Jimmy Thackery at the Tap Room tomorrow. 12Pack Jack at Mr. Goodbar tonight.
This past February, it was my pleasure to go to Memphis for the International Blues Competition as part of a Buffalo contingent that included many, many members of the WNY Blues Society, the largest Blues Society in the nation.
Once there, in this city that looked so much like Buffalo (Main Street eerily replicates ours), I proceeded to hang around with Buffalo people who I knew, but never really get to see here at home. (It’s a phenomenon, like the Bills playoff game in Miami ’91.) So there I was, taking in the music with “12Pack Jack” McArdle. Jack has a blues band of the same name, and there’s something about hearing a big guy with no neck sing a bluesy rendition of “Fever,” that I’ll never get over. Let’s say I’ve been a fan of Jack’s for a while.
We talked about how Buffalo should be having its own Blues Festival and marveled over the wealth of talented musicians we have. Two of the Buffalo bands that performed in Memphis that weekend, Todd Eberwine Band and JJ Moscato, regulars at the Tap Room and all over town, are ready to help pull it together. (More on that to come.)
In the meanwhile, the Blues Society keeps their unofficial clubhouse, the Lafayette Tap Room, hopping on weekends and all through the week with great regional bands and even a few imports. This Saturday, Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers are playing the Society’s Blues ‘n March along with local bands Tas Cru, The Todd Eberwine Band and Gregg Juke and the Mighty No Stars. It’s not a festival, but it’s a party.
“Hey, Trouble,” Jack said, “you don’t want to miss it.”
Think about coming down to enjoy some hot blues and cold beer on a warm, early spring evening in Buffalo. You might even sign up and join the Blues Society (with their low membership fees) and make some new friends. If nothing else, you can start training in case you run into 12Pack in Memphis next year.
Want to start early? 12Pack is playing Mr. Goodbar on Elmwood tonight @ 7PM! No cover.
391 Washington Street
Buffalo NY
$20, $3 off with a Blues Society membership
Doors, 5PM – Music, 6PM