Music at Ila

Ila on Main Street,
where bands play in a cute little nook
with their backs to the big window

A potential new music venue announced itself during Friday's Artwalk.   The duo of Steve & Michaela McLain inaugurated music at Ila, a downtown restaurant that opened about a year ago, and at the end of the gig, Steve asked, "Wouldn't it be great to have a new music venue in Fairfield?!"

Well, of course, we'd love it!   Steve encouraged musicians in the audience to support the notion by talking to . . . I didn't catch who he said.   But after bouncing from the hostess to the bartender to the owner, I found myself talking to Sharon Stinogel.   She's intrigued by the idea of hosting live music in Ila.   She said, "We've never been open this late," (it was nearly ten) as her eyes sparkled in appraisal of the roomful of happy customers.

I gave her our band's card and added our names and phone numbers.   Ila is a lively place and they care about good food.   I'd love to play for their eaters, drinkers, and makers of merry. 

Sharon Bouquet
as Captain Switch

Just before I spoke with Stinogel, I saw her speaking with Sharon Bousquet.   Bousquet wore Halloween regalia ~ Captain Switch  ~ charming in a roguish sort of way with a dusting of shadow for a beard.   I hope she'll play at Ila, too.

She snapped this photo of her costume on Thursday night.   When I saw her Friday, the beard extended all along her cheeks into sideburns. 

Caught backstage

Mark Soth caught a pic of 3 of us Burnt Cat Blues players behind the gazebo in Bentonsport on Sunday.   We were listening to Keith DeBoer sing and play his unapologetically romantic ballads after we backed Eric Schaffer's set.

Keith DeBoer plays guitar and sings while we stand and listen ~~
Christy Ann Welty, Kevin Wells, Russ England
photo by Mark Soth

Burnt Cat Blues *

Sunday afternoon was perfect for playing at the Bentonsport Scenic Drive Festival (and Fine Arts Festival).   Sunny on the north bank of the Des Moines River, shady under grand old trees, breezy on the gazebo, we traded places in a game of musical chairs ~ a series of musicians joining and leaving the "jam session" organized by Mark Soth.

at the Bentonsport gazebo just before our set,
a few members of Blue Cat Alley (named from right to left):
Steve Jeffries at far right on congas, Mark Soth right of center behind corn stalks,
Beth Payne center, Astred Griffin left of center, and David Bordow seated far left
photo by Heather Miller-Rodriguez

Soth's band Blue Cat Alley supplied several players for the jam, including guitarist Kevin Wells and percussionist Steve Jeffries, who played with Russ and I for our four-song set.   Mike was busy taking photos of Chicago's marathon that day.

I chose cover songs because we had time for exactly one rehearsal before the gig, so everybody had to know their parts before the rehearsal.   Russ and I met with Kevin on Wednesday to work out chords and endings, and we were ready to go.   Steve Jeffries joined us on stage after I'd introduced our first song, and I was ready to gun the engine on that Cadillac.

Our 4-song set:

Bring My Cadillac Back
Wind Cries Mary
Little Wing
Wayfaring Stranger 

After our set, Mark asked Russ to stay for the next set to accompany Eric Schaffer, along with Kevin Wells, Steve Jeffries, Mark Soth, and David Bordow.   I decided to stay, too, and picked up a tambourine to jingle along in an impromptu blues jam with Eric's strong lead singing.   After his set, Eric told me that he specializes in simple songs that are easy to jam with no rehearsal.

*  With Kevin and Steve from Blue Cat Alley, and Russ and I from Burnt Sugar Blues, Will Gunn suggested the moniker Burnt Cat Blues.

Foliba wows the crowd

Energetic and tight as a drum (ha), Foliba wowed the crowd last night with the rhythm Marakadon, also called Maraka:



From left to right, the drummers are Dave Winningham, Dan Craig, Bob Miller, and JoLynn Gates.   These rhythms are infectious and inspiring ~~ I love soaking them into my bones to get the knick and knack of what to do during band sessions when I'm banging on the djembe.

Drum circle is a week from Saturday!

The video was captured by Burt Chojnowski (YouTube handle = coolburt) at Wednesday's Open Mic at Cafe Paradiso in Fairfield, Iowa.