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The VizzTone label group has just signed Casey Hensley and will officialy release her ‘LIVE’ album on October 20th, 2017.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio in Oceanside, ‘Live’ captures the essence of the Casey Hensley Band that San Diego audiences have fallen in love with.  Having played at some of San Diego’s top venues and festivals such as the Casbah, The Pour House, Gator By The Bay, The Music Box,  Belly Up, as well as the Doheny Blues Festival and the Las Vegas Big Blues Bender, Casey’s powerful voice has amazed all who have come to see her live performances.  ‘Live’ is exactly what her many fans have been waiting for, eleven of her favorite tunes, as performed on stage, by some of her favorite artists such as Big Mama Thorton, Dorothy LaBostrie, Willie Dixon, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Koko Taylor, including the powerful rendition of Thorton’s “Ball And Chain” that can give goosebumps to Janis Joplin fans.

This CD also features guitar powerhouse Laura Chavez, Marcos C., Jonny Viau, and Evan Caleb Yearsley rounding out one of the top hard working blues bands that San Diego has to offer, and dedicated to the late, great Candye Kane who has inspired and supported them since the inception.

Live’ was also engineered by Thomas Yearsley of The Paladins

Order her new VizzTone record now at caseyhensleymusic.com 

SAN DIEGO (September 17) – Friends and fans of Blues Harpman Aristotle Georgio gathered at Winton’s in Ocean Beach on Sunday to pay tribute and remember a great musician and lovable human being,

The club was packed all the way to the side walk out side where some enjoyed the music through the open air windows as musicians played and friends spoke of the OB regular who they remembered as Seargent friendly.

The show also raised money for Blues In The Schools, a cause that was close to Sergent Friendly’s heart.  Many times Aristotle and his blues friends had been participants at the Blues In The School Blues Camp helping to mold young minds in appreciation for blues music.  Sunday’s event raised more than $3,000 to pay the fee eight or nine youths wishing to attend next year.

Aristotle Georgio grew up in New Orleans, scoring his first harmonica on his thirteenth birthday. He went on to play with B.B. King, Bo Diddley, the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Jimmy Thackery, Robert Cray, and more.

He made Ocean Beach his home and played in several local bands including The Hurricanes from 1980 to 1985.

Aristotle spent his last few years touring with various bands and hanging out at jam sessions here and there.

This past July, Georgio was assaulted in the Gaslamp district.  He went into a coma and weeks later succumbed to his injuries on August 1st.

His legacy will live on in the children that will benefit from the generosity of the local blues community including the bands and musicians that performed for this special event:  the Moneymen, The Bayou Brothers, Jack Buttler & friends with Jerry Rainey, Dana Garett, John Khula, and John Frazer, and ending the show with The Stoney B. Blues Band

Photos by Eiji Fuller

Follow the links below to see and buy more photos

The Moneymen eijiphoto.pixieset.com/set1

The Bayou Brothers eijiphoto.pixieset.com/set2

Jack Buttler and friends eijiphoto.pixieset.com/set3

The Stoney B. Blues Band eijiphoto.pixieset.com/set4

Friens and Fans of Aristotle at Winstons eijiphoto.pixieset.com/crowdandeventshots

SAN DIEGO (September 8) – Elektric Voodoo charged the stage and lit it up to open the show at San Diego’s Music Box on Friday night.

A newly put together San Diego band (with the chops of a well-seasoned band), Elektric Voodoo blends Latin, afrobeat, deep space blues, and psychedelic rock and roll.  The masterful artistry of this tight seven-piece group encompassed the room in perfect eargasmic balance. The crowd was fully engaged, and the energy was palpable! Scott Tournet (founding member of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals) is the driving force behind Elektric Voodoo. His creative vision, determination and musical lineage combined with contributions of the perfect assemblage of equally talented musicians, deliver a fresh, delicious, danceable beat that you’re sure not to forget. Tournet’s vocals are kleeeeen… so kleen… Let me introduce you to the whole powerful 7-piece ensemble of magical proportion; Elektric Voodoo is Scott Tournet (vocals, guitar, harmonica) ,Matt Bozzone (drums/percussion), Ty Kiernan (congas, timbales, percussion), Travis Klien (tenor sax, keyboards, percussion), Brad Nash (baritone sax, percussion), Willie Fleming (trombone, vocals, percussion), and Luke Henning (bass).

You really must to do yourself a favor and check these guys out! Although I think the biggest part of the crowd tonight was here to see the fabulous Band of Gringos. When EV’s time was up for playing, they left us all wanting for more!

