Women of the Blues

From Ed:
This past weekend was another great run of shows at the club. Thursday we had Danielle Nicole here. She was the first female Blues artist to be nominated in the Bass category for the Blues Music Awards back in 2012. In 2014 she was the second woman to receive the nomination and the first female recipient in that category. Saturday we had Lisa Mann and her Really Good Band here. Lisa was the second woman to receive the Blues Music award for Blues Bassist and she has won the category two years in a row now. Maybe you were not able to make these shows, or if this was simply not enough Women of the Blues for you? If that's the case, don't miss the 4 time Blues Music award nominee Karen Lovely this Sunday at the club. She will be bringing her buddy, International Blues Challenge finalist, John Del Toro with her to perform a special Sunday show. Still not enough Women of the Blues for you, huh? Well check our September calendar to make reservations for Duffy Bishop 9/10, Maria Muldaur 9/11 for another special Sunday showcase and the return of Nikki Hill 9/16.

~Ed Maloney

Highway 99 Blues Book Club!

From Ed:
Well, after much discussion among staff, regulars and musicians about books, specifically music books, we have decided to create a Highway 99 book club. Well, at least our version of one. (I want to make a quick personal note here: My friend Stacy will be very proud of me and Highway 99 Blues Club for starting, what I can only imagine to be, the first ever book club within a Blues music venue.) Every few weeks we will post a new book on here for all to check out. If it seems like something that is of interest to you, give it a read. This forum is open to anyone of you who has an interest in reading about music. Yes, that is correct, staff, music fans, musicians, hell we'll even include our beloved sound guy Kirk in this one. He deserves it!! Grab me at the club and tell me about any book that you would like for me to post and I will get it up here for all to read.

I thought that I would appropriately kick off the Highway 99 Book Club with a nod to a local hero. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers. The Evolution of The People's Instrument by Kim Field. Kim had to leave us for some cool digs in New York City, but is a Seattle guy through and through. He is a national treasure as a blues harmonica player and the most respected author, worldwide, to take on the harmonica as a topic. Kim wrote this book back in 1993. It still stands up today. In my opinion, this is THE book to have in your collection if you are interested in harmonica. This book covers the inception of the instrument, the early days, the various forms of music where the harmonica has been applied, up to Blues and modern day harmonica. I suggest that when you read this book, first skip to the back and read up on the 8 page discography. This is going to be your soundtrack to the book. Find this music and play it as you read the book. It applies to the content of the book itself. You will find this a much more satisfying way to enjoy this read. Then the next time you see Kim, shake his hand and thank him for such an important contribution to music history. You can find this on amazon for $4.73 used and $11.29 new. That's less than the cost of a CD and it covers generations of music.

Buy Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers here

 - Ed

From Steve (May 2, 2016):
VIA-BOOM..??? VIA-DOOM...???

In all the years that Highway 99 Blues Club has been located in our present (and only) location, we have had to deal with more than our fair share of disruptions; construction, viaduct, tunnel, parking, street changes, a sea wall, relocating utilities and a few that I have chosen to forget.....it is not that these things do not impact the club - we know they do; just like sporting events, the weather, tax season, other shows and so on.

Ok. So what's my point? Despite all these things happening, we still stay open, still bring in shows 4 - 5 nights a week, and do all we can to help our patrons deal with whatever might get in their way.  

Last weekend was the first weekend of the Highway 99 viaduct closure - all the news sources predicted something short of the end of the world; and maybe traffic for the rush hours was bad - but what we know is that the streets were practically empty when it came time for our shows to start. There was plenty of parking and access was really not an issue for getting to and from the club.

Hopefully after this weekend things will get back to "normal." In the meantime, if you were thinking of coming to the club for shows this week - but maybe thought it might be a mess - we hope you will reconsider. It is a solid week for shows: starting with Drummerboy on Wednesday, followed by the debut of the Harmonius Funk Band (crazy fun funk show!), then the Mark DuFresne Band on Friday and closing the week with the 2015 WBS Best Blues Act; The Hot Wired Rhythm Band - who was also just announced as part of the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival line-up in July.

As always; thank you for your continued support. Consider this a little nudge to hit the club this week sometime. We appreciate it.

As James Brown said; "let's make everything all right."

The Return of Big Sark's Drum Head

Here's a good ole Highway 99 story with a funny twist. Some of you may remember the story of the Stolen Steve Sarkowsky Drum head. Yes it is true, our founder's drum head, which has hung on the wall among the club memorabilia for many years, went missing about 9 months ago. Some of you may remember being questioned by me. I May have even interrogated a few you "usual suspects" lightly or beyond. Well, I am proud to announce that Big Sark's drum head has been returned to us, interestingly enough, by our brother Eric Elliott. You see, Eric was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. He spent much of his hospital time here in Seattle as well as Las Vegas. Our 99 friends have a unique sense of humor in times of need and often go to extreme lengths to bring a smile to the faces that could use it the most. Well, Eric's got a friend who thought it a funny prank to steal something out of Eric's favorite club in an effort to bring a smile to his face while he was shacked up in the hospital. Good ole Eric Elliott returned the drum head after we had a very successful fundraiser for him just two weeks ago. When questioned by me as to "Why didn't you return this earlier??!!", Eric looked at me funny and simply said, "I've been in the hospital fighting cancer, man!" So I gave him a pass!

