Sweet Sorrow Road--the FINAL final farewell...for now!

Lady Blue, sing your song across the mountains
With the angels all around you on the climb
Lady Blue, spill your life in flowing fountains
Spin that water into springs of midnight wine
Only truth can set you free
Only love can see you through
Only you can do the magic you were always born to do
Cause heaven's heart belongs to you, Lady Blue
(from "Lady Blue" )

and this new little tribute lyric

And it's time to go up yonder
Before this fire inside turns cold
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
As we ride down this sweet sorrow road
(from "Sweet Sorrow Road" )

Seems like only yesterday when in 2005, a newly-married pair of wacky musicians decided to embark on what would eventually become one of the great musical adventures of their journey. Brandon had this little "private-eye" riff, and I added the slightly esoteric, but ever-so-sincere lyric, based on Brandon's frequent encouragements to my in-need-of-healing heart. Kind of an unlikely ditty for the bar crowds, but as I've certainly discovered at places like our own wonderful Blues On Grand, the scene at times isn't that different from a church...a church of the ragamuffins if you will. Sprinkle a little poetically meaningful "fairydust" between some Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin and good old Leadbelly, and it gets surprisingly positive reception.

Lady Blue, do your dance in dark pavilions
Underneath the broken world above your head (that referred to our basement bedroom)
Lady Blue, send the message to the millions
That they can make the choice to be alive or dead...

That's one of the best things the Lady Blue journey has meant to me, letting the music and the musicians beside me, overtake me and make me come alive, in hopes of this "aliveness" spilling onto those listening and watching. Now we will do our best to carry that same spirit into our future musical endeavors, with a fond reverence for "the good old days".

What makes you come alive, lights you up inside like a Christmas tree and makes your soul cry out in rapturous delight (geez, the fairydust is a little thick today--sorry!)? Whatever that is, that is what your life should be filled with, surrounded with, consumed with, in order for that "aliveness" to burst forth to the maximum. Life is short, and we all have way too many "good" and even "better" things that are subtle gates blocking out the "best".

Bye-bye, sayonara, see you later, and once again above all...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for the support you given this band and these songs. Take care, try not to forget us, and hope to see you all again soon. We'll keep blogging here for a while to give updates on everyone's musical future and progress.

peace, tina

LIVE at the fork of sweet sorrow road--Farewell for now!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...at this fork in the road...so how do we cope with this? Head to B.O.G. and go out with a bluesified bang!

One of my all-time favorite movies is "A Star Is Born" with Judy Garland (I do like the Janet and Babs versions also). There's a scene where they talk about knowing when it's time to bring an end to the little dream so you can go on to the big one. Sweet friends and fans of Lady Blue, I hereby declare that now is that time.

It's bittersweet indeed to close the curtain on something that has been so rewarding and brought such satisfying moments. But it is nice to be going out on a high that has included headlining The Des Moines Arts, The Des Moines Wine, and most recently, The Wells Fargo Food Festivals. Since the Lady Blue journey began shortly after Brandon and I got married in January of 2005, we've been so blessed to share many wonderful stages playing many wonderful songs with gentlemen who have meant so much to us. Ben Williams, Randy Raemakers, and Kevin McGinnis, (as well as Todd Stevens and Derrick Ogden--our two bass playing alumni) Brandon and I want to thank you from the bottom of our souls for sharing your heads, hearts, and hands with us, and for sacrificially infusing your spirits into our lyrics and melodies. Please, lovely fans, continue to follow these special guys in their musical exploits in the bands Truth Be Told (Ben and Randy) and Mid-Life Crisis (Kevin). See links section on the sidebar to keep tabs on them.

As for Brandon and I, we are busy at work laying the foundation for new musical dreams involving both our performance life and our business--Kaleidoscope CreatiVEntures (see more about this at www.wearekaleidoscope.blogspot.com). We've become involved with a new management and investor team behind the scenes, and rest assured, lots of new music is on the way from us, both our own, and our production of other artists.

