ANNUAL EVENTS | Provided by Lanny Kaufer

Bowlful of Blues Returns for It’s 25th Anniversary

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The Bowlful of Blues’ 25th anniversary festival will take place in Ojai’s beautiful Libbey Bowl on Saturday, September 22, from 4:00-9:30 p.m. Headlining the gala affair of world-class blues is Alligator Records’ rising stars, the Selwyn Birchwood Band. Nationally known artists, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, will appear with their down-home blend of Texas blues and New Orleans R&B. James Harman, international touring performer known as the Harmonica King, will take the stage with special guest, boogie-woogie pianist Carl Sonny Leyland. Also appearing are the West Coast group Hot Roux with their infectious mix of Louisiana blues & swamp rock ’n’ roll, and the blazing guitar blues of the Kwan Telifaro Project. Multi-talented performer Gill Sotu will handle the MC duties.

Bowlful of Blues began in 1983 as a benefit concert for the Ojai Art Center. It was co-founded by the late Clarence “Cary” Sterling, musician and Art Center director, and fellow musician, Michael Kaufer, music branch chair on the Art Center board of directors at the time. After co-founder Sterling passed away in 2005, and in addition to other extenuating circumstances, the blues festival was not held for several years. In 2016, with the help of Michael’s brother, Lanny Kaufer, a jazz concert promoter in his own right, the 23rd Bowlful of Blues made a return to the newly refurbished Libbey Bowl and now, in 2018, will celebrate its historic 25th anniversary.

Great food and barbecue, beer and wine, arts, crafts and blues-themed booths will add to the celebration. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. and picnicking is welcome. Libbey Bowl is wheelchair accessible and handicapped parking and seating are available. Outside alcohol and pets (except documented service pets) are not allowed.

General admission (festival seating) is $40 in advance and $45 at the gate plus a required $3 bowl maintenance fee. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $100 (fee included) and offer select front section seating, reserved parking, VIP lounge, premium beer and wine, complimentary snacks, and exclusive artist access

Tickets are available online at BowlfulOfBlues.org and at the following outlets: Cardinali Brothers Music, Studio Sauvageau, Attitude Adjustment Shop, Ojai Creates (Ojai); Iron & Resin, Coastal Postal and Video, Salzer’s Records (Ventura); Jensen Guitar & Music Co. (Santa Barbara); Island Outfitters (Carpinteria); Instrumental Music Co. (Thousand Oaks).

Volunteers are needed to staff the event in exchange for admission. Shifts run 2.5 to 3 hours. A volunteer meeting and party is scheduled for mid-August, exact date TBA. Non-food vendor spots are still open until August 22nd. Those interested in volunteering or vending can apply at BowlfulOfBues.org or by phoning Michael at 805-836-4665.

Bowlful of Blues 2018 is presented by the Community Advocacy Coalition (CAC) of Ventura County, RhythmOfTheCoast.com radio, and the Kaufer Bros, in association with HiHat Entertainment. Proceeds benefit music education projects and instrument donations for Ventura County youth. As a non-profit, locally produced benefit event, Bowlful of Blues counts on sponsors to underwrite costs and make these donations possible.

Sponsors already on board for the 25th anniversary show include KCSB FM 91.9, KCBX FM 90, Santa Barbara Blues Society, Ventura County Blues Society, DSR Audio, Old Creek Winery, Ojai Valley Brewery, Casa Ojai, Oakridge Inn, Papa Lennon’s Pizzeria, Nutmeg’s Ojai House, Westridge Market, RE/MAX Realtors Don & Cheree Edwards, Southland Blues E-Weekly, Pacific Western Bank, Ojai Advanced Dentistry, Rainforest Plant Company, and Cal-State Site Services.

For all information visit BowlfulOfBlues.org or call the Bowlful Hotline at 805-836-4665.

