NorCal Blues Reviews

Pepperbelly's Blues - 3/8/08

The Blues at Pepperbelly's?

Okay, so I'm driving through downtown fairfield a couple of weeks ago on a stormy Friday and I see a sign at Pepperbelly's, the Fairfield comedy club, for a Tommy Castro show that night. Pepperbelly's is a comedy club that attracts pretty big acts but doesn't venture away from that meal ticket very often that I know of. But what the heck, Tommy Castro is always a good show, so I call the blues girl up and off we go...

First off, it turned out to be an excellent venue for a blues gig. The place is perfectly fitted for a nice intimate rockin' show with plenty of room to move, dance in the isles or whatever. There is a nice bar at the entrance to settle in before the place opens up.

The opening act was The Used Blues Band, a local group from Vacaville trying to get noticed and I must say they did succeed in that. Fronted by Pete Ricks on Vocals, Sean McGroarty on the harmonica and Matty T on the guitar it was a great start. They really heated the place up, even on a rainy, dreary night. This happened to be just the third outing for Matty T with the group but it flowed like a well oiled blues machine. As an avid blues fan and a Vacaville man myself, it was great to see a local bunch really light it up. I know I am looking forward to seeing them again. As a side note, I ran into Pete Ricks at a Kenny Neal show last Saturday night and he is very excited at the response they got and are looking forward to getting out there and showing what they are made of. Keep your eyes out for these guys, they can really pour it on.

Tommy Castro took over and came in full form. It seems the show was canceled a week earlier because Tommy had the flu. His bad luck turned out to be my great luck. Tommy was better than ever and played over two hours non-stop to a packed house. He worked the house with all his old stuff, mixed a few newer things in and tore the place up with a raucous version of my favorite Tommy cut, "Nasty Habits". It was everything you would expect from a Tommy show and more. His longtime friend and sax man, Keith Crossan was absolutely fabulous, as always. Their many years together makes a great connection. Tommy Castro is always a sure bet for a great outing and this night was no exception.

The hometown crowd seemed a little tenuous at first, (not much blues action in Fairfield, unfortunately), but by the end of the night many were obviously convinced of the power of a good blues night. Being a local, it was great to see. Lastly, many props to Pepperbelly's for branching out... let's do it again!

"Keep your eyes and ears open ~ the blues are alive in northern California!"

Blues Blowout at Cache Creek - 2/1/08

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