Billtown Blue Notes

A letter from the president

elcome Back to our Billtown Blue Notes Newsletter!

This quarter I’d like to bring you all up to date on the happenings of the BBA as we prepare for our 34th Annual Billtown Blues Festival on June 21st and 22nd at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville.

I would like to begin by thanking everyone who participated in and donated to the BBA during the recent Raise the Region Campaign. Due to your generosity the BBA received $13,779 in contributions. This is a significant portion of our festival budget and makes a huge difference in keeping our ticket prices as low as possible.

To bring everyone up to speed on what the BBA has been up to since our first newsletter, we held our Audition Concert on March 9th at the Pajama Factory. Nick Andrew Staver won the Solo/Duo Act category, while the Cadillac Cats won the Band Act category. Please follow these fine musicians and support them whenever and wherever you can. They will both grace the Williamsport Sun Gazette Main Stage at the Billtown Blues Festival on Saturday, June 22nd.

We’ve also just finished a successful collaboration with New Trail Brewing Company, providing six different live musical events between April and mid-May. We thank New Trail for the fantastic venue. Be sure to look out for even more collaborations between New Trail Brewing Company and other local establishments in the near future.

Moving onto upcoming events, the BBA will have a presence at the Milton Beer Festival on June 8th, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. It’s being held rain or shine between the Milton Veterans’ Memorial and the Milton Moose Family Center on 139 S Front St. Get your tickets

now at miltonbeerfest.com.

Just two weeks after the Milton event, we’ll host our long anticipated 34th Annual Billtown Blues Festival. It’s all lined up to begin at 6:00 pm on Friday June 21st and run through 10:30 pm on Saturday June 22nd. Campers are welcome to show up early on Thursday June 20th. The camping gates will be opening at 3:00 pm for an additional fee. Be sure to get there early to kick back and relax before the exciting main event. This year, we’ve teamed up with Family Traditions RV Rentals for those of you who might like to camp, but don’t own a camper. The owner Gene Clark is offering a special deal for festival goers where he’ll haul your rented RV down to festival grounds, set it up, and haul it back at no additional charge. Now is the perfect time to test the waters of camping. No hassle, just show up and enjoy. Limited units are available, so it’s first come, first served. Call Gene Clark today at 570-506-5990 or visit www.familytraditionoutdoors. com for further details.

Advanced festival tickets will be available at each of our upcoming events, or at our walk-in locations which are the host hotel, The Genetti, the Lockard Agency, Music One, The Community Arts Center, and by appointment in Lewisburg by calling calling 570309-7953.

They’re also always available at our website, www.billtownblues. org. Ticket prices will increase on the days of the festival, so be sure to get yours soon.

Hope to see many of you at the festival!

~ David Strickler, BBA president

FOOD DRIVE - “STUFF THE BUS”

UPMC will be at the Billtown Blues Summer Festival with their big purple bus, collecting food for local food banks. They will be receiving donations between the hours of 11am and 3pm on Saturday, June 22nd. You can help “Stuff the Bus” by bringing at least one non-perishable food item to the festival. Campers arriving Thursday or Friday can drop off items at Check-In. Friday-only concert attendees can put their donations in the festival Food Drive boxes at the Fairground. Together we can help end food insecurity in Central Pennsylvania.

CONTEST!

Best Self-Produced C.D

FREE GIVEAWAYS! To celebrate our summer festival the Billtown Blues is giving away 20 free Friday night tickets and 50 free Billtown Blues Tote bags.

Tickets: The first 20 people to enter their name and email via the QR Code in this newsletter will receive one free ticket to our Friday night concert. We will notify you via your email if you are a winner. Tickets will be held for you Friday night at the ticket counters.

CANVAS TOTE:

To get a free tote bag simply cut out the coupon (see below) from this newsletter and bring it to the ticket desks. The first fifty people presenting a coupon will receive one tote bag.

CRAFT VENDORS:

If you are a craft vendor, there is still time to sign up to have a booth at our summer festival. All you have to do is go to: Billtown blues.org and click on 2024 Festival. The drop-down menu will include a vendor application.

VOLUNTEER: While you enjoy the music at any of our upcoming events, please take a moment to consider becoming a member or volunteering with our group. There are many ways that you could contribute to our non-profit group and make a difference.

