Blue Star Connection Presents Guitar Great Ana Popovic In Concert

BLUE STAR CONNECTION PRESENTS A VERY SPECIAL EVENING  IN CONCERT WITH BLUES GUITAR GODDESS, ANA POPOVIC Saturday, April 9, 2016 -  BUFFALO ROSE    (Golden, CO) - Blue Star Connection presents a very special evening in concert with Ana Popovic, Saturday, April 9, at Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave., in Golden. Showtime is 8 pm. Tickets $15. (General Admission), $25. (Reserved). Purchase tickets here. Info: (303) 278-6800 or http://www.buffalorose.net/. Denver's hot up-and-coming Austin Young Band featuring guitarist, Michaelea Rae, are the Special Guest opening act.                                                                      Ana Popovic   Ana Popovic is an award-winning, hard-touring, guitar slinger blending smoking electric funk and slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals and a tight blues groove with soulful, feminine vocals. Add to the mix her incredible stage presence, all of which makes her an irresistible force in the world of contemporary blues music.   Popovic was the only female guitar player added to the 2014-'16 All- Star Experience Hendrix lineup, a nationwide tour celebrating the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix with Buddy Guy, Bootsy Collins, Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Zakk Wylde and many more world-renown artists. She’s been nominated for five Blues Music Awards and has previously appeared on the cover of both Vintage Guitar and Guitar Player. Her albums 'Can You Stand The Heat' and ‘Unconditional' were Pick Of The Week by USA Today and featured on NPR Music. Nearly all of Ana's albums have made it the Top 5 of the Billboard Blues Charts and are  played regularly on US radio.   Ana Popovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) and grew up in a warm family where music was very important. All throughout her youth, her father would invite friends over for nightly jam sessions. In this atmosphere, she quickly learned her father’s impressive blues and soul record collection, grabbed his guitar and started playing at the age of fifteen. Since then, Ana has developed into an phenomenal guitarist/vocalist with a growing legion of fans throughout the world.   Popovic and her powerful band are tirelessly touring, playing major blues, jazz and rock festivals. She is endorsed by Fender, Mesa Boogie, Ovation and DR strings. Ana has shared headlining stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Jonny Lang and many others. When not on tour, she resides in Memphis, TN. Austin Young Band featuring Michaela Rae Austin Lee Young is a Colorado native who picked up his first guitar at age 12 and hasn't put it down since. Self-taught, Austin churns out the blues and displays his music with an electrifying passion that defies his young age. Young engages his audience and can match any seasoned performer that currently draws large crowds. His inspirations run the gauntlet of the Blues from historical giants such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters to contemporary masters like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Currently, Austin and his band perform locally and nationally in established music clubs, as well as appearing at numerous music festivals, private functions, and special events. He incorporates the sheer honesty of the blues and performs it with a modern, high energy sound that remains faithful to its traditional roots. The Austin Young Band recently performed on the Keeping The Blues Alive "Blues Cruise", performing on the same stage with such greats as Joe Bonamassa, Blues Traveler, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, and Shemekia Copeland, to name a few. Guitarist Michaela Rae, also Colorado-based, has been likened to Ana Popovic due to her superb guitar playing.                                      About...Blue Star Connection    Blue Star Connection, in association with Grand County Blues Society, provides musical instruments to children and young adults facing cancer and other serious challenges. "For a child who is seriously ill, having a (musical) instrument can not only be fun, but can also help them relax, cope with their experience, talk with therapists and improve their sense of self-worth", explains Lauren Servos, Musical Therapist at Riley Hospital for Children, past recipients of musical instruments from Blue Star Connection.    bluestarconnection.org/                                              facebook.com/BlueStarConnection Join us on Facebook       Follow us on Twitter       Send us an Email

