September 7, 2023

SAN LUIS OBISPO BLUES SOCIETY

After shutting down due to COVID in 2020, the San Luis Obispo Blues Society is starting its 2023/24 season with at least three shows in the fall and winter.  Some things are different like prices and Friday rather than Saturday shows, and some things are the same like listening and dancing to great blues music at the Vets Hall.  So welcome us back!

The San Luis Obispo Blues Society presents the Nick Moss Band on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 pm at the SLO Vets Hall (801 Grand Avenue).  A SLO Blues All-Star Band will be opening the show. Advanced online tickets are $32 at My805Tix (plus their fees). Tickets sold at the door on the night of the show are $40. Doors open at 6:30 pm, music starts at 7:00. 21 and over please.

The Blues Society runs on volunteers to produce and staff our concerts. At the shows, volunteers set up, sell tickets and drinks, or put the furniture away after the show. Volunteers get free admission to the show and a drink ticket.

NICK MOSS BAND

Chicago native, guitarist and vocalist Nick Moss and New Jersey native, harmonica player and vocalist Dennis Gruenling – together with Rodrigo Mantovani on bass, Taylor Streiff on keyboards and Pierce Downer on drums – deliver a deeply rooted, timeless blue collar blues. According to Moss, “We are a rare breed as far as how authentic we like to keep the music." That's not a surprise to longtime fans, as Moss proudly represents the city of Chicago as one of the few bluesmen working today to have learned his craft firsthand directly from many of the genre’s original creators. Dennis Gruenling, Moss’ friend of over 20 years, is considered among today’s most innovative and creative blues harmonica players. Gruenling’s giant, fat-toned harp work, raw-boned singing and untamed energy are a perfect foil for Moss’ inspired guitar playing and straight-from-the-shoulder blues vocals.

The Nick Moss Band with Dennis Gruenling has recorded three Alligator albums, 2018's The High Cost Of Low Living, 2019’s Lucky Guy! and 2023’s Get Your Back Into It!. Their albums are inspired by the electrifying blues sounds of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, with songs that simply dare you to stay seated. The band  has received a total of five Blues Music Awards, with wins in 2020 for Band Of The Year, Song Of The Year (Lucky) and Traditional Blues Album Of The Year (Lucky Guy!), and in 2019 for Traditional Blues Male Artist (Moss) and Instrumentalist—Harmonica (Gruenling). Blues Music Magazine says, “Nick Moss is a major force in contemporary blues. Dennis Gruenling plays soaring harp...infectious and finger-snappin’.”

“When we get together, the music takes over,” says Moss. “We can’t hold back, and the energy just comes pouring out. We get carried away and the audience gets carried away with us.”

SLO BLUES ALL-STAR BAND

The SLO Blues All-Star Band was formed to welcome the return of the Blues Society. The band includes musicians from many of the County’s blues bands. The players include James Scoolis on guitar (Burning James and the Funky Flames), Dorian Michael on guitar (the Cinders), Carl Sonny Leyland on piano, Wes Starr on drums (Delbert McClinton, Asleep at the Wheel, Hummel's Blues Harmonica Blow Out), Billy Baxmeyer on bass (Burning, Bad & Cool),  and Irene Cathaway as a guest vocalist.