The Orange County Blues Society supports the Blues including musicians, club owners, concert promoters, festival organizers, artist management, media outlets and anyone related to and associated with the Blues music scene here in Southern California.
Our Monthly No Cover, No Minimum Blues Jam at the Main Street Restaurant in Yorba Linda
Sunday April 26th from 2-6 PM
Love the Blues?
We’ve got the Blues, right here in Orange County!
Starting today the Orange County Blues Society is pleased and proud to be a part of promotion for all blues shows at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano starting with the great Rod Piazza on Sunday April 26th, 2015. Tickets for this show are $15 at the door but for Orange County blues fans through the Orange County Blues Society www.orangecountybluessociety.com/ tickets are only $10.
Look for specials on these shows in the future at the Coach House: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – 5/21/2015 John Mayall – 7/03/2015 The Best of Orange County Blues – 7/05/2015 Walter Trout – 7/10/2015
We Interview Lazer Lloyd,
one of Israel’s finest Blues musicians
When did you start playing guitar?
LL: I started about 13 to take it seriously. My father always had a guitar in the house, he played a little bit of folk guitar and I would play around with it.
What made you first pick up a guitar?
LL: At 13 my father took me to see Stevie Ray Vaughn. It was just unbelievable. After seeing Stevie Ray Vaughn I was just totally blown away. My dad always had BB King and Kenny Burrell playing on the stereo, I really liked those guys, you know the music. I was a young guy, I was a rocker and into, Led Zeppelin, Lynrd Skynrd and Neil Young. When I saw Stevie Ray I just really got into the Blues, it was just so deep, you know, something really deep. It got under my skin so I just started researching it. No one had really heard of Stevie Ray and then six months later I was so happy when I heard him on the radio. He opened for the Allman Bros. a year later.
I know you love to play the Blues today, were you as invested in playing the Blues when you first started playing?
LL: I was deep into rock music also, in the beginning. The first band we had was called Legacy and by the time I was a Junior in High School we were playing at night in clubs. We would do covers and we were doing Elvis and Buddy Holly, I wanted to do some ZZ Top and we had this bass player, he was older and was a hippie, and he got me into Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck was my favorite guitar player for a few years, I did get to see Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray on the same bill in New Haven during that time.
That must have been fun playing clubs in Connecticut at 15, what was going on inside your head at that early age?
LL: That was who I was, I just liked the rock and roll and the blues and the clubs. A few years before we started playing clubs they had a battle of the bands in high school and I was always known as a jock, playing football, and we had this band that no one really knew. We went on stage and did Light My Fire. I had the solo and when you first get that taste of the crowd going nuts and you’re jamming and it’s like, I can’t tell my mom about this! I couldn’t go to sleep until 3 in the morning. Once you taste it, it’s hard to replace it you know?
I can hear the jazz influence in your playing, maybe from your Skidmore College days?
LL: Yeah, well my dad, he was cool, I was gonna go down to Texas and play the Blues at the High School, my mom insisted I go to college. When I went to Skidmore College to major in music they asked me what I liked and when I told them I wanted to major in Blues, they weren’t going to let me major in Blues but they let me major in jazz. They were really cool, they brought in great people for me. Milt Hitten who was the bass player for Louis Armstrong, they brought out this great guitar player, Gene Burtonsini to work with me. I got to play with Randy Brecker from Blood, Sweat and Tears. You know the Blues and Jazz are brother and sister. It helped me to have a lot of that stuff in my playing. Early B.B. King is just the master of that.
Are you more of a self taught musician or have your teachers and mentors had a major influence on your style.
LL: To tell you the truth I’m not sure exactly. Maybe I’m ADD or something, just don’t have the patience to sit in the classroom you know. It’s so funny, people call me and want to come see me playing in Israel and they say I’m like Jimi Hendrix but I never learned any Jimi Hendrix song note for note. I never learned any song note for note. I just listen to the feel. I went to see Santana when I was 15 years old, my father took me to the theater in Manhattan. I’d never seen anything like that in my life, it was just so deep. A lot of his stuff is in my playing as well and he’s got a lot of jazz a lot of other stuff mixed in there. I never try learn the exact notes of what anyone is doing, I just don’t have the patience so I just kind of come up with my own stuff.
