Ulysses

Sold out show in Cork, Ireland, with my new pals, White Horse Guitar Club. This is a gorgeous venue, one of Ireland's finest. The Tour has been gaining momentum from show to show here: word of mouth is still the most important promotion you can have. And: that's what it's all about anyway: the songs and stories. The music itself: whispered from ear to ear. That social media is less important in this place should not be surprising– the Irish can fit a whole lot of words into a sentence when they talk. Or when they write. I wandered about Dublin thinking about James Joyce: The Dubliners. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses... Joyce installed Dublin into my mind half a century ago, and I was amazed at how many of his words have stayed with me. Another couple of weeks of the Irish leg ahead and I'm already planning for next year's return.

Ireland! The Spirit of the Blues

 It seems like it rains a lot here. It is wet. And green. And colder than I've hoped. But things are warming up. In my first week on the ground I've been on a coal smuggling expedition, a booze run to the north, I've been out busking in Sligo a couple of times, I've discovered Swagman's Pub, I've been playlisted on a couple more Irish/UK stations, picked up a few more shows, and I've visited The Giant's Tomb.

Musicians and presenters have been very friendly and helpful. The bar is set high here: it's a place where everybody plays: and those who play well play really, really well. I'm looking forward to seeing what my shows are going to be. The first dates are in the north of the Island, and start by week's end.

Namibia!!

 Probably more shows across this territory than any other blues artist. It's quite a ride out here. Quite a ride. After a dozen shows I'll fly out to Ireland by the end of April. I'll miss the heat and the sand and the friendly souls I've met in Namibia. But I'll be back. More on this later.

The African Shows: Spook 'n' Diesel: Twenty-five Thousand Kilometres

 

Photo: Alison Gedault

South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia... the Big Merc has performed well. At this moment, we're about 25 thousand km into it. Shocks, brakes, a couple of tyres. We've hauled a Paul Bothner Music PA system overland across dessert, mountains, and all manner of velt. The old National is adjusting well to her new frets, fingerboard, and machine heads. Courtesy Dave Fox and Hank to Hendrix guitars, we've now played about 60 shows into the African portion of the tour– and she's almost forgiven me for the repairs.

It's been a challenging time on the ground here in South Africa as infrastructure continues to crumble and tensions continue to rise. I've done many shows without power, or with the course hum of a diesel generator in the distance. Still, there have been magic shows by candle and kerosene light, as well as some full scale festival shows with more lavish production. We make do. We improvise. We get along. We navigate the power outages and the potholes. It's still a beautiful world here, but some venues and small businesses are clearly feeling the pressure.

Wrapping the last few South African shows over the remainder of March, putting the Merc in her garage, and flying into Namibia for my first visit there. I'll be staying with my pal Riaan Smit, of Crimson House, and– probably– playing every venue in the territory over the end of March and the first three weeks of April. Riaan and I hope to do some writing and recording around my shows.

Shows for the Irish leg are still filling. The month of May is entirely reserved for Ireland– so book now if that's your territory. I'll be reaching out to all of my contacts to finalize my Irish schedule, and I'm happy to fill as many days as possible.

Doc MacLean 2023 "JoJo Man" Blues Tour Announced

For Immediate Release: Doc MacLean Announces 2023 Tour

"JoJo Man" Blues to play 8 countries, January – October, 2023 

After playing some 700 South African shows over the last eight years, Doc MacLean has got African dust in his blood. Shifting his heart into the southern hemisphere, the upcoming, mostly solo, JoJo Man Blues Tour brings real deal songs and stories to his largest and most diverse audience yet. For the first leg of the tour, beginning in January 2023, eighty shows are planned across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.

Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe will follow, beginning in May 2023. With shorter distances, more efficient transport, and a great network of blues and roots organizations, this promises to be a fabulous new adventure.

The Tour will launch in South Africa in January, reach Ireland in May, the UK in June, Europe in July-August. There will be some movement between territories to accommodate festival and concert opportunities. September and October are expected to be fully booked in Western Canada.

All authorized materials and information regarding the Artist and the National Steel "JoJo Man" Blues Tour will be found in the Media Sidebar to the right. These will be updated frequently as specific routing and promotions are developed.

Presenters are encouraged to express interest now now. No venue too large, too small, too grand or too humble. jojomanbluestour@docmaclean.com