The Northeast Blues Society presents Studebaker John & The Hawks

Sunday, April 22, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Road House Grill, 27 Fuller Rd., Albany

489-3180

Tickets at the door $10

March and April Calendar for the area's biggest blues jam

The Northeast Blues Society has moved the area's largest and longest running open blues jam to The Roadhouse Grill at 27 Fuller Rd. in Albany. Blues Society President Don Wilcock says, "We're pleased to be in a location that's easily accessible to musicians and blues fans from throughout the Capital Region. Though the name of the club may have changed throughout the years, it is exciting to be presenting the hottest Capital Region acts at a roadhouse that once hosted such legends as Roy Buchanan and Rory Gallagher." The Northeast Blues Society is a not-for-profit organization now in its 14th year and dedicated to bringing local, regional and national blues acts together with an enthusiastic audience.

Northeast Blues Society Open Jam

Every Sunday 7:30 to midnight

Roadhouse Grill

27 Fuller Rd.Albany

518-489-3170

Admission $3.00, as of April 1st, $5.00 general admission, $3 members and musicians

March 4 - Slow Happy Boys

Blues Society "house band" wishes jam host Jeremy Walz happy 30th birthday

March 11 - Matt Mirabile and Ted Hennessey

Former Blues Society Colossal Contenders winner teams up with the Northeast's finest harmonicaplayer

March 18 - J.V. and TheCutters

Traditional electric blues with a Stones edge

March 25 - Deep Blue Shag

The big band sound of Scott Heller

April 1 - Nate Mills Band

Fresh back from Memphis

April 8 - No jam, Easter

April 15 - The Rumble Kings

Yeah, it's surf music, but they're sooooo good

April 22 - Sonic Mayhem

Valerie Madeiros' party band

April 29 - Storm Front

Eric Kreplin's new band

Studebaker John Record Column 4 21 05

By Don Wilcock

It was Chicago slide guitarist and harp player Studebaker John who first suggested The Yardbirds reform in 1994. Then he turned down an opportunity to be the next Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page when the remaining members of this legendary British invasion rock group offered him a slot in the band. You can hear why these British legends wanted this authentic Chicago blues veteran in their mix Sunday night when Studebaker John hosts the Northeast Blues Society Open Jam at Bourbon St. on Central Avenue in Colonie.

“I actually took Jim (McCarty, drums/songwriter) aside, and said, ‘Jim, what happened to the Yardbirds? Aren’t they touring ever? And he says, ‘No, the band has been defunct for years.’ And I said, ‘Why don’t you put it back together?’ And he goes, ‘Well, Jimmy Page owns the name.’ I says, ‘Well, I would imagine if you called Page, he wouldn’t really care if you used the name again.’ So, that’s really what happened.”

Eventually, the Yardbirds put out a well received reunion album called “Birdland” in 2003, but if you can find them, there are two CDs Studebaker John cut with The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things more than a decade ago: “Wine, Women and Whiskey” on Demon Records in England and another he thinks was called “Blues Tapes” on the St. George label. A third, which he claims is the best of the three, was never released.

The Pretty Things if they are remembered at all in this country are known for having released the first rock opera, “S.F. Sorrow” before The Who did “Tommy.” But before that, they had at least three albums that were even more bluesy than the early Rolling Stones.

“I know (Pretty Things guitarist) Dick Taylor was an early member of the Rolling Stones,” says John. “He was actually the original. They actually switched off between him and Keith Richards playing bass.”

Already a three-decade veteran of performing with such seminal Chicago blues artists as J.B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor and One-Arm Johnny Wrencher, Studebaker John was somewhat surprised to get a call out of the blue from British producer George Paulus from the U.K. “I didn’t really know the guy or nuthin’, and he just called me to do the session because I played slide and harp and ended up getting along with the guys. We ended up actually doing a few tours that way.”

Musically, a union between the Windy City music master who drives through the streets of the South and West Side in a vintage Studebaker Hawk might have made as much sense as Roy Buchanan accepting the Stones’ offer to be their second guitarist, but culturally, John Grimaldi from the Irish American neighborhood called The Patch on the North Side of Chicago is about as removed from British rock stardom as Buchanan was from The Stones’ eventual choice, Ron Wood.

Studebaker John has recorded 11 albums (13 if you count re-issues), including one produced by Jim Gaines of Stevie Ray Vaughan fame. He plays a beat up a Memphis-bought Silvertone Dan Electro guitar with gold sparkles, and he picks with pre-’65 silver quarters he’s worn so thin you can’t read the dates.

He wasn’t even a teenager yet when he heard the music that would change his direction in life. He had a weekend job cleaning catch basins and sewers. His boss took him down to Maxwell St. to buy a corned beef sandwich for lunch. On Sunday mornings, the merchants of Maxwell Street would hold a sidewalk sale and encourage people to browse by allowing the city’s blues artists to play for change in vacant lots, alleys and street corners. John was already playing drums in a kiddie band that covered The Ventures and Link Wray. He also played harmonica, but it was his dad’s big chromatic harp like the one used by The Harmonicats. That all changed when he met Big John Wrencher.