You can help a brother a out by contributing to the Go Fund Me campaign that folks are using to help defray the medical bills - every little bit helps:
https://www.gofundme.com/fkmeyyec

Thank you to all of the bands, friends and family who have supported Eric here at our fundraiser and the many events on his behalf throughout the city. Eric is a true Seattle gem, who has devoted many years of his life to preserving and progressing rockabilly and rock n roll music here in Seattle. We look forward to many more years with our brother..... Just as long as his buddies stop stealing our shit, man!!!

Mckinley Wike - "Mack" - was the co-founder of the band Mutha Knows Best, formed 15 years ago. Music was among his life's passions. He was the band's drummer and was one of the reasons they rose to prominence among music fans throughout the Pacific Northwest. Playing at Highway 99 several times and bringing the house down with "True D Funk", he will be remembered for his smile, his kindness, his loving wife Diane (#1 MKB Fan), and his children. Mckinley is probably organizing a gig in Heaven. Rest In Peace.

New Menu Items, More South For Your Mouth!

From Ed:
Well, this year has seen many cool upgrades and developments down here at the club. It's been fun kickin' this joint up a notch. In the past month we've been running some new food specials and testing out some ideas. I'd like to share a few new menu items that we think are going to make the final cut, and a couple that already have. First, we have added one new salad and one entrée to our core menu. After much conversation with many of you, we have come to realize that we should have more vegetarian and vegan options on our menu. Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to introduce the Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad: Fresh roasted red and golden beets, goat cheese and candied pecans, on a bed of mixed greens, tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette. Please request no goat cheese to make this bad boy vegan friendly. On the entrée side, the Bourbon St. Pork Loin has been dominating the menu in recent weeks: two pan-seared pork medallions sautéed with a rich house made bourbon gravy, topped with red onions and served with our garlic whipped potatoes.

Here are a few items that we are running as specials this week. Come on down, have a taste and let us know what you think.

Creole Tofu
Blackened tofu, sautéed in a Cajun sauce, with a mix of greens, onion, broccoli and carrots, and red beans, finished with our cilantro, jalapeño lime sauce and served over rice.

Mississippi Roast
Boneless chuck roast, massaged in our own 99 rub and seared to hold the flavors in. Slow roasted, in our homemade southern style buttermilk dressing. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Pork Ribs, Half or Full Rack
Marinated overnight, our baby back pork ribs are slow braised and fall off the bone. Served with skillet cornbread and rice and beans.

Pahk Ya Cah!

(originally published Feb. 24, 2016)

From Ed:
This year has been extraordinary for us down at the club. After a, "too close for comfort" scare with our lease that consumed much of our attention and energy last year, we have been able to bounce back with many highly attended shows. The remodel, top-shelf booking and some anticipated menu changes have added to your interest in visiting this ole juke joint. The biggest factor in our year so far has been your continued support of the club and the alliance that we have formed with the musicians who grace our stage. Trust me, I am very aware of the challenges that you face as you make your plans to get here. In route to Highway 99 Blues Club, you have been tasked to navigate various construction projects throughout the city. As it seems, the closer that you get to the club, the denser these projects have become, at times even right at our front door. Most of all, Steve and I want to say thank you very much for your continued support throughout this. You have all been at our side consistently and we are proud that you won't let any of this get you down. Together, we are not going to forgo the experience of live music, in the city's premier Blues venue.

Good news on the horizon. As the seawall construction project moves north, parking spaces will be opening up again on the west side of Alaskan Way. The parking spots across the street will be back this upcoming weekend. Directly across the street, on the west side of Alaskan Way. The spots that begin at the end of Pier 51, The Big Wheel, and south on the same side of the street will be opening up beginning this coming weekend. These are available to park and are well lit for your safety and that of your vehicle. We also have our spaces back in the lot in front of the club. (The Puget Sound Energy project has been completed.) One note, very important, do not park at the area in between our block and the Public Storage building. (The Union street pedestrian pass through). In recent weeks, Seattle Parking Enforcement has been ticketing there, and the tickets are steep. As always, I am available to walk any of you back to your cars at the end of the night. With all of the construction and police presence down here, I have not heard of any incidents of concern. However, throughout the years, single women, some of our elder clientele and Andrew Cloutier feel a stronger sense of safety when escorted by a handsome gentleman in a suit. Don't hesitate to ask me, there's a reason we call the club home, and you are our guests, or family!! That's all the info for now, I'll see you this weekend down at the club. - Ed