Today started out with the sad news regarding Toronto blues guitar player Big Daddy G, Dave Glover who was killed in a car accident on Friday.  Very unfortunate news and my thoughts are with his family and particularly his kids. 
This comes only a week or so after the loss of Al Kirkcaldy, a major blues supporter/DJ and promoter in Ontario to cancer. 

Other stuff...
California- The Return 2009

On my most recent visit I was yet again blown away by the great  blues players living in and around or playing in and around California and the LA area. 
Over a few weeks I saw:

Rick Holmstrom Band (Rick, Jeff Turmes, Stephen Hodges)- got to sit in...
Junior Watson
Larry Taylor
Richard Innes
RJ Mischo
Kim Wilson
Mark Hummel
John Mayall
Rusty Zinn
Curtis Salgado
Charlie Musslewhite
Lee Oskar
RW Grigbsy
John Baz

and that was just over a few nights...
WOW.

Media release December 17^th 2007

 

The Silver Dollar at 50 and Raoul and The Big Time present

 

A Tribute to Little Walter

 

Forty years after the death of Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, top Toronto musicians gather to celebrate the greatest harmonica player that ever lived and his induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Born in Arkansas in 1930 and raised on the streets of the South he migrated to Chicago during the economic industrial boom of the 1940s and went on to be part of the defining sound of Chess Records as a member of  The Muddy Waters Blues Band and as a solo artist.  Regarded by many as the Jimi Hendrix or Charlie Parker of The Blues, the rules of the tribute evening are simple:  All songs performed must have featured Walter as either a vocalist or a harmonica player. 

 

Now Magazine Best Blues Artist Raoul and The Big Time (Raoul Bhaneja, Darren Gallen, Tom Bona and Terry Wilkins) host the evening joined by Juno Nominee Julian Fauth on piano and vocals and Jake Chisholm and second guitar and vocals.  Montreal blues artist and Toronto Blues Society New Talent Search Winner Bharath Rajakumar has been a devout pupil of Little Walter and is currently one of the hottest sensations in modern blues garnering unprecedented  praise from the likes of Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel and  Muddy Waters Band member Paul Oscher. Local harmonica guru "Dr." Nick Ouroumov has been an inspiration to many harmonica players for his dedication to the Walter sound and he will be jonied a who's who of the Toronto blues scene including Juno Winner Paul Reddick, Mark "Bird" Stafford, Mr. Rick, Tortoise Blue,  Mojo Willie, Wayne Charles, Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid, Aaron "Willie" Kazmer and more.

 

Join this one night only, historic musical event- the first do not miss concert of 2008!

 

Raoul and The Big Time present

 

Tribute to Little Walter

With Bharath Rajakumar, Dr. Nick Ouroumov, Paul Reddick, Mark "Bird" Stafford, Mr.Rick, Tortoise Blue,  Mojo Willie, Wayne Charles, Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid, Aaron "Willie" Kazmer

 

Saturday, January 5^th 2008

9:30pm

Tickets: $15

The Silver Dollar Room,

486 Spadina Ave. Toronto

(416) 763-9139

www.silverdollarroom.com

 

Raoul and The Big Time win Best of Toronto from NOW MAGAZINE!

RAOUL & THE BIG TIME

The slickly dressed four-piece led by former Train 48 lead Raoul Bhaneja has done increasingly well for itself in recent years with an eclectic and learned combination of "Toronto, Chicago and Hollywood blues" and a list of influences that reads like a blues nerd's wet dream. No cheeseball stuff here, just a seriously credible homage to the classic school.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-11-01/music_feature.php

I've been scaling back a bit the last few nights but I did manage to squeeze in a few shows.  On Tuesday night I went up to Joe's in Burbank and caught some of John Marx with Paul Fasulo on drums and Tyler Pedersen on upright.  Mark T from the Hollywood Combo was in on harp and some vocals as well.  It was a pretty quiet night but some of "the dancers" were out which is always nice to see.  Nice to meet one of William Clarkes bass players as I had the night before.  Thursday I went out to see my friend Junior Watson and we hung out at his place listening to some music and talking shit.  He played me some cool harp stuff I had never heard and a whole bunch of other stuff.  I forced him to listen to some of The Legendary Miles Johnson CD and we also listened back to the stuff we did in the studio with Junior in Feb. 06 towards the next Raoul and The Big Time record (2008?).  Last night I took a trip out of the area to Arcadia where I saw Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers, sans Bill Stuve on bass.  It was the first time I saw them with their new drummer who used to play with Janiva Magness.  He and Honey Piazza did a great job considering they didn't have that big swinging pendulum in the middle.  I was chatting with Honey after and it is a lot more for her to handle but she does it well.  Henry C. was great on guitar.  At times the show got a bit loud for my taste but they still bring a lot of energy to the show and Rod was in TOP FORM.  The end of the first set he did his thing with the walk thru the crowd and all but he played with great attack and general vigour.  It was nice to see him go kinda wild in a small club.  It was a quiet second set but it was cool to chat with them on the break and after the show.
Sunday I was supposed to hit The Derby and catch some swing but couldn't pull it off.
More to follow but not a lot more I imagine...

