4.20.2009

Hacked Off

Well, it would seem that the Blues City
web site has been hacked.

I looked all through the code but was
unable to determine what was in there
that shouldn't be. The site was putting
out pop up ads and trying (sometime
accomplishing) to put malicious files
on people's computers. Mostly ad ware
and browser hijackers.

I have no idea who did this or why. The
whole "hacker mindset" eludes me completely.

I am working on getting the site up and
running again. Hopefully with a nicer
design, but we will see. An artistic
eye is something that I just don't have.
And that's ok, too. My talents seem to
lie elsewhere.

I'm thinking of putting a video on the
site and changing it each week. Would
embed some blues videos from other
sites. You can just drop by and take
a look at the past and present of blues
music. It'll cut down on your You Tube
time!

Any input on that would be greatly
appreciated.

Blues City is totally NON profit. I
don't make a dime from it. In fact,
it costs me to run it each month.
Anyone knowing of any web designers
out there that are willing to do
some "pity" work, as in freebie,
to help support the preservation of
blues music. Please have them contact
me.

blues city radio at gmail dot com

I wrote it that way to keep down
on those nasty spam robots.

More coming up on the trip we took
to Clarksdale, MS and Memphis, TN.
very soon.

Danny Hill - Gutbucket Blues

4.12.2009

The Road Goes On Forever and The Party Never Ends

So after a warm rest in The Bin, we
awoke to some cold drizzle. The high
that day was 39!

Undaunted by weather, we went sight
seeing in Clarksdale.

So much to see in such a small town.
Just about everything there has to
do with the preservation of Blues
Music. It's like Blues Heaven in
Clarksdale!

We hit the Delta Blues Museum.

WOW!

I could have spent half the day in
this place. So much blues history
right in one museum.

They even have a portion of the cabin
where Muddy Waters lived on Stovall
Farms. And in that little cabin is
a pretty lifelike wax statue of Muddy
sitting there playing a Les Paul.

If you ever find yourself in Clarksdale,
this is one place you definitely want
to have on your itinerary.













Next stop was Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk
Art. This place is packed to the rafters
with Blues "Stuff". You can get Blues
CD's, Blues Videos, T-shirts, mojo bags,
records, you name it, they have a little
bit of everything Blues in here. Be
sure and check out some of the local folk
art in here. It's pretty amazing. I
kept wishing I had an extra grand to
spend.

4.06.2009

Just For Laughs

I found this on another blog and even though
it has nothing to do with Blues Music per se,
it is way too funny so I thought I would
share it.

He's pretty good for a nerdy white guy.

Have fun!

The Great Club, Ground Zero

After grabbing a quick shower, we headed
out to Ground Zero.

Guitar Mikey was playing that night and
it was great.

I had a chance to meet with his manager
and we sat and talked for a great while.
The conversation was so good combined
with the great music coming from the
stage that the whole evening was just
as close to perfect as I could have
wanted.

We got to the club a little later than
we had expected but where able to order
some dinner before the kitchen closed.
Danny got a fried catfish Po Boy and
I opted for the Shrimp Po Boy. There
wasn't a lot on the menu that would
work with the diet I'm on, but hey,
how often do I get to take a trip to
The Mississippi Delta? It was a
special occasion, so I went ahead and
ate it...the food is really good at
Ground Zero.

Guitar Mikey had the crowd wailin' and
up on their feet. I'm not a big drinker
so after having a Guinness Stout, I switched
over to water. Fear of being jailed so
far from home was weighing pretty
heavily on my mind. Besides, this was so
much fun, who needed a buzz anyway?

I got the opportunity to talk with Mr.
Guitar Mikey and what a great guy. It
was easy to decide that he would be the
next Featured Artist on Blues City Radio.

It was one of those nights where you just
didn't want the music to stop, but all
good things do come to an end.

We headed back over to the bin where we
were staying and it was toasty warm
inside. The room looked so inviting
and I was a tired camper. Sleep came
quickly, but not as quickly as the
morning sun.

We had a whole new day to spend in
Clarksdale!

4.01.2009

At The Crossroads...

The weather was cold and damp as we pulled
into the Shack Up Inn's parking lot. But
we could feel the history of this place
warming us as we walked into the lobby.

We were greeted as if we were old friends
stopping by to chat. My eyes were trying
to take in everything, but there is so
much at the Hopson Plantation that it takes
a while to see all or it.

We had the choice of a smaller shack or one
of the bins that are describe in the video
on the last post. If you haven't seen that
video, please grab a beverage of your choice
and take a look at it. It's pretty great.

Not dressed for this weather, we went and
looked at the shack first. It was cool.
They have cleaned out these old shack,
updated them with indoor plumbing and a
small kitchen with everything you need.
I felt like I was soaking up the history
that was permeating this old shack.

While we thought the shacks were totally
great, we had concerns about the weather
and our ability to stay really warm. When
we left Texas, it was 83 degrees and I
was in cargo shorts.

So we went and took a look at the bins.
While not as rustic as the shacks, these
bins still had a charm and feeling of
history that was hard to beat. And it was
so warm in there!!

Ok, we opted for the bins. It was a wise
choice.

A quick unload of the car filled with guitar
gear and our personal belongings and an ice
chest full of food to cook out on the grill,
and we were off to see Clarksdale.

We drove around getting a feel for the layout
of the town while it was still light out. We
knew for sure that we wanted to see the
intersection of Highways 61 and 49, The
Crossroads. And we wanted to make sure that
we would be able to find Ground Zero Blues
Club
in the dark.




I snapped this shot in the famous Ground Zero
Blues Club. There is very little in here that
has not been written on.

We drove around and took in everything
before heading back to the bins to get
ready for the evening...