Taking the Blues uptown: TBS Music Advisory Committee member Lance Anderson wrote and recorded all tracks for a TV special on the Biography channel called ‘The Shaw Festival – Behind the Curtain’ It premiered on Roger’s specialty Biography Channel on Sunday, May 26th. Lance writes, “…Interesting look at how many very skilled artists, artisans and tech people it takes to put on the Shaw Festival. Remarkable achievement.” It is scheduled for a later release on PBS in the US. Lance is producer/instigator for Make It Real Records (and artistic director of the Orillia Spring Blues Festival June 7 – 9) Terry Blersh – Toronto blues guitarist plays acoustic guitar (almost classical style) on many of the cues. Lance also arranged part of Shakura S’Aida’s ‘Symphony in G Minor’ (Blues Orchestral Piece) that was premiered with the Wheeling West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in April 2012 and conducted the 50 piece orchestra. His next project is another Symphony Show for the 2014 season. “Taking the Blues uptown,” says Lance

Guitar Swap Meet: There will be a Musicians Trade Show & Guitar Swap Meet Saturday June 8th at The Royal Canadian Legion Hall Branch #10 at 1083 Pape Avenue from 9am-4pm. If you have extra gear to sell or are looking to pick up a new axe, this show is for you. Admission is $5 / free for seniors. Tables are $75 each if you’d like to sell some equipment. Roland & Boss will also be there promoting some of their 2013 line. Great deals to be had on guitars, P.A Systems, amps, effect pedals and so much more. Please contact 416-222-8222 for additional information.
Calling All Artists And Photographers: The O.S.E.F. in partnership with Grey Roots Museum & Archives in Georgian Bluffs hosts an Art Exhibit of Black Historic subject matter on July 27th at the Grey Roots facility. Artists of all mediums can use this opportunity to exhibit their talents with at least one submission referencing our “Black History”. This year’s art will be represented by the theme “Snapshots – Moments in our History”. For details please visit http://www.emancipation.ca. Deadline for submissions is June 22nd, 2013

Blues On The Rideau Acoustic Series at The Cove: The Blues On The Rideau Acoustic Series at The Cove will be featuring some of Canada’s best acoustic Blues artists. These are intimate events of “sit-and-listen” blues. Included in the price of $45 is a buffet dinner and a donation to the different Westport cultural events/festivals. Morgan Davis will be perfroming on June, 17 with Suzie Vinnick, Fraser/Daley and many more to follow. Please visit http://www.explorewestport.com/blues-on-the-rideau-series for more information.

2nd Annual Sault Ste. Marie Blues Festival: Fathead headlines the fledgling Sault Blues Festival on Friday June 7th at the Pub at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn & Suites. Opening local band is Five Below Zero starting at 8:30 pm. For Saturday June 8th they have put together an Allstar Blues Revue featuring Chuck Jackson and Gary Kendall (from Downchild Blues Band), Teddy Leonard and Bucky Berger (from the award-winning blues band, Fathead) and blues diva, Miss Robin Banks. They play at the Water Tower Pub at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn & Suites. Opening band is The Dirty River Blues Band. Limited tickets for each show cost $25 ($20 for Blues Society members). Tickets for both shows are available at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn & Suites. www.saultblues.com/

Quebec Blues Awards: If you follow the very vibrant and healthy blues scene in Quebec you may want to cast your vote at the Lys Blues Awards, go to the voting page at http://lysblues.lenetblues.com/voter/lysblues13/survey.php. Some familiar names on the huge list of nominees are Carolyn Fe, Cécile Doo-Kingué, Nanette Workman, Steve Hill, Ben Racine and Dale Boyle.

Chicago Club Crawl: If you’re in Chicago for the Blues Festival (still the greatest free festival for blues), you may want to put aside a couple of hours to take a guided tour of some of the clubs that were an essential part of blues history. The Jazz, Blues & Beyond experience starts Saturday, June 8, 10:30am-1:00pm. You’ll explore neighborhoods from the North to the South sides while learning about the cultural history of Chicago jazz and blues. Stops include architectural and historical landmarks like clubs and recording studios. Guests get exclusive access to a hundred-year-old mural from an early jazz club. Tour includes historic photos and videos presented on the bus, top-notch tour guide commentary, live blues musician performance, and even a harmonica lesson and gift. Tickets are $65 regular, $60 student/senior, $50 under 18. Experience live blues at Chicago’s infamous clubs, with the convenience of door to door bus service. They also provide tours year-round so check out their website at http://www.chicagodetours.com/tours