| At the Down Home Island festival on the island of Viikinsaari, Edwards will be supported by Judge Bean Meets Honey B & T-Bones, Micke & Lefty w/ Chef, and Jo' Buddy & Down Home King III. This summer’s festival season will open on June 8th by the 2-day Kaavi Blues. Friday’s terrace gig will feature Bullfrog Brown (EST), LR Phoenix (UK), and Johnny Flood & Double Damage, while the main show on Saturday spotlights Hooter’s Blues (NOR) & Travis Haddix (US), The Soul Hustlers (US/FIN), Bullfrog Brown & Matti Juutilainen, Elke Q & Blue Moon, and Ville Smolander & Kaavi Blues Band Plays Elvis. Saturday, June 9th will also be the date of Helsinki’s Mississippi Blues Boat Festival on the restaurant boat Wäiski with Erja Lyytinen, Jo’ Buddy & Down Home King III, The Siberian Blues Huskies featuring Jimmie “Bluesman” Lawson (US), Sonny Boy Magnusson & Uptown Boogie, Tulikallio Blues Power, Daddy Giljoteen, The Retronics, and Rave On. The above-mentioned Sonny Boy Magnusson, a.k.a. Sakari Helle, has just released his first CD with the Uptown Boogie band: Sammeli Palovaara (guitar), Esko Mikkola (bass, vocals), Pentti Solonen (piano), and Nipa Manninen (drums). Magnusson’s career started in the late 1960’s in a band called HARP with Albert Järvinen, followed by Hojas Blues Band, Coupe De Ville, and Cross Tie Walkers. Uptown Boogie was founded as Crosshill in 2000, with the replacement of original harpist/singer Matti Ristimäki with Sonny Boy Magnusson in spring 2005 propelling the name change. The band’s brand-new EP features 5 tracks, Magnusson’s jump-styled instrumental “Uptown Boogie” supported by a selection of covers: “Peach Tree”, “My New Chick”, “Ninety Nine”, and “Seven Nites”. Magnusson’s Chicago harp, Palovaara’s guitar, and Solonen’s piano provide the highlights of the record. “We decided on the EP format for both musical and practical reasons. Most likely, a full-length CD will be released later on,” says bassist Esko Mikkola. Järvenpää’s Lakeside Blues Festival kicks off on Wednesday, June 27th. On June 30th, the main stage will feature Billy Boy Arnold & Jody Williams (US), Johnny Winter (US), Keb’ Mo’ (US), J. Karjalainen Lännen-Jukka, and Super Blues Band. Over the week, the festival clubs will see shows by Bo Weavil (FRA), SF Blues, Mike Andersen Band (DEN), Jody Williams, Erja Lyytinen, Tamas Katona Jr. And Full Blast (HUN), Ray Collins Hot-Club (GER), Don Johnson Big Band, Honey B & Kuloniemi, Huba, Jussi Syren Rockabilly Revival, The Original Slowhand and the Evil Minions, Melrose, The Hel-Gators, Los Bastardos Finlandeses, Sami Saari Trio, Olli Haavisto Roots Revue, Ben Granfelt & Jarmo Nikku Guitar Fest, Whistle Bait Plays 60s Elvis Presley, Little Rachel with Dr. Snout & His Hogs Of Rhythm, and Altin BluesPotpuri. During the same weekend, Kalottjazz & Blues in Tornio and Haaparanta will feature Little Jenny & The Blue Beans (SWE), Wentus Blues Band, Honey B & T-Bones, and Micke & Lefty. The Imatra Big Band Festival (June 29th-July 7th) is not without blues content either: Shemekia Copeland (US), Ike Turner (US), and Dr Helander & His Medicine Men will be taking the stage there, as Bluesbone and Dave Lindholm & The Daltons entertain passengers on The Blues Cruise. The 10th anniversary of Savonsolmu Beach & Blues Party is commemorated by a compilation CD that includes tracks by Pepe Ahlqvist & The Rolling Tumbleweed, Seppo Valjakka & Friends, and Daddy Giljoteen. Hosted by Teppo Nättila, the party itself takes place in Pieksämäki on July 6th and 7th, with Nine Below Zero (UK), Havana Black, Bullfrog Brown, Masi Sallinen Quartet, the Mommah Brothers, Ismo Haavisto Band, and the Bottlenecks-Duo. Erja Lyytinen and Honey B & T-Bones will handle the bluesier side of Hämeenlinna’s Linna Jazz (July 12th-15th), while Pori Jazz (July 14th-22nd) includes The Original Blues Brothers Band with Eddie Floyd (US), Bluesbone, King Bream, and Honey B & T-Bones. Rauma Blues provides more international heavy-weights on July 13th-14th: The North Mississippi Allstars (US), Irma Thomas (US), Joe Louis Walker (US), Larry Garner (US), and Erja Lyytinen. Saturday, July 14th will see the James Heather Blues Band (US) at the Anjalankoski Jazz & Blues Happening, July 18th Baby Boy Varhama & The Jinx feat. Ismo Haavisto and Tortilla Flat feat. Honey Aaltonen & Kari Kempas at Myllyblues in Saarijärvi. As if that’s not enough, there’ll be plenty of events coming up in August that we hope to focus on in the future – for now, let’s just mention Taj Mahal at the Helsinki Festival and Ana Popovic at Lahden Jazztori… Live This Week: Helsinki: Alaska Kalan & Bryn Jones @ Club Liberte on Tuesday, Erja Lyytinen @ On The Rocks and Keystone Cops @ Kurkirock festival (4-9.30 pm) on Wednesday. The T. Leino Band @ Old Sophie on Thursday, the Neil Berrymen Blues Combo @ this spring’s last Helsinki Blues Club @ Kantis on Friday; Mr Breathless @ Bistro Piratti on Saturday. Lahti: Mr Breathless & Marko Haavisto Band @ the Ten Dollars Saloon on Friday. Pepe Ahlqvist @ Setä Samuli on Saturday. Oulu: Charlie Bell & The Icemen @ the Oulu Youth & Cultural Centre on Saturday. Kuopio: Ragtime-guitarist Pan Salmenhaara @ the Coda Club/Pannuhuoneen terassi on Saturday. |
| (c) 2007 Blues-Finland.com |
| News In Brief 28 May 2007 Tampere’s Down Home Island festival brings a true legend to Finland on August 10th—the 92-year-old last active contemporary of Robert Johnson’s, David “Honeyboy” Edwards (pictured), is scheduled to headline the festival. At 17, Edwards first heard Big Joe Williams and decided to become a bluesman; he went on to work with a virtual Who’s Who of the blues, from Charley Patton to Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. First recorded by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1942, “Honeyboy” Edwards had been working with Robert Johnson at a juke joint in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1938, returning from his night off to find Johnson poisoned. |
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