Memphis, TN – Nineteen individuals and organizations will be honored with The Blues Foundation’s 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch at the Downtown Doubletree Hotel Saturday, January 23rd, 2010, in Memphis, Tennessee. The KBA ceremony begins at 10:00 A.M. and will be held in conjunction with the 26th International Blues Challenge (IBC) weekend of events that will feature the semifinals and finals of the world’s largest gathering of blues bands, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

The Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recognize the significant contributions to blues music made by the people behind the scenes. Each is selected on the basis of merit by a panel of blues professionals. KBA Chairman Art Tipaldi notes with respect to this year’s recipients: “We are very pleased to bestow this recognition on people and organizations who have promoted blues music for many, many years. Increasingly, this is an international effort, and this year’s recipients reflect the worldwide impact of blues music.”
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Some people are surprised that he would get nervous performing at all. Spencer Bohren has toured from Japan to Europe to all over the United States. But his hometown is where he gets the most pre-concert jitters.

It’s actually comical for people in Casper who take pride in saying that the successful musician was born and raised here.

For more of this story by clicking here.

• Spencer teams up with Bill Kirchen, formerly of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. July, 2008.
• Spencer’s exhibits Petits Mysteres at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, WY. February, 2008
• Casper Star Tribune – Read about Spencer’s daring collaboration with opera singer, Karen Clift. April, 2007
• Check out Spencer and the Blind Boys of Alabama on American Routes with Nick Spitzer. June 20, 2001.
• Listen to A Prairie Home Companion with Ralph Stanley and Spencer Bohren. February 17, 2001.
• Hear Spencer with his mom and brother on A Prairie Home Companion in Laramie, Wyoming on May 19, 2001.
• Listen to A Prairie Home Companion Live from the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana. February 16, 2002. [ APHC bio for this show ]

spencer bohren - the long black line

“Every New Orleanian knows about the long black line, the dirty bathtub ring left by receding floodwaters. Folk/blues troubadour Spencer Bohren threads that indelible image through a post-Katrina landscape laced with the menace and moan of a slow-crawl, doomsday acoustic slide guitar. His unflinching narration resonates with the authority of an Old Testament prophet. “The Long Black Line” could serve as the soundtrack to a Katrina documentary, but video footage would be redundant – Bohren’s song paints an all-too-vivid picture.”

Also performed are an array of topical songs that give the listener the feeling of reading the news of the day.

- Keith Spera for the Times Picayune.

To Spencer Bohren Fans Everywhere:

Greetings from beleaguered, broken, but unbowed and still beautiful New Orleans. The past year has been trying and difficult in ways I could never have envisioned, and the drama is far from over. Progress is being made, though, however slowly, and good things will continue to emerge in the aftermath of last summer’s apocalyptic storm. Many musicians and artists are experiencing a powerful creative surge these days. A couple months ago, my Muse whispered verse after verse in my ear, filling my mind’s eye with pictures of pre and post-storm New Orleans, and hanging them all on the image of the high-water mark that poisonous floodwaters left all over our beloved city when the levees failed. I premiered the song, titled, ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE,’ for approximately a thousand people in the middle of my set at the storied New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival last month, and an incredible thing happened…

Before the final notes of my lapsteel guitar drifted away, the entire audience had risen to its feet, openly weeping! The song’s multiple references to the issues and questions every New Orleanian presently faces obviously hit home in a big way with the people who chose to join me at the Lagniappe Stage that day. Since that afternoon, my mailbox has been filled with requests for the song, and I am pleased to be able to offer it, free of charge, to anyone who wants to hear it.

This recording of ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE’ is an advance copy, part of an album of the same name, that was recorded in Germany in April. For some, it will serve as a reminder of what we’ve been through. For those who do not live in New Orleans, and cannot possibly understand our trials, it will hopefully provide a glimpse of the tribulations our battered city still faces. In any event, this song belongs to the people of New Orleans, and I encourage all of you to download it, listen to it, and share it generously.

