Contributed Photo A flier promoting the concert.
LaValley quickly lined up six bands to play at Black Eyed Sally’s in Hartford, a club known for its southern BBQ cooking and juke joint atmosphere.
The show will raise money for Ce Lavie’s medical expenses. The gig is scheduled for Nov. 16, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the bar/restaurant at 350 Asylum St.
Ce Lavie, a Shelton resident, plays with EasyBaby, a blues band.
“Musicians are the kindest people in the world,” LaValley said. “They hear you need help and they can use their talent, they want to know where and when.”
In August, Ce Lavie was riding his Harley on Route 66 in East Hampton when an inattentive driver crossed the center line and collided head-on with him. The accident broke his hip and clavicle, and put him in the hospital and a rehab center for a month.
Since then, he’s been recovering at his girlfriend’s house.
“Max Ce Lavie” is actually the stage name of Mike Samson, a longtime Shelton resident who has been known by his nickname, Max, for decades.
LaValley cheerfully admitted he didn’t even know Max Ce Lavie’s real name when he jumped in to help him.
“Somebody said, it’s a great thing you’re doing for Mike. I said, who?” he laughed.
They met in August at Theodore’s, a blues and BBQ joint in Springfield, Mass., where LaValley is from.
EasyBaby was the scheduled band.
Their tall, imposing bass player had arrived early and was waiting by the stage for the other band members to arrive. LaValley invited him and Max’s girlfriend, Susan, to sit at his table while he waited, and he mentioned how he often holds benefit blues shows for charities.
It started years ago, to raise money for the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia, a genetic condition that LaValley’s son has.
He said Max, who appears like a big biker dude right out of the “Sons of Anarchy” cast, is in person a quiet, laid back, easy going guy.
The response for the show is evidence of Samson’s popularity among New England’s blues musicians. LaValley said when he put out the word he needed bands for the benefit, more volunteered than he could fit in the lineup. So he’s organizing additional benefits for Max Ce Lavie, one of them at Theodore’s.
The show at Black Eyed Sally’s will start off with a Springfield blues act, Hot and Heavy, at 2 p.m.
Then, Connecticut bands The Coffee Grinders at 2:30, Last Ditch Effort at 3, and Blues Deluxe Featuring John Bruce at 3:30.
EasyBaby plays for an hour between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Then, after a break to raffle off some prizes, the Gil Correia Band from Boston comes on at 5:30 p.m.
The benefit will end with a two-hour jam session between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
LaValley said there is no cover charge, but they’ll ask for a donation at the door for Max.
“We’re just going to be hitting people up for money all night long,” he said.
LaValley, 50, said most blues band musicians in Connecticut are middle-age, like himself. “I guess they’re trying to hold onto their youth.”
He plays guitar in a band called the Dogs of Rhythm, which performs “straight-up” urban-style, electric blues, as well as some rock and roll.
LaValley also promotes local blues bands whenever he can, featuring them on his Facebook page and urging music reviewers in Massachusetts and Connecticut to write about them.
Even though he didn’t know Samson well, he identified with him and wanted to help. One of Max’s friends called him a “saint,” but LaValley said no, he’s just a musician.
“If this ever happened to me, I just hope somebody would step up and help me out,” he said.
