Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:11 a.m.
Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
Individually, blues artists Norton Buffalo and Roy Rogers are dynamite.
Together, they're nuclear.
Buffalo, with his harmonica, and Rogers, with his steel guitar, performed for a standing-room-only crowd at Boulder Station's Railhead last week -- part of the venue's free, weekly blues series.
The award-winning musicians have impeccable blues credentials.
For many years Rogers was a featured performer with the late John Lee Hooker and his group, the Coast to Coast Blues Band. He also produced many of Hooker's records.
Rogers has eight solo recordings of his own: "Chops Not Chaps," "Slidewinder," "Blues on the Range," "Slide of Hand," "Slide Zone," "Rhythm & Groove," and "Pleasure & Pain."
Buffalo has three solo albums: "Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon" (1977), "Desert Horizons" (1978) and "King of the Highway" (2000).
Although he has only three albums of his own to his credit, Buffalo has been one of the busiest musicians in the business throughout his career.
Besides being a member of the Steve Miller Band for 25 years, he has played backup on more than 100 albums by such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins and the Doobie Brothers.
The two Northern California natives (Buffalo from Richmond, Rogers from Vallejo) have careers that have crossed paths many times over the past 20 years or so.
In 1991 they finally teamed up and created "R&B," one of the top blues albums of the decade. The following year they cut "Travellin' Tracks."
Although they perform backup duties on CDs for each other on occasion and sometimes appear in concert together, they didn't combine their awesome talents to make another album until last year, when they cut "Roots of Our Nature" (released by Blind Pig).
Their two-man performance at Boulder Station was sprinkled with gems from the three albums: "Ain't No Bread in the Bread" is a classic from the "R&B" album; "Don't Throw Your Changes on Me," from "Travellin' Tracks"; and "If I Were A King" and "Long Hard Road," from "Roots of Our Nature."
The duo said they recently returned from a concert tour in China, where they sang at The Great Wall.
"We sang 'Shake Your Money Maker,' and they translated the title to 'Wave Your Money Printing Machine,' " Buffalo laughed as he and Rogers launched into the song for Las Vegas fans.
They ended the evening with "Tender Heart," from "R&B."
When the concert was over the two stayed around and signed autographs and sold CDs.
Buffalo said he and Rogers would like to spend more time in Las Vegas, but there aren't many venues for their style of music.
Maybe if they did card tricks, or impressions ...
Lounging around
Jazz is singing the blues with the recent closing of two local venues. The Blue Note Las Vegas shut down on Jan. 15, the Kitchen Cafe's doors were locked permanently on Jan. 17.
The Blue Note, which is based in New York and has franchises in several cities, has had a rough go of it since it opened two years ago at the Aladdin. Among the complaints by customers -- high prices, difficult to get to and constant construction in the area.
The Kitchen, a Greek/Italian restaurant that opened 12 years ago, had a popular lounge where professional and amateur jazz musicians and singers jammed on Wednesday nights. Keyboardist Dennis Mellen, who anchored the gig for four years, says when he discovered the doors padlocked that it was "a clear indication that it's time to move on."
Savoy Brown, the English band that helped launch the blues/rock movement in Great Britain in 1966, will perform at Boulder Station's Railhead Feb. 13, as part of the free weekly blues series. Guitarist/vocalist Kim Simmonds founded the group, which paved the way for such bands as Led Zeppelin. He continues to head the band whose earliest hits included "I'm Tired" and "Louisiana Blues." Performances are at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Joe Krathwohl has flown the coop. The Birdman of Las Vegas is no longer at the Tropicana's Tropics Lounge, where for 12 years he entertained fans with his amazing feathered friends. Bird trainer Tianna Carroll has replaced Krathwohl. Her bevy of birds perform three 20-minute shows daily (dark Thursdays), at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Starting Feb. 4, vocalist Jeneane Marie will appear at the Cannery's Pinups Lounge from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and on Sundays and from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Dark Mondays.
Catch karaoke at the Palms' Palapa Lounge, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesdays.
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