From your tunes it is clear that you are your own man musically these days, Are there musicians besides Stevie, Carlos and Jeff whose style you sought to emulate in your early years?
LL: BB King. I really learned from BB King. So great as a musician but he really knocked me out as a person. With BB I saw that the music was secondary to making the audience feel good. He connected to the audience. I love music and I love the blues and I love to see people jamming but there’s something about BB that really moved me.I got to play with someone here in Israel who was on the road with him and he said there’s really no one nicer in the world than BB King. He would do anything for you. I felt that onstage when I saw him. I tried with all the hours of practicing, deep soul-searching and preparation before the show to bring people a good message of hope and happiness. At tonights show there was one woman who seem to be having a really hard time and I stood next to her and was able to get a smile out of her and that’s the influence I take from B.B. King when I play.
I can remember one time on 4th of July we were at a fair with my dad and I saw this poster of Jimi Hendrix and I had to have the poster. There’s just something about Jimi, he’s got something coming down. You know I’m into the Hasidic teachings and Jimi’s got something coming down from what we call the Sefirot, the upper world, you know it’s above understanding. Some of my blues fans sigh when I pull it out, it’s too much for them. The ultimate concert is when I get to the stage where it’s take off time and I don’t know what’s going on. I’m in the Jimi zone you know. What can you say, Jimi is Jimi. It really blows me away what Jimmy page can do with all his tunings and all of that. He’s a writer, it’s unbelievable what he can do. No one can do what he could do but there’s something about Jimi Hendrix, the feel, he was really looking into the upper world. He would just try to bring stuff down and take your soul and make sure you understood that you just really don’t know what’s going on.
What was the first instrument you owned?
LL: My dad had this guitar, it was a Swedish folk guitar, a Goya guitar that he put regular acoustic strings on. I was killing my fingers. Then one day I started to take it seriously and was learning some chords. So my dad took me to Manny’s music, he just told me we were going to go do something, he didn’t tell me what it was exactly. I guess he whispered in the guys ear that he wanted it to be a Fender but he said only up to a certain amount of money. So my first guitar, which I loved, was a Fender Lead III. It was, I think, 1985. It was a special model that Fender came out with, a combination Fender/Gibson. It had Gibson style pick ups with a Fender body and neck. I was flipping over her, my mom used to get really upset because I’d buy earrings for her and hang earrings on her neck. It was really crazy you know.
What instruments do you currently own? Which one is your “go to”?
LL: Can You believe it Rick? I’m on the road literally, it’s like 30 years, and I’m still searching for sound. I always keep going and keep trying and people keep building me guitars. I’ve been looking for this special sound lately. I’ve got this guitar that’s like BB King’s but with no F holes. It’s a hollow body with a special neck. I like the fender necks better than the Gibson necks. This guy who works on my guitars in Israel calls me up one day and says come on down, don’t ask any questions. I’ve got a guitar I want you to take, I know what you’re looking for, you’re going to love it. And man he was right. He put these pick ups in it where you can change it from Fender to Gibson. It doesn’t have a name but I’m really in love with her, I love to feel the wood. One of the guys I’m crazy about is T-bone Walker, I just love his sound. I could never get that with my Fenders. You’ve got to have the hollow body, the problem is with a hollow body it feeds back. I don’t know why but maybe because this thing doesn’t have the F holes like the 335 it doesn’t feedback. It gives unbelievable sustain and just feel like God sent me the guitar. This is my main guitar now. To tell you the truth I’m paying my bills now and I don’t have any debts thank God, it’s been a long road. The blues is what it is and I’m not going to go and start doing other things just to make more money. I never had enough money to go lay down $10,000 for a 1965 Strat or something you know. I’m just going to do my own thing and just keep going.
