(PHOENIX) – Blues for a great cause take place on Sunday, January 15 at the iconic Rhythm Room in Phoenix, which is the site of the 20th Anniversary Benefit for the Paz de Cristo Outreach Center in Mesa. As he has done for the past twenty consecutive years, longtime Phoenix singer-songwriter Pete Thelen hosts the event and performs with his band, the Blues Dinosaurs. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road. Doors 7 p.m. Show 7:30 p.m. $10. donation requested. Info: (602) 265-4842 or www.rhythmroom.com. (Thelen and the Blues Dinosaurs also perform at Paz de Cristo on Friday, January 13 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.).
Past guest performers at this very special yearly event have included famed drummer Chico Chism; Lester Chambers of R&B legends, The Chambers Brothers; harpist Bob Corritore; and Delta blues guitarist, K.K. Martin, among many others.
“My friend Greg Sheldon and I formed the Blues Dinosaurs in 1992 in Tempe, AZ. One of our first paying gigs was a wedding, and the band agreed to give the money to Paz de Cristo, a food pantry that helps the working poor and homeless in Mesa,” explains Thelen. “That was the start of twenty years with the Blues Dinosaurs raising money to help Paz de Cristo. For the past several years the benefit has been at the Rhythm Room, and over the years some of the finest musicians in the Phoenix area and beyond have performed.”
Thelen has just released a new album, Travels To the Edge. “Something unique…has the darkness of the Delta Blues laid over the ethereal sounds of, say, King Crimson or Trey Gunn. If you’re up for something totally different, you should give this a listen. It will stretch your imagination!” (BMan’s Blues Report). Read a recent in-depth interview with Thelen here: http://allaccessmagazine.com/2011/12/15/pete-thelen/.
PETE THELEN INTERVIEWS/TRAVELS TO THE EDGE REVIEW CDS AVAILABLE.
www.blues-today.com
Travels To The Edge CD Review BMAN’S BLUES REPORT
