A Day For Blues As Bands Donate Time To Help Kids
How about this: Spend a day listening to some of the area’s favorite blues bands and help raise money for a good cause.
Saturday, The Inland Empire Blues Society and the Border Run Blues Band are sponsoring what’s called Blues Cats for Kids - a day of music designed to raise money to pay for musical instruments and instruction for disadvantaged youth in our area.
“Part of our mission is to preserve and support the blues,” says Ted Todd, of the Blues Society’s board of directors. “We feel that one of the ways to preserve it is to get the next generation started.”
Local blues musicians are donating their time to teach kids music. Now they just need the instruments.
That’s where Saturday’s event comes in. Eight bands are scheduled to perform at the Bronco Tavern, which has offered to donate all the profits from the gig to the cause.
The music starts at 2 p.m. with The Border Run Blues band, followed by The Pat Coast Band, Neil Elwell and Laughin’ Bones, Paul Brasch, Stone Soup, Charlie Butts and the Filtertips, D.C. Black and the Healers and Anita Royce. The blues musicians will jam at 7 p.m.
The Bronco Tavern is located at 8714 E. Sprague. There will be no cover charge but donations will be accepted. You must be at least 21 to attend.
Those who can’t make it but still want to donate money, instruments or musical instruction can contact the Blues Society at 534-1081.
Bye to BeeCraft
Ahhh, yet another Spokane band hits the highway. So sad, yet so predictable.
Say goodbye to BeeCraft tonight at Ichabod’s North. Our highly talented jazz rockers are moving to the Big City. Yep, they’re Seattle-bound.
“If you look at it from the band angle, there are a lot more people over there and the music scene there is kind of in transition right now,” says keyboardist, Don Goodwin. “It seems the people our age are looking for some new thing to sort of hit on. And a lot of music we’re hearing over there is coming from our favorite groups to listen to.”
Hometown fans need not worry. BeeCraft plans to make plenty of return trips to Spokane once they get settled into their new lives.
The farewell show starts tonight at 9 p.m. at Ichabod’s North. The cover charge is $5. We wish them the best.
Musical names
First they were called Chattanooga, then they changed their name to Burns Like Hell Fire. That changed to The L.A. Rams - and then just The Rams. They spent a brief time as Brian Young and the Restless. And now this trio of fine Spokane musicians has settled on … drum roll, please … The Larks.
Whew. Finding just the right name has been, to say the least, a monumental struggle for singer/ guitarist Brian Young and bandmates - drummer Cameron Norton and bassist Stewart Nicol. (Nicol recently replaced Jamie Nebel, who is busy in The Makers.) But this is it, Young insists.
“We’re getting so sick and tired of trying to come up with a name,” he says with a laugh. The trio finally settled on The Larks after discovering a cool Studebaker-made car by that name.
Of course, what really matters is the music. And these guys play a cool hepped-up brand of rock and roll with a redneck twist. Young describes their sound as “Steve Earl meets Pavement.”
The Larks open the show at Ichabod’s North Saturday night followed by The Blackouts from Portland and Lopez from East Wenatchee. Portland band Bomf! headlines the night and features Motherload/Elmer guitarist Scott Kellogg (formerly of Spokane). Cover is $4 and the music starts at 9:30 p.m.
Music and food
The Huckleberrys Fresh Market stores have begun offering live music every weekend. Local artists will be featured Friday nights at the South Hill store and Saturday nights at the Valley store. Performances start at 7 p.m. in the Bistro and include meal and drink specials. Organizers suggest a $3 contribution to help support the arts. Sounds more than fair to me.
At the South Hill Huckleberry’s tonight, Phat Pharm performs its blend of jazz and rock. Slug down selected microbrews for 99 cents each. At the Valley store Saturday, Tiana Gregg will play solo acoustic rock.
Check out the piano bar at Bambino’s this month. Each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Dewey Hunt will perform R&B, blues, jazz and rock. Music starts at 8 p.m. and goes ‘til 1 a.m.
In Coeur d’Alene, don’t forget that The Wine Cellar offers music with its food five, and sometimes six, nights a week. Tonight Casey MacGill and Miss Lee Lee perform. Pat Coast and the Blue Lite Special are on tap Saturday evening.
Other options
Seattle’s guitar wonder Nick Vigarino brings his sterling version of the blues to the Fort Spokane Brewery tonight and Saturday. In the last two years, the Washington Blues Society has named Vigarino best slide guitarist and best acoustic guitarist. Find out why starting both tonight and Saturday at 9:30. Cover charge is $6.
Spokane ska band Petting Zulu headlines at Outback Jack’s tonight. Delbert and The Carcinogens open the show. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. and cover is $4.
Blues band Mumbo Jumbo performs at Swackhammer’s tonight and every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday through the end of February. Cover charge is $5 and the show starts at 9 p.m.
For the all-ages crowd, The Libby Teen Center is hosting a dance party that features the Malidoma Drummers and Dancers. Learn to dance and drum to African rhythms. There will be an open drum circle with drums and instruction provided during the intermission. The party runs 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. Cover charge is $5. Kids 12 and under get in free but must be accompanied by an adult. The teen center is located at 2900 E. First Ave. in Spokane.
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