BLUES eBLAST 2.3.2010 - IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING THIS, PLEASE LET US KNOW!

Come out to Dan Electros for an exciting night of blues from Houston's Finest Mandolin Master, Rich DelGrosso and guitarist extraordinaire Jonn Richardson, opening act for CHRIS DUARTE. 

At the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, I attended a gathering of blues societies from around the world at the "Affiliate Roundtable" hosted by the 2009 Best Organization of the Year KBA recipient, The Connecticut Blues Society (http://www.ctblues.org/).  We went around the room, round robin style, sharing our experience and knowledge as a board director and just talked about the way "we do it" in our society.  It was a very enjoyable and enlightening experience.  As luck would have it, I was last.  We were running a little short on time so I didn't elaborate because so many before me expressed the same situations as we have in HBS.  However, I did take the opportunity to brag about the KBAs in Houston for our blues radio programming (KPFT), literature (Down in Houston Bayou City Blues), best organization (HBS), and video (Pocket Full of Soul).  Executive President of the Blues Foundation, Jay Sieleman, was next to speak and he reiterated that Houston was very successful at receiving Keeping the Blues Alive awards and it underscored the consistent dedication it takes to run a blues society. 

I took notes from each representative as fast I could and here is some of what I learned. There are societies who are blowing it out of the water and doing phenomenal work such as the Colorado Blues Society who gave me a DVD they produced about their Blues in the Schools Program (www.coblues.com). 

The Vancouver Blues Society (http://www.vbs.sprayking.ca/) is only three years old and their challenge has been to create a venue for the area where blues is played. (Do we take our venues for granted?).  They hold their IBC competition at the VFW Hall and serve reasonably priced food and drinks to raise funds.  Their community outreach program is for the food bank which is the best public relations activity for their group. 

The West New York Blues Society president shared that they have 789 paid, active members and the best blues magazine around.  However, their editor recently passed away and they are at a loss.  Very surprisingly, she shared that the board does not do anything ... it is all volunteer committee people who liason with the board to achieve goals.  (Most of us looked on in awe).  Their main focus is on education in different places including Buffalo and Rochester.  They bring blues entertainment to elder care centers and also sponsor local musician CD release parties.  (http://www.wnyblues.com/home.php)

The folks from Tampa-St.Pete shared that their area blues venue Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee received this year's KBA for blues club of the year.  Coincidentally, I shared a table with the club owners when Sonny Boy Terry performed the first night of the challenge.  Her husband was a judge that night.  This blues society receives corporate sponsorship from Blue Moon beer for their IBC events.   

Jean Guillermo spoke next about the blues granddaddy of them all in France, Blues sur Seine (www.blues-sur-seine.com), an annual blues festival along the Seine River, 140 events, 18 days, 18 locations and major European social activity.  The festival is acting as a non-profit blues society.  They produce a CD of the eight finalists in their IBC competition which is sent out to all PR contacts.  He noted that one day, a European Blues Union or Foundation may be formed.

People spoke from the blues society in Birmingham, Alabama who has something going on every month, Decatur, Illinois who formed in August and has 30 members, Tacoma Washington now five years old and has a Youth Representative on their Board (something HBS should consider).  Davenport, Iowa, (home of the Mississippi Valley Festival) and a hugely successfull BITS program funded entirely by grants from Humanities & Arts Councils, the Cascade Blues Society (with 1300 past members now down to 300-400) keeping the blues alive with the help of Curtis Salgado and other musicians.  I met society people from Ottowa who just gained a 24/7 commercial radio station dedicated to blues programming, from Cleveland BS which began in 2008 with 160 members and has growing pains, and the Central Missouri BS who were proud that Janiva Magness did a BITS program for them. 

And, just in case you can't get enough, the Mississippi Valley Blues Society told us about their latest project which I have taken the liberty of copying from their website which tells the story better than my notes:  After many months of hard work by the Education Committee, the Anthology/CD project has been completed. The 127 page blues anthology is intended to be an introduction for readers whose knowledge of this uniquely American musical form may be limited. As the story of the blues and how it has evolved is far too complex to be contained in a single book, the anthology is offered as a collection of chapters by educators, historians, and performers themselves in the hope that it will encourage readers to further explore the blues. The anthology includes chapters by such writers as Dr. Richard Raichelson, a PH.D in folklore and anthropology, who writes on Memphis and its role in the history of the blues, by Sally Stevens, founder of the New Orleans Blues Project, covering Louisiana Blues, by Bob Koester, founder and owner of Delmark Records, writing on the Blues in St. Louis, and many other authors. In addition there is an introduction by Dr. Karen McFarland, poetry by Dr. Sterling Plumpp, and a brief history of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.

WOW ... Can you believe how much is going on in the blues societies around the country and the world?  Are you inspired to get involved?  Can you bring something new to HBS or perhaps kick start a dormant activity that has gone by the wayside? 

Volunteer and board positions are available.  Ninety-nine percent of our members are interested in volunteering according to info obtained on the membership form.  Here's your chance to grab a friend and come to a meeting to get a feel for what we are about.  At various times throughout the year, we need assistance with all aspects of the organization including membership, merchandise, public relations, events, Blues in the Schools and IBCs.  What will it require from you?  The desire to contribute in a significant way, attendance at the board meeting the third Monday night of each month and your own internet access.  Our membership person needs solid skills in Excel and Word and mail merge experience is a definate plus.  Do you have website experience?  Right now, I am the only one working with the website.  If you have the free time to learn, perhaps you could be the next manager of the HBS website.  The work of the blues society requires dedication and perseverance.  It is time to delegate responsibilities to our members who will follow up on assigned tasks and become an integral part of the support system needed by your board of directors. 

U of H Dept. of Sociology student Ryan Belli is spending 300 hours with HBS to facilitate achievement of his Master's Degree.  Towards the end of his internship, Ryan will develop a questionnaire for our membership addressing your needs and suggestions for the organization but, in the meantime, have we got a job for him!  As you probably know, it has been my goal to get the office organized.  Officers have come and gone and our records need to be compiled in a manner that has some consistency to it.  Luckily, Ryan is willing to take on the project.  I spent a few hours at the office with him recently getting him familiar with what to expect.  If time permits, I look forward to seeing our memorabilia archived which will pave the way for having it on display at the proposed Houston Blues Museum.  Ryan and director Boyd Bluestein worked the membership/merchandise table at the jam last week.  No doubt, Ryan will learn much of what there is to know about the blues community in Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast. 

Blues Revue Feb-March 2010 issue, page 67 review:
With raucous performances, Fried Chicken & Whiskey delivers on the promise of its title.  That track is pure funk, with a bridge borrowed from James Brown's "Sex Machine" and an Eddie Hazel guitar break.  Jack Edery & UltraSuede rock chaotically on "Throw a Boogie Woogie" and "Blues Outside My Window" settling down for the Chicago-style "Blind Woman With a Gun" and the desolate slow blues, "Mr Earvin."  Edery's solo acoustic blues, "Turn Me Loose in Your Kitchen" and the delicate "Memphis" (featuring producer Jimbo Mathus on guitar) create a lull before the soul romp "Knucklebuster" closes the self-released disc with greasy organ and Lonnie Mack-style guitar.  Join us on the last Thursday of February at The Big Easy!