John Nelson

There’s bluegrass and new grass, and fine, California grass, all of which are elevating and legal in Utah (at least the musical strain). AJ Lee & Blue Summit bring their hefty blend to The State Room on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

The Bay Area genre-bending quintet fuses bluegrass with country and folk to create a highly stylized American roots sound. Banjoless, the band leans on mandolin, fiddle, upright bass and acoustic guitars to deliver a powerful old-time string band sound. (Banjoless bluegrass? Is that a contradiction in terms?)

Singer-songwriter and mandolinist AJ Lee, who’s been playing the bluegrass circuit since the age of seven, leads the group. Lee’s music teacher, Jack Tuttle, recruited her to play in his family band The Tuttles (featuring siblings Molly, Sullivan and Michael). When Molly Tuttle left to pursue a highly successful solo career,  Lee and Sullivan Tuttle formed AJ Lee and Blue Summit with Lee on lead vocals and mandolin, Tuttle and Scott Gates on guitar, Jan Purat on fiddle and Chad Bowen on upright bass. 

The band’s critically-acclaimed 2019 Debut album Like I Use To Be earned Lee the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year. The album featured an amalgam of acoustic musical styles, including “Pirate Song” which draws from Irish folk ballads and “Still Love You Still,” an old-school mix of fiddle, mandolin, and guitar fingerpicking for a more Appalachian flavor.

Their 2021 sophomore album, I’ll Come Back, brings them “Back to Bluegrass.” Lee penned 11 well-crafted songs with a made-for-the-stage feel, leaving room for each band member to stretch out their musical skills. “Lemons and Tangerines,” a well-harmonized, acoustic torch song compliments more traditional numbers. “When You Change Your Mind” has a new-age, down-in-the-holler musical vibe.

If a banjoless string band has got you feeling anxious, don’t fret (musical pun intended). Opening the show is the Northern California acoustic folk duo, Two Runner. Paige Anderson and Emilie Rose blend a twangy clawhammer banjo and fiddle with sweet vocal harmonies. Anderson, also a musical child prodigy, grew up playing bluegrass with her siblings in the Anderson Family Bluegrass. 

Two Runner released their debut album Modern Cowboy in March. The record features a fresh mix of eclectic mountain music that finds a home in the High Sierra, Rockies, or along the Appalachian Trail. An upright bass, banjo, and fiddle provides a foot stomping beat to their harmonies in “Devil’s Rowdydow.” The album stretches the boundaries of bluegrass, folk, and country, capturing a big sound with minimal instrumentation and well-blended vocals. 

I’m looking forward to a midweek adventure with some of the finest musicians in the business. 

Who: AJ Lee & Blue Summit w/ Two Runner

What: California Bluegrass

Where: The State Room

When: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 

Tickets and info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, one of the most innovative and exciting artists on the American roots music scene, thrilled us with a 22-song foray into their progressive bluegrass sound at The Commonwealth Room on Thursday, October 19, 2023. 

Like the Grateful Dead, who a generation ago blended folk, rock, country, and bluegrass into a Northern California hippy jam-band subgenre, Tuttle and her band of virtuosi have reinterpreted bluegrass with a unique and trippy 21st century flair.  Even so, bluegrass purists have nothing to fear. As masters of the musical style, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway make the genre fresh and fun with their millennial, ironic humor and innovative artistry.

Tuttle started us off with the rootsy, toe-tapping “Evergreen, OK,” “El Dorado,” and “Side Saddle.” She advocates for the legalization of marijuana with a throw-back bluegrass tempo on “Down Home Dispensary.” 

At the mid-point in the show the more traditional string band sound took a dark and foreboding Alice in Wonderland turn with “Stranger Things,” followed by “Alice in the Bluegrass,” and “White Rabbit.” This three-song sequence was the night’s biggest highlight for me, in an evening full of highlights. Golden Highway drew sounds from their traditional bluegrass instruments (mandolin, banjo, and fiddle) that took us down a sonic rabbit hole. Dominick Leslie’s mandolin sounded like an ominous, Spanish guitar while Kyle Tuttle (no relation to Molly) turned his banjo into a Hendrix Stratocaster. Bronwyn Keith-Hynes drove a frenzied, psychedelic, bluegrass tempo with her fiddle. Towards the end of our journey through Wonderland, we met Shelby Means as she plucked the beginning notes of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” on her upright bass. What a thrill ride. The crowd emerged from the rabbit hole singing “Feed your head.” Who knew bluegrass could be so much fun? 

