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From Bangkok to Pattaya, Musicians are Beating the Blues

For the third year in a row, Thailand will sing the blues for One World Beat! Jeff Thomsen of Soi Dog Blues Band is once again organizing a scintillating line-up of talent, who will perform at the famous Tokyo Joe's Blues Bar and Restaurant in Bangkok on May 6th and 7th, from 8pm onwards. OWB 2006 will feature eight of Bangkok's top blues and jazz bands, volunteering their time and skills to raise donations for underprivileged children at the Human Development Foundation's Mercy Centre.

On May 6th, starting at 9pm, The Blues Factory in Pattaya --the premier location for blues, rock 'n' roll, and R&B outside of Bangkok--has an exciting event in the making, with two bands and special guests, and proceeds to benefit children.

The Blues Factory has a six-member house band, including a bassist who has been in the business for 20 years--playing with many of the country's top names--and a front-woman from the Philippines, who speaks five languages, sings, dances, and plays the drums. Lam Morrison is Thailand's greatest guitarist and first Thai rock artist to sell a million copies of an album, called "Night in Bangkok". Guitarist and Blues Factory music director, Ken "Snowman" Minahan, was born in Chicago and toured the world before settling in Thailand.

Soi Dog Blues Band--called "the Red Hot Chili Peppers of the Blues"--have been influenced by, and currently perform the songs of such greats as Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Willie Dixon, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 2004, they headed an exciting multi-band line-up playing at Tokyo Joe's, while another six bands performed at the Monkey Club, raising funds to help children and people living with HIV/AIDS.

In January 2005, Soi Dog and other talented bands staged concerts during OWB's "Beat the Wave" campaign--to benefit the survivors of the Asian tsunami which hit the region in December 2004--and then again in March at several popular venues (Tokyo Joe's, Noriega's, and CoCo Blues on Samui Island), to help children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. We love these musicians for their big hearts, commitment to making the world a better place, and because they truly know how to "Beat" the blues!

For more information, contact Jeff Thomsen at jrt@soidogblues.com (Tokyo Joe's) and David Withers (The Blues Factory) at thebluesfactoryco@hotmail.com.