As some of you know, the last few months have been a rather long painful haul, from closing our recording studio location in Urbandale, to moving into our beautiful new home in the Highland/Oak Park area (enormously blessing but also enormously stressing), and undoubtedly most painful of all, my unexpected detour caused by a highest-level severity foot sprain which set me back flat on my bed for days of excruciating pain that I thought would never end, and that Vicodin didn't even help at all! Between all of these things, my score on the stress index skyrocketed into the danger zone. (By the way, while onstage at the Wells Food Festival this past weekend, I triumphantly returned to my leaping, hopping self, so there's finally some light at the end of this tunnel.)

Anyway, Brandon and I thank all of you for all you have invested in our music and in us personally. We would like to invite as many of you as possible to be sure and attend THE GRAND FINALE of our charmed and charming group of musicians, an evening I've entitled..

"LIVE at the Fork of Sweet Sorrow Road"
Lady Blue at Blues On Grand
Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC)--October CONCERT CORPS featured event
Friday, October 24
9:30 pm
(Special reception at 8 pm--VIP mailing list friends cordially invited!)
$5.00
15th and Grand downtown

I say with conviction, this is one unforgettable evening you will not want to miss, a fabulous fun-loving fond farewell, with both laughter and tears. I'm laughing and tearing up even as I type this. (Also see www.desmoinesmc.com and www.bluesongrand.com for more info about this event.)

PS--The next night at B.O.Grand, Saturday, October 25, one of our favorite artists, Bruce Katz, is coming to perform. Check out Brandon's fascinating interview with Bruce at Brandon's blog (www.midnightwine.blogspot.com) and at the Des Moines Music Coalition site listed above. Let's continue the weekend celebration at the Blues on Grand on Saturday as well as Friday--trust us, he's awesome and inspiring, we're talking world class blues/jazz organ artistry with his amazing band!

A family affair at Byron's/TBT Scented Vinyl

1. Last Saturday night, our much anticipated evening at Byron's in Pomeroy had finally arrived. It was a pleasure indeed to put both Lady Blue and Truth Be Told on display, and for us all to be together getting paid to party! Byron and his namesake club both impacted us with a great music-loving all good things of the hippie world vibe. Complete with a plethora of tie-dye and Jerry souvenirs, it was like a little oasis in the northern Iowa musical sands. That night was actually the anniversary of Jerry's death, so Truth Be Told was the perfect band for the moment and they put their very best feet forward. Thanks, Byron and all the Byronites for a memorable evening which we hope will be the first of many!



2. Recently, Ben represented Truth Be Told on Scented Vinyl, the weekly Monday concert series at Mars Cafe, and you may check our his solo stint here.



Stay tuned for some major Lady Blue announcements in the very near future!

The zoo and the tree farm

The other night, we were an auction prize for a worthwhile cause, the work of the Casa Hogar Orphanage in South America supported by the fine folks of St. Anthony's Parish in southside Des Moines. So an altered Lady Blue (Tina, Brandon, Tina's bum left foot, Kevin, and Kevin's talented son Spencer who is formerly of my old band The Groove Merchants) went out to the party at Ed Augustine's home and tree farm. It was one of those epic evenings; but wait, let's talk about the first epic evening at the zoo...

A few weeks ago, we did the initial charity event for this cause at Blank Park Zoo. It was full of zesty people, pasta, passion, and prizes! The folks involved with this are Catholics from the southside, and they carried forth the best traits of their stereotype--food, faith, friends, and frolicking. (And the alliteration award goes to...only me, and maybe Lorelei Gilmore.) Anyway, an evening like this gets progressively wilder as the libation flows more freely, and one of its many highlights was the sight of two of the party organizers gettin' jiggy with us onstage on conga and cowbell. A night this doesn't come along every day, until...

