This is the last edition of BLUES JUNCTION in 2011. Our first year as a monthly on-line magazine has been a success. The readership has exceeded even my wildest expectations. We set out to do something a little different in the world of on-line journalism and we have succeeded in doing that as well.

My vision was to present something in between the every other month blues magazines that come out in print and the up to the second blues news blogs that are so ubiquitous. I wanted the word to stand alone as something of value and not just a vehicle to click onto something else. I wanted to offer a quality reading experience for music fans who wanted to take that next step.

The question for me was would anybody be interested in old fashioned print magazine length articles on the web? Have attention spans been shortened to the point where this style of writing no longer has value? The fact is I didn’t care. I was going to do it without the compromise and corruption that is often the hallmark of writing in the blues world. When I began this endeavor on 1-1-11, I knew BLUES JUNCTION was not for everybody, the question remained however, was it for anybody?

One of the things that I have observed about blues journalism through the years is that there was very little writing that went outside the blues tent. When it did reach beyond our little playground it was always to suck up to 60’s and 70’s era rock stars or to the next blonde guitar god. 

Would blues fans sit still long enough to read about musicians who are steeped in the blues but whose recorded catalogues are found in other sections of the record store like Kenny Burrell, Joey DeFrancesco, Los Fabulocos and Dave Alvin for instance? Would anyone be interested in reading historical pieces that go beyond the same revisionism and clichés that permeate the blues world?  Would a large audience want to read about emerging original talents like the Mighty Mojo Prophets or Gino Matteo?  Would folks want to read editorial commentary that went beyond the usual, “its blues so it has to be good” mentality that is pervasive out there? Would people have the intellectual honesty and integrity to re-evaluate established paradigms?  Would people want to hear from someone whose loyalty isn’t tied to a “non-profit” foundation or society. Would people want to hear from writers who are not paid by the artists themselves to write a positive review?  

The answer to all these questions came very quickly and it was a resounding YES.

The other primary goal of BLUES JUNCTION was to be a place, a junction if you will, where creative people could come together to express themselves. For me this has been the most gratifying part of this endeavor. Photographers Billy Wayne Turner, Mike Lovato, Alex Gardner, Brad Elligood, Dee Wallace, Bobbi Goodman, Diana Stoddard and Chris Corbett have made wonderful contributions to BLUES JUNCTION in the past year.

I have contended that when you are in a gathering, the musicians are often the smartest people in the room. This of course depends on the room and the musicians, but I was thrilled when pianist Fred Kaplan came forward and offered to share with our readers some of his essays on blues history. Fred’s writing speaks to one of the truths that I hold dear and that is, “the more you know about something the more you know you don’t know.”

Other musicians came forward and made valuable contributions to the e-zine as well. Sam Andrew, who is one of the founders of the San Francisco based blues-rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, contributed an interesting article this year about Bay area blues women. In the piece, he discussed the blues history of that region. Last summer, L.A. area based blues musician Jeff Dale approached me with an idea for a story that has come to symbolize what this e-zine is all about. His piece entitled Sweeter Home Chicago is one of my favorites. My own brother, who happens to be an accomplished musician, also contributed a story earlier this year.

Ms. Marci, a bassist and songwriter from Boston, was kind enough to share with our readers an appreciation of her friend, and one of our musical heroes, the recently departed Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Most recently we ran an article written by harp player, nightclub owner and blues DJ Bob Corritore who wrote an appreciation of George “Mojo” Buford, who passed away in October. As Bob Margolin stated a few weeks ago, “Death has been hungry this year.”  Many of us have lost loved ones. While, as I said, it has been a great year for us, it has also been a time of sadness and loss.

One of the great experiences for me over the past year has been collaborating with our first guest writer, Julie Jenkins. I first met Julie at a benefit concert entitled, Blues for the Gulf. BLUES JUNCTION Productions produced the event that took place on September 26^th,2010. It was part of a global initiative which provided financial relief for victims of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that occurred earlier that year.

