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Bluzapalooza



Last Updated: 11/19/2009

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Saturday, November 07, 2009 

Cairo sings the blues

Rania Khallaf is amazed at how blues music has acquired such a huge following in Egypt

For the second time this year, the blues have tuned into Egyptian sound waves. This April saw an Opera House audience's first encounter with American blues music, an event that resounded with success. The concert, held under the auspices of the American Embassy in Cairo, was attended by the American ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, who was so taken by the music that she was not shy to stand up and dance with the band. The band members appreciated the unexpected interaction with the audience that they asked the embassy to arrange another concert in the near future. So it was that Steve Simon, the band's director, told the Cairo press last week that he had the pleasure of coming back to present the blues to fans of the genre in Egypt.

The band members have been performing all over the world for many years, but, Simon told the press conference held at the Semiramis InterContinental Hotel, they had never had the excited response they received at their first appearance at the Cairo Opera House.

"After the show we asked embassy officials if they could arrange another concert for us because we had such a fabulous time," Simon said. "And here we are again, and it really feels great."

This time the band's visit included three concerts at Cairo University, the Opera House and the Sound and Light Theatre. "We wanted to present American blues to the Egyptian youth, and this is why we wanted to play at Cairo University," he added.
Simon is the founder of Moonlight Blues, one of the largest blues concert production companies in the world. He is also the creator and co-producer of Bluzapalooza, the show that took Cairo by storm last April. The shows came under the slogan "American Blues on the Nile".

"This music tells the story of black Americans, the story of their struggle and their challenges to get humane and responsible treatment from other Americans," Simon said. "The music started in the fields where black Americans worked as slaves. The slaves were not allowed to talk, even to each other, unless they were asked questions by their masters. So the music actually started as a way for the slaves to talk to each other. Hence, singing was the way to communicate through call and response, as they were not told not to sing," he explained. "The story of blues, historically speaking, is the story of music that talks about feeling good when you are feeling bad. It is the heart and soul of America," he told the press at the conference organised by the American Embassy in Cairo. "Blues music is also known as the American roots music," Simon went on. "The Delta region witnessed the beginning of these roots."

Simon then introduced another prominent member of the band to the press: Zac Harmon, who was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. Harmon is a disciple of the Farish Street blues sound, which is universally known as the home of many great blues legends including the late, great Elmore James.

"Most black Americans are rooted in Mississippi," Harmon said, adding, "It is truly an incredible pleasure to me and other members of the band to be here in Egypt, the heart of Africa, which is, naturally, the original roots for our music.

"In Mississippi there were different interpretations of blues. The style of blues that I play is more of the Delta style. Jazz music is one of the trends of the blues," he added.
In 2004 Harmon, a guitarist, organist and vocalist, won the Blues Foundation's 2004 International Blues Challenge. "I want all people to come to our concerts, but take a real deep breath before we start, because you won't be able to exhale until the end of the concert," Harmon grinned.

Asked whether he saw a future for jazz music in Egypt, Harmon said, "blues is infectious. Its roots came from Africa. We already have it in our hearts, so I believe all lovers of blues will increase in time."

Asked if the blues was still flourishing in the United States, Harmon said the blues had many trends, and its popularity among Americans in the US was incredible. "We are going to play songs that represent different styles and trends in blues, including new songs written by members of this band," Harmon added. "Blues records are among the best sold albums in the States."

Last Tuesday the band presented their first show at Cairo University, with free gate entry to all students. Part of the programme included the band playing together with the Egyptian group Wust Al-Balad, one of the most popular bands in this country. The hall hosted 2,000 students from inside and outside the university. "We are excited to play with Wust Al-Balad. We know it's one of the best pop bands in Egypt, and they will travel in the next few months to present their show in the States," Harmon said.

"It is a thrill to be in Cairo, it is a kind of dream to come back to this great country once again. I am so enthusiastic to play my music, and I am full of joy," the blues pianist, saxophonist and song writer Deanna Bogart told reporters. Bogart, known among the American blues community as a triple threat, is a blues Music Award winner and is one of the most in-demand blues artists in the world today.

So, on the day following the press conference, the blues once again swamped the Cairo Opera House, and men and women, old and young stood up to dance. Bogart flitted from one side of the theatre to the other playing her saxophone; mingling with the audience and helping to create a festive mood. "Are you ready to celebrate?" she asked them. The Opera House security men responsible for controlling the show were completely confused. The audience had gone crazy with the music, standing up and dancing and generally causing a gentle chaos. Simon, Bogart and Harmon, defying the security men, stepped down from the stage and danced with the already animated audience.


