Friday, May 3, 2024

2024 Living Blues Award Nominees Including Local Artists! VOTE!


Recently, Living Blues Magazine announced the nominees for their 2024 awards. A few local artists received a nod. The public can vote for their choices by clicking here. Deadline to vote is June 15.

Below is a complete list of nominees (voters are allowed write in choices though). 

* signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records

Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard) 

  • Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne (Burlington)*
  • Marcia Ball
  • Roosevelt Purifoy
  • Victor Wainwright
  • Eden Brent
  • Anthony Geraci
  • Ben Levin
  • Mitch Woods
  • Dave Keyes
  • Bruce Katz

Best Blues Album of 2023 (New Recordings) 

  • Eric Bibb: Ridin' (guest starring Hamilton's Harrison Kennedy)*
  • Taj Mahal: Savoy*
  • Cash Box Kings: Oscar's Motel
  • D.K. Harrell: The Right Man
  • Nick Moss Band feat. Dennis Gruenling: Get Your Back Into It!
  • Bobby Rush: All My Love for You
  • Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia: Blood Brothers
  • Ally Venable: Real Gone
  • Selwyn Birchwood: Exorcist
  • Buffalo Nichols: The Fatalist
  • Christone "Kingfish" Ingram: Alligator
  • Candice Ivory: When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie
  • Larry Taylor & the Taylor Family with the Soul Blues Healers: Generations of Blues: West Side Legacy
  • Chris Thomas King: Big Grey Sky
  • Arthur Adams: Kick Up Some Dust
  • Jimi "Primetime" Smith & Bob Corritore: The World in a Jug
  • Stan Mosley: No Soul, No Blues
  • Walter "Wolfman" Washington: Feel So at Home

Best Live Performer 

  • Duke Robillard*
  • Bobby Rush
  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Buddy Guy
  • Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
  • Victor Wainwright
  • Cedric Burnside
  • John Primer
  • Mr. Sipp
  • Selwyn Birchwood

Blues Artist of the Year (Female) 

  • Rory Block*
  • Sue Foley (Ottawa)*
  • Diunna Greenleaf
  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Irma Thomas
  • Trudy Lynn
  • Ally Venable
  • Candice Ivory
  • Anne Harris
  • Anna Popović

Blues Artist of the Year (Male) 

Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar) 

  • Duke Robillard*
  • Eric Bibb*
  • Lurrie Bell
  • Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
  • John Primer
  • Buddy Guy
  • Ana Popović
  • Mr. Sipp
  • Joe Louis Walker
  • Kirk Fletcher

Best Blues Album of 2023 (Reissue Recordings) 

  • Floyd Dixon: Time Brings About a Change
  • Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos
  • Delmark Records 70th Anniversary Blues Anthology
  • Billy "The Kid" Emerson: My Blues are Red Hot
  • James Booker: Behind the Iron Curtain Plus . . .
  • Ike & Tina Turner: River Deep – Mountain High
  • Down Home Blues – Chicago, Vol. 3: The Special Stuff
  • The Memphis Blues Box: Original Recordings, 1914–1969
  • Eddie Bo: The Other Side of Eddie Bo
  • Lazy Lester: All Over You

Best Blues Book of 2023 

  • Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey by Robert "Mack" McCormick and John Troutman
  • The Chicago Blues of Washboard Sam by Guido van Rijn
  • The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records: A Great Migration Story, 1917–1932 by Scott Blackwood
  • Tell It Like It Is by Aaron Neville
  • Hot Time Blues: On the Trail of Long-Gone Blues and Gospel Singers by Alex van der Tuuk
  • Dynamite! Ike Turner's Recorded Legacy by Fred Rothwell
  • Deep Inside the Blues: Photographs and Interviews by Margo Cooper
  • The Chicago Blues of Jazz Gillum by By Guido van Rijn
  • Big Joe Turner: Feel So Fine by Derek Coller
  • Notes from the Road by Robert Mugge

Most Outstanding Blues Singer 

  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Trudy Lynn
  • Sugaray Rayford
  • Mavis Staples
  • Diunna Greenleaf
  • Oscar Wilson
  • John Németh
  • Stan Mosley
  • Alabama Mike
  • William Bell

Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica) 