The tree farm funfest, great weather, great people, great home and grounds for entertaining. I was still limping with the foot sprain, so I did most of the gig seated. However, for one brief moment of excitement I couldn't help but get up and lead the "love train" around what I named "the Lido deck" by the backyard swimming pool. And since Ben and his handy-dandy percussion bag containing cowbell and other goodies weren't along for this ride, we figured we would sadly be cowbell-less. Boy, were we ever wrong. Mr. Cowbell came with his very own personal cowbell, and a T-shirt that said "I got the fever, and the cure is MORE COWBELL!" Use your imagination--it was speechlessly awesome!

But then at the end, the group requested a "holy moment" in honor of two of their friends who had passed away in the last month. So I sang "Amazing Grace" acappella as they all reverently remembered their loved ones gone by, followed a few songs later by "House of the Rising Grace"--Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun. Another fun and meaningful evening all for a great cause. It just doesn't get much better than nights like this!

Jazz without and with Lady Blue

It was a sunny, sticky, hot time in the old town on the night of my recent Jazz In July performance on 7-15-08, themed "My Personal Giants of Jazz: Fats, Billie, Ella, and Irene", a retrospective marking 2008 as the 25th year of my singing career in our city. It was an outing that officially included "other" musicians than Lady Blue (David Larson on keys, Pat Noonan on drums, and the one and only Scot Sutherland on bass). But the Lady Blue spirit still surrounded me, starting with Ben's sons, JB and Jeremy setting up the P/A system--a great help from two awesome young guys who could have easily been in air-conditioning playing Guitar Hero. And on the day before the gig, the sad news came that Pat Noonan had a death in the family, so who stepped up to save the day? Why, our very own Randy Maker's Mark Ramaekers, who definitely made his mark with an A-game drum performance. And who rescheduled his other band's rehearsal so he could come and be with his Lady Blue posse to sit in on one jazzy tune? Why, our very own Kevin "sent from heaven" McGinnis, always a welcome bass presence on any song.

To top it all off, Alpha and Omega narrations were composed and read by Brandon, which were quite simply among the most magic moments of my existence, being honored in such a way by my very own husband, so affectionately and publicly.

Thanks to all who attended this special night, and to torment you further, here's some of what you missed if you were gone:

Fats Waller songs--Ain't Misbehavin, Honeysuckle Rose, Black and Blue
Billie Holiday songs-- God Bless The Child, We'll Be Together Again, I Love My Man (Billie's Blues)
Ella Fitzgerald songs--I Got Rhythm, It Don't Mean A Thing, Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (which featured a special "birthday boy" cameo by my old pal Dean Schmitz, doing an outstanding job on the drums), Lady Be Good
Irene Myles songs--In The Dark, Lady Irene, Foreign Land
Finale songs--The Apology (a beautiful jazz original by written by Brandon), Rain Like Jazz (original by me), and the amazing, emotional composition, Everything Must Change

Hope to see you on July 28 at Grace United Methodist Church for a night of acoustic duo jazz, with Brandon and me, where once again, we will summon the spirit of Lady Blue to surround us yet again for another special evening.

Wellmark, Winefest, Arts Festival

Have you ever been eagerly anticipating the chance to connect with your audience, only to discover that they are seemingly a football field's distance away from you? That's the story from our three recent above appearances. All 3 groups were adorable and well-intentioned. I could see on their faces that they wanted to "get this party started!" But due to the distance, as well as other factors, they stopped short of really letting themselves go.

It was indeed an honor to be featured at each of these high profile events, and even though the pep and interplay was decreased, the band still received high kudos from the groups after the fact. Only at the Arts Festival did we manage to reach across "the lawn" and get some booty-shakin' and shoutin' goin' on.

Actually these gigs did remind me of a weird oddity in performing which is, sometimes the quietest groups generate the most kudos, sometimes the loudest groups give little to no kudos (which isn't what it's all about anyway, but still feels good), sometimes the largest groups are touched the least, and sometimes (most of the time throughout my career) the littlest groups bear the greatest fruit and provoke the most impact. We'll just call this "the performance paradox."

