New column...online only...Larry Boehmer Celebration of life Sunday...Zoo Bar....

The Reader | Omaha, Nebraska | Boehmer Celebration & More
Read about the great history of Lincoln's Zoo Bar and all the contributions Larry made to the music & the musicians in truly keeping the Blues Alive!....Thank ya, Babies. As Brother James Harman would say!
http://www.hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com/2011/07/everybodys-rockin-at-zoo-bar-by-b.html

I will try to write more in the coming days about the Sunday, Sept. 23, Celebration of Life held in Larry Boehmer's honor at his home of the blues, the Zoo Bar....it was an amazing day of love, laughter and music and so many of us really felt Larry's spirit was there with us. Please keep Larry's family in your thoughts and prayers. 

The 21st Saloon, 96th & L, in Omaha and The Blues Society of Omaha host a special tribute to Larry on Thursday, Oct. 4, featuring the Zoo Bar house band and some very special guests including Larry's longtime band mate Sean Benjamin. Also perfomring are Jeff Boehmer (Larry's son and Zoo co-owner, plus Dave Robel, Lil' Slim, Dave Boye, Josh Hoyer, Kris Lager, John Fairchild,  Levi William and Brad Cordle. 

Memorials to the Larry Boehmer Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank, to be divided among American Cancer Society, Academy of Rock and Eureka Springs Humane Society. Cards can be sent in care of Zoo Bar, 146 N. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68501.

In addition to -- and not to detract from the family’s choices listed above -- a fund has been set up to create a UNL scholarship in Larry’s name.
Checks should be made out to: “Memorial Account for Larry Boehmer” and sent to:

Union Bank & Trust Co.
121 S. 13th Street
P.O. Box 82535
Lincoln, NE 68501
 

There is also a letter and email campaign to have 14th Street between O and P renamed in Larry's honor. If you support the idea please send your letters or emails to  

Mayor Chris Beutler, 

c/o Mayor's Office 555 South 10th St., Suite 301  Lincoln, NE 68508  

Email: mayor@lincoln.ne.gov

Phone: 402-441-7511  

Fax: 402-441-7120 

Some of the old Zoo Bar memorabilia that was on display during the memorial and celebration of life for Larry Boehmer this past Sunday, Sept. 23, at Lincoln's Zoo Bar.

 

Larry Boehmer, 1947-2012

Lincoln's Zoo Bar founder, Larry Boehmer passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 5:55 a.m. Ending a year and a half struggle with lung cancer that had become debilitating in recent months. 
Larry is a longtime hero and someone I am happy to also call my friend. From emails we exchanged, I knew this day was coming, but it still....well, it still sucks.

My immediate and not too articulate musings on Larry appear in the HearNebraska.org piece of collected comments from friends and fans. 
See hearnebraska.org/content/larry-boehmer-1947-2012-final-thoughts

Also, a very nice 30 minute documentary project by Dave Pittock produced in 2005 has made it to vimeo this week....it's a cool piece that includes interviews with Larry, Magic Slim and others and performance footage with folks including the late Chris Gaffney (another much-loved and missed friend) and Luther Allison. The late Nick Holt appears in some shots, who was a real mentor to many of the current generation of Zoo musicians is also glimpsed in a few shots. Which all goes to say that Larry had one helluva welcoming committee and I suspect they commenced to jamming in Blues Heaven pretty quick.

Check it out at http://vimeo.com/48853381 

Another dear friend, John Jordan, who spent many nights gigging at the Zoo with Chris Duarte Group, has been posting his own remembrances of the Zoo Bar and Larry's significance as a friend and musician and music booker and club owner...
Check John's very heartfelt posts out here...boy, this brings back some memories, too.
http://sevenstrings.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/larry-boehmer-part-one/


Down in Austin this weekend they will be remembering Grand Island-born Brent Grulke, the long-time creative director of SxSW and one of the good guys on the music scene. Grulke passed away of a heart attack folllowing dental surger a few weeks ago. 
Grulkefest will raise money for Brent's surviving wife and son and for his son's education fund.
My friend Mike Thompson shared this preview clip from KUT for the event, which will include a True Believers reunion.

It seems like a good piece to share here, remembering Larry and all we have loved and lost...

Blue Moon & Video Extras

Well it is a holiday weekend and I hope you are enjoying some downtime.
Did you get to see the luminous Blue Moon on Thursday and Friday night?

The images in this slide show get a big repetitious but here's a nice little homage to the blue moon featuring Chris Isaak crooning Elvis-style.

Searching for that video led me to another cool old Isaak video....

