1st Annual Ojai Blues Festival Features Great Music Lineup

GREAT MUSIC LINEUP FOR 1ST ANNUAL OJAI BLUES FESTIVAL Saturday, August 15 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.    (Ojai, CA) - Crooked Eye Tommy joins a great music lineup that includes the Alastair Greene Band, Deb Ryder, and Shawn Jones, all performing at the 1st Annual Ojai Blues Festival at the Ojai Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St., on Saturday, August 15. Showtime is 4 p.m. Tickets $25. available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ojai-bluesfest-tickets-17742088063.    The Ojai Blues Festival is a continuation of the long-standing Bowlful of Blues Festival that ran for over two decades and was one of the region's premiere blues events.    ABOUT THE PERFORMERS AT THE 1ST ANNUAL OJAI BLUES FESTIVAL   Crooked Eye Tommy - Have just released their debut effort, Butterflies & Snakes, eleven memorable tunes penned by Crooked Eye Tommy front-person and band namesake Tommy Marsh and Tommy's brother, guitarist-vocalist, Paddy Marsh (who also plays in the band). Other C.E.T. members include Glade Rasmussen, bass; Tony Cicero, drums; and Jimmy Calire, saxophone/piano/Hammond B3.  Featuring scorching performances and original music firmly rooted in traditional blues, which feels familiar but somehow new, Tommy Marsh’s considerable songwriting, vocal and guitar skills have made him a Ventura County favorite. www.crookedeyetommy.com.   Alastair Greene Band - Blues and rock have met at many different crossroads. From Cream and Johnny Winter to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gov’t Mule these blues rock recipes are often boiled down to a simple trio. Such is the melting pot of influences and presentation of the Alastair Greene Band. Greene formed his first blues rock trio with former members of the legendary Southern California band the Pontiax in 1997. The Alastair Greene Band (AGB) has gone through several incarnations and line-ups over the years and has included alumni of the Steve Miller Band, Paul Butterfield Band, and Junior Wells Band. Currently, the line-up has solidified with Alastair Greene on guitar and vocals, Jim Rankin on bass and vocals, and Austin Beede on drums. Greene is also the touring guitarist with Alan Parsons, and has been touring internationally with the English pop/ progressive rock veteran since 2010. www.agsongs.com.   Deb Ryder: Born outside Chicago, Ryder was influenced by the music of the city, and by her father, a Chicago club sensation. Deb began appearing on stage as a young teen at her stepfather’s famous nightclub The Topanga Corral, where she opened for such blues legends as Etta James, Big Joe Turner and Taj Mahal. It was there that she honed her style as a blues performer. Her much-anticipated debut album “Might Just Get Lucky” was a hit, garnering rave reviews and acclaim. Ryder's latest release "Let It Rain" was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Tony Braunagel; all eleven Ryder originals are a celebration of the blues from classic to modern, Chicago to New Orleans. http://epresskitz.com/website_ryder.php?u=35263917.   Shawn Jones: Shawn Jones is the epitome of American Roots/Rock music. He has proven over time that he has an international appeal. Shawn is true to form of his influences, spanning from all the greats in Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz and Country. He has toured in  excess of 200 dates a year, creating new fans and followers everywhere he performs. Shawn's 2013 album, "Struggle Makes you Stronger", was picked up by Right Track Distribution, and licensed through the Universal music Group in the UK. With four studio albums and one live album under his belt, Shawn's skills as a seasoned songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist have put him on the same bill with the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, and many others. http://shawnjonesmusic.com/.   Shawn Jones is the epitome of American Roots/Rock music. He has proven over time that he has an international appeal. Shawn is true to form of his influences, spanning from all the greats in Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz & Country. His father raised him on Hank Williams, and he grew up in the heartland of Southern California, where he learned from experience how to play and sing the blues.  Shawn has been touring in excess of 200 dates a year, creating new fans and followers literally everywhere he performs. - See more at: http://shawnjonesmusic.com/bio/#sthash.9VQkrtZx.dpuf  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ojai-bluesfest-tickets-17742088063

Crooked Eye Tommy CD Release Party August 7 in Carpinteria

                                                                 

  CROOKED EYE TOMMY RELEASES DEBUT CD, BUTTERFLIES & SNAKES;

  ELEVEN MEMORABLE SONGS IN THE BLUES GENRE FROM VENTURA    COUNTY GUITARIST-SINGER-SONGWRITER, TOMMY MARSH

CD RELEASE PARTY & DEBUT CONCERT at Plaza Playhouse Theater

Friday, August 7 - 7:30 p.m.