Scented Vinyl

4/5 of our merry band of bandits descended upon Mars Cafe for an evening of "Scented Vinyl", a cool weekly series celebrating local music and the preservation of the LP, every Monday night from 7 to 10 pm. (Randy, it was fun, but you were definitely missed, brother!)

First it was off to Jon Locker's studio, Sonic Factory, located straight behind the cafe across the alley, to do a couple of tunes acoustically. My reaction to our renditions was this: we better add this element to some live appearances because it was a pleasure to show "the softer side" of ourselves for a moment. Thanks to Jon (bassist for The Nadas) and assistant Skylar for their hospitality during our "light up the room and leave" recording moment.

Then back to Mars for the playing of our vinyl selections, and short interview. See HERE for more, including what got played, but what was just as interesting is what didn't get played from the pile we brought...
Amazing Grace from The Gospel According to Ike and Tina
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
Kris Kristofferson--Jesus Was a Capricorn
Simon and Garfunkel
and various other eclectic choices!

Way cool indeed to celebrate a few of our many influences, and Daniel the host was just as kind and accommodating as he could be, as well as a true lover of music. We thank him for graciously including us, and we encourage our fans to become "Scented Vinyl" fans as well. Daniel is also a Capitol 106.3 personality, and invited us to come on his show there soon--we'll keep you posted. Remember...Viva La Vinyl! (Besides, if it's good enough for Judas Priest, it's good enough for us--see latest new releases in the music world for details.)

The muse in our musicology is...

Anyone who knows anything of Lady Blue knows the answer to this question - it's none other than Brandon Keith Findlay, The Deacon, The Lady's Gentleman, the great musician who is also an even greater man. What a privilege to have the best ringside seat to witness the rising starpower of this person, not only as my spouse, but in all his life roles. One of our ongoing jokes at the gas pump is that I always got into the habit of pumping gas amounts in multiples of 7 ($7.00, 14.00, etc.). Why? Because when I bet on Brandon Findlay, it always comes up sevens.

Go over and check out his personal blog--he's got a great new entry about his latest new/old faves, Jack Bruce and Robin Trower. (www.midnightwine.blogspot.com)

Future blog entries here will include even deeper peeks into the lives of each band member, and featured fans as well. Thanks for supporting us all, and thanks today especially for the affirmation given to Brandon, who is truly the muse of the Lady Blue musicology.

Touchdowns and Tornado Avoidance in Omaha

Yes, it's my humble opinion that our non-football related, bluesified, jammylicious A-game appearance at a national showcase stage event at Murphy's in Omaha was, indeed, a touchdown. I was beyond proud of the gentlemen of Lady Blue, for their conduct onstage and off, and once again was grateful to be a part of such a class act of guys, and that all our journeys in life have led us to one another "for such a time as this."

So enough foofyness, details please! Among the many highlights were:

*a scorching second-to-last song of show rendition of Just Sing The Blues/Ball and Chain, as Brandon sat on the stage edge and channeled the power of all his guitar heroes, bent over in enraptured intensity

*a guy asking me to first do Pinch Hitter a second time, then where he could buy it, then if he could sing it with me as a duet--not bad for a little ditty from the Dove love archives

*Ben railing into Whipping Post and Travelin' Light, like his life depended on it, awesome superstar moments from my left-hand man

*the old licks and lines falling afresh upon new ears that brought delightfully noisy giggles and response from a new gang of pals to our west

After the show, we celebrated at Applebee's and hurried back eastward to escape the funnel clouds, around 15 sighted in their area that day. All in all, it was such a thrill to sense the wheels steering us to the next level of acclaim, showmanship, business, and pleasure. The June shows will really give us glimpses of the Lady Blue future, and I hope you all can be a part of the great things in store for this band. Thanks, Omaha, for a great memory. And thanks to all our fans for continually cheering us on toward even more bluesified touchdowns and tornado avoidance.

Kickin' it with the next generation...

