"I think, Beat Generation therefore jazz, the Village Vanguard a famous jazz club that was there in the Village, it was right across the corner from then Café Au Go Go, so, they were there first. And then came my generation, the generation of singers-songwriters. We were reading a book, wrapped up in that. That’s revolution of consciousness. We just didn’t concentrate on having a house and a washing machine. It was very inexpensive at that time and…

"The blues began as the "other side" of the coin so to speak...it was like a gut punch to the man about the pain our Black Brothers and Sisters were feeling out in the fields of cotton and other Big money crop of the day...but it isn’t always sad mad or mean but it is 100% REAL... And even can bring a smile or Joy to the heart of the Listener..."

Joe Lewis: On "A Mission From…

"Regarding my music and social implications… one track on Joy Machine is called "The Longing Song”, which is about the children we locked up in detention centers on the Mexican border. But it's set in the future, and the children are all grown up...and how lost and troubled they have become, and how we are also in fact lost, for letting such a thing occur. Nels Cline of Wilco is a guest on this track. It's really powerful."…

"Music unites people of all races, genders, religions… and I want my music to give people whatever they need when they put on my record, If they want to dance, I want them to dance, If they want to cry and let their feelings out I want them to do that. I want it to be whatever they need it to be for them at that moment."

Casey Hensley: Speaks to People's Soul…

"There is a wonderful quote from the great writer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, who said “In the woods we return to reason and faith”. For me there are no more truer words. Being in nature as much as I am provides a balance in my life."

Chuck Leavell: The Trees & The Music Man

Chuck Leavell, whose piano…

"I think It's the other way around. I write as to what is going on. I don't think music performs to the times. Then the impact is made. Hopefully joyously, or deeply with good intention. Non-Violent, but with passion."

Trevor B. Power: The Real & The Truth

Trevor B. Power’s love of music flows from his very roots. Many childhood days and…

"The blues is a type of music that is able to communicate with people and that excites in a very simple and direct way. Especially after this difficult moment, the blues and music in general will help people to rediscover the joy of being together, being close and getting excited. I think blues is perfect for this. There is clearly also a more social interpretation of blues music. A music of struggle and revenge. Personally, it allows me never to forget the…

"I wanted to make people realize that, under the skin, we are all the same: "If you prick me do, I not bleed?". The blues springs from human experience: that experience is common to us all, black or white. It is an expression of hope and I hope it helps to end racial prejudice."

Dave Thomas: The Blues Spirituality

Dave Thomas is the…

"Music, especially if we are to consider music without lyrics, does not have a political agenda, does not speak to race or class nor is restricted by language.  In that sense it communicates the human experience in the most profound way, connects us together as one species, and in that commonality, proves that we all want the same basic things for ourselves. We need to operate from that sensibility."…

"I believe music has the power to uplift the spirit and that’s the energy I want to impart. There is a little part toward the end of the title song “Sundial” that everybody I’ve played it for smiles when they hear it. It’s a combination of the background vocals swelling up against the major chord and the lead vocal… I live for that!"

Carl Verheyen: The Joy of Music…

"Jazz of course has been associated from the beginning with an oppressed underclass, and has played an important role in the struggle for civil rights here in the U.S as well as inspiring other people around the world in their quest for equality. The greatest musicians have a way of reaching all kinds of people, regardless of background, through the fundamental humanity in their sound. This inspiration can be an important force for positive social change I…

"Know yourself. Yes. It's the same thing. Be yourself, knowing yourself, ultimately. And then what is that? What does that mean? You know that, and you think it is simple. Well, it is not that simple, but it's the most powerful and potent, that's what we're here to do, to be absolutely ourselves. And by being ourselves, we come to know the world."

Joy Harjo: Muscogee…

"Music and Art are visual and audio forms of expression that can have a great impact on the racial, human rights, and socio-culture implications which can motivate people to come together for the common good and send a message that is time for a change for equal rights, whether it be fund raisers, or petitions for new bills of legislature. There is only one race the human race."

Paul & Katie…

"I think the people who love Blues and Jazz in Europe are really in love with the music, the feeling and improvisation, and the story behind it is just a background for them."

Amaury Faivre: Je Souis Blues

French bluesman, Amaury Faivre is a singer, a guitarist, and, above all, a brilliant harmonica player. Amaury is an…

"Every body has the blues, sometimes. Many people think that all the blues is, is some guy in the corner, crying in his beer about how he’s been mistreated. The blues is so much more than that. It’s a cosmic expression that lifts you out of your situation to a higher vantage point. It’s true poetry in every sense of the word"

Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton:…

"As you get further you get into rock n’ roll, you quickly discover that the music is a melding or black and white culture. If you’re curious, you can’t help but delve deeper into both. That can only be a good thing…"

Steve Almaas: Everywhere You’ve Been

Steve Almaas’ sixth new solo album "Everywhere You’ve Been" will…

"Music is critical to the masses. It communicates their feelings, their hopes and even their anger. I want music to sooth the soul, take us to a place of joy, nostalgia, surprise and maybe even enlightenment."

Charlie Ellicott: Peace, Love & Music

Charlie Ellicott started out in the music business in 1966 playing guitar and acting as…

"I miss the impulsivity, the “live” energy, the attention to detail, the ability to choke interesting and different sounds out of analog instruments, and the childlike nature that we used to have about musical curiosity and the freedom that came with the Blues, Jazz, and other truly American musical art forms. My hope for the future is that the Blues will thrive in ways that is yet to be seen…that it will be magnified to the fullness of glory and that I…

"The first thing you want is for people to have a good time. If people have a good time together, a lot of their differences disappear. Most music comes from a certain time and place; and possesses a certain identity. The hope is for a song to embody an identity, but transcend it at the same time. The best country music, bluegrass, hip-hop, and blues music reaches well outside of its original audience."…

"Music has always been a driving force behind every major social moment. Revolutions all have a soundtrack, and this is because music has the unique ability to physically alter us through vibration. When groups of people all vibrate together in sound, a powerful resonance and connection is created, and a portal for change appears as consciousness expands."

Anne Harris: The…