In this installment of Language of the Blues, Debra Devi breaks down the gritty origins of “axe” as slang for a guitar—tracing it from gangster slang to streetwise blues swagger, and spotlighting fierce players like Frank “Son” Seals who lived up to the name.

This free, family-friendly event transforms the Pike into a vibrant celebration of music, culture, and community—featuring everything from soulful guitar and harmonica-driven blues to zydeco, funk, and jazz. With standout performances by Rick Franklin, Sol Roots, Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark, Everyday Everybody, and Little Red & The Renegades, this year’s festival is a heartfelt tribute to the artists and sounds that keep the blues alive and thriving in the nation’s capital.

Queenie is part heartache, part heat, and all her own. From growing up under mixing desks to her charting debut and a ten-year breakup that fueled it, the Australian rocker opened up at Blues on Broadbeach about the journey so far—and what’s next.

A lost chapter of Florida music history comes alive through a 25-track journey into Tampa Bay’s mid-century R&B and blues underground.

Walter Trout pulls no punches on ‘Sign Of The Times,’ out Sept 5 via Provogue. The blues-rock icon channels societal unrest into a raw, hard-hitting new album—kicking off with the single “Artificial” and its scathing lyric video.

“Great songs live in the ordinary.” – Eli “Paperboy” Reed, speaking from Blues on Broadbeach, reflecting on two decades of hard-earned soul and authenticity.

With Taj Mahal, the Rolling Stones, and Lucinda Williams on board, a new album honors Clifton Chenier’s mammoth influence on American roots music.

Sunpie Barnes and Dom Turner talk spirit-led collaboration, Phil Wiggins’ legacy, improvisation, and the unexpected paths that led from the NFL and Australia’s blues underground to a soul-deep musical bond on the Gold Coast stage.

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s ‘Black & Gold’ explores desire, doubt, and the sting of letting go—woven tightly with a rich blues pulse that grounds every heartfelt confession.

In this week’s installment of The Language of the Blues, we dig into the word “Captain”—once a title for plantation overseers, later adopted by white employers and prison wardens in the Jim Crow South. Through blues lyrics from Big Bill Broonzy to Son House, Debra Devi traces how this word carried the weight of control, resistance, and survival.