Selwyn Birchwood Band

With his fiery guitar and lap steel playing, his trailblazing, instantly memorable songs and gritty, unvarnished vocals, Selwyn Birchwood is among the most extraordinary young stars in the blues. His deep familiarity with blues tradition allows him to bust the genre wide open, adding new sounds, colors and textures, all delivered with a revival tent preacher’s fervor and a natural storyteller’s charisma. Since the 2014 release of his Alligator Records debut, Don’t Call No Ambulance, Birchwood’s meteoric rise from playing small Florida clubs to headlining international festival stages is nothing short of phenomenal, as he continues to set the contemporary blues world on fire. The album received the Blues Music Award and Living Blues Critics’ Award for Best Debut Album Of 2014, and he won the 2015 Blues Blast Rising Star Award.

Selwyn and his band have crisscrossed the U.S. and Europe repeatedly, delivering unforgettable live performances. With his new album, Pick Your Poison, Birchwood, along with his band—saxophonist Regi Oliver, bassist Huff Wright and drummer Courtney “Big Love” Girlie—takes a major step forward, crafting visionary blues for a new generation of forward-looking fans.

Birchwood, who attacks his guitar and lap steel with searing intensity, wrote and produced all 13 songs on Pick Your Poison. His richly detailed, hard-hitting originals run the emotional gamut from the humorously personal My Whiskey Loves My Ex to the gospel-inflected Even The Saved Need Saving to the hard truths of the topical Corporate Drone and Police State to the existential choice of the title track. The cutting-edge songs are made all the more impactful by Birchwood’s gruff vocals, his untamed musicianship and his band’s seemingly telepathic accompaniment. “I write and sing what I know,” says Birchwood, whose innovations are as expansive as his influences. “This album has a broad reach. It’s for young, old and everyone in between.”

According to Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, who signed Birchwood to the label shortly after the bluesman won the 2013 International Blues Challenge and also the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award at the same event, “Selwyn writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He’s a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he’s a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room.”

Birchwood’s high-octane blues — at once deeply rooted, funky and up-to-the-minute — are played with passion and honest emotion. With his band feeding off his drive and exuberance, the striking 6’3” young man with his trademark Afro roams the stage (often barefoot), ripping out memorable guitar licks with ease, his soulful, rocks-and-gravel vocals firing up the crowd. His ability to win over an audience—any audience—is proven night after night on the bandstand. With his warm, magnetic personality, Birchwood is as down-to-earth as his music is fun, thought-provoking and vital. His mission is to spread his music far and wide, to share his joy, to play his heart out, and to push the blues into the future. “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than playing the blues,” he says. “And I try to convey that with every song and with every performance.”

Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn’t move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. “He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path,” he says. By 17, he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. “I was floored,” he recalls. “I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music.”

As Selwyn’s guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month’s time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the young man under his wing, teaching him not only guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, and how to reach an audience. “Sonny always said, ‘Play what’s in your heart.’ I’ve never lost sight of that,” says Birchwood.

Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood — through hard work and scholarships — received his MBA from The University of Tampa. “I challenged myself to get that degree,” Birchwood says. “These days, it’s not good enough to just be a good player.” Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood created The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010, featuring veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn’s musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding off each other’s energy, sharing the fun with the audience.

In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa base, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. After taking ninth place in 2012, they came back determined the next year, taking first place. Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer was sitting at the judges’ table at the time. “I saw Selwyn’s potential in 2012. He absolutely deserved to win in 2013,” he says. The victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.

With his 2014 Alligator Records debut album, Don’t Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood announced his arrival on the international blues stage. The album is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don’t Call No Ambulance opened a door into a bright future for the blues. Rave reviews ran in publications from Rolling Stone to The Wall Street Journal, from The Chicago Tribune to The San Francisco Chronicle.

The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since before the Alligator debut came out. The band has performed at festivals including The Chicago Blues Festival, The Waterfront Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive Cruise. Internationally, they have performed at The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, Jazz a Vienne in France, the Rawa Blues Festival in Poland, the Moulin Blues Festival in The Netherlands, the Ottawa Blues Festival in Canada, as well as performing in Spain, Switzerland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium and Mexico.

Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker. Not long ago, Selwyn had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. “He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor.”

With Pick Your Poison’s urgent, uncompromising music, Selwyn Birchwood is forging new directions for the blues. The Washington Post calls him a “tough, indelibly modern next generation bluesman.” The Wall Street Journal says he is “fiery and original.” The hard-hitting, cutting-edge songs on Pick Your Poison, along with his incendiary live performances, prove without a doubt his status as the blues’ most sensational young talent.

Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps

Originally from Houston, Texas, Teresa is based in Los Angeles where she has assembled a group of some of the top LA based touring and session musicians in her band, The Rhythm Tramps. They have been working in the LA area and at blues festivals and clubs throughout the US and Europe for many years. For the last 12 years, the band has also been a favorite on Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise.

She has released 8 CDs – her most recent, COME ON HOME, was released in August, 2012, and has been getting regular airplay on stations around the world and charting for weeks at a time on the Roots Radio Charts (topping off at the #3 spot). It has been listed on many ‘best of’ lists for 2012 and has been receiving raves reviews from writers and DJs everywhere.

Her 2008 release, THE BOTTOM LINE, garnered her a nomination by the Blues Foundation for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and her 2010 CD, YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT, was a finalist for an Independent Music Award (IMA).

She has performed live with such legendary artists as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Eric Burdon, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Big Al Anderson, Kirk Whalum, and many others. Her voice is featured on albums by Randy Newman, Eric Burdon, Tommy Castro, Bill Medley, and Walter Trout, among others. She has also sung for television and movie soundtracks; She and her band were featured in the Disney movie and soundtrack for “HOLES”.

Teresa’s band is an eclectic mix of Los Angeles based musicians who have worked with a wide range of artists including: Jimmy Reed, Eric Burdon, Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warnes, Was Not Was, Johnny Nash and many, many others.

James Harman

James Harman was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama, and quickly picked up on the black blues and soul music being played on juke boxes and the radio. He sang in the church choir until age 16 when his family moved to Panama City Florida, where he found himself surrounded by like-minded blues lovers. Wearing a fake moustache, young James slipped into a still segregated black nightclub to see Little Junior Parker’s show. He was totally overtaken by the blues and soon became a regular, known as “That boy who sings like a man” by patrons.

While still in his teens, he started playing juke joints and dance clubs throughout the South. His performances became legendary-he was “tapped” by talent scouts, signed and taken to Atlanta, Georgia in 1964 to begin his recording career at age 18. He had a series of nine singles (45 RPM records) released during the mid to late 60’s on obscure southern labels. He tried several restarts in new home bases including Chicago in ’65, New York in ’66, Miami in ’68 and New Orleans in ‘69.

During his stay in Miami, Harman was befriended by fellow record collectors Henry Vestine, Alan Wilson and Bob Hite of Canned Heat, who persuaded him to move to California, promising to help him get re-started. Harman made his move to SoCal in 1970, and true to their word, Canned Heat insisted on Harman’s Icehouse Blues Band as their opening act on many big shows. Icehouse Blues Band became established at venues such as The Golden Bear, The Ash Grove, The Troubadour and The Lighthouse, which all booked real blues artists.

James Harman was soon in demand for his own shows, as well as backing every living blues artist who was touring without a band. He also opened literally hundreds of shows for artist who did have their own band. Icehouse Blues Band was a real working blues band. In 1978 James tired of using band names and started billing his act as James Harman Band.

Some alumni include Phil Alvin, Bill Bateman, Gene Taylor, David “Kid” Ramos, Michael “Hollywood Fats” Mann, Stephen Taylor Hodges and Jeff “Big Dad” Turmes. All of these players did long stints in the Harman Band. James is often cited as a bandleader who gave many now famous bluesmen their start. Harman stopped ground touring in 2000 and now only takes blues festival dates around the world. Nathan James has been James Harman’s regular band guitar player since 1997 when he was 19 years old… he turned 37 in 2015 and he’s still Harman’s favorite! Nathan is also James’ recording engineer and co-producer on his own projects, as well as projects they produce for other artists.

