Currently it
is set to play when you select a song. Enjoy.
Welcome to my blog!
This weblog is an online journal. If there
is a "mission" it is to generate interest in the local music scene. I attempt to do that by attending events and talking
about my experiences in occasional posts.. I do not intend to offer criticism .. I am not a musician. I do highlight
those artists that put on a bigger and/or better show and the artists that "move me" more but even those less polished are
offering something to Long Island patrons and I'd like to see more patrons out there enjoying the good local talent.
You will find a log of my few weekly experiences. My "angle"
may be different in some ways, hopefully. I sometimes see things differently. I hope my perceptions offer some
insight on occasion and some humor.
I expect that this conversation will reveal a life that appreciates
blues. I see "blues" as musical-artistic expressions of human conditions.
I also like to provide links to other things on the web that I
find interesting. I will be commenting on the places I go to hear music and the folks I meet. I will be commenting
on the things I see and hear on Long Island and elsewhere. As much as I hate politics I may find it hard to resist commenting
on that too.
This is a personal, creative endeavor so
if there are some mistakes, well, sorry... it's free entertainment. I consider myself something of an impressionist as
it pertains to style. I am human and sometimes speak /write before I think. I can get into
trouble with these extroverted tendencies but thats why this is...what it is... a journal. I hope you find
some useful information or something entertaining on occasion....thanks for being here!!!!
Keep scrolling down for more posts and the Calendar. There is a menu of other pages as well.
My recent weekends and Wednesday's have included Stevie Cochran, JP Blues, Gary Sellers,
Roxie Perry, Pat Hunter, Don Celenza, Sweet Suzi & Sugarfixx, Hitman and the whole cast at the IBC a few weeks
ago.
Not often mentioned are the jazzier players who I have enjoyed recently including Bobby Sexton
who is beginning a Wednesday night event at Terry G'S this week with Papa G and some other cool players and vocalists.
It is part of my little mission here to find an audience for the non-pop genre's. Blues has been my motivation
but jazz has stimulated my imagination and the fusion's with soul, blues and funk have made for some great listening.
There used to be a place called Sonny's in Seaford that almost everyone has heard of but that was a place that
showcased quality music and I would like to generate interest in that kind of scene. Hopefully shows like Bobby Sexton
with Papa G and the Don Celenza and Dave Patrick events will cultivate interest in those kinds of music. I imagine a
place or event where players of these calibers and of all styles can/will come and sit in for some small room playing and
creating. Jazz duets and trios are fertile settings for creativity and it is fun to hear the different
players jump in to these little scenes.
A few weeks ago I was at a Bobby Sexton duet with Cindy Lopez and Sly Geralds popped in for a listen.
Sure enough Bobby S invited Sly up for a tune or two and the funky bass playing jam-man sat in for a refreshing couple of
takes.
It's part of the blues-jam culture which is rich around here and it's a fun off-shoot on a smaller scale.
Check out the schedule for something interesting tonight, tomorrow and over the weekend too... and
thanks for stopping by.
The calendar has been full. The variety has been rich and thanks to late starting shows I
caught two good bands on Friday.
I began with Pat Hunter joining Ed the Hat and Hattrick at The Seabreeze in Babylon, down by Pier
44 on Fire Island Ave. It was a nice room with a nice crowd and Pat Hunter and Ed the Hat had a good group of players
including Eric Smith on keys and Ed Davis III on bass. The group got funky, they rocked and they delivered some
blues with Ms. Hunter's distinctly sultry sound and a cool cast of players. As the Long Island blues lady has been transitioning
to Miami her shows have been rare in these parts but stay tuned and they will pop up on occasion.
After a set or two at The Seabreeze I headed to Maggies to catch another blues veteran, Roxy Perry.
Ms. Perry has been frequenting Maggies in W Babylon which has a convenient location (right off So State Pkwy on Straight Path)
with Jim Moran a few times a month. The cast was good with Bob Fusco on bass and some good jammers including Jim Kolman. That's
another rich offering as Ms. Perry delivers silky blues vocals and the best variety of blues tunes.
To round out my weekend I caught a set at Terry G's on Saturday night.
Stevie Cochran was the show and with him was JP Blues for a kick ass guitar show. (Stay tuned
for JP's cd Release Party next week). Talk about veterans, Mr. Cochran has been ripping up guitars for a generation and
up and down the east coast... among other places. The variety was rock and blues and it was non-stop good.
Terry G's in Farmingdale is another convenient location and they have been getting serious about their music
lately. Check out the line-up and see who's playing. (Main St. across from Nutty Irishman)
The coming wekend has some excellent benefit shows (see Sunday) and birthday shows (Nicole Hart on
Fri).
And...it's almost Halloween and there's a Seriously Haunted House in Melville. (Schmidts Farm) from Thursday
to Sunday. Click on the link for details.
Finally, on Sunday evening LI Blues Warehouse with Mark Klein is featuring Sean Chambers. The show airs
online at Hotmix106.com and LIBlues.com. Mark Klein has been interviewing the best of the best for
a long time and it's always a good show... and it's a Long Island product airing all over the world. Check it out 8pm on Sunday
and 7pm on Wednesday.
