On his seventh annual National Steel Blues Emergency Tour, Doc MacLean has been driving across the country in his battered Lincoln, with a working man’s 1929 National Steel guitar and a pocket full of harmonicas.
After nearly 50 sold out shows with fellow bluesman Morgan Davis, MacLean will be continuing his western expedition with a handful of select, solo dates, including Lorenzo’s Café, east of Enderby, on Saturday.
Maclean has been administering his blues medicine coast to coast, answering some 75 calls in nine provinces since September.
“The all-acoustic, songs and stories in the round presentation has conducted operations in venues large and small, grand and humble across the land,” he said.
A true blues vagabond, MacLean has been writing from the dark side of the blues highway for the past 40 years. On that journey, he has explored the road atlas from A to Z, surfacing sometimes on big stages in fancy halls, sometimes streetside trolling for change and a meal.
He’s done this without managers, agents, or record companies. There’s no fancy new guitars. He’s a traveller, a collector and teller of songs and stories — a songster in the blues tradition. Blues Revue magazine has called him “The Prince of Darkness.”
Those interested in reading about MacLean’s journey can check out his blog at BluesEmergency.blogspot.com.
MacLean hits the stage at Lorenzo’s, 901 Mabel Lake Rd., Saturday at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. and cover is $10. Call (250) 838-6700 for reservations/information.