Tuttle gave the Golden Highway a short break from the frantic pace, performing solo “First Time I Fell in Love,” a great, new country-folk tune that reminded me of “Mr. Bojangles.” Tuttle played 10 songs from her recently released album City of Gold, a master work rivaling her 2022 Grammy-winner Crooked Tree. Tuttle took us to “Dooley’s Farm,” a great Blue Ridge Mountain barn-burner of a song about weed farming in the underground economy. On the Western outlaw tune “Castilleja,” each member of Golden Highway got to do a little solo jamming. The pace rarely slowed as we entered the homestretch with “Where Did All the Wild Things Go?” 

Tuttle took a moment to share a story about her journey with an autoimmune disease called Alopecia that resulted in total hair loss. She said she wrote the song “Crooked Tree” about the way she felt as a result of her condition. She then boldly removed her wig and played the song. She kept it all organic for the final two numbers starting with the catchy “San Joaquin,” and the finale “Take The Journey.”  The crew returned for an encore with “More Like A River.” Opener Cristina Vane joined them on stage as the whole ensemble ended a magnificent performance with a sing-a-long of Dylan’s well-covered “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” 

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are certainly going somewhere. Like the Dead, I envision a growing cult following at their shows. I also predict many more Grammy Awards and other honors in their future. I’m grateful for the opportunity to see this powerhouse band in an intimate space like the Commonwealth Room.

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Cristina Vane opened with a solo set. From the first few fingerpicking notes on her resonator guitar, Vane commanded the room. She captivated the full-house with the title track from her latest album Make Myself Me Again. Taking us on an American-roots musical journey with a tight, 10-song set of originals, she flatpicked her way across the Great Plains with “Badlands,” before serenading us with “Dreaming of Utah.” The audience got a sneak-peek of a couple of new songs that she hasn’t released yet with “Getting High in Hotel Rooms” and “Storm Brewing.” Golden Highway’s multi-award winning fiddle player, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, joined Vane for a fiddle/banjo duet on “River Roll.” 

Born and raised in Europe, Vane came to the US to attend college and discovered American blues. Her growing interest in the clawhammer banjo and country and bluegrass music facilitated a move to Nashville. For her closing number she put it all together with “Small Town Nashville Blues.”

For an evening featuring 32 songs, it went by much too quickly. Special thanks to KRCL for sponsoring the show. 

Who: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway w/ Cristina Vane

What: Road to El Dorado Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: Thursday, October 19, 2023

Info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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Prepare for a musical journey down the rabbit hole when Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway bring their cosmic string band sound to the Commonwealth Room on Thursday, October 19, 2023. 

As one of the most exciting new roots artists, Molly Tuttle blends old-school Kentucky bluegrass with some fresh cut California grass to create a modern hybrid sound that pleases the hill-country purist and the coastal string band jam fan. Tuttle’s 2022 album Crooked Tree earned her a Grammy for best bluegrass album. In July, she released another innovative full-length record, City of Gold, that is soaring in the Americana charts. On “Alice in the Bluegrass,” she reimagines the Lewis Carroll story in a Kentucky setting. Tuttle just released an amazing companion single, a newgrass version of Jefferson Airplane’s classic “White Rabbit” with the same psychedelic core, but with an acoustic string arrangement. Check out a cool video of the song here. 

Early bluegrass music featured themes of a hardscrabble life in Appalachia and its underground economy—moonshine. Tuttle’s modern take on the genre replaces the “shine” with “weed” as the region’s illicit cash crop. On “Dooley’s Farm,” from Crooked Tree, she sings “they used to grow tobacco/ then they made moonshine/ but there’s something better in the back of the barn/ down on Dooley’s farm.” 

On City of Gold, Tuttle takes the story west to California with a gold rush themed “El Dorado.” On “San Joaquin” she gets your toes tapping with a driving fiddle and banjo, and a catchy lyric: “Riding the San Joaquin/bringing in some Humboldt green.” She travels to “Yosemite” where she trades sweet harmonies with Dave Matthews for a majestic duet. She advocates for Southern states to catch up with the legal weed trend on the light hearted foot-stomper “Down Home Dispensary.”   

