Main Blues

By Robert Horn

In the town of Edmonds, Washington is a little place with something bigger than just it's size going on. When you walk in you will notice a bronze award behind the bar. It is posted in the middle of the wall at eye level for all to see. It is a Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues (BB) Award for Best Blues Club 2009. How could such a little place have such a big award? Well, this may help you answer that. 

The place just has stools along a bar, a dozen tables that groups of friends can sit at, and another room with some pool tables in it. But, the fun people have there delivers the votes from Washington Blues Society members so that it is talked about in the same breath as some much bigger blues clubs in the state. I have been to Engels Pub a few times before to hear acts like The Stacy Jones Band and others. 

Saturday February 19th, I dropped in again to hear Blues Attitude. I have known their drummer, "Smoke" (not a bad name for a drummer) since he played with the Steamers years ago down in the Olympia area. It was fun to see and hear Jerry play guitar and sing. He is yet another great NW guitar player that deserves more recognition. He came from Alabama with a guitar in his hand and blues in his heart and soul. I was impressed by T-Bone who plays bass because he does things way beyond a simple bass line and helps make the whole show entertaining. They played a lot of things including Crosscut Saw, which is on their CD. They did a lot of old classics like Big Dawg, Messin' With the Kid, Key to the Highway, Pride and Joy, and some rock songs like Gloria (G-L-O-R-I-A) and even did a Brian Setzer Orchestra song. 

Yes, I couldn't help but dance. It is a fun band and a fun place. The crowd there includes some blues fans you may see at a Washington Blues Society meeting, but more of the crowd is from the neighborhood. There was a birthday party there that night. And while I didn't know the people who were born on Feb 19th and celebrating (I guess there were two of them), I did fell like they are part of my family. Neighborhood bars and blues bars are good combinations. Ya'll come out!