Thanks for checking in blues fans and keep on keeping me posted.
It's that time of year again. The weather is getting cool, the summer events are over and attention
in blues circles is turned to the International Blues Competition, Long Island version.
This years entries for bands were Chrissie O'Dell & One Hot Mess, Sweet Suzi and Sugafixx and FnG Blues
Band w/ Edlene Hart.
The entries for solo/duo performer were Kerry Kearney with Frank Latorre, Motu, Joe Rock with Johnny Cola,
Skip Bemet (solo) and Steve McDonald (solo).
Of course leading up to the event there were issues with who's entering and who's not and who is actually
from Long Island and who is not a real band but as always these things got resolved. The Long Island Blues Society ran an
excellent event and everyone there seemed to have a good time.
This years event was held at The Brightwaters Inn. It was a smaller venue than recent years locations but
in spite of my expectations the place held up fine and there was ample elbow room when I needed it. Hosts Wally and Cynthia
and Co. were gracious, it was a beautiful day and the music was top notch.
The festivities began with the solo/duo acts and it was an eclectic array of talent. The eventual winners
Kerry Kearney and Frank Latorre are both previous winners with their respective bands and their respective talents, guitar
and harp were excellent complements on display as a duo.
Steve McDonald and Skip Bemet as well as Motu and vocalist Dee Chetta offered some delta style
blues and all put on a good show and are skilled blues musicians.
Chrissie O'Dell & One Hot Mess (eventual winners of the band competition)began the band portion of the
event and they performed songs from the new original cd, If I Had a Dime. The performance was inspired. They are a group
of professional and gritty blues musicians riding a fast growing wave of popularity and personal inspiration
thanks in large part to Chrissie O'Dells relentless drive and leadership.
Sweet Suzi & Sugafixx followed and the new collaboration for Sweet Suzi (a prior winner of the
event) also put on an inspired performance. The new sound for Ms.Smith had a rock edge with blues undercurrent.The
group had been performing regularly for some months and they were tight and also performed excellent original music.
Finally the event was punctuated by FnG Blues Band with Edlene Hart. Ms. Hart put on an impressive performance and
the the band was another solid (and original) act making it a tough contest to call. Edlene Hart has a solid voice
with great range and emotion and the band was solid with Sly Geralds on bass.
The Long Island Blues Society put on a good event and they did so in the wake of some recent and radical
changes in the organization. The folks who remain are good people and the society is in the hands of folks with heart.
Support the local Blues Society. Long Island has a good size pool of talent and it's a thriving music scene in spite
of a tough economy.
In fact while the financial aspect is cloudy the music side is healthy. There are busy jams with talented
people on most nights and in many locations.
Thanks for checking in and keep checking the schedule for live music. It's local, it's good for your soul
and it's some quality blues!\
Here on Long Island we are lucky enough to have musicians who possess real
talent and who happen to be blues artists and who make themselves accessible to blues fans like myself.
One such artist is Chrissie O'Dell. Ms. O'Dell is from the Bronx and Queens and Fishkill and Long
Island and a few other places but for the last two years she has been a dues paying member of the Long Island Blues Society
and has showcased her talent here with her band One Hot Mess.
This is a second chance for Chrissie O'Dell. When she was a performer upstate eight or ten years ago she
realized some success in the Poughkeepsie area and rubbed elbows with some nitty gritty blues players including Bill Perry
and Chris O'Leary and Papa John and Little Sammy Davis, not to mention some blues legends who passed through the bluesy
burbs of Dutchess County like Pinetop Perkins and Levon Helm. In a short time back then Chrissie made some headway but had
to put on the brakes when marriage and family fell apart and there were kids in the picture.
The following period of broken family parenting was filled with poverty and hardship but Chrissie
O'Dell never stopped smiling and holding out hope for another chance when the kids got a little older and she found the pieces
to put it back together.
Fast forward to recent years and Ms. O'Dell has picked up where she left off and taken the blues
torch farther and higher. Having just released her debut cd with One Hot Mess, If I Had a Dime, which she is personally
and independently (and exhaustively) marketing worldwide to wildly receptive media the performer and band are positioning
themselves in some rarified territory; international airplay.
Singles from the cd, Simple Kind of Woman and If I Had a Dime are now regularly playing
on stations all over the world and on Sirius Satellite Radio which is a premier outlet for blues.
The music, 9 of 10 cuts on the cd are self written and produced by Ms. O'Dell, is a distinct variety
of current blues that is both fun listening with clever lyrics and melodies and deeply genuine coming straight from the
heart with no sugar other than a sweet smile as she belts it out. The lyrics are boiled down and colorful and
if it's directed at you there's no escaping or misunderstanding. Like Ms. O'Dell the music entertains and begs a smile but
it also earns your respect for it's truthfullness and raw energy.
The band, One Hot Mess with Papa John on drums, John Bendy on guitar and Craig Costa on bass delivers
real sold blues and rhythm with some sharp guitar licks. There are also some impressive harp and keys cameos
by Chris O'Leary on harp and, on the cd, Jeremy Baum on Hammond. The players are true blue(s) as is the sound. The cd
mixes a shuffle with ballads, funk and other variety. The collection is a great debut cd and according to one blues label
representative, "the best cd by a female blues artist this year".
