Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 14 CD
[Sean's Notes] [Dedications] [Song Credits] [Thanks To] [Pictures]
Featuring
International Blues Challenge Champions Sean Carney, Nick Schnebelen Band, Bart Walker and Noah Wotherspoon, along with the Matt O’Ree Band, Scotty Bratcher, Jamie Peck, Matt Salvo, Lenny Fatigati, Jason Edwards.
Audio Samples
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Sean's Notes
I am just stunned at the incredible talent on display, over fourteen volumes of Blues For A Cure’s Studio Jam CD Series, and by what a remarkable documentation we’ve created for our annual events. Those musicians who contributed and are no longer with us are the ones who speak to me the loudest. Henry Gray, Kris Schnebelen and Andy Cornett, gave us their very best, helping Blues For A Cure build an impressive catalog of premium studio recordings showcasing American roots music.
This series has created bucket list moments for me such as the opportunities to record with my heroes like Duke Robillard, Jimmy Thackery and Reese Wynans and we’ve also helped to break new talents like Omar Coleman, Sadie Johnson and Jake Friel and it’s equally thrilling for me to push the music forward as it is to celebrate the rich legacy of the blues.
Every CD in this series has a unique feel and atmosphere, some have leaned into contemporary realms, while others have held to more traditional sounds, but the idea of keeping these recordings fresh and spontaneous prevails on every volume and every selection. It’s exciting to create new pairings that have never happened in the studio and to see what kind of magic unfolds.
Noah Wotherspoon emerged as the clear MVP of this session and The Just Strange Brothers horns who have been working with Noah, brought their A-Game and graced every tune they appeared on with fluffy, brassy goodness. Noah has been one of my favorite guitarists since we first performed together along with our mutual guitar hero, the nomadic Dave Haley, back in the ’90s and I was thrilled when Noah placed second at The IBC and took the coveted Albert King Award for Best Guitarist and he’s since become a cornerstone of Blues For A Cure.
In this release, we welcome Nashville’s reigning blues kingpin to Blues For A Cure. However, my personal connection to Mr. Mitchhart goes back to my very first trip to Memphis and my first attempt at winning The International Blues Challenge in 2003. As guitarist and bandleader for Teeny Tucker, I was thrilled just to make the finals that year as Stacy and his band presented a real R&B master class and he rightly took The Albert King Award and second place that night leaving a powerful impression in my mind. It’s a thrill to finally get record with him twenty years later!
With the construction of a brand new stage at our concert home base, Sally Buffalo Park in Cadiz, we are excited for the next volume of this series and we hope you enjoy the heartfelt music we’ve prepared for you.
Sean Carney
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Dedications
“I’d like to dedicate my work on this recording to the memory of my friend saxophonist Chip Willis whom we lost in early 2023. Chip had been battling cancer and even on his worst days, he was more concerned with inspiring others more than his own condition. Chip’s bright light and positive Christian outlook was a particular lift for me during the dark days of the shutdown and he will be dearly missed by so many.” - Sean Carney
“I would like to dedicate this to my Grandpa Samuel Handler, who we lost to cancer in 1996. He served 2 years + 48 months in the South Pacific during WWII (37th Infantry). I believe he was mostly at Guadalcanal, but also Iwo Jima, Tongatabu, Fiji, Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Samoa (where he visited Robert Louis Stevenson's resting place at Mount Vaea). He was in the Army from 1939-1941 and was released on Dec 2nd, he and my Grandma Ruth’s wedding day. He had completed his service — but was recalled 5 days later, Dec 7, 1941 and served another 48 months.” – Noah Wotherspoon
“I would love to dedicate my performance to my significant other of 30 years, Brenda Magon. She died in my arms after a year and a half battle with ovarian cancer.” – Tom Rastikis
"I want to dedicate this to my incredible wife TAWANA MITCHHART! She is a triple negative breast cancer survivor. After almost 12 surgeries in a year and a half, and many complications, she received her first Clean Scan!! The very first thing she did was to start a nonprofit organization called PINKY THE MOBILE SKIN COACH, she’s a licensed aesthetician, and she goes directly to breast cancer patients, breast cancer survivors, and breast cancer events, where she provides skin care treatments. (FREE OF CHARGE) as well as coaching of how to fight the effects of radiation on your skin. she is amazing beyond belief!!" - Stacy Mitchhart
“Cancer is an Evil Entity that is not honest, silent at first, very smart, and subversive. It takes life and gives nothing but perspective.” C.O. Moore, Father – Survivor - Musician
The song "Summertime" on this recording is dedicated to the loving memory of my daughter Hillary Caitlin Moore–Szmelter, who passed away in February of 2022 from adrenal cancer. Hillary was a gifted athlete and scholar graduating from the Clemson University School of Engineering with honors. She was inquisitive and caring, loved her family and had a special bond with her younger sister Hayley Elizabeth Moore-Murrell. They spoke to each other every day at 8:00 am, regardless the miles between them (Hayley in Dallas Texas - Hillary in Chicago Illinois). Hillary was a leader who was a positive source of light for everyone she came in contact with. My daughter chose to work in health care because she wanted to use her skill to find better ways for patients to receive the medication they needed. Little did she know that her efforts would help in such a profound way.
