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 AT SWEETWATER, CA |
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Text and Photos by Dorothy L. Hill |
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TOUR DATES
April 01 Little Bear (Evergreen,CO.) April 06 Dan Electros Guitar Bar (Houston,TX.) April 07 McDavid Studio (Ft. Worth, TX) April 14 Maxs' Garage (Muskogee,OK.) April 15 B.B.'s Jazz and Blues (St. Louis,MO.) April 21 Dallas Guitar Show (Dallad,Tx.) April 22 Dallas Guitar Show (Dallas,Tx.) May 06 Gruene Hall (New Braunfels,TX.) May 10 Rib Room (Ft. Smith, ARK.) May 11 Mr. Luckys (Tulsa, OK) June 08 Dans Siverleaf (Denton,TX.) June 09 Texas Theater (Waxahachie,TX.) June 16 T-Bone Walker BluesFest -Music City Texas (Linden,TX.) |
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The Sweetwater is a renowned musical venue in the sleepy suburb of Mill Valley, California across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. They cater to roots music fans and, on the occasion of March 20, 2007, the Texas guitar slinger Bugs Henderson and the Shuffle Kings made an appearance. Driving up in their van with a trailer hitched to the back, they unloaded a vast amount of equipment and made their way into the club which was oblivious to the band’s arrival since they were there enjoying a happy hour on this Tuesday evening when the club does not regularly book music. By the time the band took to the stage, there was a fair amount of patrons there for the music. |
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Henderson opened up the set with a short instrumental which then led into a more intense blues exhibition. He introduced the other two members of the band, Keith Jones on bass and Linda Waring on drums and then made a pitch for the merchandise on sale stating that they needed the money to make their way to Bakersfield that night (they were headed to Las Vegas for a gig at the House of Blues Courtyard in Las Vegas the next evening - such is the life of a bluesman!). His version of the Lou Ann Barton tune, “Rocket In My Pocket” demonstrated good vocal rhythmic control and an effortless flurry of sounds emanating from the guitar with a judicious use of reverb. On the tune “Look What Love Can Do For You” Henderson’s incredibly versatile guitar chops were well on display and drummer Waring kept the groove insistent. For the slow grinding, “Jelly Roll,” Henderson switched guitars and his finger-picking guitar style was an experimental delight. |
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Henderson told some great tales throughout the night but the one about the Town Pump in Tulsa, Oklahoma was extraordinarily scintillating, where the action was so interesting to him that he stayed four hours and then wrote a song about it which he proceeded to perform. The kicker to the tale is that it involved all women (probably not so shocking in the cosmopolitan area of San Francisco). Henderson’s rockish “Ticket To Ride” was a standout performance of dynamic guitar styling complemented by vocals which revealed his southern accent to good effect. With a nod to country-western, “Tom’s Trip To Texas,” captured a groove that showcased the talent of bassist, Keith Jones. |
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 In the second set, the band did a witty demonstration of the components of shuffle blues egged on by Henderson who then led them on an excursion of heavy dose guitar styling ending with a compelling rendition of “Linda Lu.” Henderson gave kudos to the person he called his mentor, James Burton, who became his friend and taught him the chords to “Hello Mary Lou” and his exploration on this country-western jump tune was vibrant. The highlight of the evening was a tune which sounded very much like “Perfidia” and segued into “Raw-Hide” in an absolutely beautiful and brilliant romp that went from tasteful to kicking guitar licks that inventively interpreted the melody. This was a prodigious experimentation by an accomplished musician with the vision to take chances with musical elements. Henderson’s repertoire on this evening covered a wide range of styles but there was enough blues to please any fan of this genre and his explorations on other styles had a bluesy influence that was evident whether it was funky (like on “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Honky Tonk”) or rock tunes. His unique style of right and left hand techniques on guitar was striking and he demonstrated an uncanny way with dynamic layered sounds that sizzled but had depth. I was impressed with his ability to endlessly interest the audience with his mastery and charming humor. >>>>> Dorothy L. Hill |
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Press Release For Immediate Release March 29, 2007
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Press Release For Immediate Release March 29, 2007
SWEETWATER PRESENTS Thursday, April 5, 2007 8:30PM $15 suggested donation Local artists unite to raise money for Sweetwater’s sound system For over 30 years, Sweetwater has been home to thousands of artists including The Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur, Vinyl, LUCE, Shana Morrison and many more. Tonight, Sweetwater is proud to have several local artists who have also been performing here for many years who are passionate about supporting the club. They include; Heather Combs, Larkin Gayl, Cole Tate, Aram Danesh, Michael LaMacchia, Lynn Asher , Jimmy Dillon, Ozzie Ahlers, Austin deLone, and members of Vinyl, plus other surprise guests. Sweetwater is loved by musicians and patrons alike for the many ways it supports the community. The club is known for putting on hugely successful fund raisers year after year for worthy causes such as; The Chernobyl Children’s Project, M.D. Rock for Hope, Breast Cancer Research, Jerry Day, as well as raising funds for countless musician’s who have fallen on hard times. Tonight, Sweetwater is reaching out to the community once again to help raise money to replace the club’s aging sound system. Owner’s Becky and Thom Steere greatly appreciate the ongoing support they have received from musician’s and patrons over the years saying that Sweetwater for them is a labor of love and is their way of supporting the community, local musician’s, as well as legendary artists who return again and again to play this very special place musician’s call home. Although the suggested donation is $15, Sweetwater welcomes larger donations to put the new sound system in place. |
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