What instruments, besides guitar, do you play?
LL: I play harmonica and I do a lot acoustic blues. I had a showcase with Atlantic records in the late 80s after college. They really liked me so Toby Moffat from A&R had me move into Manhattan. I was playing with a band called the last Mavericks and Atlantic wanted me but they didn’t want the band. They really liked my song writing, so all of a sudden I’m playing these coffee houses I’m playing solo so I think to myself; so what am I going to do? Toby says, why don’t you do like Dylan and play the harmonica with the acoustic? I bought a brace and started checking it out and I’ve been playing the harmonica since 1989.
You are a member of a select group of Blues Musicians who write new Blues tunes as well as interpret the standards. When you write a song, do you have a story in mind, does the music come first, can you share a little about your process with our readers and listeners?
Yeah, for me it’s not so easy because I want to give them my personal experiences. I want to give them something that’s deep but at the same time I don’t want to disconnect from the average blues audience, I need a little bit of “hey baby” somehow. I don’t like to preach and I don’t want people to think that I’m converting anyone to any spiritual trip. I want to connect them to what I think works for me in terms of my spirituality, connecting to the world and learning how to love every person.
Opening your soul, but at the same time exploring the sexuality that is a part of our lives and a big part of the blues. I’ve got a wife and I got blues. I try to come up with sort of a kosher bridge to do that. I’ve got my song “Moroccan Woman” about my wife, she’s of
Moroccan descent. I’ve got a new song called “I love falling out of love with you”. I have some things that could be interpreted as sexual where at the same time, you know, as King Solomon has “Song of Songs” that’s like a love song, I also try to walk that fine line. I’m also a guy and a lot of life is having to deal with the opposite sex.
I’ve got a song on the new album that’s called “Burning Thunder” and if you listen to the words they could have a number of meanings. I’ve got a burning thunder in the valley below on the one side is talking about the souls that were buried in the Holocaust. I feel that it really burns my soul, it’s burning within me, my blues. At the same time the valley below is like our lower organs, I got some fire burning over there. It’s really interesting, it’s a big challenge. Sometimes the songs just come right down, sometimes the riffs come. I’ve got some really great riffs that I love and the musics there but I’m stuck for a few years, I can’t get the words right. I got a lot songs where I have the words just right but I can’t seem to find the melody in the music that I want to give it the right vibe. I don’t want to just shove in words where the music doesn’t match it. It’s hard for me to sing something I don’t believe in. I can’t really sing with a full heart unless I work really hard to find the blue songs that I can relate to and get into that head space and also put all my kishkes into it.
What would you like your listeners to walk away from one of your performances with (besides all the merch you are selling of course)?
I think there was something in the air in the 60s with the Woodstock thing. I just want to give off that vibe, with the music and the blues and the rock that I still believe in that dream. I grew up a hippie and sometimes it got shallow for me, you know sex drugs and rock ‘n roll. So for me the Hasidic teaching gives me some depth that I want to share so that people can get a good feeling. I want them to know that something coming from Israel can teach something. There’s a lot of ignorance out there, you would be surprised, people don’t really know what or who Jews are. We are some at fault for that, but at the same time people talk crazy things. I play with my main man, Kenny Coleman from the Chicago Blues Kings, he’s a black drummer, a blind drummer and with Johnny B Gayden who was the bass player with Albert Collins for 15 years. Unbelievable players. Kenny brought these two young girls with him because he can’t see. They became best friends with us and they came on the road when we went on tour. I had to do some Jewish gigs this last tour for Purim. One of the girls tells me afterwords “Lazer I had the best time. I can’t believe the Jewish people are so cool. I just never met any, I just didn’t know.” She just didn’t know and there are so many people who just don’t know. I just think that Israel and the Jews are getting such a bad rap these days, really crazy it’s like just getting wild you know? Just want to be a good representation and let people know that you can be cool, you can be in the world, make good music and still be true to yourself. I can see that it’s breaking down a lot of barriers between people. That’s what I would like the people to go away with, they like the music and somehow they get a good vibe from the spiritual thing you know.
