San Diego Blues now Downtown San Diego LIVE

I’m delighted to share with you the launch of Downtown San Diego Live, which covers more than Blues.  Instead of featuring just blues music, I’ll now being covering all live music.  Check out www.facebook.com/downtownsandiegolive for the weekly calendar.

I’ve found that just focusing on blues isn’t what most people want.  Blues lovers, primarily people over 40 (a forgotten market to the people opening new clubs and marketing music), also enjoy jazz, smooth jazz, soul, R&B, acoustic music, rock, country and many other genres.

So this ends the year for the San Diego Blues Downtown site.  But this site is a wonderful anthology (so much great video) of the blues played downtown when more venues supported it and some of the best blues musicians in the area had the opportunity to play here.

There is still some blues at Patrick’s, the Speakeasy, Humphrey’s, the House of Blues and a few other places, but not on a regular basis as in the past.  I’m sad to see this end, but I’m excited to explore all the other great music happening downtown.  Hopefully my efforts will generate more interest in live music and in the blues.

Thank you to all my supporters and followers.  I appreciate you all.  Many blessings to you this holiday season.

 

San Diego Blues Calendar: Dec 1st – 7th

Blues Calendar - Dec 1This is a bit of strange week for San Diego blues.  There isn’t much real blues happening at the Speakeasy or Patrick’s, which is highly unusual.  But you can hear some good blues at Balboa Park’s December Nights on Friday and Saturday.

I haven’t heard Rosy Dawn before, and she’s playing at Patrick’s and Hennessey’s at the end of the week.  From what I hear, she does blues, R&B and soul.

You can also get some downtown blues at the jams Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Take note: the JammingOut at HOB jam is on Thursday, not Wednesday, this week.
Enjoy the music!

 

San Diego Blues Calendar: Nov 17th – 23rd

Blues Calendar - Nov 17

The weekly Wednesday night blues jam, JammingOut at HOB, is canceled this week and will resume December 3rd.  But there is the jam tonight at the Speakeasy and tomorrow night at Patrick’s for all you jam lovers and musicians.

The rest of the week is pretty typical, with some changes at the Speakeasy now that Lafayette and Annette DaBomb are no longer playing there.  The blues band Polar Express will be there Tuesday night, and Wilovalot will be back Saturday night.  He used to play there regularly on Sundays, which is now a Rockabilly night.

San Diego Blues Calendar: Nov 10th – 16th

Blues Calendar - Nov 10

This week marks a change in the schedule at the Gaslamp Speakeasy.  Long-time regulars, Lafayette Blues Band as well as Annette DaBomb & the Bomb Squad, will no longer be playing on Tuesday and Thursday nights.  Annette has moved to Houston, and she will be very missed!  Lafayette is still playing in the host band at the JammingOut at HOB on Wednesday nights, so you can catch him there at 7pm.

For those who love Humphrey’s, there is a bit more blues out there this week, and for Patrick’s regulars there is a new band playing on Sunday night, Fat Shirley, and they sound interesting.  Enjoy the week!

San Diego Blues Calendar: Nov 3rd – 9th

Blues Calendar - Nov 3

I’m late getting the calendar out this week, but usually Mondays and Tuesdays are often pretty much the same every week.  Fuzzy Rankins’ jam on Mondays and Walter Gentry’s jam on Tuesdays.  Blues Mondays at Humphreys. R&B Mondays at Patricks.  Zydeco Tuesdays at Tio Leos.  And blues Monday-Saturday at the SpeakEasy.

For the rest of the week, we have a pretty full schedule.  If you didn’t hear Stoney B last night you can catch him tonight at the SpeakEasy.  And Annette DaBomb is here for one more week at the SpeakEasy on both Thursday and Friday night.  Whitney Shay is at the US Grant Grill on Friday and then again at Prohibition on Saturday night – a small little hidden speakeasy on 5th near Market.  And there’s a good line up at Patrick’s, including Len Rainey, Fuzzy Rankins and a new blues rock guitarist in town, Jo Hell.

Hope to see you out there enjoying the San Diego Blues!!

San Diego Blues Calendar: Oct 27th – Nov 2nd

Blues Calendar - Oct 27

Last week we had lots of blues around town, not quite so much this week.  I have never heard Tiffany Jane, so I’m curious to hear what type of blues she does.  From what I can tell, she’s more pop.  She plays at Patrick’s Wednesday and then she’ll be at 98 Bottles Thursday with Rebecca Jade.  I’ll catch her at one of these.

This is the last week you can catch Annette DaBomb, who will be at the SpeakEasy on Thursday night.  She leaves us at the end of the week, which will be a sad day for me.  So come out to hear her one more time before she goes.

 

Dueling Lead Guitars Wrap Up Blues Jam

At the end of the JammingOut at HOB jam Wednesday night, Fuzzy Rankins showed up and played with Lafayette Falkquay, both of them incredible lead guitarists.  Here they are having a fun time with Fuzzy singing Stop Following Me Around.  On stage with them are Billy Wear on drums, Kevin Cooper on bass and Justin Fools on harp.  It was a great way to end the night.

San Diego Blues

San Diego Blues Calendar: Oct 20th – 26th

Blues Calendar - Oct 20There is quite a bit of San Diego blues happening this week in the Gaslamp.  Check out the bands and jams at the Gaslamp Speakeasy and Patrick’s Pub, as well as Hennessey’s (next to Speakeasy) and Spike Africa.

Jams always bring in great musicians from around the greater San Diego area and from out of town.  The jams happen Mondays at the Speakeasy with host Fuzzy Rankins, Tuesdays at Patrick’s with Walter Gentry and Wednesdays at the House of Blues with JammingOut at HOB, sponsored by BLUSD.

The Youth Blues Jam will be on Saturday from 2-5pm, so if you know of or have kids under 21 who play, encourage them to participate or watch.

And for some pre-Halloween fun, go see Whitney Shay and Robin Henkel do their spooky blues, jazz and soul at 98 Bottles on Friday night.  Or catch Whitney and her trio at the US Grant on Thursday.  Lots of great options this week!!

A Jammin Birthday Night

We celebrated Victor Franklin’s 60th birthday at the JammingOut at HOB blues jam, and many of his friends showed up to play with him.  Unfortunately most of the video I took didn’t turn out so well, but this one of his good friend Theo Bellow on accordion turned out pretty well.

Theo is singing and playing Big Chief, with Victor on bass, CJ Hutchins on guitar and Ric Lee on drums.

San Diego Blues

San Diego Blues Calendar: Oct 13th – 19th

Blues Calendar - Oct 13We’ve got blues every day this coming week, even Sunday, which is a treat.  For those of you who go to the weekly blues jam at the House of Blues (JammingOut at HOB), be aware that it will be held Thursday this week (not Wednesday).

Saturday afternoon at Tio Leo’s will be the final round of the San Diego blues competition for duo performers, where the finalist (from the 4 who have been selected out of the first 2 rounds) will represent us in the International Blues Competition (IBC) in Memphis next January.  Missy & Heine Andersen, John Frazer, Ben Powell, and Andres Acuna with Eddie Sadler are in the final four.