We went to the Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room last night for Mark Hummel’s Harmonica blow out. We had a great time. Drank lots of Pale Ale and listened to live music. What could be better?

The basic band is Mark Hummel on vocals and harp, Charles Wheal and Rusty Zinn (AWESOME, both of ’em) with a bass player and drummer I didn’t get the names of, dammit.

The extra harp players were John Mayall, Lazy Lester, Kenny Neal, Fingers Taylor, and the guy who puts on the show at the brewery. I don’t know his name but if were less Lazy, I could look it up.

My favorite part of the whole night was when Lazy Lester did a song called “Five Long Years.” It was as good as it gets.  The band got into that old song and got into a blues groove that made my hair stand on end. Seriously great. I didn’t record that one, naturally.

Anyway, John Mayall played. He played songs off his old Laurel Canyon album, and some off his newest album, “Palace of the King.” He was very good. Older and slower, but aren’t we all? I could have watched more of him and less of some of the others, but everybody was good. I really enjoyed the whole show.

Mark Hummel’s Harmonica Blowout – Chico

Here’s the longest video created by my new little Christmas camera. I thought it did pretty well, considering I didn’t know how to use it and was trying to figure it out in the dark. Also, it’s my first uploaded video. It’s John Mayall, Kenny Neil, Lazy Lester, Fingers Taylor, the Blues Survivors band and Mark Hummel.

I’m trying to upload a shorter one (or two) but they’re really not worth watching. I just like to torture you with home movies. Here it is now!
[Later that same night: I give up. Half the time the embedded video screws up the whole page, so to hell with it. Just click the link and get your torture straight from YouTube. ]