  • Billy Branch
  • Bob Corritore
  • Phil Wiggins
  • Big Harp George
  • Mark Hummel
  • Andrew Alli
  • Charlie Musselwhite
  • Rick Estrin
  • Jason Ricci
  • Omar Coleman

Links: Living Blues, More Living Blues Awards Stories

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Thursday, May 2, 2024

Music Listings: May 3-5, 2024

Friday, May 3


---- Before 7:00pm ----






1-1:30pm: Come Sunday (Gospel Radio Show) w Paul Panchezak (Trickbag) @ 93.3 CFMU or cfmu.ca (Hamilton) (Weekly)



5-8pm: Mike Saracino @ Spyce Lounge (Niagara Falls)

6-9pm: James Anthony @ Scout Cafe (Stoney Creek) (Weekly)

6-9pm: Stephanie Deshane @ Judge & Jester (Grimsby) (Weekly)


6-10pm: Liam Calhoun (Violin) @ Watermark (Niagara Falls)


6-8pm: Mitch Szitas @ 2 Rivers (Paris)



6:30pm: JAY CARRARO @ Easy Pour (Cambridge)

---- 7:00-7:59pm ----



7-10pm: Dueling Pianos @ Uptown Social House (Burlington) (Every Fri & Sat)

7pm: Thompson Road Band @ Polish Hall (Brantford) $5


7-10pm: Friday Night Live (Open Mic) @ DeBar (Guelph) (Weekly)


7pm: Dan Walsh @ 211 Main (Port Dover)


7:30pm: Moonshine Rewind @ Piper Arms (Burlington)

7:30pm: Bliss @ Gator Ted's (Burlington)


7:30pm: Frozen Jr. (Musical) @ John Elliott Theatre (Georgetown) $? 1ST PERFORMANCE

7:30-11:30pm: Open Mic @ Mahtay Cafe (St. Catharines) (Weekly)



---- 8:00-8:59pm ----

8pm-12am: Hammer Tones @ Buddy's Roadhouse (Hamilton)


8pm: GRANT LYLE Trio @ Moonshine Cafe (Oakville) $15


8-11pm: LUKE ALLAN @ Teddy's (Grimsby)



8pm: AMANDA MARTINEZ @ Registry Theatre (Kitchener) $30



8-10:30pm: Stretch Orchestra @ The Jazz Room (Waterloo) $?



8:30pm: Freedom Train @ The Columbus Club (Hamilton) $20

8:30-11:30pm: James Sheehan @ Pub Fiction (Ancaster) 


8:30pm-11:30pm: The Danny Boys @ Irish Harp (Niagara-on-the-Lake) 


---- After 9:00pm ----

9pm-1am: The Soul Cats @ Cat N Fiddle (Hamilton)



9pm: HIGHWAY COMPANION: A TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS @ Stonewalls (Hamilton) $20 adv/$25 door

9pm: Orangeman @ BLK Swan, Palladium Way (Burlington) $15


9pm: Hooligans @ Pitchers Sports Bar (St. Catharines)

9pm-1am: Moonlight Co. @ Doc Magilligan's (Niagara Falls)

9pm-12am: Mad Men @ Spyce Lounge (Niagara Falls)

9pm: Loose Cannon @ Up Lounge (Waterloo) 

9:30pm: Romeo Sex Fighter @ Room 47 (Waterloo) (1st Fri of Month) $10

10pm: Hell Bent Rockers @ BLK Swan, Brant St. (Burlington) $15

10pm-2am: Evermile @ Big Texas (Niagara Falls)

10pm-2am: Max-Life Crisis @ Manny's Place (Brantford)



---- Before 6:00pm ----



11am-12pm: Sold On Hamilton w Judy Marsales @ 900AM CHML (1st Sat of Month)








2-4:30pm: Open Mic with Victor Morgado @ Smoke and Moonshine (Beamsville) (Weekly)

2-4pm: Jazz Jam @ The Jazz Room (Waterloo)






3-6pm: Dan Walsh @ Roxy's Tap & Grill (Brantford)


5-8pm: Mike Saracino @ Spyce Lounge (Niagara Falls)

---- 6:00-7:59pm ----


6-10pm: Liam Calhoun (Violin) @ Watermark (Niagara Falls)



7-10pm: Emily Kemp Trio @ Manhattans (Guelph)

7pm: ERROL BLACKWOOD @ Easy Pour (Cambridge)






---- 8:00-8:59pm ----




8-11pm: JACOB LUDWIG @ Teddy's (Grimsby)


8pm: Josh Cole @ Silence (Guelph) $20/PWYC




8pm: Dala @ Registry Theatre (Kitchener) $30 adv


8-10:30pm: Mandy Lagan & Origins @ The Jazz Room (Waterloo) $?



