A letter from the president W
ith the 34th annual Billtown Blues Festival behind us, a quick reminisce is prudent this year. Mother Nature had her way with us as she threw a variety of curve balls, sinkers, and sliders at us the entire weekend. Extreme heat and humidity were consistent throughout and water was the drink of choice for many. For those who didn’t get enough water, she provided two storms to quench their thirst. She tried her best to bring the music to an early end but through the dedicated volunteers, artists, stage and sound staff, we were able to regroup after an hour or so and resume speed. Later, the diehard blues fans reappeared and the show did go on. Many thanks to those who were able to put their heads together and make it happen and, especially to those who didn’t give up and returned to the rest of the festival to enjoy world class blues music.
maybe not quite as big. Get your tickets at billtownblues.org.
Our annual meeting will be held on Thursday, September 26th at the First Community Foundation Partnership, located at 201 W 4th St in Williamsport. This meeting is open to the public and we encourage anyone to attend to see what goes on behind the scenes. You may show up at 6:00 pm and be able to leave by 7:00 pm. It is also an opportunity for people to meet our core members and board of directors. Think you might want to get involved with the BBA? Then this is a great time to show your face and maybe even raise your hand to volunteer. That is exactly how I got involved. Should you decide to attend, please enter through the back parking lot door. Someone will be there to welcome you. Dress is very casual.
M ake sure to check out your N e W, favorite podcast shari N g para N or M al stories fro M a ppalachia a N d beyo N d . h ave a story to share W ith us ? f i N d us W herever you get your podcasts !
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Look a bit further in this newsletter to read all about the Cinelli Brothers, a top ranked British Blues group coming to Williamsport September 21st at The Side Bar on Market St. It brings back memories of the Beatles arrival on the Ed Sullivan Show 60 years ago, although
As we look out to the end of 2024, we have several other events on our radar. We are currently in negotiations with a very unique venue for a potential music event this fall or maybe spring of 2025. Not having it nailed down quite yet, I don’t want to spill the beans but encourage you to monitor our website and Facebook page for updates. We will also have our annual Fall Into The Blues event
at the Genetti Hotel on November 17th. This, of course, is our major fundraiser during the year where the proceeds go towards assisting our two Audition Concert winners with their trip to Memphis, TN from January 7th – 11th, to compete in the International Blues Challenge. Our winners this year are Nick Andrew Staver from Shippensburg, PA who won the solo/duo event and our local group, The Cadillac Cats who won the band event. If you really enjoy blues music, I highly recommend you take the time to venture on down to Memphis and check this out. Besides the many venues to hear and see the international challengers, there are many sightseeing opportunities for you such as Graceland, Sun Studio, National Civil Rights Museum, Blues Hall of Fame Museum, and, if you drive there, a trip down Highway 61. That’s it from my desk. Hope to see you at some of our events.
~ David Strickler, BBA president
BBA MISSION STATEMENT:
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 preserve, 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 D. Dixon, newsletter chair
TBy BONNIE TALLMAN
Billtown Blue Notes
he Billtown Blues Association (BBA) is part of a global network of over 200 affiliated blues societies under the Memphis-based Blues Foundation. This global “family” shares a mission to honor, celebrate, and support blues music as a valued American art form. Throughout our 34-year history, and this affiliation, the BBA has discovered and presented countless bands and solo performers at the Billtown Blues Festival and other BBA-produced events. Most recently, we are excited to introduce the 2023 International Blues Challenge (IBC) finalists
and the recently awarded #1 Blues Band in the U.K., The Cinelli Brothers. The Cinelli Brothers have graciously accepted an offer from the Billtown Blues Association to perform on Saturday, September 21st, at the Side Bar, 345 Market Street in Williamsport.
In a recent Zoom interview, Marco Cinelli shared the impact of their IBC experience, stating, “It is a very surrealistic moment for us. The life as we once knew is no longer. It is not even a bubble; it is a living dream. Time and space are no longer relevant. We gather, we travel, and we play as we build our European and soon our U.S. fanbase. It is just surreal.” When asked about their driving force, the brothers emphasized their passion for music and their commitment to delivering 100% in every performance. Marco added, “We do everything ourselves, so we are crazy busy, but we don’t mind because we love what we do and always
want to deliver a professional, meaningful and engaging performance.”