CONGRATULATIONS

to B.B.A. Intern, Marcus Helminiak, who just graduated from Lycoming College. Thank you for being a part of the Newsletter Committee. We wish you every success in all your future endeavors.

IBC - Best Self-Produced CD

Billtown Blues Association is now accepting application for entry into the 2025 International Blues Foundation “Best Self-Produced CD” in Memphis Tennessee.

Only CD’s release between November 1st 2023 and September 1st 2024 are eligible for consideration. Each CD will be judged on the following characteristics listed in order of importance.

1) Blues content

2) Musical performance

3) Audio quality & production value

4) Visual appearance & cover art design

5) Credits & liner notes

For more information on official rules please visit; https://blues.org/self-produced-cd-award/ Contestants should send a letter of support with contact information and four (4) copies of the CD to: BSPCD 1580 Harvey Rd Williamsport PA 17701

Deadline for submitting entries is September 1st 2024.

34th ANNUAL BILLTOWN BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL

JUNE 21 & 22

Lycoming County Fairgrounds, Hughesville, PA

Performers:

Duke Robillard, Bob Margolin, Jason Ricci, Carolyn Wonderland, Annika Chambers & Paul DesLauriers, Bywater Call, Tas Cru, Mathias Lattin, Soulful Femme, Uptown Music Collective, Audition Solo and Band Winners. Food, Drink and Vendors on site.

To learn more or get tickets please go to https://www.billtownblues.org

(Special Announcement) The following artists have been nominated for a 2024 Blues Music Award (BMA) and are confirmed for our Summer Music Festival. They are: Annika Chambers, Mathias Lattin, Jason Ricci, and Carolyn Wonderland. Congratulations to all the nominees.

Sept. 21

Spotlight on the Artist: BOB MARGOLIN, Featured Artist

at the 2024 Billtown Blues Summer Festival

By URIE KLINE

BACKGROUND

URIE: What were some of your early musical influences?

BOB MARGOLIN: I always enjoyed music but at 15, I started playing gui tar because of Chuck Berry. A few years later, I heard Muddy Waters on a Blues Radio show. I was magnetically taken. After a couple of years of throw ing Blues licks into a very creative hip py band, I played in Blues Rock bands and then Blues bands. If my teenage self could see 60 years into the future at who I am now, he would be unsur prised and glad. To bring it full circle, last Friday at a show a young man introduced himself to me as…Chuck Berry’s grandson. We have a lot to talk about and some future jamming.

MUDDY WATERS

URIE: How did you land your gig with Muddy Waters in 1973?

BOB MARGOLIN: In the early 1970’s, Muddy was my biggest influence and I met him when bands I was in opened for him. He saw that I wanted to play what he called “Old School” Chicago Blues and he was very encouraging to me, which was a thrill. On the first night of a club engagement in Boston in August 1973, I was the first in the club. I saw Muddy’s harp player, George “Mojo” Buford, and he told me Muddy fired a guitar player the night before. He said “Wait here…” and Muddy came out of the dressing room and said, “Good. Come to my hotel tomorrow and bring a guitar.” He presumed correctly I’d be interested in going on the road with him. I realized it was the opportunity of a lifetime to learn like an apprentice to a master. I played some Muddy-style slow Blues and Muddy sang along — the biggest musical thrill of my life then. He hired me, it was a “crossroads” moment, and I appreciated it fully right then. Everything that happened since came out of that opportunity. I used what I learned to support him on the bandstand and be helpful to him on the road. I try to honor him and thank him and create my own Blues ever since.

BOB MARGOLIN: They were all great musicians but did not play in the style of Muddy’s road band. Muddy didn’t try to force them to, he and I and his piano player Pinetop Perkins enjoyed the combination. Levon’s drumming and conception of the album were essential. For me, it was inspirational to play with these magnetic world-class musical geniuses.

THE LAST WALTZ

URIE: Do you have any favorite moments from The Last Waltz?