AL-AHRAM Weekly On-Line
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875
 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/971/ee1.htm
 

11:07 PM 
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009 
BLUZAPALOOZA V
The Blues on the Nile Tour

On October 27, 2009, in the Great Hall of Cairo University, one of the most incredible events in the history of the Blues took place when Zac  Harmon, Deanna Bogart and Terry ‘Harmonica’ Bean brought the  Blues to this historic city for the very first time. 

Hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Ms. Margaret Scobey, the show opened up with Wust El Belad, the most popular band in Egypt who performed five of their original hit songs and ended with their latest hit that included Deanna Bogart on sax.

At the end of Wust El Belad’s set, Steve Simon came out to introduce the members of the Blues on the Nile Tour.  As Zac, Terry and the band came on stage this standing room only audience of over 4,000 Egyptian dignitaries and students rose to their feet with thunderous applause.

And then, as if it were coming from the heavens, the sounds of Deanna Bogart’s sax permeated the air but no one could see where it was coming from until the audience noticed people in the rear of this great hall starting to stand and point and there, coming down the aisle was Deanna  coming down the aisle with hundreds of Egyptians dancing behind her and following her right up to the stage.

As Deanna took to the stage the band kicked in and the audience exploded in excitement and applause and for the next 2 hours, thousands of Egyptian men and woman were on their feet dancing to every song the artists played.

After four songs, Deanna introduced Terry ‘Harmonica’ Bean and Terry just tore the place up.  At one point Terry jumped off the stage and sang and played his harp right in front of the Ambassador and the President of the University.

Terry also did four numbers and then introduced Zac who lead the show for the rest of the evening.

With about 10 minutes left in the show, Zac brought out Steve Simon and all the members of Wust El Belad to perform “I Got My Mojo Working” and the audience was totally out of control.  You can’t imagine what it was like to see and hear thousands of Egyptians trading versus with the performers……..it was a moment to behold.

At the end of the show, Ambassador Scobey and the President of the University thanked all of the American artists one by one and then gave Deanna Bogart a bouquet of flowers.

The artists were rushed by the members of the audience for pictures and autographs while TV reporters from five different stations came up for interviews.

On the second night the Blues on the Nile tour played to a capacity audience at The Cairo Opera House and again brought the house down with a two hour non-stop Blues concert.

Then on Thursday evening, a private concert was given for the U.S. Embassy staff and the U.S. military families stationed in Cairo at the Embassy’s Maadi House facility.  This was an outdoor concert that took place as the sun was setting and by the end of the evening the musicians had people standing on their tables dancing.

Friday, October 30th was, without a doubt, the most magical show of the entire week long concert tour when Blues music graced an outdoor stage in front of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx.

This show opened up with Deanna Bogart playing her sax while riding in on a camel and from the first note until the last note, Egyptian men, woman and children were up and dancing in front of the stage.

Just close your eyes and imagine a row of Pyramids flanked by the Sphinx with a setting sun and camels on the hill and the sounds and sites of Blues music in front of thousands of adoring Egyptian fans………Cairo will never be the same.

It is truly hard to describe the scene except to say that Zac Harmon, Deanna Bogart, Terry ‘Harmonica’ Bean, Cory Lacy, Buthel Burns and Cedric Goodman, these amazing American Ambassadors of the Blues, will live on in the hearts and minds of countless thousands of Egyptians forever.

9:26 PM 
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Sunday, November 01, 2009 

October 27, 2009

I am delighted to be here tonight at Cairo University. I would like to thank Dr. Hossam Kamal, Mrs. Kamal and Dr. Heba Nassar for making this evening possible. And thanks to the students of Cairo for joining us tonight to hear great Egyptian and American music.

Many of you already know the wonderful music of Wust el Balad, a pioneering Egyptian band whose rock music draws on traditional themes.

I am also pleased to introduce to you tonight blues music. This is the music of the American South that originated on the banks of the great Mississippi River and combined African and European musical traditions to create a uniquely American sound.

Blues is also the music of my life. I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, the South and am very pleased to be sharing this music with you today.

