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There aren’t many cotton fields near Rhinelander, but the Blues have roots here nonetheless. Most associate blues music with the steamy bayous of Louisiana and the cotton fields of Mississippi but thanks to Rhinelander native Tom Jordan, Blues music is alive and well in the Northwoods.

Jordan and his band Meantooth Grin will dispense their unique brand of Blues therapy at the Fillmor Theater in Wausau on June 27 at 9 p.m. The Fillmor is a new venue in Wausau.

In 1945 the Hollywood Theatre was built on the ground floor of a building originally used for retail. The Hollywood, later renamed the Wausau Theatre, was increased to five theaters under the name Rogers Cinema.

Co-owners and brothers Bill and Daniel Miller bought and then totally rebuilt the theater into one of the finest live music venues in the area. After extensive renovations the Fillmor sports a wraparound bar, space for tables and an open floor in front of the stage. It is smoke-free. The Fillmor is intended to be reminiscent of a 1930s-era club.

Tom Jordan grew up in Harshaw and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1994, but his soul is down on the bayou, and his love for the Blues runs as deep as the delta. In 2007 Jordan toured the states where the Blues were born, playing in traditional southern Blues clubs, including Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

“I was in a few bands in high school,” said Jordan. “My senior year I jammed with a friend at Cheers. I was 17 or 18. I’ve been playing since I was eight or nine, acoustic guitar. I attended Nicolet after high school but music was always my priority. I have a son, Cobi, and for a time when he was two or three I didn’t play. But he is nine now. Howard “Guitar” Luedtke got me into playing again, he taught me slide guitar.”

Jordan had a band called Buggy Whip for a number of years. Meantooth Grin is Jordan’s new band. “I play guitar and sing,” said Jordan. “Brian Miller is the drummer, he was with me in Buggy Whip. Seth Heffner plays bass. Both are from Wausau. And Cole Holiday, a Texas boy, will be on harmonica for the gig at the Fillmor in Wausau.”

According to his press release, Jordan’s goal is to introduce people to the history behind the music. “When we play,” said Jordan. “I want to do it with the authenticity and passion that I saw in musicians like R.L. Burnside, Elmore James and Junior Kimbro. But I put my own twist on it, keeping the raw elements of old school Blues and at the same time making it progressive for younger audiences.

Muddy Waters took the Mississippi Blues he heard in his youth and modernized it for his times,” Jordan explained. “That’s what I try to do for my generation. I want to take what’s authentic and powerful about the music I love and bring in other influences without losing the heart and conviction of it.”

Jordan sees a new vitality being brought to Blues music. “The blues need to be kept alive,” said Jordan. “Groups like Meantooth Grin as well as the Black Keys and the North Mississippi All Stars are helping to keep the music alive.”

Jordan is a writer as well as a musician. He wrote the songs for Mean Tooth’s new CD, which will be released this fall on the KAM label.

“I wanted to write songs that would bring young people to the Blues,” said Jordan. “I just play Blues, big, loud and fuzzy.”

Inspiration for Jordan comes from artists such as Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Robert Johnson and Rory Gallagher. He studied under the tutelage of Blues legends Howard “Guitar” Luedtke and Michael Murphy.

“That trip to Clarksdale changed things for me,” said Jordan. “I’m into 30s and 40s Blues played by guys who picked cotton for a living. The trip south made me realize there’s a lot more to Blues than what you hear on the radio. Clarksdale is the birthplace of the Delta Blues. My goal is to push and play as much as possible. I’m a die- hard live musician.”

Meantooth Grin is one of Wisconsin’s most popular Blues bands, entertaining audiences across the state with everything from progressive, rocking sound to old school Delta Blues. Their music has been called loud, swampy and dirty.

Now Jordan’s hometown friends can get a taste of mean Tooth’s version of the Blues. Bring your dancing shoes. For more information, call the Fillmor at (715) 848-9010.

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