Homemade Jamz Blues Band kicks off Blues on the Mall. Photo by Ebet Hoberts.
Billed as the “youngest blues band in America,” the Homemade Jamz Blues Band will launch the 2012 edition of the LAV Budweiser Blues on the Mall series on June 13.
The energetic group of Mississippi-based siblings – guitarist-singer Ryan Perry, 19, bassist Kyle Perry, 17, and drummer Taya Perry, 13 – was supposed to return to Rosa Parks Circle for last year’s series, but that July show was pre-empted by the downtown visitation for former First Lady Betty Ford, who died the week before.
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Landing the acclaimed trio for the 21st season of Wednesday night’s Blues on the Mall isn’t the only triumph or coups for Tony Gates and the rest of the crew at WLAV-FM (96.9): Longtime West Michigan fave Walter Trout is back to close out the series on Aug. 15, sure to deliver the sort of passionate guitar display that’s impressed his fans the past two dozen years.
As usual, concerts in the nine-week series – which fills downtown with a diverse crowd of thousands of people in mid-week – begin at 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the complete lineup with updates on what the acts have been up to recently. And, yes, there’s a Trout and a Fish on this year’s bill:
June 13 – Homemade Jamz Blues Band: The band, which a few years ago became the youngest blues band to ever get signed to a record deal, has earned high praise for its studio albums, including its most recent recording, 2010’s “The Game.’ They play homemade instruments, with their father often joining them on harmonica. Listen to the band here, and I assure you, it’s worth the listen.
June 20 — Big James & the Chicago Playboys: After playing last fall’s Hoptoberfest in downtown Grand Rapids, Big James Montgomery and his crew completed their new album, “The Big Payback,” which was released in February, with Living Blues calling it the Playboys at their “hard-hitting best” as “masters of contemporary Chicago blues.”
June 27 – Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials: A regular Blues on the Mall performer, the ever-animated Lil’ Ed Williams’ new album, “Jump Start,” being released June 5, is described by the Chicago Sun-Times as “a bazooka assault of foot-stompin’ blues and slow-burnin’ knee-bucklers.”
Samantha Fish plays the series on July 18.
July 11 – Trampled Under Foot: This Kansas City band, which won the 2008 International Blues Challenge as well as other competitions, is playing Blues on the Mall for the first time. Another blues band comprised of siblings, Trampled Under Foot’s most recent album, “Wrong Side of the Blues,” helped the group earn last year’s Blues Blast’s blues band of the year award.
July 18 – Samantha Fish: Another Kansas City product, this young, award-winning blues singer and guitarist earned stellar reviews for her 2011 debut, “Runaway.” Samantha Fish also earned kudos for an album, “Girls With Guitars,” that also featured Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde.
Walter Trout will close this year's series.
July 25 – Vasti Jackson: Mississippi blues/funk/soul guitarist and singer Vasti (pronounced vast-eye) Jackson returns to Blues on the Mall, after last year playing the lead role in the play, “Robert Johnson: The Man, The Myth, The Music.”
Aug. 1 — Laith Al-Saadi: This Ann Arbor blues/rock/jam band artist recently was described by annarbor.com as possibly the “hardest working man in show business.” Laith Al-Saadi has opened for the likes of Luther Allison, Taj Mahal and B.B. King.
Aug. 8 – Curtis Salgado: This award-winning blues/soul singer and harmonica player from Portland, Ore., was part of Robert Cray’s band for several years. Curtis Salgado also helped inspire John Belushi’s Blues Brothers and has recorded several solo albums, including his most recent recording, 2012’s “Soul Shot.”
Aug. 15 – Walter Trout: Long familiar to Grand Rapids audiences and fans across the globe, Trout last month released his 21st album, “Blues for the Modern Daze,” which represents a return “to his hard-core blues roots.” You can watch him perform an extended, scorching rendition of the title track to the new album below.
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