BOB MARGOLIN: I quickly realized that this was a special event — “epic!” as they say now — and specifically thought “This is like being in a living Rolling Stone magazine, Rock Stars everywhere.” When the music started and was so powerful, I knew I was witnessing and participating in history. It was obvious and Time has proven it to be so. I didn’t know it was being filmed as the future ultimate music documentary. Muddy did two songs, not just the one in the film. A black and white reference video of the other songs was released on YouTube a few years ago and it’s like hazy Time Travel to hear and see it. Muddy and Pinetop Perkins sang “Caledonia,” which we had recorded for “The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album.” I had a guitar solo in it and so did the recently-departed Robbie Robertson. When I saw him in 2019 for the first time since the 1976 Waltz, he observed, “We don’t look like that anymore” and we talked about the performances and rehearsal.

URIE: What has it been like to revisit that event in productions like The Last Waltz 40?

RECORDING OF MUDDY WATERS WOODSTOCK ALBUM

URIE: How did the contributions of Band members of Paul Butterfield take Muddy’s Woodstock recording in a different direction?

BOB MARGOLIN: On Last Waltz 40 and the shows and tours since, some of our finest Americana musicians interpret rather than try to reproduce the songs. They bring their own voices and playing. Warren Haynes, Don Was, Jamie Johnson, John Medeski, and the New Orleans spicy players Cyril Neville, Dave Malone and Mark Mullins and the Levee Horns combine with guests from the original show, Robbie and Garth Hudson from The Band, the late Dr. John, Taj Mahal go great together. Many more over the years. The core band really has become a growing, collaborating band when we play. For me, my original job was to lead Muddy’s “Mannish Boy” song from the film. But it went over so well — though nobody could deliver Muddy’s fire and dignity — because I added the Blues onstage experience showmanship and slide guitar. I was asked to lead and share more songs over the years. I worked and played hard for that larger role.

JOHNNY WINTER

URIE: What was it like backing Johnny Winter on Nothing But the Blues?

BOB MARGOLIN: Johnny very deliberately recorded with the band that had just finished a tour after playing on Muddy’s “Hard Again” album. In April 1977 he recorded with the same musicians that had then played together for a whole tour and had its own dynamic and collaboration. It was easy and natural to apply that to Johnny’s songs.

URIE: This release was a major inflection point of Winter’s career: did you have any sense of that as the album was being cut?

BOB MARGOLIN: As it turned out, after working with Muddy, Johnny played “Nothin’ But The Blues” for the rest of his life. That could not be a commercial decision but that’s what was in his heart. I realized it in the moment and more over time.

URIE: Following your time with Muddy in the 70’s, you took what looks like a quasi-sabbatical from the music industry in the following decade. What prompted that decision?

BOB MARGOLIN: That is not what happened at all. I did literally thousands of gigs with my own band and others in the 1980s. But I did not record. I followed my heart which just wanted to play Blues in bars for soulful people and I grew from and enjoyed the experience. Thousands of gigs is not a sabbatical, but can’t be marked in albums. The Road takes work and love and dedication, but I loved it and I didn’t miss the ugly business and commercial pressures that I’ve had to work through or get around ever since. I might have been much more visible if there were social media in the 1980s (way before most people even had personal computers). Just sayin’...

Bags of Napkins & Plates • Variety of Balloons • Greeting Cards

FESTIVAL

URIE: You yourself are playing at this year’s festival (Saturday night, June 22nd!) Can you give readers a preview, or some sense of what they can expect?

BOB MARGOLIN: I was proud to be invited again. The last time I played at Billtown Blues Festival was in 2018 with Bob Stroger, Bob Corritore, Tad Walters and Chuck Cotton. For this time, Bonnie asked me who I wanted to bring. I had just played a show last October with The Skyler Saufley Band from Georgia and was gratified that younger musicians were playing Old School Blues with the same fire and dedication as the legends we all learn from. Bonnie knew of them. We played together a month ago in Atlanta, and the collaboration is growing. I can’t wait to play with them in Williamsport and celebrate the music we love together and with the wonderful audience there. The Billtown Blues Society has developed a beautiful festival over so many years.

THANKS

URIE: You speak often of your 1956 Gibson ES-150, and it figures prominently on your latest album; what makes it so special?

BOB MARGOLIN: I bought the guitar in 1975 and used it, though not exclusively, on the road, recordings, and on special occasions like The Last Waltz. That is a long relationship. That guitar inspires me more than ever.

