Although it seems as incongruous as Barry Bonds in Dodger blue, there can be blues in Simi Valley, at least temporarily. A giant all-day benefit, the Write 4 Hope Blues Fest, is slated for Saturday at Oak County Park near Moorpark College.
The show has lots of talent in store with Alligator Records' stalwart Coco Montoya headlining plus appearances by local band Blue Stew and others.
Montoya, the Santa Monica bluesman who spent 10 years with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers band, has had a successful solo career for many years. He's on the road now promoting his latest, "Dirty Deal."
The 11-track disc, released on Alligator Records, showcases Montoya's icy-hot guitar licks and passionate vocals.
He's backed by his touring band as well as Little Feat members Paul Barerre, Kenny Gradney, Richie Hayward and Bill Payne. Barerre produced the set with engineer Roger Cole.
Montoya first met Barerre and Little Feat at a blues festival and instantly hit it off.
Barerre, in a news release, said he was blown away by Montoya's "great tone and attitude."
The band invited Montoya to its annual Feat Festival in Jamaica two years in a row. "Our fans took to him like butter on bread," Barerre said in the release.
"He fit in so well with the band that I knew I had to produce him. I really wanted to get that live feel from him on a recording, and that's just what we did. He rips the guitar solos and his voice is as strong as three-day-old coffee.
"
Saturday's Blues Fest bill also will feature BB Chung King the Buddah Heads. No, I'm not making that name up; they shred and used to play at Nicholby's in Ventura now and again. Also in the mix are SoCal blues rockers the Delgado Brothers as well as Jeff Jensen and Toni Todd Southbound Blues.
Hey, it's an all day thing.
As for the local connection, there aren't many outfits more local than Blue Stew. The group has been around for a dozen years and has four albums.
It's inextricably connected to its long-running gig at HiCees in Ventura Harbor. The band inherited the gig from the late Buddy Smith. Just like clockwork on Sundays, it's Blue Stew time from 2 to 6 p.
m.
"Oh man. It's great," said Blue Stew songwriter Mike Miller.
"The new owners, Greg and Joan, they're nice people and the place gets packed now. It's really cool. Not only are the owners great, but they have the best barbecue and they actually have a real waitress.
So, yeah man, Blue Stew is happening man, it's fun. We do Sundays 2 to 6 and sometimes we do Saturdays 5 to 9, which seems to work really good. Also when April Hendrix joins the band, we call that Baby Sister.
That's a lot of fun, too, man. We play a lot of soul.''
Although the whole "Blue" thing is obvious and there's a great coincidental Paul Thorn song called "Blue Stew,'' the band transcends the whole blues thing.
"I wouldn't really call Blue Stew a blues band per se because it's like a stew, man," said Miller. "We mix up everything. I love country music and the old Delta stuff, and Steve's a soul man.
He's my favorite sax player in the world, and Randy's my favorite drummer. So right now, for me, this is my dream band. I can't get any better players around here.
We can do everything now, man. We've got a thousand originals that we play and we can do The Band, Dr. John, Little Feat and Tom Waits.
And Steve White (of Barstool Pigeons fame) has his songs we do. He's our Big Joe Turner, the blues shouter.''
The aforementioned Blues Fest isn't the only game in town.
This is a great weekend for veteran local music fans maybe the best of the year, in fact, as it's almost a Charlie's Flashback weekend. That's the venue that people whine about missing the most, and why not? It featured live original rock seven days a week.
Yep, 15 years ago Ventura was really rockin'.
This weekend a bunch of Charlie's veterans will be playing locally. Primitive Radio Gods, which used to be the I-Rails and the Mudheads, will be playing Saturday at Buffalo Records in Ventura.
Also on the bill are The Spires, a folk outfit that used to be called Something For Nothing.
Spencer the Gardener will play his "spy movie music at the beach'' on Saturday night at Zoey's in Ventura. And, finally, for Earth Day on Sunday in that little park on Main Street between the Top Hat and Nicholby's, it's Ventura's ultimate party band, Raging Arb the Redheads, featuring all six original members.
So where's Lion I's, Tao Jonz and Michael On Fire?
Local photo wiz Tim Bramlette, definitely at the top of the guest list at The Majestic Ventura Theatre every night and future chairman of the board of Trader Joe's, will highlight some of his victims who have played at the big ol' venue on Chestnut Street.
An exhibit of Bramlette's shots, titled "My Private Eye," go on display Saturday at the ArchiTexture hair salon in Ventura.
Expect images of punk rock screamers and rock stars, perhaps with artistically contorted, sweaty faces. Very special musical guests are also threatened, plus Erika Harding can do something cool to your hair. To find out more, call 641-3900.
E-mail music writer Bill Loceyat blocey@pacbell.net.
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