Blue Prints

"Mr. Charlie" Frazier, host of WIZN's Blues for Breakfast radio show, gives us the low-down on the Burlington blues scene.

Well, I'm just getting back from vacation in Oregon, and Andrew is cracking his whip, wondering where my column is. It's coming, it's coming.

No matter what your musical taste, Portland has a happening scene. I just missed Strangefolk at the Crystal Ballroom, a beautifully restored second floor ballroom with two story windows and Pink Floydish artwork everywhere. The floor is supported by 800 ball bearings, so when everyone gets grooving it goes up and down. A definite must-see if you're in town.

Got to see harp virtuoso Paul de Lay three times. This master of the diatonic and chromatic harp was real down to earth and had a great band. I had a chance to talk to them between sets at a converted bowling alley, and I found that we shared a lot of the same problems. Even a band of their stature, with three national releases to date, still bemoaned their lack of tour support, the sometimes indifferent crowds, the long, band-breaking drives. Support your local musicians wherever you live, folks, and check out the Paul de Lay band on Evidence Records. Hopefully they'll be out this way next summer (are you listening, Discover Jazz Festival?)

Closer to home, James Cotton will headline the Discover Jazz Blues Tent on Thursday, June 9th, in Winooski. The Nobby Reed Project will open. Nobby, also guitarist for East Coast Muscle, recently had his solo album, "Guitar On My Back," listed by Blues Revue as one of the "10 Most Listened To In the Office." Congratulations.

Big news in local blues: the Sandra Wright Band has merged with Big Joe Burrell and the Unknown Blues Band. Christine Adler and her husband Lucas left to pursue her solo career, and Tony Markelis wanted to stay closer to his home in Saratoga Springs. So Lloyd Hermann, John Harris and Sandra will step in. Big Joe + Sandra = Blues Dynamite!! They make their debut in mid-May.

Volume Two of Best of the Green Mountain Blues is doing quite well with over 600 sold. Less than 50 remain of Volume One. The host of the syndicated show "Smokestack Lightning" calls Volume Two the "best compilation of unknown blues artists" he'd heard in his 20 years of doing the show. Australia ordered 10 copies, as did the New York State Bar Association. It's also being played in Belgium, Greece, Spain, Canada, England, and over 30 states across America. Thanks to the bands for contributing the music and to all who bought a copy.

The call is out for Volume Three submissions, with August 1 being the deadline for a 4-minute original song on DAT. Come one, come all - I want all things bluesy from Vermont represented. And you'll help me give the camp another $2,000 in August. Also any sponsors that would like to help defray costs in return for having your logo on the cover and being mentioned in all advertising, would be greatly appreciated. 

See you next issue. ~GC~

"Mr. Charlie" Frazier is host of WIZN's Blues For Breakfast radio program and leader of the band of the same name.