"I certainly agree with Coltrane: I define my life experience best through my painting, and I feel it's a gift I have an obligation to. As for the meaning of life, I think we all spend ours' considering that question, and I doubt anyone has come up with a wholly satisfying answer. But making art is the closest I've come to fulfilling what I think I'm here to do."

Marc Burckhardt:…

"I think it is too hard for a human to understand who they are. Maybe somebody outside of them can look at you and maybe they understand who you are. But I think it’s very hard for us to have that kind of perspective ourselves. So, he had it right because that would be the way that you can express it, for example in my case blues music does reveal who I am, even to me."

Angela Strehli: The…

"Think of all the music you listen to nowadays, you wouldn’t have it without the blues. Blues is the foundation of music. Those people needed an outlet to let out the extreme emotion they were feeling and the result was the Blues. It’s so important in history and touches the soul. It’ll fall thin but it’ll never truly die."

The International Crossroads Project:…

"In regard to my views of the world, I think they were already formed when I discovered Kerouac and the Beats. By the time I'd graduated from high school in 1976, I'd already been sufficiently radicalized by then to feel myself firmly aligned politically with the counterculture. Then, during college, the writings of Kerouac struck me right away – On the Road, The Dharma Bums, and The Subterraneans were my starting points – as being on my wavelength. I…

"I like music to be open and to have room for improvisation, a quality that blues and jazz has always had. Much of today’s music have a more produced and studio software based sound and arrangements where the instrumental parts are in the background or more or less absent. I hope, and work for, that young people will start playing in bands again like we did."

Espen Fjelle: The University…

"I miss nothing from the past. I still listen to the music I love. But I think there are still lots of great new artists. You just have to look harder now because there are so many of us. And really nothing changes. Music is just a big cycle. It's timeless."

Donnie Miller: The Blues Is A Healer

Donnie Miller. A small town boy from…

"The thing I miss most about the music from the past is that in those days every singer seemed to have their own sound and voice. Now it seems like people chase a sound that someone else has made popular. I’m also sad that the music being made in the 70’s was, until the Punk era, lyrically full of hope and love. It was essentially uplifting."

Claire Hamill: A Pocket Full of Love…

"The impact of Blues on the socio-culture implications is expression. The Blues teaches society that it’s okay to hold nothing back. If you’re unhappy, sing. If you’re happy, sing. Let it out. I want Blues to affect people by making them curious. Where did it come from? Why?"

Freddie Dixon: My Business is Blues 

Freddie Dixon is the embodiment of…

"The most important lesson I've learned is to simply be respectful, humble, and kind, and never give up on your dreams! On the road, I never hear how nice a person is. It's always how terrible someone was to work with, and I would rather be known for treating everyone the way I would like to be treated."

Brooks Young: Supply Chain Blues

Brooks…

"Blues music brings people of all kinds, together and helps one realize that we are more alike than not. I hope my music makes you want to dance, close your eyes and forget what troubles you."

Jeremiah Johnson: Drive to Southern Gate

Every great artist has a moment when they realize who they are; Jeremiah Johnson has come into his own with his new…

"The Blues, (as is all music) is artistic expression. Some think of the Blues as sad and lonely music, but it can bring joy and happiness as well. Music can take people to a place where they forget about their everyday problems & make people smile more often."

Rick Berthod: Blues With A Feeling

Rick Berthod is a well known blues guitarist and…

"I miss music performed with heart and soul. And that’s been the music most influential to me. My hopes are that live shows would be available to this generation financially. So that they can see live music frequently as we did growing up. My fears are that the music of today will not have the passion and capture people’s interest long term, they’ll miss out on a connection to the soundtrack of their lives."…

"My fear Is how kids are exposed to some much vain music now and giving that this artist become rich and they become the definition of what a successful artist is, now that’s a big problem. I think ices not a coincidence though!"

Adedeji Adetayo: Yoruba Odyssey

Adedeji Adetayo is a prolific singer, guitarist and…

"Music has always been at the center of my life. The blues is my life. Music in general and the blues in particular has always meant curiosity, research and respect for other cultures. It has made me grow as a person."

Umberto Porcaro: Take Me To The Blues

Italian blues guitarist Umberto "Burt" Porcaro, born in 1979, has been playing guitar for…

"I have no fears. There are many strong musicians from all over the world making great music at local, national and international level. My hope is that listeners will find it and know where to look."

Henri Herbert: Boogie Till I Die

Born in France and raised in the UK, Henri Herbert was drawn at an early age to records made by the piano-pounding…

"I feel that it is all connected. You get out what you put in to anything that you’re doing. That is the same for music and life. I let my faith and passion for music drive me. It is guidance. Life is the most precious gift of them all. Without it, there is nothing. We have to be spiritually connected to our beliefs, our surroundings and thoughts. It helps to keep you focused, balanced and grounded. Life has challenges, but it is…

"We photographers make a profession of disclosure of what we see happening around us. It is a work that, however, often takes on different meanings. Often the fault lies with the media manipulating the images. We do not have great power, indeed we have little, we just have to continue to do our work with tenacity and conscience, it will be others who will judge us."

Renzo Chiesa: Rock n' Roll…

"Spirit, god, meaning of life and other intangible concepts are always there when we cannot describe something with words. To reach that point and communicate with other people by spirit is something magical and maybe not so understandable. But the first good step to reach that point is love. Love what you do and with whom. Expect nothing with no second thoughts. Just love."

Alex Dante: Beyond From…

"I think the blues represents an escape from the world. The history of the blues is incredibly dark, encompassing as it does slavery and vitriolic racism, so I’ve always been inspired by the fact that the original purveyors of the art were able to create music so joyous under the toughest of circumstances imaginable."

Ivor S.K.: Down Under Roots Umbrella…

"I miss the musicians that moved me deeply. Some I knew, and some I never met. I hope musicians continue to think that making great albums is important, as is knowing how to connect with a live audience. I hope those art forms never die."

Grant Dermody: Behind The (Blues) Sun

Singer, songwriter, and acclaimed harmonica player Grant Dermody's…