“I think music and musicians’ role in society is to make the listener feel something. It may be an escape from everyday’s woe and strife or a reason to reflect. It may be for entertainment, to make you get up on your feet and make you dance. Some music may encourage you to think. Sometimes it could even be a call to action. Music can be the soundtrack of a moment worth remembering. It can express in a simple melody what 100 words…

“Sherman and I wanted to keep this album as close to the spirit of the Holmes Brothers that we could by including blues, Gospel and r&b and harmony vocals but also trying to include songs written by the Holmes Brothers.”

Andreas Werner:

One Step Ahead Of The…

“Blues is the roots of all our music here in America! I’m always looking for the blues element in any music I listen to, even if it’s a modern record or a pop tune.  Anytime I can hear the blues element of a song, I’m happy, because it’s a real grounding sound. Blues always feels familiar and comfortable, it’s in the fabric of our collective consciousness as listeners.”…

“I think if we can make more people aware of blues music and that the root of so many types of music goes back to the blues, it can gain more appreciation which it seems like, thankfully, it has been heading in the right direction.”

Ryan “Bluwrath” Newman: Wrath Of Blues…

“When we read about the parallels between the blues and religion, or how it historically served as an outlet for African American frustrations, those concepts resonate deeply with students. It makes them think about the blues in very different ways. For instance, looking at female artists from the 1920s prompts thoughts about female empowerment—the very same topic being discussed today regarding Beyoncé.…

“After four decades, I had become increasingly disgusted by the greed, the commodification of music, and, perhaps most frustratingly, the excessive political correctness that has gradually found its way into parts of the blues and jazz world.”

AG Weinberger: Sharing His Experiences …

“You can't really teach somebody the feeling and soul of the Blues. You can show them  to find the notes, but you can't give them the feeling.....If the Blues gets a hold of them... the feeling and soul will follow.”

Max Hightower: The Blues Chooses You…

“I believe Blues music fans are a very open and accepting group of people that interpret lots of styles of Blues. I mostly write about relationships and love, however reading the news each day, I was compelled to write a song from the point of view of a person living there.”

Brad Wilson: The Boundless Styles of…

“To me every human is included in "the people" and this includes higher government officials who intentionally create propaganda to sway the citizens. But once the citizens have received the propaganda we are in a new era, due to social media, where the citizens can spread their own take of the propaganda throughout the world. This new era is the main reason why the United States is so divided.”…

“Since I was eight years old, I’ve wanted to make people happy with music. New Orleans music is some of the happiest-sounding music on the planet. You could be singing about a Mardi Gras parade, a butcher shooting down his wife’s lover, or celebrating a departed loved one on their journey to the afterlife—it all sounds joyful. People want to be a part of it, and I want to be in dat number.”…

“ hope that some of the things in my lyrics get through to people. Sometimes I put little pieces of myself in there, so I guess that takes me back to question one: if you listen to my songs, it gives you an insight into the way my crazy brain works. Music is the first form of language we understand. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, you will always understand Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Etta James.”…

”The creativity is slow these days, the older players to me play with more passion.”

EJ Mathews: King of Backwoods Boogie

Texas native, and 2017 Living Blues Magazine’s Breakout Artist of the Year, EJ Mathews, schooled in the blues during early childhood by his…

“I love the blues and I've always sung the blues, so it’s a wonderful journey for me. I feel like we have a lot more female blues singers now than we used to. There is a new generation, a new breed of young blues artists coming in, and I feel that the legacy is still holding strong.”

Trudy Lynn: Lady Sings The…

“Yes. I think it is just being in the right place at the right time in my youth that allowed me to hear the great American musical artists of the 1950’s that influenced most of my favorite artists of the 1960’ and 1970’s.”

J.P. Reali: Keep on Blues Truckin’…

“I am not a musicologist, but I feel that blues has contributed similar aspects to Americana as folk and country music, but from its own unique perspective - lyrics emoting relatable daily life, as well as chord progressions and rhythms unique to the style. If Americana is the cook pot, then blues, folk, and country are the holy trinity of the gumbo.”…

“Young people don’t necessarily need to know who Albert Ammons was before they can fall in love with Boogie-Woogie. They just need to hear something that makes them feel something. If the music makes you smile, dance and want to move, it is alive — no matter when it was created.”

Katharina Alber: Let The Good Times Roll…

“Well, people like to label it as blues or gospel, but to me, it’s just the truth. It doesn’t matter what genre it is, as long as it is the truth, because that is what people want to hear. It has to be real.”

Robert Finley: Singing The Truth

Robert…

“Free improvisation is actually a wonderful way to get away from words and academic theory. Since I am employed in an artistic discipline such as music, I am not really required to do research in the traditional theory based manner. I am free to practice, record, perform, and develop my musical expression. Actually being an artist. It’s an enormous privilege that I try to honour.”

Tor…

“The blues is one of humanity's great storytelling traditions. It teaches empathy, connects communities and reminds us that joy and hardship are universal experiences. Preserving theblues isn't about preserving history; it's about preserving a timeless way of telling our stories and connecting people across cultures.”

Dennis ‘Salty’…

“Often times the success of music is dictated by it’s commercial value, and not the art and creation of the music. Soul music has been a vital part of my life so it’s important that my soul gives back to soul music”

Willy Jordan: The Voice of Bay Area Soul

Willy…