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Blues Letter #75 All The Blues That's Fit to Hear
THROWING AROUND THE PRETTY  Now, let's get to the pretty (not that the Lionel Young Band didn't bring the pretty, but they're old news). The evening opened with another Cassie Taylor Short Set. This was her second, and I think I'm going to have to sit Otis down and tell him he needs to hire a new bass player, as I want Cassie EVERY Friday. I suspect he's not going to take this very well, so if I go missing, you all know who to blame. Or thank. Cassie is grace on a stage. No other way to put it. At six feet tall, with a head full of fabulous red curls adding several inches to her already impressive frame, she is a commanding presence with an obvious aura of sweetness, surrounding both her person and her voice. She also is now playing the ukulele courtesy of a lesson from my tallest fiancee, Alvin Youngblood Hart. She'll grace our stage again on Friday, February 13, prior to The Gretchen Troop Band's "Dan King Appreciation Night" (I believe Gretchen's inviting some jammers). Can't wait for that. Two beautiful female voices (from two beautiful women), back-to-back. Maybe Jill will sit in and go for three... Another of "my kind of night" was Saturday with the Jake Loggins Band. Although Chick spent Sunday packing for Memphis (he and Patti left Monday), he still wrote this regarding Jake: Whew! I wish I had time to do a longer piece Yes, Chick, your hunch is right. We all owe Ms. Watkins a debt of gratitude for insisting we book this trio. Chick assumed that Jake would become one of my fiancees, but he's not hip to the age-limit rule: The kid is 25; and I am NOT that woman. However, we must keep him in the family, so I've begun the Nessa Combs Fiancee List. It now has one. We're hoping to get Ryan McGarvey in August, and he's 22 (huge "thank you" to John Catt for that suggestion). I showed Nessa his website yesterday. I'm pretty sure he'll be added to her list. Not that I need her approval or anything. Back to Saturday night. In addition to Chick's spot-on assessment, I have to state emphatically that this trio really knows how to throw the pretty around a room. Damn! Now I know what you're thinking, and no, I do not book bands based on photos. Well, at least not entirely. They have to be talented, and this is one very talented trio. And, on a side note, both the drummer, Art Noble, and bass player, Noel McFarland, had a chance to successfully challenge my "no-dating-the-musicians rule." Alas, they were respectful. Bummer. Then there's Jake. Between his voice and guitar playing, anyone would be hard pressed to decide which is stronger. I'm telling all of you, the boy can sing the Blues! And then he hits a solo. Many of you will find this hard to believe, but it isn't easy to render me speechless, and Jake Loggins stole my vocabulary (I've filed an official complaint with the Boulder P.D.). I was sitting across from the aforementioned Ms. Watkins, and I just kept looking over at her, jaw agape, shaking my head. And she just nodded, knowingly. And it was a case of deja vu, as just a couple of weeks earlier, also at the suggestion of Ms. Watkins, we had Todd Tijerina (fiancee; twice) robbing me of my words with Jill nodding knowingly (again, Boulder P.D. complaint filed). We've had some ass-kickin' new guitarists in the room lately. Just adding them to my stable. I should be speaking with Jake this week to get him back and will announce it when I get the date. NOT TO BE MISSED. (continues next column)
|  Wed 2/4 - Songwriters Open Mic W/ Guest Wendy Woo Thu 2/5 - Jack Hadley Fri 2/6 - Wendy Woo ($10 Cover) Sat 2/7 - Teresa Lynne Sun 2/8 - Blues Jam w/ Mark & Lionel ~~~~~~ Thu 2/12 - David Booker Fri 2/13 - Gretchen Troop + Fri Short Set w/ Cassie Taylor @ 6:30 Sat 2/14 - Johnny O  Bryan Gordon Speaking of dates, I want to give a heads up on some of the talent we have coming up. Although not confirmed, it looks like I FINALLY got Candye Kane! May 20 ($15). Jill, Chick~n~Patti, and I journeyed to Cheyenne to see her for  New Years Eve, and she is astounding, wonderful, powerful, sweet, gorgeous, and ok, clearly I'm drooling right now. I'll stop, but she's one of the best performers I've ever seen. Another fab female I've been wanting to book is Eden Brent (fiancee), and I'm waiting for confirmation on an August 10th gig, which is a Monday ($10). She has a massive hit on her hands with her 2008 Mississippi Number One, a wonderful record. And like our Lionel, she won the IBC Solo/Duo category (2006). I first heard and met her in Winter Park at Blues From the Top this past June, and her powerful performance had me in tears. Both of these women hold Shero Status (stole that from Jill; she's now filing a complaint...). Since the April calendar isn't up yet, here are some of the biggies we have, beginning of course on the 2nd, with three of my original fiancees playing the