LES VOIX DE BREZOI 6 – PEOPLE OF BREZOI interview 2026 version US

LES VOIX DE BREZOI 6 – PEOPLE OF BREZOI interview 2026 version US Carmen Ruja & Gredina Serban, Jeff & Rhonda Boehlert ▶️ In the sixth installment of our "Voices of Brezoi" series, I welcome several guests who—for once—are not festival musicians, but members of the audience: two Romanians and two Americans. ▶️ First up is Carmen Ruja, a singer; in a brief telephone interview conducted in French, she shares a mother’s interest in her young son Gredina Serban’s activities—playing in a blues-rock band and attending the Brezoi festival for the first time. Gredina Serban is the guitarist for the Timisoara-based group Effect Band. He simply shares his joy at being there and explains why. I was also able to obtain some recent live recordings of Effect Band, captured on October 2nd, 2026, at Club Flex in Arad, north of Timisoara. The band plans to compete in the 2027 Romanian National Blues Challenge in Brezoi. One of his festival favorites is the Maltese band Vinyl Paradise; we’ll listen to one of their tracks. ▶️ Our other guests are Rhonda Forsyth Boehlert and Jeff Boehlert, a cheerful, friendly American couple now living in Portugal and loyal fans of the Brezoi festival in Romania. She is a Reiki master and yoga teacher, while he is passionate about barefoot running. Together, they cultivate passion, positivity, empathy, and a love for travel—and the blues. They don’t mind traveling long distances to indulge their musical passion; in fact, they’ll be attending the upcoming European Blues Challenge in April 2027 in Vila do Conde, near Porto. We discuss the warm welcome they receive from Romanians in Brezoi, as well as France—and Normandy—as a tourist destination, and the benefits of traveling and meeting new people around the world, just as they have in Romania, where the hospitality is incredible. We’ll be listening to one of Jeff’s top picks—D.K. Harrell—as well as Rhonda’s choice, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. 00:00 / Dawn Tyler Watson / Don’t make me mad + présentation interview 01:29 / Carmen Ruja / Interview 02:54 / Gredina Serban / Interview part 1 04:21 / Effect Band / extrait concert, Club Flex, Arad 05:34 / Gredina Serban / Interview part 2 05:57 / Vinyl Paradise / Sold my soul 08:59 / Louis King / Short short skirts and a ponytail 12:53 / Bette Smith / Shackle & chain + présentation interview 13:37 / Jeff & Rhonda Boehlert / Interview part 1 14:15 / Louis King with Hanno Höfer / Get up high with Mihai 14:35 / Jeff & Rhonda Boehlert / Interview part 2 15:55 / Alex Tomaselli / Hard time killing floor 16:38 / Jeff & Rhonda Boehlert / Interview part 3 21:40 / D.K. Harrell / A little taste 2524 / Kenny Wayne Shepherd / One foot on the path SWEET HOME CHICAGO ON RADIO 666, a show by Marc Loison, blues radio since 1983. All the current blues with a little nod to the past: every Saturday, it's Sweet Home Chicago! ▶️ Everything about the show, playlists, guests, giveaways...: https://bluesradio.fr ▶️ To listen live: https://radio666.com/direct or on Radio 666 99.1 FM around Caen (14) ▶️ To download MP3s of the show, 24/7 : https://podcast.radio666.com/shc ▶️ The YouTube channel with all the shows and interviews :    / @marcloisonshc666   ▶️ Also follow the show's news on Facebook :   / sweethomechicago