Checkers-Kat Blue And The No Limits Jammers

Songs played:

Greenback Dollar

You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover

Solitary Man

Wang Dang Doodle

Me And Bobby McGee

Drift Away

Kat Blue sings lead on those two songs

John Stephenson played bass

Jam time

Keep Your Hands To Yourself

Further On Down The Road

Call Me The Breeze number 2

Craig Erickson-Lead guitar

Lou Roccio-Guitar and Vocals

Stacy Roccio-Guitar

Kat Blue-Percussion

John Stepenson-Bass

Love Me Like A Man Featured Freddy Jones and Tom Berdo on Harmonica

Brett Johnson and Julie Gordon were in attendance.

I suppose I should have packed the snare drum or Cajole, no drummer was there but I took my acoustic and went from there. It is always fun to see Craig Erickson there.  I played along to All Along The Watchtower from afar and he was gracious and kind about my music selection.

The crowd was fairly decent and Julie joined up later and bought Franklin to visit.  

Kimberly was talking about wanting me to help them out on August 8th in the Amanas (on drums).  I know Blues Rox has Williamsburg that Friday and Julie and Dave plays Stone City that night (GD conflict of interests).   I guess we will see but I'm thinking Kimberly will help out on the next Artisan Open mic night.

For Gold Dust Woman and Stop Dragging My Heart Around, they used a rhythm track and Stacy played guitar.  I played offstage.  And was comfortable with that.

Whisky Jo's-Half A Blues Rox Better Than Nada

Songs:

The Sky Is Crying

Pride And Joy

Further On Down The Road

Texas Flood

You Don't Know What It Means

Kristopher Bries sang and played lead guitar on the first four numbers

Billy Bourbon-Sang and played bass on the last song

Freddy Jones-Harmonica

Mark Awad-Bass

Tommy Bruner-Guitar

Braden Carden played guitar on the first four numbers

Adam Montgomery-Bass on the last song. 

Terry McDowell-Host

(Tom and Adam Montgomery, Guitar Dave looks on)

Of course, the support group was Tom Berdo, Greg Nost, Joe Mullenix, Billy Whalen, Dave Bonham, Kimberly Hovenstot, Tammie Unash, and Brett Johnson who offered me his guitar to play if I wanted to play guitar.

Sometimes a little me time will help you out.  Especially when it is a father/son blues band.  This is the second week that Kris and his buddy Braden came up on stage to do a couple songs.  Of course Kris had his pick of great drummers there, Terry, Sir Bob, DJ but he chose me and we did some of the blues songs that Blues Rox usually does.  Tommy helped give Kristopher some guitar space.  There were plenty of drummers there.

It was another hot and humid day as I made my way to the jam.  I was surprised to see Kris make it there but he was very relaxed and did quite well.  Alas, the waitress thought he was the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughn, or just a ghost,  she kept waltzing past him as he waited to get served.  At least my waitress did check up on me.  I didn't order anything tho, too many fucking flies in the place.

Adam came down to visit, he lives in Seattle.

Artisan-Rappin' Garage Blues

Setlist:

Please Send Me Someone To Love

Ever So Much

Knock On Your Door/

Baby Wanna Dance

Logic And Lies

Let Your Love Flow

I Just Want To Make Love To You

I Fought The Law

Wang Dang Doodle

Encore:

House Of The Rising Sun

Bad Boy Blues

Demetrius Harris-Vocals on the Encore Numbers

Eric Paul-Guitar and vocal on House On The Rising Sun

Mike McMeins-Drums

Blues Boy Billy-Guitar

Notes:

Coming back to Maquoketa and resting up a bit.  The Sanctuary didn't have many folks but they had a guy that did a half hour of rap music and Virginia Harlow, our biggest fan, couldn't stand any more and left.  

Tonight was mostly originals and some blues covers, starting out with the little used Please Send Me Someone To Love to counter the earlier rap stuff.  I think there are times with nobody around that I can just say fuck it and just experiment with songs such as Wang Dang Doodle which is becoming a song all of its own.   Which lead to a improvised blues jam at the end as Demetrius made up words to Bad Boy Blues with Mike on drums.  Well, it least it wasn't free bird. LOL

Monday, Joey Jordinsen, the drummer that used to play for Slipknot passed away in his sleep at age 46.  He died way too soon, 

Stone City-Acoustic Adventures

Songs:

It's Just A Notion

Cheating Songs

For What Its Worth

Logic And Lies

Wang Dang Doodle

Cinnamon Girl

Rick Wengle played percussion 

After a day playing at the Jones County Fair, I decided to stay close to home and play a few songs with Dave Bonham hosting.  Jim the drummer from California came down to play and lost his song book in the process.  Ed and Tanya English came to showcase a few of their best blues songs.  Last time I saw Ed was at the Rumor's jam a couple years before.   Rick backed me up on percussion.  Carl Meiners was there, so was Phil Bo and Ed Butler too.  Ray Larson was there too.  Freddy Jones played harp with Dave  and Tanya and Ed English.  There afterwards, Freddy Jones took me on a half hour trip through the past with his insights.  Don't think I heard half of what he said.

