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From Free Chicken & Beer to The Steve Polezonis Trio |
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Free Chicken & Beer Blues Band |
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When you're right, you're right. Last year, when the Free Chicken & Beer Blues Band was left off the first annual Grand Band Slam ballot, drummer and band leader Jim Mack was decidedly unhappy. He took his case to fans via the Web: "Do you feel insulted that the Valley Advocate feels its readers would not be able to come up with their own choices for their favorite bands and musicians? Picture some editor in a little cubicle, scanning past Advocate issues for band names to add to his lit of choices for the best bands and musicians in the Valley. Now picture the music-loving public circling this editor's choices as their own. What an ugly picture! When the ballots are in, and all those little circles are tabulated, the accompanying article is going to say that the Valley music fans made these choices. Is this what we want?" Mack, also known as Jim McNamara of Springfield's Tic Toc lounge, waged an unsuccessful sticker campaign for the blues crown, This year, Free Chicken made the ballot and proved it had belonged there all along. That's not so surprising. Not only does the band feature Mack's widely lauded drumming skills, it's also much loved as the house band at the Tic Toc, where its freewheeling blues jam sessions are always well-attended and consistently a mountain of fun. You made your point, Jim. Since the Valley Advocate's Grand Band Slam in July 2000, the band was the house band at the relocated Tic Toc until it's closure in 2003. They've played the Berlin Blues Festival as well as the Terryville Fair and private parties and have played at Black-eyed Sally's as part of the CT. Blues Society's Blues Challenge. The Steve Polezonis TrioSteve is continuing the tradition in Connecticut today. The Steve Polezonis Trio is in full swing as of January 2010 playing venues familiar to blues fans as well as some new ones. The Trio features "west coast lounge blues", an amalgam of blues based jazz, swing blues, original songs and classic blues and blues fusion from the great American blues catalog. The Blues is alive and well in Connecticut and Steve plans to do his part, along with his friends, to keep it that way! Steve and the band look forward to seeing you soon! Free Chicken & Beer has included: Jim McNamara, Tom Mont, Steve Polezonis, Les Cooke, Jay Maggi, Dallas Harkless, Bob Toriani, Jeff King, Sante Isopo, Wendy Mancini, Patty Tuitte, Craig Pearce and Paul Bilodeau, to name a few! The Steve Polezonis Trio features: Steve (guitars, harp, trumpet and vocals), Lesley Sandoval (drums) and Keith Burns (upright bass, Fender bass and vocals). Special guests such as The Enfield Horns (Sante Isopo and Wendy Mancini), Frank Lombardo, Mark Pollard and others may sit in from time to time. Lesley and Keith are the rhythm section for West Coast Cadence, a pop/rock/dance band that features Mark Pollard on keyboard and guitar, as well. |
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Free Chicken & Beer
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