The final deadline to be considered for a performance slot at this year’s MidPoint Music Festival (returning to Downtown this Sept. 24-26) is Friday, May 1. Get thee to mpmf.com to submit. There have also been a couple of other MPMF09 developments. The first performer for the fest has been announced — ex-Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell and his band the 400 Unit  

Chicago native Nick Moss found his love for the Blues early in life, learning guitar from his older brother and sneaking into local clubs to absorb the vibe as a teenager. On a foray to a Blues jam, Moss met electric Blues icon Jimmy Dawkins who, as fate would have it, needed a bass player. Moss scored a longstanding gig in Dawkins' band, which led to stints with the Legendary Blues Band and guitarist Jimmy Rogers.  

There is that old cliche among Blues purists that says, "You have to live the Blues to play the Blues." Don't tell that to the dozen or so teenagers in the Blues in the Schools Band who will take the stage Jan. 30-31 at the Southgate House performing as one of 25 acts on three stages for the annual two-night Winter Blues Fest.  

Choosing the year's best DVDs is a difficult task. The market has become so large, divergent, inclusive and specialized that comprehensive surveys are Herculean efforts, with the only guarantee being that something of worth is overlooked.  

I may be talking with The Blue Shivers, but this evening the Sitwell’s Coffeehouse room temperature = a sauna. “How much clothes can we take off before we get arrested?” drummer Dave Palermo asks. His wild hair shifts when he laughs. Like a fiery Muppet.