Reflecting on their journey to Memphis, Marco stated, “What we have as a band is the will to endure, the will to pursue, the will to win.” For the band, “will to win” means winning fans through the effect of their music, with awards being a by-product of that goal and accomplishment. “We were nominated for the U.K. Blues Awards four times and never won until this year. This year we had five nominations and won Best U.K. Blues Band. That, coupled with our IBC experience and our will to achieve, is what drives us.” Alessandro described his first experience on Beale Street as intense and magical, saying, “I immediately felt lifted and inspired. I was already a better musi-
(See CINELLI BROTHERS, Page 4)
CINELLI BROTHERS COME TO WILLIAMSPORT
(From Page 3)
cian just being there.”
The band is forging valuable U.S. connections. Participating in the IBCs was the first step, followed by being selected to play on Joe Bonamassa’s 2023 “Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean” cruise. In March 2023, their fourth release, “Almost Exactly,” was recorded at the famed Woodstock NY recording studio, Applehead, under the guidance of producer Rich Pagana, and was introduced at the Cutting Room in NYC to a packed house in January 2024. Now, an aggressive East Coast fall tour from New England to Florida, including a stop in William-
sport, PA, will kick off in September.
What can you expect from the band’s Williamsport concert at the Side Bar? Their official biography states: “The band’s roots are in the blues, as to which they have enormous knowledge and reverence – one of their original songs is called ‘Grandchildren of the Blues’ as a testament to those roots – and the soul and rock music of the 60s and 70s. Their original material is an innovative mix of blues, funk, soul, rock and roll, and other genres that together produce a wonderful stew that folks are calling ‘’ They play predominantly original material at their shows as well as some blues standards, which they play with an excitement and vitality that is distinctive in to-
day’s blues scene.”
Tickets are on sale now at: https://CinelliBrothersTickets.eventbrite.com with cash sales available at the CAC Box Office in Williamsport and by appointment in Lewisburg by calling 570-306-7953. This special event will feature two shows, starting at 6 PM and 9 PM, respectively. VIP tickets are also available, offering a meet and greet, a signed poster, and a photo opportunity with the Cinelli Brothers and the opening act for both shows, The Cadillac Cats. Jersey Shore-based The Cadillac Cats, will be making their second trek to the IBCs in Memphis in January 2025. The BBA is thrilled to be part of the Cinelli Brothers’ 2024 East Coast Tour.
Interview with the British Baking Company’s Jeanne Moulton
By DONNA DIXON Billtown Blue Notes
As the Billtown Blues Association prepares to host the Cinelli Brothers, winners of a 2024 U.K. Blues Federation award and 2nd place winners in the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, I began to think of Williamsports own bastion of British culinary delights, the British Baking Company (BBC). I contacted the BBC hoping that they could help us delve into some of the rich history of British Baking and tell us a little bit about their business.
DD: First, I would like to thank Jeanne Moulton on behalf of the Bill town Blues members and the Sun-Gazette readers for doing this in terview.
BBC: You’re welcome!
DD: Tell us a little about how you were inspired to start the British Baking Company.
BBC: Every fall for at least (10) years we had gone with a group of friends from Williamsport to Niagara-on-theLake in Canada for a weekend of wine tasting. On the very first visit we dropped into an English bakery to get lunch and our friends experienced their very first sausage rolls! Suffice to say they had never tasted such pastries. My husband pointed out that the sausage rolls that I make every Christmas were a lot better.
Every year for at least (10) years they badgered me about making my own sausage rolls until one day I’d heard enough - I made some for them to try and the rest, as they say, is history!
DD: How did you decide to chose the particular items that are featured on your menu?
BBC: If I was going to make a success of the BBC I needed a little variety, I started with the “Original” sau sage roll and added the “Savory” version which features In dian spices to give it a little kick! This past year we added “Phoebe’s” a sweet and savory alternative with apricot, honey and sage.
