TEXAS HARMONICA FESTIVAL
SATURDAY JULY 30TH, 2011 1PM - 1AM
DAN ELECTRO'S GUITAR BAR, 1112 E. 24TH ST, HOUSTON, TX 77009 (713.862.8707)
(BLUES 'N' KIDS PRESENTATION) FRIDAY, JULY 29TH, EL DORADO BALLROOM, 2310 ELGIN, HOUSTON, TX 77004
CONTACT: SONNY BOY TERRY - (OFFICE) 713.869.7746 (MOBILE) 713.822.0437
SBT@HOUSTONHARMONICALESSONS.COM
http://www.houstonharmonicalessons.com/ OR http://www.houstonbluessociety.org/
2ND ANNUAL TEXAS HARMONICA FESTIVAL AND CLINIC IS BACK IN HOUSTON WITH A VENGENCE!
Following last summer's triumphant success of the very first TEXAS HARMONICA FESTIVAL AND CLINIC featuring Brooklyn blues harp busker and famed author Adam Gussow , Austin's Rob Roy Parnell , regional favorites Dave Nevling and the Blues Kats , The H-Town Jukes, event producer Sonny Boy Terry and his band, this year's version of the Texas Harmonica Festival promises to be bigger and perhaps even a little better.
This year, www.houstonharmonicalessons.com teams up with the Houston Blues Society to expand the festival to even greater heights, not only to put on one heck of a blues harp showcase and clinic at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar but also as they reprise the Houston Blues Society's once very successful BLUES 'N' KIDS program with a fabulous workshop and presentation at the legendary Eldorado Ballroom teaching neighborhood kids how to play harmonica and about it's relation to blues history Friday morning. The workshop will be presented by youtube sensation Denver Colorado's Ronnie Shellist , who is also proprietor of the harmonica instruction web site www.harmonica123.com along with Houston blues harp man and recording artist Sonny Boy Terry, who is a renown harmonica teacher sharing his talents at middle and high schools, harmonica camps, community colleges, universities, corporate retreats and private instruction in Houston, across the US and even on SKYPE . Assisting on guitar will be bonifide Houston guitar legend Texas Johnny Brown . Introducing the kids to the world of blues harmonica, will be a viewing the award winning film Pocket Full Of Soul: The Harmonica Documentary, produced by Houston filmakers Todd Slobin and Marc Lempert . The BLUES 'N' KIDS workshop will kick things off on Friday at around 10AM and go for approximately 90 minutes. The workshop is free to kids in the neighborhood and harmonicas will be provided free of charge by the HOUSTON BLUES SOCIETY for the children to take home with them.
The TEXAS HARMONICA FESTIVAL moves over to Dan Electro's Guitar Bar in Houston's Heights for an afternoon clinic/workshop starting at 1PM on Saturday. Tickets for the clinic are on sale now at www.texasharmonicafestival.eventbrite.com This year's clinic/workshop offers four sessions instead of one at a great price ($30.00 for the clinic only and $40.00 including the evening showcase). Sonny Boy Terry starts it off with a "Harmonica for Beginners" workshop - great for fathers and sons, young and old or anybody who is just starting out. Terry will go for an hour or so before turning it over to Ronnie Shellist from 2PM - 4PM for the Intermediate/Advanced Harmonica" clinic that would be great for anybody but focuses on techniques and instruction for those who have some background playing harmonica. Ronnie will take a brief survey survey from the attendees to guage where the majority's interests and abilities lie, then proceed so students can get the most out the clinic. Immediately after Ronnie's workshop is Stephen "Fess" Schneider's " Amplifying the Harmonica" Clinic. Steve is a known vintage amp repairman for many blues musicians in Houston and also an excellent blues harp player himself. He is able to set up and specialty tune harmonicas, and work on vintage microphones known for creating classic "Chicago Sound". As an English professor at Houston Community College's main campus, Steve is a superb teacher who will certainly be able assist attendees to help understand the nuances of harmonica amplification. Top top the afternoon's clinics off, there will a one hour jam session with the Sonny Boy Terry Band allowing all the attendees an opportunity to sit in with a true Texas blues band with a list for them to sign up on. Wow! What an afternoon! And what a great price with a genuine chance to learn from several of america's finest blues harmonica performers and instructors! Attendees are highly recommended to get there early and stay for the entire program.The novice or the more experienced players should be able to gain from the entire experience.
After a dinner break with a film documentary (TBA) between 6PM - 8PM (grill food is available on site at Dan Electro's), the real blues kicks in with Houston multi instrumentalist Texas Johnny Boy and his band. Texas Johnny Boy is a known commodity on the Texas music scene working regularly on the Dallas-Fort Worth blues circuit as well as Houston venues for nearly 30 years. An excellent harmonica player and vocalist, Texas Johnny Boy is also gifted at playing saxaphone, piano, and flute blending his talents creating his own unique sound.
Starting at 9PM, a true Houston treasure, Tommy Dardar will give blues lovers a taste of his soul drenching vocals and firey harmonica. Tommy has been doing this long time having gigged with Lightnin Hopkins, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Juke Boy Bonner even. Guitar hero Jimmy Vaughn and Dardar friend once advised Tommy after hearing him sing to take up the harmonica way back in the late 60s. The rest is history. The late Houston Chronicle music critic Bob Claypool once wrote:
"Tommy Dardar can play the blues like a man possessed".
Dardar plays a powerful brand of swamp rock steeped in the traditions of Louisiana Zydeco and blues masters such as Bobby Bland and the legendary Jimmy Reed. His recent album, Fool For Love is produced by Tony Braunigal , drummer for Taj Majal, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Belushi and currently with Robert Cray . this CD cooks from start to finish! It is a steaming cauldron of creole swamp blues rich with the traditions of all the styles that Tommy and his band bring to the table. Tommy's music moves you and makes you want to move, whether to celebrate your joy, or bury your pain.
At 10PM, the Texas Harmonica Festival's featured instructor Ronnie Shellist takes the stage. Ronnie is a wonderful harmonica player inspired by William Clarke and Kim Wison . He has an excellent album out produced by Chicago bluesman Nick Moss titled "Chicago Sessions". Ronnie's family lives in Houston so expect him to step up and give a rousing performance.
At 11PM, Houston's own Sonny Boy Terry and his band will show blues lovers what the harmonica is about Houston style. Sonny Boy Terry , wearing three hats for the day serving as producer, instructor, and perfomer got his start in Houston sleeping on Johnny Winter drummer Uncle John Turner's floor on a kinder garden mat in Montrose just to break into the blues scene. "Before that", says Sonny Boy, "I couldn't buy a gig in this town". A genuine ambassador of Houston's rich blues heritage, Terry has eventually went to perform all over the world and record with Texas legends Joe Guitar Hughes, Johnny Clyde Copeland, Calvin Owens and with contempory blues artists Rich Delgrosso, Jonn Del Toro Richardson, and Tony Vega . Sonny Boy is the founder of the Houston Blues Society, starting it in 1993 and serving as president for over 3 years. He has two crtically acclaimed albums on the Auston blues label Doc Blues Records who has recorded on over twenty albums to date Terry is featured in most complete book on Texas blues to date, Alan Govenar's Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound.
At midnight, topping off an evening of great blues, the unheralded but deeply talented Greg Izor hits the stage. A former New Orleans resident and Hurricane Katrina "evacuee", Greg now resides in Austin, Texas where he is certainly making a name for himself. His brand new CD is getting rave reviews. A recent review of his album "I Was Wrong" in Living Blues Magazine says,
" The list serious blues harmonica players who have distinguished themselves as disciples of the post war greats is an all too short one, at least in comparison to the aspiring guitarists out there. And although he may not be a household name yet, Greg Izor, from Austin Texas deserves a place on that short list of harp player/singers who have developed a truly unique voice on the instrument without sounding like watered down versions of Little Walter, James Cotton, or Big Walter Horton."