Sunday night was Oscar night but I didn't really think to much about it.  It's kind of ironic to be an actor, in Hollywood and not to watch them but I had a bigger show to make that night.  I drove about an hour to Laguna Beach to watch The Hollywood Blue Flames featuring Richard Innes, Larry Taylor, Fred Kaplan and lead singer/harpman Al Blake.  On guitar was Rick Holmstrom and they also had a special guest... the one and only Kim Wilson (who I caught on Thursday night with James Harman at The Little Red Rooster).  Al was a very cool cat and it was great to chat with some of those guys and more importantly hear the steady grooves and incredibly tasteful economy of the former band of the late Hollywood Fats.  They played a few orginals which was cool as many were familiar to me.  The big suprise came when with only a few minutes left in the night Kim Wilson left the stage and Al asked me it I wanted to go up.  I'd mentioned before it would be cool but after Kim tore it up I wasn't really thinking I would do it.  However... pity the fool, people, I did get up and play a bit with the band and then Al finished it off.  It was both a dream and a nightmare in the same breath... the heaviest blues band playing on earth that night and then following up someone who you could put in the same breath as any of the great blues legends... a night to remember.

Monday I went down to Irvine on the advice of my man JR who suggested I sit in on the radio show BLUES DISEASE hosted by Jeff Scott.  He plays the coolest selection of swingin blues and has a soft spot for harp which is great.  He played international artists I had never heard of but were awesome and I suppose that's one reason he knows about me... because he plays our music.  We were on air for almost an hour... talking about The Big Time and The Legendary Miles Johnson project (http://www.myspace.com/thelegendarymilesjohnson).  He has killer speakers in his studio and he plays the music LOUD live while it's on.  None of this sissy boy head phone shit for him!  Then on Monday night I went down to Cozy's in Sherman Oaks and sat in at the jam.  Met a bunch of guys including former Mighty Flyer Paul Fasulo, bass player Rick Reed (William Clarke need I say more) and Rena Beavers who played with Little Milton in the last two years before he died.  The jam is run by John Marx who played with William Clarke for a full year in the late 80s and he did a song that he also performed on William Clarke Live in Germany which is a recent pick up and fave of mine.  We talked about WC, his passing, his musicianship and his life.  John is also a fine singer who is into some nice early RandB stuff as well as Jazz.  Met up with Mathew Stubbs up there and we are looking to do a show here in LA if we can organize it.

More to follow...

Tonight I caught the second set from Janiva Magness at Cafe Bogaloo down in Hermosa Beach.
She's got a great presence and is a fine singer.  It was a pleasure to see her in the flesh after listening to Bad Luck Soul many many times.  Band laid down some real steady grooves and Mathew Stubbs (who I saw play for the first time) played some really really nice guitar.

Just an update for any of you folks wondering what is up with the band at the moment...
I'm in California taking in the sun, looking for work and also enjoying some fine blues music and people.
Feb. 22nd saw me at The Little Red Rooster in Montebello on the eastern side of Los Angeles.  It was the 4th Annual Winter Harp Jam.  Many players from CA were in the house.  Highlights for me were running into JR and Mathew Stubbs from Boston who plays with Janiva Magness, listening to Kirk Fletcher play outstanding tasty guitar all night (I met him almost 7 years ago down in Long Beach when I was first in CA), getting a chance to hear Mitch Kashmar for the first time and finally getting to meet and see live in action BOTH Kim Wilson and James Harman.  I've heard all their stuff back and forth so many times over the years it was a real pleasure.  On top of that there were some fine "non harmonica players" in the house... including Larry Taylor and Richard Innes playing together. 
Wow.
Let's see what happens next.