  

   (Carpinteria, CA) - Crooked Eye Tommy releases their debut effort, Butterflies & Snakes, marking the occasion with a CD Release Party and Debut Concert at the Plaza Playhouse Theater, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Friday, August 7. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25. (includes CD); $30. (includes commemorative piece of album artwork and CD). Info: (805) 684-6380 or http://crookedeyetommy.com/calendar/. Buy tickets at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/crooked-eye-tommy-butterflies-snakes-debut-concert-tickets-16946668943.

   Crooked Eye Tommy also performs at the 1st Annual Ojai Blues Festival along with the Alastair Greene Band, Deb Ryder, and Shawn Jones at the Ojai Arts Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai, on Saturday, August 15. Showtime is 4 p.m. Tickets $25. available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ojai-bluesfest-tickets-17742088063.

ABOUT BUTTERFLIES & SNAKES (AND) CROOKED EYE TOMMY

  Butterflies & Snakes are eleven memorable tunes penned by Crooked Eye Tommy front-person and band namesake Tommy Marsh and Tommy's brother, guitarist-vocalist, Paddy Marsh (who also plays in the band). Other C.E.T. members: Glade Rasmussen, bass; Tony Cicero, drums; Jimmy Calire, saxophone/piano/Hammond B3. 

 The album's title track, a tasty down-home blues ditty entitled 'Crooked Eye Tommy,' "is sort of an autobiography", states Tommy. "I wrote it when we decided to name the band Crooked Eye Tommy. I was born with two lazy eyes, so the imagined discussion between a nurse and onlookers in the classic baby window at the hospital was a cool way to illustrate the way people can be  cruel without even thinking about it." Rocking blues number, 'Time Will Tell' is "the source of the album's name," states Marsh. "The second verse talks about the duality of women:

             Women are made of butterflies, butterflies and snakes

         Trying to please a woman can give a good man the shakes

   

   Time Will Tell "also talks about the duality of men as well in the first verse...and the dreams we all have (as musicians) to rise to the pinnacle of our profession - and how in each case, time is the equalizer and the test by which these are all proven out." The tune "shows the direction the band is taking with a more Southern hard blues feel", concludes Marsh. 'Somebody's Got To Pay' is a sexy Blues shuffle where Marsh laments in song, "the way the world is today, somebody's got to pay." He explains: "I wrote this song while dealing with a tax issue...I was very frustrated with the whole government and how no matter who is in office, it's always about who has the money." Dancing blues dittie 'Love Divine' is about "the relationships we have made along the way before we leave this world, they are the only real wealth that goes with us."

  Crooked Eye Tommy proudly represented the Santa Barbara Blues Society at the 2014 International Blues Challenge when they erupted onto the Southern California Blues Scene after reaching the Semifinals of this illustrious annual competition held in Memphis. For the last several years, Marsh has hosted a weekly Ventura County Blues Society-sponsored Jam Session featuring some of the biggest Blues artists on the SoCal music scene.

   Featuring scorching performances and original music firmly rooted in traditional blues, which feels familiar but somehow new, Tommy Marsh’s considerable songwriting, vocal and guitar skills have made him a Ventura County favorite. Capitalizing on local talent, Tommy and his brother Paddy Marsh invited the legendary Jimmy Calire on sax and the deeply-grooved, driving rhythm section of Tony Cicero on drums and Glade Rasmussen on bass to join the effort. The result is an irresistible alchemy of veteran experience, raw talent and enthralling original material. Listen and feel what a Crooked Eye can do.

                        

http://crookedeyetommy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CrookedEyeTommy

Crooked Eye Tommy Band

Crooked-eye Tommy proudly representing the Santa Barbara Blues Society erupted on the Southern California Blues scene in 2013. Sporting scorching performances; original music firmly rooted in traditional blues, which feels familiar but somehow new. Blame Tommy Marsh’s considerable songwriting, vocal and guitar skills. Capitalizing on local talent, Tommy and his brother Paddy Marsh invited the legendary Jimmy Calire on sax and the deeply grooved, driving rhythm section of Tony Cicero on drums and Glade Rasmussen on bass to join the effort. The result is an irresistible alchemy of veteran experience, raw talent and enthralling original material. Listen and feel what a Crooked Eye can do.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!