Are you an easy musician to work with? Or do you have high expectations for the musicians you work with, the sound guy, the lighting guy and the rest of the crew?
My thing is to be a mensch, I would never say anything bad to anyone. I had some really bad guys at times while I’m out on the road. I’m just not at the stage where I can afford to hire the best musicians to go on tour with me. Sometimes I’ve got to get local guys. Sometimes I just have to pray to God, please let me pull this off, this is just ridiculously bad. I never ever tell someone or get upset with them. The main thing Reb Carlebach taught me is that you have to build peoples confidence and everyone has potential. You have to be humble. There’s plenty of people I could get on stage with and they would tell me to just pack it up. The bigger the artist is the more humble they are, The people in the middle are a little more dangerous, you know what I mean? You’ve just got to keep the peace all the time. The main thing is the vibe that’s going down. I give all the players that I play with the feeling that, let’s have a good time, we’ll jam, it’ll be great!
What’s going through your head when you’re onstage?
You’ve got to have a good time and be happy to make people happy.
You’re one of those musicians who seem to be able to connect with your audience, your show is not only about the music but about interacting with people. Does that come naturally to you?
Well, I started drinking tequila at 15, you put a little tequila into me and I could connect with just about anything. I found out that I was quite amusing. But seriously, my mom would always have a bunch of kids from the inner city staying with us through a program called ABC in Connecticut. We lived in a middle-class area, but we used to have people from all kinds of backgrounds staying with us. My mom treated everyone like they were very important and very good. So, I guess that from a really young age I always felt that’s what it meant to be Jewish or to be musical. Try to communicate and make everybody feel good, it’s not always easy. To tell you the truth, Jewish audiences can be the hardest. The Jews are always worried, what do you want, what are you trying to do to me? We do have some really big challenges coming up. We have some really big festivals, those are harder, you can’t really speak too much. In a 400 seat arena you can still kind of get something going, speak to the audience. With a larger audience you have to do it a little bit differently, with a smile, with a look. You have to pray a lot, be sure the tequila goes down right.
Your stories have been referred to as expressing “a spirit for life that is nothing less than inspirational” So let’s talk a little bit about you. Our readers may of may not know you went from New York to Connecticut to Israel. Tell us how that happened.
After the showcase with Atlantic they wanted me to make some more demos. So I made a couple more demos with them and they were thinking about sending me down to Nashville to be produced by Gary Tallent, he was the bass player of the E Street band. He was producing while the E St. band was taking a break, this was about ’89 or ’90. I was living in Manhattan and it’s a crazy story, I met this homeless guy who people told me about who prayed every day. Two weeks later he had me doing a concert with Rabbi Shlomo Carlabach in Manhattan.
I told him I didn’t know any Jewish music and I really didn’t know any Jewish music. He told me don’t worry. With Reb Shlomo Carlebach I was blown away. He was telling stories and he is happy and then he’s crying. He said, “I’ve never heard anyone play blues to my music.” I was blown away because I always loved the flat five. BB King always had that flat five note in the blues. I was just surprised that he had a lot of that flat five stuff going on in his music. He said I should come play with him in Israel. I said are you nuts? Israel, that’s desert and war, I’m not going to Israel. I was in the middle of this thing with Atlantic records. He said, “just come and try it out you’ll like it.” He did that to a lot of people but he got me to go and I just fell in love with the place. I’ve been here ever since, I met my wife shortly after that. This was in 1994.
