The News Review:
- Fall Guide: Pop Music Sept. 20-Nov. 22
- Heavy Trash: Concerts and Music Events on washingtonpost.com’s…
- Hamilton Loomis | Local bands | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle
- ld Town BluesFest: Female artists eager to make an impression at…
- Blues fest rings up a profit
Fall Guide: Pop Music Sept. 20-Nov. 22
Providence Journal – Sep 19, 2007
Finger 11 and Sick Puppies rock Living Room. Stevie Wonder rhythm and blues and soul Bank of America Pavilion 290 Northern Ave… David Foster and the Mohegan Sun All-Stars rock and rhythm and blues Mohegan Wolf Den. Herbie Hancock Branford Marsalis Lizz Wright Roy Haynes Claudia Acuna Regina Carter Joe Lovano Jon Faddis Geri Allen Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin. Kenny Werner Howard Alden Jimmy Cobb Ray Drummond Esperanza Spalding and Joey Calderazzo jazz Symphony Hall 301 Massachusetts Ave.
Heavy Trash: Concerts and Music Events on washingtonpost.com’s…
Washington Post – Sep 19, 2007
It sounds like a throwback to the days of roadhouse supper clubs chewing tobacco and Johnny Cash — that is when it’s not channeling the pop sounds of Sun Records and doo-wop. While Spencer and Verta-Ray’s “man in black” attire gelled-up hair and nicotine-influenced drawls may be anachronisms among today’s mainstream pop and indie-rock stars it suits their music just fine. Rockabilly Spencer said “is a kind of white blues. ut of it came rock ‘n’ roll. It’s such a very strange kind of music — it’s so simple and yet deceptive in a way. There’s such an opportunity for individual expression and there’s certainly been many strange characters who have made weird strange rockabilly records. I think in a way the simplicity is like a haiku: It seems like there’s nothing to it but there’s so much to it.
Hamilton Loomis | Local bands | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle – Sep 19, 2007
In 2002 Loomis signed to Blind Pig Records a respected blues label after one of the label owners saw him perform in California. He has since recorded two albums for the label: 2003′s Kickin’ It and Ain’t Just Temporary featuring a collaboration with Bo Diddley released earlier this year. “The bad thing about being on a blues label is that you’re pigeonholed into that category and most stores don’t have a blues section so they just don’t carry your music. The good thing is that there’s a large network of blues societies venues festivals promoters and fans all around the world. So we can stay working. It’s not every day that you come across a successful Houston-based blues-rock-funk-groove-soul band playing original tunes — which also includes bassist Danny Beltran Vince Palumbo on saxophone and Greg Benavides on drums. But Loomis has been doing this for years and his talent and passion are undeniable resulting in strings of four-hour gigs in the Houston area every month blues festivals all over the country tours to Europe and his first tour to Australia is coming up in November.
ld Town BluesFest: Female artists eager to make an impression at…
Hub – Sep 19, 2007
We caught up with two performers local singer Kathleen Mendoza of Kathleen and the Blues Junkies and Jan James a former Lansing resident. Jan JamesJan James has pipes soulful and gravelly enough to make your jaw drop. With a style pulling from classic rock blues and country the songstress — who calls Chicago home — approaches her music with a straight-ahead type of ethos. Does she feel the need to prove herself as a female blues singer?”Hell no” she said. “I never really felt like I was less or more or anything. There just seems there’s a path for guys that isn’t there for females. I just played a blues festival that never had a woman artist booked.
Blues fest rings up a profit
Chronicle Journal – The Chronicle Journal – Sep 19, 2007
“The idea isn‘t to make a lot of money. ” Instead he said it‘s to maintain the festival and fund deserving groups. Earlier Halvorsen revealed that attendance this year rose to over 14000 as organizers pared rock acts from the lineup and concentrated instead on artists devoted to playing blues music. Together with Wednesday‘s profit figures the immediate future of the festival is assured. “I‘m very happy we‘ll be able to continue this thing” Halvorsen said.