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Blues Festival Press Release
Monmouth, IL, August 8, 2008 — Some of the most innovative blues performers in the nation will descend on the Rivoli Theatre stage for the second annual MonmnouthBlues.com blues festival, on Saturday, October 25th. This day-long event will feature national and regional acts, an open mic jam and rib dinners by Eddie Burton.
The theme of this year’s festival is Deep Blue Innovators. The festival will highlight artists with a traditional “blues soul” but who are also taking innovative approaches to their music, providing something new to this classical genre of American music.
Regional performers Charlie Hayes and Joel Fleming will light up the stage as an acoustic guitar and harmonica duo. They will perform classic and new blues songs enhanced by smoking hot improvised jams.
The Matthew Skoller Band (www.matthewskoller.com) will bring down the house with their Chicago-style harmonica blues. Skoller is an innovative song writer and well-known blues record producer. His unique songs blend classical blues themes with our modern, twenty-first century lives.
Moanin’ Michelle Malone (www.michellemalone.com) travels to Monmouth from the deep south. Her hard driving acoustic and electric blues feel like a blend of Bonnie Rait and Keith Richards. Event organizer Paul Schuytema first heard Michelle Malone’s album, Sugerfoot, on the House of Blues Radio hour. It was musical love at first listen.
"Sugarfoot is as raw, magnificent, dirty and low down as anything you'll ever want to hear in blues music," explained Dan "Elwood" Aykroyd, host of the House of Blues Radio Hour.
Headlining the festival is legendary guitarist Lurrie Bell (www.lurrie.com). Son of blues legend Carey Bell, Lurrie is one of the finest Chicago-style blues guitarists in the country.
Bell first hit the blues stage at the age of 15, and hasn’t looked back since. Growing up in a famous blues family, Lurrie met, played with and toured with the giants of the blues genre. Along the way, he has been recorded on more than 50 blues albums.
Bell was voted Most Outstanding Guitar Player in the 2007 Living Blues magazine critics poll. Bell’s most recent album, Let’s Talk About Love, was produced by longtime friend and associate Matthew Skoller. As Skoller observed on the liner notes for Let’s Talk About Love, “Lurrie is now a blues master at a needed time when there are very few blues masters left.”
The Rivoli Theatre, with is remodeled interior and state of the art sound system, is an intimate, unforgettable location to watch this performers work their craft. Anyone who has performed or seen one of the MonmouthBlues.com events at the Rivoli can attest to the quality of the sound and the comfort of the venue.
Mark your calendars, call your friends and plan to spend October 25th with some of the finest blues musicians in the country. The Deep Blue Innovators Blues Festival will be an unforgettable day of music.
Tickets are $14 prior to the show and will be $17 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online now or at the following local businesses in late August: Monmouth (Bijou Pub, Daw Violins), Galesburg (Cherry Street Guitars, MusicMakers, Capitol Music), Macomb (Capitol Music) and Burlington (Weird Harolds). Doors will open at 2pm and the show will start at 2:30pm.
MonmouthBlues.com is an initiative to bring great live blues music to the Monmouth area, as well as highlight local talent already playing around the region. Concert information, local events and event tickets can all be found online at www.MonmouthBlues.com.
08.08.2008. 12:30
Announcing the 2008 Festival Line-Up!
Well friends, the wait is finally over! We started working to put together the lineup for the 2008 festival late last fall, and now we're ready to let you know.
As you know, the theme for this year's festival is Deep Blue Innovators. We are bringing you artists that have their souls firmly set in the blues, but are doing interesting and innovative things to push the genre forward. Here is your 2008 lineup:
The festival will be at the historic Rivoli Theatre on October 25th, 2008. Tickets are avaialble now online, and will be avaialble locally in mid August. Doors will open at 2pm with the first act starting around 2:30pm. Of course, we'll also tempt your taste buds with rib dinners from the famous Eddie B!
Check back here often--over the coming weeks, we'll run features on each of these amazing musicians. Mark your calendar and we'll see you at the show!
07.22.2008. 09:49
Kelly Richey Show a Huge Success
The June 21st Kelly Richey show was a huge success!
