Name: Jontavious Willis
Start: 2025-05-23T19:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-05-23T22:00:00+00:00
Location: Nashville Social Club

May 2025

May 2 @ 5:30 pm - May 5 @ 6:00 pm

Fort Bragg Blues Festival

Fort Bragg, CA Fort Bragg, CA, Fort Bragg, CA, United States

May 16 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Lydia Pense and Cold Blood

Nashville Social Club 1105 South Carson Street, Carson City, NV, United States

The word legend certainly applies to Lydia Pense and Cold Blood…and not in some past tense-make-a-living-as-an-oldies-act sort of way either. Pense can still shout like a 60’s soul diva and purr a slow blues tune with spine-tingling subtlety.

Cold Blood, as a whole, features a stellar group of musicians who have been playing together for nearly 20 years including Steve Dunne on guitar, Steve Salinas on keyboards, a gritty-growling horn section comprised of John Hablieb and Rob Zuckerman along with a stellar rhythm section featuring Evan Palmerston on bass and T Moran on drums. The band members are all veteran Bay Area musicians who have played with many great artists including Elvin Bishop, Jefferson Starship, Boz Skaggs, Albert Collins and more.

Of course there is Lydia who still has the chops with the patina of a seasoned veteran who’s done and seen it all. Together she and the band continue to twist together R&B, (both Old School and New School); into something that doesn’t have a label… On any given night, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood power through their historic essentials, like “You Got Me Hummin’,” “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” “I’m A Good Woman,” and “Down to the Bone.”

It’s been a long road, over 40 years to be exact with a break somewhere in the middle. But, Lydia and the band are living proof that a little time off can be a really good thing. With their new CD, “COLD BLUE HEART” turning heads across the country, fans are remembering just what has been missing from music in the last few decades. The 8 songs exemplify how a performer can take great strides forward, without forgetting her roots. Using “COLD BLUE HEART” as their muse there is a renewed interest in live performances, from both the band, and venue owners. Cold Blood is booking dozens of shows across the country, entertaining generations of club, theatre and festival goers.

And, of course, anything Lydia sings is sung well.
She has a list of famous admirers that includes Bonnie Raitt, Michelle Shocked, David Lee Roth, even Janis Joplin back in the day.

May 23 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Jontavious Willis

Nashville Social Club 1105 South Carson Street, Carson City, NV, United States

Jontavious Willis is resolved in his mission: to reinvigorate today’s Blues with the spirit of the past. Inspired by a time when the Blues were plentiful and rhythm reigned supreme, Jontavious leverages his unique sound—a synthesis of his Georgia heritage and reverence for traditional Blues—to get the world dancing again. A Grammy-nominated musician and songwriter, Jontavious performs original, toe-tapping tunes in the style of Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel Blues. Dynamic vocals, technical prowess, and an abundance of Southern charm keep Jontavious sending jolts of vitality through the Blues community.

Jontavious was born and raised in rural Georgia, an environment with deep cultural roots that provides the inspiration he has continuously drawn upon to create his unique sound. He spent much of his childhood singing Gospel music at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church with his grandfather, which provided him his first setting to perform for an audience. An early phenom, his passion for the Blues was sparked at age 14 when he came across a YouTube video of Muddy Waters playing “Hoochie Coochie Man.” He achieved widespread acclaim when living legend Taj Mahal invited Jontavious to accompany him onstage in 2015, with Taj describing him as his “Wonderboy.” Jontavious was invited to open for Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their joint TajMo tour in 2018, giving him an opportunity to present his work on a national stage.

Blue Metamorphosis, his acoustic debut album released in 2016, garnered rave reviews in Living Blues and Blues & Rhythm and won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge 2018 Award for Best Self-Produced CD. His Grammy-nominated sophomore album, Spectacular Class, sees Jontavious survey an array of Blues styles with lively ensemble performances.

His upcoming album, signed with Strolling Bones Records, is a testament to his love for songwriting. With solo tracks as well as duo, trio, and full band works, he articulates a totally original take on traditional Blues.

Jontavious features prominently in shows and festivals across the world, sharing his unique blend of time-honored yet modern, intellectual yet danceable Blues with all.

May 2025

Fort Bragg Blues Festival

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