Music is a wonderful way to learn and share culture. It is through these shared connections that I hope we all can achieve that new beginning that President Obama called for in this hall just four months ago. As President Obama said, addressing young people of every faith, in every country, “You, more than anyone, have the ability to re-imagine the world, to remake this world.” I hope tonight’s joint concert can be a step in the direction of close Egyptian-American relations that we all seek.

My deepest thanks go to Dr. Hossam Kamal, Dr. Heba Nassar and all of the Cairo University staff for hosting this concert tonight. Without Cairo University’s generous contribution and tireless efforts, this event would not be possible.

I would also like to thank AFE, who brought Blues on the Nile here to Egypt. And, a special thanks to Nile FM for helping get the word out about these blues concerts.

Tonight, we have an excellent group of American musicians performing for you: Zac Harmon and his band, Deanna Bogart, and Terry “Harmonica” Bean. Egyptian stars Wust el Balad will start the show and come back at the end for a special joint performance with the American musicians. Please join me in welcoming Wust El Balad.
###
Ambassador Scobey’s Remarks at the Blues on the Nile Concert at Cairo University
2:53 PM 
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Sunday, November 01, 2009 
Monday, October 26th,  Steve Simon, Zac Harmon, Deanna Bogart and Terry "Harmonica" Bean performed and were interviewed on two major Egyptian TV shows and then on Tuesday night, October 27th, Steve, Zac, Deanna and Terry made history with their sold-out command performance at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt.


Over 4,000 people jammed this magnificent performance hall where President Obama addressed the Egyptian people last June.


Ambassador Margaret Scobey introduced the show and Zac, Deanna and Terry and the band just tore the roof off.  For the next 2 hours over 4,000 Egyptians were hootin', hollarin' and dancing on their seats.  It was, in a word, unbelievable.
The President of the University came over to Zac after the show and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "All I can say is WOW".


The U.S. Ambassador told the artists that they just did more for international relations in 2 hours then a room full of diplomats could do in 2 years.


And it only got better............


Last night, the "Blues on the Nile" BLUZAPALOOZA tour took over the Cairo Opera House and again played to a sold-out audience of over 2,500 people.  This show saw Zac, Deanna and Terry jumping off the stage at various times and playing right in the middle of the audience.


This Middle Eastern audience had never experienced anything like this before and just like the night before, the artists were swarmed by their adoring fans for hours after the show.


Tonight the concert will be at the U.S. Embassy's Maadi House and then tomorrow night will be the spectacular finale at the Great Pyramids.


Check out http://cairo.usembassy.gov/ambassador/tr102809.htm for some photos from the Cairo University concert and a copy of the opening speech by Ambassador Scobey.


Steve Simon reporting from BLUZAPALOOZA headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
2:48 PM 
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Monday, September 21, 2009 










"The Blues on the Nile Tour"

October 22, 2010 through November 1, 2010

Starting with a huge celebrity Blues concert at our Naval Base in Sicily, Italy on October 24th starring Zac Harmon and his band with special guest artists Deanna Bogart and Terry "Harmonica" Bean, this ten day tour then goes directly to Cairo, Egypt for command performances at the Pyramids, Cairo University and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

"How wonderfully historic it is for us to be bringing the Blues to the Pyramids.  The soul of American music will permeate the air amongst the souls of the Pharaohs," stated Steve Simon, the creator and producer of BLUZAPALOOZA.
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Monday, September 21, 2009 

Sep 15, 2009

Bluzapalooza IV, Rusty's Wrap-Up

BLUZAPALOOZA IV Second Leg of tour - Japan
Sorry for the delay. Internet access was a bit spotty at the bases in Japan
and our schedule was very tight so there was little time for writing. so I thought
I'd do a recap of the 3 shows in Japan all in this post.

Day 1 in Japan
September 10, 2009
Our Japan Air flight left Incheon International Airport in Korea and we landed at Narita International Airport just outside Tokyo. We had just really become comfortable in Korea and had made a great friend in our driver, Mr Yi so our departure was a bit sad, but we knew there were more people to play for - and
duty calls.

Mr. Yi was a true Godsend. He went out of his way on many occasions to help us during the tour. He found music stores when we needed parts. He haggled with the shop owners so we didn't get taken advantage of. He drove us around on his own time to get laundry done and helped us find the best deals on shopping and places to eat. He taught us Korean phrases and told us where we could go to sight see
and where NOT to go. When one of the speakers blew a high end driver during a show he took it upon himself to take it to be repaired the next morning.

