Welcome to the October edition of BLUES JUNCTION. Before we move forward, I thought it might be appropriate to take a quick look back on what is rapidly becoming a wonderful annual tradition, the San Diego Blues Festival.

When smart, thoughtful, decent people do the right things, for the right reasons, good things are not only possible they are likely. This ethos is what imbues the San Diego Blues Festival. The 2015 presentation of this two day event bore witness to this fact. The beneficiaries of this event are the Jacob & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.

San Diego’s official nickname is America’s Finest City and on the weekend of September 26^th and 27^th, 2015, it sure seemed to live up to that lofty moniker. It didn’t hurt that this assessment was made from the festival’s home, Embarcadero Marina Park North. The park that sits on a spit of land which juts into the bay is adjacent to the city’s idyllic Shoreline Village and its bay front pedestrian walkway. It is within walking distance of a variety of hotels which make the blues festival the centerpiece of an end of summer or in this case, the second weekend of fall, vacation.

The festival’s producer Michael Kinsman again put together a wonderful lineup of artists who speak with a wide variety of blues accents. Regional acts who held their own with
international blues stars played on two alternating stages a couple hundred yards apart at either end of the park. They gave the large crowd a taste of what makes America’s most beloved international export so special.

As always the festival’s volunteers were delightful and efficient “pros” who help make this weekend something special. I urge you to check out our links page to learn more about the Jacob & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. Thanks always to Michael Kinsman and his staff for making the San Diego Blues Festival a highlight of the blues calendar.

Speaking of moving forward while looking back we finally have the long awaited official street date on the new Nikki Hill album, Heavy Hearts Hard Fists - October 16^th. Hill, a veteran of The San Diego Blues Festival, just made her debut at the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival where according to Downbeat magazine, “She nearly stole the show.” Even though I reviewed the CD back in July for the August edition of BLUES JUNCTION, I thought it would be timely to put that review back on the top shelf here in October.

Our Monthly Artist Spotlight this month shines on Jim Pugh. Many of our readers know him from his quarter century as a member of the Robert Cray Band. However, while Jim and I spent some time discussing that experience and others in his long and successful career, we focused on his latest, and by my way of thinking his most important, project, The Little Village Foundation. Enjoy a conversation I had with Jim Pugh where we discuss his road to the Little Village and beyond.

Two of the four releases on the Little Village label are reviewed here in the October edition of our ezine. Read my thoughts on the release by guitarist and vocalist Ron Thompson and Rick Estrin’s musings surrounding the recording of the release by Wee Willie Walker.

Our Monthly Album Spotlight shines on the October 16^th release of the album by Anthony Geraci and the Boston Blues All-Stars, Fifty Shades of Blue. This CD along with the brand new release by Andy Santana and the West Coast Playboys entitled Watch Your Step, also coming out on the same day, are both on the Delta Groove Music label.

Speaking of brand new music I urge you to check out the Recommended Listening portion of the website.

Last month Anthony Geraci was kind enough to submit a list of albums from his personal library which he considers “Essential Listening.” Long time friend, supporter and contributor to BLUES JUNCTION, Al Blake has done the same. Enjoy a list of what Al considers essential listening. Interestingly enough both lists contain two of the same albums. One of these is Otis Spann is the Blues which is the subject of our on-going feature entitled, Re-Visited.

I thought the timing was right to bring back what is one our readers’ favorite interviews ever to appear in the “pages” of BLUES JUNCTION. It is my interview with Al Blake. This interview which took place a few years ago, as much as anything, has defined our brand and what we are all about here at BLUES JUNCTION.

October means different things to different people. Oktoberfest, the Texas State Fair and Halloween are all associated with this, the first full month of fall. For me it represents the climax of the long baseball season culminating in the fall classic, the World Series. I have always found that two of my favorite American cultural institutions have much in common and I discuss some of those things in a piece called Baseball and Blues Music. 

It was great having the chance to meet some of our readers in person for the first time out at the San Diego Blues Festival a couple of weeks ago. I appreciate those of you who took the time to come up to me, introduce yourselves and to say hello. That means a lot.

It is also great to hear from Oslo. This morning I woke up to this email from a reader from Norway with whom I have never corresponded. 

“Thanks for being a beacon of truthfulness and competence in a blues world full of bullshit artists, promoters and reviewers. Keep it up, please!!!!! regards, Thomas”

Thank you Thomas, your kind words and making a contribution via our new PayPal button means, yes I will keep it up. Take care, be well and be in touch.

- David Mac