Opening act Jones, Johnson and Hawkins took that stage at 7:30 and delivered over an hour of amazing rock and blues songs from the Allman Brothers to Santana. The Kelly Richey Band, just in from an outdoor show at Canton, Ohio (where they played to a crowd of 10,000) delivered a sizzling two hours of music, featuring many original songs and quite a few blues and rock classics. The oncore of All Along the Watchtower was just amazing! Kelly and the band hung out with fans after the show and already we're working on a date when we can bring her back to the Rivoli. Thanks to everyone who attended the show!07.21.2008. 14:11
Kelly Richey Concert Details
With just three weeks to go until our awesome "here comes summer" bash, featuring the Kelly Richey Band with Jones, Johnson & Hawkins, we wanted to provide some logistical event details. Here goes:
First, tickets. You can purchase them online by clicking the Shop menu item above. Online tickets will be mailed to you, but if you purchase them less than seven business days before the show, we'll email you a confirmation and have the tickets waiting for you at the door. Tickets can also be found at these regional establishments: Monmouth (Bijou Pub, Daw Violins), Galesburg (Cherry Street Guitars, MusicMakers, Capitol Music), Macomb (Capitol Music) and Burlington (Weird Harolds). Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door of the Rivoli
The doors will open at 7pm, and Jones, Johnson & Hawkins will hit the stage around 7:30. This is an over 21 show, but youngers can come with their parents or guardians. The Rivoli is connected to the Bijou Pub, so there is a full bar right there (from standard fair to more esoteric beers and drinks like Black & Tans and Absinthe).
Where is the Rivoli? The address is 219 S. Main Street, Monmouth, IL. There is strteet parking, a lot next to the theater plus parking in the square, a block north of the venus. Here is a map to the venue:
View Larger Map
We can't wait to meet knew faces and see some old friends at the show. Remember, supporting these MonmouthBlues.com shows helps us ensure quality music in the future. Thanks so much for your support!
05.31.2008. 13:00
Kelly Richey in the River Cities Reader
Mike Schulz, Art Editor of the River Cities Reader, just shot me a link to an interview he did with Kelly Richey last year. Click here to check it out!05.29.2008. 17:51
Kelly Richey Videos
Below are a pair of Kelly Richey concert videos that will blow your mind. In these clips, you'll see Kelly tear through some blues classics with wicked guitar jams and powerful vocals. Just a little over three weeks until the show--we'll see you there!
YouTube.com video of Hey Joe:Link to video on GuitarPlayerTV: click here.
05.28.2008. 10:29
Kelly Richey Poster
Were are starting to distribute the Kelly Richey Band concert poster, as well as tickets, to local businesses this weekend. We thought you might like a peek:
05.16.2008. 12:29
Kelly Richey Band Releases New CD
The Kelly Richey Band has just released a new CD entitled Carry The Light.
This CD, Richey's 11th, features all original blues and blues rock compositions that simply rock harder than anything we've heard in a long time. Blending virtuoso guitar playing, driving vocals and sparse, powerful arrangements, these songs will stick with you long after that first listen.
As Vintage Guitar Magazine has said:
"On these nine original cuts, the Strat-wielding guitarist interprets and expands on the great sounds of the masters, but with many original touches."
We are jazzed to have The Kelly Richey Band join us for a Summer Solstice celebration on June 21--mark your calendars and plan to attend--you'll want to hear this music live!
You can purchase Carry The Light here.
05.07.2008. 17:35
Local Blues Rockers to Open for KRB
Local blues and blues-rock phenoms Jones, Johnson & Hawkins have signed on to open the show for The Kelly Richey Band. This power trio delivers "in the pocket" blues jams that will get you out of your seats and swaying to the music.
You don't want to miss this--two killer bands to rock in the summer of 2008. We'll see you at the show!
Jones, Johnson & Hawkins (aka J.J. Hawk) was formed by three of Galesburgs' finest musicians: Chuck Jones (Drums, Vocals) Ian Johnson (Guitar, Vocals) and Curtis Hawkins (Bass) in an effort to play the best non-over played music in the area.
With a set list consisting of soul, funk, traditional and contemporary blues, blues rock and jam, the band has left crowds begging for more everywhere they've been! For booking information, please contact Curtis at 309-337-4100.
