Welcome to BluesRow

It felt like Mississippi in Central PA, and I mean that in the best way possible. My friend Jim Phipps invited me to a jam put on by the Central PA Blues Society on Thursday.  I had gone to one other jam with Jim a couple of months ago and actually ended up performing.  I survived that and thought, “Hey, let’s try another.”

The venue was the 40 et 8 Club outside of Harrisburg, a private club.  I didn’t even know private clubs existed anymore!  It was a one-story building with a side porch.  We pulled into the parking lot (really just some gravel and grass) and saw it was packed with cars.  People spilled out from the club onto the porch, and you could hear (or feel) the blues groove from outside.  Shouldering our way in, which was the only way to get in, we found a loud, crowded, smoky blues club.  All kinds of people were there — old, young, black, white…   But everybody enjoying the music and each other.  Man, I felt like I had stumbled into a Mississippi juke joint!

Jim introduced me to George Bressler, the president of the CPBS, and I asked him where to sign up.  George, a real nice guy and a gentleman, indicated the clipboard up front.  Actually, I was asking where to sign up for the CPBS, and he thought I meant where to sign up for the jam.  So I signed up and then realized that I had just signed up to jam later.  Well, I had brought my guitar, but…  After about an hour of listening to the other musicians, I was ready to take my name off the list!  If you’ve even been an amateur among pros, you know the feeling!

One guitarist who absolutely smoked was Don Johnson.  He did a great set of blues and soul and totally ripped on his solos.  And he was a good vocalist as well, with a real soulful delivery.

I loved the atmosphere (except for the smoke) and was astonished to find so many blues fans out on a Thursday night.  So for those who think the blues is dead or dying, if you live in the Harrisburg area, come on out on a Thursday night!  It’s very much alive and definitely kicking.

Oh, and we had to leave before my set came up. *whew*  Maybe next time…