VizzTone's BMA Wish List

VizzTone's Blues Music Award Wish List! We are so proud of the artists we're working with at the VizzTone label group!  Of course, the BLUES MUSIC AWARD nominators haven't made their choices yet, but If it were up to us...we'd see some of the nominations listed below. Cick on the CDs to listen to the music, and we bet you'll agree! Candye Kane Coming Out Swingin' (feat. Laura Chavez) Coming Out Swingin’— the brilliant new record from feminist power poet and vocalist CANDYE KANE, her extraordinary guitarist and co-writer Laura Chavez, and her exceptional band. It’s a jukebox for the mind that moves the body and spirit with a broad selection of originals and hip covers. • CONTEMPORARY BLUES FEMALE ARTIST • CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM • GUITARIST (Laura Chavez) • BB KING ENTERTAINER • SONG: "Invisible Woman" • ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2013 IBC Solo/Duo Winner Little G Weevil Moving LITTLE G WEEVIL is an international Bluesman. Growing up in Budapest, Hungary, G fell in love with American Blues records, and soon became a successful Blues artist in his own country.  He felt the call of the American South and moved to the United States, living in Alabama, washing dishes and playing on Beale Street in Memphis, and finally settling in Atlanta Georgia. After winning first place as a solo artist at the 2013 International Blues Challenge , he recorded MOVING – a beautifully ambient album of deep, all-acoustic Blues. • ACOUSTIC BLUES ALBUM • ACOUSTIC BLUES ARTIST • ALBUM OF THE YEAR Ruff Kutt Blues Band That's When The Blues Begins Deep Texas Blues featuring Zac Harmon, Finis Tasby, and Anson Funderburgh. Texan James Goode describes himself as an “old rascal and beat-up coach”, but this Rockabilly Hall-Of-Fame inductee, songwriter, bass player, and creator of the RUFF KUTT BLUES BAND certainly knows how to field one hell of a Blues team. This all-star aggregation hits a deep Blues groove and delivers Goode’s songs with the assured, relaxed intensity of seasoned pros. • TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM • ALBUM OF THE YEAR Austin Young & No Difference Blue As Can Be Colorado’s multi-award winning teenage Blues phenom AUSTIN YOUNG is an electrifying performer and prolific songwriter. He has been devastating audiences at clubs, concerts and festivals. Blue As Can Be is a landmark worldwide debut from a young artist with a huge future. • NEW ARTIST DEBUT • GUITARIST Gina Sicilia It Wasn't Real On her fourth release, GINA SICILIA continues to evolve and demonstrate a unique ability to stitch different genres into one personal, authentic sound that is all the Soul of Gina Sicilia.  Stunning writing, beautiful sonic landscapes and vocals to die for, It Wasn’t Real is a fearless leap forward that delivers. • CONTMEPORARY BLUES FEMALE ARTIST • CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM • SONG: "It Wasn't Real" Long Tall Deb Raise Your Hands LONG TALL DEB Landolt delivers a solid dose of her patented “Soul/Gospel/Swamp” on her debut release, with striking performances on ten of Deb’s original songs with help from a bevy of heavy hitting guests. This is a tour-de-force for Long Tall Deb, and a joyous celebration of the arrival of an artist on the rise. • NEW ARTIST DEBUT • CONTEMPORARY BLUES FEMALE ARTIST • SONG: "Married To The Blues" feat Big Llou James Montgomery Band From Detroit To The Delta JAMES MONTGOMERY cut his teeth in the Detroit Blues scene of the late 60’s, moved to Boston, signed with Capricorn Records, and proceeded to lead a Blues band that was so hot they had budding local rockers like Aerosmith opening their shows. On the new CD, James traces his musical roots From Detroit To The Delta, with special guests Johnny Winter, Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford, James Cotton, the Uptown Horns, and seminal rapper DMC. Montgomery’s journey paysrespect to many styles of the Blues, from urban streets to Mississippi mud. • ROCK BLUES ALBUM • SONG: "Little Johnny" feat. Johnny Winter, Aerosmiths's Brad Hatfield and Joey Kramer and a sneak peek, coming in September... Dave Riley and Bob Corritore Hush Your Fuss This is timeless juke-joint blues, performed by modern masters.The "Mississippi meets Chicago" blues partnership of singer/guitarist Dave Riley and award-winning Chicago blues harmonica player Bob Corritore has toured extensively in the USA, Europe and South America.  HUSH YOUR FUSS!, their third CD together, is a real down-home blues throw-down, featuring rootsy, old-school storytelling blues that puts you in rural Mississippi by way of Chicago, all in the well-honed style of DAVE RILEY and BOB CORRITORE. • TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM • HARMONICA: BOB CORRITORE THANKS FOR LISTENING, WE HOPE YOU LOVE THE MUSIC AS MUCH AS WE DO!

mmm, mmm, mmMemphis! ... and coming soon!

BRAND NEW FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP mmm, mmm, mmMemphis!  and coming soon.... Hey All Y'all (note the vernacular, we're getting in the mood) — Lots of VizzTone folks are heading to Memphis this week, so we wanted to take this opportunity to give one more shout out to our BMA nominees, talk about our Big Blues Party on Beale, and brag about our new and upcoming releases! So first of all, one more big CONGRATS and GOOD LUCK to the Blues Music Awards nominees from our VizzTone/Vizzable family: OUR NOMINEES... Ann Rabson w/Bob Margolin / Not Alone - Acoustic Blues Album Bob Margolin- Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year Phantom Blues Band - Blues Band of the Year Tony Braunagel (Phantom Blues Band, Robert Cray Band) - Drums Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band) - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Diunna Greenleaf (Vizzable Music Artist) - Koko Taylor Award        Click the CD to listen or buy at VizzTone.com   ;-) For those of you who'll be coming to Memphis, we can't wait to see you there!  And, if you're sticking around town for the Friday night AFTER the Awards, c'mon down to our amazing VizzTone Blues Party On Beale!  Check it out: See what I'm sayin'??  This is gonna be one party that is NOT TO BE MISSED! Lately we've been bragging about our BRAND NEW releases - Click the album covers to take a listen, and you'll understand why!                   ...and we'll tell you more about these soon (trust us on that!), but here's a quick peek at what's COMING VERY SOON.... Coming May 14! RUFF KUTT BLUES BAND THAT'S WHEN THE BLUES BEGINS Deep Texas Blues featuring Zac Harmon, Finis Tasby, Anson Funderburgh, and James Goode. Coming June 25 CANDYE KANE COMING OUT SWINGIN' featuring LAURA CHAVEZ We are SO PROUD to welcome our good friends Candye Kane and Laura Chavez to the family! Coming soon... LITTLE G WEEVIL MOVING • 2013 International Blues Challenge winner

Did you know... you can preview Every song from Every artist at www.vizztone.com!

