It seems to be the season of nominations for Mary.   She is also up for “Best Female Artist” at the Portland Music Awards, scheduled to announce winners on January 22.  This comes on the heels of Mary’s recent Muddy Award for “Acoustic Guitar” by the Cascade Blues Association.

Congratulations also go out to Eden Brent for her 4th Blues Music Award nomination for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year, as well as Jimi Bott (of Woodbrain) for his 13th (!) nomination as Blues Drummer of the Year and to The Bo-Keys for their nomination as Blues Band of the Year.

The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. And best of all, you can vote in the awards process! Visit The Blues Foundation to join, and then this link to vote once you are a member. Voting is open now through March 1.

The Blues Foundation will present the 33rd Blues Music Awards on May 10 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, TN. Stay tuned!

The holidays are upon us!  And The Soul of John Black has baked up some new treats for this holiday season, a few homemade jams, if you will.  He’s mixed up his own style of blues, R&B and soul to give a new interpretation to that old holiday cheer.  Take a listen and get ready to enjoy The Soul of Christmas.

• Or, prefer a more acoustic bent to your unconventional holiday music?  Revisit an old favorite – A Christmas Spanking by the Asylum Street Spankers.

Mary performs a set together with Pat Donohue, including songs from her latest album, Misery Loves Company, songs from Donohue’s repertoire, and one brand-new tune that the two wrote together just before the show!

The program airs on NPR stations nationwide in a time slot scheduled by each local station. Check here to see when the show airs in your town this week.

• UPDATE:  NPR has posted audio from the set – hear it here!

Calling upon the talent pool in her home town of Portland OR, Mary sat down with ten instrumentalists — and one singer — to make her most intimate record to date.  Along with Mary’s dazzling guitar and unmatched lap steel, Misery Loves Company features a staggering variety of great players, from jazz pianist Dave Frishberg to multi-instrumentalist Colin Linden. It’s a testament to Mary’s ability to bring out the best in her collaborators.

• Mary talks with Minnesota Public Radio , Western Michigan Public Radio, and Oregon Music News about the album
• More details and streaming previews
• Official press release (PDF)
• CDs and downloads available now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

Voting closes this Wednesday in this year’s Blues Blast Music Awards, sponsored by the weekly Blues Blast Magazine.

Eden Brent is nominated for “Female Blues Artist of the Year” – her third year to be nominated in the awards.

In addition to the streaming previews of Eden’s latest album, Ain’t Got No Troubles on our artist pages, Chicago-area radio station WGLT has also put together a page with sound samples of all BBMA nominees at http://www.wglt.org/programs/blues/blues_blast/blues_blast.phtml.

Voting closes on August 31st, so please visit http://www.thebluesblast.com/bbma/2011/11bbmavote.php today to support Eden with your vote! While you’re there, we can recommend Blues Blast Magazine as a high-quality source of blues-genre music news, so don’t hesitate to sign up for their weekly newsletter.

This comes on the heels of USA Today’s pick of the album’s title song as one of ten “intriguing tracks” in their Playlist feature.

Read today’s article and hear the track at NPR Music .   To download or get your CD copy, visit our music page for The Soul of John Black.

Good Thang explores R&B, rock, pop, and electronica, but it’s all about love: JB’s love for classic soul and blues, love of driving old-school synth-funk bass, and, most important, love for his family. At the heart of this collection of feel-good grooves are the title track and “Lil Mama’s in the Kitchen” — graceful essays on the joys of domestic bliss that capture Good Thang‘s distinctive mix of organic sounds and cutting-edge production.

Good Thang follows 2009′s Black John, which yielded the radio hit “Betty Jean,” and 2007′s The Good Girl Blues, a funky blend of classic and modern blues, soul, rock, funk and hip-hop. JB’s unique stylistic fusion has won praise from Rolling Stone, NPR and others. And he’s toured and recorded with fellow trailblazers Miles Davis, Dr. Dré, Nikka Costa, and Eminem, but his experimental roots go back to his eight years on guitar and keyboards in pioneering ska-funk-punk band Fishbone.

• Featured in USA Today!
• More details and full album streaming preview
• Official press release (PDF)
• Album available now! Visit our Order page to get your digital or compact disc copy.

We’ve joined forces with Electraphonic Recording to bring you an exceptional lineup on the afternoon of Thursday May 5, before the big Awards event later that evening.

Our good friend Valerie June will kick things off at 1:30.  If you haven’t had the opportunity before to be entranced by her special blend of “organic moonshine roots music”, you are in for a treat.

At 2:30, our own “Little Boogaloo”, Eden Brent, will be joined by Colin Linden, who produced and performed throughout her Album of the Year -nominated Ain’t Got No Troubles.

At 3:30, instrumental soul sensations The Bo-Keys will preview their long-anticipated new album Got to Get Back, the followup to their acclaimed debut The Royal Sessions, released by Yellow Dog Records in 2004.  Got to Get Back is set for release June 21 by Electraphonic Recording.

We’ll be at B.B. King’s at 143 Beale Street.  It’s free to the public so please stop by, say hello, and enjoy the music!

Thursday, April 21 “Givin’ the People What They Want” — 8pm, The Cactus Cafe

The top 20 Spankers songs of all time, as chosen by you via online poll, will be the setlist. Trust us, there are some doozy surprises on tap, plus lots of songs we haven’t played in years and we promise a surprise guest you will never expect. The Grey Brothers Trio, starring our former hot shot piano man Reese Grey, opens the evening. And, if that won’t do it for you, maestro Stanley Smith is sitting in all night long!

Friday, April 22 “Night of 1000 Egos” — 8pm, Ruta Maya

It’s Spankin’ Fest featuring 20 current and former Spankers including Pops, the Mysterious John, Colonel Josh, Olivier, Guy, Stanley, Sick, Paul, Westen, Reese, Tiny Booker and more! Plus opening sets by Pops Bayless’ Dark Orchestra at 8:30, Olivier’s gypsy swing group Continental Graffiti at 9:15 and The Guy Forsyth Band at 10. The Spankers crank at 11pm!

Saturday, April 23 “Spanks for Everything” — 8pm, United States Art Authority

The current Spankers lineup playing the acclaimed farewell touring show that swept through 50 cities, playing The Lincoln Center, The Great American Music Hall, and the finest venues around the country. Plus The Guy Forsyth Band opens.

Can’t make the shows? Never fear, the Spankers will be recording the entire week to bring you one last recording – a CD/DVD combo entitled “The Last Laugh” and set for October release on Yellow Dog Records. Join our mailing list and stay tuned for details!