I want to open this blog entry by doing something I almost never do in my efforts for The Weekly Volcano: admit ignorance. One of the guiding principles of journalism, meaning whatever pallid version of it we attempt here, is a writer must do his or her research, then act as if he or she has been an expert in the subject for years. It's malarkey, of course. I often write about subjects I researched for the first time that day. It happens all the time, in newspapers and TV stations and other media outlets all over the world, and if called out on our lofty authority we end up defending our assertions against people who've been working in relevant disciplines for decades. It's the biz. I acknowledge that here.

Case in point: I know next to jack squat about the blues.

It's not that I've never enjoyed the blues. It's certainly not that I've never had the blues. In fact, I've even been known to have the blues so bad. I've suffered from both the walkin' blues and the talkin' blues. But if you're asking me whether I know more about the blues than a dude who's been playing the axe since early childhood, who changed his name to Teddy Lee Hooker out of respect for his brother-in-law John Lee Hooker, I'm not fit to hold that guy's pick. That cat was a finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He's the real deal. Me? I'm a beige-American who digs Bessie Smith and knows exactly three chords on a good day.

So allow me to defer to the experts for once. The good folks at the Gray Sky Blues Music Festival have programmed a full afternoon and evening of entertainment in three different venues to follow the Tacoma Grand Floral Daffodil Parade. They've selected artists who produce what they consider "some of the finest blues west of the Mississippi." Having spent the last hour (I know, a whole hour!) listening to Teddy Lee Hooker, I'm inclined to agree. Check the lineup below: Mr. Hooker's just the icing on a very fine cake. He and his colleagues are gonna rock you like your back ain't got no bones. That's a quote from Muddy Waters, by the way. I looked it up online, which makes me kind of an expert.

THE EMILY GARDNER BAND, MAIA SANTELL AND HOUSE BLEND, THE CD WOODBURY BAND AND TEDDY LEE HOOKER, 1-7:30 p.m. Sat., April 11, The Swiss Restaurant and Pub, 1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, $8-$10, 253.572.2821

KING KOM BEAUX, LITTLE BILL AND THE BLUENOTES, BLUES COUNTY SHERIFF AND JERRY MILLER BAND, noon-5:30 p.m. Sat., April 11, The Harmon Brewery & Restaurant, 1938 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, free, 253.383.2739

THE DEAN REICHERT BAND WITH TEDDY LEE HOOKER AND MAIA SANTELL, 8-11 p.m. Sat., April 11, B Sharp Coffee House, 706 Court C, Tacoma, $5, 253.292.9969