Month: November 2017

Events Featured Artists

Southern Avenue: Young, Hip Blues – Served Hot on a Platter

By Peggy Stevinson Bair on

A lot of people who love the blues know that Southern Avenue is a street in Memphis, TN.

But it’s also the name of a young blues band with a namesake debut album Southern Avenue.

Coming back for another run at Kansas City’s great roadhouse Knuckleheads Nov. 30, those who didn’t catch Southern Avenue the first time around this summer are going to get a second chance – which is a coup for the fans who recognize they are lucky enough to still get in to see this band’s star rise at a smaller venue.

The band quickly got snapped up by Concord Music Group’s Stax Record label where, among many other venerable artists, Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and Elvis Presley have pressed recordings. Concord Group Music has produced and released Gregg Allman’s final album ‘Southern Blood’.

Just a refresher of Southern Avenue’s July 14, 2017 appearance:

Southern Avenue Band ©2017 Blues Insights Peggy Stevinson Bair
Vocalist Tierinii Jackson performed July 14, 2017 at Knuckleheads in Kansas City with the band Southern Avenue. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair – Blues Insights LLC

The band lit up the Knuckleheads outdoor stage Friday, July 14, 2017 – on a beautiful summer night in front of a standing room only, overflow blues crowd. Opening for the TUF (Trampled Under Foot) Reunion, sisters Tierinii (vocals) and Tikyra Jackson (drums) along with Israeli-born Ori Naftaly on guitar and keyboardist Jeremy Powell, coaxed the crowd into filling their cups with a fresh brew of youth-infused blues – a special blend of blues tones, youthful lyrics, gospel and Tierinii’s arousing delivery.

Ori Naftaly Southern Avenue ©2017 Blues Insights Peggy Stevinson Bair
Guitarist Ori Naftaly performed July 14, 2017 at Knuckleheads with the band Southern Avenue out of Memphis, TN. Knuckleheads is a famed roadhouse in Kansas City, MO. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair – Blues Insights LLC

Like a choir director stirring up a congregation, vocalist Tierinii kept up an unrelenting invitation to jump into a groove with an energetic lineup of original songs like “Don’t Give Up” and “Rumble” – all while heel-stepping, hip-gyrating and swinging her long, brilliant red locks. The band broke out in several solos by Powell, Naftaly and Tikyra, creating a bubbling cauldron of excitement inside the ever-more hyped up crowd.

Keyboardist Jeremy Powell Southern Avenue ©2017 Blues Insights Peggy Stevinson Bair
Keyboardist Jeremy Powell performed July 14, 2017 with blues band Southern Avenue at Knuckleheads in Kansas City. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair – Blues Insights LLC
Tikyra Jackson Southern Avenues ©2017 Blues Insights Peggy Stevinson Bair
Tikyra Jackson performed with blues band Southern Avenue July 14, 2017 at Knuckleheads in Kansas City.

The set wrapped up with the wave-inducing “Don’t Give Up” that would have gotten the band elected to Congress if it had been a political rally. You can get a free download of the song if you sign up with your email here. If you don’t get anything else out of this article, I recommend getting that song. It has a great mantra that is at the heart of how Southern Avenue connects with their fans.

Let’s have a listen to Music City Roots‘ video of Southern Avenue’s “Don’t Give Up”:

Outside the Knuckleheads front entrance during the intermission (Trampled Under Foot Reunion was up next as the headliner), the newly-minted fans were able to snap up CDs of the Southern Avenue namesake debut record – also available on LP vinyl for those who like to take their music for a vintage spin on a platter.

Southern Avenue debut album available on vinyl or CD. Memphis, TN band on Stax Record label, a division of Concord Group Music.

The Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017 show opens at 7 p.m. with Quinn DeVeaux

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Blues News Events Featured Artists Kansas City Concerts

Heather Newman “Burn Me Alive” – Dec. 1

By Peggy Stevinson Bair on

I didn’t know what to think this past summer when this little pint-size pixie sidled up to the microphone on the stage one Wednesday night during the 2017 Levee Summer Blues Jam. Jam nights are pretty laid back…Newman, casually bespeckled – but even so, nothing could obscure those big eyes underneath. I thought right then, in fact, that she was reminiscent of one of Margaret Keane’s paintings – waif-like and barefooted. I squinted a bit wondering what this gal was doing in a blues jam.

But, then…something about how she wore that big ol’ bass like a comfortable accessory and how, with a smile and flick of her locks, the fellas around her took que and struck in. I quickly surmised I’d better pay attention: she wasn’t there to follow.

She was there to LEAD.

Sure ’nuff, after her step up to the mic, out came a big woman voice that boomed a whole lotta blues outta seemingly nowhere.

Yeah. Fool me once. Never again. Welcome to my first experience of Heather Newman.

I got a chance to catch up with her after her set and found her very down-home friendly. From Omaha originally, Newman has made Kansas City home recently but, clearly, she has that Midwestern approachability. I promised to catch her one of her professional appearances in the future and as luck would have it, the next time I got to connect with her was at Knuckleheads with her own band, The Heather Newman Band.

After waiting around for her to greet her fans before the show, Ms. Newman said she was excited because she had written a new song the day before and run the band through the new tune in less than a day to try it out this very next night. To understand this level of ability, one first has to know that, even though she is only 23 years old, she’s been performing since she was 10, so in Heather Newman years, she’s a seasoned pro.

