eclectic bunch. It was a friendly vibe and just hearing DC for a few tunes was worth the trip down Peninsula Blvd.

   The room at Harvey's is nice because it is well suited to music listening. The bar is not the place for taking in the music. That solves a lot of problems. At most other places getting a drink is hard and fighting for a place at the bar, which is often one of the few places to sit, is a chore. Harvey's has lots of tables and chairs... and waitresses. There is cool art on the walls and always interesting people in attendance; a generally sophisticated group and always over 30. My kind of crowd.

   The weekend was good as well. I never got out Friday as I had parental duties but Saturday was a fine night of music.

   I had company for a change as I was driving some friends around town. It's always fun (and rare) to have company in the car. We went with the consensus and started at Jessie's for Gail Storm who was with Joe V on guitar. There we enjoyed a set of blues and boogie with some of the best around. Since Mr. Joe Vicino and friends took over Jessie's Roadhouse the place has been booking great stuff again. They offer a kitchen complete with quality food to go with a calendar complete with quality blues. The location is convenient, situated right on Merrick Rd. just east of Meadowbrook Pkwy.

   After a fun set at Jessie's we headed to ET Quiggs for The Wall St Jumpers. There were lots of shows in the area but we made some calls to see what was still cookin. The Wall St. Jumpers is John Judd w/ Ralph Santiago, Johnny Piccacarolla, and others as I am not sure who the regular cast is. We got there late and there were friends standing in. It was a great guitar show as John Judd brings blues extraordinaire in the key of amazing. The cast of players was fun with Billy Wagner doing some uncanny McCartney/Beatles and lots of other fun stuff.

   As if it was prom night I then headed to The Viking in Islip for Andy Aledort. It's not an everyday occurrance to have the Groove King in town so I stayed up late and took in another amazing guitar show.

   I caught Gail Storm w/ Joe Vicino, John Judd and Andy Aledort in one night... and I had great company for the ride. I had a little slice of heaven right here on Long Island.

   So another Wednesday night approaches followed by a weekend with a great calendar of events. Pat Hunter Project w/ Sweet Suzi and The BE together at Vail Leavitt...not to mention dozens of other fun shows. Check your schedules now and plan a night at a live music event near you. Ya hear?!

   Thanks for stopping by and have a great time recreating.

bill

    It's a Monday night and since I am not ready to sleep I will use my time to tell you about my very slow weekend of music. Maybe this will help you sleep tonight or some other night. Truth be told, blues does help me sleep. I have a few songlists that I can play in my iPod that will usually send me to a calm  place that will allow me to put the issues of the day behind me and go off to a quiet place in my head. There are some vast spaces in there that are very quiet and I just have to be able to shut everything else up and listen to the music to get there. Some of my favorite pieces recently are some cuts from an Albert King/Stevie Ray collaboration cd I just dug out of my archive and some Jonny Lang tunes. I find his vocals soulful.

   Anyway, the only night I had of live music for the weekend was Friday night when I gave a lift to my friend Tim Dorsey who was sitting in on piano with Guitar Pete at Whoville in Bethpage. I intended to drop Tim off and head further west but some other friends bailed and I got a call that changed my plans for early Saturday. New plan; I was going to take in a few Guitar Pete tunes and make it an early one.

   It turns out that Mr. Guitar Pete can play some blues. I was surprised by his first set which included some JL Hooker and SRV numbers. They were well played and it turns out Mr. Pete is a contract player for a TV studio in NYC...or  something like that. I ended up leaving mid second set and never got the details of his resume. I was curious after some good playing.

   The place is a good size room and there was a so-so crowd, mostly locals but there were some fun gals dancing. I tried the chicken wings and they were pretty damn good. The place has potential.

   I got home and got up on time Saturday morning but Saturday night was a bust. I never got out due to circumstances beyond my control.

   At first I feel panic'd when I realize I am not going to get out for an anticipated weekend night. Then I slowly burn until it gets too late and reality sets in at which point I regress to a dark place for some writing or intense eating.

    I can only hope for a great Wednesday night or an amazing following weekend which is a lot of pressure and a long time to wait for emotional sustenance.

   At least I heard a new player. At least I got everything done during the daylight. That's consolation I think.

   So enjoy your week and take in some music and don't overeat... and thanks for stopping by.

bill

   Time flies when you are overwhelmed. Work is good though, thank God. Moving is pretty much done except for the emotional baggage that still needs unpacking... and school has begun. Thanks for that too, God! But if you've never spent the first night after the first school day at Staples you have not had your patience truly tested. I was on the longest line I have ever seen in a store. It was like a tapeworm of customers had taken over the store's interior consuming every aisle.  I got to hear every kid in Bay Shore and W Islip talk about their teachers and how much homework they will now have. It was really really fun. I was thinking that this was the only time I ever considered being in a dentist chair as a better alternative. This was a Wednesday night and at 9:30pm I was only in the printer cartridge aisle. Sorry to pass that pain on to you. I figure there has to be a few of you out there who were in that store with me and you might relate.

   As for my musical experiences, before I get to my Wednesday night I should share my weekend past with you. It was Saturday night and I had my usual 11pm start. My options were dwindling with the hours so I ran out to Patchogue where Brother Dave was playing at Bobbique's with Gary Sellers and Papa G and Michael (not "J") Fox. It has been some trying times and I was looking for the bluest blues I could find.

   There was a decent crowd for a blues show and Mr. Dave was just doing his thing in the key of blues. With Gary Sellers it was a helluva guitar show and I was riveted. (those guys can both carry a vocal too) I was also rewarded with an extra song or two which made the drive out there all the more worthwhile.

   After a few more days of head-spinning activity I was ready for an entertaining Wednesday night. I was all-the-more wound up after my tapeworm impersonation at Staples so I literally ran out the door at, oh, 11 or so and headed to Bad Moon. There is usually a later thing happening there I figured and the cast is always interesting. This week Sly Geralds featured Robin Knapp of Mamafunk & The Mudcats. The weekly jam with the affable Mr. Geralds features vocalists and many other talented players each week.

   Arriving as late as I do I rarely get to see much of the featured artist but I caught one sultry blues piece by the barefoot blond in the little black dress. Robin's more cerebrally faceted demeanor makes for some headier blues which is fun.

   The supporting cast was typically good with Diane "Sweaty Betty" McArdle delivering some cool numbers, Nancy Bahnsen with some melodic vocals and  BA Fagerland (Behind Closed Doors) did a fine Stormy Monday on this Wednesday night. There was a really good Janis Joplin "cover girl" and some other good vocal performances. There were also some good guitar pieces with Joe Bivona and Dave Nesdall and others and Sly on bass is funky good. The last few times I got to the Merrick establishment there were also some new faces. This time it was Adam Tese on sax. He is a juicy musical ingredient and added some real pizzazz to a good jam.

   It was a fine Wednesday night. I will be trying new and different jams in the coming weeks as I have not been to a few of the other jams in along time.

   Well it's late and I have to make some more magic happen (money appear) tomorrow so off I go to my iPod and my pillow where I will try and consume something that will inspire great things.

   Thanks for checking in and thanks for all the help you give me by sending me gig info for the calendar. I hope to see you all out there soon.

bill