IN CONCERT
What: Mark Hummel鈥檚 Golden State-Lone Star Revue, with opening act David Gates
Where: V-Lounge, 3366 Douglas St. (in the Red Lion Inn and Suites)
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $30 at Lyle鈥檚 Place or at the door
The foundation for Mark Hummel鈥檚 Golden State-Lone Star Revue was built over nearly 70 years, thanks to a stream of blues musicians from Texas who slowly migrated to California.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a long history of guys who started in Texas and moved to L.A.,鈥� Hummel, 66, said during a tour stop in Spokane, Washington.
鈥淭hat has been going on since the 1940s 鈥� T-Bone Walker, Johnny (Guitar) Watson, Albert Collins, Charles Brown 鈥� all these guys started out in one spot and moved to another.鈥�
Grammy-nominated Hummel underwent a similar journey himself. His family moved from his native 91原创icut to Los Angeles when he was young.
He noticed immediately the tone of playing in Texas affected the blues scene in California, and has been exploring the duality of the form from his home in the Bay Area since the early 1970s.
He eventually put the idea into practice and formed Mark Hummel鈥檚 Golden State-Lone Star Revue in 2012. 鈥淚n my eyes, it was a very natural fit.鈥�
The group melds Hummel (vocals, harmonica) and fellow Californian RW Grigsby (bass) 鈥� the Golden State quotient of the group 鈥� with Lone Star representatives Anson Funderburgh (guitar), Mike Keller (guitar) and Wes Starr (drums).
Though their roots span several states, Grigsby and Starr have been playing together since their teens, while Starr and Funderburgh have a playing relationship that goes back to 1982.
鈥淭he fact we have known each other this long is pretty cool,鈥� Hummel said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of inter-personal history between all of us.鈥�
A lot of professional history, too. The five members all have extensive resum茅s and several players in the band have fronted their own groups.
That was a key factor in assembling the cast of characters for the Golden State-Lone Star Revue: With the powerful Hummel as the frontman, bandmates had to be adept at moving in and out of a harmonica hurricane. 鈥淗aving guitar players who know how to work with a harmonica really helps. Anson has worked with harmonica since he started the Rockets in 1976, and Mike played with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and that鈥檚 a harmonica-based act.鈥�
The project has two albums to its credit. Hummel has a decorated history, with concerts and recordings covering more than 45 years, including gigs with Lowell Fulson and Jimmy Rogers.
Some of his cohorts are no less tenured. Funderburgh has played with Delbert McClinton, Boz Scaggs and Jimmy Buffet, while Keller spent eight years with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Star was the longtime drummer for Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
It was difficult for Hummel to put the project together at first, given the busy schedules of everyone involved. But each member of the band has made a commitment to the group, to ensure it works. Hummel alone has four projects on the go, but playing with his longtime friends has so many benefits, it鈥檚 worth dealing with the schedule fallout when he goes out on the road, he said.
Mark Hummel鈥檚 Golden State-Lone Star Revue focuses on a style of T-Bone Walker jump blues, 鈥渁nd that gets thrown into the hopper with B.B. King and Otis Rush鈥� during concerts, Hummel said with a laugh.
The band has so many songs at its disposal, Hummel figures he could make a fresh setlist every night and not repeat a single song. 鈥淚 remember when I played with guys like Lowell Fulson, they would do the same songs over and over every night, even though they had a huge amount of material. I never understood that.鈥�
