Blew
Munday is a remarkably diverse "bare knuckles' band with roots
that go all the way back to the delta blues of Robert Johnson. Blew Munday
has held down a regular Monday spot for the past eight years at the Hardtimes
Saloon in Bemidji.
According to Gary Vanyo, drummer for Blew Munday, the name came about as a play on words. Blew for explosion and a "reggae-ized" version of the word Monday (the day of their weekly show). They have three albums of all original material to their credit including the 1998 release "Riding On." Vanyo said the band's original material has a storytelling quality to it but also is still dance oriented, because that's what their regular Monday night audience at the Hardtimes Saloon want to hear.
Their music covers a wide range of disparate styles including blues, classic rock, the rock and roll of Chuck Berry, country and western, jazz, funk and reggae. So at any show their fans are in for a roller coaster ride of musical genres.
Over the years they have performed on the same stage with Johnny
Shines and many of Minnesota's top blues bands. Members include Jim
Miller on guitars, harmonica, fiddle, and lead vocals, Gary Broste on
bass and vocals, Gary Vanyo on drums and the famous Don "Lazy Boy"
Vidal on horns. Don has worked with Lonnie Mack, Big John Dickerson, Willie
Murphy and the Dick King Orchestra. Be prepared for a hard hitting and powerful
show by a band that really knows how to mix things up.