8:30pm: ULTIMATE 80'S HAIR ROCK TRIBUTE: ROCK CITY @ Stonewalls (Hamilton) $10

8:30pm: Scurvy Dogs @ Pub Fiction (Ancaster)

8:30-11:30pm: The Postmen @ Irish Harp (Niagara-on-the-Lake) 

---- After 10:00pm ----



9pm-1am: The Trip @ Doc Magilligan's (Niagara Falls)

9pm-12am: Rebel Souls @ Spyce Lounge (Niagara Falls)


9pm: Mykul @ Piper Arms (Brantford)






10pm-2am: Neon Rain @ Big Texas (Niagara Falls)

10pm-2am: The Dirty Pioneers @ Manny's Place (Brantford)
Sunday, May 5 (World Laughter Day, Cartoonists Day, Cinco de Mayo)





1-4pm: Rick Taylor Band @ Crystal Chandelier (Crystal Beach) (Weekly)


1:30-4:30pm: Irish & Folk Music Sessions @ Doc Magilligan's (Niagara Falls) (Weekly)

---- 2:00-2:59pm ----

2-5pm: James Anthony & Gail Guest @ Plank Restobar (Hamilton) (Weekly)






2-5pm: The Shalalas @ Irish Harp (Niagara-on-the-Lake)





2-5pm: Almost Serious @ The Falls Road Pub (Kitchener) (Weekly)
 


---- After 3:00pm ----


3-7pm: Mark Thackway @ Cat N Fiddle (Hamilton)

3-5:30pm: Low Country Hill @ Casbah Lounge (Hamilton) PWYC








6-9pm: JORGE & KRIS @ Lowville Bistro (Burlington)



8-11pm: Dan Serre @ Spyce Lounge (Niagara Falls) 

10pm-1am: Open Mic @ Jimmy Jazz (Guelph) (Weekly)
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Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Get the Hamilton Blues Lovers E-Mail Newsletter


Want to be kept up to date with what's going on in the local area (Hamilton/Halton/Brant/Niagara/Waterloo/Norfolk/Haldimand)? Then get all the Blues News You Can Use with our new weekly e-mail newsletter.

Every Wednesday or Thursday night, the Hamilton Blues Lovers send out an e-mail blast with the latest happenings in the local Blues/Folk/Jazz/Roots/Country scene. Find out about new music releases, upcoming shows, our exclusive videos and much more. 

NEW! We now also offer an almost-daily newsletter where we send you an email every time we add a new blog post. Please email blueshamilton@gmail.copm if you want this one as well.

To get this amazing newsletter, please please go to our MailChimp page and enter your email address. https://mailchi.mp/f5df63ee5f8b/blueshamilton

We also welcome any ideas you may have to help improve the newsletter.
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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Strong Debut from Hamilton's Garnetta Cromwell


As a former Olympic weight-lifter, Hamilton musician Garnetta Cromwell knows all about strength. Actually, strength can be the main theme of her incredible debut solo album, Time to Shine. There are songs about strong women, tunes about having a strong will and more. Even the slower songs have a strong vibe to them. Powerful Funk, Soul and Blues beats flex their way into each and every number throughout this brawny album.

Her band, DaGroovmasters:
Guests: 
Available: live shows, Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube

Stream the album below


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Sunday, April 28, 2024

Buy Holiday Smile Cookies This Week to Help Local Charities

 


This week (April 29-May 5) all sales from Tim Hortons' Smile Cookies will go towards local charities, A tasty way to give.

The Hamilton Blues Lovers (HBL) want to showcase a deserving local charity every week.  HBL is not affiliated with these charities nor does it fund raise for them.




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Thursday, April 25, 2024

Brantford Music Promoter Victor 'Big Vic' Mirco Passes

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Brantford music promotor, Victor 'Big Vic' Mirco. Unfortunately, we do not know the details but we will post them here when we know them.

A word from Lou, our blogger:

I got to know Big Vic well through promoting shows in Brantford. He was always fun to be around and knew a ton about music. I will miss his friendship. RIP Vic.

