When the esteemed International Blues Challenge took place in Memphis late last month, one local band got an opportunity to go for blues immortality. Namely, the Valley’s Paul CruiZe Blues Crew, which represented Arizona at the annual competition and made it all the way into the semifinal round before bowing…
For Rod Piazza, playing the blues isn’t just an ordinary pursuit. The legendary harmonica player considers it to be his life’s calling. “It wasn’t a choice for me. I heard the blues, and it chose me,” he says. “I never looked back.” During his 47-year career in the genre, Piazza,…
Phoenix blues guitarist Chuck Hall has signed on with local label Fervor Records, who specializes in licensing music, and the move has already paid off — the label has landed his songs in an episode of Justified. The record deal calls for his band to produce a CD, and for…
Big Nick and the Gila Monsters have some experience ringing in new years — they’ve been together for 21 of them. Last week, they closed out 2013 with a New Year’s Eve gig at Janey’s in Cave Creek, where they play at least once a month; they’ll return this Saturday…
Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns brought in the new year with a stellar performance at the Tempe Block Party on New Year’s Eve. Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns may be the Arizona version of the nationally known group Roomful of Blues. Both bands have been around for decades…
Blues guitarist Jim Glass will be inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame December 29 at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix along with Tucson blues musician Mike Lenaburg. The induction ceremony event will go from 8 p.m. to midnight, with many of the blues musicians that Glass has played…
Valley stalwart Sir Harrison’s blues band will have a new, improved sound for the new year when it adds saxophone player Jeremy DeCoster to the mix, coming out with a four-piece band adding funky blues to its usual rockin’ blues. “Jeremy is a longtime musician and a longtime friend who…
Bill Tarsha and the Rocket 88s led the 18th annual blues harmonica blowout last week at the Rhythm Room. More than 35 blues harmonica players performed. Tarsha and his band opened with a couple tunes. The blues harmonica players put their names in a hat and after each performance they…
The blues community continues to rally around those in need. About 10 bands recently performed at Pho Cao Vietnamese Restaurant and Nightclub in Tempe to help Lenny Malik. Malik, known for his harmonica playing in the Phoenix area, is suffering from colon cancer. He was a truck driver for many…
The best way to get rid of the blues is to play some good blues and make it for the benefit of those in need. Many of the blues players in the Valley do just that. One example would be Bluesman Mike and the Blues Review Band, set to host…
Imagine everybody in a blues bar laughing so hard they can hardly contain themselves. That’s the case with Bob Corritore and Dave Riley’s new CD, Hush Your Fuss. Internationally acclaimed blues musicians Corritore and Riley held CD release parties for Fuss, their third album, this past weekend at Monterey Court…
Booked several days a week at venues across the Valley, it’s clear the Hoodoo Casters are doing something right; they’ve played nearly every blues-friendly venue in the Valley, along with some in northern Arizona. Their motto says it all: They’re “the blues your mama warned you about.” Performing a mix…
It’s a simple formula: The BluesHounds play upbeat dance blues, and that gets the people happy. The happy people start dancing, and the dancing makes them thirsty, and the thirsty people make club owners happy. Matty Spinelli, lead guitarist and bandleader for the BluesHounds, doesn’t mind the way things work;…
Krimson Chord has been rocking the Valley with their Southwest blues for more than a decade now, playing regular gigs at Pappy’s Bar in Phoenix and Coyote Alley in Surprise. This is no fly-by-night group; they won the Arizona Blues Challenge in 2010 and competed in the International Blues Challenge…
Terraplane Station has been around only a couple of years, but they’re already making the rounds on the Valley’s blues scene. Terraplane Station has periodic performances at the El Dorado Bar and Grill in Scottsdale, Pappy’s Sports Bar in Sunnyslope, and the American Legion Post on north Cave Creek Road,…
The Sugar Thieves, considered by many the best dance-blues band in Phoenix, have been busy for a while now, playing a regular gig every Wednesday at Copper Blues, touring across the state, and working toward getting an album out in 2014. Oh, yeah, and band members Mikel Lander and Meredith…
Folks can dance their blues away and help the St. Mary’s Food Bank by attending the 12 Hour Blues for Food Benefit Festival October 19 at the El Dorado Bar and Grill in Scottsdale. The festival runs from noon to midnight. There’s no cover charge, but those attending are asked…
