"The blues has always in my experience been about bringing people together for a good time. The older generation remember this, and appreciate it for what it is and continue to keep enjoying the music and festivals, but if a little excitement is not brought back into this genre, then will loose the younger audience, and risk fading into the sunset."

Mitch Grainger: Down Under Blues &…

"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."…