James Harman’s side project: Bamboo Porch Revue features guitarist Nathan James playing rollicking, low-down, juke-joint blues over James Michael Tempo’s Afro-Cuban percussion, Troy Sandow’s sparse, pulsating acoustic bass and Marty Dodson’s masterful drumming. Through his long career starting in the early 60’s James Harman has built up an enormous song catalog and had 20 of his original songs used in movies and television. He has been nominated for 20 pestiferous W. C. Handy (Blues Foundation) awards. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and he is the harmonica player of choice on many ZZ Top releases, as well as live with them on many international TV shows. James Harman has had 33 releases, on many different labels; he currently tours every spring, summer and fall, working in as many as 29 countries. Harman was nominated for a Grammy Award, and won two Blues Music Awards for his contribution to the Blind Pig release, “Remembering Little Walter” in 2014. He is a one of a kind songwriter, producer, musician, showman, vocalist and internationally known bluesman.

In 2015 his Electro-Fi release “BONETIME” was nominated for an unprecedented five BMA awards: SONG OF THE YEAR, ALBUM OF THE YEAR, TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR, HARMONICA PLAYER and TRADITIONAL BLUES MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR.

Carl Sonny Leyland

Carl Sonny Leyland was born and raised on the South Coast of England, growing up close to the city of Southampton. As a child he was drawn to the American music which he heard on LP records his father would play. It was here that he developed an appreciation for Dixieland jazz, the rock & roll of the 1950s & the country music of Jimmie Rodgers & Hank Williams.

At age 15 Leyland discovered boogie-woogie when he heard a school friend working through a written arrangement of a tune called JD’s Boogie Woogie (Marvin Wright). Captivated by the sound of the repeating 8 to the bar left hand pattern, Leyland was inspired to go to the piano & begin on a path that would become his life’s purpose. Within 3 months he would be performing in public & shortly after would become a member of a respected local group “The Bob Pearce Blues Band.”

Initially influenced by boogie-woogie greats Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson & Meade ‘Lux’ Lewis, Leyland went on to fully explore the piano blues genre, becoming an authority on early & obscure styles such as those played by Cow Cow Davenport, Little Brother Montgomery, Montana Taylor & Speckled Red to name a few.

In 1988 Leyland had the opportunity to come to the USA. This initial visit to New Orleans inspired him to relocate to that city where he would spend the next nine years. During that time he was active on the club scene, quickly gaining a reputation for his authentic blues & early rock & roll stylings. Also, he toured with the Dallas based band Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets whose line-up included blues great Sam Myers.

In 1997, feeling the need for a change, Leyland relocated to Southern California. He joined Big Sandy & His Flyrite Boys, the well known rockabilly & western swing group & toured with them for over three years. By this time his repertoire had expanded to include ragtime & early jazz styles which enabled him to become part of the traditional jazz scene around Los Angeles & San Diego. In June of 2003 the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio was formed with drummer Hal Smith & bassist Marty Eggers.

Leyland’s playing displays an infectious spontaneity, providing plenty of surprises for the listener. While he possesses the necessary vocabulary to pay tribute to the greats of old, he refuses to be limit himself to this & prefers to let each performance be an opportunity to say something new.

Carl Sonny Leyland will appear as a featured guest with the James Harman Band at the 2018 Bowlful of Blues.

Hot Roux

Hot Roux is a fresh, energetic original band with a sound and genre all their own. A nice sized portion of Lou’sianna blues meets swampy rock n’roll and always rooted in rhythm and harmony. Drummer and lead singer Jerry McWorter has penned all their original tunes along with bassist and vocalist Brent Harding. Hot Roux features equally powerful guitar work of Ed Berghoff and/or Kyle Jester. Both players have a unique stamp of originality and style.