“I turned the corner and heard this guy, this shabby dude with one arm and a drummer and a guitar player all plugged into the same amp blasting away on what basically was an alley. I was like, ‘Wow! That sounds great.’”

John was too young to get in to see Paul Butterfield, but he remembers seeing Charlie Musselwhite early in his career. He was the only white guy in Buddy Guy’s South Side Checkerboard Lounge in ’69. “They would let you sit in on Mondays. Junior was just hitting his stride. It was just a great time. I never felt so proud as when (James) Cotton actually came up and borrowed a harp from me. I was like, Oh, wow!”

In the ’70s John hosted a regular Monday night jam at Chicago’s premier late night blues club Kingston Mines, and named his band The Hawks after both J. B. Hutto’s band and the Studebaker Hawk. His music has appeared in the Kiefer Sutherland and Darrel Hannah film “Cowboy Up” as well as Canadian producer Atom Egoyan’s “Exotica” and “Calendar.” He has four albums on Blind Pig, one of Evidence and several independent releases including Nothin’ But Fun, a Belgian release that turned himinto a European festival headliner. He’s just released Between Life and Death on his own Avanti label.

“My sound is an extension of what these guys (J. B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker and Robert Nighthawk) did. That’s all it is. On the new record, I’m not as confined to the 1-4-5 12-bar blues changes, and purists probably wouldn’t like it as much, but actually those songs are based on old turnarounds from pre-war blues stuff. Everything was like one cord and like John Lee Hooker does boogies.

“What I bring to the table is an extension of what those guys did. I’m just trying to be able to be more versatile on the same instrument that Hound Dog played or on the same tuning that Hound Do played. That’s all I’m, trying to do is to be able to make the guitar do more things and say more things, but still retain that raw edge.”

Studebaker John hosts the Northeast Blues Society open jam Sunday at 7 p.m. at Bourbon St. Bar & Grill at 2209 Central Ave. in Colonie. With him will be drummer Kenny Coleman and bass player Bob Halej. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Studebaker John “Hawks” Raw Chicago Blues at Bourbon St.

Colonie:Studebaker Johnhosts the Northeast Blues Society’s weekly open jam, Sunday, April 24th from 7 to 11 at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill, 2209 Central Ave. in Colonie.

You may never have heard of Studebaker John, but this triple threat Chicago blues guitarist/harmonica player/singer is a star in Europe. He’s recorded 11 albums (13 if you count re-issues), one with British rockers The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things and one produced by Jim Gaines of Stevie Ray Vaughan fame. John plays a beat up a Memphis-bought Silvertone Dan Electro guitar with gold sparkles, and he picks with pre-’65 silver quarters he’s worn so thin you can’t read the dates. His major influence on guitar is the late Hound Dog Taylor, an 11-fingered boogie master who at age 9 was told at gunpoint by his father to “cut out” and was Alligator Records’ first recording artist.

“All music is a groove to me,” says John Grimaldi who got his nickname “Studebaker John” from driving his 1963 Studebaker Avanti to Chicago blues clubs. “I don’t like music that doesn’t have a really strong groove. To me, something without a strong rhythm, a strong bass, a strong bottom end on the song is just bad music in general.”

Joining Studebaker John at Bourbon St. will be Willie “The Touch” Hayes of Buddy Guy/Jr. Wells fame and bass player Felton Crews, a Chicago sessions master whose credits include Miles Davis, Charlie Musselwhite and Johnny Drummer. Area fans will remember Crews from his smokin’ set with Tail Dragger at last year’s Fleet Blues Fest on the main stage at EmpireStatePlaza .

Alligator Records founder and blues raconteur Bruce Iglauer has credited Studebaker John with capturing “the raw energy and grit of the classic blues musicians but pumped up to a rocking energy level.” Born in the Italian-American section of Chicago in 1952, John began playing harmonica at age 7 and got turned on to the WindyCity’s blues scene as a teenager cleaning catch basins and sewers. His boss took this young weekend worker to Maxwell St. for lunch where he heard performers like One-Armed Johnny Wrencher, Johnny Littlejohn and Big Walter Horton who told him, “Don’t sound like me or anybody else. Try to sound like yourself.”

In the ’70s he hosted a regular Monday night jam at Chicago’s premier late night blues club Kingston Mines, and named his band The Hawks after both J. B. Hutto’s band and the Studebaker Hawk. His music has appeared in the Kiefer Sutherland and Darrel Hannah film “Cowboy Up” as well as Canadian producer Atom Egoyan’s “Exotica” and “Calendar.”

Studebaker John has four albums on Blind Pig, one of Evidence and several independent releases including Nothin’ But Fun, a Belgian release that turned him into a European festival headliner. He’s just released Between Life and Death on his own Avanti label.

