Damon Fowler nominated for two Blues Blast Music Awards; headlining Sugar Shack Mondays tonight at Aces in Bradenton

Damon Fowler/Blind Pig Records

Blind Pig recording artist and Bradenton Beach resident Damon Fowler has been nominated for a Blues Blast Music Award in the Contemporary Blues CD category. He's up against superstar Buddy Guy and Sugar Shack Monday's debut guest JP Soars, among others.

Both Fowler and Gina Sicilia, last week's Sugar Shack Monday guest, have been nominated for the Sean Costello Rising Star Award.

From the press release issued this morning:

In early May, a group of Blues music industry professionals including music critics, journalists, festival promoters, music venue managers, musicians and other Blues music industry professionals nominated the best of 2011 Blues music in eight categories.



Voting to determine the winners begins July 1, 2011 and continues until August 31st, 2011 on our website at http://www.TheBluesBlast.com/. Voting is open to anyone who is a Blues Blast Magazine subscriber. Subscriptions are FREE and you are automatically signed up as part of the voting process on our website.



The 2011 Blues Blast Music Awards ceremonies will be held at Buddy Guys’ Legends in Chicago, Illinois, October 27th, 2011. The awards ceremony will feature music by some of the artists nominated. Tickets for the event will go on sale in mid August at  http://www.TheBluesBlast.com/.

Click for complete list of nominees and listening links.

This week's edition of Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Monday at Aces Live in Bradenton features the Damon Fowler Group with special guest Ed Zeppelin.

What's Ed Zeppelin?


A killer side-project full of surprises that Fowler has maintained for years.

Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Monday

Showcasing the best in touring talent

8:30 p.m. Mon., June 20 with
Damon Fowler Group 
and special guest Ed Zeppelin

Aces Live, 4343 Palma Sola Blvd., Bradenton

No cover

Click to watch the performances and my interviews with Fowler and others in Ed Zeppelin 

8:30 p.m. Monday, June20

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

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UPDATED 6/19: WATCH Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Monday with special guests Gina Sicilia, Jack Sullivan of Blues Revue magazine

UPDATED 6/19: Just returning to work mode after a week vacation. Here ya go.

Interview with Jack Sullivan of Blues Revue magazine from this June 13's edition of Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Mondays at Aces Live in Bradenton.

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

Performance by VizzTone Label Group artist Gina Sicilia.

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

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My interview with Sicilia and her guitarist/producer Dave Gross.

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

Sicilia set two.

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

Gina Sicilia publicity photo

This week's most exciting edition of  Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Monday at Aces Live in Bradenton features special guest Gina Sicilia.

In addition to interviewing Sicilia, I'll also be doing a special segment with Jack Sullivan of Blues Revue, the international blues magazine that recently moved its headquarters from California to Bradenton.

It prompted this story I did that ran on the front page of the Bradenton Herald on Saturday:

"Famed Blues Revue magazine HQ moves to Village of the Arts."

Sicilia records for Blues Revue's highly regarded record label VizzTone.

From Sicilia's website:

Young Philadelphia songstress Gina Sicilia exploded onto the scene in 2007,
as her debut CD, "Allow Me to Confess," was met with joyous acclaim by fans and
critics alike.

She was heralded as a distinctive new voice in the Blues, as well as an
insightful songwriter and interpreter of neglected classics in the Rhythm & Blues
canon.

In 2008 she was nominated for “Best New Artist Debut” at the Blues
Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee, just as her sophomore release "Hey Sugar" proved her also to be a legitimate contender in the worlds of Classic Country and
Americana.

With her new 2011 release, "Can't Control Myself," Gina broadens her stylistic
palette, infusing even more Soul and Americana into her bedrock influences of Blues
and R&B. This CD features seven new Gina Sicilia compositions, as well as three
choice covers borrowed from Bobby Bland, Stevie Wonder, and Ike & Tina Turner.

Gina’s singing and songwriting continue to break new ground, showing remarkable
depth, power, and seemingly unstoppable growth. "Can't Control Myself" was
produced and engineered by Gina’s label mate, the insanely talented Dave Gross,
who also played every instrumental track on the record
except for trumpet, sax, and one lap-steel track.

Now 25 years old, the genre-defying Gina Sicilia continues to smash
pigeonholes into kindling and redefine the boundaries of soulful music.

Damon Fowler's Sugar Shack Monday

Showcasing the best in touring talent

8 p.m. Mon., June 13 with special guest:
Gina Sicilia

Ace's, 4343 Palma Sola Blvd., Bradenton

No cover

Click to watch the performances and my interviews with Sicilia and Sullivan.  

8:30 p.m. Monday, June 13

Watch live streaming video from sugarshackmonday at livestream.com

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