THE LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES REVIEW TOUR
SELLERSVILLE THEATRE
Sellersville, Pennsylvania

Another road trip in January is just what we needed to continue to carry us through the cold winter here in the Northeast.  This was our first show at the Sellersville Theatre, and based on some other reviews we checked out we knew we were in for a great performance!  We traveled in the luxury of Doug Metzgar’s conversion van, and stopped for some quick eats at Bubba’s Restaurant in Quakertown.  Yes, we are definitely in the sticks!

We arrived at the Theatre around 7:00 PM and met with Theatre Manager Alyson Nelson.  Ms. Nelson got us situated for photos, and was super accommodating compared to some other places we have been.  The Theatre is a beautiful little venue with seating for about 350 people.  There are 21 rows of 14 seats and six cabaret tables out front of the stage.  Nice and cozy!

At the core of the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue is the Tommy Castro Band (Tommy Castro – Guitar & Vocals, Scot Sutherland – Bass Guitar & Vocals, Chris Sandoval – Drums, Keith Crossan – Saxophone, and Tom Poole – Trumpet).  These guys are smokin’ at the core but then throw in Deanna Bogart – Keyboards, Sax,  & Vocals, Richard Salwitz (aka Magic Dick) – Harmonica & Vocals, and last but not least Ronnie Baker Brooks – Guitar & Vocals, and you have an explosion of talent all on one stage that won’t leave any Blues Fan short-changed!

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue was created when this phenomenal collaboration of talented artists were booked to play together by Roger Naber to headline The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.  Regardless of the concept of bringing the show to dry land, or just creating a unique and special show in its own right doesn’t really matter here, as the show speaks for itself!  We got almost three solid hours of high energy blues on this particular Sunday evening, and I think we would have gotten more if the Theatre didn’t have an 11:00 PM cut off time.

The Tommy Castro Band kicked off the first set with Deanna Bogart accompanying the band and playing some of her own material (including a powerhouse version of Unchain My Heart) throughout the entire evenings show.  This was not too unbelievable considering that this is the mega-energy level we have seen every time we have seen Deanna!  Trumpeter Tom Poole and saxman Keith Crossan were laying down great horn parts all night long, and Crossan layed down a cool instrumental tune from his new release.  One of many memorable highlights of the night was Deanna Bogart accompanying Keith Crossan for a back and forth dueling saxophone session, ending up with both Deanna and Keith playing on their knees. 

Magic Dick made the stage later in the set looking kind of like someone from the late 60’s on Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco but playing the harmonica as fiercely as a young James Cotton.  I am sure that the Blues Purists may have been a little disappointed with Magic Dick’s material, however, for me it brought me right back to a great place in time!  Along with several J. Geils' tunes, including Whammer Jammer, I’ve Got To Find My Baby, and Give it to Me,  Magic Dick also played some cool blues tunes like She’s the No Sleepinist Woman and Tell Me Momma.

Ronnie Baker Brooks was the last of the Revue artists to come on stage, and he was introduced by Tommy Castro as the Crown Prince of Chicago Blues.  Ronnie took the energy level up yet another notch to end the first set.  At this point the blues seemed to be dripping off the Theatres’ hanging tapestry, especially following Ronnie’s guitar walk through the Theatre.

Following a short intermission and CD signing session by most of the Revue artists, all the musicians returned to the stage for the super jam finale set!  Everyone had a turn here, but the icing on the cake without any doubt was Ronnie Baker Brooks playing Muddy Waters’ She’s 19 Years Old and Mannish Boy.  Now that was blues you could feel in your gut (and your heart of course)! 

The encore was a high energy version of the J. Geils Band classic version of I’m Lookin for a Lover, and before we knew it three-and-a-half hours had passed and the band was taking bows!  We got to speak with our old friend and powerhouse drummer Chris Sandoval briefly after the show, and we thanked him for the wonderful performance.  Between him and Scot Sutherland there’s a lot to be said about the backbone of this Revue Team!  You guys are the real deal!

It was a smooth ride back to the Pocono’s following the show, and we all had plenty of good memories to reminisce.  Hopefully the time until the next live Blues gig will be short.  We’ll keep you posted, as we are hoping to cover the Magic Slim & the Teardrops show at Terra Blues on February 28th.    

Till Next Time, Regards Blues Fans!