//April 1st, 2009

THE SHOW WITH DAVID "HONEYBOY" EDWARDS at the end of March went great. Honeyboy had a cold and said he was not in good voice, but he sounded fantastic to us. This is the fourth time Kilborn has accompanied Honeyboy. Honeyboy plays a duet, usually with Michael Frank, the President of Earwig Music, there is a break, and then Honeyboy plays a set with KABB. The first set is like peering into the past, and actually getting a glimpse of it. The second swings the whole night part way toward blues today.
It is an incredible thing to witness. A lot of good friends came out. Dave Fauble came from Quincy to play sax a bit. Bob Kieser of Illinois Blues Dot Com came down from Peoria. Ben Cox from the website Juke Joint Soul, with the amazing Kat, came over from Jacksonville.
Dave Wright, blues historian and WEFT-FM blues dj also came down from Peoria to join in. Deak the Harp with the incredible Anne was there; Deak got up with KABB at the end. It was great to see Paul Wirth out, not in the friendly confines of The Iron Post. Rod and Dorinda and Bean and Emily came from Decatur. Josh Spence was there, rumor goes he is putting together a band. Lots of great friends, more than we can say. 88 Broadway turned out to be a fine venue, and the people there from Luke on down were easy to work with and extremely helpful. The acts looked good and sounded good; the big screens of the show were a nice touch.

LOOKING FORWARD to lots of shows in April and May, but note with special pleasure going to Vivid Spirit in Dwight to catch up with an old friend who really helped us at the start.

THE NEW ALBUM rolls forward. There has been a little re-recording, and there will be a little more in the next couple of days. There have been great reactions to the initial mixes, and the songs are being played a lot at the live shows. There is now so much original KABB music that the all-KABB show with no covers is a very credible act.

THE IMC FEST, PART OF THE LARGER BONEYARD ARTS FESTIVAL, will take place for three evenings in April-- the 17th, 18th, 19th. We play last on Sunday the 19th at the Independent Media Center in downtown Urbana, Illinois. If you are interested, look around the web at the concept behind independent media centers. In our home community the Center makes a big difference in creating an alternative presence to so-called "mainstream media." The last time KABB played the IMC Fest, did it without a drummer-- one of the ultimate musical tests of whether or not an ensemble is-- "together."

THE KILLER "B'z: We just keep adding more new venues to our schedule, now by some odd chance, places that all have bountiful "b's" in their names. Look for Kilborn at Billy Bob's, Boomerangs Bar & Grill, and the Bourbon Barrel. We couldn't make this up. It has to be true.

THE BENEFIT FOR THE PRAIRIE LAND CONFLICT MEDIATION CENTER was a great night. Each band brought something different. Barb Hamilton reminded everyone why we love to hear her sing and her wonderful versatility on blues guitar. My Dear Alan Andrews did that earthy folky thing that gets us going. A band called MPH filled in at the last. These guys were really cool, doing a classic rock "power trio" set.

SUMMER FESTIVAL ACTION IS STARTING TO FALL INTO PLACE! Check back here often to watch our calendar take shape. The very best blues music probably takes place in bars on cold winter nights. But there is something about those summer festivals that is like musical vitamins. So, we are jumpy to get out of doors and heat up things!

GO TO YOU TUBE (TM), search for Kilborn Alley, and see what comes up. Here is what we think you will find: an amazing mini-documentary that ran repeatedly beginning in 2006 as a part of WILL-TV's "Prairie Fire" series. Built around footage shot at the Shades of Blue music festival on 8 July 2005, and subsequent interviews, this is a treat. Next, you will find some live performances taped at The Iron Post in Urbana, Illinois on 11 January 2008. You'll see some smokin' hot play there.

CHECK THE SHOWS PAGE, and just check back often to see what we're doing!

DID YOU KNOW, or maybe you knew and forgot, Kilborn Alley Blues Band has a distribution agreement with Burnside Distribution Corporation of Portland, Oregon? What this means is, when you are looking for the two Blue Bella releases, TEAR CHICAGO DOWN and PUT IT IN THE ALLEY, have your local records store contact BDC about getting the cds.

DON'T FORGET, while this site changes slowly, the Kilborn Alley Blues Band Myspace page changes almost daily, at least in some small way-- and additions to the performance schedule get posted there fastest. Check it out at: myspace.com/thekilbornalleybluesband

. . . it is the music which changes the place from the rear room of a
saloon in back of the yards to a fairy place, a wonderland, a little
corner of the high mansions of the sky.
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)