Sacramento Blues Society Member Party

The party opened with our local hero, Jeff Watson and his band. With stalwart band mates Kevin Clark on drums, Warren Davis on keys and Jim Cobb on bass, they filled the dance floor in no time. Not content to leave the energy level on high, he invited Rene Solis on stage, and the two interacting sent the level over the top. What an opening!

Sacramento Blues Society Blues Notes, February 2008, by Valeriejeanne

Chicago Blues

As the end of 2007 approached, Big Mike Balma threw one last stellar blues party at the Horsemen's Club, Chicago-style, showcasing the talents of 3 mainstays of the windy city blues scene. The clubhouse and adjoining patio spilled over with enthusiasm and abundant good spirit as familiar faces and newcomers came out to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of Saturday night music.

Jeff Watson and his band kicked off the show, bypassing the usual audience warm-up and instead taking the energy level and room temperature to the top of the dial with an emphasis on material from their highly acclaimed album "A Really Nice Smile." This is a Sacramento band that deserves international recognition, as they demonstrated with precision and style that seems to get better every time they take the stage.

After their opening set, Jeff and company made room on the stage for hoochie funkmeister Lindsey Alexander, making his debut appearance in Sacramento . Lindsey is a relative newcomer to the blues scene in that he has only two self-released records under his belt, although both are outstanding and deserving of major label TLC. Yet at the same time, he has worked steadily at building his local reputation and establishing a presence on the highly competitive Chicago music scene, staking out a regular gig as house artist at the venerable North Halstead blues mecca, Kingston Mines.

Lindsey and the JW Band made a perfect combination after only a brief rehearsal earlier in the day, and treated the crowd to a generous sampling of material from Lindsey's two ought-to-be-classic albums. While he's no spring chicken, Lindsey performs with youthful abandon, frequently strolling through the aisles and mingling with the audience during an extended guitar solo. Before closing, Lindsey and Jeff tore through an impromptu and unrehearsed version of "Black Magic Woman" to the crowd's delight.

by Steve Cagle, KVMR