Robert Cray.

http://www.myspace.com/robertcray

I don't know how many times I have seen this band perform. I am sure the tickets stubs are in a box somewhere. The count doesn't matter but it is quite a few. All that really matters is the last performance anyway. I should say this one rocked. Not only was I a few feet from the performers but the whole night was really awesome...start to finish. A great night of blues music on a hot Summer night. There is no match. Music and my beloved South.

Thanks to all the performers for coming out and playing a great show. No rain, a great crowd, good food, great beer, Life is good. and (say it with me) until next time, I will see you down the road.

Before I go...let me mention an upcoming star...Danny Knowles.http://www.davyknowles.com/ I have heard many people talk about this guy. Produced by Peter Frampton. The connection to Robert Cray. Yes that is a pedigree....watch out...he is touring with Chickenfoot.... http://www.chickenfoot.us/ (Chickenfoot rocks baby)

This dude will be rocking you in the big arenas soon.

I was born in the back seat
Of a travellin' hurricane
I came up in the back streets
The city with no name
I was raised on trouble
Rock when I should roll
I never could control it
And I can't be controlled

I am what I am
I am the back door slam

When I walk down the streets
The streetlights go out
When I drive through your town
The dogs start to howl
I stand in the shadows
Sparks are in my hair
When I open up my mouth
My voice fills the air

I am what I am
I am the back door slam

People say
I'm charming
People say
I'm alarming
People can feel
The disturbance around me
I don't care what they say they see

I'm the dust in your broom
100 proof everclear
I'm the crack in your ceiling
Thump you think you hear
I'm a 3am phone call
Tank of gasoline
I'm a siren stopping
At the end of your street

I am what I am
I am the back door slam

Jim Pugh!

http://www.pastelmotif.com/bio.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm6QlQbdQ6o

Behind every great musician is another great musician. JIm Pugh is the one. He has penned some great Robert Cray Band songs.
i won't elaborate, Jim Pugh just plain rocks. 'Nuff said.

Robert Cray on Stage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lNx2-Bks50

Robert Cray. I have been a fan since 1984. Tonight I took 511 pictures. Yes I love this band. I remember buying his "Strong Persuader" cd the same day that I bought Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Couldn't Stand the Weather." I remember thinking that evening that music could never get better than this. I can remember having little parties with close friends and playing this cd over and over. What a classic.

Robert played for over ninety minutes straight though. No breaks, no water, not much banter in between songs, he was just in the zone. He played the old ones, he played the new ones about to be released. But when he played the classics off "Strong Persuader" you could feel the very large crowd start to sway and really get into it. Yes those were the days and yes yes...those were the songs we love.

You can give me an hour alone in a bank
Pay all my tickets, wipe the slate blank
You could buy me a car, fill up the tank
Tell me a boat full of lawyers just sank
But it ain't nothin' but a woman
Nothin' but a woman, no, no
Don't need nothin' but a woman
Any time I'm feelin' low

Well, you could fly us to Dallas on a jumbo-jet plane
If we run late and miss it, we can take the night train
When the pressure is on, things getting insane
Only one cure for that kind of strain

It ain't nothin' but a woman
Nothin' but a woman, no, no
Don't need nothin' but a woman, yeah, yeah
To get me through the show

I heard the Robert Cray Band was in Town...

http://www.robertcray.com/band.php

More from Shemika....

This was one great experience. When you see great live music you just realize that there is no substitute. At one point Shemika came out and sang with no microphone to a venue that can hold 7,000 people outdoors! And you know what...Not a sound from the audience except a few thousand jaw-drops. This woman has a voice. She has a soul. She has a famous daddy and a Mama who she asked for prayers for right from the stage as she is having some health problems. She is the real deal. I hope to see her again real soon. Loved it!

Shemika's Guitarist....

Can someone email me and tell me this guy's name? He was off the meter! What a great sound!
He was rocking those guitars...

