Shuffle-Aires to Bring Chicago-Style Blues to Winchester Aug. 17
The Shuffle-Aires, one of Las Vegas’ most enduring and rocking blues bands, will perform its Chicago-style blues in concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, at the Winchester Cultural Center Theater, located at 3130 S. McLeod Drive, just north of Desert Inn Road. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 on the day of the show.
Al Ek, who plays guitar, bass, and harmonica and sings, created the Shuffle-Aires in the early 1980s in Milwaukee. Ek is well known for his instructional videos on the Internet, teaching the intricacies of the blues guitar. Ek also is the lead guitarist in Pete Contino’s zydeco blues band and appears regularly at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. He also spent two years portraying Elwood Blues in the long-running Las Vegas show “American Superstars” alongside Shuffle-Aires pianist Junior Brantley, who played Little Richard.
Junior Brantley toured as part of harmonica genius Sonny Boy Williamson’s band and spent years as a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmy Vaughan and The Tilt-a-whirl Band, and Roomful of Blues. He has played with Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy. Brantley teaches piano at Winchester Cultural Center when he isn’t touring with John Earl’s Boogieman Band, Bugsey Wilcox, Jimmie Clanton or any number of other bands.
Johnny “Z” Zoroya, guitar, bass and vocals, and Jim Lovgren, drums, round out the quartet and bring their own professional experience to the sound of the Shuffle-Aires. Lovgren, who also plays with Pete Contino’s zydeco blues band, has a long background playing with artists such as Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, country musician Rex Allen, Jr. and David Frizzell.
The Shuffle-Aires’ 2011 album, “Blues with Mileage,” was recorded live at California’s Musick Mountain Festival and is currently available.
Those interested The Shuffle-Aires’ concert can contact the Winchester Cultural Center Theater at (702) 455-7340 or visit the web site at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks. Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 42 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 8th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.