room for the first time: guitar monster that is Albert Cummings, drummer George Rains (Jimmy Vaughan), and MY TOMMY!!! As in Shannon, from SRV's  Double Trouble (he might just be the sweetest human being on the planet). However, as this trio only gets together annually, they ain't a cheap date. Tickets are $20 and are available now at reception or by telephone with a credit card. Actually, when you consider who these three are, $20 is a bargain, it's just that we're all spoiled with so much great free music. Thanks Dan! And thank you, John Catt, for working with me on this and helping to realize my dream of having them here. When they leave Boulder, on Friday, April 3, they head to Winter Park for what I believe is their 4th annual gig at Smokin' Moe's (where I first saw them together in '07), so there will be an opportunity to see them more than once for those who also love MY TOMMY. [CLARIFICATION: Yes, it is true I have two MY TOMMYS; the other is Castro (who we have on Feb. 19), but MY TOMMY SHANNON came first and has tenure along with Lyle Lovett and Jason Ricci]. Margolin, Prodigal Son of the Outlook (Supreme Fiancee) on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th, with, for the second year in a row, Bob's friend, John Nemeth (fiancee), on the Thursday before (16th). April is chock full of fiancees. I've been a very good girl lately. Then, get this: The Saturday after Bob, we have his old friend and former bandmate (and yes, yet another fiancee), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. It's been about two years since he's been here, so it should be a pretty crowded and fun night. Trivia: when he was here two years ago, it was a rare Saturday night off for My Beloved Delta Sonics, so Willie Panker (fiancee), Erik Boa, John Butler and I took in that show together. It was a lot of fun. And, if you squint when you're watching Mr. Smith, he looks like a really talented 14-year-old boy. Just an observation. Prodigal Daughter of the Outlook, Delores Scott, comes back on May 2nd, and it's her birthday week, so we're going to throw down for our girl. I LOVE her! Hell, we all do. And for that we thank fiancee #19, Ms. Jodie Woodward, for stalking and harassing Delores until she finally convinced her to come out here from Chicago for a tour. And now she's family.  Tijerina, (out of Albuquerque, the above-referenced, smokin' hot, word-robbing band that's also skilled at tossing the pretty around a room) will be back on May 15th, Eddie Turner on May 23rd, and Lil' Dave Thomas on the 29th. Wow, I'm exhausted just thinking about all of this talent. Nap time. Don't forget about tonight's Songwriter's Night, Hosted by Jenn Cleary. Her special guest this week is Wendy Woo, who, coincidentally (no really, it was), is also playing Blues & Greens this Friday. Jenn and I will be sitting down to talk more about these evenings soon, and we'll give you a more in-depth look at our First Wednesdays. We were going to do so this week, but my girl was recently in a head-on that totaled her vehicle. Miraculously, she walked away banged up pretty badly, but no broken bones or internal injuries. Get better soon, Jenn. She thinks she's well enough to make it tonight. We're all relieved you're alright. Thursday sees the return of the Jack Hadley Band (speaking of pretty), and our girl, the Mistress of the Blues, Ms. Teresa Lynne on Saturday. I leave you with a Breaking Blues Flash: I've just confirmed Tempa and the Tantrums for Saturday, March 14! ~Honey Bee Sepeda~  |
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on Jake Loggins, but I'm leaving for Memphis in the morning, and their performance Saturday night was deserving of a full page review. A killer show! I did not do that kid justice in the brief intro I gave a few weeks back. His voice now matches the intensity and electricity of his guitar playing, a powerful match. A sultry blues voice, at times soulful with the same limitless range of his guitar. He played some of the cleanest, fiery blues guitar heard in many a moon along with a personality you have to love. He's a charmer, always grinning, a killer smile, and a soft Texas/Louisiana drawl reminiscent of Tab Benoit when joking with the crowd; the kid is a hell of an entertainer. It's always great to see the performers having as much fun as the audience, and the Jake Loggins Band definitely was doing that! Jake is a guitar lover's dream…his playing is incredibly fast and intense, full of finesse and power, firing off riffs that smoldered red hot like the embers of a campfire. It is amazing that somebody 25 years old is this damn good already. Jeezus, he has the potential to be downright scary in a few years! I'd have to say he might be | Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, 800 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80303, Tel: 1 303 443 3322 | E-mail: Wizard@boulderoutlook.com http://www.BouldersHomeOfTheBlues.com |