January 15, 2003

It hardly seems possible, but as of last night the jam has been at Conway’s for three years! Lee Gates has a new web site that our friend Dave made for him. When Lee was asked how people could get to his new site, Gary Johnson shouted out “you just drink five shots of whiskey, walk down a dark alley and you’re there!” Dave brought his video camera and shot Lee and Milwaukee Slim tearing the place up. Pate’s second cousin, Pete Raunch made his Conway’s live performance debut playing guitar. He played so well that after he was finished we fired Pate! Another guy named Pete made his debut playing drums.

January 10, 2003

Peter Pitch and the people who work at Miss Katie’s Diner at 19th and Clybourn sure know how to throw a Christmas Party! It was probably the last Christmas party for this year, but what a night it was! A brief outbreak of fisticuffs during “Sweet Home Chicago” in the first set couldn’t dampen the Holiday spirit. The combatants were quickly separated and nobody was hurt. In the excitement one guy had his shirtsleeve nearly torn off. Soon Gary Lee “Big” Johnson was wandering around the whole bar blowing his harmonica and singing “I’ve Got My Mojo Working” while women danced on the bar stools. Thanks to everyone who bought shots for the band. If someone buys us a shot, then we’ll play their request! Our new friend Bonnie brought her harmonica, and played a featured solo! Everyone loved it! Ed Ross took pictures and with luck the pictures will appear on the web site soon!

January 8, 2003

Happy New Year! After a three week Holiday Hiatus, the blues jam returned to live action last night at Conway’s! The always enjoyable Milwaukee Slim played a thrilling set of down in the alley blues. Milwaukee Slim sings “I’m a man. I spell M-A-N.” He is indeed. Lee Gates on guitar and Saint Louis Tim on drums were helping Slim sound so good! We also had the man in the two-tone shoes, Mr. Pee Wee Hayes, sitting in and singing about how two heads aren’t necessarily better than one. A man’s got a big head, and he’s got a little head too. The little head gets him in trouble! Robert made his Conway’s debut on guitar, and Tim Smith’s friend Allen from Texas was there. Welcome to Milwaukee Allen! Lee Gates announced that he’s starting a new web site, and that next week he will be bringing a video camera to take pictures for his web site at the jam. So get your one good suit out of pawn and come down to Conway’s!

December 14, 2002

Can your heart stand the excitement of two big shows in just two days? You had to be at Conway’s on Friday and Sande’s on Saturday to find out! Our new friends Steve and Sharon made it down for another full night of high-energy blues and that’s more Big Johnson and the Thrusters than anyone should have to put up with! It was good to see our old friend, Dave Connelly, who we don’t get to see often enough, as well as our old friend, Tim Smith, who we get to see all the time! Wayne Wasserman was also on hand. Remember, Wednesday is the Lee Gates-Ed Ross birthday party jam. Don’t miss it!

December 11, 2002

Be sure to mark your calendars. This Friday, December 13, is the Christmas Party at Conway’s. There will be free food, drink specials, and two bands, Big Johnson and the Thrusters, and special guests, Blues Wagon. Then next Wednesday, December 18, will be the Lee Gates and Ed Ross double birthday party extravaganza, featuring special guest stars Bill Stone on guitar and Jim Kishline on bass. Many blues luminaries will be in attendance that night so don’t miss it! Speaking of Lee Gates, there was a nice article about him in Monday’s Milwaukee Journal. Visit the Journal’s web site to see it. If anyone needs a rhythm guitar player who can also sing please contact Dave Kelley at (414) 453-7459. Bennie DeKoven from Bennie and the Jets sang a tune for us. The highlight of the evening came at the end of the night with a Lee Gates and Pee Wee Hayes guitar duel. At the end they were cussing each other out by making their guitars talk!

December 4, 2002

Misha impressed us all with his new leather buckskin jacket, and his new appellation, “Sitting Jew”! Big Goofy Mike reports that his favorite gym to lift weights in is Bally’s on Layton Ave. because the strippers from On The Border work out there. Don’t hurt yourself trying to impress them Mike! Big Johnson and the Thrusters now have music downloads available on this web site. Check it out!

November 22, 2002

Friday night Big Johnson and the Thrusters were at Mamie's. Our new friend Ralph came up and helped Pate Raunch sing "Early in the Morning." Blues celebrities in attendance included George Stancell and Stokes. Afterwards Stokes regaled us with stories of playing with Elmore James, and shared tips on why Peavys are his favorite amplifiers. Marty has big new plans for this web site, so be sure to check in often!