Last month, Lady Blue was chosen as a top 5 finalist band to compete on the 10000 Lakes Festival Cosmic Break tour, with the winner being given a slot at the Festival in July. Since the vote was decided by fan vote alone, we knew we didn't have a home court advantage since it was in Iowa City at The Picador, and the other bands were mostly local. That said, we gave a splendid energetic performance of the following:

Gimme Shelter
Higher Ground
Troubled Mind
Circle Suite (Will It Go Round In Circles, Fly Like An Eagle, and Wave)
Rock and Roll/Zeppelin

From the opening strains of the first Rolling Stones tune, the connection with our young audience was palpable. We could have gone on stage with chips on our shoulders (like age factor, out of town factor, or for me--daughter in the audience factor!). But we stepped up to the plate and gave the college town kids a moment to remember, complete with crowd participation whoops and the trademark Lady Blue leaping.

From the second we arrived in town for the contest to the very end, I felt extremely honored to be part of this team of "once and future kings" called Lady Blue. Hanging out at the jammy burger joint beforehand like a family, then heading back over to The Picador to throw some musical lightning bolts onto our audience for a magic moment, what could be better?

Life in Lady Blue is truly a highway, and we're fixin' to ride it not just all night long, but all LIFE long! Thanks to all our fans both young and young-at-heart for riding it along with us all the way.

bluesified responses welcomed NOW...

Goodbye, Michelle, my little one...

Our friend and fan, KCCI Channel 8 reporter, Michelle Parker, died this past Sunday, and here is my full tribute entry from my personal blog:

spaghettifb.blogspot.com/2008/05/goodbye-michelle-my-little-one.html

peace, tina

What's black and white and BEN all over?

What's black and white and BEN all over? Today's newspaper! Specifically, the Des Moines Register Datebook features a glimpse of our very own Ben Williams, available here , and shows the heart of the one we think of as a "gentleman of jam" and "lovable hippie guru". Seriously, we're super-proud of our friend's talents and accomplishments, and hereby proclaim this as the official kickoff weekend for "The Year of Ben", not only with Kaleidoscope & Lady Blue, but especially Truth Be Told, his jam band that is rapidly rising to the top of the hippie heap.

I can't begin to tell you how much the friendship of Ben, his wife Lori, and their sons JB and Jeremy, means to me personally. (Trivia--Ben actually officiated the wedding ceremony of Brandon and me 1-1-05, and our first concert event together was with Ben and Lori to see Gov't Mule in Omaha 9-16-04--we've come a long way since that infamous car ride, haven't we!) Suffice it to say, their support in ways big and small has continually revolutionized my music and my life. What a miracle to experience more of our dreams bobbing and weaving their way into "kaleidoscopic" reality every day. So as my tribute song, "The Gospel of Ben" says:

On this golden road of devotion
I want men of passion in my band
And in this world of lukewarm locomotion
I have faith in the faith of our faithful friend
I believe, I believe, I believe in The Gospel of Ben...

A peek at the other family bands...

"Who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being?" -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's pleasantly becoming more apparent that our musical circle of influence is greatly expanding, beyond just our pride and joy Lady Blue:

Brandon:
Midnight Wine--his own blues ensemble with Joe Koelling/bass, David Larson/keys, and Mike Woods/drums; B is on lead vocals and lead guitar, and this group just made its mark in a big way at the semifinal Iowa Blues Challenge round at Zimm's on 4-10-08.
Taste of Revival--think "Jazz is Dead" which is a jazzified group that does Grateful Dead-ish tunes. B shines in this hybrid of jazz/soul/jam, and his contribution includes several original instrumentals that are a totally different vibe than Lady Blue.
Embryo--the acoustic trio with Ben and Tina that started it all

Ben:
Truth Be Told--jam band with Ben as main muse/lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist; with Dave Sufka/bass, Eric Kent/lead guitar, and our own Randy-Randy/drums
Embryo--the acoustic trio with Brandon and Tina that started it all
Ben solo--he's a force of nature unto himself, and you'll be seeing him in this vibe a whole lot more--it's about time!

