[2007 Discoveries] [2006 Discoveries] [2004 Discoveries] [2003 Discoveries]
[Discounts] [Delano Blues] [Butanes] [Swamp Twisters] [Michael "Hook" Deutsch] [The Hollywood]
Once in awhile we hear of a club that has started to book live blues music. The Hat Trick Lounge in downtown St. Paul is the newest location to hear live music, including blues, on Friday and Saturday evenings. Check out the website.
Both the Italian Pie Shoppe AND The Coffee Grounds are offering discounts to BOTH Blues Foundation members and GTCBMS members !!! In addition, Dave, from Coffee Grounds, welcomes Blues musicians to perform there. Only thing is that it is for tips. He realizes people prefer to be paid. I encourage everyone to patronize these Blues supporting establishments ! Thank you, your Blues Ambassador, Roz
Blues Coming to Delano, MN - A New Jam Starts Up
Scotty's Irish Pub, 248 River Street in Delano, has decided to bring some blues jammin' to their fair city. Every Thursday, from now until further notice, from 8:00 PM until 12:00 Midnight, Moses Oakland, Rick Roussell, Jason Craft and Dean Weisser will be your hosts.
Congratulations to the Butanes for their 2005 award for Best Blues Band by City Pages. The Butanes include Curtis Obeda (guitar and vocals), Virgil Nelson (organ), John Lindberg (bass) and Robb Stupka (drums). Also, congratulations to Famous Daves for their 2005 award for Best Blues Bar by City Pages.
Swamp Twisters ... they're just a twist of the familiar
(Photo
by Tom Asp)
We know Charles Lawson and Ed Petsche for their "Maxwell Street" styled Blues-gigs at the Viking Bar Thursday evenings. But they've added a twist to the familiar and that twist is John Gwynn, drummer. The trio call themselves the Swamp Twisters. Gigs are advertised on the blues message board, sometimes on KFAI, and sometimes directly by Charles. The band is Ed Petsche, guitar (originally from Jamacia Queens, NY) Charles Lawson, guitar & vox (originally from the Midwest) and John Gwynn, drums (originally from Las Vegas). Charles describes the music of the Swamp Twisters as hard-driving, loud, rhythmic Maxwell Street style Blues plus Chicago, Louisiana, Texas, Swamp Pop, and Minnesota Blues. Charles adds that they use crappy little amps turned up way too loud with Charlie shouting over the top! Mix it all together and you have the Swamp Twisters. The Society was entertained in Blues photographer Tom Asp's backyard by these musicians last year at the appreciation picnic and they are quite decent and quite Blues. Charles and Ed have been playing together for seven years at the Viking Bar on Thursdays. Ed played with Paul "Brooklyn Slim" Oscher back in the 60s. John Gwynn has been playing with them for five years and also plays with a group named the Knotwells. Charles has been an active force in our Blues community for decades and he has his prints on so many positives in our Blues community. For example, he was the first fundraising director for KFAI; in the 80s he participated in the former Minnesota Blues Society; he worked to get former Mayor Fraser to proclaim October 16th as "Twin Cities Blues Musician Day" in Minnesota. In days gone by, you may have heard Charles also play with his former band, CrazyLegs, or with the Wallets, King Snakes, Chaconnes or the Supernaturals.
The Society's last newsletter contained a story that mentioned Michael "Hook" Deutsch. A college student picked up the story and decided to photograph Mike playing the piano for his journalism class project (and he received an A+). You can check it out by going to http://current.com/items/76260042_hook.htm (link updated 10/15/09).
Long ago and far away (on the "West Side" of St. Paul) some people approached the owner of the Brown Derby Lounge and asked him for his two slowest days. He gave them Thursday and Sunday, and they began a show/jam session that lasted for over ten years, through several ownership changes and produced some of the finest music around. A comprehensive list of the characters who hung around this thing would be impossible, but a few of the regulars would include: Andy Bailey, Joe Juliano, Curtis Marlatt, Gerry Francis, Dave Wiegert, Toby Marshall, Steve Daly, Donald Thomas, Hye Pockets Robertson, Leon McCormick, Doug James, Buiscuit Miller, Fuzzy Garnett, Moses Oakland and literally hundreds of jammers over the years.
End of history lesson. Fast forward to the present.
The club owner who started that tradition has bought a place on Hwy 13 in Prior Lake called the Hollywood Bar & Grill. He's asked some of the old Brown Derby band to play there Wednesday nights. Currently, the core of the band is Gerry Francis: bass/vocs., Dave Wiegert: keys and Donald Thomas: drums/vocs. I believe the guitar chair is going to rotate. Moses Oakland played there last night. It was a LOT of fun.
It's a nice place, for those of you who don't mind driving, and the local crowd seems to be enjoying the scene. I haven't seen as healthy a crowd on a Wednesday night in a long time. Perhaps blues (and "bluesy" and soul/R&B) does stand a chance somewhere in the suburbs. Come check it out -- any Wednesday, starts at 9:00.
Hollywood Bar & Grill
16691 Hwy 13 S
Prior Lake, MN 55372 - 9559
(952) 440-9800
Contact Us
page last updated:
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
