There is a lot of great music going on in Atlanta this weekend and you will be able to find something to suit your taste wherever you decide to go, so get out and enjoy some great music and support your local venues and your favorite artists! We will be up in the mountains at […]
It’s time for another great week of indie blues in Atlanta, full of great local talent, some major visitors like Jimmie Vaughn and John Nemeth and one major event, The Celebration of Sean Costello, in which we celebrate his brief but beautiful life with some fantastic musicians including Jason Ricci and Little Gee Weevil plus Sean’s […]
Friday The Little G Weevil Band comes to the Vista Room in Decatur. Runway 27 is at Darwin’s and Houserocker Johnson and the Shadows are at Blind Willie’s. Bill Sheffield is at Northside Tavern. Sly Dog is at Fat Matt’s Michael Preston is at Nik’s Place. Frankie’s Blues Mission is at Maxwell’s Cigar Bar in […]
So much information cane in since I prepared the This Week article on Friday. What was already an exciting weekend exploded into a feast of blues delights! Don’t ask me how you’re going to decide. Just dive in and do your best! Friday Tab Benoit visits City Winery. Victor Wainwright & The Train come to the […]
So much blues is happening all around Atlanta. Tab Benoit, Victor Wainwright & The Train, NMike Zito and Jonn Del Toro Richardson are in town among others. The Bad Ash Guitar Heroes Jam takes place and while not really blues, WRFG’s Americana in the Park supports our local blues source on the radio. Check it out: Monday Bob Page […]
For the most part, it’s a week full of local blues goodness. We are blessed with so much talent and so many hardworking musicians. Now is the time to go listen, or go to one of the many jams and show what you can do! Check it out Monday John Paul Barry is at Blind […]
There’s a lot going on this weekend! You can see The Bridget Kelly Band, The Ghost Town Band, Delbert McClinton and Casey James., as well as our usual wide range of blues artists. Come on out! Friday The Bridget Kelly Band is at Darwin’s and Beverly “Guitar” Watkins is at Blind Willie’s. Blue Roads are at Fat Matt’s. […]
There’s a lot of blues going on this week, and in honor of Mardi Gras, I’ve listed a bit of Cajun, too! Blind Willie’s will have King Cake and Will Scruggs celebrates Fat Tuesday on the real Fat Tuesday this time! It’s time to laissez les bon temps roulez (let the good times roll) wherever you go this week!’ […]
I’ve filled in a few blanks from The Week Ahead as information filters in. There’s so much good stuff going on. We get to celebrate Lisa’s birthday and Zydefunk has King Cake! And there’s a mess of tasty blues all around town, so go get your fill from the list below -Rhetta Friday Little G […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu Originally published in Rhetta’s Rambles When my husband and I walked into Darwin’s about an hour early Saturday night, Mick Kolassa was sitting at the bar. He stood up when he saw us and greeted me with a hug. “Your husband will have to excuse us for hugging like this,” laughed Mick, reaching […]
Welcome to a week full of blues! It’s the first of the month and some of my info is missing. If you don’t see your favorite club listed, please contact them to find out who’s is playing. But I do know about a lot of good stuff, listed below! Monday Bill Sheffield is at Blind […]
Delta Moon, BIg BIll Morganfield, The Taylor Made Blues Band, and so much more for your entertainment this week! Just check the list below to find all the blues you can use! Friday Delta Moon is at Blind Willie’s. Donna Hopkins is at Darwin’s and Little Joey’s Jumpin’ Jive is at Northside Tavern. The Barry […]
Lots of blues all around town this week! Some of the special events include Peter Karp IN Decatur, Delta Moon at Blind Willie’s, and The Taylor Made Blues Band at Darwin’s. Monday Bob Page is at Blind Willie’s and Larry Griffith is at Fat Matt’s. The Blues Jam is hosted by Lola st Northside Tavern […]
Lots of good stuff this weekend, including Monkeyjunk all the way from Canada in Duluth Friday! Notice the Atlanta Blues Society meeting Sunday, as well as two benefits for great causes! Get out and participate! Friday The Mar-Tans are at Darwin’s and House Rocker Johnson and The Shadows are at Blind Willie’s. Swap Raw Deal […]
There is never a lack of good music in Atlanta, and blues lovers are particularly blessed. Here is where to find the shows this week. Monday Mudcat is at Blind Willie’s. Larry Griffith is at Fat Matt’s, and the Blues Jam is hosted by Lola st Northside Tavern. There’s a jam with Mike Watson & Friends […]
Come in from the cold and wrap yourself in the blues at these great shows! It is mostly locals, which gives us a chance to rejoice that our locals are so spectacular! Monday Brandon Reeves is at Blind Willie’s. Larry Griffith is at Fat Matt’s, and the Blues Jam is hosted by Lola st Northside […]
