Time: 9:30 p.m.
Cover: $10
It is a rare occurrence for a” Blues” artist to take to the stage in Joe’s Garage at Average Joe’s Sports Bar in Lethbridge, but a blues performer it is who will perform on Saturday, August 17th. His name is Whiteboy Slim. He is Saskatchewan born but he learned his craft in the blues scene of Toronto nightclubs. He was part of a band named Automatic Slim that was the house band on 4 different nights in 4 different clubs in that dynamic city. While pursuing his solo career, Whiteboy Slim has moved back west. He has 4 CDs to his credit. His sound stays true to the spirit of the blues music. He plays old tunes from the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Fats Waller and mixes that with his own original songs that speak to contemporary experience. The Whiteboy Slim concert will start at 9:30 P.M. Tickets are $10.00 and are available at Average Joes, 420 -6th street south or on line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Maurice Richard Libby Evolves
Maurice Richard Libby is a musician and visual artist. He takes a consistent approach to his work in both media, mixing and matching his tools on tried-and-tested structures. Musically, he draws on experience and a diverse set of influences, including jazz, funk, world music and hip-hop, to create a very personal, coherent and enduring blues sound.
Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong sparked Maurice's interest in music and in 'blue' sounds. He started to experiment with a number of instruments as a child and was soon winning awards with his first band.
Still in his teens, Maurice sang and played harmonica in the blues group Red Meat, which featured his brother Michael on Drums and Ray Montana, the Regina guitarist who went on to back up Sawyer Brown, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Paycheck.
Pedigree
After moving to Toronto, Maurice took on the persona of Whiteboy Slim. His driving blues outfit, Automatic Slim, was a popular live attraction, filling classic venues like the El Mocambo, The Silver Dollar Saloon, and the Black Swan. Automatic Slim was the house band at four different clubs on different nights of the week, and was noted for having best grossing Wednesday night downstairs at the El Mocambo. Maurice shared the stage during this period with other key Canadian blues artists, such as the brilliant guitarist and harmonica player, Michael Picket, and the Kendall-Wall Blues band.
When personnel changes eventually shut down Automatic Slim, Maurice embarked on a solo career, playing jazz in Toronto clubs, then returning to Saskatchewan, where he plays his blues solo and in various group formations.
Maurice learned his craft in impressive company. While reading Jazz and Composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he hung out with fellow students and teachers including jazz great Gary Burton, pianist Al Copley (co-founder of Roomful of Blues), and bassist Ron McClure (bassist with Charles Lloyd, Wynton Kelly, Quest, The 4th Way, Joe Henderson, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Pointer Sisters, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk).
Philosophy
In life, as in their work, blues musicians are typically improvisers. In committing to their music, they must often struggle to reap the rewards that come more easily to their peers in more popular genres. So, how does Maurice Richard Libby see things?
"Everything is changing; the music business is in a mess, with pre-fabricated popstars who have little talent and less creativity flitting through our lives known more for their clothes or sex lives than they are for their music. The record companies are crying about downloaders, and even (big label) artists who sell large numbers of CDs live on what they could make working at a burger joint. But there is a bright side: it's cheap to record and the Internet lets you reach out to the whole world, so my philosophy is just to go out there and catch as big a wave as I can and ride it for as long as I can."
The place is an arcade/nightclub— 420 - 6 Street South.
