INSIDE THIS ISSUE A long time ago and not so far away I was summoned by the fates to move into an apartment with two male musicians on Norfolk Street in Cambridge, MA. I was going to school at Mass College of Art in Boston and I needed a part time job. There was this…
By Art Simas Published in June/July 2016 #219 The Blues Audience newsletter. When the Love Dogs play those first notes at a gig, the audience has no choice but to succumb to a joyful light-headedness accompanied by an infectious smile on every face. There is no doubt – this is the beginning of laissez les…
By Diana Shonk (first appeared in #182 The Blues Audience newsletter, August/September 2010 I am never surprised, but always amazed by the amount of talent there is in our New England area. When I go to the North Atlantic Blues Festival, I love to see the acts that they bring to the stage that are…
Profile and photos by Diana Shonk Published in February/March 2011 #185 Award winning Roomful of Blues has a wonderful new record. It is a cooperative effort from the band, deciding on the tunes and executing them the way only these veteran musicians can. Chris Vachon is the lead guitarist and leader of the band. He…
Discover the Arts & Artists of the Chan Dynasty Blues, Jazz, Comedy, and Culinary Delights are blended weekly in this Woonsocket institution. by Art Simas John Chan, the entrepreneur of Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining, 267 Main St., Woonsocket, RI, was honored on June 15, 2015 as the recipient of the Rhode Island Pell Award for…
Toni Lynn Washington: One of the best in the music world! Local vocalist swings, scolds and exudes Soul ‘with a capital S’ by Art Simas With apologies to Tower of Power, the group that performs “Soul with a Capital S,” this is the essence of Toni Lynn Washington. For the better part of seven decades,…
Being the Bandleader Definitely Has Headaches and Heartache by Art Simas Published in The Blues Audience #216 December/January 2016 If you look up Michelle Willson’s biography in AllMusic.com, it is consists of a total of 89 words. Obviously, no one ever spoke to Michelle because she has a lot to say about being in…
