CHICAGO, IL. (Top40 Charts/
Chicago Blues Tour) - Blues University and the City of
Chicago invite music fans to celebrate the vitality of the blues, from
Chicago and beyond, on Saturday, January 16th. Join the
Chicago Blues Tour, a 'pub crawl' event, connecting 8 of Chicago's famous lounges featuring live blues as it departs from the 'hub' of the tour,
Lizzie McNeill's, at 400 N. McClurg Ct. Tickets ($45) include all transportation and admission charges for a nightlong blues adventure, with 12 live blues bands performing all night long. Buses depart from Lizzie's every ten to twenty minutes from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., and then begin shuttling between clubs until 2:00 a.m. Tickets are available through the
Chicago Blues Tour website, www.chicagobluestour.com, or by phone via Ticketweb at 866.468.3401. A limited supply of tickets may be available at the door, but advance tickets are strongly recommended, as the tour often sells out. For further information, visit the website or call the toll-free BluesLine at 866-LIVEBLUES (866-548-3258). Maps, schedules, and an FAQ are also updated frequently at the website.
The Tour continues its tradition of featuring emerging blues artists and the dynamic evolution of blues, with 'young gun' guitarists Travis Feaster, Noah Wotherspoon, and Samantha Fish, who write original songs that push the idiom in new directions, from Feaster's blues-rock twist on Southern Soul, to Wotherspoon's psychedelic-glam spin on Delta rhythms and narrative. Rising guitar stars like 'Chicago Blues Challenge' finalists Chainsaw Dupont and Toronzo Cannon, as well as favorites of Chicago's soul-blues underground, Super Percy and Fantastic L-Roy, and even Chicago veterans like Killer Ray Allison and Vance Kelly, infuse their blues with inventive hybrids of jazz, rock, soul, funk, and even hip-hop elements. The Tour emphasizes off-the-beaten-path, classic lounges on Chicago's south and west side blues circuits, with audiences drawn from the neighborhood, who favor entertaining variety over purity of tradition.
The Chicago BluesTour, now entering its 20th anniversary year, is part of a slate of 'Chicago Blues Weekend' events (www.bluesweekend.com) that are anchored by Buddy Guy's legendary annual stand at Legends. The events also include weekend 'Blues Shuttles' to clubs featuring West Side Soul, South Side guitarists, Blues Women, and Chicago's famed 'Blues Alley' on the North Side, as well as a visit from a traveling showcase, the Kansas City Blues Caravan, at Rosa's.
Blues University sponsors classes and events that expand the understanding and audience for blues music. The Chicago Blues Tour, which showcases the wide variety of modern blues talent on display in Chicago, began in 1990 as the West Side Blues Tour and has expanded in scope to include live blues venues throughout Chicago, and has helped promote blues with assistance from the Mayor's Office of Special Events since 1998. Blues U. maintains an online archive of blues information and also launched a blues news service, BluesWire, in 2008.
Winter 2010 Chicago Blues Tour PARTICIPATING CLUBS AND PERFORMERS:
LIZZIE MC NEILL'S, 400 N. McCLURG, 312- 467-1992
MC: CRAZY KATIE
(continuous music from 8:30 p.m.) ('Young Guns of Blues Guitar')
� WT FEASTER BAND (from Indianapolis)
� NOAH WOTHERSPOON BAND (from Cincinnati)
TASTE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER 6331 S. LOWE, 773-873-6700
(continuous music from 8 p.m.)
� SUPER PERCY & HIS SOUL CLIQUE
� SAMANTHA FISH BAND featuring special guests Lewis Cowdrey & John Paul Drum
('Kansas City Blues Caravan')
CHECKERBOARD LOUNGE 5201 S. HARPER, 773-684-1472
(9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.)
