Good-time band makes Edmonton its home

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Fans of blues music in Edmonton were jumping for joy when they heard that the Billy Joe Green Band moved here from Winnipeg.

"It's the best move we ever made," said Blind-Dog Roger Krayshendo, the bass player for the band. "We came to right place, and for us, at the right time. Thank goodness we made a complete switch. We're very grateful and happy to be here."

Krayshendo is a Metis from Manitoba and Green is originally from the Kejick First Nation at Shoal Lake in Ontario.

In just three months, the fans, the media and the venues of Edmonton have embraced the Billy Joe Green Band and their "rough n'ready" style of blues.

"When you come to see the band, that's what you get, rough n'ready blues," said Krayshendo. "It's very fresh, raw and energetic ? very strong music."

Krayshendo and Billy Joe Green, the lead Guitarist, have been playing together for four years but have known each other longer than that.

"We just got together and started playing ? it was a good feeling, there were good things happening when we played," said Krayshendo. "We entered a blues contest in Winnipeg at a bar called Joe's Garage and we won."

But they discovered that there just weren't enough venues in Winnipeg to play.

"There were not enough venues to make a living with a lot of bands playing and not enough places to play," said Krayshendo. "You had to wait in line and it was a real hard time."

The decision to move came after they finished their first compact disc, Roughin" It, and they had a product with which they could create a tour. Edmonton was one of those stops on the tour and the response to their music was encouraging. But when they arrived they didn't have a drummer. The first night they stayed in Edmonton they went to the Blues-on-Whyte blues jam at the Commercial Hotel. A drummer named Kelly Tikula was on-stage and they jammed with him. Everything seemed to mesh, so they got him into the band, and he's been playing with them ever since.

"He was a decent drummer and a nice guy," said Krayshendo.

Finding a musician who meshes so neatly with their style seems consistent with the feeling they got when they arrived.

"We've been working real steady since we came here," said Krayshendo. "The Aboriginal community and the blues community and the media have opened their arms to us. It's been really good.

The band has steady gigs hosting jams at two venues in Edmonton. On Wednesdays, they host the jam at Fat Boys on the south side and on Sundays they're at MonaLisa's Pub. They've played other venues around town, including the Blues on Whyte, the Sidetrack Cafe, Ike n'Iggies and the Grinder.

A new tour is in the works and the band is trying to arrange to be the opening act with a better-known blues band. They have played with some bigger-name acts in the blues business, including James Cotton, from Chicago, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown from New Orleans, Cash McCall, from Memphis, David Gogo , from Victoria, and Matt Minglewood. The opportunities just keep coming for the Billy Joe Green Band.

"We've got some different people that are trying to set up some different tours right now," said Krayshendo. "What ever happens to come along, we're ready."

Sales figures for their CD, which has been out since last summer, are unavailable, but they have received some radio air play from CKUA, an Alberta-wide station. Rough' It was released through Sunshine Records, which specializes in producing Aboriginal talent, out of Winnipeg, and has been distributed throughout Canada, the U.S. and overseas.