Chrissie O'Dell's trajectory is an illustration of what a person can do with a message to deliver, a determination
to be heard and no patience for obstacles and there have been many. Her path has also been made possible with the help of
other artists and fans from Long Island and elsewhere. When someone is that ferociously genuine people respond. It is
felt in the music and in person.
You can pick up a copy of If I Had a Dime here in the Billfoolery.com store and you can see
and hear Chrissie O'Dell & One Hot Mess this coming Sunday, Oct 10, at the Brightwaters Inn for
Long Island's competition for the IBC.
I'll make changes to this site on a regular basis, sharing news, views, experiences, photos...whatever occurs to me.
Check back often!
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Join and support live music!
Click for 2011 Top 100 Blues cd's. Including Chrissie O'Dell and JP Blues
Click
the mini music player under the Playlist box for Giants Steps by Rich Thiel with Richie
Cannata, Danny Kean, Mario Staiano and Lawrence Worrrel. (raw recording) Enjoy!
Click the Pic.
Winter Jazz Fest. Begins Feb 11
Live
Music Calendar (Posted Mondays, edited all week. By Billfoolery.com ) Use
of this calendar in full or in part without specific permission or acknowledgement is prohibited. ______________________________________________________
Tuesday, Feb 21Fat Tuesday!
Gail Storm @ Grasso's Rest., Cold Spring Harbor 7
Fat Tuesday w/ Bob Barta & Friends and The Who Dat Loungers @ Vail Leavitt Music
Hall, Riverhead 7:30
King Cobras @ Big Daddy's, Massap 8
Jacks
Waterfall w/ Jack Licitra and members of Blue Roots @ Bobbique's, Patch 8
*Jazz w/ Ian
Petillo, Oliver Von Essen(piano) and Friends @ Walk St Tavern, 1218 Jerichp Tpke, N Hyde Park 8:30 Jam (Rob Jack & Co) @ Ziggy's, Massap. 8
Fat Tuesday,
Jazz w/ Al Cardillo @ Iavaronne Cafe, N Hyde Park 7 - 10
Long
Beach Jazz Jam @ LB Community Center, Magnolia & Pine. 7
*Jam w/ Geo Cintron, Rob DeMartino and guest Bobby Rondinelli @ Katies, Smithtown 9
Jam w/ John Capadonna (Almost Queen), Paul Gilmore and more @ Ollies Point, Amity 9
Jim Moran & Danny Kean on GothamRadio.com every night
at 10pm. New show every week. ___________________________________________
Wednesday, Feb 22
Cafe
Ali Radio on Radio 90.1, Wusb w/ Ahmad Ali 7 - 9 am
Skip Bement @ Porters on the Lane,
Bellport 6:30
LI Blues Warehouse w/ Mark Klein. Encore Presentation of Sunday
night show. LIBlues.com 7 - 9
Jim Treutlein @ RS Jones, Merrick
7
Lisa Gary (and Open Mic for last set- jazz) @ Simply Fondue, 24 Great Neck Rd.,
Gr Neck 7
New Open
Mic @ Fadeleys, Patch 8
Power Jazz Trio w/ Frank Bellucci @ The Homestead, Oyster
Bay 8
Jazz Jam w/ Al Cardillo, Sue Giordano and Lou Messana @ Metropolitan Bistro,
Sea Cliff 8
Jim
Moran jams every Wed. @ Neirs Tavern, Woodside 8
Sly Geralds Band @ Antonettes,
Bellmore 8
Live Art Fusion w/ Mike Ernst Band and 10 Artists @ 841
East Lounge, Hunt 8
Brian McGeough @ Press 195, RVC 8:30
Brendan O'Bryan hosts a jam @ Grizzly's Sports Den, Bay Shore 8:30ish
New Open Mic w/ Host Shaun Lally @ Hometowne Tavern, 2800 Pond Rd., Ronkonkoma 9
Jazz Jam w/ Andy Ahr & Friends @ Horace & Sylvia's, Babylon 9 to 12:30
Jam w/Don Celenza, Dave Patrick Jam @
Mickey Mo's Cafe & Lounge, 428 Sunrise Hwy, Lynbrook 9 - 12
Johnny
B Jam @ E Quoge Pub . Montauk Hwy., E Quoge 9
Jules
Radino Jam at Painters in Bayport 9:30
Open Mic
w/ Tom Meyers @ Velvet Lounge, E Setauket 9
JazzJam w/ Vincenzo & Co. @ The Dunton Inn, So. Country Rd., Patchogue 9
Jazz jam @ The Breakers,, Bayville w/ Matt
Manning. 8:30
jam @ 50 Yardline. W Babylon 8:30
Jam w/
Joe Vicino & Friends @ Sunset Grill, Seaford 9
Billfoolery.com
_________________________________________________
Thursday, Feb 23
Bay Burger Jazz Jam. Sag Harbor 7-9
Pep & The Soul Explosion (2 for 1 Dinner specials) @ Riverhouse Grill, Freeport 7
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