05.07.2008. 17:19
Blues Festival Theme
We are proud to announce the theme for the 2008 MonmouthBlues.com blues festival: Deep Blue Innovators.
The festival will feature a line up of amazing musicians, each with a true blue soul, but each pushing and stretching the boundaries of the blues, from guitar playing to songwriting.
Look to this site over the coming weeks as we announce the lineup of this year's festival--one thing is for sure, it's going to be an awesome event!.
01.08.2008. 11:11
Kelly Richey Band in Monmouth
Just announced! The smokin' hot Kelly Richey Band will appear at the Rivoli Theatre on Satruday, June 21.
MonmouthBlues.com realized that once a year just isn't enough, so we thought we'd welcome summer with an awesome show.
“Stevie Ray Vaughn trapped in a woman's body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out.” This is how one critic describes Kelly Richey, a blues-based rock virtuoso. Kelly Richey’s guitar proficiency has earned her comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan while gaining her a place on stage with blues legends, Albert King and Lonnie Mack. Richey has opened for artists such as James Brown, Johnny and Edgar Winter, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. As one journalist put it, “Imagine a cross between Bonnie Raitt and Ruth Brown and you’ve only begun to get the picture.”
More details to come soon. Be sure to check out Kelly Richey's website. as well as the band's MySpace page.
01.08.2008. 10:58
2008 Date Set!
The date for the 2008 MonmouthBlues.com Bluesfest has been set! It will be held at the awesome Rivoli Theatre on Saturday, October 25th, 2008. Mark your calendars! Check back here soon for news on the theme of this year's fest, plus some exciting headliner news.12.04.2007. 11:44
Looking for Artists for 2008
We are looking for artists for the 2008 MonmouthBlues.com Blues Festival.
If you've got a deep, old-school blues sound, we want to hear from you! The event is tentatively scheduled for mid-October 2008. It will be held in Monmouth's historic Rivoli Theatre, which has a killer 60,000 watt sound system that truly makes the music come alive.
We want to hear your music (and ideally see you play). If you would like to be considered as a performer, send a sample CD and/or DVD to:
Monmouth Blues FestFor more info, please email: paul@monmouthblues.com
c/o Paul Schuytema
Patton Block Building
88A Public Square
Monmouth, IL 61462
09.26.2007. 10:15
Blues Fest Pictures
09.26.2007. 10:08
Blues Fest a Huge Success
Our inaugural Old School Guitar Heroes Blues Festival was a huge success! While we weren't sure what to expect, 160 blues lovers joined us in the historic Rivoli Theatre for an afternoon of amazing music. From 2pm until after 10pm, the sounds of the Deep Blues breathed life into the old vaudeville theater.
The venue was perfect and the sound was superb. Many thanks to everyone who helped to make this event a success: Paul Walker, Andy waters, Chris Carr, Bob Pinney, John Hamilton and Doug Rankin. And, of course, this couldn't have happened without the soulful blues of our musicians: Charlie Hayes, Joe Price, Fred Dixon and Catfish Keith.
Here's what some of the attendees had to say:
With one festival under our belt, it's time to start gearing up for next year--see you there!!My husband and I attended the Blues Fest at the Rivoli Theatre last night. It was one of the most amazing experiences! My husband grew up on Blue Grass and country and had never been exposed to blues before last evening... he was AMAZED to say the least. He was completely blown away by last night's music by everyone who played.
Just wanted to say my husband and I had a wonderful time at the festival the other night! Joe Price and Fred Dixon were outstanding and we thoroughly enjoyed the show! Thanks so much and can't wait to for next year!
Price was especially energetic and entertaining, Fred Dixon told some wonderful stories and sang some great songs while Catfish Keith was an exceptional guitarist who could make his guitars speak the blues to the audience. All in all, superb entertainment. We couldn't believe that we were sitting in Monmouth.
Thanks! We had a fantastic time. It was a great event and I was tickled to do my thing there. Great to hear and hang out with Joe Price (my hero) and Vicki, and to hear Fred Dixon and Charlie Hayes. -- Catfish Keith
Please tell everyone a big thank you! We had such a good time at the fest. What fun and fun people. Hope we can do it again. -- Joe and Vicki Price
09.26.2007. 10:03
Deep Blue Innovators Festival
Rivoli Theater
Monmouth, IL
