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***************************** Saturday, December 6 DELTA WIRES Opening set: Pryor Baird & the Deacons **************************** SLO Vets Hall 801 Grand Avenue 8PM Members $17 / General Admission $20 21 & over, please Ralph Liddle Memorial
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January
24 KENNY NEAL
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PO Box 14041 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 This site
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BLUES SHOW REVIEW. The San Luis Obispo Blues Society presents big band blues with the Delta Wires on Saturday, December 6. Pryor Baird & the Deacons will be opening the show. The show starts at 8:00 pm at the SLO Vets Hall, 801 Grand Avenue in San Luis Obispo. SLO Dance is offering free dance lessons from 7:30 - 8:00 pm. Tickets are $17 for Blues Society members and $20 for the general public. All tickets are sold at the door. 21 and over, please. For more information or to volunteer, call 805/541-7930.
Both the Delta Wires and Pryor Baird and the Deacons finished in the top ten in this year’s International Blues Challenge (IBC) sponsored by the Blues Foundation. The IBC is intended to identify blues artists who are ready to perform on a national stage, but just need a little extra exposure. In 2008, 100 bands and 60 solo/duo acts filled Memphis clubs for the four-day competition. To enter, the bands need a Blues Society sponsor; last year the Sacramento Blues Society sponsored the Delta Wires, and the San Luis Obispo Blues Society sent Pryor Baird and the Deacons.
THE
DELTA WIRES
The
Delta Wires are a high-energy seven piece harmonica and horns blues band
from the Oakland Area. The Delta Wires blend soul and big band, harmonica,
and horn blues with the urban beat of the 60's when Mississippi Delta and
Chicago influences blended with early rock to create a hybrid urban sound.
With a name derived from the image of a band with modern, electric instrumentation
playing a style of music born in the Mississippi Delta, the band evolved
from a college project on the development of blues music from the Mississippi
Delta to the South Side of Chicago. They have played a wide array
of venues, including eight appearances at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival.
The band opened the 2008 San Francisco Blues Festival. The Delta
Wires recently celebrated their 35th anniversary and will release their
fifth CD in December, Live @ 105 degrees, which was recorded at the Northern
California Blues Festival (listen at http://www.deltawires.com
and, yes, buy one at the show).
Leader and founder Ernie Pinata has a reputation as one of the most emotional harmonica players on the scene today. On bass, Tom Gerrits is a veteran of over 30 San Francisco area bands. Add virtuoso guitarist Richard Healy; a talented 3-piece horn section composed of trumpet (Larry Jonutz) and two saxophones (Jim Orsetti and Danny Sandoval) flavored with Mississippi Delta and Chicago Big Band influences; and Tony Huszar’s classic “fat back” drum pulse; it’s simply contemporary big band blues at its best. “They blow hard from the get-go, a tight horn section blending comfortably with the spirited, intense harmonica from lead man Ernie Pinata, as fierce a Sonny Boy Williamson-influenced harp as you will find.” - Bill Kisluik, Blues Access Magazine.
PRYOR BAIRD
& THE DEACONS.
Local
favorites Pryor Baird & the Deacons play original tunes and traditional
blues. The band is centered on Pryor Baird’s predatory guitar and
pleasantly rough vocals. Drummer Matt Gittelson and bassist Robert
Chetwood hold down the bottom with sonic prowess, giving the band a distinctive
“fat hollow sound.” The band’s horn section, with George Pandis on
trumpet and flugelhorn and Rene Blair on alto and tenor saxophone, lends
versatility to the swinging mix of Chicago, Mississippi Delta and Piedmont
style blues. This is a band that can take a blues standard and make
it sound brand new. Hear samples on their website (http://www.dothedeacons.com).
VOLUNTEER. Your Blues Society is run entirely by volunteers. Besides a sense of accomplishment, volunteers get into the shows for free and receive a couple free drink tickets. We could use your help, so call 541-7930 (our voice mail number) and volunteer to work a shift at the show.
DANCE
LESSONS.
East Coast Swing Lessons with Linda Drake & SLO Dance. Chris
Harmon and other award-winning instructors from SLO Dance offer beginning
swing dance lessons at 7:30 before each Blues Society show. Lessons
are free with admission to the show and no partner is necessary.
Linda Drake’s staff at SLO Dance includes several nationally recognized
award-winning dancers and instructors in both Ballroom and Swing.
SLO Dance staff consistently earns awards in major dance competitions and
are in constant training as instructors. Visit their website
for more information.