My husband was a very willing taste tester!
neath.
The first meat pie is found in the Neolithic Period, around 9500 BC. The ancient Egyptians’ diet featured basic pies made from oat, wheat, rye, and barley, and filled with honey and baked over hot coals. The Greeks used a flour-water paste resembling pie pastry and filled it with meat.
DD: I want to dig further into those savory layers of your Shepherd’s Pie. For those not familiar with this tasty entree, can you let us know what ingredients are included? In such a classic dish, I assume that regional variations have evolved over time. Can you tell us a little about that?
That quickly led to the introduction of Cornish Pasties which broadened our ability to introduce different fillings and flavors. In addition to the original steak and vegetables we added chicken & leek, pork & apple and chicken tikka masala (English people love Indian food!)
Those same fillings are available in full size meat pies made to feed a family. Finally, I added the famous Shepherd’s Pie, again big enough for the family. Last but not least our Devonshire cream scones absolutely fly off the shelf even though most locals have never had clotted cream!!
DD: Can you provide some historical notes on your specialties?
BBC: You might regret asking that question!
Let’s start with the humble Sausage Roll. First baked in the 1800’s and sold as a cheap “street food” they became known as the quintessential British snack. Today there are 2.5 million sausage rolls sold every week in England - yes that’s an amazing 140 million per year!!
The first Cornish Pasty was documented as part of the British diet in the 13th century! Wives of tin miners would make them for their husbands and working children (often 11- and 12-year-olds!) marking their initials in one end of the pastry. Pasties were essentially a complete meal in the hand perfect for eating in a dusty mine. The miners carried their pasties in a tin bucket and heated them by using a candle under-
BBC: The Shepherd’s Pie consists of layers of different ingredients - the main body being minced lamb mixed with various vegetables and gravy. On top of the meat is a layer of mashed potato capped off with cheese that seals the deal! The variation of this classic pie is the Cottage Pie which is essentially the same but uses ground beef instead of lamb prompted by the desire to use leftover meat from a previous meal. Our Shepherd’s Pie is a mixture of lamb and beef giving it a unique blend of mouth-watering ingredients!
DD: As I think of a British based band coming to town, I seem to have become a bit obsessed with British food, especially that handy little meat pie known as the Pastie. (Note: I will be making an order before the end of this interview!) Anyway, please tell us what they are and why they are so beloved?
BBC: Much of the answer to this can be found in the historical notes above but beyond that the pastry casing can be home to just about any combination of ingredients including vegetarian and seasonal dishes. I made a Thanksgiving pasty last year and kept it on for Christmas since we have the same meal on Christmas day as you have on Thanksgiving. You can ask for just about anything and we can deliver it as a Cornish Pasty!!
I was wondering if you have any upcoming news of note that our audience should know about? Might there be some new menu items on the horizon or special holiday offerings?
BBC: Since we are more or less maxed out at the Lewisburg Farmer’s Market we have embarked on several local partnerships – our sausage rolls are now available at Fox’s Den Coffee Shop and Rosko’s Brew House. That has excited many of our regular customers!
We are always looking at possible new items an example being our Devonshire cream scone with lemon drizzle! To die for…
DD: How can new customers make contact with the British Baking Company to place an order?
BBC: We have our website where they can peruse and pay online for pick-up or local delivery: www.british-baking-company.com
They can also text me at 570-447-3807 or use Facebook Messenger to order to ensure we have what they need if they come to the Farmer’s Market in Lewisburg later in the morning. There’s nothing worse for us than to see grown people crying because we’ve run out of scones!
DD: Thank you for sharing your insights with our Billtown Blues and Sun-Gazette audience. We wish you much continued success in this upcoming fall season. Don’t forget my order!
By JOSEPH S. VOLPE
Billtown Blue Notes
I had heard of Amy Winehouse but I actually didn’t know much about her. Growing up during the Sixties, my taste in rock music was formed during an era dominated by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. One day I came across an interview with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones who was asked which modern musician he admired. He gave a terse response, There’s only one person, that girl Amy.” An endorsement by Keith Richards was enough to get me to check her music out.
