Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames · Dave Herrero

Sunday, June 7 at 12:00 PM

Blues Brunch

Lineup

Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames

Listen on Spotify ↗Last.fm ↗

Dave Weld - Guitar and vocals Abb Locke - Sax and vocals Jeff Taylor - Drums and vocals Monica Garcia (Mona Rose) - Percussion, Harp and vocals Dave Kaye - Bass Born in Chicago in 1952, Dave was first influenced as a child when he found an old Victrola in the basement and wore out the blues 78's. In high school… Dave Weld - Guitar and vocals Abb Locke - Sax and vocals Jeff Taylor - Drums and vocals Monica Garcia (Mona Rose) - Percussion, Harp and vocals Dave Kaye - Bass Born in Chicago in 1952, Dave was first influenced as a child when he found an old Victrola in the basement and wore out the blues 78's. In high school the Stones, Clapton and Mayall first came out but Dave traded those records for Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin Hopkins, and BB King. After high school Weld moved to New Mexico, and studied guitar under Kurt Black, a jazz player who worked with Benny Carter, Grant Green and others in the New York jazz scene. Also he drove to Nevada and met and jammed with Gatemouth Brown. Weld bought Hound Dog Taylor's first Alligator album, heard Howlin Wolf over the radio in the desert one night, packed up and drove back home in his 67' Ford, and made it with $10 to spare. Dave found out the West side of Chicago in the black hood was friendlier than the North side, and started sitting in at clubs, and landed a gig with Hound Dog Taylor's band, Brewer Phillips, Ted Harvey, at Sweet Peas on 43rd St. While there a year, there were shake dancers and fistfights. The gig ended when Brewer was stabbed in the throat by his wife, but they reconciled. Weld then moved to the 1815 Club on W. Roosevelt, owned and operated by Eddie Shaw who had Howlin Wolfs band, the Wolf Pack. Dave stayed there and played in the band with Chico Chism, Lafayette Gilbert, Hubert Sumlin, Detroit Junior, and Eddie Shaw. The going rate was $15 per night, but Dave played there with Otis Rush, Maxwell St. Jimmy, Guitar Junior, Jew Town Burks, Doug Macdonald, Boston Blackie, Tail Dragger, Little Wolf, Big Bad Ben, Little Aurthur, Johnny Littlejohn and more. The gig ended when the band was taken to the Maxwell St. lockup because of the nude dancers. Shaw bailed them out. During this time Weld was under tutelage from JB Hutto, a Grammy awarded Blues Hall of Fame slide man from Georgia. He studied at JB's house for three years until JB introduced Dave to his nephews, Little Ed and James Young. They started the band "Little Ed and the Blues Imperials" and played every joint in the West side for ten years. About $15 a night, until Bruce Igauer from Alligator recorded them in a historic session "Roughousin'" and they started world tours. Dave started "Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames" in 1988 with Little Ed's Blessing and they came out with their first CD "Roughrockin' in Chicago", on Parsifal Records in Belgium, and Dave toured Europe, Canada and Japan with his own band. Little Ed joined Dave's band twice for two years each time and the second time they recorded for Earwig Music, "Keep on Walkin'", and this brought them overseas again, as well as local, regional, and national gigs. When Ed went back to his band he was replaced by the great Abb Locke, legendary sax man who is in the band today with Jeff Taylor, Monica (Garcia) Myhre and Dave Kaye. They continue working every week since the band was formed in 1988, and Dave made his first UK tour in 2005, with the second to closing slot at the Maryport Blues Festival, going full circle by opening up for Hubert Sumlin and the Legendary Blues Band! 'Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames' are also on Last.fm as:'Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames Blues Band' Read moreShow less

Dave Herrero

Listen on Spotify ↗Last.fm ↗

DAVE HERRERO (Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals) I’ve been singing and playing guitar professionally since the age of 18. Music had always been in my blood. My grandfather, with a third grade education, was arranging for 17 piece orchestras in Dominican Republic by the age of 16. His band, “Luis Herrero and the Dominican Seren… DAVE HERRERO (Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals) I’ve been singing and playing guitar professionally since the age of 18. Music had always been in my blood. My grandfather, with a third grade education, was arranging for 17 piece orchestras in Dominican Republic by the age of 16. His band, “Luis Herrero and the Dominican Serenaders,” played the World’s Fair in NYC in 1939, and the first color broadcast television show ever out of NYC. So, the way I see it, I’m simply carrying on a family tradition. Thus far, I have had a very blessed career, playing USO tours of Hungary, Bosnia, and Macedonia, when I was playing guitar with Archie Bell and the Drells (“Tighten Up!”), having toured Europe 13 times under my own name, and working with my current band, featuring some of the finest musicians anywhere. We currently tour Europe and throughout the U.S., and you can find us performing monthly at Buddy Guy’s Legends, here in Chicago. I am also proud to say I have just finished co-producing a new CD for soul/blues legend, Mr. Jimmy Burns, entitled “Stuck in the Middle.” FELIX REYES (Guitar, Vocals) Felix Reyes is a gem. He and I have been working together very closely for the past 16 years. He’s one of those rare people in this world that has taken it upon himself to inspire the next generation of musicians, and always holds a high standard of excellence. His successes include penning the title track for Susan Tedeschi’s Grammy Nominated “Wait For Me” album. He’s shared the stage with B.B. King (5x), Jimmie Vaughan, Gregg Allman, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Susan Tedeschi (the list goes on and on). Also, to his additional credit, he was the mentor to the late Sean Costello. ED STROHSAHL (Electric Bass, Upright Bass) Atlanta native Ed Strohsahl and I have been working together, on and off, for the past 16 years as well. Ed began playing bass at the age of ten in his school orchestra, before switching to jazz in high school. He attended the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies. While attending UNF, Ed worked as a freelance bass player for numerous jazz, R&B, and blues artists in the region. In addition to performing and recording, Ed taught privately and participated in numerous music clinics and workshops at area schools, and spent a month in Senegal as part of a cross-cultural music collaboration funded by the State of Florida. Ed moved to New York City in 2001, and began performing around the city as well as teaching at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center's "Jazz For Teens" program, wherein promising local teens received intense extra-curricular instruction from local musicians. Ed relocated to the Midwest in 2008, where he now works as a freelance bassist and a producer with Trackforce Productions, producing music for several national television shows. MARK DIFFENDERFFER (Drums, Percussions) Mark “Diff” Diffenderffer has been working with The Hero Brothers Band for the past year. He has played in bands with everyone from the who’s who of Blues and roots music. Some of the bands he has been in include: The Otis Rush Orchestra, Syl Johnson and John Primer Blues Band. He is a welcome addition to the band, and his road and recording experience are tough to surpass. Read moreShow less

Venue

South Loop

2105 S State St Map ↗

Hours: Daily 11am–1am