"We Juke Up in Here" Racks Up Acclaim as Filmmakers, Musicians Hit the Road for Screenings, Concerts

"We Juke Up in Here" Blues Project Racks Up Acclaim as Filmmakers, Musicians Hit the Road for Screenings and Concerts

New Film on Mississippi Juke Joints Enjoys Global Attention (Clarksdale, MS) – Since its world premiere in April, the new blues documentary “We Juke Up in Here” has earned rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. In the coming weeks, the film will enjoy an even higher profile as its filmmakers and featured musicians embark on a series of high-profile screenings and public performances in the United States and abroad. “We Juke Up in Here” tells the story of Mississippi’s once-thriving culture of down-home blues clubs known as juke joints. It is available in a deluxe two-disc collection (DVD with CD soundtrack) fromwww.wejukeupinhere.com and at quality record stores. “We Juke Up in Here” is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. In late August, the film’s creators and several of its featured musicians will travel to Switzerland to participate in the Geneva Art Festival (www.genevartfestival.ch). The film will screen on Tuesday, Aug. 21 and Wednesday, Aug. 22 and will be followed by live performances by three of the film’s stars: Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood and – in his first overseas performance – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. “We Juke Up in Here” and several of its featured artists also are slated to make prominent appearances in Philadelphia, Pa., in the coming months as part of a yearlong series called the Mississippi Blues Project (www.mississippibluesproject.org). Big George Brock will be the first of the film’s stars to make the trip out east when he and his band perform at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on Sunday, Aug. 19. Two months later, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Terry “Harmonica” Bean will travel to Philadelphia to perform on the set of World Café Live. Their Oct. 22 performances will broadcast on the nationally syndicated NPR show. In February 2013, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, the film’s youngest musical star at 28, will also perform in Philadelphia. The film “We Juke Up in Here” also will screen in Philadelphia at a still-to-be-determined date in the coming months as part of the Mississippi Blues Project. The project is being produced and presented by WXPN Radio. In late October, “We Juke Up in Here” will have several public screenings. On Thursday, Oct. 25, filmmakers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel will present the documentary at the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis before embarking on a three-day screening tour in Mississippi: Friday, Oct. 26 in Jackson; Saturday, Oct. 27 in Ocean Springs and Sunday, Oct. 28 in Meridian. (Click here for information.) “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Konkel and Stolle as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving juke joint culture. The film is told largely from the vantage point of Red Paden, proprietor of the legendary Red’s Lounge in historic Clarksdale, Mississippi. Featured artists include Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Big George Brock, Hezekiah Early, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Elmo Williams and Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood. “We Juke Up in Here” is a follow-up to the award-winning film “M For Mississippi.” The new movie reunites Konkel and Stolle with Damien Blaylock, their cinematographer and co-producer from the earlier film. Joining the production team for “We Juke Up in Here” was cinematographer and co-producer Lou Bopp. Since its release, “We Juke Up in Here” has been heavily profiled in publications across the globe. A sampling of reviews includes: "Must-viewing." – Friday Blues Fix (U.S) "Roadhouse nirvana." – Blues Rag (U.S) "Idiosyncratic alchemical magic." – Dusted Magazine (U.S) "Visually sexy film." – Real Deep Blues (U.S) "Superb!" – Folk Bulletin (Italy) "Beautifully produced." – Blues & Rhythm (U.K.) "Fascinating." – Les Inrocks (France) "Love at first sight." – Blues Magazine (France) "First class." – Blues News (Germany) The soundtrack to “We Juke Up in Here” also has received heavy radio airplay. The week, the soundtrack topped the charts on “B.B. King’s Bluesville,” the dedicated blues channel on XM/Sirius Radio. For more information about “We Juke Up in Here” or to arrange a screening or a performance by one of the film’s stars, contact Jeff Konkel at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com or Roger Stolle at roger@cathead.biz. ### (ALL PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP)

Broke & Hungry Records / Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art - Soundtrack: We Juke Up In Here - New Release Review

