Carbon Leaf

The Redstone Room

Wednesday, June 28, 8 p.m.

Carbon Leaf "Don't quit your day job" is a common rebuke to performers. I bet the members of Carbon Leaf - performing at Davenport's Redstone Room on Wednesday, June 28 - are grateful that they ignored that admonition. Described by the group's drummer, Scott Milstead, as "a 5-piece acoustic/electric/mandolin/rootsy/poppy rock band" - whew! - the Virginia natives did indeed quit their day jobs in 2002 after seven years together and, since performing full-time, have never looked back; their most recent album, Indian Summer, had Music Box Online's T.J. Simon raving, "The album delivers so many magnificent moments that it's a difficult task to put a finger on any one favorite selection." And in case you were wondering where the band's moniker originates from, Wikipedia reveals that although specifics are "murky," Carbon Leaf's Barry Privett and Terry Clark supposedly came up with the name - among several possibilities - during a rafting trip. It's definitely better than their other options: Where the Hell Are We? and Should We Be Worried That Kevin Bacon Is in the Raft Next to Us? For more information on Carbon Leaf, and future Redstone Room performers, visit (http://www.redstoneroom.com). - Mike Schulz

Joe & Vicki Price, 2 p.m.

Joe and Vicki Price He's been described as "a bit rough and tons of fun"; he's been hammering out the blues for more than 30 years; he's been getting more and more recognition for his talent; and he's going to be in the tent on Sunday.

Joe Price has been attracting the attention of blues fans since his days with the legendary Mother Blues Band. In 2002, he was inducted into the prestigious Iowa Blues Hall of Fame, and just a few weeks ago he was one of the six out of 50 musicians who made it to the finals in the solo/duo segment of the International Blues Challenge. The editors of the National Guitar Catalogue considered him important enough to feature a picture of him playing the National ResoLectric Guitar in their efforts to boost sales of the instrument.

The Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band, 2 p.m.

Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd calls Andy Linderman "one of the most dynamic electric harmonica players of our generation."

Jazz performer and producer Ben Sidran calls Mel Ford "one of the finest blues players in the Midwest if not the country."

Put "one of the most dynamic electric harmonica players" on the same stage with "one of the finest blues players in the Midwest if not the country" and you have one of the most exciting blues groups in the country: the Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band.

Joe Krown, 2 p.m.

Joe Krown Joe Krown made his way to New Orleans in the early 1990s. Soon, he hooked up with Gatemouth Brown and became his keyboardist for the next 10 years. Along the way, Joe has put together various side bands and has performed with musicians from Chuck Berry to John Lee Hooker to Vassar Clements.

In 2001, he won the Big Easy Award in the blues category. Krown was highlighted in OffBeat magazine. His third CD, Buckle Up, was picked as the number-four CD of 2000 by the Times-Picayune's music critic. OffBeat also selected Buckle Up as one of the top-20 CDs of 2000. Additionally, Krown has been a featured artist on the New Orleans radio, Louisiana radio, and most recently on InsideNewOrleans Web sites. The Joe Krown Organ Combo released Funk Yard in May 2002 at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Krown returns to the piano for his latest CD release, New Orleans Piano Rolls.

The Rockin' Jake Band, 2 p.m.

Rockin' Jake Rockin' Jake has been hailed by many as one of the premier harmonica players in the country. His original sound is a hybrid of second-line swamp funk, blues, and zydeco, with influences from Paul Butterfield, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, Muddy Waters, the J. Geils Band, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

The five-time winner of Off Beat Magazine's coveted "Best of the Beat" award for best harmonica player tours throughout the country with more than 200 performances per year, including clubs, concert venues, and festivals.

This New Orleans-based musician formed the Rockin' Jake Band in 1995 as an outlet for his original music and unique swampy sounds. His debut album, Let's Go Get 'Em (on Rabadash Records), earned national recognition. In the spring of 2004, the Rockin' Jake Band recorded its first live album. Over four days in Key West, Florida, at the Green Parrot, their most recent album 5 p.m. Breakfast came to life.

The Reverend Robert Jones, 5 p.m.

Juke Joint Sinners, 5p.m.

James "Super Chikan" Johnson James "Super Chikan" Johnson is not your typical blues musician, or really your typical anything.

He's a left-handed guitarist who taught himself to play on a right-handed guitar. He makes instruments out of gas cans and ceiling fans. And he communicates with chickens.

(Listen to this interview here.) 

Joe Krown Joe Krown carved out quite a career for himself as a sideman. Now he's reclaiming his role as a bandleader.

Through most of the 1980s, he ran a band and played keyboards in it with his wife in the Boston area. "The band and the marriage kind of split up months apart from each other," Krown said in an interview. So he made a decision: "I'm sick of being the bandleader. I just want to be a sideman for a while."

"A while" turned into close to a decade.

(Listen to this interview here.) 

Popa Chubby It started innocently enough. I asked the blues-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter Popa Chubby about his recorded output, by his count 15 or so proper albums in the past 15 years.

"I got more than that," he said, alluding to Europe-only releases. "I'm a busy man."

Why so prolific?

"Most people are lazy SOBs, aren't they?" he said. "The way I look at it is you've got X amount of time on this planet, and you might as well make your mark. Whoever put me here didn't put me here to sit on my butt and watch American Idol, now did they?"

I should have run for cover.

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