The Blues Project - LIVE & Well in the Redwoods

The Blues Project
The Paper Mill Creek Saloon
Forest Knolls, CA
August 14, 2026

Some sixty years after The Blues Project first emerged from the ferment of Greenwich Village, Roy Blumenfeld led a fresh incarnation of the band into the tiny Paper Mill Creek Saloon in Forest Knolls, California. Nestled in the scenic redwoods in a small room with a weathered bare wooden floor gleaming with the rich patina that only decades of use can produce in a local saloon that has stood intact for more than 50 years, one of the pioneering groups of the American blues-rock movement performed in this timeless, most intimate of settings—an all-too-obvious reminder that great music hardly requires the bright lights of a grand stage.

Gaining recognition in 1965, The Blues Project emerged from the creative culture of Greenwich Village; with bands and individual artists competing for the eyes and ears of established record companies. An inspired and highly competitive period of time, there were so many choices of where to go, who to see and what to hear.

Bands that have disappeared only to reappear in a reconfigured state often disappointingly veer far astray from the original music or are merely a new but ultimately trite tribute band.  And these days, actual bands are a thing of the past, with the consumer culture focused on lead singers/personalities rather than groups. But the present-day configuration of The Blues Project is a real band in every sense of the word.  And the sole original band member—drummer Roy Blumenfeld—basks in the legacy of what was once considered a trailblazing group of varied musical influences and styles. He, along with Al Kooper, Danny Kalb, Andy Kulberg and Steve Katz, molded the band into a coherent and formidable presence on crowded stages filled with renowned or soon-to-be recognized celebrities.

The band calls upon myriad musical influences, from pure rock 'n' roll to the blues through the mid-60s folk/rock movement and an innovative, ahead-of-its-time, progressive jazz/rock sound—an all-encompassing and ambitious agenda hardly suited for any musician who is faint of heart.

The idea of a reborn Blues Project lingered for some time but was finally realized in 2023 with Steve Katz and Roy Blumenfeld and the release of "Evolution." Katz subsequently dropped out to attend to domestic affairs and was replaced in the lineup by David Aguilar, a prodigious talent in his own right. 

Though Blumenfeld claims he is not the "musical director," the band is rather a true collaborative effort even as the live set list includes a loose collection from the "best-of" the original band's efforts. Any band would find much of that set list to be challenging, but the obvious talent of Ken Clark on keyboards and vocals shifts easily from the tastefully eclectic "Flute Thing," a progressive jazz/rock composition, to a rollicking rock/blues sound—Clark's skill set is an invaluable asset.  Clark possesses a broad musical vocabulary, equally comfortable with the blues, jazz, soul, funk, and improvisation rather than remaining strictly within any single idiom. An extroverted presence, he interacts with the audience—not only introducing the band members or songs but, on rare occasions, was seen dancing with them while singing to the delight of all.

Guitarist David Aguilar has a long history of playing with several notables including Nick Gravenites, Lester Chambers and Maria Muldaur as well as Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and Norton Buffalo. And it shows, as he contributes many of the lead solos that at once recall the early psychedelic era from which the original band emerged to the delta blues he's skillfully played with others. 

Sharing guitar solos with Aguilar, Mark Newman is a particularly good fit for the Blues Project; he's not merely a blues guitarist though his slide work is memorable. His familiarity with folk, country, R&B, soul, and rock, in addition to the slide guitar, is very much in the spirit of the original Blues Project, again with a diverse repertoire unconfined by any single genre.

Given the counterpoint relationship with drums, Blumenfeld didn't simply recruit a competent bassist. The bassist, Tim Eschliman, is a complete musician—he sings, writes songs, arranges, produces, and is deeply immersed in American roots music.

With such a talented group of musicians on stage together, they sound remarkably well-rehearsed.  But Blumenfeld explains they've not really had the time to work together as much as one might think. Though no one would suspect that, as the band effortlessly moved from a jazzy composition to hard rock to the blues in the course of the evening.

