You MUST CHECK IN 40 MINUTES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TIME (NO EARLIER, PLEASE TO AVOID OVERCROWDING)
Departure Time
First Stop
Check-in Time
Availability
How to Buy Tix
7:00 PM
Lee's Unleaded
6:20 PM
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
7:05
Lee's Unleaded
6:25
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
7:10
Linda's Place
6:30
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
7:30
Rosa's Lounge
6:50
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
7:35
Rooster's Palace
6:55
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT
7:50
Lee's Unleaded Blues
7:10
18 left - ETix
8:00
Linda's Place
7:20
30 left - ETix
8:10
Catcher's Inn
7:30
36 left - ETix
8:30
General Admission
8:30
11 left - Eventbrite
8:30
General Admission
8:30
9 left - Ticketweb
WEATHER FORECAST
Weather outlook is good right now, it looks like a nice spring day, low in the 50s, high in the 70s. Might be a bit chilly at night, so wear a light jacket.
SOME TIPS ON HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE BLUES TOUR:
1. If you wait 20 minutes at a club and there’s no music, get on the next bus and come back later.
2. If there’s an empty seat — get on the bus!
3. If the club you’ve arrived at is overcrowded — get on the bus!
4. If your friends couldn’t get tix for the same departure as you, of if they arrived late — meet up later at Catcher’s Inn, Rosa’s, or Wabash Tap, where there are special music features, and which are ‘hubs’ of the shuttle routes.
5. Don’t try to outsmart the tour — the bus schedules are intended to move people around, but NOT for point-to-point travel. If you just keep moving, you will get to a lot of clubs, but if you try to ‘force’ going to the clubs in a specific order, you may end up seeing less music and spending more time riding on buses.
6. Around midnight, start figuring out where you want to end the night (for most of you this will be back downtown at Wabash Tap). You should try to start working you way toward your final destination at midnight. At the end of the night, all buses return downtown, but if everyone is jammed into the same locations, there will be delays while buses shuttle back and forth, so help us out by keeping the crowd distributed. (see #3 and #2 above).
Vance Kelly is one of the few acts in Chicago who was able to please audiences on the South, West and North sides, with a versatile band that spans the wide spectrum of blues material, from old soul chestnuts to funk to raw down-home blues, which sometimes ventures into the “blue” topical territory, but that’s okay in a club environment where everyone’s over 21. His broad repertoire includes a version of Prince’s “Purple Rain” which is typically a show-stopper. Guitarist Kelly plays all over the world, but when he’s not touring, Checkerboard Lounge has long been his “home base”, stretching back to its years as a rough and ready landmark of 43rd St. (9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
Click the enclosure to listen to Vance Kelly singing “Joyriding in the Subway”:
When the links below are clickable, the maps and schedules will be available. You should still click this link to sign up for the email list, since the schedules are somewhat dynamic until we declare them final, in an email to the email list (usually a few days before the tour).
Here is the Spring 2009 Chicago Blues tour map in JPEG format:
If you are a harmonica fan, this is a show not to miss, and it will feature some complementary styles, making it a real primer on blues harp, one of 3 special sets included in the Spring 2009 Chicago Blues Tour, and now, the battle’s got an international flavor with the addition of a third performer from Britain.
In the time-honored tradition of “cuttin’ heads”, Deak Harp will take on two youngish upstart Chicago harpslingers, Omar Coleman and Harpmonster, as well as a twentysomething British phenom, Giles Robson, from the UK band The Dirty Aces, whose high-energy interpretations of the Chicago idiom have gained a strong following overseas.