"The Future of Blues Music?" - Austin Young - free download

BRAND NEW FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP Austin Young free track download & listening party! CLICK ON THE CD COVER TO DOWNLOAD A FREE SONG & HEAR THE ALBUM The VizzTone label group is so proud of the new AUSTIN YOUNG & NO DIFFERENCE CD, we're throwing a Listening Party and giving away a free download of the leadoff track, "Thunderhead."  Just click on the CD cover for the free download, to listen to the whole CD in the VizzTone Music Store, AND get a special discount offer!  A recent rave review (see below) suggests Austin might be "the Future of the Blues" — we welcome you to check out his music and decide for yourself! “I enjoy the ‘crossroads’ moment of Austin Young as his live and recorded efforts reveal an exciting prodigy claiming his destiny. I see no limit to his talent as a guitarist, singer, entertainer, bandleader, and magnetic new force of nature. The buzz has already begun in his home of Colorado and from his performances in Helena and Memphis. Austin proves himself every day. Am I hyping him or actually too restrained? Austin Young will deliver an obvious answer.”      – Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin We proudly present the debut recording from Colorado’s teenage blues phenom, Austin Young.  At 17, he delivers deep passion, exciting showmanship, and electrifying musicianship.  His inspirations range from Blues giants to guitar masters.  As he devastates audiences near home and at concerts and festivals, he is a hard act to follow even for today’s established stars.   Austin is an astounding guitarist, naturally emotive singer, and prolific songwriter.  His songs deliver Blues feeling in both traditional and original styles.  BLUE AS CAN BE showcases variety from Austin and his NO difference bandmates, from the hard-rocking “Thunderhead” and “Signal” to the lyrical “Springtime Snow,” the jazzy “That’s It,” the highly-danceable “Who’s Coming Out” and more.  This is a landmark worldwide debut from a young artist with a huge future. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS so far... 2013  • Recipient of the 2012 Colorado Blues Society Member’s Choice Awards in FIVE categories:  Best Guitar, Best Slide Guitar, Best Blues Band, Best Young Artist, Best Live Moment.  • HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION!   2012  • Invited Performer to The King Biscuit Festival, Helena, AR.  • Intern Instructor aiding Bob Margolin for Pinetop Perkins Master Guitar Workshop, Clarksdale, MS,   2011  • State of Colorado Scholarship Recipient for the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Master Guitar Workshop, Clarksdale, MS.

A recent rave review from Greg Victor on Parcbench.com: Could Austin Young Be The Future Of Blues Music? Give His New CD A Listen. Austin Young & NO Difference - Blue As Can Be ***½ (out of 4 stars) Label: Vizztone Austin Young is 17. Or at least that’s what his bio states. After listening to his newly released album, Blue As Can Be, I’m convinced that’s a typo. His musicianship fairly overflows with the focus, nuance and even contradictions of a man two (no, make that three or four) times his age. To play the blues as a teenager is a parlor trick. To own them (as Young does, on occasion) is a life’s mission begun to be fulfilled. The full band’s name is Austin Young & NO Difference (with Austin Young on guitar and vocals, Noah Mast on bass, and Tim Young on drums). Their album, with Young as writer or co-writer on each track, is a healthy blend of traditional blues attitudes and modern takes, of building tensions and private releases, of explosive energy and seemingly impossible restraint. Austin Young is clearly in touch with his inner… well, everything, I guess. The album is a showcase for a variety of moods and each track shows off a different facet of Young’s passionate personality. At times, Young plays with such a ferocious energy that he may just be starting his own style of blues… the “Colorado blues”? … the “teenage phenomenon blues”? … the “I might just turn a whole young generation into blues lovers blues”? It’s exciting (especially in a genre like blues) to discover an artist that one can share with friends, and with Austin Young’s talent, he will certainly create a buzz. No, it isn’t a perfect album. So he’s young. That’s fine. He has all the more time to find himself in the blues (and find the blues in himself). When a guy just might be the future of the blues (and he just might be), it’s best he take his own damn time. Play on, Austin Young, for when played with truth and swagger — the blues never get old. Essential Downloads: “Thunderhead,” “Magdalena,” “That’s It,” “Miss You Moore.” read it on the Parcbench website HERE: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE SONG AND HEAR THE WHOLE CD