Shrimp City Slim and Wanda Johnson to Play GCT
January 3, 2010
By JOSEPH SITARZ
Index-Journal
Greenwood, SC - A lot has changed since the last time Wanda Johnson and Shrimp City Slim were in Greenwood for the ninth annual South Carolina Festival of Discovery and Blues Cruise in July.
Johnson has gotten married and Shrimp City Slim, "aka" Gary Erwin, has a new drummer in his band.
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Johnson and Erwin are back in Greenwood on Saturday for a show at Greenwood Community Theatre in Uptown that's being billed as a preview to the 10th annual Blues Cruise July 8-10.
"We decided to do something halfway to the Blues Cruise," said Erwin, who is also the musiccal director for the Blues Cruise. "January is halfway to the Blues Cruise. It's sort of a post-Christmas gift."
Saturday's show, "An Evening with Wanda Johnson and Shrimp City Slim," is 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
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Unlike other times when Johnson and Erwin play Greenwood, there won't be any dancing and just limited drinking Saturday. Erwin said he thought there would be beer and wine in the lobby during the evening.
"We're creating a listening concert situation," Erwin said during a telephone interview from his home in Charleston. "We're usually in a food and beverage scenario, when we would play the Fox and Hound Pub. That was a juke joint situation, and I mean that in an affectionate way."
Erwin said the show at GCT will be similar to gigs in Europe.
"It's kind of like club music in a theater setting," Erwin explained. "It's a sit-down show. You can listen better in this scenario. You can listen to the songs. It's different that in a club. This is a listening environment."
Saturday's concert could also expose Johnson and Erwin to a new audience.
"People in these parts know all the music," Erwin said. "But, it's not being heard by other people in the world. This will expose it to more people."
Most of the selections for Saturday's show come from Johnson's three CDs.
The biggest change for Johnson came in the fall. Johnson married Conger Purcell in Anderson in October. Purcell, who halls from Anderson, is also a musician.
"They've known each other down through the years," Erwin said. "They've known each other for a long time. I guess the fireworks finally went off."
What marriage holds for Johnson is anyone's guess, including Erwin.
"I don't know what it's going to do to her career. I'm not really sure," Erwin said, adding summer performances already on the books include stops in Paris and the Pocono Blues Festival. "That's a big one."
Erwin has noticed a change in Johnson already.
"She and I have been working together for 10 years," Erwin said. "This is a new personal direction for her. She's had some changes in her life," Erwin said. "It's added another dimension for her stage show. It's changed some of her original songs. Obviously the changes are going to have an affect. It's had an affect on her music and her songs. It's an interesting way for Wanda to meet the community again."
With uncertainty ahead, Erwin said there's no immediate plan to record.
"We're going to wait and see what happens," he said.
Whatever happens, Johnson will be singing to a new beat Saturday. Robin Adam Parrott is the band's new drummer and Erwin said he's pleased to have the Pittsburgh native on board. The 25-year old is skilled in jazz and blues percussion. Eddie Phillips is Erwin's guitar player.
The show at GCT signals a return to one of the venues used during the first Blues Cruise.
"It's a great little space," Erwin said. "We coordinated it with Bess Park (GCT executive director) and everyone up there."
Erwin credits former Uptown Greenwood Development Corp. manager Paula Brooks with creating a solid foundation for the July celebration.
"I don't think we had any misgivings," Erwin said, noting Brooks had visited the Downhome Blues Festival and thought Greenwood could support a blues celebration. "She thought we could put something similar together for Greenwood. We'd customize the format for Greenwood."
For information about the show, call GCT at (864) 229-5704; about Shrimp City Slim, visit www.shrimpcityslim.com; about Wanda Johnson, visit www.wandaj.com; or the South Carolina Festival of Discovery and Blues Cruise, visit www.festivalofdiscovery.com or call (864) 942-8448.
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