Scott Patterson Kansas City Blues & Jazz Music Examiner 2011 and Kansas City’s still got the blues 2011 is finally underway. It still feels funny to say, and good luck writing it correctly the first time on the “date” space of any paperwork you may encounter. All of your holiday plans and New Years preparation can’t save you now. If you’re anything like this Examiner, then you’ve probably fallen out of the loop. Luckily, one man still has his finger on the blues music scene! Coyote Bill, slam bang slide guitarist and reporter for Big City Blues and the KCBS Blues News knows what’s going on and is prepared to give us a peek into the scene to start off our new year: El Coyote reminds us that the Kansas City blues party presented by Knock Kneed Sally on a weekly basis at clubs all around Kansas City and through the Midwest is making its way onto compact disc. The Examiner spoke directly with Knock Kneed Sally front man Stovepipe Perkins to find out a few details. The new album will be titled “Urban Elevator Music, Volume 3”, and it should be available by the fourth of February, if everything continues to line up well. It will be packed with all original material. So sayeth the Pipe: (Sarcastically) Happy danceable hits with lyrics like… Apparently: We dont talk so I dont know She just dont want my key in her door no more Apparently…. She fell out of love with me Blue Self: Started talking and that line went dead She never heard a single word I said I kept on talkin’… Gotta put my blue self on the shelf Thought I saw you just the other day Wasn’t sure, until you turned away I kept on staring Gotta put my blue self on the shelf. This Examiner has had the pleasure of hearing some of the great original material the band has been producing, including performances in the Kansas City Blues Society’s qualifying rounds of the International Blues Challenge. The songs are memorable, rockin’ and beautiful. You can hear some of Knock Kneed Sally’s music at KnockKneedSally.com. There’s also big news out in Lee’s Summit at Tavern on Green. Straight from the Coyote’s mouth: “Dick Schulte is having his annual SIDS Benefit coming up Jan 29 at T.O.G. [Coyote Bill and His Wild Ones]‘ve been asked to play again, and it got me thinking about the ’10 bands in 10 hours’ that played last year. Penelope and the Unusual Suspects, Scottyboy Daniel Blues Band, Destination Band, Lindsey and the House Cats are all defunct or dormant. Indeed the lineup change for Knock Kneed Sally is a big portion of the latest Kansas City blues news. All reports say that the new lineup is a real powerhouse set up. Speaking of power house, we’re lucky to have Knock Kneed Sally around at all, since lead singer/guitarist Stovepipe Perkins got a life threatening jolt of electricity at the after-party for the C.O.P.P benefit that Coyote Bill hosted at the Hide Out Bar and Grill in the Northland. According to Stovepipe, he knew that he was getting a little bit of a tingle off of his microphone at the basement gig, but he was literally shocked to see an arc of electricity connect him to his microphone with heartstopping force. The charge was strong enough to literally melt some of the strings off of his guitar. Several witnesses saw a string glowing hotly and dripping molten metal on the floor. Though he sustained minor injuries, including burned fingers and lips, Perkins took only a short break before returning to the microphone and finishing out the show. That’s dedication. Oct 10th 2010 Knuckleheads Saloon is unquestionably one excellent Blues venue in Kansas City . Go take a look at their schedule of upcoming events and you will see. It is obvious why they were awarded the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award by the Blues Foundation in 2008. In addition to featuring many top national, regional and local acts, Knuckleheads also features two open Blues jams every week. If you want some Blues this is definitely the place you want to go. One could look at it as a Mecca , the acropolis, the very nerve center of all things Blues in Kansas City . Don’t let anyone tell you any different, including me. One noteworthy event coming to Knuckleheads in October is “Rock’n’Rick’s 50th Birthday Bash” on 10/10/10. Too bad the party starts at 8pm instead of 10, that woulda really been humdinger. For those of you who are not familiar with Rick Patterson, let me tell you a little bit about him. Rick is a guitarist, vocalist, song writer, recording artist and band leader. Over the years he has worked as a side man and a session player as well. He has played guitar alongside of such Blues luminaries as Abb Locke, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Johnny Clyde Copeland and many others on the national scene. In Kansas City he has worked with Glenn Patrick, Bob Schnebelin, Koolaide and the Exact Change Band, KC Kelsey Hill, Millage Gilbert and countless other local greats. He started his own band, Rock’nRick and the Road Masters in 1989 and they are still going strong today. In addition to fronting his own band, Rick has recently worked with Bugsy Maugh and Knock Kneed Sally. Last year Rick recorded his latest CD, “Beat a Demon”, with Kansas City ’s very own beloved paragon of Blues talent, Trampled Under Foot. The CD was recorded by Steve McBride for Soundgate Productions to boot- veritable saturnalia of Kansas City Blues in one neat little package! It all comes to a head on October 10th of 2010. Kansas City Blues Fans will gather at KC’s Blues version of Mt. Olympus , Knuckleheads to celebrate the 50th birthday of Rock’n’Rick, who will be joined onstage by Trampled Under Foot, the band that backed him on his CD! Rick says since the “Beat a Demon” CD never really had a proper release party, so he is looking at this event as a release party nearly 2 years after the fact. But hey, let us not get bogged down by chronological syllogization. If you miss this one, you are missing one outstanding event!