It's not just the critics who are enamoured with Greg Izor. He just filled some very large, in fact mammoth shoes replacing the late great Sam Myers in the prototype Texas blues band Anson Funderburg and the Rockets. The Texas Harmonica Festival is proud to introduce Greg Izor to the Houston blues scene hoping his gets the audience and recognition he truly deserves.
http://www.houstonharmonicalessons.com/ and the Houston Blues Society are collaborating on a festival we hope can bring the notoriety of the blues and harmonica to a larger audience, and not just "preaching to the choir", so to speak. We want to use the festival as an educational tool for the young and old alike. The blues are arguably america's most original art form and we want people to realize that. The harmonica, which rose to prominance during the civil war due to it's portability is a simple intrument to learn but very difficult to master and play at the level of the true legends. It continues to evolve as many such as Howard Levy, Adam Gussow, Sugar Blue and Jason Ricci knock down barriers and limitations moving the tiny instrument into musical realms never known by humankind before. With the advent of the internet, providing more outlets to promote and market the harmonica, it is becoming more popular all the time. We feel a festival of this nature is something the Houston blues scene can build on and taken blues to even greater heights letting the world know Houston is a great blues town that is starting to become a great harmonica town too. Please join us for a day of not only great harmonica, but great blues with a respect for history and tradition steeped in a modern uptempo blues sound.
Tickets for the Texas Harmonica Festival are very reasonably priced. For the entire day that includes the full afternoon of clinics, the jam session, movie time and the evening blues harmonica showcase, you can purchase tickets for one low price of $40.00. You can also get tickets for the aftenoon clinics for one low price of $30.00. Or if you just want to enjoy the evening showcase, showcase, admission is only $12.00. It's advised you arrive early to get a seat. Tickets will be available at the door that day. No one will be turned away. But we strongly advise you get tickets in advance online at http://www.texasharmonicafestival.eventbrite.com/ It's a secure web site so please don't worry. You may also but advance tickets securely at http://www.houstonharmonicalessons.com/ . So if learning the harmonica is on your bucket list or you just want to dance your blues away, we have the event for you. Your support is appreciated.
Here is a schedule of the entire day's activies:
FRIDAY, JULY 29TH: 10:AM - 11:30AM - BLUES 'N' KIDS - EL DORADO BALLROOM, THIRD WARD W/SONNY BOY TERRY, RONNIE SHELLIST, TEXAS JOHNNY BROWN AND VIEWING OF POCKET FULL OF SOUL: THE HARMONICA DOCUMENTARY
1PM - 2PM - BEGINNING BLUES HARMONICA W/SONNY BOY TERRY, DAN ELECTRO'S GUITAR BAR
2PM - 4PM - INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED HARMONICA W/RONNIE SHELLIST
4:PM - 5:PM - AMPLIFYING THE HARMONICA W/STEPHEN "FESS" SCHNEIDER
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| The Professor |
5:PM - 6:30PM CLINIC PARTICIPANT JAM SESSION W/SONNY BOY TERRY BAND
6:30PM - 8PM - DINNER/MOVIE TIME (TBA DOCUMENTARY ON BLUES ON LARGE SCREEN) GRILL FOOD AVAILABLE ON PREMISES
8PM - 8:45PM - TEXAS JOHNNY BOY BAND
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| Texas Johnny Boy |
9PM - 9:45PM - TOMMY DARDAR
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| Tommy Dar Dar |
10PM - 10:45PM - RONNIE SHELLIST
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| Ronnie Shellist |
11PM - 11:45PM - SONNY BOY TERRY BAND
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| Sonny Boy Terry |
12AM - 12:45AM - GREG IZOR
1AM - GRAND FINALE (IF TIME PERMITS)
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