I have had the flu this week. Actually that was last week. My normal strategy, which is to ignore such ailments and pretend that I am immune to such maladies, usually works. This time it backfired and I now have bronchitis at least that is what the doctor told me. The only thing I have been able to do is sleep and watch TV. I prefer sleep.

Reading takes more effort than TV. I have always thought the reward was worth the extra effort but I am so wiped out I can’t even get into a good page turner.  As I was staring at the boob tube, it seemed like one particular commercial kept coming on the set. It managed to be slightly more obnoxious than the rest. It was a bunch of nerds standing around staring at their handheld communication devices. They were engaging in some kind of one upsmanship as they were berating one another for not getting information disseminated fast enough. “That was so 17 seconds ago.”

Part of the brainwashing that television delivers is that there is a very high value placed on artificial obsolescence. I get that. New products must be sold. The old ones just won’t do. We live in a society in which the next thing is better than the last thing just by virtue of being the next thing. This ethos bleeds into all aspects of our lives and our culture. The interesting thing is that the harder music, architecture, fashion and/or design try to be modern or cutting edge the sooner they go out of fashion. That thing looks silly and dated almost immediately. It is in fact forced obsolescence.

It has always been my contention, and our mantra, here at BLUES JUNCTION that good blues music is timeless and so is a good story. The universal themes that bring us together as humans are timeless as well. That is why blues music continues to resonate with people from all walks of life and in places all over the globe.

We have always gone about our business out here at BLUES JUNCTION a little differently. We chose NOT to take advantage of the one key features of the internet, which is speed. We decided from the outset that we could distinguish ourselves by simply slowing things down a bit. In the world of on-line blues journalism or web sites, the “blues news you can use” approach is quite popular.  We decided to be feature driven.  The need to update people on events instantly reminds me of the guys at the nerd tailgate party in that commercial who are filled with pride that they found out about a trivial piece of information a few seconds faster than one of their friends. This applies to the blues world as well.  “We are backstage at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Three seconds ago Eden Brent removed a small piece of tissue paper from her left pump.” I guess that’s good to know.

While the rest of the cyber world flies by at supersonic speed, BLUES JUNCTION is going to cruise through your life in a ’57 Bel Aire. We will ease by slow enough that you can examine the chrome and smell the leather upholstery. Now don’t misunderstand me, over the past several months we have discussed recordings weeks in advance of their street date and have done features on new and emerging artists. If this information happens to be newsworthy, then so be it. We certainly hope that the topics we cover are timely and, more importantly, we hope they are timeless.

It remains very gratifying that so many people have gravitated to this approach to on-line journalism. I also think that folks have begun to tire of artists paying writers, editors and publishers for positive CD and performance reviews. The corruption and compromise that permeate so many aspects of our culture have found their way into blues journalism and we are delighted the public is thirsty for something more. Blues fans gravitate to this music not because it is like the rest of the frantic world we live in. They come to the blues because it is different.  Thanks for coming to BLUES JUNCTION and recognizing the difference. We hope you take your time and enjoy our features. I also hope you feel it is time well spent.

Speaking of time well spent...

I was on the phone on Thursday, January 18^th, with the always effusive Julie Jenkins. She had just arrived in New York City and was between unpacking and packing for the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. We were discussing how to approach the story that would tell our readers of her cross country journey. 

Part way through a lively conversation that was not threatening to end anytime soon, my phone blew up with folks trying to cut in. I don’t put people on hold very often and I wasn’t going to do it now. As the calls kept coming my first thought was “who died”. I walked back over to my computer and sure enough the Los Angeles Times had just announced that Johnny Otis had passed away on Tuesday.

It was then that I realized that “news” would dictate the content of the February edition of our little corner of the cyber world. What I didn’t know was that 24 hours later the news would break that Etta James had passed away on Friday morning. Now it is certainly open to debate as to whether or not discussing these two icons of American music two weeks after their passing constitutes news. However their passing did dictate the shape of the February edition of BLUES JUNCTION. These two individuals died only 50 miles away from one another and three days apart.