Amy was a singer and songwriter whose music was a blend of different genres, and was one of the great singers of our time. Amy was a contralto, with a vocal range generally lower than sopranos like Janis Joplin and Whitney Houston who were best known for belting out vocals in the high ranges. Her voice flowed effortlessly from low to high notes with precise pitch, a completely natural sense of phrasing, and with a feeling that connected intimately with her audience. When Amy sang blues numbers like Bessie Smith’s Blackwater Blues” or Mercer/Arlen’s Blues in the Night”, standards recorded by some of the great blue singers of the time, she sang the blues with the best of them. If she performed with a large band incorporating a brass section and backup singers, her music sometimes harkened back to the days of early soul music. She also recorded jazz standards, including one with Tony Bennett, who described her as one of the finest jazz singers that he had ever heard.
During her short life Amy
produced two extraordinary albums, “Frank” and “Back to Black”, which made her an international success, garnering five Grammys in 2008 and a nomination of Back to Black” for album of the year. Behind all of this, though, Amy Winehouse’s music tapped into a sad life plagued by mental illness, drug and alcohol use, and destructive relationships. Her attempts at going into rehab generally resulted in her signing herself out too soon to do much good. She was an addict in serious denial, and this self-destruction by way of drugs and alcohol led to her early death at age 27. Her excesses were chronicled on a regular basis by the press and on social media, and the coverage of her inability to quit alcohol and drugs was often insensitive, sometimes morbidly so. Addiction is a disease and for some people the price of addiction is the loss of their health and life: Amy needed help, everyone knew it, both the public and those around her, but sometimes you don’t always get the kind of help you need.
A “new sound” in music often reflects the influences of the music that came before it. For instance, during the Sixties, British musicians embraced acoustic Delta blues from Mississippi. This blending evolved into a style of blues-influenced rock that progressed from acoustic to electric instruments with accompanying elaborate guitar riffs and solos. As for Amy, her influences
included early jazz, rhythm and blues, and soul music. With her enormous talent and the versatility of her powerful voice, Amy blended these styles to create music that was uniquely hers, and the world loved her for it.
After Amy died, Keith Richards said that Amy Winehouse was a big disappointment because I was waiting for that girl to really boom because she was really just starting, and I thought she was fantastic. It is such a shame.”
Rest in peace Amy.
Thoughts on the BRITISH BLUES “L
By URIE KLINE Billtown Blue Notes
ast Night in Soho” is a film I can’t recommend strongly enough, provided you are up for a wild ride. It features, in no particular order, ghosts, a sort of astral-temporal projection, a murder mystery, and an impressive dance sequence between Matt Smith and Anya Taylor-Joy (the film is, shall we say, quite British). The aforementioned scene is a choreographic marvel that you owe it to yourself to watch, but keep your ears open too! If you’re like me, it’ll be your first time hearing the Graham Bond Organization, who’s arrangement of “Wade in the Water” kicks the scene into overdrive.
“Wade” is definitely the groups most exceptional track, and, while not strictly a blues song (“What is a spiritual, Alex?”) it is in many ways emblematic of the British Blues phenomenon. The formula roughly went: take some American roots music, electrify and amplify it, and add a good dose of energy and some offbeat swing. Consider the way Cream put their spin on “Born Under a Bad Sign”: much louder, more distorted, and with a patented Ginger Baker slinky groove. (Fun fact: Baker had been a member of Graham Bond’s band alongside Jack Bruce, before the pair joined Cream, so the template was definitely familiar.)
That injection of energy was well-timed, since the British interest in the blues coincided with declining fortunes for the music across the pond. After its heyday in the late 40s and early 50s, blues music was losing ground to that newfangled Rock nRoll. But just as Chess Records sales began declining stateside, art school renegades in England took up the mantle: the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac (pre-Buckingham-Nicks), and the aforementioned Cream were all part of the movement, and this list is far from exhaustive.