Tuttle, a Berklee College of Music alum, and flatpicking guitar master has assembled a band of bluegrass virtuosos featuring Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Kyle Tuttle (no relation) on banjo and Shelby Means on bass. Tuttle recruited Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show to co-write the songs for the new record. The end result is a Western bluegrass sound that stretches the sonic limits of the genre giving it a fresh, new relevance while maintaining its original structure. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are making bluegrass trippy and fun for a new generation of fans.

Fun fact: Tuttle is the first woman to be named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Opening is country-blues singer Cristina Vane. Born and raised in Europe, Vane came to the US to complete a degree in comparative literature at Princeton before moving to California to explore a music career. A rocker at heart, she found inspiration from the songwriting style of blues masters like Skip James and Robert Johnson. Fingerpicking and slide guitar, along with her growing interest in clawhammer banjo drove her toward old-time Americana and bluegrass beckoned her to Nashville. Her two latest full-length albums for Red Parlor Records have a country-blues flavor with a dash of rock ‘n’ roll. Her song “Prayer For The Blind” includes hints of a Fiona Apple vibe, with a twist of Appalachian flair. “Make Myself Me Again” adds a bit of twang and upbeat fingerpicking. Vane is an emerging roots artist with a powerful voice who will undoubtedly make an impact on the genre.

This is a must see show for fans of Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell, Greensky Bluegrass, Gillian Welch, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, Margo Price, Old Crow Medicine Show, or The Grateful Dead.

Our friends at KRCL are presenting this Salt Lake City concert.

Who: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway w/ Cristina Vane

What: Road to El Dorado Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: Thursday, October 19, 2023

Tickets and info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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Samantha Fish put a “spell on me” at the Commonwealth Room on Thursday, September 28, 2023. And, I wasn’t the only one who was mesmerized. With her Marilyn Monroe glamour and a cigar box guitar in hand, she captivated the packed house with a sensual, artful blues performance. She immediately commanded the stage with her smoking rendition of “Bulletproof.” She then tore into a dizzying set of “Wild Heart” and “Better Be Lonely” and a sing-a-long “Chills and Fever.” Never tentative, she took us on an emotional roller coaster ride of hard driving rockin’ blues numbers interspersed with soulful ballads, from “Love Letters” to “Faster” to the hip-shaking “Somebody’s Always Trying.” 

Fish comes out of the Kansas City blues scene and now hails from New Orleans, but her style transcends any place or time. She tackled Charley Patton’s 1930 Delta Blues “Jim Lee Blues Pt. 1,” like a master. She followed it with a country blues original “Need You More.” Musically, she took us through punk, rock, blues, and country without attaching any permanent labels to her sound. Her stellar three-piece band comprising drums, bass and keyboards provided her guitar riffs with the depth her 15-song set needed to shake the rafters.

Fish showed off her vocal chops with “Dream Girl” then donned her slide guitar for “Black Wind Howlin’.” Before we could catch our breath, she returned for her encore and dazzled us with an incredible rendition of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1956 hit “I Put A Spell On You.” Fish’s version did just that. It didn’t have the macabre, voodoo campiness of the original, instead Fish gave it an intoxicating and seductive, blues flair that took the well-covered classic to unmatched artistic heights. Opener Eric Johanson joined her on stage for some dueling guitar magic on the spirited rocker “Bitch On The Run.” She had the crowd singing the chorus “Right Now, Right Now I’m Feeling It” when she ended her show. Fish is a larger-than-life performer with an arsenal of great songs and a commanding stage presence. To see her live, in an intimate setting, is always a transcending experience. She definitely rocks the blues!

New Orleans-based guitarist and Louisiana native, Eric Johanson opened the evening with his blend of heavy metal blues. Accompanied by drums and bass, Johanson started us off with a guitar-ripping “Undertow,” a tune from his new album The Deep and The Dirty. Johanson infused his nine-song set with plenty of material from his latest album including the title track. His rendition of “Live Oak” from his 2017 Burn It Down, delighted his fans with a familiar favorite. 

His sound reminds me of British heavy blues guitarists like Alvin Lee or Rory Gallagher who built upon Hendrix’s psychedelic blues in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Johanson played “Elysian Fields,” a driving rock number that retains the New Orleans blues flavor. “She Is The Song,” probably my favorite of the set, delivered the kind of soulful blues tempo that I love. He ended with a thunderous, Hendrix-esque, “Don’t Hold Back.” Johanson didn’t hold anything back and he set the pace for an epic night of rockin’ blues. Special thanks to the Utah Blues Society for sponsoring this amazing night.

