Sun. Oct. 28

 Teo Leyasmeyer was a friend - a blues musician and longtime booker for the now-defunct House of Blues in Harvard Square. He died way too young and left a wife, Hege, and two girls. We went to his funeral in May of last year and it was truly one of the most moving send offs we've ever seen. Heartfelt tributes from friends and family, stirring gospel singing, and a New Orleans-style procession at the conclusion. The Boston blues community is getting together for a tribute to called 'Blues For Teo on Sunday Oct. 28 at the Regent Theatre. The lineup includes: Might Sam McClain, Darrell Nulisch, Brian Templeton, Sax Gordeon Beadle, Jerry Portnoy, Monster Mike Welch, Mudcat Ward, Ricky King Russell, Jeff Pitchell, Paul Rishell, Per Hanson and more. Tickets are $25, $30 at the door and the benefits go directy to Teo's family. Starts early, at 4 p.m. Our pal (and Teo's) Ted Drozdowski, of the Scissormen (and a fellow music critic for the Phoenix) sent in his thoughts. Please click the "read more" button.

7 Medford St., Arlington, 781-646-4849 www.regenttheatre.com

Ted Drozdowski, guitarist/singer of the Scissormen, emails:
"Whenever I cross the Mississippi state line, my first instinct still is to call Teo. We both love the place for its people and music and the primieval atmosphere of its backwoods and flatlands. And we’d both spent some time there getting to know great musicians like R.L. Burnside and Jessie Mae Hemphill and Junior Kimbrough. So every time I was on tour and we’d hit Mississippi, I’d give
Teo a call.
    I was on tour when he died last year, and got the word when I was in Memphis, just before I was about to cross the Mississippi line. It was heart-breaking, not only for me, because I had lost a dear friend and a fellow missionary for the blues, but because he was such a good friend and champion of so many musicians and so many different types of music. His tastes were as wide as his big heart. He, as a promoter, and me, as a journalist, teamed up to bring all sorts of great people to play the original House of Blues in Cambridge and to spread the word; Burnside and Kimbrough, Otis Rush, Solomon Burke (who remains a friend through our mutual association with Teo), James Carr and many more.
    Every nationally traveling blues musician I know loved Teo for his warmth, fairness and the perks they might get at the Cambridge club thanks only to his largess and esteem for them. He was also quick to help local musicians who were down-and-out with a meal and maybe $20 or $40 bucks, just to keep them rolling. He knew what the life was like, having traveled for years in the bands of Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Johnny Copeland and Luther Allison. He had the gifts of charm, warmth and diplomacy, and an unerring moral compass, even if he sometimes chose to ignore it when he was younger and cranked up on life.
    Teo’s death was sad for a wealth of reasons. The plurality of the Boston music scene, and the national blues scene, continue to suffer for the lack of his presence and influence. (He was on the board of the Blues Foundation and once received its Promoter of the Year award.) He had also recently been done dirty by the House of Blues — dismissed due to an effort to maximize profits, and left without health insurance for himself and his family despite his taste in talent having put the Cambridge House on the international map. And his departure was so swift. He’d been complaining of a nagging virus that was sapping his energy level for months. As it turns out, it was cancer eating him inside — and when he finally went to the doctor, he learned he only had days to live.
    I was leaving on tour with Scissormen the Sunday night his wife Hege called to tell me Teo was dying. It was a thunderbolt, and I would have blown off gigs to see him one more time if she hadn’t told me he wanted no visitors. I understood. He was a proud man brimming with life, with a lovely family. I’m sure it was a terrible shock for him. It breaks my heart to think of it. He had so much good work and good life left to experience. Those of us who love him still can’t believe that Teo — who was so vital a human being — is gone. For us, the world is poorer without him.
    I hope people will support Hege and her and Teo’s two little girls and attend the memorial concert on October 28 at the Arlington Regent. For those who knew him or enjoyed the music he brought into their lives, it will rekindle warm memories. And for those who simply love blues, it’ll be a great show — a crash course in the who’s who of New England blues, all of whom miss their friend Teo."