He wasn't obligated to do any of this. His job was to drive us from point A to point B but he chose to be a friend and we are most definitely friends in return. So much so that on our last day we felt we just had to do something for him so I gave him a Bluzapalooza cap and a tip and Laurie gave him her Bluzapalooza jacket right off her back. He had really liked them when we arrived and asked how he could get one.
Mr. Yi and Laurie
I wanted to give him mine but he's a small guy and Laurie had the only jacket in his size. I felt bad that she should give up hers and told her not to. I would try and get one and send it to him but she was adamant. She likes Mr. Yi a lot too and didn't hesitate to give him the coat off her back...That's my girl :-)
We left Korea and arrived in Japan to meet our POC "Spike" Uchino. Spike is a Japanese national who works for AFE. He does a good job of organizing and our first nice surprise was when we saw a full size tour bus show up, YEA BUDDY! There's nothing better for long haul drives than a big old bus with large plush seats and all the extras.

We arrived at Yakota Air Force Base and got our credentials for base access, after which we were taken to
the Kantos Lodge on base. The lodge is a VERY nice military hotel and the accommodations were suites with full kitchens and living area. It was a very nice place to stay. We had the day free so everyone kind of scattered and did various things. Laurie and I stayed close to the rooms because we had an early interview the next morning at the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Day Two in Japan
September 11, 2009
We headed out at 8:30am for the interview on the morning drive time show. Spike picked us up in the tour bus and we headed out to the station. Armed Forces Radio in Japan boasts a listenership of 800,000 to 1 million listeners! WOW. At the station we were introduced to our AFN Liaison Felix and morning show host Jeff St. Sauveur. Jeff is a friendly guy and we relaxed and enjoyed the 30-minute interview. He played songs from the new CD and talked about our tour and the Bluzapalooza organization. We gave him CDs for giveaways and did a video shout out for his show after the interview.

From there it was time to go get the guys and setup and sound check for the show at the Yakota Officers Club – or the O Club, as they call it. It is a nice place, rather like a country club, with restaurant, banquet facilities and a bar area. We performed on a nice size stage in a ballroom-size room that had been set up for the show. We went on at 7p.m. - right after dinner and did two 50-minute sets, playing for a nice crowd of enlisted men, officers and their wives. (The show was open to all ranks). They loved it and danced and cheered all through the show. Afterwards we ran around meeting everyone, signing photos and handing out more CDs and cards to our website. It was a fine evening and it really made us feel good about what we were doing.

Day 3 in Japan
September 12, 2009
We left the comfort of Kantos Lodge and headed for Yokuska. We arrived and met our POC, Jason and went directly to the O Club there. It was very similar to the club at Yakota so setup and sound check was easy.

The show was open to all ranks and visitors and to our surprise there were quite a few Japanese people in the audience including members of the Mot Oteru Band, a Japanese blues act that performs at the base regularly. They were very excited to hear an American act and the local commander introduced me to
all of them before the show. They were extremely polite and were very interested in seeing
us perform. These folks loved blues style music and have built their entire repertoire around
American blues music. They clapped and cheered and smiled all through the show. There was none of the posturing and testosterone you often run into with bands in the states. By the end of the show we made friends and signed autographs and gave more CDs away. It was another fine evening making music and friends.

Right after the show we packed up and climbed aboard the bus again for a two-and-a-half hour drive to Camp Fuji at the base of Mt. Fuji. We were scheduled to play the Camp Fuji Friendship Festival there on the 13th (our last show). Since community turnout is quite large for these festivals on the bases our liaisons worried we might get stuck in traffic if we waited until morning to leave.

Day 4 in Japan
September 13, 2009
We rolled in to Camp Fuji about 1a.m. and checked into the Mountainview Inn which is the
on-base billeting. Camp Fuji is a long-established Marine training site, which has been around since WWII. Being a Marine base it is much more Spartan than the other branches. Marines are all about what you need to get the job done not about frou-frou. Our rooms were clean and comfortable but there was no Wi-Fi so we had to go to the club for the enlisted personnel for that. Everything at Camp Fuji is spread out. Nothing is close by. Luckily, our POC Shaun had allocated two vans and drivers to help get us around. Because the base was open to the public while we were there the PX and mess hall were closed. We did get to eat a breakfast of omelettes, bacon, hash browns and toast and coffee/juice with the troops but after 9am there were no more meals.

