On Paul Fasulo & the Jumbo Jam benefit

What a touching article about two friends, two wonderful musicians who share a horrible disease. I hate CANCER! Thank you Candye, my Spirit Sister! ~Angie, Torrance,CA

On Leroy Carr

Erwin’s perception of romanticizing the blues was spot on and needs to be repeated often and loudly. Leroy Carr was intentionally ignored by modern blues writers because he was "too old timey" and just a "piano player". Leroy Carr was a MAJOR star, outselling many of his peers, all across America. Black record buying tastes changed over the years due to northern migration and record company marketing, but many major blues artists after him were seriously influenced by his musical style and popularity. Many Black artists who came along after WW2 became the white blues writers "discovery" in the 1960's and Leroy Carr was conveniently left out, along with several other highly influential artists that shaped the post-war blues sound to come. "Blues history", as we know it is not very accurate, as it has been highly romanticized. But, the truth is really out there. It just requires some digging first. ~ Fred Kaplan, Camarillo, CA

On A Blues Man in a Tourist Town

Hey Dave it is great to see you still have fond memories of our days back in Houston. I am also very glad you are making new ones out in your native California. We sure had a great time in the heights at all those funky joints. The article was like a lot of others you have written, it was just plain fun. I always thought that was what this music is all about. Your joy for the blues and anything else you write about comes through in your essays. ~ Bobby, Houston, TX

Surf music in a blues ezine. Leave it up to you Mac to keep us guessing. ~ Ralph, Bend, OR

Surf music... REALLY ?? ~ Steve, Pensacola, FL

OK Dave I loved the great sunset photo but no shots of girls in bikini’s? You are losing your touch bro. Next February when we are up to are *ss in snow. I want a BLUES JUNCTION swimsuit issue or I am cancelling my subscription. ~ Joseph, Madison, WI

On The Out of Towners

Alex Gardner captured that event to the "T". I was one of those "Out of Towners" wandering around this weird Hollywood when we ran into the Duke Robillard Show. Wow what an amazing talent. I had a great time but I kind of wish I was hanging with David Mac at the beach. Duke comes through Iowa now and again but our waves stink out here. ~ Brent, Cedar Rapids, IA

On Catching up with a Legend

I LOVED reading about Jimmy McCkracklin. He is one of those guys too few have written about through the years. It is the kind of article that I can count on every month from BLUES JUNCTION. Julie and the other writers on this ezine treat these true American heroes that never really got their just due, in my opinion, with the respect they deserve. Keep it up! ~ Tammy, Richmond, CA

On Ruff Cut Blues Band and the HART Fund

It seems a little strange to have to go to Califonia to get an album made by Anson and a bunch of Texans but no matter. It is a great record and I am glad to help the HART Fund. Thanks much David. ~ Billy, Austin, TX

On New Orleans Jukebox

I loved the last two New Orleans Jukeboxes but what about the Dirty Dozen Brass Band? ~ Kelly, Baton Rouge, LA

 On Catching the Next Blue Wave

 You sure know how to write a story. Thank you for doing your part. One problem is that the blues societies need to realize that they don’t own the blues. Music is to be shared and enjoyed by all. If these societies would leave their ego at the door and support each other guess who would win? We all would win. By "all" I mean the artists themselves. These are the guys making a living by doing what they do. They drive day and night to make it to the next gig. By sharing and not being so inclusive, the audiences would grow. Hey LABS it is not your music, it is OUR music. It is not about your little organization but about all of us.~ Billy, Newhall, CA

"Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it." ~ Emily Dickinson - Your honesty is courageous to say the least Dave. I am amazed by all the great talent that is out at this very moment, all around our country. Our state alone is filled with some of the best talent around, yet you can walk into any local bar and hear classic rock cover bands that are listed as a blues band. I suppose that is actually better than hearing them play actual "blues" poorly, which, as you mentioned, can turn a new ear away forever and further stigmatize the word 'blues'. When a young talent like Shawn Pittman for instance is burnt out and giving up on this business because he can't get booked and paid an honest dollar, something is seriously wrong. We do need to support the good shows and try and avoid the bad ones. Your honest commentary on the LABS is commended. BLUSD as you pointed out in this article and wrote about a couple of months back, seems to be a stellar example of both supporting the talented existing, and educating the new upcoming, performers in this genre we love. This is a "society" I would be happy to be a part of. As you and Kennan mention, there is a lot of GOOD these groups/societies can do. Glad some of these organisations get it right. The others just need to educate themselves, realize they can actually kill the genre they claim they are "Keepin’ Alive". Paid dues doesn’t have anything to do with the merit of a particular band. Now is the time to Catch the Next Blues Wave because indeed the surf's UP and we've been handed some pretty off the hook overhead waves! ~ Leslie, Santa Cruz, CA