Randy:
Truth Be Told--jam band with Ben as main muse/lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist; with Dave Sufka/bass, Eric Kent/lead guitar, and our own Randy-Randy/drums who gets to loosen up even more in this setting, laying down the quintessential jammy grooves with his own effortless mastery

Kevin:
Mid-Life Crisis--classic rock/soul cover band, let's call this musical "comfort food", and they keep themselves busy with private, corporate, and club dates of all kinds.

Tina:
Taste of Revival, Embryo, traditional jazz combos and big bands (celebrating her 25-year career in 2008, of which this genre is a huge part), the occasional Red Sneaker Jazz Band Dixieland gig, various solo stints, special guest gigs, musical theatre, worship leader outings, and perhaps the most satisfying--Deacon and The Lady--doing the duo thing with her partner-in-rhyme.

Check the links column for more info on these outlets; and by all means, don't forget good ol' Lady Blue! All these side projects just make us better musicians, and make our Lady Blue times even more special.

KFMG gig--AKA "attack of the gremlins"

It happens, it hits the fan, and sometimes things just don't go as well as you'd like them to. That awe-inspiring home run you dreamed of turns into a base hit. Respectable, yes. Bliss zone, a resounding no.

Our day as featured performers at the KFMG event yesterday was symptomatic of this syndrome. Strong one-two punch at the set opening, but by song 3, I was besieged by an uncontrollable coughing attack with throat gunk, without warning or easy relief. And onstage in front of an audience full of potentially new fans, on an occasion strategically positioned with great influential contacts. Simply put, it sucked to have to fight through that, surrounded by the worried looks of my band behind me and my listeners in front of me.

But all's well that ends well, and the savage throat gremlins eventually left the moment, so we could finish up with our usual big ending. Special guest Scott Davis, my favorite Des Moines trumpet player, added his talent and style to our set which went as follows:

Gospel of The Blues, Higher Ground, The Blues Is A Song, Deacon's Train, Monster, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Left Me Blind (new homage to Blind Willie Johnson), Blues It Up, Independent Song (for which I called Mark Vos of KFMG to the stage and presented him with the original hand-written chart since it was composed specifically for the occasion--it provoked super dance floor jigginess!), Troubled Mind, and The Meaning of Grace (which was specially requested by Clarence Key--host of KFMG's Sunday morning jazz show).

And so it was actually a good, humbling, learning moment to be "attacked by gremlins" during this performance. They say 10% of life is what happens to you, and 90% of life is the reaction, what you do with it. So once again, when it happens, when it hits the fan, then what? To freak or not to freak, that was my Sunday KFMG gig question. The answer then and now is: freak a little, then MOVE ON, and don't forget to laugh about it later!

www.kfmg991.org
www.scottdavismusic.com

peace, tina

Tina and the Dirty Little Rabbits

I was almost on my way out of House of Bricks, bolting anxiously from a setting where I inevitably feel like everybody's party-crashing mom. I'd attended an informative event put on by the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition about getting your music played on the radio--check archive info at www.DesMoinesMC.com. With my page and a half of notes in hand, and my twenty minutes of polite networking out of the way (which, while scary, was enormously valuable and positive), I was ready to return to my age-appropriate, non-metal-friendly, bluesified comfort zone.

"Wait, " a perky voice chirped, thwarting my first exit attempt. "aren't you that lady, you know, the one who sings?" In shock, I turned around to the pretty and earnest 20-something, and discovered that it was the sister of Mike Pfaff of the Dirty Little Rabbits, a person I'd consider more likely to be a fan of Hinder or Nickelback than Lady Blue. I'm still eating a bit of crow from that assumption based on her sweet praise and encouraging words.

Off I went again on my second attempt to leave, and I hear from the other side of the room, "Hey, you're that singer!" I went to the friendly young man, this time giving my stock response, "If you thought she was awesome, then it was definitely me." In shock again, it was none other than Ty the drummer from Dirty Little Rabbits, who gave me a heaping helping of ego stroke, that came across as incredibly sincere. Who've thunk it? These 2 fellow music lovers gave me a smile, and taught me a little lesson that I of all people ought to know by now: that music, like love, is NOT bound by the chains of "age-appropriateness". So let's all be open to expanding our musical, as well as our relational, horizons.

www.dirtylittlerabbits.com

bluesified responses welcomed NOW!

