4:10pm - Candy Foster and Shades of Blue
Blowout VI is the second CUJBA gig for Candy Foster and Shades of Blue.
But for those who haven't heard this band since their first Blowout appearance,
there've been some changes. New personnel and an added horn section makes
Shades of Blue a tighter, more versatile band --- a band that stands up
well to the challenge of backing a local legend.
Foster has about 30 years of history with the C-U music scene, although
Shades of Blue is the first blues band he's fronted. He describes his current
band --- consisting of drummer Dave Thulstrap, guitarists A.J. Williams
and Terry DesJardin, bass player Kevin Flowers, trumpeter Jeff Helgesen,
and tenor saxophonist David Damm --- as dynamic and hardworking.
Foster and Shades of Blue, whose diverse playlist can include soul and
funk tunes, will focus on the blues for Blowout VI. "But it's my style
of blues," Foster said. "An R&B or church-type blues. Sanctified
blues. The band complements me very well on that style --- the more they
learn what I'm all about, the more they can do what's necessary." All
along Foster has told his band how important it is to have a good time with
the music. "We all have to work; we all have jobs," he said. "I
don't want this to be a second job. It's business, but it can be fun."
Part of the fun for Foster is seeing how the following for the band has
grown, especially since the fans span the spectrum from young to old. "I
think we've got a good thing going, and I just hope we can keep it going,"
he said.
Despite his long involvement in the local music scene, Foster still sees
himself as a student when it comes to the blues. Just before Christmas,
he took a blues cruise where he got to hang out and perform with people
like Koko Taylor and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. He says he's
trying to build from that experience in his work with Shades of Blue. Candy
Foster and Shades of Blue take the stage at 4:10 p.m.