Legendary blues performer Curtis Salgado (one of the original Blues Brothers and former lead singer for Santana) will be in concert at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Lucky 7 Casino’s new Tolowa Events Center.  Tickets for his concert are $25 each and are available at the Lucky 7 Casino’s Players Club, or by phone at 707- 487-7777.  For more information visit www.lucky7casino.com.

Salgado is a legend in blues circles as much for his unique blend of blues, soul, and R&B, as for being the man responsible for inspiring a bit of pop culture and music history. In October 1977, Salgado was a 25-year old singer and harmonica player performing at the Eugene Hotel lounge when John Belushi stopped by.  In town filming the movie “Animal House,” the actor was looking for a laugh and found something else entirely – the inspiration for the now-iconic “Blues Brothers” characters.

“Sometimes when I think of the Belushi thing, and The Blues Brothers, I don’t know what to think,” says Curtis Salgado.  “I get totally blown away.”

The Blues Brothers reintroduced blues to a whole new generation.

“It was a good thing,” says Salgado.  “It turned a whole lot of people on to the music.”

Born in Everett, Wash., in 1954, Salgado credits his parents with his love of music. “I grew up around music, and I grew up around black music. ‘Cause my parents were hip!’” says Salgado.

By the time he was 18, Salgado was part of the growing Northwest blues scene performing with the likes of Robert Cray, Muddy Waters, Bobby “Blue” Band, and Bonnie Raitt.  Later, Salgado would also tour with his band The Stilettos, opening for such acts as Steve Miller and The Doobie Brothers. In 1990’s he was the lead vocalist for Santana. Salgado was selected 2010 Blues Music Award – Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year, has been awarded “Best Male Vocalist” by the Cascade Blues Society nine times since 1989. He has been inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

Here are some music samples:

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20yearsofBBking-sample

Spectrum Sounds

Live music at the Curry County Fair (July 28-July 31) kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday with the Stagelights’ Community Music Showcase, featuring three bands: Jurassic Country, SnapShot and Caucasians in Crisis. Two Stagelights’ students will also sing several songs. The showcase is schedule from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Artisian Hall at the county fairgrounds in Gold Beach.

Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, five adult bands will perform for cash prizes in the Battle of the Bands competition at the Curry County Fair. The bands include Port Orford Music Club of Port Orford, 4:12 United of Gold Beach, John Clute of Port Orford, The Spence Brothers Band of Brookings and Spectrum Sounds of Brookings. Prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third.

The Spence Brothers

TThe future just got a little sweeter for Brookings’ favorite country rock band Sweet Town Little. The four-piece group has been invited to be the band for rising country star and former American Idol finalist Kristy Lee Cook during her Saturday concert at the Lynn County Fair in Albany.Other fair performers include Lonestar, James Otto and Buddy Jewell.

“This is the biggest opportunity for us so far,” said drummer David Amato on Monday. “Who knows? There might be industry folks there; agents for Kristi Lee and other musicians who might like what they hear.”

Sweet Town Little members are Amato, Lance Kessler (bass), Paul Lopez (guitar) and Scott Perry (vocals/keys/guitar). The band, which plays mostly originals, has been practicing every day for several weeks in preparation for Saturday’s gig. They have learning a number of cover songs that Cook performs as well as several of her originals that nobody has heard.

“It’s cool for us, but there’s a lot of pressure,” Amato said.

The band has called on its part-time backup singer Katherine Cena to sing Cook’s part during rehearsals.“She has been a great help to the band,” Amato said.

He also wanted to thank the neighbors living around the Brookings home where the band has been practicing from 6 to 10 p.m. nightly.“They have been very accommodating,” he said.

Cook will be in Brookings for several days this week to rehearse with the band. “I think she’s going to be very surprised when she gets here,” Amato said.

The opportunity to back Cook comes on the heels of the band’s accomplishments at a Battle of the Bands competition in Medford last year. They took sixth place out of 120 bands. They also played in Grants Pass last week to one of the largest crowds ever to attend the city’s concert in the park series.But it was a music video of the band taped at KTVL News 10 in October that caught the attention of Cook. (The video can be seen above).

“About two months ago, we were contacted by Christie Lee; she reached out to us,” Amato said. “She had seen our YouTube video and liked how we sounded.”