Fun Fact: The inspiration for this year’s Love Letters Tour is the introspective documentary Love Letters: Samantha Fish Live from New Orleans that first aired on PBS in May. You can view the short film by clicking here.

Who: Samantha Fish w/ Eric Johanson

What: Love Letters Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: Thursday, September 28, 2023

Info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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Buddy Guy appeared at Red Butte Garden for the last time on Monday, September 11, 2023. The 87-year-old Bluesman walked out on stage in his signature polka dot outfit (his mother loved polka dots) and assured us that he could play all night. To reassure us the blues will remain in good hands, he included Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as part of his Damn Right Farewell tour. He opened with “Damn Right, I Got The Blues,” from his Grammy-winning album of the same name. For his second song, he played “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man,” an enduring classic by his mentor Muddy Waters (and written by the prolific songwriter Willie Dixon). 

But, before he decommissioned his tour bus, he offered up one final lesson in blues history. The stories he told in between songs gave us a glimpse of those important moments—including one where Mick Jagger refused to do the American TV program Shindig unless they brought on Muddy Waters too. Much to Jagger’s horror, the show staffers had never heard of Waters (the Rolling Stones owe their name to one of his songs). White American audiences knew nothing about these Chicago Blues titans the British were imitating. Guy then played another Waters song “She Nineteen Years Old.” 

The blues standards continued when Guy lit up the crowd with “Fever,” a 1950s hit for Little Willie John that Guy covered in 1968, followed by “I Let My Guitar Do The Talking.” It certainly did. 

The music lesson was just getting started. I struggled to keep up with the barrage of blues classics he added to the mix. He jammed with “ I Just Want To Make Love To You,” yet another Dixon-penned classic covered by everybody including Waters, Etta James, and Foghat. Tucked into his guitar licks, he interjected a few bars of Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze,” before finally landing on Bobby Rush’s “Chicken Heads.”

After the thrilling ride, we still had a ways to go. Guy launched into “Drowning on Dry Land,” and moved through another medley with  “Cheaper To Keep Her.” Afterward, he set his guitar on an instrument storage case, and using a drumstick as a slide, played the signature riff of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” which morphed into an excerpt of the Talking Heads’ “Take Me To The River.” 

For the rest of the evening, Guy hit us with a dizzying mix of blues standards that blended seamlessly. He started with John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” which melded into Jimmy Reed’s “You Don’t Have To Go,” and ended with Junior Wells’ “Love Her With A Feeling.” I even caught a few lines from Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House” that served as a musical exclamation point. 

Kingfish Ingram and Guy’s son Greg joined him on stage to close out the set with an instrumental guitar jam and bid a final goodbye to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. This was our last chance to see the blues legend before he winds down his life on the road. Though based on the success of his 2022 record The Blues Don’t Lie, and a recent duet with Ally Venable on “Texas Louisiana,” we probably haven’t heard the last of him.

Chicago Blues is alive and well in the hands of the next generation. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, who opened the show with “She Calls Me Kingfish,” is a case in point. He played “Fresh Out,” a 2019 song he recorded with Buddy Guy, and a teaser, “Midnight Heat,” a new song from a soon-to-be-released live album he recorded in London. A full band, featuring drums, bass, and keyboards, accompanied his guitar mastery. For me, the highlight of his terrific six-song set was “Empty Promises,” with its cross-generational bluesy guitar wail that blended “60s psychedelic soul with modern Southern blues. Ingram, at age 24, is one of a growing number of young guitar masters, both male and female, who will carry the blues torch deep into the 21st century.

Who: Buddy Guy w/Christone Kingfish Ingram

What: Damn Right Farewell tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, September 11, 2023

Info: www.redbuttegarden.org

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Caitlyn Smith has a fascinating story to tell. On Saturday night, she invited us along on her journey from a small town in Minnesota to Nashville’s Music Row. With dreams of becoming a performer, she soon found the doors to the recording industry fortress were locked. She eventually settled for “Plan B,” as she called it, to write songs for other artists.  

Smith opened with “High,” a song she wrote with (and for) Miley Cyrus who recorded it in 2020. She took us back to 2013 and a late-night writing session with her (now) husband that yielded “Wasting All These Tears,” a platinum-selling hit for Cassadee Pope. Smith then played another hit, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” a song Megan Trainor and John Legend turned into a Billboard #1 chart-topper.