Remember soul-blues man extraordinare Curtis Salgado takes the stage at Lincoln's Zoo Bar this Tuesday, Sept. 4, 6-9 p.m. It's a don't-miss show from one of our favorites who is making a full recovery from surgery he had in July to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. Remember that you can chip-in for Curtis' medical expenses at
curtissalgado.chipin.com/curtis-salgado-medical-fund
Here are several cool clips of Curtis with his hometown big band, including horns and back-up singers...his band will be stripped down to the basics for the road but it is going to be great to have Curtis back on stage at the Zoo. 
Next month, Curtis will be on the big stage at at The Slowdown for  a special Playing With Fire fundraiser in a triple bill with another local favorite Tommy Castro as well as Joe Louis Walker. Tickets are $35 and go to benefit next summer's Playing With Fire show. To buy tickets online see etix.com and search for Playing With Fire.

Also in honor of the full moon...here's an old vintage video of Jon Dee Graham and Alejandro Escovedo in the True Believers, with Jon Dee singing his song "Lucky Moon." In the second video Jon Dee and Alejandro talk about how Jon Dee started singing his own songs in The Troobs and do a duo acoustic version of it. 

Kris Lager Band has a CD release party coming up Sept. 14 in Lincoln at the Bourbon Theatre and Saturday, Sept. 15, at Perry's Place in Omaha. This is for the CD Swagadocious, recorded at Lucas Kellison's Lincoln studio. The disc features a guest appearance by Magic Slim. You can preview the CD at krislagerband.com.
The boys are going to keep us waiting a while for the disc they recorded with Tab Benoit in Tab's studios in Houma, La. That project has no release date yet, but here is a little video preview.

Remember this week's Reader column is online here, be sure to check it out each week!
thereader.com/index.php/site/comments/bluesmasters_salgado/

Bluesmasters & Salgado

by B.J. Huchtemann

This weekend marks the much-anticipated Friday night Bluesmasters concert at Lincoln’s Haymarket Park. The show, hosted by Mick Fleetwood, features some of the biggest names in blues and roots music. The Allman Brothers Band, Elvin Bishop, Leon Russell, Eric Gales and Otis Taylor are all scheduled to perform Friday, Aug. 31, at Lincoln’s Haymarket Park. Gates open at 5 p.m. and music begins at 6 p.m. See Facebook.com/thebluesmastersconcert for details. For tickets call the Haymarket box office at 877-464-2255 or visit etix.com.
Salgado at Zoo Bar
Acclaimed soul-blues man Curtis Salgado hits Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Tuesday, Sept. 4, 6-9 p.m. Salgado is back on the road after recovering from a successful July surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung. Salgado’s April 2012 CD release, Soul Shot, (Alligator Records) is some of the best work of his career. The disc includes originals and choice covers like Salgado’s triumphant reading of O.V. Wright’s “Nobody But You” complete with horns and back-up singers. As a songwriter he puts a twist on the lost love song with the slow grooving co-write “She Didn’t Cut Me Loose (She Set Me Free).” Salgado is a two-time winner of the Blues Music Award for Soul-Blues Artist of the Year, most recently in May of this year. Salgado’s emotive, powerful vocals run the gamut from soul to gospel to gutbucket blues. He is a 20-year Hoodoo favorite whose live show is a must-see for roots music fans. See curtissalgado.com.
Zoo Shows
Other Zoo shows of note include popular Austin honky-tonkers The Derailers Saturday, Sept. 1, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Blues guitarist Ana Popovic takes the stage Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6-9 p.m.
Hot Notes
Catch Nashville’s Elizabeth Cook Thursday, Aug. 30, at Waiting Room.
Sugar Clay Winery in Thurman, Iowa, presents Blues in the Bluffs Sunday, Sept. 2. Music begins at 2 p.m. with Mojo Bag, Matt Cox Band, Elwin & The Way Outs and Texas blues artist Hamilton Loomis. See sugarclaywinery.com.
The 21st Saloon Thursday 5:30 p.m. blues matinee offers K.C.’s Trampled Under Foot Aug. 30 and Ana Popovic Sept. 6.
Slowdown hosts Old 97s, Those Darlins and Rhett Miller Tuesday, Sept. 11,
Mark your calendar now for rockabilly icon Wanda Jackson Sunday, Sept. 23, at Slowdown, 8 p.m.
Kris Lager Band plays CD release events Sept. 14 & 15 for Swagadocious, recorded at Lucas Kellison’s Lincoln studio with a guest appearance by Magic Slim. See krislagerband.com for details and to preview the disc.