What has become the core of the BLUES JUNCTION family coalesced through that benefit. In the days that followed the concert, that was at best only a modest success, I spoke to Julie and was bemoaning the fact that I could have done better. She said something that virtually insured we would become lifelong friends and that is, “When you make a sacrifice in order to help others there is no failure.”  Julie is moving to New York City this week. The upper west side will never be the same and their gain is our loss. Taking an upbeat and positive approach to this news, I think of this development as gaining another east coast correspondent. 

A key figure in the BLUES JUNCTION story this year is another bass player, Kennan Shaw. Kennan was introduced to me by Julie and has contributed three very interesting articles to date which I think are as entertaining as they are intriguing. He also was a direct inspiration for an article entitled That Place Where Things Mean Nothing. That article is the very unlikely companion piece to a story I wrote a couple of months earlier entitled The Red Bass. 

These two articles were the most read pieces in BLUES JUNCTION until the September issue when we published a story entitled Catching the Next Blue Wave. It, by far and away, was the most popular essay to appear in the e-zine. I have not been to a gig since that article appeared online without receiving kudos for writing the editorial. The article, which actually sat on the shelf for months, turned out to be a game changer for BLUES JUNCTION. Our readership has grown exponentially as folks from all over the world have reposted the missive and shared it with friends. The letters I have received have been overwhelming and humbling as this piece has resonated with so many people. Thanks to all of you for your very kind words.      

As our readership grows, it has been very gratifying to be able to work with a man whose love of history and sociology has led him to an exploration of the great American music that is the blues. Erwin Bosman from Belgium has contributed several fine articles in the past few months which I find very entertaining. I am glad so many of our readers feel the same way.

When working with Erwin on his pieces, I am often humbled as to the effect America’s music has had on the world. I am also faced with the reality that despite the fact that English is Erwin’s third language, even his unedited work has better grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure than what I often read out there in the public domain by writers whose first and only language is English. What had become the gradual “dumbing down” of America has accelerated in recent years and there seems to be an ever increasing value placed on stupid. I am very grateful that our readers here at BLUES JUNCTION have decided to eschew this ethos.

I mention all this as a way to point out that our archived section of the site has been overhauled and upgraded.  Now for the first time every article by every contributing writer is online in this section of the site. All of the photo essays by our contributing photographers can also be found in this section. Many of the articles I have written through the last several months are there as well. Additionally, there are pieces that date back to 2010 before the monthly magazine concept took hold and I was blogging on the subject of blues music. Back in those days only a 100 or so readers a day visited the JUNCTION, so I thought it would be a good idea to dust some of those off and make them available to a larger audience as well. We will continue to “tweak” this section so as to make each article as easy to reference as possible.

A true sense of teamwork and camaraderie has come to symbolize the BLUES JUNCTION family over the past twelve months. I would especially like to thank our writers and photographers. It has been one of the great joys of my life to work with so many dedicated and talented people. I would also like to thank the folks that work behind the scenes, our legal counsel, fact checkers, associate editor and technical support crew for without their hard work and dedication, this dream of mine that is BLUES JUNCTION would not be possible.

I would like to give a special shout out to our readers. Thanks also to the good folks out there at the various blues societies across the country who have posted our link to their sites. I have enjoyed corresponding with many of you on our favorite subject. I am continually inspired by your passion, dedication and commitment to this art form. You have already taken that first step by embracing this timeless and beautiful music. Many more of you have taken the next step which is to look deeper into the endless sea of history that this music evokes. Understanding this history is a never ending journey that leads directly to the future of the blues. I thank all of you for your story ideas and comments about what you have read here at BLUES JUNCTION.

2012 promises to be a big year for BLUES JUNCTION Productions. We look forward to having you with us on our journey through the past and into the future. We are after all a junction of ideas and a crossroads of thought. Your participation in BLUES JUNCTION is what makes this such a rewarding endeavor.

As we head into the holiday season and the end of our first year as a monthly online magazine, I would especially like to thank the musicians out there who not only have been so supportive of our endeavors, but continue to inspire me. It has always been my unattainable goal to try and communicate my thoughts as eloquently as you do through your music.  Scribes like me will never be able to do this as compellingly. Music describes the human condition in ways that words alone can never achieve. It is why we keep trying. After all it is the journey and not the destination.

Peace, love and soul.... and Happy Holidays to all of you.

- David Mac