Smith, in the third trimester of her pregnancy, played with great passion as she moved from keyboards to acoustic guitar, dazzling us with her catalog of remarkable music. She told us that despite her Plan B success as a songwriter, she still longed to perform her own songs. After another run at the Nashville record labels, she finally received her first “yes” with her appropriately titled song “This Town Is Killing Me.” After several years of grinding it out, she finally landed a recording contract. 

Smith has since recorded three full-length albums. Her latest record, High & Low, earned her an Academy of Country Music (ACM) award nomination for New Female Artist of the Year. An odd category, considering her decade of success in country music. 

With a limitless vocal range and an arsenal of beautiful genre-fluid songs, she played us a nice selection from her impressive catalog. She soulfully crooned “Before You Called Me Baby,” the first track from her 2018 debut album Starfire. She played “Mississippi,” a song from her new album that features superstar Garth Brooks on backing vocals. For Saturday night’s version, opener Brandon Ratcliff served as a fine stand-in for Brooks. Smith covered Brooks’ “Tacoma,” except Smith actually wrote it, so technically she covered herself. I really liked the country-pop gem, “I Can’t,” from her 2020 release Supernova and her 2023 single “Lately,” a catchy and relatable tune about missing family and friends during the pandemic.  

Near the end of her set, she performed a medley of Carole King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” in homage to artists who inspire her. She covered both songs so well, I wished it wasn’t a medley. Finally, she stepped down to the floor to serenade her new (and old) fans with “Contact High.”

What an amazing night communing with an incredibly talented artist who connected with her audience in a very personal way. I was lucky, along with a few other fans, to meet and listen to her play two tunes from her new album before the show. These kinds of magical nights don’t happen often, but when they do, it’s usually at The State Room.

Brandon Ratcliff opened the evening with the aptly titled “Family Business.” He’s a rising Nashville artist with his own story to tell. Born into the American roots music tradition, his mother, aunt, uncles, and grandfather were members of the Grammy-winning bluegrass band, The Cox Family. He often toured with the family band as a child, but always ended up back home in rural Louisiana. His 2023 album, Tale of Two Towns, catalogs his personal journey from a small town to the Nashville Metropolis. He played us an acoustic version of some of the record’s highlights, including the title track, “Grow Apart,” and “Where I’m Coming From.”  He played 10 songs in all and even tossed in a fun rendition of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me feel.” He ended his fine set with “Always Moving On.” Ratcliff is an artist on the move, and it was a pleasure seeing him at this early stage in his career.

Who: Caitlyn Smith w/ Brandon Ratcliff

What: The Great Pretender Tour

Where: The State Room

When: Saturday, September 9, 2023

Info: thestateroompresents.com

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My Spanish is limited to ordering a beer and asking directions to the bathroom. So, lucky for me, the Venezuelan dance band, Los Amigos Invisibles, demonstrated that good vibes are universal, and a funky dance beat requires no translation. My favorite band growing up as a kid was the Rolling Stones, and honestly I had no idea what Mick Jagger was singing about half the time with his thick British brogue. But, I loved the music anyway (probably a good thing I didn’t comprehend most of the lyrics.)  

The show started late, but it was worth the wait. Senxao, a local six-piece Latin party band, consisting of a lead singer, guitar, bass, keyboard, drum and bongo, kicked it off with a lively set of about a dozen songs, mostly covers of Latin favorites from across the region. 

Special thanks to Rodolfo, a Venezuelan now living in Roy, for putting the music into context for me. Most opening acts don’t get the crowd’s undivided attention, but Senxao’s charismatic lead singer had the mostly Spanish-speaking patrons beaming. They played songs popular among Millenials from Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico. The crowd joyously danced and sang along.

Los Amigos Invisibles opened their expansive, 21-song set with “Amor,” a crowd pleaser with some English lyrics, and a funky retro disco beat tailor made for the roller rink. The next song “Yo No Sé” continued the disco beat, but with a more bossa nova flair. What I enjoyed the most about the music is that it constantly changed. Unlike some club music with a monotonous beat, Los Amigos Invisibles moved the groove from Jazzy funk to disco while retaining the Latin and Caribbean styles. 

They played a few teaser tracks where they hit the first few bars of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” then moved on to “Tuyonama.” For me, the connection between the two was lost in translation. On the next song, they played the keyboard intro to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” then played “Vivire Para Ti.” I think they were just messing with me. They played a portion of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” with a momentary riff of “Billie Jean” before settling on the catchy singalong “Cuchi-Cuchi.” Even I could join in for that one, mostly.

