Nebraska Blues – Memphis Flyer

Tom Davis

Hector Anchondo, double-winner at this year’s International Blues Challenge

It’s been a heady time for Memphis and the blues lately. The city and the music are nearly synonymous, not only due to our storied past but for the ongoing love we collectively show the art form. Naturally, Memphis is home to The Blues Foundation, and aside from every spring’s Blues Music Awards (scheduled for May 7th), the nonprofit’s shining (and most music-filled) moment is the International Blues Challenge (IBC).

The importance — and global reach — of the IBC couldn’t have been underscored more with the Memphis-based Southern Avenue still riding high from their Grammy nomination. Although Gary Clark, Jr., ultimately won the title of Best Contemporary Blues Album, the nomination alone was yet another notch in the belt of a band whose story has gone hand in hand with the IBC.

Guitarist Ori Naftaly first came here from his native Israel for the IBC in 2013, and getting to the semi-finals that year was enough to convince him to stay. Two years later, he founded Southern Avenue, and by 2016 they’d made it to the IBC finals. It wasn’t long before they were signed to the newly revived Stax Records and were the toast of the town. The Grammy nomination for their second album, Keep On, only furthers that trajectory.

This past Saturday’s final competition and award cermony served as a capstone to IBC events sprinkled through the preceding week. At the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards ceremony, Peter Astrup, Rob Bowman, Janice Johnston, and Kathleen Lawton were recognized, as were the Cali Blues and Folk Festival in Colombia, the Jimiway Blues Festival in Poland, Hal & Mal’s Restaurant, the Jus’ Blues Music Foundation and the Kentuckiana Blues Society.

Other events included a screening of the classic documentary, Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads, a keynote panel on “Blues Women: Creators, Conductors, and Catalysts,” and the workshop, “Leading Your Own Career with Bobby Rush.” Additionally, the Blues Hall of Fame opened its new Women of the Blues exhibit along with hosting a Janiva Magness book signing and a panel discussion addressing “Music Across Borders.”
Tom Davis

HOROJO Trio

The cumulative event, of course, was the International Blues Challenge finals, which took place at the Orpheum Theatre. The HOROJO Trio, representing the Ottawa Blues Society, left Memphis with a first-place finish in the Band Division. JW Jones (the “Jo” in HOROJO) took home the Gibson Guitar Award for Best Band Guitarist. Hector Anchondo, from the Blues Society of Omaha, triumphed in the Solo/Duo Division as well as earning the Memphis Cigar Box Award as the Best Solo/Duo Guitarist.

Felix Slim picked up the Lee Oskar Harmonica Award for the Best Harmonica Player, while finishing second to Anchondo in the Solo/Duo category. Anchondo and Slim are both former finalists who now have won an IBC award. Rick Nation

Felix Slim

This year’s winners also underscore the international aspect of the IBC. Slim, after becoming one of Spain’s leading blues men, spent several years living in Greece being influenced by its music before moving to New York City. And placing second to the Canada-based HOROJO Trio was the Jose Ramirez Band, which is led by Ramirez who was a major blues star in his native Costa Rica before relocating to America.

Meanwhile, Anchondo’s Latino background makes for a cross-cultural blues sound. While Latino contributions to the blues reach back to what Jelly Roll Morton called the “Spanish tinge” in pre-war New Orleans jazz, or old records like 1949’s “Muy Sabroso Blues” by Lalo Guerrero, Anchondo’s double-win was a strong affirmation of a cultural side of the blues that many sleep on. And, of course, it was a strong showing from Nebraska’s thriving blues scene.

The Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a hidden gem tucked away in a corner of the national blues circuit. (Full disclosure: I am a Nebraskan). I recall the smallish club hosting incendiary shows by Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials and many other greats. While I did occasionally jam to Booker T. and the MGs tunes with friends, little did I realize how much homegrown blues, soul, and funk were gestating in the modest college town — or in nearby Omaha — due to clubs like the Zoo Bar.

But the secret’s out, due to the rising popularity of one Josh Hoyer, a Lincoln native who long ago got hooked on the songs he heard emanating from the Zoo.

“I’d just go listen to music coming outta the back, and I was like, ‘Man, this is the coolest thing!'” he says. “When I turned 21, I was a regular there, checking out all of the bands that came through from all over. They needed a spot to stop in that middle-of-nowhere zone. Being able to see these international and national touring blues and R&B bands in such an intimate environment, it really taught me a lot about the energy and magic of the live show — being able to see people like Lil’ Ed and Big John Dickerson. And Magic Slim, of course.”

That last name holds special meaning for Hoyer — and most of the Lincoln music community. Morris Holt, aka Magic Slim, left his native Torrance, Mississippi, for the Chicago blues scene while in his twenties, releasing his first record, the incredible “Scufflin’,” in 1966. By 1994, with an esteemed career in the blues under his belt, he resettled in Lincoln with his family, a decision that would galvanize the local music community. As Hoyer notes, Slim “really influenced a lot of young guys that were interested in playing. I’d definitely call him a mentor. And his brother, Nick Holt, was also a great blues and soul singer. People may not think of Lincoln as a blues town or a roots music town, but there were some gems there that really taught a lot of us young guys what it was about.”

Developing his talents at open mic nights, then with jam bands, Hoyer expanded his horizons. “I love the blues, but it’s never been something I feel like I quite nail. I lean more toward the rhythms of New Orleans.” After a stint in the Big Easy, which he credits for much of his growth as a singer and keyboardist, Hoyer toured as a saxophonist for singer E.C. Scott. “I learned a lot from her. And that was when I realized that I’m not good at being a side man. I had ideas of my own, and I wanted to write my own music. From that point forward, I’ve been a band leader.”

Great Plains James Photography

Josh Hoyer

Following his own muse meant wedding his love of classic soul to a groove-based improvisational approach akin to Medeski, Martin, and Wood, whom he cites as an inspiration. The end result resembles the more ambitious sounds of 1970s soul, as Hoyer leads a five-piece band, Soul Colossal, through his own particular stew of influences.

Hoyer and Soul Colossal are coming off a stellar 2017. A month-long tour of Europe culminated in the live album, Live! at Ancienne Belgique, and last spring found Hoyer singing for an audience of millions on NBC’s The Voice. As Rolling Stone reported, “Hoyer took on The Chi-Lites’ 1972 R&B Number One hit ‘Oh Girl.’ His smooth interpretation, along with his sonorous vocals, convinced both Shelton and fellow coach Gwen Stefani to turn their chairs as he confidently soared through the chorus.”

Hoyer, reflecting on last year’s good fortune, says, “I never really intended to be on the road again, but people really liked what we were doing, and it worked out for me and my family. I wasn’t gunning for the top when we put the band together, we just wanted to write some good music and play it for people, and they responded — so we keep going.”