Dayton Blues Society Jam, hosted by Tess & the TrueTones
WHERE: Harrigan’s Tavern South, 671 Lyons Road, Washington Twp.
WHEN: 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9. Sign-up is 4 p.m.
COST: $3 or $1 for Dayton Blues Society members
MORE INFO: (937) 434-7336, www.harriganstavern.com or www.daytonblues society.com
There are a number of blues jams around town, such as Brown Street Breakdown’s weekly Tuesday residency at Hank’s Pub and Michael Locke & the Repeat Offenders’ weekly Thursday jam at Oregon Express. However, the Dayton Blues Society has taken a different approach with its floating monthly Blue Sunday Jam since launching it more than two years ago.
“In December, we did The Dark Horse Tavern in Miamisburg,” said Marty Romie, entertainment chairman for DBS.
“I usually try to be downtown for two or three shows, and then I go out the outskirts for one. We’ve done Nick’s in Xenia and Peach’s in Yellow Springs, but because it’s the Dayton Blues Society we need to keep a little bit of the Dayton feel.
“We’ve done South Park Tavern,” he said. “We had (guest guitarist) Noah (Wotherspoon) in there, and it was a great show. We’ll have to do another one at South Park. We’ve already repeated at Trolley Stop, Oregon Express, Jazz Central and Canal Street. Those are the only four rooms we’ve gone back in for a second jam.”
In addition to changing venues each month, the Dayton Blues Society also rotates host bands. Tess & the TrueTones will preside over the first jam of the year at Harrigan’s Tavern South in Washington Twp. on Sunday, Jan. 9. Sign-up is 4 p.m.; music begins at 5 p.m.
“Every time we go out, we meet new people and sign up new members,” Romie said.
“A lot of these venues, of course, don’t normally do a blues jam, so it’s all kind of new to them. It’s just a plethora of goodwill. It’s like a nonending goodwill tour, and we pay the host bands, so the venues have nothing to lose.
“They’re basically getting free entertainment, so it works well for them,” he continued. “Every venue we go into wants us to come back. Cadillac Jacks in Kettering wanted us to start doing it there every month.”
For now, DBS is resisting the urge to find a permanent location.
“It’s worked a lot better than it would have if we’d just settled into one place,” Romie said.
“It creates a lot of goodwill with a lot more places, more venues, more people and more parts of town. People love the Blue Sunday Jam.
“The bands love it,” he added. “They get to come in and play a venue they wouldn’t normally play. The jammers that follow us around love it because they get to play a different stage all the time. That keeps it fresh for everybody.”
CONTACT contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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