Not lost in translation was “Disco Anal,” I’m sure that’s a risque title in Spanish too. Musically, the song has a cool throwback sound that would be perfect as the theme song for the Spanish version of the ‘70s TV show The Love Boat. The crowd enjoyed the retro vibe too. I thought the naughty lyrics continued with “La Vecina,” maybe it was the funky soul sound, but the title actually means “the neighbor.” The crowd loved it and the phones came out, so maybe that neighbor was a bit naughty.  

The band entered the homestretch and rocked the house with their fan favorites “Mentiras” and “La Que Me Gusta,” the latter echoing an ‘80s Hall and Oates feel (think “Maneater”).

What a fun night and a great vibe. I’m glad the Commonwealth Room brought in two terrific Spanish-language party bands for the whole community to enjoy. I got to dust-off my dancing boots while also expanding my definition of Americana.

Who: Los Amigos Invisibles w/ Senxao

What: Cool Love Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: Thursday, September 7, 2023

Info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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The Danielle Nicole Band, a Kansas City-based blues trio, rocked the blues at The State Room on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. With no visible setlist, Danielle Nicole, her husband/guitarist Brandon Miller, and drummer Go-Go Ray, performed a tight 12-song show that included amazing guitar and drum solos. Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor once described Danielle Nicole as: “that girl gets down to the nitty gritty.”  Indeed, the music just seemed to flow out of her soul. 

From the opening number, “Love On My Brain,” Nicole sang with a fiery passion, as if she were channeling the spirit of Janis Joplin or Etta James. She frequently paused to make eye contact with the crowd, inviting us in for a shared heavy blues experience. On “Burnin’ For You,” and “Wolf Den,” Nicole rocked the bass like no other, switching out from her rack of 5 left-handed instruments that sat next to her. There aren’t many bassist-fronted bands (and even fewer who are left-handed bass playing women). She and her band commanded the room from the first note. Nicole is the 2023 Blues Music Award (BMA) winner in the category of Instrumentalist–Bass. It’s her 5th BMA. 

Besides seeing amazing artists in an intimate setting, the night’s highlights included their run of mesmerizing songs starting with the soulful “Cry No More,” followed by the heavy basslines on “Pusher Man” and “I’m Going Home.” Nicole and Miller retreated off stage, and Go-Go Ray continued with one of the best damn drum solos I’ve ever seen. He was pure magic. He hit the symbols, stopped them on a dime, and twirled his sticks like a magician. The solo didn’t drive with the frantic intensity of rock, instead, it flowed with an intrinsic wave of emotion–a hallmark of the blues. Until Wednesday, the honor of best drum solo I ever witnessed went to Jerry Mercer of April Wine, for his solo on “21st Century Schizoid Man” in 1981. But I experienced that performance in an arena, a million miles away from the stage. So, can I really claim I “saw” it? But, I can bear witness for this show. I was only a few feet away from Ray, so I didn’t miss a beat (pun intended). Nicole and Miller returned to the stage for a final reprise of  “I’m Going Home,” before Miller got a chance to feature a breath-taking classical guitar-styled solo piece steeped with smooth blues tones (he also rocked the house all evening). 

Nicole finished the set by dazzling us with her soulful vocal chops on a fine rendition of her amazing blues-rocker “Save Me.” Instead of exiting before the encore, the trio stayed on stage, Nicole thanked the crowd for showing up and the Utah Blues Society for sponsoring the event. Describing her blues journey, she told the crowd,  “You don’t choose the blues. The blues chooses you.”

For her encore she belted out a spine-tingling version of Prince’s “Purple Rain,” not considered a traditional blues song. Nevertheless, she infused it with bluesy, soul-shaking melancholy. I’m sure Prince would have approved of her bluesy take on his enduring hit. 

The local 5-piece blues band The Alleycats opened the evening. The Salt Lake City band, formerly known as Olive and The Alleycats, started us off with their rendition of Mike Zito’s “Wasted Time.” For this performance they featured the vocalist Adri, who previously worked with the band. Her powerful torch-singer voice lent itself well to the eclectic mix of songs they played. They mixed in a few well-known covers alongside more obscure, but no less wonderful deep-cuts. They totally owned “Dear Daddy,” a great song by the under-the-radar Swedish blues band Ida Bang & The Blue Tears. Adri’s vocals on Elvin Bishop’s ‘70s hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” brought new life into a great old song. This is a highly skilled and polished troup. Their eight-song set showcased their talent. I’m going to look for them at venues around the valley. I want to see what other rare gems they have to share.

