While many celebrated blues musicians have called San Diego home over the decades, it’s only been in the last few years that local performers in the genre have made a major splash on a national level.
Artists as diverse as acoustic-blues duo Nathan James and Ben Hernandez or blues rockers Aunt Kizzy’s Boys have begun to rack up the accolades in major competitions worldwide, with a whole crop of contenders coming up strong behind them. Top of the list is the “queen of steam,” Michele Lundeen.
A San Diego Music Awards nominee for “Best Blues Artist” from 2000-2001 and 2006-2007, Lundeen is a natural performer with a vocal style somewhere between Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin.
Her “take no prisoners” stance when it comes to concerts has made her a huge favorite on the local blues circuit and beyond. Lundeen performs with her band Blues Streak at Patrick’s II, on Oct. 25. Born in Alameda, Calif., Lundeen was inspired to sing by her mother.
“She sang around the house a lot when we were young,” she recalled. “The radio and turntable was playing all the time.”
Her mom’s eclectic musical taste included everything from Rosemary Clooney, Mahalia Jackson and Ray Charles to Hawaiian sounds and African drum records. However, it was folk music that originally captured Lundeen’s ear.
“My sister and I always sang together and our voices blended well as siblings do,” she remembered. “We were always having ‘shows’ in the living room and were expected to sing at family picnics.”
While she did attempt to accompany herself with an instrument, Lundeen was more comfortable with singing.
“I tried to learn classical guitar once and later some keyboard,” she stated. “But I love moving around onstage while I sing and couldn’t stand the restriction of an instrument to hold or stand behind. ”
She eventually moved on to playing jazz, but it wasn’t long before she found blues.
“I got turned on to artists like Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and Jimmy Reed by some low-riding biker pals as a young, slightly wayward gal, in the late ’60s,” she laughed.
After leaving the Bay Area, Lundeen played the club circuit in Nevada and Northern California for 18 years, performing everything from hard rock to country. However, by the early 1990’s her love of blues had become her main musical focus.
“I became head-over-heels immersed in the genre,” she said. “I became fanatical as I started paying attention to the music. I never realized how the roots of the blues influenced so many, nor did I know of the volume of blues artists out there in the shadows.”
She arrived in San Diego in 1997, a seasoned performer with more than 20 years of dues paying, but still found the move to be more challenging than anticipated.
“Before I relocated to San Diego from Reno, I was recognized often on the street. I didn’t have to scramble for many shows. People would call me. I guess I was a bit of big fish in a little pond,” she said. “When I moved here it was pretty humbling.”
It didn’t take long for Lundeen to find an audience. By 2001 she had built a strong following and won the regional blues challenge contest.
“I felt I had arrived, as I was relatively a new kid in town at that point,” she said.
To date Lundeen has only released one album, 2005’s “Song Inside Me,” with the goal of a new disc in 2008 on her radar. In the meantime, she’s happy to keep playing her music around the Southland.
“There are moments performing that are otherworldly. I live for that,” she said. “It’s from the heart and soul. If I can just stir one person’s emotions I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. ”
Michele Lundeen will perform at Patrick’s II, 428 F St., on Thursday Oct 25. 21 and up. No cover.
For more information visit www.patricksii.com.