This is part 2 of a review of the incredible package that has been put out by Stolle and Konkel who earlier did M for Mississippi and Now We Juke Up In Here documentaries. The cd starts with the title track, We Juke Up In Here, performed by Big "A" and the Allstars. I mentioned during my review of the film that I could sit and listen to it for quite some time. The song has a Stax type sound and it's solid and it real. I love this track. Big "A" Anthony Sherrod commands the crowd with his vocals and music style. (I'm already preparing for something on him!) Rabbit in a Log is preformed by Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood. This song has more of a rock a billy sound but watch out for that axe (solo) in the middle... woah! You Know I've Tried is performed by Lil' Poochie & Hezekiah Early. Lil' Poochie is a great vocalist and this is a terrific song to demonstrate his skills. Baby (Do Anything For Me) is performed by Terry "Harmonica' Bean.This is a great track in it's unpolished form. Could've Been Married, performed by Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, is really performed in my absolute favorite style of playing, not unlike early John Lee Hooker... a man and his guitar, a rhythm between the vocals and the guitar somewhat like a man trying to sing in between his own playing. There is something particularly endearing to me listening to the way he expresses his feelings in vocals and keeps the simple rhythm and then adds the next vocal line where he see's fit as opposed to where the standard structure commands it to be. Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early perform Jug of Wine, a primitive form of blues rock. It's the way rock began and possibly how it should have remained (Early throws a flashy drum solo in the middle) but the primitive rock blues style is way cool! Get Rich and Marry You, performed by Louis "Gearshift" Youngbloog is up next. This track really shows how similar blues is to country (and is a specific reason I don't use standard definitions for types of music... it's all just music...some is good...and some is bad). This could just have easily been done by Johnny Cash. Big "A" is back with his second track, Call Me A Lover. This is another great song showing both an evolution to city style blues and a firm hold in the early JL Hooker styling and phrasing. Great sound! Bring You Fine Self Home, performed by Lil' Poochie & Hezekiah Early takes the form of a fast rock style boogie and again Lil' Poochie demonstrates his great vocal capability and command as a performer. Down South, performed by Big George Brock, sounds just great with Big George on vocals and harp and Frank Vick on drums. Makes you wonder why anyone needs anything else. I don't hear anything missing... and I seriously doubt that there are any overdubs! Holmes, Bean and Vick team up on the last track, Someday (Get Over You) with Holmes on Guitar and vocals, Bean on Harmonica and Vick on Drums. The song is a standard can't count the bars (that's good) blues and a great track to wind down the recording. Duck is such an interesting vocalist and guitar player and Bean a fine harp player and it shows on this track. There is one unlisted track on the recording and it is played in the streets with all of the trucks passing by in the recording. It actually adds a lot to the authenticity of the recording. This is an absolutely great cd and allows you to get a great filling (not feeling) of the music tasted in the film. It's terrific that the film makers have made available this cd of the music from their exploration because only short snippets of the music is actually present in the film. You'll listen to this cd over and over. It's filled with great honest music!
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Broke and Hungry Records / Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art film: We Juke Up In Here! - New Release Review

I have been waiting for this for a long [explicative] time! Once you watch the film that will make a lot more sense. The film opens with just absolutely terrific intro music and the audio is superb and you are thinking.. I don't need no stinking film. Then it begins...Clarksdale, Mississippi and with Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel dogging around with Red Paden, owner of Red's Lounge. Red is a "real" man and although most of what Red says is unintelligible, the film is captioned for your assistance. A quick tour around Red's place and then a trip out to the former Red's Wine Club, lets just say tin shed and rust. Red tells tales of running his club with huge parties and politics in the back woods towns. He's quite a character. It's funny to watch these guy broach the question of whether Red ever get's any "white folks" out to his place. He's obviously more comfortable answering than they are asking. The first live clip is Big "A" and the Allstars. Big "A" is a younger fellow dressed in really slick clothes (with glitter) and alligator shoes. He has great style. There are only a few short clips and an interview of Big "A" but I'll be looking for video to share!
On the road to Po' Monkey's, described as the coolest looking Juke Joint in Mississippi. Arriving the men are greeted by Willie Seaberry who has been in the Juke Joint business for 55 years. Great signs outside... and the inside is like the coolest dive bar you've ever been in ... and believe me..I've been in your share of dive bars! Po Monkey's got no live music. He indicates that it's more reliable to have DJ's. But it is a place to experience! Back at Red's Lounge, Louis "Gearshifter" Younblood plays parts of a few tunes and is interviewed. Gearshifter actually has a lot of country in his style. Some terrific shots of the countryside and a number of closed previous clubs. I'd like to get some still shots and post them just because of the aesthetic quality in the state of deterioration. The film then focuses on the Do Drop Inn in Shelby, Mississippi where Konkel and Stolle in 2008 filmed Junebug Jefferson. It is under new ownership and the new owner is trying to get live music going again but the community is is so poor that the cost is prohibitive. This place was earlier called Big "E"'s place. Funny that I have a friend in Mississippi named Big E.