I want to give a special shout-out to the Utah Blues Society and KRCL DJ Brian Kelm, host of the Red, White, and Blues program, for their work in bringing award-winning blues artists to our stages, and to The Stateroom Presents for giving us the best venues to experience these world-class performers. Walking home after the show, I felt so privileged for the opportunity to see such immense talent in an intimate space. 

If you want another opportunity to see a woman who rocks the blues, then don’t miss Samantha Fish at The Commonwealth Room on September 28, 2023. It’s going to be epic!

Who: Danielle Nicole Band w/ The Alleycats

Where: The State Room

When: Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Info: www.thestateroompresents.com

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Buddy Guy is making his last trip to the Red Butte Garden as part of his Damn Right Farewell tour. Unlike artists who announce farewell tours, but end up on the road again (I’m looking at you, Kiss, and the Who), he’s not kidding. Salt Lake concerts aren’t over yet, so don’t put those low back chairs and picnic coolers away. Monday, September 11, 2023 will be the last chance to see the blues legend in Salt Lake City. 

Guy’s biography reads like the history of the blues. Born to sharecropper parents in rural Louisiana, he grew up in a home without electricity or indoor plumbing. A self-taught guitarist, he abandoned the cotton fields and bought a one-way ticket to Chicago to play an electrified version of the Delta Blues. In 1957, at age 21, he fell under the influence of Chicago blues icon Muddy Waters. He signed a contract with the infamous Chess Records where he worked mainly as a session guitarist backing Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Koko Taylor. 

Chess Records balked at recording Guy as a solo artist because they thought his unique, free-style, string-bending guitar licks were too erratic. In his live performances, he’d creatively pick the guitar with his teeth or play it over his head–two tricks that later influenced Jimi Hendrix. In 1967, Guy released his debut album Left My Blues in San Francisco, his only Chess Records release before moving on to other labels. 

In racially segregated America, the blues received little airplay outside African-American communities. But young British musicians were listening. When artists like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin took mainstream American music by storm, interviewers asked them about their musical influences, they’d name their American blues heroes like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, or Buddy Guy. Reporters were often befuddled, unfamiliar with those home-grown artists.

By the 1980s, Blues music enjoyed a renaissance. Unfortunately, it once again took British rock legends, like Eric Clapton, to introduce white American audiences to these incredible musicians. In 1991, Guy signed with Silvertone Records and released his mainstream breakthrough album Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues. It was his 7th studio album. The record won a Grammy for best Contemporary Blues Album. He won the award again in 1994 for Feel Like Rain, and 1996 for Slippin’ In. Larger audiences finally began to recognize him as one of the amazing artists who shaped our musical heritage, despite the second-class status they endured under segregation and social conservatism. Guy would take home Nine Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement award. BB King and Eric Clapton inducted Guy into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

The man who grew up with no running water or electricity eventually found his way to The White House where he was honored by President Obama in 2012. The same year he won a Kennedy Center Honors. Guy continues to record and in 2022, at age 86, he released a 16-song album, The Blues Don’t Lie, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. Guy will stop touring soon, but he will continue to play the blues.

Opening the evening is Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The Clarksdale, Mississippi child prodigy  got his start in blues at age five after seeing a PBS documentary on Muddy Waters. His father took him to the Delta Blues Museum to learn more. He began music lessons at the museum’s arts and education program and started playing drums at age six, then bass, before settling on the guitar at age 11. Ingram played gigs around his hometown as a 7th grader. He played for First Lady Michelle Obama at age 15 as a member of the Delta Blues Museum band. When his childhood friends teased him about playing blues when they were all listening to hip hop, he told them he played history, the music that birthed their music. He noted, Rap is nothing but the blues’ grandchild.

As Ingram approached adulthood he played blues festivals across the country and shared the stage with idols like Buddy Guy. I first saw him at the Utah Blues Festival in 2018 and marveled at his skills. He released his critically-acclaimed debut album Kingfish in 2019. The record reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and received a Grammy nomination. No Depression magazine said the album was “a stunning debut from a young bluesman with an ancient soul and a large presence in the here and now.” His 2021 follow-up album, 662, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

To see a blues master, for the final time, and watch him pass the musical torch to a protege is something I can’t miss. I just saw rising blues star Ally Venable at The State Room and she was amazing. She toured with Guy earlier this year and they recorded a duet together on her latest record. Guy is a national treasure and a generous mentor to the next generation of blues artists. I know he will fill his setlist with his original material and songs from those artists that guided him along the way. 