Rebels for the independent cause...

How do I love KFMG 99.1 FM? Let me count the ways... Seriously, as both artists and audience members, we've been thrilled with the efforts of this station, and are proud to be included in the performance group chosen along with Sam Salamone and The Nadas unplugged to celebrate the station's 1-year birthday bash on Sunday, April 6. See www.kfmg991.org for more details, and I urge you to strongly consider getting involved as a financial supporter of this great musical and cultural cause. Here's a snip of a little ditty I've written that we'll be performing just for the occasion...

From "Independent Song":
I'm independent, and I don't need you to say
What I'm allowed to listen to, what I'm allowed to play
I'm independent, not at the mercy of the man
And I will blaze this happy trail the very best I can
Don't need mass appeal applause
Cuz I'm a rebel for the independent cause!

See you on 4-6-08, and thanks to everyone at KFMG for your consistent support of Lady Blue and our CD, "The Meaning of Grace."

peace, tina

Adventures at B.O.G. Part 2 of 2

Not long after the Deacon's Day Bash, Lady Blue played at Blues On Grand on 3-1-08 for a "real gig", a whole show in a space that holds so many great memories for each of us in the band. Simply put, we loved it! Great crowd, great vibe, and a set full of bluesy favorites to groove to. Even though he had to get up early the next day for his radio show, The Roadhouse on 95 KGGO, we were honored to see the smiling face of Andre Mosqueda in the crowd for the first set, and we dedicated our new Jeff Beck medley to him. The set list included:

Soul Healing, Young Fashioned Ways/Don't Let The Devil Ride, world premiere new songs--Grand Slam and Blues It Up, Ain't No Sunshine, Just Sing The Blues/Ball and Chain, new baby original--Remember To Forget, Nobody's Fault But Mine, and more...

How many times have each of us in the band stepped up to sing and/or play at the legendary Thursday night open jam, literally for many years past?! In the room where my personal love of the blues was born and is continually nurtured with incredible live shows and still incredible Thursday jams, we got to see a little evidence of our lives coming full circle. And it felt good, very very good indeed! peace, tina

Adventures at B.O.G. Part 1 of 2

For the past 2 years, Lady Blue has been the host of a birthday bash at the international award-winning Blues On Grand music club. Brandon aka The Deacon has been the emcee/guest of honor both times, hence the evening's title, "The Deacon's Day Birthday Bash". This year it was once again a night to remember, and love was definitely in the air. Members of several different local bands, VIP special guest stars, future superstar up-and-comers, all just "folks" on this occasion...friends of someone who is indeed an incredible friend, husband, and real-life deacon--check your dictionary for this word's true meaning--my husband's picture oughta be beside it.

Anyway, there were simply too many great moments to share them all, from the little Brandon quiz shared humorously by Brian Holtz from KFMG, to the eclectic spur-of-the-moment combos, all the way to the thrilling finale of what we now call "House of the Rising Grace" which is Amazing Grace set to the tune of House of the Rising Sun. Not bad for a band that was born in the heart of a newly-married deacon dwelling in something akin to a "basement of the rusty gunk" back in early 2005. They say in marriage, the second year is one of the hardest, but getting past it is a significant milestone. We feel that sense of relief and escalation, both in our marriage and in the marriage called Lady Blue. Sweet benefits are sprinkling upon us like color specks on a sundae top. Sorry, that was a bit more Glinda the Good Witch than Blues Diva, but you get the picture. We're blessed, and we are chomping at the bit to create even more nights of musical blessing with our partners in rhyme, Randy-Randy Ramaekers, Kevin-sent from heaven McGinnis, and Ben-there-done-that Williams. See ya on the trail! peace, tina