The Bay City Blues is our weekly showcase of world class Blues music and superb instrumental talent. This event is a celebration of the Blues in all its forms and an adventure into the depth of a national genre. Hosted by the nationally recognized Chris Cain & his All-Star cast of Musicians, every week they invite a new special guest to accompany them on stage and present new, upcoming, & old talent from the blues world! Bay City Blues is our tribute and exploration into the Blues genre, it is a special event in which we all get to help, share, & “Preserve the Blues."
About Cathy Lemons & Phil Berkowitz:
Artist Website - Artist Facebook - Youtube Video
Veteran artists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz deliver an inventive, hypnotic, spin on 60’s Chicago blues, vintage R&B, and roots music. Hailing from San Francisco, their kaleidoscopic stew is steeped in gorgeous harmonies, confessional songwriting, and expert musicianship. Since Cathy and Phil joined forces in 2014, they have released two elegantly crafted albums, “A Winning Hand” which made The Roots Music Report’s “Top 50 Blues Albums of 2015” and their sophomore album, “In Any Town,” which was nominated for two Blues 411 Jimi Awards in 2016 and is currently up for two Independent Blues Awards in 2017. Living Blues, Blues Matters, Blues Blast, Blues Bytes, and Elmore Magazine all agree that Cathy and Phil are indeed holding a winning hand. They regularly tour and have performed at countless concert series, festivals, and nightclubs all over the United States.
About Chris Cain:
Chris Cain's jazz-tinged, blues soaked guitar and deep, warm vocals have the maturity and authenticity of bluesmen many years his senior. His expressive style is the result of a lifetime of study and the relentless pursuit of music mastery. His passion and intensity are a blend of his mother's Greek ancestry and his father's soulful black heritage.
Cain was raised on stories of his father’s childhood upbringing on Memphis’ Historic Beale Street and attended his first B.B King concert at the tender age of three. Blues music played continuously on the home stereo and family outings were often trips to concerts. Cain recalls, “I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would be mowing the lawn with the stereo blasting Muddy Waters. When I look back, that was pretty cool! There was always music playing at our house, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, all the greats.”
Larry Nager (syndicated Scripts-Howard music critic) writes, “Nowadays most young blues players are Strat-wielding Stevie Ray Vaughan-a-bes. Not Chris Cain. With a voice that recalls B.B. King and a thick toned Gibson guitar sound reminiscent of Albert King, Cain is forging a unique style. With his own highly personalized songwriting, “Hall Of Shame” is a giant step in the development of one of the most compelling young bluesmen on today’s scene.”
Through his guitar mastery and remarkable songwriting ability, Chris Cain has established himself as a musical force to be reckoned with. And as San Jose Mercury News music reviewer John Orr writes, “more than anyone else, anywhere, Chris Cain represents the future of the blues.”