To get your copy of ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE,’ simply go to spencerbohren.com, and click on the image listed as “Spencer’s newest music.” You will also be offered a PDF File of some cover art, if you want to dress up your copy a bit. Then listen. Be forewarned, this ain’t no party song.

Thank you all for your support over the decades. Hope to see you at the gig someday soon.

Warm Regards,

Spencer Bohren

Thank you to Mick Miller at M.A.D. Amps, and Heights Guitars in Cleveland, Ohio.

Spencer Bohren does not walk. He glides. I was there the warm October night Spencer Bohren glided into Heights Guitars. First you have to visualize a small, but fashionable, shop in what was formerly a Christian Science Reading Room. Most of the architectural appointments are still intact. The walls are covered with old wooden guitars of every make and pedigree. The floors configured respectfully with classic amplifiers from Fullerton and Chicago, mostly.

Spencer, who was wearing a dark suit and a long chartreuse scarf; hair pushed back, a bit like Leopold Stokowski, was in Cleveland to play a benefit at John Carroll University. It had been a tough couple of months for Spencer. The waters of Lake Pontchartrain had consumed his home in New Orleans and washed most of his gear out into the street. Spencer was drawn that night to a very cool black & white Supro lap steel, sitting propped against a little tweed amp. He tuned the Supro to an open G minor chord, plugged into the little tweed amp and proceeded to play something so haunting, and so beautiful, that it momentarily stunned the three people fortunate enough to have been in the store that night. When he finished, we got up off the floor and applauded Spencer like we’d never applauded anybody (or anything) in the 15-year history of that shop. Spencer walked out with the Supro, bound for Europe and eventually home, to New Orleans.

One of the reasons that rig sounded so wonderful that night was that little tweed amp. It was a MAD Amps Temper Tantrum. It didn’t require any set-up or sound check. The amp didn’t fight Spencer. It complemented him, his style and that Supro. That’s what an artist demands. There is no time for negotiation. Spencer plugged in, turned up about half way and proceeded to kill everybody in the room. We were so deeply impressed we decided to make that amp, “Temper Tantrum” (# 004) a gift to Spencer Bohren from MAD Amps. They are perfect for one another.

Spencer Bohren's '55 Chevrolet and Airstream trailer

“I heard about the hurricane… HOW’S THE CHEVY?”

chevy and airstream

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these words in the past few months. The next line is usually a slightly embarrassed, “Oh, and your kids… how’re your kids… and your wife?”

The Chevy in question is, of course, the Bohren Family’s legendary red & white ‘55 Chevy Bel-Air. The one with all the chrome. The one that towed an Airstream trailer full of guitars and children all over the country through the ’80s and into the ’90s. The one that’s approaching 900,000 miles on the odometer. Yes, she’s a mythical beast, and to be truthful, she’s in trouble.

A couple of years ago our Chevy was involved in a hit and run accident, and I foolishly thought I could parlay the insurance money into a minimal restoration of the whole body.

I failed.

Along the way, however, I met a wonderful guy, a mechanic and auto body man named Tevis DeLaundro, who took the Chevy to his shop in New Orleans East, almost as a mission of mercy. I gave him the remaining insurance money for starters, and over time sold a few treasured instruments and amps to keep the project moving. The last time I saw the Chevy, she was runnin’ good and stopping well (which is significant for any fifties car). She had new upholstery on the seats and door panels, and all the chrome and windows had been removed. Tevis had the body as smooth as glass, primered, and ready for paint. That was August 25th.

On the morning of August 29th, Hurricane Katrina visited New Orleans and left in her wake a disaster of biblical proportions. New Orleans East was one of the hardest-hit areas, and we naturally assumed that the Chevy was lost. And make no mistake, the Chevy has indeed sustained considerable water damage. Tevis, however, once I finally managed to track him down, refused to let it go. His family’s house had ten feet of water in it for two weeks; his wife and kids are evacuated indefinitely to Jackson, Mississippi; most of his tools, equipment and office are ruined; his shop is seriously damaged, and still, he refused to let the Chevy go.