Two originals were played and I played around with Wang Dang Doodle and added bits of Spoonful and All Night Dancing for shits and giggles.  Rick followed me without any problem.  Great drummers will do that.  Especially when the guitar player is a drummer himself.  Rick did fine. 

Jim's song book was found.

Carl Meiners usually participates in the RAGBRAI that happens this time of year but he didn't go.  He was part of the acts that played Sunday.

Half of Blues Rox made it to Whisky Jo's Wednesday Night when I actually had work to do and missed it.  At least one quarter of that band should be there the next Wed night. 

Blues Rox-Jones Country Fair

I've never been to the Great Jones Country Fair.  Every third or fourth weekend in July, the place gets packed.  Neighbors looking to make a quick buck will offer their driveway or yard for you to park at for 10 to 15 dollars.  I managed to luck out and get a spot right next to the free stage.

It wasn't a paying gig but we got in for free and I got to see Evan Stock Band rock on after we closed up our set.  Their drummer was amused that I used a car floor mat to keep the GD bass drum from moving, I still didn't have it set all the way down but it kept in place most of the night. 

(Tom  Bowler and  Barbara Koch, part of the folk that came down to see us)

It was nice to have a crowd.  My classmate and good friend Tom came down to see us play and stayed through the set.  Kris has his family of admirers  and he managed to entertained the crowd with him going out into the crowd with long guitar solos on Texas Flood, Further Down The Road and of course, the show stopping Free Bird to which we took about 14 minutes off the set of Evan Stock Band (sorry about that). Opening act was Studio 30 Dancers, which were 10 to 12 year old girls doing cheerleading stuff, which is what the County Fair was all about.

This was Kris' show and he delivered big time.  This was our best performance this year.  It was hot, it was brutal but we all knew that if we put on a good show, this might open the door for other concerts in the area.  The issue was trying to stay in time with the band while country hack Kane Brown was pumping rap beats that was overpowering us.   For Wipe Out, I was mimicking to the beat but found myself out of the drum roll that starts that song. So I improvised and told Kris to stick with me till I found my groove.   What I thought was mistakes, people thought they were part of the song.  But even with a fan, I was still sweating buckets out there.  For the set list, Further Up The Road replaced Shame Shame Shame and with Texas Flood, Brian didn't pay much attention to the stop break, which got Kris to throw dagger eyes at him and went for an more extended lead till he returned back to the stop break, to which Brian got right.\

(Deb Swearingen:Photo)

The mistakes were slight and even Can't Get Enough got through without problems.  As much as the dreaded Free Bird can be, it is our finale, the show stopper that brings out the jams in everybody tho I wish they could bring back Voodoo Chile.  What does the future hold for Blues Rox?   I still see Kristopher keeping the legacy of the Stevie Ray/Kenny Wayne Sheppard type of rock and blues that he grew up listening to.  While I think my time with Blues Rox might be on the setting sun phase, I still have fun watching him go all out.  He is one of a kind and once he realizes his potential, well the future remains unwritten. 

I did see a couple of jam buddies at the Evan Stock gig.  Joe Hutchcroft was there, I think he's looking a bit more happier nowadays since he isn't seeing a certain woman.  Pat Geisland might have been there for a few.  I doubt that he saw me under my hat n glasses.

As a band, we really don't hang out much together anymore.  Once the gig is done, we pack up gear and go on our merry ways.  Sometimes Russ n I will grab something before a gig, but he and Deb went to Shooters afterwards, Brian and Kris hung around to catch a couple songs from Evan Stock and since I had access to the fair, managed to walk around the grandstand area and the rides and hearing the band Restless Road start to play.  I got to hear Evan Stock play Hear My Train A Comin' and TNT to conclude things, packed up my gear and made it out of the maze of exit roads to get out of the county fair.  To which I treated myself a Mexican dinner at the grand opening of a new Anamosa Mexican place.  

And then did the laundry and mowed the yard.

