Carnival of Soul

The blues continue to grow across the state. Sometimes the shows are booked after the Blues Beat deadline. For the most up-to-date information, Blues Beat recommends that you follow bands and venues. Jams seem to be on the return, and the Blues Beat News Blog will have a list so you can check them out, including the ones you might have missed.

Crystal Bees has a Thursday Patio Jam; this week, Patio Jam, Sal Iacabucci & Dreaming the Blues take the lead.

Saturday, Frankie and the Know-it-Alls are at Carmine’s Bar Grill & Stage. Also Saturday, 60 Cycle Hum Blues are at the 1741 Pub and Grill in Middlefield at 6 p.m. Dan Stevens continues his Pickin’ Party at Nightingale’s Café, also at 6 p.m.

Thursday is Blues Night with the Jerry Paul Band, at Riverview Waterfront Cookout in Seymour.

Creamery Station has a new album coming this month. Keep an eye out for the drop. They worked hard on this and are happy with the results.

“Creamery Station hopes you are doing well out there. Since we have all been quarantined in different locations, we sadly haven’t been able to play together in quite some time. Luckily, thanks to technology (and many hours laboring away by its keyboardist Jon Truelson) they have been able to put together a video of one of their new songs filmed mostly on cell phones. This is “The Better Of The Fools,” and yours to enjoy. Go to rb.gy/mbaevr/

Kenny Wayne Shepherd was inducted into the Northwest Louisiana Walk of Stars in June in Shreveport’s Red River District. He is the 32nd inductee. Shepherd was born and raised in Shreveport and began playing the guitar at age 7. At the age of 13, his career as a singer-songwriter began when he was invited on-stage by New Orleans bluesman Bryan Lee. This life-altering experience was the start of Shepherd’s musical journey as he swooned the crowd for hours with his amateur talents. Shepherd has not forgotten Lee, as he had him appear on his CDs. As well as the family offering him shelter during Katrina.

Here is a chance to hear the blues that we are all missing — the North Atlantic Blues Festival is virtual this year. Listen to the virtual NABF. All 11 bands will be featured in the order they were scheduled, starting with an interview with the musicians, then followed by playing the bands’ full CD. It’s scheduled for July 11-12 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., live streaming on KISSFM.NET.

The Big Blues Bender announced the rescheduling of the 7th Annual Big Blues Bender. Despite their best efforts, “there is no path forward that adequately ensures the health and safety of our guests while also providing a world-class “Bender Experience” that meets our standards. We are saddened to wait another year to once again experience the joy of the Bender with you all, but we’re hopeful that the time in between will produce solutions that will make us safer when we meet again,” organizers said.

The Bender will return Sept. 9-12, 2021, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and 98 percent of the artists from the 2020 lineup have agreed to attend in 2021. All existing 2020 Big Blues Bender reservations will be honored as 2021 reservations. If you intend to attend in 2021, no further action is necessary.

Living Blues Award Nominations are open. Voting is open to the public and is happening right now. To vote, go to rb.gy/bzjhqx

Jim Carty has an outdoor summer concert planned. You can message him if you want to attend. The line-up: Johnny Rawls with Ryan Hartt and Anthony Geraci. Go to rb.gy/rl4gqg

Don’t forget Anthony Geraci has a new CD, “Daydreams in Blue,” coming out July 10, and he’s planning on playing a special livestream show.

The Blues Foundation’s 2021 Blues Music Awards submissions process is now open. All musicians are invited to submit their blues recordings for consideration. Blues music released between Nov. 1, 2019 and Oct. 31, 2020 is eligible for consideration for a 2021 Blues Music Award Nomination.

You may now formally submit your album or minimum 6-song EP for consideration via its online service. This year, they have added the opportunity to submit a single for “Song of the Year” consideration even if you do not have a full album or EP released. To be eligible for submission, your single must be professionally released to the public for the first time between Nov. 1, 2019 and Oct. 31, 2020 and may not be part of a larger EP or full album release. To submit a single for “Song of the Year,” contact Joe Whitmer at joe@blues.org directly. Singles may not be directly uploaded to the online submission platform without a special code.

As a reminder, The Blues Foundation established the COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief Fund to assist full-time professional blues musicians living in North. This fund has been established to provide emergency relief and basic necessities.

As schedules and times change, it is good practice to call the club and confirm. Get the complete Blues Beat schedule on Thursday at the blog http://bluesbeatnews.wordpress.com/. Any questions or comments should be sent to Domenic Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com.