Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Bluesdays this summer have been especially joyous gatherings.
Now in its 13th year, the Tuesday events in The Village at Palisades Tahoe grew to epic proportions by 2019 with three electrifying early-season performances by Vanessa Collier, Daniel Nicole Band and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. But 2020 was wiped out by Covid and 2021 was cut in half due to wildfires.
Now that the music is back, each show is like a celebration. Village-goers are appreciative of live sounds and to be outside and socializing. There’s also a sense of escape from the nation’s polarized climate.
This week’s feature, Dennis Jones, is a quintessential artist to head the party.
“Whatever our religious or political differences, it seems to all go out the window,” said Jones, who appeared at Bluesdays three times between 2016-2019. “It’s about getting people together and looking at the person next to you. Basically, we all want the same thing, but we may have different ways of approaching it. I’m just tired of all the divide and conquer that’s worked in the past and that seems to be working now. I just think where like-minded people get together, there’s an energy there. You can cause a change and you can feel it in the air when you have enough love around you.”
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
“I Hate Hate” is a notable song from Jones’ seventh album, “Soft, Hard & Loud.” Jones is known as a bluesman and a rocker. But “I Hate Hate” was straight-ahead reggae, a style used to put a cheerful spin on ugliness.
“I think it’s up to musicians to really say what’s going on but also to bring some hope to the crazy world we live in,” he said.
“I like to using the word love a lot. It’s something that quite a few people are afraid to express or afraid to say because they think it’s going to take something away from their masculinity or whatever. It’s something that musicians have been preaching forever, especially the ’60s and ’70s. It never gets old because we’re fighting the same battles.
“I think love conquers all. And it’s knowledge. People need to learn to the real truth and not just what’s been shoved down their throats by society and politics and religion. Music is so incredible by the way it heals and make people become one.”
A native of Baltimore and a military veteran, Jones lives in Los Angeles. His trio includes drummer Raymond Johnson and new bassist Rob McDonald.
“I like that (Bluesdays) is a free event and it’s all ages, so I think it’s great to influence some of the younger generation to listen to blues and want to play it and also the parents and grandparents who enjoy this style of music,” Jones said.
A prolific songwriter, Jones is influenced by the music of the 1970s and bands and artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, The Beatles and Parliament Funkadelic.
“They’re in my DNA,” he said. “To do one thing is just not who I am. I know I could be a lot further along in my career if I could pick one genre, but I’m my own label and my own publishing and I can make these decisions for myself. I see people like me who like all kinds of styles that are in that era.”
-Tim Parsons
- Bluesdays
Village at Palisades
6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays
Bring your own chair - July 19: Dennis Jones Band
- July 26: Albert Castiglia
- Aug. 2: Aki Kumar
- Aug. 9: J.C. Smith
- Aug. 16: Studebaker John & The Hawks
- Aug. 23: Eddie 9V
- Aug. 30: Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings
