Saturday Night Juke Joint

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Saturday, February 7th, 2015
Doors at 7pm Show at 8pm

Saturday February 7 promises to be a night of blistering blues when the VBS presents its ‘first-Saturday-of-every-month’ Saturday Night Juke Joint show at the Upper Deck Sports Lounge on Gorge Road East.

“This special show features Vancouver’s Arsen Shomakhov with an opening set by Victoria’s very own blues virtuoso, Bill Johnson,” said board chair, Deb Rhymer. “It’s a special treat to see two such incredible talents in such a small, intimate venue.”

Shomakhov originally hails from Russia. His career as a bluesman was kickstarted when he made it to Memphis’ International Blues Contest (IBC) in 2005. He hasn’t looked back since, and has gone on to perform at such venues as Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival and the International Festival of Blues in Montreal. In 2014, he returned to the IBC, competing with bands from around the world, and made it to the semi-finals.

Johnson is Victoria’s own blues success story. A Juno and four-time Maple Blues nominee, he is a 40-year veteran bluesman, singer-songwriter and music educator. After a long career as a sideman guitarist, in the 1990s he tapped into a rich vocal talent, began touring with The Bill Johnson Band and released the album, Live, in 2006. His self-released solo album, Still Blue, was nominated for Blues Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards.

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The Victoria Blues Society is an affiliate of the Blues Foundation, based in Memphis Tennessee, and as such, is dedicated to preserving blues music; celebrating recording and performance excellence; and, supporting blues education. The VBS was incorporated in Jan. 2007.