Goodbye to 2017! It’s the last weekend of the year and Sunday at midnight we get to welcome in 2018. The blues was good to us this year and we can count on them in the year to come! Choose your venue and see the year out right! Friday Eli Cook is at Eddie’s Attic. […]
What better way to see one year out and another in than with the blues? Here’s where to find them: Monday Most of the clubs, like Darwin’s, Blind Willie’s and Fat Matt’s, are closed for Christmas.The Blues Jam hosted by Lola at Northside Tavern still takes place. Tuesday Poverty Level is at Darwin’s and Mudcat […]
Celebrate the holiday week with lots of local blues and blues jams! Happy holidays! Rhetta Monday There’s a Toys for Tots drive with Cody Matlock at Blind Willie’s. The Pork Bellys are at Fat Matt’s. Mike Watson hosts the jam at Loco’s in Alpharetta and Lola is the host for the jam at Northside Tavern. Tuesday […]
As always there is a lot of good blues music going down this weekend, but the two HUGE things in my eyes are Victor Wainwright bringing good times and boogie-woogie piano to Darwin’s and the Royal Blue Holiday Celebration to benefit prostate cancer with Bobby Rush and Big Bill Morganfield! And don’t forget to take toys to Lola’s […]
Take a break from holiday frenzy and head for your favorite venue for some great live local music this weekend! Or catch Nick Moss at Blind Willie’s! Of the local acts you can choose from some of the best: Heather Luttrell, Cody Matlock and The Mothership, Delta Moon, The Cazanovas, and more! So get out, relax and […]
Monday Mike Watson hosts the jam at Loco’s in Alpharetta and Lola is the host for the jam at Northside Tavern. Tuesday Poverty Level is at Darwin’s and Ross Pead & Friends are at Front Page News in Little 5 Points. Swami Gone Bananas is at Northside Tavern and there is an acoustic open mic […]
It’s a festive weekend, with the Atlanta Blues Society Holiday Party, Diane Durrett and Soul Suga’s Merry Little WooHoo, and Albert White’s birthday party! Also, while Little Gee Weevil moving to Memphis is bittersweet for Atlanta fans, he is having one heck of a farewell party! Plus, Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials are in town! So get […]
The holiday season is in full swing but holiday parties like the Atlanta Blues Society one on Sunday are not the only special events this week. Little Ed and The Blues Imperials are in town and so are Squirrel Nut Zippers. But my first choice this week is slightly bittersweet because one of my favorite musicians is […]
Some performers are just mesmerizing to ‘watch. JP Soars is one of those. He’s not a particularly tall man, or physically imposing. He isn’t flamboyant in his movements or his speech. But on stage, with his excellent drummer (Chris Peet) and bassist (Fredrick Cleveland), he consumes your attention. Playing that red guitar or one of […]
The Atlanta Blues Society is so proud to bring Blues Stotts back this year in celebration of the life of Larry Stotts, one of the biggest fans of the ABS and of the blues that we’ve ever had the privilege to know. Mark your calendars and come down to Blind Willies and celebrate with us the […]
Picture a packed house at Darwin’s Saturday night for Jason Ricci and The Bad Kind. At first sight, dressed in loose white pants and shirt and with his hair pulled back by a headband, Ricci looked rather like a decadent angel. But when he started to blow that harp, it was immediately clear that the […]
AUSTRALIAN BLUES/ROOTS GUITAR SENSATION GEOFF ACHISON RETURNS TO THE U.S. Kicks off tour Oct. 5th ATLANTA, GA – Australian blues/roots singer/songwriter, guitar sensation Geoff Achison, who invokes the spirit of the great blues & soul artists to create his original sound, will hit the American shores for part II of his extensive CD release tour in […]
Seeing Bobby Messano at Darwin’s is like seeing an old friend. In fact, my husband and I are old friends of Bobby’s so I am far from unbiased. But I think everyone who sees him feels that warmth and connection and walks away feeling they have seen a very talented friend. Part of it is […]
JP Soars and the Red Hots played Darwin’s in Sandy Springs Saturday night. What an amazing musician that man is! Who else do we know who mixes original tunes in with not only blues but gypsy jazz and Latin music? He moves easily from his own songs to Django Reinhardt, Johnny Guitar Watson, and Muddy […]
Sunday, June 25, the Atlanta Blues Society had its monthly Gathering and Jam. This time, the meeting was at The Vista at Napoleon’s in Decatur. The Vista is a wonderful venue with a large stage perfect for bands and jams, lots of tables and plenty of dancing room. In other words perfect for the ABS! […]