I met some students and started jamming, I went to Tel Aviv and some people heard me playing. I knew I was okay, but in Israel it was like being a big fish in a small pond. In New York there are so many musicians that you find you’re doubting yourself. You’re asking yourself questions. Should I be a musician, should I be songwriter? I remember at Atlantic records I brought them these unbelievable intro guitar licks and remember the A& R guy pushing the fast-forward button. I said wait a minute this is the awesome guitar intro. He said Lloyd if I don’t hear it hit in the first 15 seconds I’m onto the next song. I remember feeling like, “oh man!” That’s what it was like. It was a confusing time. When Atlantic records calls to showcase you, you think the next day you’re going to be a millionaire. You find out that you’re recording one demo and they start saying well we’ve got to think about where we’re going to break you from. It’s important where you break from and that’s when I started really feeling I don’t really know where I’m from. You know what I’m saying, I don’t really feel like Connecticut is me. Not like Tab Benoit who’s really connected to that Cajun thing, for him that’s where the world really started. It works for him because that’s what his thing is you know.
I was just not feeling that so when I finally went to Israel I just kind of felt like, wow, maybe this is where I have to break the blues from! The people of Israel really helped me, welcomed me in with open arms and they just really liked the blues. It was something new for them. I just feel like there’s something here, this is my place. For me it just really helped to build my confidence. You have to be who you are and if it’s not easy to know who you are, that’s even harder. We all have to keep going to find out who we really are, sometimes we are way off the charts. Some of the clubs we played at on the Connecticut shore were very redneck. I had to be very redneck to work there. I started thinking myself this is not who I am I can’t give these people what they want.
We know you are a father and a husband?; do you have a “day job” How do you balance your music with other obligations?
I don’t have a day job. The biggest challenge is you want to be there for the kids you want to be a good father and a good husband and a family man which is what I always wanted to do. There’s that first dream, you know of being a musician, so now we’re going one day a time. Sometimes my wife says it’s too much that I’m on the road but then she’s happy with the money.
The Blues is not the music you normally think of when you think of Israel (although I don’t understand why not, if anyone has the right to sing the Blues it our tribe), what has it taken to build a following there?
I’m just now getting into playing at some really big festivals here but for the last 20 years I’ve played every place between Eilat and Metula. I connected with a lot of people, the people themselves. The people are really connecting to understanding of the greatness of the blues. I think people are just fed up with all the electronic music, rap and hip-hop and they’re welcoming the blues.
Its awesome that the Israel Blues Society has honored and acknowledged your achievements by naming “My Own Blues” their 2012 album of the year.
That really helped me out. That’s how Blues Leaf Records found me because they send that disk off to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
Blues is a genre that can be understood internationally, as part of the Orange County Blues Society I would love to see a collaboration between the two of us to promote the Blues, understanding and share the commonality of the human condition. Any thoughts about that?
Yeah, that’s what I think should be done. I’m playing with a lot of the black musicians that are going to be taking me to the Hayward Blues Festival. I get the same thing from them like “Lazer this is just so cool, a Jew playing the blues, the black people and the Jews we should be getting together, we’re far apart but it should be working out” it’s cool, that’s what the Blues should be doing. We were doing some tours in Russia and it was great. They’re crazy about the blues over there. A Jewish guy from Israel going to Moscow to play the blues, who could’ve written such a story? I fell in love with the musicians in Russia, they’re just super musicians. You can’t believe how much they drink over there, I can’t keep up with their partying. The Blues can really connect people. My dream would be to have a multicultural band, a Christian musician, Druze musician, a Muslim percussion player. Those guys are not so open to that, I can’t find a Muslim musician who is willing to play with me. And that’s the harsh reality, In America were brought up to believe that it’s just natural for all different races, creeds and religions to get together, you know they show you that on Disney. In Israel I have a lot of Arab friends but they’re just taught not to get close to you. It’s really shocking you know. In Haifa a lot of Arabs come to the show and they hang out but they’re totally secular. I think the Blues can do a whole lot of good in that area.
Is there any organization, causes or group that is close to your heart that you would like our readers and viewers to be aware of?