When I said, “My house is ruined and I have no money to spend on the Chevy,” he replied, “You already paid me.”

I said, “That was before the hurricane added all this water and mud into the equation.” He countered, “But I made a promise.”

I said, “I’m letting you off the hook.” He got frustrated and replied, “That car can be fixed!”

Tevis told me he had a vision.  ”I see that shiny red & white 1955 Bel Air driving out of the muddy ruins of New Orleans East,” he said with a faraway look in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but think of the mighty Phoenix rising from the ashes, or Pegasus unfolding his powerful wings. And I knew there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Now it’s going on three years since Hurricane Katrina brought her winds and the levees failed, flooding 80% of the city. Tevis is still living in Mississippi and comes to New Orleans only occasionally. The Chevy has had to take a back seat to our home repairs, and Tevis is occupied with sorting out the next chapter of his own life. We have a feeling that the restoration project is very likely out of our reach. In any event, there are many decisions to be considered. We promise to keep you posted on any new developments.

Stay tuned . . . And thanks for your support.

Spencer Bohren

<a href=”../music/audio-interviews.php”>Listen to Spencer and Marilyn Bohren talk about the seven years spent touring the country in the Chevy and Airstream</a>

Originally published in the Quad City Times

A moment of silence, please, for New Orleans: a city never before silent – from the lone trumpeter serenading dawn on the Mississippi River levee to the scores of funky horn players, drummers, and guitarists who nightly defended the Crescent City’s centuries-old reputation for musical excellence – and a city that will not remain silent for long.

In the second year of its existence, New Orleans was erased from the map by a long-forgotten hurricane. They rebuilt. Nearly a century later, two devastating fires consumed all but a fraction of the city. They rebuilt. The spirit is strong in this town, and they will rebuild again.

Everything we love came from or through New Orleans, or La Nouvelle Orleans, as the French colony was called in the beginning. Ships arrived at the end of the seventeenth century carrying French, African, Italian and German adventurers who planted seeds for the magnificent multi-cultural extravaganza to come. Slavery came later, though in a much different form than over in America. Rather than forbid cultural behaviors from Africa – music, arts, dancing, cooking, language – New Orleanians encouraged them. The sounds of the slaves from the sacred ground of Congo Square, just north of Rampart and Orleans, continue to resonate in the music of every jazz, blues, and yes, even rap artist, who picks up an instrument anywhere in the world.

New Orleans, with her spectacular Mardi Gras Indians, celebrated cuisine, world-renowned architecture, subtropical ambience and that glorious music, will rise again. Her physical appearance will undoubtedly be changed somewhat, but her spirit will remain strong and wild. Indomitable.

In a world that is daily more homogeneous, we need New Orleans. The wind from Hurricane Katrina that blew with such ferocity as to rip the physical and emotional heart from the city will once again blow through saxophones, trombones, clarinets, trumpets and tubas on its storied avenues, at Snug Harbor on Frenchmen Street, the Maple Leaf on Oak Street, Tipitina’s at Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas, and countless other little clubs throughout this legendary place.

Spencer Bohren
Sept. 2005
St. Louis, MO

written exclusively for ELMORE MAGAZINE – 160 East 89th St.,
New York, NY 10128
www.elmoremagazine.com

The very mention of the great city of New Orleans conjures an endless variety of colorful images in the minds of people all over the world. It’s a place where life is lived at a slower pace, in lush and slightly worn surroundings, and where good food, slow conversation, architectural grandeur, and sensational music are simply part of the fabric of life. Nestled in a dramatic crescent near the outlet of the great Mississippi River, New Orleans has played a starring role throughout most of American history. In her early days, New Orleans was part of the French Colony, La Louisiane, and her customs, cultural diversity, Catholicism, and general attitude of tolerance created a very different atmosphere from America. The Crescent City welcomed social and artistic contributions from all quarters of her population, and the results continue to resonate powerfully to this day. The world-renowned cuisine blends ingredients from the kitchens of France, Italy, Germany, and Africa. Countless architectural treasures echo the great civilizations of ancient Europe and Africa, but with a casual Caribbean accent. Often called “The Most African City in America,” the cultural mix celebrates a cornucopia of people from around the globe.