Big George Brock, on harp with a drummer is next up at Red's. George is an authentic player who has also has run blues clubs in St. Louis. His suit is quite dapper in dark red and stripes. The contrast from his clothes to his surroundings is quite amazing. It's interesting to get his perspective on what is happening to live blues music venues.

Terry "Harmonica" Bean is up next and a clip of his playing and a discussion of his experience playing in Juke Joints as well as internationally. Again I'll say, If you frequent "dive bars" because you like the atmosphere, you'll understand immediately what this film is discussing. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is up next and is right on spot with his music. The thing that strikes you is the similarity between the people, the players and the clubs. They are all real. The clubs may be raw and the players may have rough edges... but they are real. There is no pretense. That's what makes this exploration so terrific!

Now off to Blue Front Cafe owned by Jimmy "Duck' Holmes. Even with Holmes owning the club it's hard to sustain a live blues club. Roosevelt Roberts Jr. is featured and Holmes indicates that he is trying to get live music back. It's really telling that the people turn out for the party created by the music, but not for the music itself. But I believe personally that is where it all began. The party and the environment. Elmo Williams is up next on guitar and Hezekiah Early on horn. As the musicians sit around and discuss what is happening to the Juke Joints and why they are disappearing I see a parallel in the 5th largest city in the US where I live. Larger bars with more glitz show up and the smaller bars have a hard time competing because they don't have the amenities... but the "atmosphere" is missing in the new clubs. We (my friends and I) typically judge a bar by the music that is playing when we walk in the door, how the patrons are dressed and how much daylight is inside. Darker is better. In fact, if not for the inability to breathe the next day, smoke is good too! Robert Lee "Little Poochie" Watson is up next and it isn't about flash...but it's real. He belongs in a Juke Joint and it's great seeing him there!
This film is an exploration of Juke Joints and the life that surrounded them. The deterioration of the small town and the movement to the modern life. The documentation of the deterioration is extremely interesting and hopefully through this positive exposure people will see what they are missing when they don't look in the corners. Bob Corritore runs a great club in Phoenix and although it isn't a "Juke Joint", it is real and real people go there and the environment is right. When I moved to Phoenix there was another small club that was absolutely terrific called the Mason Jar. I saw Albert King among others there. It's still a bar but it's a specialty club. What does this have to do with the film... the film is a slice of what we are all losing each day. It's a documentation of not only the blues but of small town America privately owned businesses. It is brilliantly shot and as indicated earlier, the soundtrack is excellent. Be sure to catch the Extras. There is some great footage there which didn't make the film including 6 great blues performances and some interview footage that is quite entertaining! If you love blues music, if you love dive bars, if you have curiosity about the beginnings of the blues and want to hear some great music and see the delta... this is a great bet!

This package includes a great documentary 18 page booklet and an accompanying 14 track music cd. I will review the cd separately yet this week. I believe that it deserves separate consideration even though it is a part of this very extravagant tri-fold presentation package.
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New Film and Music Project Focuses on Mississippi Juke Joints

New Film and Music Project Focuses on Mississippi’s Network of Surviving Juke Joints “We Juke Up in Here” is latest production from the makers of the award-winning 2008 film “M For Mississippi” (CLARKSDALE, MS) – A new film and music project being released this spring will pull back the curtain on Mississippi’s century-long tradition of down-home, quasi-legal blues clubs known as “juke joints.” “We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads” is being released in a deluxe two-disc collection with a DVD featuring the documentary along with exciting bonus features, and a CD soundtrack with music from the film plus additional recordings by the featured artists. A full-color pullout booklet includes insightful essays by the filmmakers along with extraordinary photos of the featured musicians, juke joints and proprietors. The two-disc collection currently is available at www.wejukeupinhere.com and will be released in stores on May 15. Public screenings of the film are being held in Mississippi and beyond throughout the spring and summer. “We Juke Up in Here” is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. The project reunites the team that produced that award-winning 2008 blues film “M For Mississippi.” “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving juke joint culture. The film is told largely from the vantage point of Red Paden, proprietor of the legendary Red’s Lounge in historic Clarksdale, Mississippi. Paden, a true Delta character and jack-of-all-trades, has been running his blues and beer joint for more than 30 years – providing one of the region’s most reliable live blues venues and an authentic stage for a cavalcade of veteran blues performers, both legendary and obscure. Featured artists include Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Big George Brock, Hezekiah Early, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Elmo Williams and Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood. Told through live music performances, character-driven interviews and rare on-camera blues experiences, “We Juke Up in Here” takes viewers below the surface of the quasi-legal world of real Delta jukes while it’s still living and breathing. The project reunites Konkel and Stolle with cinematographer Damien Blaylock who was instrumental in the success of the earlier film, “M For Mississippi.” Rounding out the production team was Lou Bopp who provided both video and still photography. For more information on “We Juke Up in Here” visit www.wejukeupinhere.com. WORLD-PREMIERE: PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP

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We Juke Up In Here! New Blues Film We Juke Up In Here Set for April Release on Both Big Screen and DVD

Makers of Award-Winning 2008 Film “M For Mississippi”

Return with New Documentary on Mississippi Juke Joints

(CLARKSDALE, MS) – The hotly anticipated new blues film, “We Juke Up In Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads”, (www.wejukeupinhere.com) will have its world premiere on Friday, April 13 at the Delta Cinema at 11 Third Street in Clarksdale, MS. The event is free and open to the public. The inaugural screening is being sponsored by Delta Music Experience (www.amandagresham.com). The event takes place as the kick-off to Juke Joint Festival weekend in Clarksdale (www.jukejointfestival.com). The film’s premiere kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 13 with a reception and meet-and-greet with the filmmakers in the lobby of the Delta Cinema. The reception will feature refreshments and live music by several artists featured in the film, including Elmo Williams, Hezekiah Early and Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson. The film will screen at 7 p.m. following the reception. “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving network of juke joints – the down-home, quasi-legal blues clubs that have served as the testing ground for blues talent in Mississippi for more than a century. “We Juke Up In Here” pulls back the curtain on the state’s contemporary juke joint culture through exciting musical performances, compelling interviews and rare on-camera experiences. The film is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records (www.brokeandhungryrecords.com) and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art (www.cathead.biz). The project was produced in partnership with the Associazione Roots ‘n’ Blues of Parma, Italy (www.rootsandblues.org). “Through the years, Roger and I have spent countless nights hanging out in down-home juke joints throughout the Delta, drinking cheap beer and enjoying some of the hottest blues imaginable,” said Konkel, owner of Broke & Hungry Records. “Over time, we’ve seen some subtle and some not-so-subtle changes in Mississippi’s juke joint culture. With this project, we’ve tried to address some of those changes by going straight to the source: The juke joint owners and the musicians they hire. The end result is an insider’s look at the past, present and future of Mississippi’s juke joint tradition.” “We Juke Up In Here” reunites Konkel and Stolle with Damien Blaylock, their co-director for the award-winning 2008 film “M For Mississippi.” Also returning from the earlier film is sound engineer Bill Abel. Rounding out the production team for “We Juke Up In Here” is co-producer Lou Bopp who provided still photography and shared cinematography duties with Blaylock. “We Juke Up In Here” will be released as a deluxe two-disc collection in April with a DVD featuring the documentary along with exciting bonus features and a CD soundtrack with music from the film plus additional recordings by the featured artists. A full-color pullout booklet includes insightful essays by the filmmakers along with extraordinary photos of the featured musicians, juke joints and proprietors. The collection is available for pre-order at www.wejukeupinhere.com for just $25 (including worldwide shipping). In late March the set’s price will increase to $29.99 plus shipping and handling. Orders are slated to ship in the second week of April. “We made the decision early in our planning for ‘We Juke Up In Here’ to make the collection as comprehensive as possible,” said Stolle, owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. “We want our customers to really get a feel for Mississippi’s contemporary juke joint culture, so we’ve included all kinds of extras on the DVD, including optional English closed-captioning, optional French and Italian subtitles, extended and deleted scenes, artist and filmmaker biographies, a photo gallery and more. We also compiled a scorching CD soundtrack featuring 14 performances featured in the film. It’s the next best thing to a trip to the Delta.” In addition to generous support from the Associazione Roots ‘n’ Blues of Parma, Italy and Delta Music Experience, “We Juke Up In Here” was made possible by these additional sponsors: AJStephans Company/Jeff Rose (www.ajstephans.com), Blues For A Cause (www.bluesforacause.org), Blues Matters Magazine (www.bluesmatters.com), Cathead Vodka (www.catheadvodka.com), Il Blues Magazine (www.ilbluesmagazine.it), Jerry and Marge Konkel, Lemuria Books (www.lemuriabooks.com), Grant Mills, Nayati Dreams (www.nayatidreams.fr), The New Roxy (www.newroxyclarksdale.com), Scot Randle, Roadhouse Lou, and Smokestack Blues (www.smokestackblues.com). ### PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP (COVER DESIGN BY JOEY GRISHAM):