I am always wary of organizations. Man himself is not perfect and when you start putting them all together and giving titles to organizations I don’t know, I would rather have people just bring greater care to peace and love and understanding. That’s the message in my song, “My Own Blues” because everybody’s got their own blues and we just have to try and understand what each others blues are. That is part of the problem with people today, they just think about what their own blues are and they don’t want to know what anybody else’s are. Everybody has their own blues in their own way and I believe as the Jewish people we have a lot to say, we went through a lot of stuff but we never gave up. I think people feel empty these days and they’re not getting what they need from technology and people are giving up. We have to get out with the good message and tell people hey there’s no giving up. After 2000 years were back in our homeland.
Where can our readers and viewers find, listen to and buy your music?
The next album is coming out in May and it’s the first thing I have been really proud of, watch for it. You can also find me on YouTube
Thanks for your time Lazer, I’ll let you go. I know the wife and kids are probably waiting for you.
It’s 2 o’clock in the morning here the only thing that’s waiting for me is my pillow. I look forward to seeing you when I come to the states
Saturday, April 4 The Riviera Hotel and Resort Palm Springs Thursday, April 9 Kona Kai San Diego Saturday, April 11 Pal Joeys San Diego Sunday, April 12 The Flower Fields at Carlsbad
Ken Sheldon on guitar, and Bob Lesher on harmonica & vocals
Saturday, April 11 @ 6:30 PM
OC Wine Mart & Deli 4925 Yorba Ranch Road Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Sunday, April 12 The Marine Room @9 PM 214 Ocean Ave.
Laguna Beach, CA Saturday, April 25 Alta Coffee @ 8 506 31st St. Newport Beach, CA
The Real Blues Festival of Orange County 5 Featured Artists: Our Headliner
The Chase Walker Band
The Chase Walker Band is passionately reinventing roots music into modern vinyl-worthy classics with a vibrant flare. Heads turn and do a double-take when the Chase Walker Band unleashes their sound in a live performance. These teens, Chase Walker (lead guitar/vocals), Randon Davitt (bass guitar/vocals) and Matthew Fyke (drums), explode with talent, maturity and soul far beyond their years. Their sound is raw and real. No faking it here. Hailing from Southern California, ages fifteen to sixteen, they take you back to a nostalgic feeling of 70’s Blues with a modern groove. After Chase and Matt met at a blues camp, Chase’s school mate, Randon, came on board to solidify the power trio in October 2012. While they draw inspirations from masters such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Little Walter, and 60’s blues-rock groups such as Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsies, The Band—they are reinventing vintage vibes into their own brand of contemporary Blues filled with haunting atmosphere, passion and venom. Their deep soul and talent juxtaposed with their young age create a jaw-dropping reaction from audiences while they try to reconcile the seeming incongruence. They are young kids…yet they play like seasoned pros. Time and again, eyes grow wide with disbelief. The confidence and precision in the band’s musicianship make believers out of the most discerning music lover.
Chase’s energetic and riveting guitar riffs channel musical greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa, and Jeff Beck. Randon and Matt drive home an irresistible in-the-pocket head-nodding beat that engrosses the listener. Original songs imbued with a depth of lyrics that defy explanation leave fans wondering from whence the inspiration came. Influenced by Warren Haynes, The Black Keys, Tab Benoit and the Black Crowes, the Chase Walker Band’s rousing original music and powerful adaptations etch an unforgettable image. The combination of soft, tender, soulful, and raw hard-driving dynamics leave audiences riding on a wave of euphoric awe…and yelling encore!
The band hit the ground running. Just three short months after the birth of the band, they impressed musicians from all over the world at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2013. Following that feat are performances in notable clubs and festivals in various parts of America, such as Vans Warped Tour, Los Angeles County Fair, House of Blues, Buddy Guy’s Legends, B.B. Kings Blues Club, The Coach House, The El Rey, and The Roxy. The Chase Walker Band has been covered on television, numerous articles and radio interviews including The Wall Street Journal and opened for such greats as B.B. King, Coco Montoya and Casey Abrams. Chase Walker Band is endorsed by Carp Amplification, Heil Sound & Spaun Drums.
