Owl Light
Where Inspiration & Inquiry Converge
  • Home
  • Literary Journal
  • Owl Light Sponsorship
  • Digital Owl
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • Literary Journal
  • Owl Light Sponsorship
  • Digital Owl
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • /
  • Music

Owl Outings ~ Caught up in the blues

On August 19, 2018 we found ourselves, quite deliberately and delightfully, settled into the VIP seating area of The Geneseo Riviera for “An Evening of Blues,” featuring blues greats Joe Louis Walker and Johnny Rawls.  Billed as “an unforgettable night of blues,” I couldn’t agree more.   Rawls kicked off the evening with an upfront and personal approach that got the audience clapping and moving to the beat of songs such as “Lucy” from 2016’s Tiger In a Cage, “Red Cadillac” and “I say Yes.”  Several times during his set, he went into the audience and mingled with the dancers on the dance floor.  Music is deep down in Rawls’ soul, and in his past.

Born is 1951 in Mississippi, by the 1970s Rawls had toured with many different bands and was the band director for O.V. Wright.  He went on to direct Little Johnny Taylor’s band before going solo in 1985.  His 2013 album Remembering O.V. is a tribute to his time with Wright.  Waiting for the Train (2017), his latest CD, was recognized as one of the top 50 blues albums of the year by Roots Music Report.  Rawls’ extensive musical career was evident in his ease as a performer and in his ability to rile up the audience.  The show was high energy from beginning to end and his back up band did not hold back a bit, helping to take everyone present along for the ride.

Extra special is a perfect way to describe the incredible talent that Joe Louis Walker brings up on stage. Everybody Wants a Piece (2015), earned Walker a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2016, and it was easy to see why with his rousing performance of “Young Girls Blues.”   With a past rooted in gospel, the music is spiritual with edges of bluesy misbehavin’ evident with every note played.  There were plenty of blues songs in the mix, but it is in the spiritual that Walker can truly move people.  As I heard someone in the audience say during the show, after a particularly moving rendition of “Wade in the Water,” If anyone can convert me he can.”   The band moves about musically from a rock sound to blues to jazz and back – always back – into that sweet and low gospel and soul.  The guitar and bass were electric – and I don’t just mean plugged in.  There were long, drifting rifts that just left me leaning back in my chair with my eyes closed, as I got pulled into the sounds, amazed at what a set of strings could offer.   

Equally amazing is that this awesome music, and more to come, is available out here, in the warmer (well maybe not temperature wise) lake regions south of I 90.  We have it all, the lakes, local beverages and food, wide-open spaces, arts of every persuasion, and live music from national and local musicians – thanks to all the great venues that keep us in the groove close to home.

The Geneseo Riviera fall music series which brought us “An Evening of Blues”, is sponsored by Fanatics Pub and this was just a hint of the great performers set to warm us up as summer morphs into autumn.  October starts off with Sugar Mountain (Friday, October 12th at 8 P.M.), “Celebrating the Genius of Neil Young.”  On October 20th at 7 P.M. is Mary Rawls – formerly of The October Project.  Then on Friday, October 26th at 8 P.M. Albert Cummings will be up on stage at the Riviera, offering his unique brand of soulful and explosive blues and rock.  There are two shows in November: Slambovian Circus of Dreams will perform on November 10th at 8 P.M. – Called everything from ‘hillbilly-Pink Floyd’ to ‘folk-pop’ to ‘surreal Americana’, New York’s Slambovian Circus of Dreams, described by Chronogram Magazine as “a riveting, mesmerizing, crazy, amazing machine of music.”  John Németh will return on Saturday, November 17th – we caught his show at Fanatics on July 17th and it is definitely something worth getting out there for.  If that isn’t enough, Papa Chubby will bring his hard rocking soulful sounds to the Geneseo Riviera stage on Saturday, December 15th, 2018 – just in time to help us chase away those winter blues.

One of my first, albeit unstated, goals after movingfrom the southern to the northern shores of the Finger Lakes was to scope out potential places nearby to catch music.  Theaters, particularly older theaters have always attracted me due to their acoustic designs, comfortable seating and ornate decorations.  There is just something about hearing and watching music in these kinds of settings that sets them apart.  When the show offers not one but two incredible musical performers, as was the case with Johnny Rawls and Joe Louis Walker, it’s extra special.  When you add to that a follow up lineup of musical entertainment that offers show after show after show worthy of going out to, one is left wondering how to find the time to fit in just one more show.  Get your tickets now– and try out the VIP up front.  For a few extra bucks you can add some fun and drink service to your listening pleasures.

Posted on September 7, 2018 by owllightnews.com. This entry was posted in Music. Bookmark the permalink.
Scouting for Myself: Chapter 2
The Light Lens: What?!

    Recent Posts

    • Visual Studies Workshop Announces Project Space Residency Open Application Period
    • West End Gallery showcasing Brian S. Keeler, Treacy Ziegler
    • Hard
    • Eye-Magine – Future Youth Art Exhibit
    • “These Wilds” Announcement

    Recent Comments

    • Darlene on Let’s Talk About Beep!
    • Darlene Bentley on Hello! from a new Guest Editor, and Finding Joy in Hardship.
    • owllightnews.com on The Farm
    • Douglas Morgan on The Farm
    • owllightnews.com on Energizing and Engaging Fun at GEVA

    Archives

    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • June 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017

    Categories

    • #2021
    • Agriculture
    • Animals
    • Antiques
    • Art
    • Astronomy
    • automobiles
    • Beekeeping
    • Birthday
    • Boating
    • books
    • Botany
    • Broome County
    • Buffalo
    • Canadice
    • Canandaigua
    • Cartoon
    • Children
    • Civics
    • Collecting
    • Comic Strip
    • Community Information
    • concert
    • Covid-19
    • Creative non-fiction
    • Dansville
    • Death
    • Democracy
    • Dogs
    • Editorial
    • Education
    • Environmental
    • Essay
    • Family Fun
    • Fantasy
    • Fiction
    • film
    • Finger Lakes
    • Food and Beverage
    • gallery
    • Gardening
    • Gender Rights
    • Great Lakes
    • Health
    • History
    • Holiday
    • Honeoye
    • Human Interest
    • Human Rights
    • In Memoriam
    • Innovation
    • Interview
    • Leisurely Pursuits
    • Literary Arts
    • Little Lakes
    • Live Theatre
    • Livingston County
    • media
    • Monroe County
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Naples, NY
    • Nature
    • Night Sky
    • No. 1
    • NYS
    • Obituary
    • online
    • Ontario County
    • Opinion
    • Outdoor Sports
    • OWL Light
    • Owl Light News
    • Owl Light Newsstand locations
    • Owl Light Sponsor
    • Owl Sponsor
    • OwlLight Blogpost
    • OwlLightNewsArchive
    • Performing Arts
    • Photography
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Recipe
    • Reviews
    • Richmond, NY
    • Rochester
    • Satire
    • Science
    • Scifi
    • Seniors
    • Shop Local
    • Social Justice
    • sports
    • STEM
    • Steuben County
    • Sustainability
    • Theatre
    • Tioga County
    • Tompkins County
    • Travel
    • Uncategorized
    • Veterans
    • Weather
    • Women's Rights
    • Wood working
    • writing
    • Wyoming County
    • Yates County
    • Young Adult
    • youth
    • Zoom

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
Powered by