Downtown night spot set to host bands from Windy City

September 18, 2008
by Clayton Hardiman
Muskegon Chronicle

Muskegon is about to get the blues; Chicago style.

A bi-monthly series of performances, featuring blues artists from the Windy City, will kick off this weekend at Dreamers Bar.

Charlie Love and the Silky Smooth Blues Band will be the first in a series of featured blues performers to perform at the downtown Muskegon night spot on the first and third weekends of each month.

Love and his band will perform Friday and Saturday.

These aren't just any blues artists, says Ann Mahan-McAllister, co-owner of the downtown Muskegon nightspot.

"It won' be just any band," she said. "There will only be bands that perform at the downtown Chicago bars, like Kingston Mines, Chicago Blues and Buddy Guy's Legend."

Mahan-McAllister said she and partner Malachi Williams "want to bring business downtown." To that end, she said, she has looked for an attraction that isn't being offered elsewhere.

What she settled on was quality blues.

"This is a level of music that people can't get anywhere unless they travel to downtown Chicago," she said.

Actually the bar's commitment to major regional blues performers began in April when the club brought Chicago musician Linsey Alexander for a two-day stint. Alexander then "turned us on to all these bands" Mahan-McCallister said.

Mahan-McAllister said she may be able to create a lineup so diverse that there will be no repeats for several months. "I want people to think, This may be my only opportunity to see this band in Muskegon,"; she said.

For the next several months, the schedule is as follows:

Friday and Saturday, Charlie Love & the Silky Smooth Bands; Oct. 4 and 5, Les Getrex Creole Cookin; Oct. 17, James Reeser; Oct. 18, Fatt Lapp Blues Band; Nov. 7 and 8, T-Bird Huck Band; Nov. 21 and 22, Linsey Alexander &the Hoochie Man Band; Dec. 6, Tomas Esparza Blues Experience; Dec. 19 and 20, Eric Davis & the Troublemakers; Jan. 16 and 17, Charlie Hayes, Delta Blues Hog Band featuring Miz El; Feb. 6 and 7, Aaron Burton Blues Band; and Feb. 20 and 21, Jimmy Radcliff';s Grand Daddy Blues Band.

Event: Blues series at Dreamers Bar.

Featuring: Blues artists who have performed in downtown Chicago nightspots.

When: The first and third weekends of the month, with a performance time of 9:30 p.m.

Where: Dreamers Bar, 978 Pine, downtown Muskegon.

Admission: $10 cover charge.