We were the closing act at the festival and weren’t scheduled to go on until 7p.m. so we asked our driver take us into town for some provisions. Laurie, Lee and I went to a big supermarket which had fresh seafood as well as everything else you could imagine. We bought some grocery-type stuff since there were
refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms including some big sampler platters of fresh sushi.
We had some on the plane coming over and decided to get more as well as all the other normal munchy-type stuff. OH - and you have not had a real egg roll until you try them here. WOW, are they good!

Dave, Justin, Andy & Pete took the other van into town to eat at a real Sushi restaurant. The kind
where you sit at a table and there's a little trough that runs all the way around the restaurant filled with
flowing water. The various types of sushi come floating by on small decorative plates of various colors.
When you see what you want you pick it up out of the trough and eat. The waitress then tallies up your bill
by the number of plates stacked up and the colors tell her the price of each kind of Sushi.

Showtime came and they drove us to the backstage where we tuned up and prepared for our set.
We went on and kicked off with the instrumental, Hell on My Heels, which lit the marines up right away!
After that we tore through a 60-minute show of our most intense songs and were greeted by
enthusiastic claps and hoots from the people. The Japanese were a little freaked at the intense guitar
but the "Jarheads" ate it up (God bless em'). After the show we were invited to the Roadhouse and the upstairs officer’s club. There we were greeted by the camp commander and many marines who loved the show. We hung out there for almost two hours talking and partying with the guys. I bought beers for many of them and handed out the remaining Bluzapalooza caps as well as photos and cards.

I love playing but we all had as much fun shooting the breeze with these guys as we did doing the show.
Marines are my kind of folks. No BS. Straight up and to the point, with a strong desire to laugh and party -but ready to get the job done - no matter what. Yeah, these guys are definitely cut from a very special cloth.

We left the next day for home, tired but satisfied. This tour was extremely grueling and we were on a
flat run almost all the time but as we all sat in the van on the drive home from the airport we discussed
our experiences and everyone agreed they'd do this again. In fact, a lot of the sentences started out with
"Next time we do this we should..." So I guess we will be "lifers" for the military. Why not? It's the least we can do to express our gratitude to these people who risk their lives so that we might be able to live ours the way we choose.

God speed and good fortune to the noble men and women of the United States Armed Forces. I will gladly play my blues for you until everyone comes home.

This is Rusty Wright signing off for Bluzapalooza IV and Armed Forces Entertainment.
Peace.

....
Posted by Rusty Wright Band at 8:42 AM







2:51 PM 
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Sunday, September 20, 2009 

Sep 12, 2009

Catching up on the tour...

Saturday, September 5 2009
Show #3 BBQ & Blues, Osan Air Force Base
Osan is an extremely nice base, with the officer’s club resembling some of the nicer country clubs Rusty and I have performed at. The BBQ & Blues Festival was just getting into full swing outside the officer’s club when we arrive. As our bus pulled up we were geeked to see our faces plastered on a huge banner strung across the intersection. Too cool. We unloaded our borrowed amps and keyboard and do a quick sound check. Lee went to work with audio crew from the Korean sound company to get our instruments and vocals dialed in and everything seemed fine at that point. Since we still had several hours before our performance we were directed to a private room in the O club that has been set aside for our use. Some of us set up our laptops and go to work on video clips, posting to our tour blogs and sorting the photos we’ve taken so far. The rest of the group heads back outside to hear the first act, a local band.

The first half of our set sent off without a hitch. Great crowd, great response. Then right at the end of the set sparks began spitting outward from the outlet box Dave’s keyboard was plugged into. We quickly yank the keyboard’s transformer cable but the damage was already done. We took a break so the MC could take care of some announcements and we could confer with the sound company folks to try to come up with a solution. Before Dave and I could leave the stage smoke began pouring up out of the Line 6 guitar amp. Another piece of gear fried. The only solution was to change up the set and finish the performance as a four-piece, with Dave watching glumly from side stage. We all felt bad that some equipment got wrecked, even though it wasn’t our fault and there was nothing we could have done to prevent it.

Monday, September 7, 2009
Show #4 Labor Day festivities, Hanson Field House, Camp Casey
No luck in finding a transformer or getting the fried one repaired for Dave’s keyboard. We were disappointed at the possibility that Davey might have to sit out a show or two until we could resolve the equipment issue. Fortunately, Frank --- Our main AFE contact in Hawaii contacted the owner of the equipment rental company and made arrangements for us to borrow a keyboard for the show from a band called USA Express who was scheduled to play earlier before us at the festival.