Tickets for this show may still be available.

Who: Buddy Guy w/Christone Kingfish Ingram

What: Damn Right Farewell tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, September 11, 2023

Tickets and info: www.redbuttegarden.org

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In the late 1970s, Pat Benatar burned her way through the American rock charts and her fiery embers supplied the kindling for those who followed.  An early pioneer, Benatar proved that female-fronted rock bands could fill stadiums and reach the top of the charts. She then made a seamless transition from the late ‘70s guitar-laden arena rock sound to the made-for-MTV video pop (while still retaining her rockin’ roots). Benatar and her musical partner/husband/guitarist Neil Giraldo brought their Funtastic Tour to The Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Monday, August 28, 2023. As advertised, we had a Funtastic time at this sold-out show!

It wasn’t long before the packed Garden crowd was “All Fired Up.” Benatar & Giraldo mixed in chart-toppers (drawing from their 19 top 40 hits) with some deeper cuts from their massive catalog. Giraldo took to the piano while Benatar crooned a soulful “We Belong.” At Age 70, her voice still packed a punch. The band’s sound, with only a guitar, bass, and drums to support Benatar’s beaming vocals, filled the night air. 

After an early warm-up of rockin’ power ballads, Benatar & Giraldo launched a non-stop flurry of hits. We were quickly reminded why Benatar owned the rock and pop music charts for several decades. Her stories, interspersed between songs, was one of my favorite parts of the evening. She remembered that her video “You Better Run” was the second video MTV played when they launched their cable television music channel in August of 1981 (the first was aptly titled “Video Killed The Radio Star” by the Buggles). To translate for the young’uns out there, that’s like the second TikTok to ever go viral. In August of 1981, MTV only aired in New Jersey, but it soon reshaped the music industry and launched all across America. I missed the MTV music craze since I spent much of the ‘80s (and most of the ‘90s) overseas with the military. Nevertheless, thanks to devoted fans who shipped VHS copies to Korea, I observed how music videos influenced popular music in the 1980s. Mostly, I listened to Benatar & Giraldo’s music the old-fashioned way.

Okay, history class is dismissed.  Let’s get back to the show. 

They thrilled us with familiar favorites, including “Invincible,” “Shadows of the Night,” and a haunting version of “Hell is for Children.” They ended with “Love is a Battlefield.” For the encore the crew returned for a pounding rendition of The Beatles “Helter Skelter” (Benatar recorded her version in 1981,) followed by 1993’s “Everybody Lay Down.” For the grand finale they reached back to 1979 for their first hit, “Heartbreaker.” They interpolated the song with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” They closed the show with Giraldo, who Benatar referred to as Spyder, shredding his guitar, Chris Ralles lighting up his drum kit, and Mick Mahan laying down the bass tracks. 

Don’t let the odometer fool you, Benatar and Giraldo still log plenty of miles performing at sold-out shows in large arenas across the globe. We were quite fortunate to have them play in our intimate garden. Their flame of musical passion still burns. As predicted, they didn’t play their iconic “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” since they decided last year that the gun violence epidemic makes it hard for them to sing those words night after night. They weren’t stingy on their other hits, though, thrilling us with their 15-song set.  

Chris Trapper opened the evening with a six-song set of amusing tunes and self-effacing stories. He started us off with “Into The Bright Lights.” He told us his song “This Time” ended up on the soundtrack for the movie August Rush and earned a Grammy nomination. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the actor who recorded the single, made it a hit, earning him a gold record. Trapper quipped, his own version was certified Tinfoil. When he played it for us, it still shined. 

Trapper ended his set with The Push Stars “Keg On My Coffin,” a catchy, albeit dark diddy by the alt-pop band that Trapper formed in Boston. The Push Stars enjoyed a modicum of commercial success in the ‘90s before going on hiatus while Trapper hit the road as a soloist. I’d like to catch him again in a small, intimate, listening room. His extensive catalog of alt-folk songs mixed with his wry sense of humor would make for an entertaining evening.

Listening to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Benatar & Giraldo under cloudless skies made for a glorious evening. As always, the Amphitheatre sound was perfect!

Who: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo w/ Chris Trapper

What: Funtastic Tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, August 28, 2023

Info: www.redbutegarden.org

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