Thus far, I have observed that life can be sweet and very sour; bad things happen to good people and good happens to bad. Music has always been my gift; my art to perform for those who wish to listen ….. because it can be a refuge and salvation from our tougher times. Leyla and I have been blessed with two wonderful daughters Hillary and Hayley: both gifted, strong and talented women. Each chose to contribute to the positivity in the world…to make a difference.
My daughter Hillary was the picture of health, never had a trip to the hospital….never a broken bone or had a stitch for a cut on her body. In fact, my daughter ran the Chicago half marathon several weeks before she felt something was wrong. A pain in her side that was not there before. This pain would not go away and at the time my daughter’s fiancée, ultimately husband Thomas, had a brother who was in medical school that urged her to go to the doctor. A few short days later the University of Chicago Medical Center diagnosed my lovely 29-year-old daughter with a very rare stage IV Cancer. This in the midst of Covid-19 lock downs, health risks and a pandemic that greatly affected the Chicagoland area. Through my work with Blues for a Cure, and the help of my friend Mark Puskarich, I had an advantage to have my daughter reviewed by a team of cancer specialists at The OSU James Hospital to endeavor to find any missing key to her survival.
Unfortunately, the diagnosis was affirmed, with little hope of a long-term prognosis. We were all devastated. The team at the OSU James Hospital saw my daughter on a holiday, with heath care professionals coming in on their own time because they knew that Hillary was making a difference through her work at CVS Pharmacy. Creating processes that enabled patients to receive lifesaving medication faster and better. Medication like chemotherapy and various other cancer drugs. They knew that she was one of their own.
A major surgery, with hope crashed to the ground with reoccurrence so fast it was beyond medical belief. Six rounds of chemotherapy that she could only tolerate due to her fitness at the onset of her illness. At her side through this in Chicago were her mother Leyla and her husband Thomas. I could never thank them enough for being there each day. Hillary and Tommy were married in November 2021 in Chicago; a wonderful ceremony, by the lake she loved to walk by. As Christmas came, she began to become weaker and less tolerant to the various forms of therapy given at the University of Chicago. Hospital trips began to be more frequent; the last visit came after an attempt was made to help her with the several profound complications associated with cancer. We lost her; the world lost her on February 2, 2022.
She is not forgotten, nor will she ever be. As life and memories last, she will be remembered every day, our sadness will never leave us. Her example of strength and positivity is one of the things Blues for a Cure is all about. I offer, along with my fellow musicians the song “Summertime”; in honor to her …..listen to words and I wish you all the joy of memory of loved ones on a warm sunny day.