Lots of families in attendance for the Labor Day activities, which included entertainment, demonstrations, vender booths, and games and contests for both kids and adults, inflatable castles for bouncing – all the normal stuff you see at a community festival.

Dave usually plays a Hammond B3 at our shows but AFE was unable to provide a B3 for the tour so Dave has been hooking a laptop to the keyboard and is using a B3 simulator program to get his B3 sound. It’s not an ideal arrangement for him but sounds pretty darn good, all the same.

It was great being able to perform outdoors. There has been little variation in day/night temperatures since we’ve been here, with only one humid day. We were the final act of the evening and by the time we took the stage it was dark. The only drawback to the outdoor shows here have been the big ass bugs. At Osan, we had to contend with spiders spinning webs in the equipment on stage while we played. At Camp Casey bugs that looked like mayflies started landing on us as soon as we started playing. At one point I looked over at Rusty and saw a half dozen of the mayflies clinging to his shirt and a huge praying mantis making its way up his back at an alarming rate of speed, heading straight for his ear. I got the feisty little interloper off of him but he/it remained up on stage with us through the rest of the show. At the end of our set the camp’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) director presented the band with a gorgeous engraved plaque. Then we were able to spend some time signing autographs and chatting with some enlisted folks who’d hung around to say hi. Everyone has been very friendly and appreciative – we all look forward to the time we spend after our shows talking with the military folks and finding out where they’re from originally, how long they’ve been away from the states, etc.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tommy D’s, Camp Humphreys
Each venue/event has been quite different. Our last Korean show at Tommy D’s was more like a regular club gig than a concert. When we arrived we learned there had been a bit of a snafu with communication. A local band, New Sensations, was also scheduled to perform the same night. Their show was cancelled so we could go ahead with ours. Instead of being irked, the band was very friendly and came out en force to the club in support of our show, which we thought was really, really nice. At Kunsan, JBL Simple Tunes (from the Philippines) had their show pushed back until after we’d done our 2-hour show, They came out early to hang out and talk, and then asked for autographs and chatted for a bit before setting up their gear and performing. We were able to stick around and hear them too, which was nice.

At 9 a.m. we checked out of the Kaya Hotel and boarded the bus to head back to Incheon International Airport. Today we fly to Narita Japan and we’ll be met by Spike, our new AFE contact person. We stop at the warehouse to drop off the equipment we have used for our Korean shows and then our last trip with Mr. Yi.

We were very sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. Mr. Yi has been very gracious and patient with us this past week. Our trip would have been much more stressful and much less successful had he not been so willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. After Pete discovered his borrowed drum kit was lacking parts Mr. Yi located a music store en route to our second show and even helped negotiate the best price for the parts since none of us could speak the language. When the keyboard transformer and a guitar amp fried during our performance at Osan, Mr. Yi found a huge music mall and volunteered to come in to work SIX HOURS EARLY to drop some of us off on base to do laundry while he chauffeured the rest of the group to the mall to get the transformer repaired and find the other gear we needed, and on our last full day in Korea he picked us up several hours early and drove us back to the shopping district just outside Osan Air Force base so we could shop for souvenirs. Bluzapalooza IV stayed on track thanks to Mr. Yi so it felt right to gift him with one of the Bluzapalooza tour jackets he had admired earlier in the week.

Thursday, September 10, 2009
Destination: Tokyo, Japan
I am enthralled with Tokyo – at least from the window of the bus. We have been in Japan for just a couple of hours and already have been seduced by the sophisticated beauty of this megalopolis . According to Wikipedia the greater Tokyo area is home to some 35 million people, making it the most densely populated metropolitan area on Earth. Tokyo and Seoul are the largest cities I have visited to date. Years ago I had the opportunity to perform in European cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne – cities more known for their history and old architecture, but Seoul and Tokyo are a huge contrast - very vibrant and contemporary, while maintaining an exotic air. I don’t know that I would enjoy living in such a huge city, but visiting is certainly exciting.