Blues Rox

Announcer: Doug Langston

Setlist:

Pride And Joy

Blue On Black

Further On Down The Road

Ready For Love

Proud Mary

Johnny B Goode

Wonderful Tonight

Can't Get Enough

Pink Houses

Brown Eye Girl

Wipe Out

Tore Down

Whole Lotta Shaking Going On

Texas Flood

Feel Like Making Love

Free Bird

Checkers-Red Moon Blues

Songs:

Wang Dang Doodle

Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover

What Goes On

Sundown

Gold Dust Woman

Bobby McGee

For What Its Worth

Cinnamon Girl

Baby What You Want Me To Do

Free Bird

With:

Julie Gordon-Harmonica, Guitar and lead vocals on Bobby McGee, Gold Dust Woman

Rick Wingel-Percussion

Dave Bonham-Guitar

Brett Johnson and Murray Showing support 

Call it what you will but I made it  eventually and ended up playing to an empty bar.  Basically it was Julie playing the harmonica and singing on a couple songs.   I think it was stress free for Julie to play harmonica.  But it was mostly blues based songs.  Brett from the Rumors/Whisky Jo's jams came down to support.  Patrick Ticklenburg was there too.  Molly Donohue took the red moon photo. 

Blues Rox At The Sanctuary and the return of the Bear n Earnest

Rumor's set of songs.

Another Trainwreck

Sweet Home Alabama

Roberta

Ramblin Man

Billy Bourbon-Vocals and guitar

Jeff Taylor-Keyboards

Dan Hartman-Guitar and vocals

Tim Canfield-Bass

Morris-Guitar

Nick Lnenicka-Harmonica

R S. on drums

Terry McDowell-Host

Billy said the first song was a Townes Van Zandt song.  It might have been.

Ed Butler sang Beat It, Wicked Game, I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You

Rick Wengle played drums

Ernest did the Twist and Bring It On Home

Mike Lint played drums

Mike Clair Played guitar on Ernst's songs

A decent crowd was on hand.

(Jim Jacobmeyer adding some effects to our photo, which gave Kris nightmares afterward)

Saturday Night, Blues Rox played at the Artisan Sanctuary in front of 10 people including the band members and sound guys.  Two women popped in for five seconds and then left when Jim asked them for a donation. Maybe they wanted to use the restroom.  A disappointing crowd but those who attended got treaded to a decent song capped by a 11 minute Free Bird that keeps getting better with each performance. Kris shown his SRV and KWS influences with the blues numbers.  Once again Brian, couldn't figure out how the hell Can't Get Enough went or Feel Like Making Love.  Kris wasn't too happy with him.  Neither was I.  We been doing these GD songs for the past year and half, we shouldn't be fucking them up.  But then again my mind was elsewhere on Can't Get Enough, I messed it up just as bad as they did.

Russ thought the show was good, but it was Kris' show and he strutted down the stage and around the Sanctuary since we didn't have a crowd, he could do it.  Him, Brian and Russ did a trio jaunt on Free Bird which turned to be 11 minutes of chaos.   Being disappointed in the turnout did have something to do with me not being on top of my game.   Being Saturday Night we had to compete with other bands playing but you get three or four people saying they will show up and they don't.  Julie couldn't make it due to car problems and who knows where everybody else.  Only Virginia Harlow made good by showing up. 

Afterwards, Jim came up and asked if we wanted to do a three song recording for later, to which we might do that.  Jim has been on my case for my own recordings as well.  I told him I might take him up on that.  I thought about doing a Acoustic Adventures at the Sanctuary but since we had a poor turnout, I doubt if that take place.  

Shawn Ster hosted the Stone City open mic this afternoon.

Ernst made a rare showing at Rumors today and even the beloved Bear Clair came down to sit in and play.  Ed Butler would have liked to have me play during his set but per usual I got there late and he was placed in the capable hands of Rick Wengle, a total vegan person.  I came on board with Dan Hartman and we did four songs of no inconsequential value.  Ramblin' Man has been a problem song since I don't swing it as well as the song should be played and I have trouble trying to keep the straight beat to the redundant Sweet Home Alabama.   Roberta was the best song played, Jeff Taylor providing a decent boogie woogie beat.  For some reason I couldn't get the GD accents right.   Perhaps I need a break from the open jams?   Would have enjoyed playing alongside Ernst, but I got there too early.

But at least I can play another version of Sweet Home Anamosa.

Ernst Bynum doing the twist, or perhaps Bring It On Home To Me.

Marie Clair was asking me about Belinda James, the second person outside of Herm Sarduy.  I have heard about her being in the hospital but she is home but has not made the music scene for over a year and a half.  She's still grieving over the loss of her son a few years ago.  I do miss hearing her voice over Fever, maybe I'll see if I can entice her into coming out to sing again.  I just hope she hasn't walled herself up into isolation in this life.