American Blues News - "Dedicated to the promotion and celebration of the Blues."

(Washington DC) I went to one of the most unlikely places in Ashburn, Virginia to see a local blues/rock band put on a show. Local residents are well aware of the restaurant called Clyde's. I had heard about this venue, but had never been there before. It was a night of pleasant surprises.

I showed up fashionably late since I am the only human being left on the planet without a GPS system. It's not an easy place to find without a GPS ... the road that the restaurant is on divides several times before you get to your destination. Or DOES it? Well, I finally arrived at Clyde's, ordered a reasonably priced beer considering the location and reputation of Clyde's.

I took a walk around the huge reataurant looking for the band stage. It wasn't in the dining area ... I walked outside ... nope, not outside. I walked into the main bar area (they have a few bars), still looking for the band stage, having absolutely no luck at all. Oh well, I had a cold beer, and I decided I would just follow the sounds of the blues when the band started. I asked one of the patrons if he knew where the band would be playing, and he said, "over there". There was no bandstage "over there", but still, this was where the band was going to play

A few minutes went by and the lead vocalist of the band, Julie Fanning approached me and introduced herself to me. Soooooo , there really IS a band playing tonight! She was very pleasant to chat with, and very nervous. She told me she was having throat problems that night, but she would do her best to make sure the show goes on. I liked her attitude.

The band began their frst set, and the large crowd showed their appreciation for the band after every tune. Julie didn't show any signs of having a strained voice, or at least I couldn't sense it. The crowd was friendly, the food and drinks were good and the band rocked the house. There wasn't a dance floor, but people made thier own dance floor whereever they could. I must ay that the crowd was very resposive to the bands music, and showed their appreciation by dancing and applauding after every tune.

The band is a cover band comprised mostly of Classic Rock and Blues. It was great hearing these songs again, and it was obvious that the crowd felt the same. I was pleasantly surprised at the song selections. There were the typical top 40 songs as well as many "Deep Cuts" from the 60's and 70's. The music was well played and a good time was had by all.



I DO plan on seeing this band again at the same restaurant, only this time they will be playing outdoors in the beautiful large patio which is surrounded by ... more bars. The band seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves, and their entusiasm for their music, especially Julie's, rubbed off on the mixed age crowd.

Spellbound is an enjoyable band, with a great list of songs to entertain you. I can see that Julie Fanning particularly likes to sing the blues. I went to this show to listen to some blues, got a good mix of Classic Rock and blues and walked away (sober) with a smile on my face.

By all means, check this band out if they play in a venue close by. For more info on this band, go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=1234505336 (Julie Fannings facebook page).

Pictures of  the entire band were not available at posting time ...

You can reach me at virginiabluesman@gmail.com

Thanks,
Virginiabluesman (Geraldo)