While blues — at least in the form of records — had been known in the UK since the 1930s, it was the 1958 appearance of Muddy Waters that catalyzed skiffle musicians and folk blues afficianados to what must have been a subversive and titillating sound at the time. Early enthusiasts and pioneers included: harpist Cyril Davies and guitarist Alex Korner who played — where else — in London’s Soho neighborhood; John Mayall, founder of the Bluesbreakers, a crucial ensemble that included future stars Eric Clapton and Peter Green; and the general revolving cast of characters like guitarist Keith Richards, singer Long John Baldry, and organist (and suspected wizard) Graham Bond.
Key to the whole thing was a linkage with the tradition, without the baggage of established expectations. Contemporaneous with both Chicago blues artists and the early years of Rock and Roll, British bluesmen had greater license to experiment. The iconic Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton record (1966) established the Gibson Les Paul and Marshall amp combo, and as groups like Led Zeppelin began to compose their own material, the stage was set for what most consider the Golden Age of Classic Rock. Marrying the virtuosity of the blues tradition with heavy wattage and iconoclastic songwriting seems an obvious way to print money now, but at the time it was a novel fusion of elements that had never been so paired.
Ironically, this very experimentation sounded the death knell for British Blues as such: bands either went heavier (Zeppelin) or took the Easy Listening route (Fleetwood Mac). While some continued to keep the purist torch alight — and it continues to burn to this day, thankfully — the phenom passed, and any later surges of interest, be it the Blues Brothers of Stevie Ray Vaughan would be firmly in the hands of Britains rogue colonists. Still, you can see British Blues alive and well when the Cinelli Brothers come to town this September. Or, if youve more of a stay-in vibe, you can pull up “Last Night in Soho” on Amazon Prime and try to spot the musical ghosts…
The Side Bar interview with Julia Sauers
By DONNA DIXON Billtown Blue Note
DD: “Sidebar” - from the Cambridge Online Dictionary - “a box or narrow area on a newspaper or magazine page that contains a short news story or extra information relating to a longer main story.” Does the Bar at Market and the Side Bar have a similar relationship, with the Bar at Market being the main body and Side Bar bringing in important additional elements?
J.S.: The Bar on Market is the “OG”, better known as the original. Everyone knows that ”Let’s go to the Bar!” means the Bar on Market. My employers Amber and Anthony are all about offering their clientele a variety of uniquely interesting experiences, and with the birth of the Sidebar a year ago they were able to offer top-line musical talent another great performance venue in the Williamsport area. As another example, we can mention the newest addition “Cigars on Market”, frequently rented by the Billtown Cigar club to bring an upscale experience to clientele. The Sidebar and Cigars on Market bring that extra touch you won’t find anywhere else.
DD: Your place is certainly one of the not-to-miss locations in Williamsport. How did that happen?
J.S.: Amber and Anthony are dedicated to presenting a customer-driven experience at The Bar catering to a wide spectrum of club-goers. Sidebar and Cigars on Market are like the cherry on top!
DD: Tell us about your upcoming collab with the Billtown Blues to bring the Cinelli Brothers to Williamsport.
J.S.: We have had the pleasure of hosting acts from around the United States, ranging from jam bands to DJs. It is exciting to expand internationally, including through the Blues. We have a great blues scene in the area thanks to the Billtown Blues Association, and we hope to further expose younger generations to this genre of music as well as provide experienced blues aficionados with a world-class band. We are counting on this event to contribute to that goal.
DD: What can concert-goers look forward to when they come to see the Cinelli Brothers on September 21st?
J.S.: A soul driven, intimate night of the blues. From the videos and songs I’ve heard from the band they put on quite a show. What better place than The
Sidebar for an award-winning blues band from the UK to perform? It will be a unique experience right in our own area.
DD: Tell us a little about you. Why you do this, and what does the business mean to you?
J.S.: I started working part-time at the Bar on Market and now have been here for four years! I was eventually given the role of managing the bars’ entertainment. Music has always been a big part of my life, from the Uptown Music Collective, experience in Nashville at The Blackbird Academy, and now at the Bar on Market I have been exposed to a wide variety of experiences and challenges.The proprietors Amber and Anthony have allowed me to demonstrate my skills and to grow in my profession. I don’t think I would have had this opportunity anywhere else.