URIE: Many of the tracks on the record are re-imaginings of classic tracks, some of them penned by master songwriters. How do you approach such a project?

BOB MARGOLIN: I want to honor and thank the inspiring musicians I met and played with through Muddy, but there’s no point in trying to reproduce their songs as recorded. Rather, I am inspired by them and try to interpret them in my own ways and with whatever creativity I can bring. It’s a labor of love. I try to do that to some degree on all my albums, but on “Thanks,” I’m all in on honoring them. I should point out that I have dozens or hundreds of original and cover songs that I do live and on my previous albums in the forty-four years since I was in Muddy’s band.

FUTURE

URIE: What are your goals for the future? Any projects or initiatives you’re particularly excited about?

BOB MARGOLIN: I’ve achieved a balanced life where I enjoy two things I love: Staying home with my wife and our pets and home plus playing only gigs I want to play. The shows I do now are musical and social fun and I’m paid respectfully. I hope to do this for as long as I can. Now I’m healthy and I think I’m playing my best music.

URIE: With such a long and storied career in the Blues, where do you see this music going from here? What do you think blues music might look

like as the 21st century advances?

BOB MARGOLIN: I have a good perspective on the future. I’m the Musical Director of the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Masterclass Workshops. Since 2010, young or young-at-heart musicians play Blues together in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The impressive talent and social grace of many of the workshoppers makes me think that Evolution has sped up. Last Thursday, I saw one of our alumni, Kingfish, play creatively and powerfully in a theater in Boulder Colorado. He’s a Blues Star now, all the way there. Around the same time I met him, more than a dozen years ago, I was a guest instructor at the Uptown Music Collective in Williamsport. I know some of the young artists I met then, like Gabe Stillman, are carrying forward the music we love.

MISCELLANEOUS

URIE: How did the nickname “Steady Rollin’” come about?

BOB MARGOLIN: One time a local Blues DJ in Boston introduced the Muddy Waters band. When he got to me he speed-rapped, “And from right here in Boston, Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin.” I’ve always traveled a lot so it fits and “Steady Rollin’ Man” is a Robert Johnson Delta Blues classic. Rollin’ rhymes with Margolin, if you pronounce my last name correctly.

URIE: How did you go about developing your particular slide guitar sound? Did you have key influences or heroes?

BOB MARGOLIN: My biggest slide influences are Muddy and Robert Nighthawk, who inspired Muddy. I also love Elmore James and Robert Johnson. One night in 1978 in Boston, Robert Johnson’s sister (still alive!) came in to the club to show Muddy the now-famous photos of Robert. Muddy sang Terraplane Blues for her, but he had me play the slide part. Surreal. I’ve also known Derek Trucks since he was 12 and from then on, I admired him very much.

URIE: Can you tell us a bit about the Pinetop Perkins Workshop Experience?

BOB MARGOLIN: When the Pinetop Perkins Foundation workshops were conceived in 2010, we quickly found that we couldn’t get enough workshoppers if it was just for piano. I suggested that we also have guitar classes and that I could teach them. After a few years, we wanted to get different class instructors because we had so many returning students each year. I became the Musical Director, more like a principal than a teacher. I sit in on the classes and can add some techniques or stories and inspiration to “play well with others.” And I can consult with the workshoppers individually. The open secret is that we learn as much from the workshoppers as they learn from us.

MORE THAN A TOY:

History of the HARMONICA

By MARCUS HELMINIAK

The harmonica’s roots date back millennia, with the first “proto-harmonica” instrument being the sheng, a mouth-blown free-reed Chinese instrument made sometime before 1100 BC. The design of the first modern harmonica is credited to Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, a German instrument craftsman. Buschmann developed his harmonica in 1821, but he was far from the only one to think of this design, as multitudes of other inventors created similar instruments around the same time. Everyone was making their own mouth-blown free-reed instruments, not just in Germany or China, but all over the world.

The harmonica as we know it was a fairly popular item following its introduction, but it really kicked into overdrive at the advent of the American Civil War. Two major factors set the harmonica apart from other instruments; it was very cheap and very portable. Costing less than a nickel and fitting in a

pocket made the harmonica the perfect instrument for the soldier on the move. They could provide levity and music even while on the harsh path of war.

