April 3 1998
  Vol. 4   Issue 4
 Lower Keys Barometer

Caught in the Act
By Dennis Maloney

 LADY "A" BLUES BAND
    One of the hottest bands in the area, the Lady "A" Blues Band 
traveled from their home-base in Islamorada to make their Key West debut 
last week at the Schooner Wharf Bar. Lady "A" -- a harmonica toting, 
brassy blueswoman - is the leader of this fiery quartet along 
with partner and guitarist Ric Arra.     
    The Lady "A" Blues Band cooks up a mixture of blues styles, throws 
in a little rhythm and blues, and adds a healthy dose of funk to get 
their audience into a party mood right from the start. "It's gonna be 
all about the blues tonight _ it's all about a party!" shouted the 
enthusiastic Lady "A" as the quartet opened with "Sweet Home 
Chicago."     What followed was a tour of blues land, as the band 
rattled off some of the real heavies. Koko Taylor's "Cry Like a Baby," 
featured Lady "A's" raunchy vocals and Ric's screeching guitar. Slim 
Harpo's "Mailbox Blues" had drummer Jim McGuirl doing some great cymbal 
work while Lady "A" went wild on harmonica. Rick's soaring guitar also 
reached unbelievable levels. Lady "A" showed that she could really work 
the crowd as she implored everybody to dance and sing along on "Mustang 
Sally." "The Right Time" had Lady "A" leading the band through a rousing 
version of this Ray Charles hit with some great blues shouting and 
wailing harmonica  .
It's easy to see why Ric Arra is called "EC Jr." by those in the buisiness.
His singing and playing on several tunes recorded by Clapton such as
"Before You Accuse Me","Tore down" and" Reconsider Baby",
sounded like the genuine article.
The band also played at last weekend's Marathon Seafood Festival. If 
you missed the Lady "A" Blues Band you can catch Lady"A" and Ric 
tomorrow night at the Key Deer Barbecue where they will perform as a 
duo. You can also hear Lady "A" on the radio. Listen to her Lady "A" 
Hometown Show on WCTH 100.3 FM 11 am - 1 pm Monday through Friday.


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