With the debut of “Burn Me Alive”, it’s easy to see how she taken her raw talents to bolder levels.

Keith Ladd, Lee’s Summit, played guitar with The Heather Newman Band Nov. 16, 2017 at Knuckleheads. Ladd has opened for such bands as Molly Hatchet, The Romantics and Blackfoot. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair.
Ryan Matthew is a classically trained musician who played keys with The Heather Newman band on Nov. 16, 2017 at Knuckleheads. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair

With Lee’s Summit’s Keith Ladd on guitar, classically trained Ryan Matthew on keys and Cole Dillingham (formerly with Amanda Fish band) on drums, Newman is clearly comfortable as a leader of the band (more like keeper of the band’s happiness.) Coaxing her guys through songs with smiles and attention, she never misses a beat while doing what it takes to make sure the sounds are on track. Talent builds talent and begets talent so Newman surrounding herself with such a worthy crew has clearly served to put her at the helm of a great sound at an opportune time in her career – and theirs.

Okay, I’ll stop yammering so you can have a listen to The Heather Newman Band

Coming up Dec. 1 at Knuckleheads, The Heather Newman Band will perform at the CD release party of their debut album: “Burn Me Alive” and if you click this link, you can pre-order the album and/or a tee-shirt with the band’s cool logo on it. Get your Heather Newman Band Knucklehead’s tickets

original

One more from Nov. 16 at Knuckleheads: “You Mean to Tell Me”

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Events Featured Artists Kansas City Concerts

2017 – Great Summer of KC Blues

By Peggy Stevinson Bair on

Rollin’ through on electric grooves this summer from California was Orphan Jon and the Abandoned – partnered up with Johnny Main and The 44’s. Hitting Kansas City twice in their tour of the Midwest, I first encountered OJATA at BB’s Lawnside BBQ – and was caught a bit off-guard when this beatnik looking daddy-o strolled up from out in the audience to grab the mic where the band had already fired up their first number. Jon English commenced to jiving and crooning, swaying a backside and raising his eyebrows invitingly at the audience over a pair of dark glasses – while a slim and seasoned Bruce Krupnik coaxed an electric cigar box guitar into a string-bending blues whine.

It became clear that we were all there to witness Orphan Jon having a good time and we could either join in or not – it was gonna happen…and it did happen. Everybody got bitten by the groove and pretty soon the place was hoppin.

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Jon English introduced himself to the Kansas City audience at BB’s Lawnside BBQ June 02, 2017 while touring with the band Orphan Jon and the Abandoned and Johnny Main’s The 44’s. His interactions with band members are contagiously enthusiastic – but his vocals bring a hot new blues sound to the fore. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair

Then, Jon English stepped back as guitarist Bruce Krupnik entered a zone and took everyone into it with him. Fortunately, I managed to gather myself enough to capture a goodly clip of it. Grab your favorite beverage, close your eyes and have a listen – I promise you, he’ll be gentle but you are gonna feel it:

That song, “Leave My Blues Alone,” is on the Abandoned No More CD coming out on Rip Cat Records after the first of the year (2018) – so you get a first taste of here. Thankfully, my unprepared backside got a second chance to video this number entirely and live when OJATA did a loop back around to KC on the tail end of their Midwest Tour and graced the Gospel Lounge at Knuckleheads a few days later. You want more than just a taste of this song? Well, here’s the 16 minute live version – with special guest Johnny Main injecting extra energy and mojo:

A lot more is coming here on Blues Insights about OJATA in the near future – as I truly believe in the amazing songwriting matchup of Jon English and Bruce Krupnik. But, yeah, even though the weather was balmy in the summer of 2017 – the Kansas City blues scene was hot, hot, hot.

Stay tuned (ha! get it?) for more as we will soon be discussing the upcoming CD:

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Blues News Events Kansas City Concerts

Great Year for Kansas City Blues Scene

By Peggy Stevinson Bair on

I thought I’d coast into this fall by bringing you a retrospective of some of this summer’s sizzling events in the Kansas City Blues scene. A beautiful summer for weather in ol’ KC town, there were plenty of balmy evenings to enjoy a great lineup of blues concerts.

First up, Kansas City’s own Danielle Nicole Schnebelen, perfunctorily known as Danielle Nicole.

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Danielle Nicole performed July 11, 2017 at Knuckleheads, opening for The Robert Cray Band. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair

Danielle Nicole holds a powerful blues presence as evidenced by her vocals-only performance Tuesday (July 11, 2017) at Knuckleheads where she wow’d an overflow crowd in opening for The Robert Cray Band. Kansas City loves Danielle Nicole and it’s easy to see why – not only is she a riveting guitarist, her vocals hit every note with an emotional barb that hooks her fans into feeling the core message of the lyrics. Plus, she’s beautiful. There’s that.

Danielle Nicole is well-paired with the handsome and talented Brandon Miller who can go toe-to-toe with Danielle in a frenzied instrumental duel – or back up her vocals with harmony on solo acoustic. His smile and good mood contagiously amps up the on-stage vibe between the two, making them one of Kansas City’s great blues combos.

Brandon Miller, left, performed May 6, 2017, with Danielle Nicole, right, for the MerleJam benefit on the Knucklehead’s outdoor stage. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair
Brandon Miller played and sang with Danielle Nicole July 11, 2017 at Knucklehead’s where the two were opening for The Robert Cray Band. ©2017 Peggy Stevinson Bair

 

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