Blue Blood's Stephen Sowan/Brian Whelan @ BuzzBands TuesdayNights

  I'm going to keep this site current. Although Stephen Sowan's band Blue Blood (of which Brian Whelan also plays bass in) just had a show supporting last week's Alberta Cross residency show which was a fantastic show, considering it was only their second LA (and true) show, it happened before the birth of this blog. So a mention is enough, but anyone at that show would and should be willing to attest to how great it was. Although Alberta Cross beat them out in volume, and are a great band as well (we're all friends with frontman Petter Stakee), in my definitely biased opinion (Sowan is my roommate and we've known each other since about age 5), Blue Blood was the band of the night, playing an array of tunes, mostly originals, despite closing with the nearly unknown "Grey Riders" by Neil Young, a cover arrangement that does justice if not competes with the original. It's a cover nearly everyone interested in the band would've heard on their upcoming record until recently when, scandalously to the foursome, Neil announced it would be released on some sort of retrospective due out (I believe) in January.

  This was meant to be a much shorter mention, but it really was a great show, and I'll have little chance to post more about the band playing live for a month or two, as their split-residence between Austin (Ricky Ray Jackson - Guitar and Falcon Valdez - Drums) and Los Angeles (Stephen Sowan - Guitar/Vocals and Brian Whelan - Bass) makes LA shows a bit difficult. But to wrap up a pseudo-short mention in an altogether post, it was a great show, and I can't recommend enough everyone's attendance at the next event that will be widely and emphatically promoted. Should be in June, keep an eye out. Or just follow this blog because all the info will be right here! Ok, more about Tuesday night and the true reason for this post.

  On to the true post, after an entire post on its own, for which I would apologize, except something needed to be said about the previous gig, even if self-imposed rules were being broken. Tonight, Sowan and Whelan were both invited to play solo gigs at the SecondTuesday night put on by Kevin Bronson at Buzz Bands (www.buzzbands.la, very worth checking out by all Angelenos) after being in the audience for the killer show at the Satellite last Tuesday night.
  There were three acts, though I'm only discussing these two (no disrespect to Jason Diaz, the opener of the night, who played a very nice set... I'm just simply not familiar and at the moment, this site is dedicated to acquaintances and such). Sowan played second and although many of the tunes were renditions of those from the set a week ago, he changed up the set-list to adapt to the bandless nature of the evening as well as providing a different sound to many of the tunes, showing his adaptability to make some songs that seem almost bar-band, Tom Petty-esque rockers into natural sounding singer/songwriter tunes. The similar set-list is not a statement of limited showmanship, but rather attests to the attention Sowan, also an actor, is gaining so quickly in the early day of his music career.
  Whelan proved a fantastic final act, playing a number of songs from his own varied musical career that has seen him play with a number of bands, Blue Blood being his latest, as well as his own wide range of musical talent, filling the role of guitarist and frontman as naturally as his current bassist and backing vocal role in Blue Blood. The line-up was organized nicely, moving from Diaz's gentle, intimate, and quiet songs into Sowan's somewhat darker set that still showcased a bit of the rock sound Blue Blood has utilized so well, and finally ending with the slightly louder, bluesy-rock sound of Whelan's solo selection. Although the show was met with an intimate crowd that fit the intimate venue (Lot 1 Cafe in Echo Park), that is no more an indication of the importance of the show for these artists than the modest $5 at the door. Kevin Bronson is quite nearly, if not legitimately, a historian of the SoCal music scene, having been a decisive voice in the early careers of many local artists, and the dynamic of the show tonight suggests nothing less than that for these bandmates, especially so quickly after their introduction to the man behind Buzz Bands.
  As an old friend and a current roommate, plenty of news about the evolving and exciting appearances of Stephen Sowan and Blue Blood will be accessible on this site, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to get in and be a part of it early by checking out and joining their Facebook music page, Blue Blood. I will also attempt to be on-the-ball here on my own site as a source for keeping track of many of Whelan's projects outside of Blue Blood, but the band's own page will do the same. I'd also suggest checking out the latest music video for "Lonesome Caroline" by Blue Blood on YouTube, which has already generated a bit of buzz from Nylon and others, featuring actress Jessica Stroup (90210) and directed by our good friend Brian Horiuchi (Lonesome Caroline Video). Blue Blood's lead guitarist and Sowan's older brother is also in a great, pure rock and roll band based in Austin, TX called The Happen-Ins, which is certainly worth a quick peak on Facebook and around the web (The Happen-Ins).
  Make sure to set yourself up as a follower and keep on top of this quite new, quite ambitious site for up-and-coming, some might even say exclusive, news on all these artists and their future gigs, as well as news on the anticipated release of Blue Blood's debut album release, an event that we're all hoping is right around the corner, but will be announced as soon as anything is final. Thanks for reading and, as always, spread the word because only you can start forest (or internet, whatever) fires. I love my mother dearly, but I could just send her an e-mail if I was satisfied with her being the only one to read all that I write.