And then there’s the music. Is there anyone in the world who does not love the music of New Orleans? From the early days of Congo Square, with its slave dancing and drumming, to Nineteenth-Century Storyville’s excitable jazz bands, to the Rhythm and Blues explosion in the 1950’s, the renaissance sparked by countercultural music lovers in the 70’s, and the current heady extravaganza of funk, soul, hip-hop and brass band experimentation, New Orleans always shows us where the music is headed.

But there’s more… something else that’s difficult to describe. There’s something in New Orleans that makes uncountable visitors feel at home for the first time in their lives. Something that makes them go back home, sell everything they own, and move to this sensual city on the big muddy river. No matter how you try, there’s something about New Orleans that you just can’t touch, but that touches you deeply. It is this essential Spirit of New Orleans, even more than the evocative architecture, the spicy food, the noble greenery and, yes, even the sensational music, that punctuates the inconceivable losses sustained in last month’s hundred-year storm, Hurricane Katrina. Make no mistake. New Orleans will rise again, and she will be special. We can only hope and pray, however, that precious social fabric so horrifically torn will be mended, that the cultural mix which so informs every aspect of this special city can somehow be resurrected, and that the impulse to celebrate that unites all of her citizens will be restored.

We ask that you remember us in your thoughts and prayers – It will be a long road to recovery – and that you come see us when we are once again ready to receive visitors.

Let the Good Times Roll.

Spencer Bohren
September 14, 2005

Cafe Lena review

By David Greenberger

Spencer Bohren Cafe Lena, Saratoga Springs, Sept. 20

Mixing, gospel, folk and blues, Spencer Bohren has a similar sensibility to Geoff Muldaur. Equally affecting as a singer and guitarist, his vocals are resonant and believable. Last Saturday’s show at Caffe Lena found him alternating between electric slide guitar, an acoustic Gibson and a banjo. Adept at each, his playing and singing were intermingled in the best possible ways.

Performing since the sixties and now based in New Orleans, the Wyoming native spent the better part of the eighties touring the country in an Airstream trailer with his wife and children, towed by their ‘55 Chevy Bel Air. Not surprisingly, Bohren’s got a troubadour’s eye for detail, taking notice of the towns he passed through and the people he continues to meet. His two sets mixed originals with worthy covers. The former included his “Night Is Fallin’,” which sounds like the classic it deserves to become. The latter ranged from Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” to Fred Neil’s “Blues on the Ceiling,” a couple by Hank Williams (”Long Gone Lonesome Blues” and “I’m So Lonesome I could Cry”) and the Rolling Stones’ “No Expectations.”

Bohren’s first set ended with one of numerous stories he told with a hypnotic ease. This one recounted a road trip he’d made which took him past the infamous Parchman Farm prison. This led into an acapella blues he learned from a tape a friend at the Smithsonian supplied him with, and which he was listening to when he happened upon the facility. It was a searing number originally recorded by Alan Lomax at Parchman decades earlier. With his eyes closed and his voice moving from a whisper to a wail, Bohren captured his own personal connection to the song as well as the dignity in the performance that inspired him.

In fact, Bohren’s storytelling had a life of its own. While most stories prefaced specific songs, one did not and it reveled in a life of its own. This tale of a woman named Dawn Petty from Bird City, Nebraska had the masterful strokes and unforced confidence of a natural storyteller. Free of the hyperbole of a raconteur and nuanced with the subtlety of music, Dawn Petty came to life and wanders around in *my* memory now.