Bluesdays: Blues Monsters

Tuesdays are Bluesdays in the Village at Squaw Valley.  The ninth season opens with the Blues Monsters

Larry Yates started the Blues Monsters in the 1980. “He moved to Los Angeles and he wanted us to go with him but we said, ‘No, we’re not going to leave Lake Tahoe,’ ” said Chuck Dunn, who along with Barry Slayton, Tom Barnes and Michael Overhauser, has been the core of Tahoe’s most enduring blues band.

“Keeping a band together is really hard,” Dunn said. “It’s like a marriage or a business. But we all have the same focus and we get along. We ‘re all in our 60s now and if someone ever leaves the band we will fold. That’s how we feel about every member of this band. We’re just lucky that we all hooked up. We have something good and we’re satisfied.”

For the big shows, and there will be plenty of them this summer, the Blues Monsters will be joined by the Groove Foundry horn section, Jen Campbell, Todd Mather and Brian “Nak” Nakagawa. Slayton also plays with Groove Foundry.

Terry “The Secret Weapon” Ogg, a keyboardist, also plays with the band.

When he shows up with his B3 organ and two Leslies (speakers) it’s like a rocket ship taking off,” Dunn said.

Bluebird skiing meets Bluesdays during an unprecedented summer of great music at Squaw Valley.

Because of the Sierra Nevada’s greatest snowpack in decades, the lifts will be in operation on the Fourth of July when Chris Cain will perform down in the Village.

This summer’s Bluesdays offers a litany of nationally known artists, including Ronnie Baker Brooks, Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings and Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers.

“I know I say it every year, but it just keeps getting better,” said Caroline Ross, the executive director of the Squaw Village Neighbourhood Company. “This is hands down the best Bluesdays lineup we have ever had, plus we’ll be skiing before the Chris Cain show on July 4.”

Bluesdays began in 2009 when the economy was lagging. The organizers wanted to put on a free midweek event. It has become the area’s musical summertime staple. The free shows are from 6 to 8:30 p.m. There are food and drink vendors, along with the many restaurants and shops in the village. The Auld Dubliner features after-party bands.

Along with the Bluesdays lineup, Squaw Valley presents the Aug. 12-13 Brews Jazz & Funk Fest. Orgone and The Motet are the headliners. The openers will be regional favorites Jelly Bread and The Sextones.