Wow! I just read your article entitled "Catching the Next Blue Wave". It interested me on several levels. I started playing in So Cal in 1979. We played our first few gigs as "The Blue Babies" and when I booked us at one club they asked me if we were a New Wave Band as that’s all they booked. I hesitated and said we were a Blue Wave Band and after some confusion he gave us the gig. When we showed up that night the marquee read "Blue Wave Band" and we laughed...and kept that name for 10 years and released two records under that banner. I enjoyed reading about Hollywood Fats and that time period and all the great bands and musicians you mentioned...many of whom I played with. I also applaud your dedication to the music and the attention you bring to the difficulties of trying to be a professional blues player in LA. I don’t understand the blues society landscape here or the politics that govern them but they aren’t helping me out that’s for sure. Releasing my new CD next month and playing at Typhoon in Santa Monica on Oct 11 for a CD release party. It would be great to see you there Dave. Thanks again for the great article and callin 'em likes you sees 'em. ~ Jeff, Los Angeles,CA

Note: The next two "letters to the editor" appeared on what I call wall art or more specifically Art Martel’s Facebook wall.

 Dave, great article I wholeheartedly agree. It’s so hard trying to book a great band like the 44's and Lil A and the Allnighters in local clubs for what they should be getting not the 2-3 or $400 the owners want to pay because a cover blues band will take the $200!!! They are killing our local blues scene! I love what Cadillac Zack is doing with his Blues Jam. Thats how a blues jam should be done! Thank You for having the balls to say what we all know is the truth.~ Leonard Ortiz

David Mac speaks the truth in his article. It’s more important than ever to keep the quality high in live blues. I know some good younger up and coming blues artists that we will hopefully be promoting in the future. The bad bar blues bands of the 1990s and 2000s literally killed blues. If you want to play blues out live, it’s a good idea to study it for years and years before you start showcasing your band. Instead, what happens is bands form and three weeks later they hit the local bars, playing for $200, all the while using the most unimaginative, threadbare song list of blues top 40 hits. The worst offenders are the ones whose members clearly don't own any blues records and have obviously not done their homework, and yet they still call themselves a blues band, which confuses and burns out the public (potential blues fans). There' a big difference between the lifers and the dilettantes. I could write a 500 page manifesto on the current state of the blues world, but it would just piss people off. Instead I have decided, in my very small way, to just promote the great artists that I personally think deserve recognition. The last 20 years of this has been fun though admittedly not very profitable. One thing is for sure, if solely left up to the clubs, 99% of the scene would be lowest common denominator and the unimaginative blues bands. ~Cadillac Zack 

Dave because of your candid article the cat is out of the hat. I, like your self, can’t join any blues society as it represents an obvious conflict of interest. I have had discussions with the Los Angeles Blues Society (LABS) folks and expressed to them some of the same concerns you wrote about in this article. 

Many years ago I did belong to the Southern California Blues Society (SCBS). I took an interest in them for the shows that they were providing to the general public. The SCBS focused on the current crop of Southern California blues players as well as traveling blues musicians who happened to be in town, they also did quarterly functions similar to what Cadillac Zack is doing now on a weekly basis. They were supporting the real cats of the day. 

Blues societies, I feel, have a responsibility to see to it that the musicians have a room to play in while traveling through town. It is hard for me to fathom the thought that you can gig in a room for a LABS event just by being a card carrying member.  

I talk to out of town blues musicians quite a bit looking for work in town and a lot of time while in California their shows stop in San Diego or up in Northern California but skip the L.A. area all together. This as you know wasn’t always the case.  

There is some sort of disconnect between the LABS and the real blues musicians. It seems rather than be a nucleous to the real working blues musicians who make a living at making music, they support the blues by holding jams. This disconnect is a real shame.  

We have the best blues musicians in Southern California as part of the highly respected West Coast Blues Scene that is revered worldwide. To a lot of up and coming musicians they do not know of this part of the history, because rarely do they have a chance to see the real deal players.  

Am I stuck in the past and not moving forward with the genre? I don't think so. There are many up and coming blues band's out there who are playing their music (blues) with respect to the tradition and yet making fresh and exciting music that has their own personal stamp on it. Most of these musicians were mentored by the blues players that I came up with back when I was attending many of those SCBS events. I don’t see much of that going on anymore. Like I said it has to do with that "disconnect" and it is a shame.  

I will continue to try my very best to present the real deal players out there with the help and support of the real blues lovers here in Sourthern California. ~ Art Martel 

Just read 'Catching the next Blue Wave' and I'm thrilled to see someone so impassioned speaking so strongly and articulately. You make a number of strong points. As you know, there are a lot of us out there who value our music and see it as a treasure. We have to somehow find a way to convince the rest of the world of that. ~ Michael Kinsman,San Diego, CA 

DM: I was hoping to at least hear from one member of LABS that wasn’t asleep at the switch that would point out what I am about to. That is, Kelly Zirbes, a prominent LABS member, organized a fund raiser for the City of Hope. Many of the bands on the bill were also LABS members.  Lorey's Blues for Hope, held on August 29th of this year raised, what I have been told was $7,000 for this worthwhile cause. There are always two sides to every story and this without a doubt is where I would start in telling the other side. Congratulations LABS on a successful and worthwhile event.