Sweet Town Little is one of the hardest working bands on the South Coast. Last year, within months of forming, the band played about 50 gigs in an eight month-period in Oregon and surrounding states. And that is while working full time jobs and honoring family commitments.The road-weary group took a few months off at the beginning of this year and then regrouped to pursue a less hectic tour schedule, with plenty of shows at venues in Brookings and Crescent City.

The band has built a large fan base on the South Coast with its mix of country and rock music. Music and videos are available at www.sweettownlittle.com. Fans can also follow the band on its Facebook page.

What’s next for the band after Saturday’s gig?“

It depends on how things go this Saturday,” Amato said. “We’re taking it one day at a time, taking opportunities when we get them, and seeing where it all goes.”

The quirky rock music of The Last Internationale sounds like it just stepped out of a Quintin Tarantino film – and will be filling the 101 Bar and Grill in Harbor Thursday night.

The New York-based band, consisting of singer/guitarist Delila Paz and lead guitarist Edgey, and sometimes additional band members, slides from smooth blues into an electric guitar and percussion heavy rock without losing the listener in the transition.Paz brings her soul-charged, blues-drenched vocals with just a hint of punk, but she isn’t afraid to add a little honey to give some songs a folksy hue. Edgey pumps out  boot stomping riffs and fiery licks for their originals and covers such as “House of the Rising Sun” and “Smokestack Lightning.”

The Last Internationale is known for its live performances, and is schedule to play at 9 p.m. Thursday at the 101 Bar and Grill, corner of Highway 101 and Benham Lane in Harbor. The Ashland-based rock band Hookastew will open at 7 p.m. There is no cover charge.

Listen to more music and see more videos at http://thelastinternationale.com

Jessie Goergen

Sunday’s free concert in Azalea Park features an exclusive performance arranged solely for the summer American Music Festival in Brookings.

The Linfield College Festival Brass will perform at 1 p.m. Sunday in the bandshell at the park. The special group brings together 18 professional brass musicians – and a vocal soloist – from as far away as Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.

All have some sort of connection to Linfield College, according to the conductor, Linfield College professor of music Dr. Joan Haaland Paddock.Only the guest vocalist, Jessie Goergen, is from Brookings. She is a music and pre-law student at Linfield, scheduled to graduate in spring 2012.

Paddock will make the final selection of music today, choosing from groups she calls “Music Through the Ages,” “Music of Faith,” “Music of Place,” “Music of a Lighter Fare,” and “For All People.” Possible selections include  familiar titles such as the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Amazing Grace,” “Jupiter” from “The Planets,” and “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’” from “Porgy and Bess.”Jessie Goergen will be featured in George Gershwin’s “The Man That I Love” and “Orange Colored Sky,” a jazz classic best known for a version by Nat King Cole. As a result of the arrangements for the concert, Goergen is earning Linfield credits as a summer intern with the American Music Festival and the Stagelights Musical Arts Community.

The other featured soloist will be trombone player Tony Collins of Santa Rosa, Calif., performing in “Morceau Symphonique” by Alexandre Guilmant.

As with all American Music Festival concerts, admission is free, thanks to the donations of sponsors and those who come to the performances. Concert-goers should bring their own chairs or blankets for seating. The Rotary Club of Brookings-Harbor will offer concessions from its Snack Shack.In case of poor weather, the concerts move to the Redwood Theater in downtown Brookings.

The concerts continue at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 24, with a performance by the Craig Allen Blues Band, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, with traditional Celtic music performed by Golden Bough.

The Pistol River Concert Association presents Rita Hosking, accompanied by the outfit known as Cousin Jack, at the Pistol River Friendship Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9.Cousin Jack, Hosking’s band, consists of fiddle, bass, guitar and banjo.Hosking has receive many honors, including winner of Best Country Album in the 2010 Independent Music Awards, winner of the ’08 Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest at the Sisters Folk Festival, finalist in the ’09 Telluride Troubadour Contest, and others as well. Tickets are $15 and are available at Wright’s Custom Framing and Art Supplies in Brookings, the Book Dock in Harbor and Gold Beach Books in Gold Beach. Tickets may also be reserved online at www.pistolriver.com or by calling 541-247-2848. A $5 student discount or refund is available at the door with student identification.