First Bluesman Convention Appearance of 2008 and more!

Greetings, Bluesman-iacs! It’s been a busy month here at Bluesman central as we square away the final details prior to our debut early next month. But we’re never too busy to pass along a little good news to folks looking for some so, without further adieu, on with the show, this is it!

Bluesman Debuts at MoCCA Art Festival
New York City, June 7th, 8th 2008.

Lord willing and if the creek don’t rise, the first copies of the new Bluesman Hardcover will make their glorious appearance at the MoCCA Art Festical in New York City. Regardless of the aforementioned creek (but with the Lord still willing), I will be attending said Art Festival in my first ever visit to the nation’s other capital

You can read more about the festival here but suffice it to say that the exhibitor list is borderline ridiculous with all the talent slated to attend. Keep an eye out for details in the days to come about a special Bluesman event in New York City on Sunday after the convention or pester me about it personally at bluesmanproject@gmail.com if you plan to attend and want more information.

Bluesman trailer mash-up at Amazon blog

I got a lot of good feedback from friends and readers on the Bluesman Flash trailer now available at the NBM website, Youtube, and MySpace. Many of you enjoyed Robert Butler’s expert Flash designed but wondered, like Todd Lynch of Oklahoma City, “Is there supposed to be a soundtrack? I'm not hearing anything.”

Well, the answer is no and yes. I’ve been working on score for this trailer with Ryan Jones, who did most of the heavy-lifting music for the Inanna’s Tears trailer last year. While Ryan and I are edging ever closer to finish said score, timeliness dictated that we would release this silent version first in order to help promote Bluesman before its official release. I’m hoping to have the scored version assembled and up online in time for the debut at MoCCA.

That said, blogger Jeff VanderMeer offered this ingenious solution and drove several hundred people to check out the trailer in the process. Merci beacoup to M. VanderMeer. Y’all show him some love and check out his excellent blog, would ya?

New Bluesman Interview at Sequential Tart

Last but most certainly not least, Rebecca Buchanan has published this Bluesman-centric interview at Sequential Tart this week. Rebecca wrote one of the first reviews on The Castaways back when it was being serialized in the Absence of Ink Theatre and it’s always a pleasure to chat with her. Here’s a small excerpt where I give a recommend listening list to new blues fans. Some good music in here for any likeminded folks out there.

ST: Have you always been a blues fan, or did you become one while researching Bluesman? If so, can you recommend some great blues to someone new to the style?

RV: I got turned on to the blues when I was a teenager. I'm not the kind of blues fan that listens to it to the exclusion of all other music, but I've met very few people who are. With a tradition like the blues that is over a hundred years old, there are different periods and styles that might appeal to people for different reasons. Here's a few short lists of artists to check out across the span — your readers should be able to run any of these tunes down on iTunes or Amazon.

Pre-WWII

• Blind Willie Johnson — Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground
• Tampa Red — Tight Like That
• Skip James — Devil Got My Woman
• Lonnie Johnson — Hot Fingers
• Ma Rainey — Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
• Bukka White — Shake 'Em on Down
• Blind Lemon Jefferson — See that my Grave is Kept Clean
• Son House — John the Revelator
• Bessie Smith — Any Woman's Blues
• Blind Willie McTell — Georgia Rag
• Robert Johnson — Cross Road Blues
• Charley Patton — High Water Everywhere

1950-1970

• Sonny Boy Williamson II — Eyesight to the Blind
• Howling Wolf — Evil
• Muddy Waters — Mannish Boy
• BB King — Sweet Little Angel (preferably from Live at the Regal)
• Albert King — Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
• Buddy Guy — I Got a Strange Feeling
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson — Hot Little Mama
• Magic Sam — Love Me With a Feeling
• Michael Bloomfield — Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong
• Otis Rush — She's a Good 'Un
• Nina Simone — I Put a Spell on You
• Eric Clapton/John Mayall — Hideaway
• John Lee Hooker — This Land is Nobody's Land
• Lightnin' Hopkins — Please Settle it in Vietnam
• Janis Joplin — Kozmik Blues
• Johnny Winter — Highway 61 Revisted
• Jimi Hendrix — Red House

1970 to the present

• Freddie King — Woman Across the River
• Taj Mahal — The Cuckoo
• Roy Buchanan — The Messiah Will Come Again
• Maggie Bell — Coming on Strong
• Snooks Eaglin — Funky Malaguena
• Hound Dog Taylor — Give Me Back My Wig
• Bonnie Raitt — Angel from Montgomery
• Stevie Ray Vaughan — Scuttle Buttin'
• Robert Cray — Got To Make a Comeback
• Tracy Nelson — Tennessee Blues
• Otis Taylor — Saint Martha Blues
• Jeff Healey — Confidence Man
• R.L. Burnside — Glory Be

That’s all the news I’ve got for now. Stay tuned for updates (hopefully this week) on the Bluesman event at MoCCA Art Festival!