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***************************** Saturday, October 25 THE INSOMNIACS Opening set: Sleepy Guitar Johnson **************************** SLO Vets Hall 801 Grand Avenue 8PM Members $17 / General Admission $20 21 & over, please December
6 DELTA WIRES
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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 welcomes the kings of cyber-swing, The Insomniacs, on Saturday, October 25. Sleepy Guitar Johnson 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.
THE
INSOMNIACS
The
Insomniacs combine guitar-driven, up-tempo jump blues with the vocal richness
and instrumental precision of swing for a sound that is simultaneously
energetic and smooth. The quartet was nominated in 2008 for a Blues
Music Award in the “Best New Artist” category; they won a Muddy Award from
Oregon's prestigious Cascade Blues Association for Best New Act of 2006
and Best Contemporary Act of 2007, and their song “Crime Scene” was named
one of the top 20 contemporary blues songs for 2007 by BluesCritic.com.
The Insomniacs play vintage instruments and channel a blues style from the 1950s, but there is a distinct cyberspace bent to the jump blues quartet. These young musicians tour endless highways in a beat up van, babying a gut-string upright, the 1951 Fender “Nocaster” guitar, the 1964 Framus Star Bass and their Magnatone and Ampeg tube amps; but they fill the long drives between gigs surfing the web on wireless laptops, looking at the MySpace and Facebook friends lists of the clubs down the road, and personally emailing blues fans to get them to listen to the band and come to the show. Guitarist Vyasa Dodson emulates the jump blues masters such as Junior Watson and Little Charlie Baty; while bassist Dean Mueller attributes his blues conversion to jamming with John Cephas, Louisiana Red and Honeyboy Edwards. Together with Alex Shakeri on keyboards and Dave Melyan on drums they bust out with an original mix of blues, swing, jump, and roots rock & roll that has crowds dancing the night away.
Last year, The Insomniacs first CD, Left Coast Blues (Delta Groove Music, 2007), hit No. 5 on the blues charts. The ten original tracks are a seamless continuation of the blues traditions of the 1950’s that combine the rich voice and guitar prowess of Dodson with a perfectly balanced ensemble of bass, keyboards, and drums. The tracks sound contemporary, but as if they were borrowed from blues masters; and in reality, the majority of the material was written by 25 year old Dodson. It’s a remarkable combination of old and new, and every note is danceable. Visit their website for samples.
SLEEPY GUITAR JOHNSON. Sleepy Guitar Johnson features Denis Degher, who wraps his electric guitar, dobro slide, and harmonica around insinuating vocals, while John Morris carries the bottom end thump on bass accentuated by Michael Brown’s locked down drums. The band recently released a new CD, The Mojo Sessions. The CD pays homage to the originators of blues and rock, but is branded by Sleepy’s innovative 21st Century Blues sound. It includes 12 original compositions and was mixed by Degher at his Old School Ranch Studio to recreate the big and warm sound of vintage vinyl, a theme reinforced by grouping the tracks into side one and side two. Feeling loving toward your partner? Play side two; if not, side one is just the ticket. The CD is available for preview and purchase at CDbaby and visit the Sleepy Guitar Johnson website for more information.
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.