The Legendary Miles Johnson releases debut disc across Canada!

 

New roots group created by Edmonton's Graham Guest and Toronto's Raoul Bhaneja, The Legendary Miles Johnson, releases their self titled debut with shows across the country this winter…

 

December 8^th and 9^th in Edmonton, Dec. 15^th and 16^th in Toronto and January 19^th and 20^th mark the release launch parties for this unique cross country roots music creation.  The mastermind of Edmonton based singer/keyboardist Graham Guest and Toronto actor/musician Raoul Bhaneja, The Legendary Miles Johnson is the realization of a dream. Recording was completed over the period of a year at Toronto's Rogue Studios with the producing help of iconic Toronto musician Terry Wilkins, who has worked for the last thirty years with artists ranging from Rough Trade and Big Sugar to Colin Linden and young jazz sensation Sophia Pearlman.  

 

In a recording that features guests ranging from the South Asian Gahzals of Tanvir Alum (a soldiers story in BLOOD ON MY HANDS), to the lonesome harmonies of The Foggy Hogtown Boys (a cowboy longs for the city in HAPPINESS IS) to the sophisticated vocals of jazz songstress Melissa Stylianou (a not so typical love song in HOW MUTUAL CAN THIS BE), Raoul and Graham wanted to create an amorphous band that could change size and line up at will to be able to represent the diversity of their musical vision. This recording marks the long awaited songwriting recording debut of Guest, who has penned a stunning six original tunes including the breakfast anthem BACON AND EGG, the high wattage opening track LAST TIME I LEFT NEW ORLEANS and the tormented HEART SHAPED CASKET.

 

"We want to break out of a box.  We want to reach a broader audience with our music and most importantly we want to play our music the way our songs demand and not be restricted by genre" responds Bhaneja when asked about the reasons behind forming the band.  "We met back stage at Massey Hall after I opened for B.B King and we've been friends ever since" mentions Guest. "We can't wait to take our "experiment" to audiences across Canada.  We've both been playing professionally since we were in our teens and now it feels like it's our time to speak up."

When asked about the unique band name The Legendary Miles Johnson, Bhaneja replies "In roots music, musicians are often defined by their influences to such a degree that people forget who you are.  We are tired of that".  Guest replies "The Legendary Miles Johnson is our biggest influence."

 

At the release parties, a number of musicians will join The Legendary Miles Johnson including The Foggy Hogtown Boys in Toronto and an all star line up in Edmonton including former Rockin' Highliners Clayton Sample and Chris Brzezicki (currently touring with Roxanne Potvin).  The recording will be available for sale as of December 8^th online and in select stores.  For more information go to www.thelegendarymilesjohnson.com .

 

Dec. 8 and 9 in Edmonton

The Yardbird Suite, 11 Tommy Banks Way, 780 432-0428

Dec. 15 and 16 in Toronto

The Cameron House, 408 Queen St. West, visit artsboxoffice.ca or call 416 5047529

January 19 and 20 in Stratford

Tango Coffee Bistro, 104 Ontario St. www.tangocafe.ca or 1-888-816-4011

Call now.  All venues seating limited.

-30-

Media inquires call Big Time Records at  thelegendarymilesjohnson@gmail.com

 I thought I would just take a minute to tell you folks what is up with Raoul and The Big Time in 2006.  After a very busy festival season in 2005 including Mont Tremblant Blues Festival and the great Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in BC t, we performed The Harmonica Standoff at The Silver Dollar in Toronto in Oct featuring South Side Steve Marnier and Jumpin Johnny Sansone of New Orleans.  We returned to the Silver Dollar as part of our last mini tour where we played Toronto and Cafe Campus in Montreal with California guitar legend and Big Time friend Junior Watson.  During that early Feb. tour we did some recording with Junior and had lots of guests in the studio including piano man and all round musical tough guy Tyler Yarema with Mark Mariash on drums. 
Look for a new Raoul and The Big Time record featuring some other fine tunes and guests sometime in late 2007 or 2008.  I like taking 4 years between records...
The other project that has taken up all my time besides my family and acting career has been THE LEGENDARY MILES JOHNSON, a new crazy roots music act I have formed with Graham Guest, a great piano player and singer from Edmonton.  More info to follow in my next blog entry about that record and our release later this year.  Look for a CD release party in Edmonton and Toronto in December 2006!!!

RB