Shemika Copeland.

http://www.shemekiacopeland.com/

http://www.myspace.com/shemekiacopeland

Shemika on stage. This woman can sing the blues. She gets it real honest as they say around here. Her Mama is from Down East North Carolina and her daddy was none other than the late Johnny Clyde Copeland a Texas blues guitar legend.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Copeland Johnny cut a cd with the late Albert Collins and Robert Cray called "Showdown" that frankly I wore out on my last cd player. He played with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn and of course anyone who really mattered in the blues world. Shemika picked up all this stuff and today she is a real walking encyclopedia of blues knowledge she sometimes shares on Sirius Blues channel 74. I love to listen to her talk. Recently when Koko Taylor died she made some very nice comments about her from personal experience. I have seen Koko perform http://www.kokotaylor.com/ and I would pick Shemika to take her place in this generation of female blues artists. Shemika did a tribute to Koko by playing "Wangdangdoodle."and all I can say is it rocked!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxCa16-nxtM

Mel Melton aka Cookie Boy!

http://www.myspace.com/wickedmojos

Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos opened the nights proceedings by rocking the whole venue. As you can tell from the link above anytime these guys play you are taken right to the Deep South where zydeco and cajun music rule the gulf coast in the land of Louisiana. Mel is a top-shelf cajun chef and a talented performer. In fact he fed me at the show. This was not the first time and certainly not the last. His place had a tent serving gumbo and some awesome Macque chou. Oh man...it did rock me....You should visit his place for great food and music.

http://www.papamojosroadhouse.com/

As you can see from his link he is pals with the like of Sonny Landreth http://www.sonnylandreth.com/ who as you know plays with everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Eric Clapton. Clifton and CJ Chenier...it goes on and on. Mel is the real deal. His band is top notch and you can read about them online.

I have seen Mel perform many times as you can see in my past blog posts. He never fails to put a smile on my face. I am a Southern boy at heart and that will never go away. It was very cool to chat with him after the show. You could see from the smile on his face he was having an awesome time. Yes, yes it was a good night and just getting started.

Max Drake.

http://www.myspace.com/edsel500

Max Drake on stage with Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos. Max is from a town about seven miles from where I sit as I write this, Stoneville, North Carolina. Max can play it and he can play it good. I always like to hear him rock on stage. His influences are very cool as you can see from his Myspace music page.

The Koka Booth Amplitheatre in Cary, NC

http://www.boothamphitheatre.com/

As the bands were setting up I stepped away from my seat to snap this shot of the stage area. I really like this venue. Set on a lake in the woods right in the middle of Cary, this place makes you feel like you are a million miles from civilization yet you are less than a mile from I-40. At one point during the evening the lightning was exploding to the south and the tree frogs were singing louder than the band on stage. Very cool indeed.

A Parting Shot...

Nadirah Shakoor and Jeff Pike.

This is my favorite picture from the over two hundred I took last night. It sort of captures the fun and passion from last nights show. Nadirah is a very talented singer and no one has to really add anything to that description when you listen to her. She said she will be celebrating an important birthday in Paris later this year when she plays with Jimmy again at la Cigale in France. http://www.lacigale.fr/en/ I had no idea she was that ....young! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXpcMUZzjrg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hanGIAZTAsA&feature=related

And the link below...another video with my pals John Frinzi http://www.johnfrinzi.com/on guitar and Doyle Grisham on pedal steel. http://www.gulfsteelmusic.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzH3Xwtowuo&feature=related


It was a great night on the town with my daughter Alex and her friend Meghann. Laissez bon ton roule mon amies.

See ya down the road....

More from the stage

The one hundred or so lucky folks at the show last night had a blast I can tell you....another special night, you had to be there...

Nadirah Shakoor...

Nadirah and Jeff on stage last night.

http://www.myspace.com/nadirahshakoor

Check out the track 'When this War is Over" on Nadirah's Myspace page. It features Sonny Landreth on guitar and Jimmy Buffett on backing vocals. Very nice... and she played that one last night.

