It’s the beginning of February, so it is a good time of the year to sing the blues.
Fortunately there are a few excellent blues shows happening this week.
Steve Dawson, who not only produces a lot of Canada’s top roots and blues acts, is also a multi-instrumentalist and a huge fan of the Mississippi Sheiks. So he will be bringing a tribute to the the latter to Lethbridge, Feb. 2 at the Southminster United Church.
Dawson, a backing band plus Del Ray, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jim Byrnes will all be playing their favourite Sheiks songs. The Mississippi Sheiks mostly recorded during the 1930s, but influenced many a blues musician with their blend of delta blues, ragtime, jazz and several other genres.
Tickets for the show cost $47.50. 
The show begins at 8 p.m.
The other big blues show is the Todd Wolfe Trio, who play the Slice, Monday, Feb. 6. The New York raised, Los Angeles based guitarist is best known for play with Sheryl Crow and writing several of her hits with her before she hit it big, but he has a hot new psychedelic blues trio, which make their Lethbridge debut this week. He will be playing an array of originals, blues classics and psychedelic jams.
Tickets are seven dollars in advance or nine dollars at the door for the show which begins at 9 p.m., Feb. 6.
There are several other very cool shows this week including Del Barber, who plays the Slice, Feb. 2.
And if you like modern rock, Hedley and guests play the Enmax Centre, Feb. 2 as well.
In a similar vein, there will be an excellent hard rock show at the Slice, Feb. 3 featuring Mr. Personal, Berserker, Milwaukee Talkie and the Dirti Speshuls.
There is even a rockabilly show this week as Buzz Elroy and his Hayseed Rockets rock it at the Slice, Feb. 4.
For something completely different, The Lethbridge Symphony presents the Magic Flute at Southminster United Church, Feb. 3-4 featuring members of the University of Lethbridge opera workshop.
On a non blues related note, Lethbridge College presents their third annual band wars at the Barn, Feb. 3. Diminished 5th, Red Rum Triumph, Berserker, Vista Park, the Ketamines, The Two Tubes, Cosmic Charley, Dead Eye Strobe Lights, Caste of Shadows and Lightworker are all scheduled to perform at the event which begins at 7 p.m.. They will be competing for over $1,000 in cash and prizes, with the winner taking home $800. The runner up receives $200 and Long and McQuade has donated gift certificates for the third through tenth place.
A panel of judges including Ray Burgess- CLRC The Kodiak; Richard Amery- LA Beat Magazine; Bridgette Yarwood- The Living Luca; Bente Hansen- U of L Music Department; Cameron Skip- Communication Arts will help make the tough decision.
Also this weekend, Lethbridge blues tinged singer songwriter Leigh Doerksen has a gig at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Feb 4.
Joel Bryant and Pete Watson will be playing the Owl the night before.
It is also a good week for open mics.
The New Weather Machine host the Slice’s open mic , tonight beginning at approximately at 9 p.m. There is also a Thursday night open mic at the University of Lethbridge Students Union Zoo, from 5-7:30 p.m. So check that out. And, it being the first Friday of the month, check out a bluegrass jam at the Lethbridge Folk Club’s Wolf‘s Den, Friday night at 7 p.m.