The United States’ harmonica industry boomed. Between the soldiers ’love for it and the phenomenal advertising of Abraham Lincoln always carrying one around in his pocket, the harmonica quickly became one of America’s most popular instruments. By 1870, over 25 million harmonicas were sold in the United States every year. Although those numbers are incredible, they don’t reflect the general opinion of the harmonica at that time. Most people saw it as a toy, one you’d give your kid and they’d play it twice before they threw it away.

That all changed when the harmonica entered the blues genre. Blues musicians were drawn to the instrument not only for the same reasons as the Civil War soldiers, but because of its profound ability to almost mimic human sound. When played right, the harmonica can sound deep, soulful and painful, or be fast-paced and bombastic with music that’s near indistinguishable from whistling. Blues music thrives off of both these extremes and their

mixture, so the harmonica was beyond perfect for the genre.

The oldest known recordings of a harmonica are actually the records of foundational blues musician Pete Hampton. His works are perfect examples of the experimental and amazing work blues musicians in Hampton’s time period were doing with the harmonica. One of the most famous and important harmonica musicians was Sonny Boy Williamson II, who is one of, if not the most important blues musicians responsible for popularizing the harmonica. His performances not only forced people to look at the harmonica as a real instrument, but also brought it into the common domain, appealing to everyone, not just blues fans.

Today, the harmonica continues to be an integral part of blues music. The instrument has always fought an uphill battle against the notion that it is a mere toy, but generations of brilliant blues musicians have shown again and again that it is a powerful, adaptable, and an important part of the blues repetoire. It has and will continue to be a staple, not just in the blues, but in music.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

By RON WRIGHT

The Blues. Music about life. Born out of hard times and heartache. They’re a way to deal with life’s disappointments. As such, it only seemed fitting that as I was walking to my Jeep to meet up with local blues harp ist Dave Thompson to chat about the blues and the harmonicas role in it, I noticed I had a flat tire. “ Dang it!” Tire swapped out, some Big Walter Horton & Carey Bell pumping through the stereo and off I go. But before I get too far along here is some brief harmonica history.

The harp has a rich history in the United States, and a wide range of musical styles it can fit into, such as the blues. In the 1930s & 40s, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson was instrumental in the popularization of the harmonica as a blues instrument. Over the course of the following 40 years, players like Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, and Rice Miller (Sonny Boy II) solidified the harp in the blues culture. Fast forward a bit, harmonica giants like Paul Butterfield, Kim Wilson, Rick Estrin and Jason Ricci have built their styles on the traditional blues and pushed the instrument even further.

blues. He was in his early 20s, and having just got done with a hitch in the military, he got hooked on a couple of blues albums by B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Got himself a harmonica and got busy with it. Eventually he was overheard while practicing and was invited to play out. Over time, Dave played in different bands and open jams in the Rochester area.

The harp can mimic the human voice, making it a perfect fit for the classic blues call & response style. It can also be played like a sax or trumpet. Adding some “pepper to the gumbo” by doing short, attack style horn lines in up tempo tunes. And, due to the small size of the ten hole diatonic harmonica, you can take it anywhere and play it whenever you have some free time. So, about that chat with Dave.

I asked Dave how he got into his journey with the harmonica and the

WHO? Twelve world class blues performances. Award-winning artists. In order of appearance:

FRIDAY NIGHT- Uptown Music Collective Blues Band, Soulful Femme, Tas Cru, Annika Chambers and Paul Deslauriers.

SATURDAY NIGHT- Nick Andrew Staver, The Cadillac Cats, Mathias Latin, Duke Robillard, Al Copley, Jason Ricci, Carolyn Wonderland, Bob Margolin with the Skylar Saufley Band, and Bywater Call.

WHAT? Central Pennsylvanian

Moved to Williamsport in 2004 and got involved with the local blues

Since there are several genres of blues, Delta, Chicago, Piedmont and West Coast Swing to name a few, I asked Dave if there was a particular style he leaned towards. He said his playing is more of an amalgamation of several styles. As such, we both agree that a musician should listen to and absorb as much as possible from several styles of music. Current harmonica giant Jason Ricci is a great example of this. Elements of his early days in punk bands, his deep dive into traditional blues and aromas of jazz and swing all play a part in the development of his style.