VANCE KELLY & THE BACKSTREET BLUES BAND
LEE'S UNLEADED BLUES 7401 S. SOUTH CHICAGO, 773-493-3477
(8:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
SHORTY MACK & THE MAGNIFICENT BAND
with special guest MZ. PEACHEZ
LINDA'S PLACE 1044 W. 51ST ST., 773-373-2351
(8:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
FANTASTIC L-ROY & THE BULLETPROOF BAND
THE WATER HOLE, 1400 S. WESTERN AVE., 312-243-7988
(7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
(continuous music from 7:30 p.m.)
� CHAINSAW DUPONT AND THE BLUES WARRIORS
� ROUGH CUT
FOR THE GOOD TIMES LOUNGE, 5545 S. DAMEN AVE., 773-310-0398
(8:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.)
'KILLER' RAY ALLISON & THE KILLER BAND
ROSA'S LOUNGE, 3420 ARMITAGE AVE., 773-342-0452
(continuous music from 8 p.m.)
� TORONZO CANNON & THE CANNONBALL EXPRESS
� TAILDRAGGER & HIS CHICAGO BLUES BAND
CHICAGO BLUES WEEKEND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
(full details: www.chicagobluesweekend.com)
Friday, Jan. 15
Buddy Guy appears at Legends
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash
Advance Tickets required: www.etix.com, $40
9PM
Blues Shuttle: BLUES WOMEN, GUITAR, & HARMONICA:
NORTH SIDE/WEST SIDE
Congress Hotel Tap, 520 S. Michigan
Advance Tickets required: www.chicagobluesweekend.com, $55
departs 8:50, 9:50, 10:50 PM (returns you to Congress Hotel)
3- 1/2 hour Blues Shuttle departs from the Congress Hotel and includes admission & transport to the following shows
� Kansas City Blues Caravan at Rosa's Lounge
� West Side All-Stars at Catfish Corner
� Blues Women Showcase at Blue Chicago
Saturday, Jan. 16
'REAL GUITAR HEROES' CD AUTOGRAPHING SESSION
Congress Hotel Tap, 520 S. Michigan
5PM to 7PM
8 blues guitarists meet and greet fans before the start of Chicago Blues Tour:
Vance Kelly, Toronzo Cannon, Noah Wotherspoon, Travis Feaster, Samantha Fish, Chainsaw Dupont, Killer Ray Allison, Lewis Cowdrey
Chicago Blues Tour: 8 CLUBS, 12 BANDS pub crawl
Advance Tickets recommended: www.chicagobluestour.com, $45
Lizzie McNeill's, 400 N. McClurg Ct.
8PM
Sunday, Jan. 17
Gospel Brunch
House of Blues, 329 N Dearborn St.
Advance Tickets required: (312) 923-2000, $37.50, (buy 3, get one free)
10 AM
Buddy Guy appears at Legends
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash
Advance Tickets required: www.etix.com, $40
9PM
Blues Shuttle: SOUTH SIDE GUITAR / WEST SIDE SOUL
Congress Hotel Tap, 520 S. Michigan
Advance Tickets required: www.chicagobluesweekend.com, $55
departs 6:45, 8:00PM (returns you to Congress Hotel)
5- hour Blues Shuttle departs from the Congress Hotel and includes admission & transport to the following shows
� Smilin' Bobby / Elmo James Jr. at Keynote Lounge
� Killer Ray Allison at For The Good Times Lounge
� Shorty's West Side All-Stars/Willie White at Gene's Playmate Lounge
Blues Shuttle: BLUES WOMEN & GUITAR - NORTH SIDE
Congress Hotel Tap, 520 S. Michigan
Advance Tickets required: www.chicagobluesweekend.com, $55
departs 8:50, 9:50 PM (returns you to Congress Hotel)
5- hour Blues Shuttle departs from the Congress Hotel and includes admission & transport to 3 of Chicago's premier blues clubs
� Peaches Staten / Blues divas at B.L.U.E.S.
� Charlie Love & the Silky Smooth Blues Band at Kingston Mines
� Lindsey Alexander & L.A.B.B. at Kingston Mines
� Blues Women Showcase at Blue Chicago