I told Julie that she just got “bumped”. Her story is timeless and will still be relevant next month.

The careers of these two giants of the music world are intertwined. It was Otis who discovered the teenager with beautiful, powerful and emotionally charged vocal chops. Otis wrote and produced Etta’s first single. Years later Etta would record with the guitar phenom Shuggie Otis, Johnny’s oldest son.

Read a short personal appreciation of Etta James. Also we have ten Etta James tunes in the February installment of Jukebox at the JUNCTION. These tunes are from ten different albums spanning seven decades.

Trying to write a thorough examination of the life of Johnny Otis turned out to be a monumental task. Keeping an appreciation of the man commonly referred to as the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues shorter than the screenplay to Dr. Zhivago was a challenge as well. I hope my obituary of Johnny Otis stimulates further study on your part into one of the most interesting figures to stride across the American cultural landscape.

Additionally, enjoy two features that relate to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention and trade show that took place in January. This annual event held in Anaheim, California,  usually stimulates a few thoughts from yours truly, as it did this year. We also have a terrific photo essay from Billy Wayne Turner and Alex Gardner that takes you inside the Anaheim Convention Center.

We’re happy to have an essay by Kennan Shaw. Kennan shares with our readers his ruminations on casting his ballot for the Blues Music Awards. It is always great to get Kennan’s inside perspective on the blues music world. I hope you enjoy his wit and wisdom as much as I do.

We also have an interesting treatise from another regular contributor, Erwin Bosman. Enjoy his thoughts on the inevitability and the curative power of the blues.

Check out our photo essay on the January installment of the World Class Blues in the O.C. This show featured the Blues Music Award nominated band The Mighty Mojo Prophets and guitarist extraordinaire Brophy Dale. It was Brophy’s first time playing in the Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, CA. As he was setting up, he asked his drummer Ron Felton, who had played this room before, “What’s the sound like in here?” Ron smiled and said, “It’s the best I have ever heard.” I know you don’t see music but I am like the rest of you in that I enjoy the artistry of the great photographers that contribute to BLUES JUNCTION. Enjoy a photo essay from Alex Gardner, Mike Lovato and Chris Corbett who shot this event.  

Also check out the tab that reads: World Class Blues in the O.C./Coming Attractions. The multiple 2011 Blues Music Award nominee, Terry Hanck is coming down from the bay area to play on Sunday, February 11^th. We’re happy to announce that Terry’s fellow bay area resident, John Nemeth is playing the Tiki Bar Saturday February 10^th. Both Hanck and Nemeth represent the more soulful side of the blues. That heritage stretches backs to the likes of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Milton, O.V. Wright, Little Junior Parker, Johnny Ace and others.  If their careers took place a half a century ago, I could picture both of these men recording for Don Robey on his Duke/Peacock label. Check our links page for more info on the Tiki Bar. If you are an Orange County resident, or from anywhere else for that matter, come to the Tiki Bar on the second weekend of the month for a good old fashioned soul massage from two giants on the contemporary blues scene.

One of the great things about Southern California is that it is big and we have lots of entertainment options.  On Saturday, March 10^th, Art Martel and his Straight up Blues Productions is putting on a show that features three different bands. Red Lotus Revue and Lil “A” & The Allnighters are opening up for the Rick Holmstrom Trio which features bassist Jeff Turmes and percussionist, Stephen Hodges. To start listing these three players’ recording credits and accomplishments would take all day. It should be noted however that over the past several years they have traveled the globe as the core backup band for Mavis Staples. For more information on this show check out the tab that reads Straight up Blues - Coming Events.

Very few things leave me speechless. This bronchitis has done something that no one has been able to do... and that is to get me to shut the hell up. I have, for the time being, all but lost my voice. Now that’s news. I was forced to cancel two interviews that were going to appear in the February edition of BLUES JUNCTION. These stories are timeless enough to grace a future edition of this ezine. I look forward to sharing them with you. In the meantime enjoy the peace and quiet.

- David Mac