Social Media Reaction

Bruce Hall, founder of the Grand River Blues Society

So sorry to hear this news of the passing of a good friend. Really enjoyed working with Big Vic on all his shows. He knew how to pack rooms with top notch entertainment. Will miss sparring with him on music trivia for he knew his stuff. Rest in Peace Victor.

Jeanna Jackson

So so sad to hear this, I knew Vic for the 25 years. I owned Brantford Minuteman Press Printing, he always printed the posters and tickets for the show.Vic would sit for hours at the office, talking , laughing crazy jokes i never got....hahaha, Last time I saw him was when he dropped off the coconut heads (from his parents) he had when he was cleaning the house. I have them still hanging on the wall. I will miss him always. xo. And I still have the files for all the old posters he would order. I am sure most are still on the old hard drive. Having some hanging up would be sweet memories of the loss of an amazing person. 

Susan J Neziol

R.I.P. Vic Mirco  aka "Big Vic"...my dear friend ...you were a big part of our teenage years working at Records on Wheels and organizing bus trips...in particular, for me, the Police Picnic bus!  I have been lucky enough to have had you as a life long friend and attend many concerts with you....you will be dearly missed....xo 

Rose Devereux 

Been missing you at the blues for a while! He used to "pay me" in merch to start up the dance floor not that I needed to be persuaded. I miss harassing you  at your table 🤣 I know I have a million more photos like these somewhere and I’ll forever cherish them! The shows are so insanely huge these days im never the first person on the dance floor but it’s probably because we paved the way lol! Rest easy my friend you finally get to meet some of the greats that paved the way! Thank you for always making me feel so special ❤️

Brad Grose

Vic has left a lasting legacy of creating great times and a real celebration of music. A real Community Champion and a dear friend. Godspeed Vic.

You will be missed.

My sincere condolences to the family and friends 🧡 

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Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Ensemble! Nominated for 2 Cable 14 Impact Awards

It's with pride that we announce that the Ensemble! TV show was nominated for 2 Cable 14 Impact Awards: Outstanding Entertainment Series & Outstanding Social Media Promotion.  The program, created and produced by HBL's own marketer, Linda Fraser, has been showcasing local singer/songwriters for over a decade now.

There's a lot of hard work that goes into each episode of the show. Dave Rave does an incredible, high-energy job as the host of the proceedings.  Eric Bower and Gary Greenland handle the sound wonderfully. The staff and volunteers of Cable 14 are also an integral part of the success of Ensemble!

A big thank you the Clifford Brewing Company for inviting the show to film at their fabulous venue.

Of course, the show couldn't exist without all the talented local musicians who volunteered their time to perform on the show. Thanks everyone!  

We'll all be keeping our fingers crossed for Ensemble! at the awards ceremony on May 28, 2024 at the Westdale Theatre. GOOD LUCK!

Unfortunately, we do not know who the nominees are for any of the categories but if we find out, we'll be posting them here.

Links: Ensemble!, More Ensemble! Stories, More Impact Award Stories

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Sunday, April 21, 2024

Happy Earth Day - Videos by Sultans of String ft Duke Redbird, Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn

Update of 2018 post 






Links: Neil Young, More Neil Young Stories, Video above courtesy of TheMusicExtener



Links: Bruce Cockburn, More Bruce Cockburn Stories, Video above courtesy of BruceCockburnVevo

More Earth Day Videos
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Please Support Local Charities


Please Support Local Charities


The Brian Lee Griffith Guitar Bursary is intended to support a different, talented, deserving guitar student each year. In honour of the late, great Hamilton guitarist Brian Griffith.

The Hamilton Blues Lovers (HBL) want to showcase a deserving local charity every week.  HBL is not affiliated with these charities nor does it fund raise for them.

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Friday, April 19, 2024

Hamilton's Andre Bisson Reaches New Heights on Latest Album


Hamilton's Andre Bisson shows growth with each new release and the tradition's alive and well with his latest fabulous album, Latchford. The incredible songwriting continues from the previous offerings. On top of that, Andre also now manages to add a bit more of a singer/songwriter, almost folky vibe. There's even a bit of country thrown in the mix. Without sacrificing his trademark funk and soul, the Bluesman has once again expanded his sound to new heights.

Band members:
Guests: Dan Rodrigues (Piano on Enough)


Stream album below


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