BATTLE OF THE BLUES
I
www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
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Ron and Naomi's Christmas Special
In The SideBar
OPRF HS Ireland Fundraiser
F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 5
The Beatle Bros & Expo '76
was honored and excited to serve as a
judge for the 2014 Chicago Blues
Challenge at Buddy Guy's Legends
last month. Along with the esteemed panel
of judges, Jimmy Burns, Hollie Thee
Maxwell, Janice Monti and Steve Pasek, I
watched as a talented line-up of Chicago
musicians competed for the championship. It was a tight race between LT
McGee and The Homewreckers, The
Gary Stratton Blues Band, Jamiah "On
Fire" and The Red Machine, The Larry
Taylor Blues Band, The Black Oil
Brothers and Charlie Love and the Silky
recently moved from the youth category
and his maturity showed in his commanding stage presence. Ripping through
Elmore James' 'Dust My Broom," he exhibited sharp guitar skills as well as creativity
when he introduced "Boogie Shack" a song
he wrote especially for the blues challenge.
Bantering with the crowd, he charmed
them out of their seats with a ferocious
solo on Albert King's "I'll Play The Blues
For You."
Jamiah was a hard act to follow, but
The Black Oil Brothers managed to stand
out with an unusual blues performance.
Charlie Love
The Black Oil Brothers
By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Jamiah
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Chris Ligon and Heather McAdams are back this year to celebrate "Heather's
Lil' Everything BUT Country Calendar" with a live show featuring 12 different
acts covering the legends of jazz, soul, rock, folk, pop and punk.
Chris and Heather's
Everything BUT Country Calendar Show
In The SideBar
Larry Taylor
Gary Stratton Blues Band
Jenny Bienemann and Friends
T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 9
In the Club - Stories Inspired By Songs Inspired By Stories!
L.T. McGhee
Voice Box with Cathy Richardson
F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 2
The Bad Examples
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Polka, Cha-Cha, Hokey Pokey and more: One of the highlights
of our holiday season & anniversary celebration!
Photo by DT Kindler
Photography
Brave Combo Annual
Holiday Extravaganza
T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 6
The two Jons return for an evening of excellent music! Mike June opens.
Jon Dee Graham,
Jon Langford Mike June
with
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Come on out and celebrate FitzGerald's 34th anniversary. Ten bands mix country music mixed with holiday tunes in the club. Plus Chris Neville, David
Blamires and Jon Paul perform rock favorites in the SideBar.
FitzGerald's 34th Anniversary Holiday Open House
featuring Country Night in Berwyn's Holiday Show
F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 9
A celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, followed by a set of holiday music.
B eatles Night:
The Beatles' Beatles for Sale album performed live!
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The Redmonds, Duct Tape Band, Dana French
F R I & S AT , D E C 2 6 & 2 7
Robbie's witty and humorous look back at 2014. Get your tickets now!
Robbie Fulks Raps Up 2014
N E W Y E A R ' S E V E , D E C 3 1 • 2 N Y E P A RT I E S
New Year's Party in The Club with Chicago style hot jazz and Texas roots/rockabilly.
The Fat Babies & The B ellfuries
In The SideBar:
Expo '76 & the Total Pro Horns
18 illinoisentertainer.com december 2014
Smooth Blues Band.
The bands were scored on weighted
categories including blues content, vocal
talent, instrumental talent, stage presence
and originality. (Blues) content was the
most important category and earned the
most points. It might seem like a given that
musicians would play blues in a blues
completion but there are so many hybrids
and heavy influences that the music doesn't always stay true to the genre. Listening
to the 30 minute sets, there was primarily
more than blues being played by some,
most of the groups merely honored the
blues.
LT. McGee kicked off the contest with a
soul blues set heavy on covers and the
usual gestures and gyrations. The Home
Wreckers supplied tight, dynamic rhythms
and a party atmosphere. Johnny Taylor's
"Last Two Dollars" was the highlight,
although they slightly sped up the melody,
losing some of the song's feeling. It was
straight R&B from then on, ending with
James Brown's "Lickin' Stick." The funky
delivery was great but it was not the blues.
Gary Stratton's Blues Band was next
up. They served high energy, classic blues
with a particularly skilled instrumental
performance. Rollicking numbers including "Nasty Habits" and "Take Me With Ya"
inspired lots of head bobbing. The pianist
literally bounced off his stool with glee but
the lead vocals didn't show as much passion. A nice tribute to Son Seals topped off
their set.
Jamiah "On Fire" and The Red Machine
followed, claiming the stage in an old
school suit and tie. At 19-years-old, Jamiah
"We play weird blues, with Texas blues
and hill country blues and we mix it all
up," the lead singer explained. Indeed,
there was nothing typical about their exaggerated, twangy singing and hopping
around the stage. They also played good
harp and banjo riffs and their original "Get
Gone" was a spirited romp.
The Larry Taylor Blues Band appeared
next, boasting a rousing six piece ensemble
that riveted the crowd, especially with
Mark Harris' guitar genius. Larry took a
while to warm up his voice, croaking
through two before he opened up with
"I'm Gonna Miss You," belting without
with convincing emotion.
Charlie Love & The Silky Smooth Band
ended the competition both literally and
figuratively. Covered in white from head
to toe, his sinewy dance moves prompted
the crowd to yell "go, go, Charlie go!" By
the time he whipped out his harp, the
crow