Only the remarkable Band of Gringos could follow a band like Elektric Voodoo with such confidence and ease. It’s clear to see why this power trio is the pride of Ocean Beach and why they were winners of the KAABOO Contest! That’s right! They will be rocking the Tourmaline stage at KAABOO this Saturday, September 16th at 3:20 pm!  Check them out!  They are Hendrix-inspired bluesy rock and roll hipster dynamite infusion in a bottle. A rocket of excitement to experience!  Band Members, Cody Sherman (Guitar& lead vocals), Spence Noble (Drums) Kasey Dring (Bass) not only deliver a bad ass show, it’s obvious they have a blast while doing it, Creating an epic vibe that translates throughout the room! YO Boys! Don’t forget the little people!

Although WYO was the headlining band and excellent, they were up against two unbelievable forces of musical genius unforeseen.  WYO is a rock band that originated in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with lead vocalist and keyboardist Andy Sorge, and multi-instrumentalist Scott McKay Gibson.

Hard to say which of the two opening bands stole the show this night, but neither left anyone disappointed and the Music Box acoustics and accommodations were the perfect accouterment to the highest standard!

San Diego is currently turning out the best of the best artists and venue alike in my humble opinion. So, get your BOOGIE ON and come check it out! You’re gonna like it!  –Gypsy

Please help us welcome our newest Boogie writer Gypsy by leaving a coment or a like to this page.

Photos by Eiji Fuller

Visit the links below to buy and see more photos

Elektric Voodoo: eijiphoto.pixieset.com/elektricvoodoo

Band of Gringos:  eijiphoto.pixieset.com/bandofgringos

WYO:  eijiphoto.pixieset.com/bandofgringos/wyo

Special thanks to the Baja Blues Fest Organization for inviting us to this very exciting show in Rosarito, Baja California.  Lots of great music, good times, beautiful weater, and warm hospitality.

The festivities always kicks off with a hot Friday night with drinking and dancing in the Rosarito Beach Salon Mexicano banquet hall as many of the featured artist come and enjoy playing together in a jam atmosphere much to the delight of the Baja Blues guests.

The next morning, an army of vendors and bartenders begin to prepare their booths for the many festival goers.

The party continues through Sunday afternoon with more jams with the musicians that hang out for one more day of fun and music.

This year’s 2017 music line-up was filled with fun and talented acts starting with San Diego’s Blue Largo, and Leilani & the Lost Ones, Hola Soy Lola from Mexico, The Nick Schnebelen Band from Kansas City, MO, San Diego’s own Backwater Blues band, featuring Mike Schermer, and the Kenny Neal Family Band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

It’s the perfect time of the year to visit Baja and enjoy Blues on the beach and for a great cause. In the past six years, the Baja Blues Fest has raised thousands of dollars to Baja Children’s educayion and well-being while promoting Baja as a safe and fun place to visit.

Don’t miss next year’s Baja Blues Fest.

Concert photos by Marilyn Stringer

First-night Photos by Laurie Swanson

Boogie at Baja photos by Valary Valenzano

Solana Beach, Calif. (August 23)  – More than 350 people gathered to welcome back Daring Greatly on Wednesday night at the Belly Up, returning from their long tour of Canada.   Many of those in attendance were friends that have been following the band while they had been living and performing in San Diego for the past two years, ever since Kenneth Rexrode introduced them at the Fallbrook Open Mic.  Others had never seen Daring Greatly before but had been hearing a lot of commotion about this amazing “hippie Revival” band with the “Blood Harmonies” and were here to see for themselves.

Acoustic duo, Jimmy & Enrique opened the night with several well-received numbers including Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall” which were sung entirely by the audience.

Excitement grew in the crowd as the lights went out and the Daring Greatly entered the stage.  Then, a burst of lights as they began to play the first song from their Cornerstones CD “Shine.”

After next playing a cover of The Guess Who’s “No Time,” they continued to do all of their songs from the CD and a few new ones from their upcoming album to be released in October.

Aside from occasionally bringing on their friend and studio bass player Jamie Moyer, the band invited Jimmy and Enrique to join them for a few songs as well as good friend Greg Douglass to play some Steve Miller tunes and then, a new friend from L.A. Saxophone player J Boykin.

For those who know the band well, this show was an emotional family reunion.  To those who came to see them for the first time, all the stories and hype became a reality, and no one left disappointed.

