Texas musician returns to Basin

SOAP LAKE - Houston Blues artist Hamilton Loomis is no stranger to the Columbia Basin.

Many area residents might know Loomis from his handful of performances at the annual Basin Summer Sounds music festival over the past couple of years.

In fact, Loomis said last summer's performance marked the fourth time he's taken the stage at the Ephrata festival.

"It's an honor to be asked back to a major festival like that even twice," he said. "Last year was the fourth time, it was pretty amazing."

But Ephrata isn't the only Basin venue Loomis has played. He had a show at the Soap Lake Businessmen's Club last January, he said.

"We were looking for a venue in the area where the festival was and someone recommended it," Loomis recalled. "We had a great time and a great turnout, we thought we would do a repeat."

Loomis and his four-man band will perform at the Businessmen's Club Jan. 23, at 14 Canna St. N, Soap Lake. Their set begins at 7 p.m.

The Soap Lake show is part of what Loomis calls his "Tundra Tour."

"Every January we do our annual Tundra Tour, where we go up in the snow," he said. "Not a lot of bands are touring so we make it a point to tour in January and it's turned out to be really fun."

Loomis will play in Wyoming and Montana before coming to Washington. He'll play in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado before returning to Texas for more shows.

Loomis said he enjoys touring in the winter because it gives fans a chance to interact with the band, and vice versa, on a more personal level.

"We love festivals, it's a lot of exposure and you reach a lot of people," he said. "But a lot of smaller gigs are just as, and maybe more, rewarding than the bigger festivals."

Loomis said he is still promoting his newest album, "Give It Back," which was released last July.

For more information, visit www.hamiltonloomis.com.