Hi Blues Fans!
I hope everyone had a great weekend! It is finally warming up here in Flagstaff, 61 degrees on Monday. I will take it! I spent the weekend in Phoenix warming up and I am ready for summer to be here, well the warmer weather at least!
If you don’t follow us on Social media, well you should, but you probably missed our announcement of having Cutwater Spirits at the event! We will have a variety of canned cocktails. Now part of my job is to taste test these and man are they good! The bloody mary was my personal favorite. But it’s something new for this year, hopefully you’ll love them as much as I do!
Once again I have to push for ticket sales… don’t wait. You’ll just pay more, or you won’t even get a VIP ticket. So if you’ve got a friend who is on the fence about coming – push them to our dark side!
Click HERE to buy your tickets today!
Onto the music…
Innocent Joe, (Joe Kopicki), is a Mesa Arizona Musician who is gaining traction in the Arizona blues music scene. He recently finished 2nd in the Arizona Blues Showdown put on by the Phoenix Blues Society and will perform at their 2019 Phoenix Blues Blast. Joe known for his soulful voice and authentic guitar chops, he pays homage to the roots of the blues, yet doesn’t stray away from whatever the song calls for. Joe is no stranger to Flagstaff. He was an acoustic performer at the 2017 Blues and Brews and also played the historic Orpheum Theater that same year.
The Arizona Hired Guns— formed in Flagstaff, Arizona—is a five-piece outfit steeped in the rich harmonies and keen instrumentation of Southern rock ‘n’ roll, blues and soul. Sporting decades of experience each, the Hired Guns blaze forth with each member exchanging growling vocals while blending their respective sounds on guitar, bass, drums and keys. The group leans heavily into soulful guitar, often punched up with weeping slide that groans like the old ponderosa pines that envelop Flagstaff. With an ever-tuned ear toward the blues and constant energy that whips the crowd into a dancing fever spiced with Southern soul, the Hired Guns are set apart in skill and style.
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins and the RD Olson Blues Band. For more than 60 years Beverly “Guitar” Watkins has been a phenomenon in the blues community. The Music Maker Relief Foundation soon booked her on the all-star Women of the Blues “Hot Mamas” tour in 1998 and released her first CD “Back in Business,” which received a W.C. Handy Blues Award nomination in 2000. She has toured internationally, and her reputation as a live performer is unmatched. As she observes, “When I get on stage, it’s electrifying. I light up and get into the crowd. That’s what I call ministering to the public.”
Playing with Beverly is the R.D. Olson Band. This band plays blues with respect to the past and a good kick in the ass into the new millennium. You can’t help but feel a live performance resonate in your soul. Close your eyes and let the music seep into your soul.
One last thing… if you don’t have plans this weekend, head on down to Tucson and support the Tucson Blues Festival! Canned Heat is performing so you know it will be a good time!
Jen
