To registration in advance, please visit www.texasharmonicafest.eventbrite.com
The idea is to mix afternoon workshops and an evening concert is to bring one national known artist to Houston to headline (This year it's RJ Mischo), a special workshop instructor (This year it's Mike Rubin of youtube's Meat and Potatoes Harmonica), along with regionally and locally known performers. Christian Dozzler plays piano with the killer elite blues musicians of Dallas is also a stellar blues harmonica player/vocalist so he will pull double duty fattening up the Sonny Boy Terry Band's sound with classic blues piano.
"I have always loved RJ Mischo’s blues," says Sonny Boy Terry, "He learned straight from Muddy Waters' harmonica player Mojo Bruford while living in Minnesota. Anytime a young player learns from someone like Mojo he gets my respect because he is carrying on the tradition. RJ was meant to do what he does"
Blues fans will also love Paul Orta who hails from Port Arthur, where more great musicians are born per capita there than anywhere else in Texas it seems. He is known by many as the "Mexican Little Walter" who is a deep traditionalist with a sound that is distinctly east Texas. He worked with everybody in Austin during that town's blues hey day. "I've been following Paul for years, Sonny Boy says, "We are putting a great band behind him reintroducing him to Houston so he can really shine. I know he is going to put on a great show". This year’s festival as a very special day of authentic American blues and harmonica. Everybody is just a little more bluesier, Sonny Boy Terry’s band super tight and with Christian Dozzler on piano, the blues is going to swing. It’s going to be sublime!”
Sonny Boy Terry will kick the day off with short orientation and a beginner/intermediate workshop just to get everybody up to speed and prepared for a full day of harmonica heaven. After Terry’s introduction, Austin’s Mike Rubin will take over for his highly anticipated workshop “Meat and Potatoes Harmonica”. After that, the extremely seasoned RJ Mischo steps and guides participants on “How to Lead a Blues Band and Other Tricks of the Trade”.
An extra added attraction to this year’s workshops is Lone Wolf Harmonica Pedals owner Randy Landry out of New Orleans teaming up with Houston amp tech Stephen “Fess” Schneider to demonstrate how to use effects and amplification for harmonica. Steve is Houston’s best harmonica technician and a full line of effects, Lone Wolf Pedals for harmonica have taken the industry by storm. After that participants are invited to join the Sonny Boy Terry Band for a conga line style blues jam where everyone can get their licks in with an authentic Texas Blues act.
Following the afternoon workshops and short dinner break (Food is available on site). Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar transform from classroom back to a nightclub for a night of what promises to be a night to remember of Texas Blues. With Sonny Boy Terry Band, Mike Rubin, RJ Mischo, Paul Orta, and Christian Dozzler the music is sure to be on fire.
Here is the schedule of the day’s activities:
Ciinic times are a rough draft to provide a guide for the day's activities but
most likely will end before 6:30PM and include a short intermission.
Clinics/workshop
2PM - Sonny Boy Terry - Intro. Beginner/Intermediate Harmonica
3PM - RJ Mischo - How to front a blues act workshop
4PM - Mike Rubin's Meat and Potatoes Harmonica Workshop
5PM - Lone Wolf Harp pedals Demo and Amplifying the Harmonica Workshop
6PM - Jam with a Pro blues Band (Sonny Boy Terry Band w/Christian Dozzler on
piano)
7PM - Movie Time! intermission/dinner. Fantastic Food Available On Site.
Looks like a fantastic time! Thanks for posting it here.
I wasn't familiar with Paul Orta, but the first video I found when I searched on YT shows that he has an amazingly good natural tone. I heard some Junior Parker here as well as Little Walter. Tone monster!
Here's another one that shows what happens when you take great natural tone and mic it up:
The Texas Harmonica Festival is absolutely a premier event for harp players, or in fact blues fans. Adam can attest to that. He was a feature performer/clinician a couple of years ago and rocked the house.
Paul Orta was one of a trio of blues harp masters that caught my attention while learning the book of blues harmonica in Texas. The other two were Gary Primich and the OP here, Sonny Boy Terry. Paul does "old school" stuff as good as the "old school" stuffers. He was instrumental in helping Gerald Weber design the first harp centric Kendrick amplifier by lending him his knowledge of what was needed by harmonica players. Catch him while you can, because he spends way to much time in Europe.
I've got a review posted on the bushdog blog in my sig of RJ Mischo's newest release. It's another good 'un. ---------- Ricky B http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans at Amazon, Barking Rain Press & the blog THE DEVIL'S BLUES--coming Fall of 2012
It's funny you mention Paul Orta Adam as I think he's on this compliation album along with Satan and Adam. This is where I first heard of you......Unlucky in Love was the most original song on this album.
Orta is a great player and nice guy. He always let me sit in when I had just moved to Austin in my early 20s. I met Terry when I was doing a 3 month theatre orchestra gig in Houston, he ran a jam. Then we tried to beat the Guinness record of most Harps at one time at an Astros game a year or two ago. Mischo I've met at a couple of SPAH's. The other guys are new to me, but I really feel like this is an amazing lineup. 5 hours of education and a show for $40! Unbelievable.
Just wanted to chime in after the fact and to say that the event was awesome! I'm just a very raw beginner so a lot of the stuff was over my head (but I went there knowing that would be the case). What I wanted was a roadmap, seeing where I was headed and some advice how to get there. And man did I get it! The presentations were fun and the performances just blew me away!
The only downside is now that I've heard these great harpists live, I've realized how much gets lost in youtube videos...so now I gotta spend more money going to shows!?!
Thanks again to Sonny Boy Terry for setting it up and all up!
