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#44! & 24 & 25 After their first set, The Joyous Jill Watkins took ownership, momentarily, of our National Anthem. If any of our readers haven't heard her acapella the you-know-what out of that song, I know how to book her. She's not a cheap date. However, she knows how to open a party! Rarely a dry eye in the room when she respectfully and with great affection delivers that song the way it is supposed to be delivered. Then came the Gretchen Troop band, and they had everyone on the floor, continuing to enhance the joy of the evening. They were followed by George Whitesell and His All Stars Featuring Jill Watkins: The Band With the Longest Name In History. And for good reason. WOW! There is nothing like a jammin' horn section in big ballroom. They were perfection! Gretchen and her boys and My Beloved Delta Sonics closed the evening out respectively, with Sonny Boy Aiden jumping in for his encore. A beautiful evening. A beautiful evening. Ok, I've covered #44, so you might be wondering about #s 24 and 25. Fiancée number 24 and 25! No, that is not a grammatical error. Yes, it would seem grammatically incorrect to use the singular, "Fiancée" whilst referring to two Fiancées. Ah, you would be mistaken. You see, #24 and #25 are one and the same. This guitarist is so good, he's two Fiancées. It's a first, Ladies and Gentlemen! Todd Tijerina has broken a record! The Guinness people are on their way to interview him. In the meantime, here is what our Senior Guitar Correspondent has to say about #24 and #25: OK, here was the warning I gave everyone last week on Tijerina: "Todd Tijerina is playing this Thursday. Check him out! I've caught him several times, and he is pretty kick-ass. He's from New Mexico, packs a powerful guitar and does some really sweet blues…and I'm taking all bets that Todd joins Honey's fiancée list." Well, that little promo didn't do Todd justice. The way he scorched the Outlook Thursday night, he deserved a much longer write-up, something more than the few sentences I tossed out last week, and here it is (although my premonition was right--he did join the famed Honey Bee Sepeda fiancée list. Twice!): Todd's trio got in two pretty tasty sets of kick-ass blues. The band focuses on Todd's smooth yet powerful guitar and voice and is rounded out by Phil Petty on bass & vocals, and Bjorn Hamre on drums. I was highly impressed with Todd when I first caught him in Longmont a few years ago. I thought at the time that he was a damn good guitar player. You could hear the influences of Albert King and Clapton in his style. This past summer at Blues Under The Bridge in C-Springs, I caught him again and thought he was even better than before. It's great when a performer keeps getting better and better, and that's the groove that Tijerina is in right now. He isn't complacent; he isn't satisfied in just being good, he wants to be great and it shows in the fire within his music. As good as he was in the Springs, last weeks show was his best yet and fans like me really appreciate that extra effort that he pushes into his performances. It amazes me that we get to see talent like this at the Outlook with no cover charge, that is one helluva bargain. The band played a lot of material from their latest CD Now, and it's a power packed offering of all original tunes. Todd especially tore it up on a number he wrote called "E-Jam" and coupled the rest of his originals with some killer standards like "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Crossroads". He ran the gauntlet of blues from sweet and happy, to growling and rough, to sorrowful and sad. Todd has a great sense for his music; he's a monster guitarist with a feel for the intricate riffs and counter-melodies that make the blues what it is. His smooth guitar grabs you with his ability to make his music shuffle and strut, blending in rock, blues and funky jazz. It's a fiery and captivating performance of sizzling fret-bending and jamming. His tunes resulted in some of the most scintillating solos where he seems to grab a note and hold it forever giving it vibrato with his fingers until it starts trumpeting high pitched notes like a machine gun. At times he was downright dazzling, where his guitar rang out some of the sweetest piercing blues before sliding down to grind out some of the grittiest as well. Whichever style he was attacking, his voice matched the tone his axe was setting. Smooth as silk and full of a passion and power. I think Todd is on the edge, ready for the blues world to take notice of his outstanding talent. He is the complete blues-man: voice, guitar and writing, and though his looks don't matter to me, he is a good looking guy, and there is more to making Honey's list than 'just playing' (she gives bonus points for eye-appeal too, lol). People in New Mexico and Colorado are catching on to his talent and it is only a matter of time before his reputation spreads. Sometimes all it takes is a little luck; guys like Todd, and Eddie Turner (the week before) are already blues head-liners in my book. They are as talented as anyone, just waiting for the right producer, record company, whatever to catch them and appreciate what they have to offer the blues world. For now, it's a real treat to catch these guys in such an intimate venue as the Outlook while we can. ~Chick Cavallero~ (continues next column)
|  Thu 1/22 - Glass Ceiling Fri 1/23 - Sammy Dee Sat 1/24 - Mike Kaylor Sun 1/25 - Jazz Jam w/ Mark Diamond ~~~~~~ Thu 1/29 - Willie Houston Fri 1/30 - Lionel Young Fri Short Set with Cassy Taylor 6:30pm Sat 1/31 - Jake Loggins  Thanks, Chick. It was a fun night. However, I'm perplexed about the "eye-appeal." I didn't notice he was attractive, but I'll take your word for it. I was too busy appreciating his talent to focus on something so shallow.
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