Is Rusty Reed Edmonton’s own "Scrooge of the blues?" "Not at all," he told SEE earlier this week as he talked about "Santa Ain’t Comin’–Whole World Been Bad." "It’s not like we don’t like Christmas, we’re just avoiding it for the day."

The second annual event gathers together some of Edmonton’s best blues talent to toast (and roast) the season. Reed, Edmonton’s blues harp player of record for the past decade and a half, will be joined by some-fixtures of the local blues scene. Guitarist, singer, and, more recently, popular CKUA radio host Lionel Rault, and his bass-playing brother Ron, along with rock-steady drummer Scott Anderson, round out the quartet that will have blues hounds dancing the night away.

Said Reed, "Christmas is a joyous occasion, yes, but everyone out there has one aspect or another that they don’t appreciate about it: financial, line ups at the stores, maybe your mother-in-law is coming to visit. And let’s not forget, for a lot of Edmontonians Christmas can be a real hardship." That’s why the event with the Scrooge-like name is going to be playing Santa for the second year in a row. "We’ve made it a requirement that to get the blues on Friday night, you’ve got to give to those who have the blues at this time of the year. So bring those items for the Food Bank or a new unwrapped toy for Santa’s Anonymous with you to the gig. We’ll be taking those donations at the door."

With the event more than half sold, as of last Friday, it appears that Edmonton’s blues fans are responding in a positive fashion. Of course, there’s always room for a few more. Bonnie Doon Hall opens at 8 pm on Friday (Dec. 19) and the music and dancing go from 9:30 pm to 2 am. With a $15 cover at the door, paired with a donation to the Food Bank or Santa’s Anonymous, it’s a pretty cheap way to celebrate the season with your fellow blues hounds while helping those who have the blues year-round.

Over at Blues on Whyte, in the Commercial Hotel, a rare club appearance by blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sue Foley is happening this weekend. After a many-years hiatus from these parts, the Ottawa native and long-time resident of Austin, Texas, Foley made a trip here last summer to open Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival with an incendiary set. The 2001 Juno winner, 2003 W.C. Handy nominee, and recipient of no fewer than five Maple Blues Awards this past January, she spent a fair amount of time catching up with family who live in the Edmonton area while at last summer’s festival. As Christmas fast approaches, this looks like a perfect opportunity to mix a little business with pleasure. With the cover set at a very reasonable $3, it’s also a perfect opportunity for Edmonton’s blues fans to save a little cash while hearing some great blues.