Hot Roux hails from Ventura, CA, and has been a local favorite for the last several years. The band meets the expectations of its moniker: in Louisiana parlance a roux is a base sauce made of spices, flour and butter. These musicians serve up a tangy smorgasbord ranging from straight blues to rockabilly to swampy Cajun flavor rock n’roll.

Hot Roux’s first record, “Strangers Blues”, was released in July 2015 sparking national and international attention and radio airplay. June 2017 the band released their second CD, “Hometown Blues”, once again on Hi Hat Records and is garnering rave reviews. Hot Roux keeps a very active west coast tour schedule playing all the best blues venues and hot spots such as Biscuits and Blues (San Francisco), Poor House Bistro (San Jose), The Torch Club (Sacramento), Canyon Club (Agoura Hills), Club Fox (Redwood City), Howie’s (Medford OR, The Saloon (San Francisco)… and many more.

The band has provided a strong groovin’ rhythm section backing such famed blues performers as Kenny Neal, Kim Wilson, James Harman, Mitch Kashmar, guitarist Albert Lee and more. For years, Hot Roux has worked closely with the Santa Barbara Blues Society as a backing band to their many high profile events and award winning artists.

Kwan Telifaro Project

Kwan Telifaro is a supremely talented guitarist and blues vocalist whose fiery guitar work lights up every stage he stands on. Since graduating from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, this Detroit native has played countless blues and jazz gigs around the country, including a tour with former Miles Davis Group and fishbone member John Bigham of The Soul Of John Black.

Kwan was the featured guitarist on the Emmy-winning HBO documentary on Sonny Liston, “Life and Death of a Champion,” and studio guitarist for the Fox Channel comedy, “Cedric the Entertainer Show.” He has performed with jazz great Tony Bennett and recorded with “super producer” Ricky Minor (“Tonight Show” Band Leader).

He promises that the the Kwan Telifaro Project will “blow the Bowl up completely.”

Master of Ceremonies Gill Sotu

Gill Sotu isn’t strictly one thing. He isn’t strictly a poet, a musician, a writer, a DJ or host. Effortlessly combining the artistic elements of himself, Gill weaves poetry into musical performances and improvisational songs into hosting gigs. Ever present is a forceful undercurrent of soulful, comedic, thought-provoking passion that engages and inspires his audiences throughout California.

Currently, Gill is a teaching artist with The Old Globe Theatre, as well as the Artist In Residence at Makers Church in San Diego. He has just finished an Artist In Residency at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation where he was commissioned to write/direct two full length plays. Gill wrote and performed all the poetic segments to Melissa Adao’s dance theatre showcase, “Hip-Hop CabHooray!” Which won an award for Outstanding Production at the 2015 Fringe Fest. He has opened for Grammy-nominated legend Sheila E, as well as Talib Kweli. Partnered and performed with the San Diego Symphony, has been commissioned to create plays for The Old Globe and CSUSM. Wrote and performed numerous poetry pieces for the United Way of San Diego, San Diego’s Fashion Week, and performed the closing number for TEDx San Diego in 2013 & 2016 as well as hosted TEDx San Diego in 2017. The San Diego community continues to take notice of Gill’s talent and charisma, as he’s been featured on NBC 7’s Art Pulse TV and was named the 2012 & 2013 San Diego Raw Performing Artist of the Year.

Amidst regular performances, Gill hosts events throughout the county and also conducts poetry workshops in schools across California and has facilitated poetry workshops within San Diego County’s juvenile detention center for over 2 years. He finds the creativity and honesty expressed by these elementary through high school students to be an incredibly rewarding experience and reminder of the importance of speaking one’s own truth.

Gill Sotu is a paradigm shifter whose audience feels that he’s speaking to them individually, making a performance to hundreds seem more like an intimate dialogue between close friends. Charismatic and with an ability to adapt to any event, Gill quickly garners people’s attention and doesn’t let go until he says “Thank you”.