There are many great shows afoot this week, especially for blues fans. One of my favourites is the return of Australia blues/ alternative rock trio the Mason Rack Band, who stop by the Slice, Aug. 4 as part of their fourth tour across Canada.
They are shaking things up on their latest CD “ Limit of Grip.”

Their show begins at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the Slice. There is a $10 cover.

Harmonica player Carlos Del Junco usually gets pigeonholed as a bluesman, but would rather it wasn’t that way as his music spans several genres and styles and always punctuated by scorching harp playing. He plays  at Average Joes, Sunday, Aug. 7.
The show begins at 8 p.m with special guests, bluesman Papa King and Bleu Sensashun.

Tickets cost $25.

 The last big blues show of the week takes place April 8 at the Geomatic Attic.

Roomful of Blues founder Duke Robillard will be bringing his band to Lethbridge. He is about to release a new CD, “Low Down and Tore Up” on Sept. 11.

He has shared recording studios and stages with the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Hammond, Jimmy Witherspoon, Dr. John and many more.

Tickets cost $25 Members, $27.50 Non-members, $30 at the door.

Three more bands are also needed for this Friday night’s (Aug. 5) band wars at the Stone. The winner gets an opening slot for My Darkest Days’ Aug. 13 show at the Stone as well as $500, three songs recorded at Ghostwood Studios, a $100 bar tab at the stone and a spot on Rock 106’s Rock nation.

So far Double Jack, Bent 8 and two Calgary bands have entered. At least three more bands are needed. Contact James at 403-308-2228 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to sign up.

Edmonton based punk/pop/ rock band Mars And Venus have become huge in Mexico. Indeed their third gig ever a few years ago was in Tijuana.
“Our old guitarist is from Mexico City, so we based the whole tour on him and the people he knows,” said lead singer Carlos (Los Pipes) Calleja.

 They make their Lethbridge debut, Aug. 6 at the Tongue N Groove.

A couple months ago they returned from their second tour of Mexico.

“The first tour was mostly clubs with a few outdoor music festivals. This one was mostly outdoor music festivals with a few clubs,” he enthused. He was surprised to see the interest in their music south of the border.

“They love any kind of Canadian music culture. I was surprised they knew about bands like Moneen and even other Edmonton bands,” he said.

Boundary expanding harmonica player Carlos Del Junco isn’t really in a musical headspace right now, being more concerned with house renovations.
While people seem to like his latest CD “Carlos del Junco and the Blues Mongrels ’ ‘Mongrel Mash,’ it seems like people would rather download it for free rather than pay for it at shows.
“It’s very frustrating. No sooner do you release it, than it is out being downloaded. It seems like a CD is a vanity project. So it’s frustrating because CD sales are a big part of an artist’s income,” said Del Junco.

 While the 2010 Juno nominee and seven time Canadian Maple Blues Award winning harmonica player of the year is often pegged as a bluesman and a harmonica player, his shows appeal to more than just blues fans and harmonica players.

“It does’t just cater to people who just like the harmonica. It’s for anybody who just appreciates good music. I submitted a CD in 2001 for the Junos but nobody would accept it because they said ‘that’s not a blues CD’ or ‘That’s not an instrumental Cd,’” he recalled.

“It’s just good music. I like to let it speak for itself,” he said.

“I don’t get booked to play a lot of hard core blues festivals. My show caters more to a theatre audience,” he said.

 And while various aspects of the music business frustrate him, he really warms to a conversation about his beloved instrument the harmonica.

Australian blues trio The Mason Rack band doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as just a blues act, so they are shaking things up on their new CD “Limit of Grip” as well as on their fourth tour of Canada, which brings them to the Slice, Aug. 4.

“It’s blues rock on steroids,” observed frontman/guitarist Mason Rack on the road to Winnipeg in the middle of their seven week Canadian tour. So far , all of the shows have been sold out with the exception of a few Monday and early week shows.
 The band, which also includes drummer Joel Purkess, also features original bassist Nathan Lee Archer, who comes from Tasmania.

“The new Cd crosses genres. There are a couple alternative songs at the beginning, then some blues rock, then some country-rock then ends with some alternative songs,” he said. The new CD is a studio Cd, while their previous effort was recorded live at  various Canadian shows.

The band doesn’t ever stop touring. They recently won QLD music award for Best Touring Band.
“It feels like we’re touring constantly,” he said. They tour a lot around their home of Queensland, Australia. It is paying off as they continue breaking new ground, launching tours of Japan and the United Kingdom next year.