Saturday, September 10-11, 2009
Yokota AB
Before we can check into the hotel we have to stop at the guard station to get signed in and get our temporary base passes. This takes about an hour. We’re all exhausted and the photos on our temporary passes look fairly demonic. For this leg of the trip we’re being housed on base at the Kantos Lodge where we each have our own suite at the Kantos. We have good coffee, Wi-Fi and the mattress is soft – a huge improvement over the concrete hard beds in Korea. I definitely could linger here a while but we have two short nights here. In the morning we pick up our PA rig from storage and head back over to the guard house for yet another round of paperwork and photographs. It takes well over an hour to process our temporary passes. My second photo isn’t any more flattering than the first.

We walk over to the Officer’s Club to set up. It’s a nice size room with a formal atmosphere and a decent size stage. We go back to the hotel for about 90 minutes then walk back over to the restaurant for an excellent dinner. We eat an embarrassing amount of the wonderful warm, dark bread and honey butter. As we leave the restaurant a lady named Tara Werner walked over to introduce herself to us, saying she’d been to our website and was looking forward to the show. By the end of the evening I felt like I’ve made some new friends and that we definitely will stay in touch.
Posted by Laurie at 5:05 AM
3:10 PM 
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Sunday, September 13, 2009 
We finished our last show at Camp Humphrey and we're packing to leave for the airport at 9am. We fly to Tokyo Japan and do a show at Yokuska. From there it's on to Yakoto and then the Fujifest at Camp Fuji.

Korea has been a great experience. The Country, the people and their culture are truly beautiful. I think we Americans could learn a lot about patience and civility from them.

The many fine US Servicemen and women have also been a real pleasure to meet and play for. We had a fine time at Camp Suwon. The crowd there really made us feel good and want to play even more for them. Kunsan, Chinhae, Camp Casey, Camp Humphrey. We were honored to perform for you. Our deepest respect and appreciation go out to you all.

Well the clock is ticking so time to hit the shower and pack for the next trip.
Talk to you all from Japan!

Rusty

6:38 PM 
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009 

Our arrival and first days in Korea



When we arrived in Seoul I’d been awake for more than 40 hours. All of us were beyond exhausted but amazingly, everyone is still smiling. I can’t count the number of times I’ve given silent thanks to Angie Sweers from Ataj Salon for giving me a hairstyle that travels so easily. Before I got off the plane I ran my hands through my hair to rumple the spiky top, and away I went.

The sight of all customs workers wearing protective masks across their faces was a bit disconcerting when we went through customs. We were given a form to fill out asking if we’d had any flu symptoms and what countries we had visited in the past 7 days. We couldn’t help but wonder if we had missed breaking news stories about widespread flu outbreaks.

We were met at the airport by Shirley Commander, entertainment director for Morale, Welfare and Recreation Installation Management Command, Korea region. She hails from S. Carolina originally and has been stationed here in Korea for six years. (Rusty mistakenly referred to her as Shelly in a previous post. Sorry Shirley, we’re all still goofy tired from the trip). With her was Mr. Yee, a very nice man who has been assigned to be our driver for the Korean leg of the tour. Mr. Yee has been chauffeuring AFE touring bands around for quite a while. He has been a huge help and is very pleasant company to travel with. We piled our luggage into the (short) bus and headed for Kaya Hotel in Seoul – about an hour away.

Seoul is utterly immense. There are thousands upon thousands of high rise apartment buildings for miles in every direction. Approximately 10 million people (almost half of the country’s residents) live in Seoul The Kaya Hotel, where we’ll be staying for a good portion of our trip, is located on a busy street. We were exhausted after the flight but wanted to eat some dinner before going to sleep so Rusty and I walked down to an Outback restaurant down the street. I ordered salmon with mushroom and vegetable sauce and a sweet potato. I learned that a sweet potato is not necessarily a yam, but may be a sweetened potato. Hmmm. The sauce was very good but was very spicy hot.

In the morning, Rusty and Lee walked down the street to the USO for breakfast. I stayed in the room to pack since I’m allergic to eggs and potatoes, which rules out most breakfast foods for me. I brought plenty of protein bars for the trip because I anticipated that it might be difficult finding foods I can eat. I didn’t have allergy problems years ago when I was on the road full time, but a whole slew of them have cropped up in recent years. Common foods like eggs, potatoes and soy cause crippling fibromyalgia pain now, so it’s been a relief to learn I can survive quite well on the road.

Show #1 Kunsan Air Force Base: Home of the 8th Fighter Wing "Wolf Pack"

The first show of the tour was bound to be a bit stressful since it was our first time setting up and using an unfamiliar sound system, keyboard, guitar amps and drum kit. There were some small parts missing from Pete’s drum kit but fortunately someone kindly loaned him a high hat cymbal and stand to use for the night. And instead of his Hammond B3 organ and full scale Yamaha keyboard, Davey is using a single small keyboard and is running a B3 simulation program through his laptop to give him the B3 sound.