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FILMING CONCLUDES FOR "WE JUKE UP IN HERE" AS ADDITIONAL SPONSORS CLIMB ABOARD

(CLARKSDALE, MS)  In 2008, music producers Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle took viewers on a road trip through the birthplace of the blues in the award-winning film “M For Mississippi.” Now the duo is set to return with a new film exploring what remains of the once-thriving tradition of juke joints in the Mississippi Delta. Filming concluded last week for “We Juke Up In Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads.” The DVD/CD set will be released in April 2012 but is available now for pre-order at www.wejukeupinhere.com. “Great blues music can be enjoyed anywhere, whether it’s at a big outdoor festival or an upscale supper club. But we believe the best place to hear it is in a dimly lit juke filled with tough characters, treacherous women and lukewarm beer,” Konkel said. “This film aims to prove our point.” Production for “We Juke Up In Here” began in May and continued through the summer and fall. The project reunites Stolle and Konkel with their “M For Mississippi” cinematographer and co-producer Damien Blaylock. Also returning from the previous production was sound engineer Bill Abel. The team was rounded out by talented videographer and photographer Lou Bopp. Although the movie’s production included film shoots in venues throughout the Delta, the film largely focuses on Red’s Lounge, a long-running juke in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and its owner Red Paden. Over the past decade, Red’s Lounge has emerged as the most active juke joint in the region, hosting live blues every weekend by some of the state’s best-loved bluesmen. “There are plenty of so-called ‘juke joints’ in Mississippi that book live music during festival weekends when thousands of tourists flood the region,” Stolle said. “But the test of a real juke is what happens when the crowds go home. Red books real-deal blues into his juke week-in and week-out, all year round. He’s like the last of the Mohicans.” Other venues to be featured in the film include Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold, Mississippi and the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi. In addition to insightful interviews with juke owners, patrons and musicians, “We Juke Up In Here” will feature gritty performances by Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood, Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Big George Brock, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Terry “Harmonica” Bean. “We Juke Up In Here” will be released as a deluxe box set featuring a DVD, a CD soundtrack and a glossy pullout booklet with multiple essays, notes and color photos. The DVD will include the feature-length documentary along with a treasure trove of bonus features including unreleased scenes, production stills, a promotional trailer, closed captioning, foreign-language subtitles and more. The DVD will be region-free and playable on DVD players worldwide. The box set will retail for $29.99 (US). Customers who pre-order “We Juke Up In Here” from www.wejukeupinhere.com will receive the product before its official release and at a discounted price of $25 (US) plus free shipping worldwide. Several marketing sponsors have stepped forward with financial support to assist in the production of the movie. The filmmakers’ principal sponsor and partner is the Rootsway Roots & Blues Association (www.rootsandblues.org), a nonprofit organization from Parma, Italy. Founded in 2004, the group is dedicated to promoting rural and indigenous American and African-American musical art forms throughout northern Italy. Rootsway has brought several Mississippi blues performers to Italy in recent years. Additional sponsors include: AJStephans Company/Jeff Rose (www.ajstephans.com), Cathead Vodka (www.catheadvodka.com), Jerry and Marge Konkel, Lemuria Books (www.lemuriabooks.com), Nayati Dreams (www.nayatidreams.fr), The New Roxy (www.newroxyclarksdale.com), Roadhouse Lou, and Smokestack Blues (www.smokestackblues.com). Additional sponsorship opportunities remain for “We Juke Up In Here”. To inquire about sponsorships, e-mail the filmmakers at info@wejukeupinhere.com. “We Juke Up In Here” is a joint production of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art (www.cathead.biz) and Broke & Hungry Records (www.brokeandhungryrecords.com).

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