Back to Dave, I asked him if he had any other advice for budding harp players. He says to “learn to allow for space”. Agreed. Don’t overplay. Leave your audience wanting more. He also suggests “learning how to sing’. It helps your musicality and makes you more hireable. Sound advice.

So, if you’ve been wanting to get started playing blues harmonica, go get a decent harp like a Hohner Special 20 in the key of “C”. Then check out some instructional vids from guys like Adam Gussow, Jason Ricci, Jon Gindick and Michael Rubin. They’re a great resource. Get busy, and most importantly… Have a good time.

Note on the author: Ron Wright started playing the harmonica back around 1977, and has played with the “Cross Keys Jazz Ensemble” and “Soulmanna”. Currently, Ron & his wife June own and operate Backhouse Cafe Coffee & Tea, located at 901 W. 4th St. in Williamsport. Where sometimes, you just may hear him playing on the porch after hours.

music, craft vendors, plenty of food and beverages including beer, water, soda, and hard cider.

WHERE? Lycoming Fairgrounds, Hughesville, PA.

WHEN? June 21st & June 22nd.

WHY? Come to be a part of the thirty-four years of music and memories. Come for the fun, food, music and sunshine.

For more information, please go to www.billtownblues.org.

MEMORY OF A 2013 SUMMER FESTIVAL

By KENDALL PALMATIER

magine this, you’re at a music festival and suddenly, you’re asked to perform on stage because the band that was booked couldn’t make it. To some, that might sound like a dream, or for others, a nightmare. In 2013, that’s what happened to me and my friends as what I can describe as one of the most memorable moments of my music career.

It was the 24th Annual Billtown Blues Music Festival and I was a student volunteer from The Uptown Music Collective. I was very excited to attend my first blues festival and my job was to help in the merchandise tent. I should have known that this festival was going to be a memorable one when the cash register stopped working as soon as the gates opened. This was before we had a

credit card system, so every transaction was cash or check only.

After getting the first rush of patrons, I took a short break to grab a pulled-pork sandwich from Don Waltman’s Market House Meats & Deli, one of the great food vendors that was at the festival that year. I went back to the tent to chow down on the grub. Soon after that I was informed that Kelly Richie’s van broke down somewhere outside of Pennsylvania. Since there were a lot of student volunteers from The Uptown Music Collective, we were able to put a group together to fill in for that hour.

Smith’s Jewelers Smith’s Jewelers

“Restoration Specialists” Specializing in Antique & Period Jewelry 570-368-4653(GOLD) smithsjlrs@comcast.net • smithsjlrs.com 344 Broad St., Montoursville Monday-Friday – 10am-5:30pm

It was nerve-wracking to stand in for a profound guitarist and vocalist who had been playing for over twenty years at the time and who once sat in with blues-legend Albert King! I had never played any of the songs until I got up on stage before what was then the largest crowd I had ever performed in front of. But that’ the beauty of the

blues: as a drummer, if you know how to shuffle, you’re in! If my memory serves me correctly, we performed the iconic “Smokestack Lightning” by Howlin’ Wolf. An absolute classic in the blues genre and a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into one of the cornerstones of American music.

I haven’t missed a Billtown Blues Festival since then, and I’m now a Board Member, Secretary, committee member, and I run the merchandise tent at the Festival. I am grateful to have been a part of such a stellar group of musicians that got to perform on stage that day and it is something I will never forget.

The Billtown Blues Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, an affiliated Member of the Blues Foundation and a recipient of a “Keeping the Blues Alive” award. Our goals are to preserver, promote and enjoy the blues.

NEWSLETTER STATEMENT:

The Billtown Blue Notes is a quarterly newsletter written by the Billtown Blues Newsletter Committee and published in cooperation with the Sun-Gazette. It is a labor of love written by our member volunteers. The opinions of our writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the BBA or the Sun-Gazette.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For more information or to become a member go to: billtownblues.org

Follow us on Facebook and instagram Newsletter Committee: bbabluenotesnewsletter@gmail. com