At the start of the show, Colonel Dennis Malfer gave us a very gracious welcome and presented the band with a VERY cool wolf head plaque in appreciation for our performance at the base. Colonel Malfer, whose family resides in Hawaii, told us personnel at Kunsan are usually stationed at the base for a year. Work is underway to “normalize” the base so service men and women can bring their families with them, but it will be a while yet before this is becomes a reality. According to Colonel Malfer's bio , he has served as an instructor pilot, weapons officer, flight commander, operations officer, squadron commander and deputy operations group commander. The colonel also flew as opposing and lead solo for the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds. His staff assignments include Chief of the Standardization and Evaluation Branch and Division Chief, Operational Support at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces.

Prior to his current position, he was the Operational Support Division Chief at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. He is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours, including more than 100 combat sorties in the F-4, F-15E and F-16.

We really enjoyed talking with the air force personnel who came out for the show and we hope some of them keep in touch with us. It seems we've met a lot of folks who lived near Ann Arbor Michigan at one time or another. It is a very small world, really.




--
Rusty Wright
Sadson Music
www.rustywrightband.com
5:03 PM 
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009 

Show 2 on our itinerary

We had managed to find a fairly well stocked music store on the way to the base and bought all the necessary parts we needed to fix our technical problems. I was amazed at the way the Koreans conduct business. The ladies who were running the store were dressed in formal attire and looked as though they were ready to go out on the town to a fine restaurant for an evening of dining and dancing. Mr. Yi explained that Koreans take business at all levels very serious and have a strong sense of professionalism even down to their dress. But they still have a market mentality. Haggling over price is considered normal and is expected, so with a little help from Mr. Yi I managed to get the equipment at a very fair price and we were on our way to the show.

Chinhae Naval Base is based on the southern coast of Korea. They are a major support hub for ships and subs in this part of the world but since it's a very rural setting they don't have much for a liberty port.

After a 5 hour bus ride we arrived and set up at Duffy's which is the base club. It's connected to a snack bar and might hold 200 people if you pack them in. The club manager was very kind and did everything in his power to make our show as comfortable as possible.

We met the vice commander who greeted us and gave each member a commemorative coin from Chinhae NB. He apologized in advance about a low turn out. Due to some unscheduled military exercises, most of the base had shipped out a few days earlier. I told him there was no need for apologies, we were there to play blues and spread some smiles and whether there were 2 people or 2000 they all get the same show - our best.

We started around 7pm and there were about 30 people, mostly  medical staff and some off-duty security people in attendance at that point. The show went very smooth and Lee (our audio engineer) had a very nice mix going. The intimate setting allowed us all to relax and just enjoy playing. The band was smokin' by the end of the first set, and although the crowd was a bit small, they were VERY enthusiastic! We had a blast and they did too.

At one point I brought up HM1 Craig Smith. He's a Navy EMT who contacted us in advance and asked if we would let him sit in on a song. Our shows are usually mostly original material and are pretty orchestrated so sit ins aren't very practical, but in this circumstance I felt we had to make an exception. I brought him up about mid-show and introduced him. His buddies all stood up and cheered and clapped for him and we kicked into the B.B. King classic "Thrill is Gone."

He was a great player! He settled right in and at one point I threw him a ride with the drummer which got him another big ovation. At the end of the song I gave him a Bluzapalooza cap and CD to remember the night.

After the show I met the base doctor and talked with everyone there. We handied out photos and CDs, and signed autographs. Everyone was extremely nice to us and told us how much they appreciated our coming out. The base is small and is in such a rural area that they don't get a lot of stateside entertainment. Hell, I'd play for these folks any time. Their enthusiasm made us feel good and caused us to push ourselves musically just because we wanted to return the love they were showing us.

After the trucks were packed we stuck around to talk to folks and unwind over Burgers and drinks. The house band came on after us to finish out the night with 3 girls doing vocals out front. They really had great harmonies and Laurie, who loves harmony vocals, enjoyed their show most of all.

We finally called it a night and went back to the hotel around midnight. Feeling good and very glad to be here.

On to Osan Airbase tomorrow,
Rusty
5:00 PM 
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