Harpmonster
Omar Coleman
Deak is a solid Delta player in the heavy-tone James Cotton vein, and his band is a classic Chicago-style group that often includes local veteran drummer Twist Turner, so there is certain to be a solid rhythmic pocket for harmonica battles. Coleman plays primarily in the melodic, methodical Little Walter / Big Walter style, but occasionally veers into the busier style favored by modernists like Sugar Blue. Harpmonster is a flashy player who’s been known to pull out a chromatic from time to time, but has been off the scene for a while due to recent illness, so he will be marking his return to the performance circuit with this appearance. He seems to favor an approach that’s more countryfied, a la either of the Sonny Boy Williamsons. For blues harp fans, this is the show to see. (8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
James “Taildragger” Jones received his moniker from no less than the immortal Howlin’ Wolf, with whom he played for a while – apparently with a casual sense of punctuality, earning him the nickname. Dragger is a classic Chicago blues singer, a breed that is getting more scarce every year. He borrows heavily from Wolf as well as Sonny Boy Williamson, and although he once played guitar, he now spends his time as a vocalist, often roaming down into the crowd in front of the band. His repertoire includes many classic blues, as well as some originals in the same vein, captured for posterity in Delmark Records’ “Live at Vern’s Friendly Lounge” DVD release. He was a regular at the old Delta Fish Market on the west side, but more recently has spent more time in European festivals than in Chicago. He’s performing at Rooster’s Palace, a classic blues tavern with colorful regulars, which includes a fair sampling of west side bluesmen. Here’s some photos by Robert Pasenko taken at Rooster’s. That’s Eddie Taylor Jr. drinkin’ a beer and Robert “Rooster”, the owner, smiling in the baseball cap.
If you get a ticket for the 7:35 departure, you’ll go directly to Rooster’s Palace to catch Taildragger’s first set, which often includes other blues luminaries like Eddie Taylor Jr. It’s a small room, so getting there early is the best way to snag one of the booths along the wall or a stool at the bar. Taildragger is one of several performers who perform classic blues on the Tour, which also features Deak Harp and Johnny Drummer.(8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
MOST RECENT UPATE: MAY 9, 2009
You have several options for purchasing tickets. YOU MUST ARRIVE FOR CHECK-IN 40 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED DEPARTURE TIME TO CHECK-IN. Please be aware that we purposefully discourage “will-call”. It is best if you choose an option that will allow you to arrive with a ticket in hand. You can call Ticketweb toll-free at 866.468.3401 if you choose to order by phone with tickets sent by U.S. mail until May 7, and there are two “print-at-home” options, Eventbrite and ETix. Once the vendor is “sold out”, that means their allocation of tickets is sold out, but not necessarily the event. Once all vendors are shown as “sold out”, the event is truly sold out, although you can arrive at 8:30 if the event is officially “sold-out”, and likely get a “stand-by” ticket, as there are usually some no-shows, which opens up additional capacity.
Spring 2009 Chicago Blues Tour Ticket Vendor Matrix
Robert Pasenko is one of the better drummers on the Chicago circuit, and he’s played with just about everyone, including gigs with Johnny Drummer at Lee’s Unleaded and as part of the revivalists Blue Plate Special. He’s also one of the premier blues photographers, and so his jam sessions at Catcher’s Inn are well-documented and well-attended. Catcher’s is a friendly Bridgeport hangout, and owner Bo keeps the atmosphere comfortable (even if you’re a Cubs fan). The blues jam often features a boiling pot of hot dogs alongside the stage, in keeping with its proximity to Sox Park.
Bo servin' up a cold one photo by Robert Pasenko
some happy customers photo by Robert Pasenko
This “South Side Showcase” highlights the wealth of talent that resides in Chicago today, from rising underground stars like Mz. Peachezto local veteran stalwarts like Linsey Alexander and Smilin’ Bobby. Several of the performers in this jam session will be part of the Chicago Blues Festival in June, along with Li’l Ed, Johnny Drummer, and Vance Kelly.
Killer Ray Allison photo by Steve Pasek
Floyd Wilson & Smilin Bobby photo by Robert Pasenko
Killer Ray Allison is a world-renowned drummer, including touring stints with Buddy Guy and other top-echelon acts, but in recent years he has turned to guitar with surprisingly good results. He was taught by Muddy Waters’ one-time guitarist Pee Wee Madison, and it shows up in his resonant playing. He’s also a husky vocalist, often roams the audience with a wireless axe, and he has a playful demeanor that often leads to rambunctious jamming.
Tré at Catchers jam photo by Robert Pasenko
Lady Kat
Tré (he uses only a first name) is a second-generation bluesman, and one of several exciting guitarists on this tour. He alternates between melodic struts and explosive bursts of fretwork, a balancing act familiar to fans of Buddy Guy. When his band The Blue Knights, backs up the sultry, feisty Lady Kat, the result is always compelling, and sometimes ecstatic.
Mz. Peachez photo by Robert Pasenko
Mz. Peachez has turned some heads with a set of pipes that allows her to get away with covering Aretha and Tina, but she’s a fine raw talent who has become continually more nuanced in her approach. (8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