With room for all members to sing and showcase their individual strengths, it is a throwback to an era when the spotlight was evenly shared among band members. A group of well-seasoned professionals, the wide variety and quality of the music was startling to witness in this unassuming out-of-the-way venue.

Opening with an instrumental composition, they set a light and relaxed mood.  But upon completing a soothing multi-instrumental composition showcasing the talents of all the players, a spirited drum solo-driven version of "Who Do You Love" defies the clock and passing of time. Few 80-year-old drummers would choose to maintain such a relentlessly energetic beat as Blumenfeld does with that classic. He also sings, introducing two songs inspired by his admiration for the late Levon Helm, one of the few drummers who regularly sang as he played.  

The folk-rock addition to the set list? "Catch the Wind," a Donovan song dating to the mid-60s. It is a memorable segment of the band's varied repertoire from those youthful years of endless optimism coupled with the disappointments of lost love. A favorite of the band then, the present-day delivery does just that—it delivers. 

The show ended with a raucously energetic performance of "Wake Me, Shake Me," imploring whoever is listening to "don't let me sleep too long." An iconic song of the original Blues Project, it has lost nothing with time. Edgy and begging for attention, the old-timers who have undoubtedly been frequenting this roadhouse junction for years rose to their feet to dance in celebration of the journey down that "long lonesome road" and "tryin' to make it in good time, before the heaven doors close."

The Blues Project successfully caught that elusive wind of excellence coupled with memories of the past while displaying an indefatigable energy with eyes on the future. Appearing in Marin County, where Janis, the Airplane and the Dead once enjoyed their time off-stage and where Maria Muldaur and Bonnie Raitt still pursue fruitful and fulfilling lives, it was an unexpected and uplifting musical event.

The Band Bios

Ken Clark -Internationally known as one of the world's greatest jazz organists he has been recognized as New England's premiere jazz organist, and winner of New England Blues Society, Keyboardist of the Year in 2006," 2009, 2011 & 2015. He has toured and recorded with Bernard Purdie, Melvin Sparks, the Blues Project and David "Fathead" Newman among others.

David Aguilar -An accomplished rhythm & blues/slide guitarist, he has been featured on numerous stages covering a kaleidoscope of genres and venues and ha recordeds with artists the likes of Lester Chambers, Terry Haggerty, Roy Blumenfeld, Big Brother and The Holding Company, The Blues Project, Norton Buffalo, and others; He has also recorded on soundtracks for film. David performed and toured with harmonica virtuoso Norton Buffalo for 9+ years as a member of "The Norton Buffalo & Friends Trio and is a current member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, Barry "The Fish" Melton Band, The Aguilar Blumenfeld Project, The Blues Project, and The Tudo Bem Band.

Mark Newman -Sharing the stage with such notables as soul legend Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), John Oates(Hall and Oates), Jim McCarty (Yardbirds, Renaissance),the late Willy DeVille (Mink DeVille), Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominos), Sam The Sham and Darlene Love has given Newman the perspective to craft an individualistic sound framed in straight-from-the-hip rock'n'roll, simmering with the subtle flavors of blues, R'n'B, funk, folk and soul.

Tim Eschliman -His background spans New Orleans R&B, jump blues, zydeco, Western swing, country, rockabilly, and Americana, uniquely suited to the ever-eclectic sound of the 2026 incarnation of The Blues Project. Performing credits include the Nick Lowe-produced album, "Rush Hour" by the Moonlighters, various Commander Cody projects and a part in the 2010 Grammy nominated CD "Maria Muldaur's Garden of Joy? As well as numerous live engagements with the likes of Etta James, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, Johnny Johnson, Jesse Colin Young, Frankie Ford, blues and soul guitarist Robert Ward, as well as New Orleans' own Earl King, and rock 'n' roll sax innovator Lee Allen.