Moreland & Arbuckle Join Bluzapalooza Tour

Moreland & Arbuckle will be among the blues artists traveling to Iraq and Kuwait later this month for the second Bluzapalooza tour to entertain members of the military. Created by blues producers Steve Simon and John Hahn and presented by Armed Forces Entertainment, the 12-day tour will feature performances by such blues musicians as Shemekia Copeland, guitarist Michael Burks, Deanna Bogart, Zac Harmon, and Tony Braunagel and the Bluzapalooza All-Star Band along with the Kansas blues-rock trio.

"Aaron and I are deeply honored to be performing on the upcoming Bluzapalooza tour," says Dustin Arbuckle in an email to About.com Blues. "An opportunity like this doesn’t come along everyday. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to travel halfway around the world, to a place unlike any other we’ve ever seen, and bring a bit of home to the men and women serving in our military."

"For me, this holds a deep personal significance," continues Arbuckle. "There are several of my loved ones who have, at one point or another through the years, served overseas. My dad fought in Vietnam and all of his brothers were in the military at different times during the 1950s and 60s. More recently, one of my closest friends has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the years, hearing their accounts of the things they experienced has left a strong impression on me."

"This tour is bound to be a once in a lifetime experience and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of it," concludes Aaron Moreland. "Music can bring happiness into peoples’ lives like almost nothing else. Hopefully that’s exactly what we can accomplish here." Moreland & Arbuckle are joining the tour in the wake of the band's successful Northern Blues Music album, 1861. The historic Bluzapalooza tour will be documented by renowned New York photographer Joseph A. Rosen, a recipient of the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award in photography from The Blues Foundation.

The tour is being sponsored by The Blues Foundation, Blues Revue Magazine, and blues music-related labels like Northern Blues Music, Alligator Records, Delta Groove Records, Blind Pig Records, Telarc Records, and Ruf Records as well as Blind Raccoon and Hohner Harmonicas. Check out the Bluzapalooza MySpace page for further details.

Photo courtesy of Blind Racoon

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