By Rhetta Akamatsu Photos by Takesi Ken Akamatsu Norcross, GA is a perfect town for a music festival, nd every year they have one, the Bluesberry and Beer Festival, featuring some of the best local blues acts. The festival is totally free, and people come out in droves. This year’s festival took place last weekend, […]
Photos by Takesi Ken Akamatsu Friday, June 16, Reverend Freakchild returned to Darwin’s as the opening act before The Mike Lowry Band. My husband and I got to talk to him before after his performance and it was like re-uniting with an old friend, even though we only met him once before, at the former […]
A lot of people were very excited to see Rae and The Royal Peacocks at Darwins Friday night. They are a sort of Atlanta super-group. Long-time area favorites Danny Vinson on lead guitar, Art McNaughton on drums, and Harold Pattillo on bass joined with keyboard wizard Valerie Waters and Rebekah “Rae” Easley on vocals and […]
Brandon Santini and his band played Darwin’s on Friday night, May 19. Many fans were anxious to see Santini, who has played here enough to be a big Atlanta favorite. They were also happy to see Timo Arthur, the lead guitarist, as he lived in Atlanta and was part of our musical community before moving […]
The Breeze Kings played Guston’s Grille in Kennesaw Friday night. Guston’s is an inviting place with great, reasonably priced food, a bar and a friendly staff. The stage is sizable and we could see very well from where we sat. It turned out to be a case of the perfect band in the perfect venue. […]
Saturday night at Darwin’s, Jake Holliday rounded up Donna Hopkins and some other friends and called the show, appropriately enough, “Jake Holliday and Friends feat. Donna Hopkins.” That’s an irresistible title to anyone familiar with Jake’s fantastic bass playing and Donna’s talents as a singer, guitar player and songwriter, so off we went. There were […]
Good news! Darwin’s is finally open in Sandy Springs! And they are celebrating with Mick Kolassa’s Taylor Made Band Friday, Jason Ricci Saturdy, and the Atlanta Blues Society meeting Sunday afternoon! The Rusted Hearts and The John Pagano Band are at The Earl, Big Bill Morganfield at Blind Willie’s, and a whole lot of good […]
Last night March 21, Darwin’s re-opened in the new location in Sandy Springs. The opening guest was originally supposed to be just Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck solo, but he decided to bring a couple of his Piedmont Playboys, Hobo and Dan Dan The Healing Man, along, as well as Mandi Strachota and special guest Francois Blues […]
Every year in March there is a 2-day music event at Northside Tavern in Atlanta, which is like no other. It is an event that honors M. Frank Edward and benefits his estate. Mr. Frank was a beloved blues man in Atlanta who died in 2002. Many of the older musicians and attendees remember Mr. […]
By Rhetta Akamatsu Photos by Takesi Akamatsu Of all the many groups and solo performers in Atlanta that I love, The Cazanovas and Little G Weevil are my personal favorites. So when they were performing separately and together at MadLife Stage and Studios in Woodstock Sunday afternoon my husband and I were excited to go. […]
It was a beautiful day in Atlanta on Sunday, a surprising gift to us all after the ice and snow the week before. In one week, we went from that to this, 70 balmy degrees under clear skies! We were all gathered, about 150 Atlanta Blues Society members and guests, at the home of former […]
The Atlanta Blues Society had their holiday party Sunday afternoon and early evening and as always, it was everything a party should be! People were eating delicious food provided by Fat Matt’s and drinking beer, wine and mixed drinks served up by Spike from Blind Willie’s or the non-alcoholic beverages provided, listening to great music […]
By Rhetta Akamatsu The John Pagano Band played Darwin’s Friday night to a good crowd, many of whom had not seen the band before But whether they were seeing the band for the first time or had been around for the evolution from JP Blues to The John Pagano Band, the crowd responded enthusiastically to […]
Charlie Wooton is a versatile guy. Last time we saw him was with Zabadodat with Laura Reed and it was all jazzy and tropical vibes. This time, it was The Charlie Wooton Project and it was blues and funk..We enjoyed both but Saturday night’s show was my favorite. With Daniel Groover on bass,Mike Phillips on […]
When Truett takes the stage at Darwin’s with Tony Erici on bongos ,Jon Schwenke on bass and backing vocals, and John McKnight on drums, he is pure energy from the start.The music just flows out of him without introduction or commentary, in one long medley of awesomeness .He does pause once, several songs in, to […]