Having already been met with critical acclaim from founder of the Vans Warped Tour, Kevin Lyman calling them “the best young blues band in this country”, it seems things are revving up for The Chase Walker Band. The next generation of the Blues is here to captivate.
Featured Artists:
Papermoon Gypsys
The Blues Rock Rhythm n’ Blues of Papermoon Gypsys is vein-bulgingly earnest music from the heart. From the rollicking riffs of Big Daddy Kenny Williams guitar to the sensual, earthy vocals of Lexi G, (Lena Horne meets Janis Joplin), Papermoon Gypsys is a fired up, energizing presence who pulls earthy music from its roots and breathes fresh, soulful, rock and roll life into them.
They have just finished recording their newest collection of kickin’ blues rock R & B with melancholy textures and haunting vocals that wind easily from ethereal to outspoken. They will be promoting their as of yet untitled new release on Wright Records.
Papa J & Friends
The Godfather of Orange County Blues and the President of the Orange County Blues Society brings to mind mental images of a smoke-filled, old school blues club where people somehow celebrate in sharing their blues.
Indeed, with the variety of artists and an authentic desire to faithfully tip their tuneful hats to Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, Sippie Wallace, Sonny Boy Williamson II and other greats of the blues genre, Papa J & friends are winning over music aficionados “Little By Little”.
Kingtime
Kingtime is an authentic, hard working, passionate blues band out of the LA / Orange Co. area. Four men with the common thread of a love of traditional authentic blues music and culture.
Kingtime keeps their music true. They play with very real passion and with heart felt soul. To deliver this music with the old blues swagger and emotion that they do is somewhat remarkable do to the fact that it can’t be taught it has to be earned, thus owned. The care in which they embrace the music is evident in their delivery of it, always respectful of it’s origin.
This band is a pleasure to listen to as well as watch. It is very evident they enjoy playing and delivering what they have. You can feel the years.
The Oozie Blues
The Oozie Blues Show is a band made up of veteran musicians. These musicians have performed as sidemen to some of the biggest names in blues and rhythm and blues, including; Ray Charles, James Brown, Big Joe Turner, Percy Mayfield, Barry White, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Hollywood Fats, Lowell Fulsom, The Drifters, The Coasters and The Sherells.
They play authentic blues and rhythm and blues with soul. They are some of the last musicians to have played in the South Central Blues scene. At many performances you may see an Oozie Blues member on stage just because they want to keep the music alive!
Juke Joint Preachers
Growing up in Orange County, these California natives were exposed to everything from classic rock, rockabilly, punk rock and of course the blues. Blues had a special attraction to them and regular neighborhood blues jams honed their chops over the years. They name “Juke Joint Preachers” came about as they preached the joys and sorrows of blues music and its history to anyone that would listen.
In the early days going to see the blues shows at the old Red Onion in Newport Beach where James Harman and Rod Piazza held court on a regular basis had a huge influence on the boys.
These days the JJPs are spreading their own brand of South Orange County style blues to a growing fan base and are loving what they do more than ever!
Our Bi-Weekly Gig at the Pig!
The Blind Pig every other Wednesday Night
31431 Santa Margarita Pkwy, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688
Check Our website or Facebook for dates
The Better Vision for Children Foundation (BVC), a non-profit charity, has one very important goal, working to prevent and cure partial or total blindness resulting from amblyopia (Lazy Eye), Autism, Diabetes and Eye Cancer.
We are working with the BVC who will perform FREE eye exams for all of the kids at any school where we bring our Blues in the Schools program.
André Felix, not only is a Creative Professional Adobe Certified Web Developer & Print Graphic Designer, but is an accomplished Photographer & digital Video Editor.
Contact Orange County Blues Society president, Papa J, if you are interested in becoming a Sponsor
(714) 979-6000