Blues, Soul, Swing, Jazz… Yep, she does it all! Between international tours and winning 2017’s “Best Blues Artist” at the San Diego Music Awards, Whitney Shay has us planning months ahead to coordinate with her packed schedule. There is no question that she is a consummate professional who brings so much more to the stage than just an amazingly powerful and unique voice – Apparently, that is what happens when your career starts off at the age of 3! Her knowledge and appreciation of music is as undeniable as the genuine soul that comes with each of her performances. Whitney is recognized in the San Diego community as one of the best in town and has a loyal following of peers who admire and respect both her music and the person she is. She shows up (early) to every gig with a smile, always quick with a laugh, and completely owns whatever stage she sets foot on. If you enjoy live music and have not heard Whitney Shay… sounds like you need to plan for an evening out. This month, we invite you to learn a little about someone we love a lot!

See the full interview at Acoustic Spot Talent

This week, Downtown San Diego Live features Janet Hammer, one of those new faces downtown, although she’s widely known in other parts of San Diego for her beautiful voice. She recently started performing regularly at Spike Africa’s Fresh Fish Grill & Bar, bringing a fun mix of jazz and swing tunes on Saturday night.

Janet’s music career is multifaceted. She actively performs at numerous venues throughout Southern California performing in small ensembles and with bands including The Mar Dels, the Ira Liss Big Band Jazz Machine, Storey Lines, The Xceptional Tribute to ABBA, and her own bands and groups; Rhythm Express, Double Take, Sweethearts of Swing, Corner Pocket, Harmony Express, and Classic Sass, and several more.

She has performed on several worldwide tours performing in 36 countries.   She has opened for such name acts as Sheryl Crow, The Pointer Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Righteous Brothers, and the Platters.  Some of the many notable artists that she has worked with are Grammy Award winners Paul Overstreet (27 top ten songs), Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets), Eric Marienthall (Chick Corea), Wayne Bergeron (Maynard Ferguson), Kristen Korb (Ray Brown), Holly Haufmann (flautist),  and many more.

Janet has recorded seven CDs of her own as well as national radio jingles and studio work for many projects.  The most recent CD she is featured on was nominated for best jazz recording of the year by San Diego Music Awards.  She is currently working on her eighth CD recording which will be a double CD.

It all started out as a musicians’ reunion show several years ago, to benefit two little girls who lost their father at a very young age. The show brought together some musicians that hadn’t played together since the 80’s and was so popular that they decided to continue as an annual event.

Last year, we met some amazing musicians that would probably never play in public again if it were not for this event, and we also met a new band called Gunner Gunner, who blew us away with air energy and talent. This year was another success with immensely talented musicians that returned to the stage, as well as the new talent that rocked us hard.

The 2017 reunion at Brick By Brick started perfectly with a Ramones tribute band called Hey Ho Lets Go, and the rock party was on!  They were an exciting way to start the show, bringing back Punk’s heyday with the fist pumping, head banging nostalgic rock that everybody loves.

Next up, Band of the Lost, a band of experienced musicians that rocked us with their new original music that they are due to record soon.  Band leader Trent Slatton, originally from San Diego, now a real estate agent in Los Angeles, returned home to play this show and lend support for the cause and the San Diego music community.

Bam Bam took the stage to play everyone’s favorite rock & roll cover tunes from the 80’s.

The new band introduced to us this year was a young three piece hard rock group out of L.A. called Electric Hound, and Electric is right!  Slinging their long hair, jumping all over the stage and playing some of the best original rock & roll with vintage tones, they set the stage on fire.  Be sure that we will be hearing more from this killer new band.

What followed Electric Hound’s exciting set was the most powerful rock & roll jam session of the year.  There were many jaw dropping moments with amazing impromptu sets of some of San Diego’s most amazing rockers, including stand out set with the talent of Norman Leggio, John Osmon, Anthony Lococo, and the incredible, jaw-dropping powerful voice of Mercedes Scalzitti.

All should be applauded for their contributions to a great show.  Can’t wait to see what founder and organizers Anthony Carrasco will bring us next year.  Acknowledgments go to Mark Rogow and David Zippy Zimmerman for helping to make this a great show.

Here are a few selected photos from this year’s show by Eiji Fuller

Hey Ho Lets Go

Band Of The Lost

Bam Bam

ElectricHound

To see more and purchase photos go to: Eijiphoto.pixieset.com.

San Diego Singer/Songwriters Veronica May and Sarah Rogo held a concert together at Lestat’s West Music Venue in Normal Heights on Sunday, with Rogo opening the show solo on electric, acoustic and resonator guitars.

Veronica May also brought on some very special guests Kelly Bowen and Aidyn Doiron and finishing the show with Sarah joining her on stage.

Photos by Eiji Fuller

Sarah Rogo

Veronica May with special guests Kelly Bowen and Aidyn Doiron

To see and order more images, go to eijiphoto.pixieset.com