The A1A Band

A1A on stage at Margaritaville last night. http://www.jeffpike.com/sys-tmpl/door/ Jeff and the gang rocked the stage last night.

After a full-on thunderstorm knocked the power out to the whole Broadway on the Beach complex, power was restored. I think the band could have generated the electricity last night if the power company had let us down though...

I should mention the folks at Margaritaville never disappoint when it comes to throwing a party. Full lanyards and laminated tickets in everyones nice gift bag. A very nice touch. It was also nice to be in a reserved section right beside Nadirah and her family. The service was very good last night and the food is always great. Awesome fun!

I stopped by Magaritaville Last Night...

Myrtle Beach. http://www.margaritavillemyrtlebeach.com/

It was the 5th anniversary of this location. I was there when it opened for the soft opening and it seems like yesterday.
A great time was had by all. More on that in a moment.

Jakob Dylan....

Last night I was transported to another place. What a great show. I had spent the last couple of days sequencing everything to get to this show on time. I love it when a plan comes together!

The whole show was utterly fantastic. It was everything I expected and more. I have all the music. I know the history. The band played on a very high level. In fact towards the end of the show Jakob said "We have a very special friend we would like to invite out to play with us." I thought who could this be?...but I knew we were getting ready to have a special moment. "Ladies & gentlemen...Audley Freed. I thought "ok excellent I have seen this guy play before and he can flat-out rock." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audley_Freed
And he did...In fact his Marshall amp was directly in front of me and his solos were so spot on you could tell his ability basically blew everyone else off the stage. Don't get me wrong, there were no bad players on that stage. This guy is just that great. Of course you don't play with the likes of Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, or Joe Perry without some serious talent.

I just really cannot say enough about this show as words do not capture the moment. Sometimes you just have to be there. And if you weren't I wish you had been. I am already thinking about another Jakob Dylan show this year. More to come on that.
In the meantime I will add some links to some Wallflowers videos ... a few of my favorites by this band.

There is something brewing this week that could be very cool. I will keep you posted. In the meantime...I will see YOU down the road....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKZa0RjwqMY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLqOwiZ8n5I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KdHuZXWxGo

The Bob Dylan Spawn on Stage.

One word. OK a three word abbreviation. OMG.

Jakob Dylan & the Wallflowers Last Night.

OK I am running out of things to say about the nights when something special is on stage. This was my first Jakob Dylan live performance. What a freakin' night!!! OK I had those passes that let you in before the crowd and pick your position for the show. Most excellent. Front row center standing room only general admission. I never tire of the HOB. THe crowd was excellent. I think I made friends with everyone in an 8 foot perimeter of me. The Jones sisters Ola & Layla of Charleston as well as a lady and her daughter who had driven all the way from Orlando to see this show. That is what I call a road trip.

Wild Light on Stage....

I really liked the opening act last night....Wild Light.http://www.myspace.com/wildlight

The reason I put this particular picture on my blog is I really like that bass!! I just got a new one last week so right now I am really into basses....and Ampeg amps. These guys rocked the stage and I liked every song. I would buy the cd. I don't always say that.
The cool thing about this band is something I have noticed with many of the great new bands lately...they switch instruments during the set. The bass was played by at least three people...yes that is talent. A sign of a good band.

Check Wild Light out on Myspace and listen to the tunes. They rocked the stage last night. Excellent.

More Art.

Before i get to the main story I wanted to share this photo I quickly took as I went into the venue for the show. The staff at this place is wonderful. I had a blast out back at the bar during Happy Hour and made a couple of more friends. You can never have too many friends. Great place! I always love shows at the House of Blues. You would never know the "Blues Brothers" is my favorite movie ever...

The Art on the Wall at the House of Blues Myrtle Beach.

OK I really like art....

http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/myrtlebeach/