Blues Nazis are totally confused by Studebaker John. While his guitar influences include blues legends Hound Dog Taylor, Albert Collins, Albert King and Elmore James, he’s not above recording with British blues rockers The Yardbirds or The Pretty Things. “Sure, I’m influenced by rock ’n’ roll,” explains John. “I mean I’m not gonna lie about it or try and be somebody I’m not. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. What I think is a bad thing is that everybody gets influenced by the same guy, and everybody sounds the same. There’s too much of that today.”

Tickets for this special Studebaker John open jam are $10 and will be available at the door. Musicians are invited to sit in after the first set. The Northeast Blues Society’s regular Sunday jams are $3 with a weekly host band. Upcoming:

Sunday, April 10 – A double header with Gary Brooks and The Bubonia Blues Band featuring L.A.’s Ms. Loretta of Tina Turner fame.

Sunday, April 17 – Scotty Mac, local rockabilly favorite just back from a triumphant tour of Europe

Sunday, April 24 – Studebaker John

Sudnay, May 1 – Four on The Floor, contestants in this year’s Colossal Contenders contest

Sunday, May 8 – Doc Orlof

Sunday, May 15 – TBA

Sunday, May 22 – Mojo Lightning

Sunday, May 29 – Dave Sizemore

The Northeast Blues Society is a not-for-profit organization affiliated The Blues Foundation in Memphis. For more than 12 years, NEBS has been working alone and with other organizations to expose regional, national and international blues talent to the widest possible audience.

For more information call: Don Wilcock 518-347-1751 (office) or 518-258-4373 (cell)

Don,
Studebaker John is performing at Bourbon Street in Colonie on April 24th. I've included his photo, press release & most current bio below. If it is too late to include in your April publication I hope that you can attend the show and do a live review for May. I sent you a package but it was returned as I had the address incorrect. I work with John as management, promotion & website. If possible, would you like to do an interview and article regarding John's new self released Between Life & Death and discuss why he started his own record label and his insight on the future of blues music. His current band consists of John on slide guitar, harmonica, vocals (all original compositions), 6-string bassist Felton Crews (Miles Davis, Charlie Musselwhite) &Willie "the touch" Hayes (Jr Wells). Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
Judy Theis
JT Artist Management
612-296-0949


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Judy Theis
JT Artist Management
612-296-0949

CHICAGO BLUES ORIGINAL STUDEBAKER JOHN RELEASES ALBUM # 9: BETWEEN LIFE &DEATH
Master slide guitarist and blues harpist Studebaker John is back with a brand new album of all original music. Between Life &Death features the power trio format that Studebaker John has used in his live performances for the last few years, and was recorded with two of Chicago's best rhythm players, bassist Felton Crews (Miles Davis, Charlie Musselwhite, Johnny Drummer) and drummer Earl Howell (Magic Slim, John Primer, Big Jack Johnson). Studebaker John started his own label, Avanti Records - aptly named after a popular model in the Studebaker automobile line - in order to make Between Life &Death available to his many fans everywhere
The story of Between Life &Death in Studebaker John's own words:
"Destiny cannot be denied. The plans to make this recording began more than 2 years ago but weren't completed due to personal setbacks and difficulties in the music industry. Remarkably, the recording session for Between Life &Death came about by accident.
"Shortly after returning from a two-week tour of the UK, I was called into a recording session, along with drummer Earl Howell &bassist Felton Crews, by a well-known blues artist who shall remain nameless. We arrived at the session to find that it was canceled because this artist had over-indulged at a local pub and was in no shape to work. We seized the opportunity handed to us to record these songs, which we had been playing daily while on the road. After two years of planning and frustration, the record was completed in one marathon live-in-the-studio session that felt "just right" to everyone involved.
"I hope you enjoy listening to these songs as much I did writing and recording them."
The music on Between Life &Death:
Between Life &Death shows Studebaker John at the top of his lyrical and musical powers. The album incorporates many styles and influences - blues-rock, improvisational jam and groove, New Orleans R&B, West Coast swing, and, of course, Chicago Blues - and has a stripped down live-in-the studio feel that is true to Studebaker John's stage performances. The track listing includes:
1) "Between Life &Death" - A fast tempo guitar rocker that gets the album off to a high energy start - gritty vocals, stinging leads, tight ensemble playing.
2) "This Road" - Medium tempo tremolo-drenched guitar groove; Studebaker John's version of modern Delta.
3) "I Deceive Myself" - Straight forward contemporary blues with a hard back beat about the lies we tell ourselves to get through life.
4) "When I Look into Your Eyes" - A song about the "real love that's all that really counts in the big picture," inspired by Studebaker John's children.
5) "Crazy for Your Love" - Blues boogie that captures the spirit of the late great John Lee Hooker and features a strong harmonica bridge.
6) "Hard Place &The Ground" - Amped-up modern Delta-influenced blues.