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Song Credits
1. Ice Cold Daydream
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Stacy Mitchhart – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Johnny Otis, Jr. / Shuggie Music /BMI
2. Feelin’ Good
Stacy Mitchhart – Vocal & Guitar
Sean Carney – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Randy Newman / Warner Chappell Publishing / ASCAP
3. Woke Up Without You
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Noah Shane Wotherspoon / Sky Size Songs / ASCAP
4. Somebody Loan Me A Dime
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Stacy Mitchhart – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Jesse Anderson, Milton Middlebrook, Fenton Robinson / Eyeball Music / BMI
5. Just A Little Bit
Sean Carney – Vocal & Guitar
Noah Wotherspoon – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Rosco Gordon / Bab-Roc Music Publishing Co. / BMI
6. Man Of Many Words
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Stacy Mitchhart – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Buddy Guy / Mic Shau Music Company / BMI
7. Never Gonna Get Me Back
Stacy Mitchhart – Vocal & Guitar
Sean Carney – Guitar
Jamie Peck – B3
Lenny Fatigati – Bass
Jan Roll – Drums
Stacy Mitchhart / Stacy Mitchhart Publishing / BMI
8. Lonesome
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Sean Carney – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Peter Chatman / Pompadour Music Corp. / BMI
9. As The Years Go Passing By
Noah Wotherspoon – Vocal & Guitar
Sean Carney – Guitar
Tom Rastikis – Bass
Brian Aylor – Drums
Eric Wurzelbacher – Sax Solo
Danny Manning – Sax
Charles Ferrara – Trumpet
Jamie Peck – B3
Don D. Robey / Songs Of Universal Inc /BMI
10. Blues For Hank
Tom Carroll – Guitar
Noah Wotherspoon – Guitar
Lenny Fatigati – Bass
Jan Roll – Drums
Written and Arranged by Tom Carroll copyright 2023
11. Summertime
Chuck Moore – Vocal & Sax
Sean Carney – Guitar
Matt O’Ree – Guitar
Jim Godin – Trumpet
Eryn O’Ree – Backing Vocals
Jamie Peck – B3
Lenny Fatigati – Bass
Jan Roll – Drums
Dubose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin /Imagem Music LLC, Nokawi Music, Songs of Smp, Franie G Songs, WB Music Corp., Ira Gershwin Music, DoBose, Heyward Memorial / BMI
Jabari Princess Publishing / BMI
12. Kindhearted Woman Blues
Stacy Mitchhart – Vocal & Guitar (Resonator)
Noah Wotherspoon – Guitar
Robert Johnson / Handle Bar Music, Standing Ovation Music / BMI
Produced by Mark Puskarich and Sean Carney for Sean Carney’s Blues For A Cure © 2023.
Recorded at Tony’s Treasures Studio, Cadiz, Ohio. Recording Engineers Cody Romshak and Mark Puskarich. Edited and mixed by Mark Puskarich and Cody Romshak, Tony’s Treasures Productions, Cadiz, OH, and Columbus, OH.
www.tonystreasuresproductions.com
Mastered by Mark Puskarich.
Photos by Dusty Scott (www.dustyblues.com), Steve Mack and Mark Puskarich.
CD Cover photo by Dusty Scott.
Back Panel Insert photo by Steve Mack.
CD insert graphic design and CD insert by Laura Strickland
For additional pictures and videos, and the latest on fundraising and concert dates, please visit our websites at www.bluesforacure.org and www.achristmastocurecancer.org. Blues For A Cure, (DBA) under A Christmas To Cure Cancer, Inc., is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) non–profit corporation, EIN 83-0372707.
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Thanks To
A very special thanks to all the artists on this recording who donated their time and efforts. We completed a one-day session on June 26, 2022, following the 11th Annual Blues For A Cure Harrison County concert. These amazing artists are beautiful people, incredibly talented, and so much fun to record. To Cody Romshak, my best friend and recording studio engineer, who has amazing passion and patience in the recording sessions.
To Steve Mack, an integral organizer of Blues For A Cure, supporter of A Christmas To Cure Cancer, excellent photographer and good friend. A special thanks to Teri Pealer for being our annual onsite artist liaison, cook and autograph herder. To all who helped organize and pull off Blues For A Cure events in 2022: my wife Irina Puskarich, Cindy Blake, Joe Blake, Scott Smalley, Laura Strickland, and Margarita Crow.
To my mom Lois Puskarich, who makes sure posters and flyers are distributed everywhere in Harrison County. To my sister Lisa, for proofing everything on a minute’s notice and catching all the small things. Photographers Dusty Scott and Mark Berger. To my cousins Lori and Rich Milleson, for all their support of A Christmas To Cure Cancer and Blues For A Cure Harrison County. To all the sponsors, especially Holly Williams and Tina Rush of MPLX Gathering and Processing, Alex Johnson of Midwest Terminals of Toledo, Jackie Stewart and Zack Kent of Encino Energy, Dan Milleson of Milestone Insurance, Ken and Adele Mason, D&J Sales and Service, John and Pauline Jones, and David Phillips of WVU Medicine Harrison County Hospital.
To Cadiz Mayor John Migliore and Tim Hennis of Sally Buffalo Park. To Ben St. John and Michelle Nelson of Microtel for providing accommodations for the artists each year. Don Sloan and WTOV9 Steubenville for all the PSA support. Cindy Taylor from 106.3 The River for radio advertising and PSAs. To the wonderful folks at 10TV: Angela An and Tracy Townsend, among others, for all the Columbus support. We all work so very hard to help make an impact on cancer research and Keeping The Blues Alive. – Mark Puskarich
Tony’s Treasures Productions is proud to sponsor this recording project to help support fundraising for cancer related causes as well as the Blues Foundation. It’s always a pleasure and thrill to work with such great artists and witness their enthusiasm for their craft. Thank you for supporting great blues music and two great causes. – Mark Puskarich
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Pictures
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