Jeffersontown - Crusade Blues Festival: Bands

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da Mudcats
da Mudcats have been called the best blues band in Louisville for 19 years. Drummer Gene Wickliffe and Rob Pickett on guitar and vocals have performed their exciting and innovative approach to contemporary blues, always with a great respect for tradition. In March of 2001, Mike Lynch joined the group on bass guitar and vocals. The style of da Mudcats draws upon the classic form, with an honest love for writing and playing original music.

da Mudcats have released 5 independent CD's: da Mudcats, Back to the Basic, I Wanna Play in your Big Back Yard, Live at Moms, and Blue Kentucky Moon.

Sue O'Neil and Blue Seville
This group of Louisville music veterans formed in June of 2002. Members individually boast 30+ years’ experience doing what they love best, entertaining anyone in earshot performing the music they love. Collectively they display a tight, seamless sound, running the gamut from jazz-tinged blues, full-tilt boogie and rock. They never fail to tantalize and delight audiences with funky rhythms, hard-driving guitar and gutsy vocals. They not only cover artists like Etta James, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt; they pepper their sets with original songs penned by group members. Anyone who comes to see this talented ensemble will see immediately that they love every minute they spend together making music.

Velveeta Jones
Velveeta Jones is a hard-hitting electric blues band from central Kentucky. Formed during the summer of 2001, their sound was a classic power trio. They wanted to play blues, their first love, but given their diverse musical backgrounds in country, bluegrass and rock and roll, those influences came through in the tunes. Rather than squelching those influences for the sake of blues purists, they embraced them giving a new sound to old standards as well as charting a course for their own material.

Things were coming together nicely for the band when 9-11 struck. Their drummer, Duane Miller, was called back to active military duty, and around the same time Sondra Kirkpatrick took leave for some R & R. As a result, the band was put on the shelf for three and a half years.

Bassist Mike Anderson and guitarist Patrick Morley took gigs with established bands in the Lexington, Kentucky area such as G Busy and The Blues Revue, The Patty Butcher Blues Band, and Johnny Hedger & Friends. Then, over the winter of 2004/2005 with everyone healthy and ready to play, they reunited with Sondra and Duane to rekindle the fire that is Velveeta Jones.

While paying homage to the blues greats, they bring a modern, high energy sound to the concert stage or the club dance floor. They are equally comfortable in quieter, intimate settings, leaving the amplifiers at home and performing with acoustic guitars and bare-bones percussion, truly "unplugged".

The Pure Gravel Blues Band
Five musicians from Louisville, Kentucky mesh and the result is pure gravel. Gravel in the vocals, gravel in the style. It's how music should be played: fresh, original, totally unique. Just what's needed to gain a whole new audience for the Blues. Pure Gravel has gained a younger following. Many fans say they've never heard blues before. Pure Gravel knows how to get your attention and keep it. They are quickly becoming one of Kentucky's best blues bands.

Revaneu
Mixing equal parts of down home blues, soulful rhythm and blues and classic rock Louisville’s own, Revaneu is comprised of Ron Graves on drums, Brian Badgett on lead guitar and steel guitar, Kirk Davis on vocals and Derek Carpenter on bass.

Since Revaneu was established in 2000, they have played numerous local clubs, J-Town Blues Festival (2006-08), 10th Street Blues Festival (2006), and competed in the Kentuckiana Blues Society Blues Contest (2006).

Revaneu is musically influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, B.B. King, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Elvis, Eric Clapton, Wilson Pickett and The Allman Brothers.

The Stella-Vees
The Stella-Vees is a four-piece blues band based in Lexington, Kentucky. The band formed in 2001 from four musicians who hosted the Lexington Blues Society’s weekly jam sessions. They present music that captures many qualities of the early blues. Musicians such as T-Bone Walker, Hollywood Fats and Magic Sam are major influences. Their style of original material is well-developed and centers on the idea of simple rhythms with unique arrangements. The Stella-Vees are known for their incredible use of dynamics and ability to motivate their audiences while playing in the often unheard Chicago and West Coast styles.

The two original members, Steve Parrish (New Orleans, Louisiana) on drums and “songsmith” Jason Lockwood (Knoxville, Tennessee) on guitar and vocals, changed their lineup in March of 2008 by teaming up with harmonica ace Mark Hoekstra (Louisville, Kentucky) and bassist Tim Dennison (Louisville, Kentucky) forming their strongest blues team to date.

The sound of The Stella-Vees is built largely around Lockwood’s unique vocal and guitar style. Harpist Mark Hoekstra has a rich performing history dating back to the 80’s with his own group, West Side Heat. Later Mark joined The Legendary Blues Band from 1991 to 1993. Tim Dennison and Steve Parrish anchor the rhythm section by demonstrating a solid understanding of blues foundations.

The Stella-Vees finished first in the 2004 and 2006 Kentuckiana Blues Society’s “Unsigned Blues Band Competition” in Louisville, Kentucky. Competition voting was based on original blues material, showmanship and blues talent.

The Stella-Vees played 7 major blues festivals in 2007. In February of 2009 they will travel back to Memphis to host their 8th annual (2 day) blues jam session held at Mr. Handy's Blues Hall on historic Beale Street. Their jam is a centerpiece attraction for players and blues fans attending the International Blues Challenge, historically the world’s largest gathering of blues musicians.

Their sixteen song CD “Come Round Baby” consists of eight original tunes which enjoyed FM airplay and sales reaching Poland and Australia.

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