November 20, 2002

Congratulations to Jason, Guitar Bo and the rest of the Stacks Edwards Band on the release of their new 3-song CD! It’s called "You Found Trouble". The band sounds tight and there’s plenty of hot blues guitar playing! It’s hard to believe that this promising band has been together for less than six months. Lee Gates took us to school with a fine set. James "the teeth" Cosey was resplendent, setting a fine example for why everyone should own a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots. Thanks to everyone who came down to Conway’s, and don’t forget to check out the Songwriter Showcase every Thursday night!

November 13, 2002

Someone said that there are no less than six blues jams in Milwaukee on every Wednesday night! It’s great to see that the blues are alive and flourishing with so many places to play and so many new young players coming out to jam. We had some fine young players, like Misha and Wes, sitting in with us, and some old familiar faces, like Marty Miller all the way from Chicago, playing too. We appreciate everyone who comes to the jam, whether to play or listen, and we appreciate Conway’s for making it possible. See you next week!

November 6, 2002

Young Joey Thom carries on the proud Thom family guitar playing tradition. When Pate Raunch was asked why Joey's uncle, Chris Thom, no longer carries on this tradition, Pate replied, "I don't know. Maybe his, ah... thruster fell off!" Gary Lee "Big" Johnson received a lesson in Thruster appreciation while trying to sing "Hey Bartender" with a group of jammers who were unfamiliar with the tune. It was good to see our old friend Justin (Joostan) Brown, who was in town all the way from Richmond, Virginia.

November 3, 2002

Saturday night was a great night at Sande’s National Pastime, Milwaukee’s home of the blues. The crowd was large and enthusiastic, and the band kept playing, so that the party never stopped! The first set lasted two hours and forty-five minutes! The first recording session for the next CD is coming up soon, and we performed several of the new songs for the first time. They seemed to be well received. By my count we played 14 of our own tunes, which is a new record! Wild Bill and Sandy, Doug Raunch, Becky, Bobbie, Sweet Home Chicago Dave, Wayne, Rob, and John all came down. John was excited because his band, Blues Wagon, had played their debut gig earlier that night at Conway’s. Congratulations John!

October 30, 2002

It was the Conway’s Halloween Party Extravaganza last night with free food, costume contest prizes and of course, great music! Gary Lee "Big" Johnson cooked up 30 pounds of delicious smoked ribs, and unveiled his latest creation, smoked chicken wings! We were honored by visits from old friends from across the country. From Las Vegas, Nevada it was good to see our old friend, Mustang Larry Tele, and all the way from Detroit, Michigan came the Doctor of the Blues, Barefoot Matt Ammens! The jammers’ favorite Halloween Costume was Guitar Bo who came dressed up as Lee Gates! Lee didn’t seem to mind, and he even played a set of blistering blues guitar to highlight the evening. Harmonica Hank and Cory the guitar player made their Conway’s Blues Jam debuts. Watch this web site for pictures of the Halloween Party and winners of the Costume Contest.

October 23, 2002

Next Wednesday is Halloween and everybody should dress up for the Blues Jam Halloween Party! Conway’s offers generous prizes for the three best costumes. (I’m coming as Lee Gates!) George Castro made his Conway’s debut on guitar and vocals. George is an old friend of Pate’s, and music fans may remember his band Castro’s Cuban Missile Crisis from a few years back. Chris made his Conway’s debut on bass, and told us some fascinating stories about hanging out with John Entwhistle and the Who. Bibette made her debut on avant-garde vocals. It was good to see our old friend Conway Powell again.

October 16, 2002

It was "Manhattan Night" at Conway’s, and no one mixes a finer Manhattan than our good friend, Ed! Bobbie came down with Sweet Home Chicago Dave. John announced that his new band, Blues Wagon, will be making their live debut at Conway’s on November 2, as the opening act for the Stack-Edwards Band. Jim Spencer and Misha also play in Blues Wagon, and Jason and Guitar Bo play in the Stack-Edwards Band. Ed also makes a fine Old Fashioned, a tasty Tom Collins and a cool Cosmopolitan, all of which are even MORE reason to come down to Conway’s on Wednesday nights!

October 9, 2002

Happy Wedding Anniversary wishes to Mr. Jim Richards and his lovely wife Barb! Pate Raunch asked the question that’s been on everyone’s mind: "Does Milwaukee Slim buy the guitar first, and then buy the matching outfit, or does he buy the outfit first and then buy the guitar to match?" Slim says the outfit comes first. You’ve got to look cool before you can sound cool! In other news our good friend Tom Harger has started a blues jam out in Colorado. Congratulations! Tom travels around the country playing the blues wherever he goes. You can visit his web site at www.BluesClown.com to learn more about what Tom’s been up to. It was good to see Fred Smith again!

October 2, 2002