Blues on the East Side Festival In Canada

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Blues on the East Side - a benefit blues music festival supporting community living Cambridge will take place Sunday, November 5, 2006 at Elements Night Club, 90 King St W, Kitchener, Ontario. The list of the performers is very rich: Coco Montoya, Bettye Lavette (see photo), Mel Brown and the Homewreckers, Cheryl Lescom, Julian Fauth and Paul Reddick, Web's Jr. & the Honeywood Express. Over the course of his 30-year career, guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya's explosive guitar playing and soul-driven voice have propelled him to the upper reaches of the blues-rock world.

From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya has forged his reputation through years of hard work and constant touring. And it all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970's with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as a drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé secrets of the Collins "icy hot" style of blues guitar. Five years later, John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. This led to Montoya's touring the world for ten years with the legendary Bluesbreakers. Since stepping out as a bandleader in 1993, Montoya has released four solo albums and has performed non stop all over the world. At every show, fans' jaws dropped, and critics raved about Montoya's mind-mending guitar licks and impassioned vocals.

Bettye Lavette is one of the greatest soul singers in American music history, possessed of an incredibly expressive voice . Lavette grew up in Detroit and is one of the few soul singers who did not get her start singing in a church. "Discovered" at the age of 16 by the legendary Motor City music raconteur Johnnie Mae Matthews, Lavette's first single was the swinging "My Man-he's a Loving Man." This was a Top 10 r&b hit that just missed the pop Hot 100 and would be eventually covered by both Tina turner and Ann Peebles. After more than 4 decades in the music business, Lavette continues to impressed the music world with her latest CD "I've Got My Own Hell to Raise". The result is a record of majesty, richness and depth, of naked, raw, visceral emotion, a record that will raise the hairs on the back of the neck. Bettye recently opened for Buddy Guy at the Centre in The Square in Kitchener in March of 2006. Anyone who was there would agree that she is great and not to be missed.

Mel Brown was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 7, 1939. He has shared the stage and/or recorded with the likes of Etta James, Johnny Otis, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Bobby "Blue" Bland and others. One of the great blues guitar players of his generation, Mel Brown is a virtuoso of the instrument. Backed by his superb band, the Homewreckers, his show is never to be missed. This living legend was the recipient of a W.C. Handy Award in 2001.

Cheryl Lescom has always been part of the Canadian music scene since beginning her career in her hometown of Kitchener in 1975. She was a favorite on the local scene when she was recruited by Rock N' Roll legend Ronnie Hawkins to join him as a back up singer. She then went on tour with long John Baldry before starting a solo career in 1983. She continues to captivate audiences every where and should not be missed.

An artist at the forefront of the new generation of musicians, who are breathing fresh life into Blues Music here in the 21st century, Julian Fauth has been described by Blues Review Magazine as "a true force of nature." The Globe and Mail hailed his Electro-Fi debut CD "Songs of Vice and Sorrow" as "unusually innovative, epic and dazzling." Julian was born in Germany and moved to Canada as a child. He attended the Jam sessions that Mel Brown hosted in Kitchener during the early 90's and further honed his craft in the vibrant Kensington Market club scene. A gifted songwriter, still in his 30's, Britain's prestigious Blues and Rhythm Magazine has already compared his work to Bob Dylan and Tom Waits and The Toronto Star describes him as "utterly original, Julian Fuath is a killer on the keys and an outstanding songwriter, best of all he's an extraordinary convincing singer."

Joining Julian on stage will be Paul Reddick. Reddick formed groundbreaking blues band The Sidemen in Toronto in 1990. A musician who loses himself in performance, Paul Reddick lures the audience into that half-lit blue world he knows so well. A storyteller, innovator and highly original harmonica-player/vocalist, his performances are unforgettable. Paul Reddick teamed up once again with Colin Linden to release Villanelle in autumn 2004. This widely acclaimed album continues the Rattlebag journey towards restyling the traditional; sidestepping convention it searches further for new possibilities in blues music.

Web's Jr. & the Honeywood Express (Jesse Weber-vocals and guitar, Alistar McGill- vocals and guitar, Dan Alac-bass, Chris Flanagan-drums), local area band played a stellar set of high energy blues at The Still in downtown Kitchener on Sunday May 7th that delighted the entire crowd. They are the winners of the 2006 Youth Legacy contest run by Kitcheners Blues Festival.

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