Well summertime is here and it’s been quite a Spring! Chicago Blues A Living History toured in Eastern Europe (Switzerland, Estonia, Finland and Austria and then a quick private party in Bordeaux, France) and we had a wonderful time. We all realized how deep and historical a project this is. We all agreed we have to keep this project alive for as long as possible! We go back out on tour on July 17th! Spain and Belgium get ready!
We also completed another Raisin Music project: A new John Primer CD celebrating the 100th birthday of Muddy Waters!! I had the privilege of flying to Austin, Texas and recording James Cotton for the CD. It was an honor working with Cotton again and as always a humbling experience. Then during the Chicago Blues Festival week, I oversaw Johnny Winter recording for the same album at Joyride Studios. So Bob Margolin, James Cotton and Johnny Winter are reunited on this star studded John Primer album!!! It’s smoking! It will be released in 2015.
The Matthew Skoller Band had a great show at this years Blues Festival and I was included in an all star line up hosted by Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith and Bob Stroger paying tribute to the Mississippi roots of Chicago blues while also celebrating the life of the great Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith.
This web site will be completely reconstructed thanks to a career development grant I received this spring from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. I will be able to do all my own “admin” and intend to do a monthly blog.
The Farmer’s Markets have started again but the City cut their budget for the music. So I will be playing only one market a week which will be rotated among the five farmer’s Markets in the Austin neighborhood. I will be blogging about this when the new website is uploaded. I am currently working on a short film about these markets and the combining of food availability, music and food education at these markets. I will post the movie
when it is completed. Here are the dates for the markets. They will all start at 2pm and end at 4:30pm.
2014 Dates and Markets
Sunday, June 22 – Garfield Park Conservatory
Tuesday, July 1 – Columbus Park
Wednesday, July 9 – La Follette Park
Thursday, July 17 – Austin Town Hall
Sunday, July 20 – Garfield Park Conservatory
Tuesday, July 29 – Columbus Park
Wednesday, August 6 – La Follette Park
Thursday, August 14 – Austin Town Hall
Sunday, August 17 – Garfield Park Conservatory
Tuesday, August 26 – Columbus Park
Wednesday, September 3 – La Follette Park
Thursday, September 11 – Austin Town Hall
Sunday, September 14 – Garfield Park Conservatory
Tuesday, September 23 – Columbus Park
A new Matthew Skoller CD is in the works and should be released in a few months. More soon…