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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Blind Spot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blind Spot. Show all posts

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Dirty Cat Records artists: The Lucky Losers - Blind Spot - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blind Spot, from The Lucky Losers and it may be their best one yet. Opening with It's Never Too Early, a melodic two stepper featuring nicely blended vocals by Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz, backed by Ian Lamson on guitars, Chris Burns on keys, Endre Tarczy on bass and Robi Bean on drums. Take The Long Road is a real cool track with an Al Green strut. Lemons' vocals are spot on, with Laura Chavez on lead guitar and Berkowitz harp contributions are notable. Alligator Baptism is a cool blues rocker with a pinch of Latin spice courtesy of D'mar on percussion and the addition of Kid Andersen on lead guitar, Jack Sanford on bari sax and Nancy Wright on sax. Another strong track, The River, this time country soul really nicely showcases Lemons' voice which sounds a lot like Susan Tedeschi. Lamson's slide work and harp work by Berkowitz add nicely to this really solid entry. With a cyclical bass line by Tarcy, Supernatural Blues has a great feel, with Lemons and Berkowitz laying down a solid duet and crisp guitar riffs by Lamson. Funky, Don't Take Too Much,lays heavy on a great bass line by Tarczy and D'Mar on drums. Nicely phrased vocals by Lemons and Berkowitz, funky organ work by Burns, and a particularly nice harp lead by Berkowitz makes it hard to sit still. Very nice. Channeling an Al Green vibe, Love Is Blind really sits nicely in the groove. Lemons has the lead on vocal and with nicely finessed harp work from Berkowitz, a cool neck pickup guitar solo with tight articulation by Kid Andersen and Beans solid drumming, this track is smooth. Wrapping the release is You Left It Behind, a light, piano framed shuffle with playful vocal exchanges by Lemons and Berkowitz. Tarczy and Bean set a compact bottom and Lamson's guitar runs are super. Very cool closer for a real nice release.
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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Lucky Losers Deal Winning CD, "Blind Spot," on May 18 from Dirty Cat Records










The Lucky Losers Deal Winning CD, Blind Spot, on

May 18 from Dirty Cat Records



San Francisco’s Finest Male/Female Duet-Fronted Band Delivers the Goods with Soul and Style on Their

Third Album



SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Veteran blues vocalists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz, aka The Lucky Losers, deliver a soulful ‘60s retro sound on their third CD, Blind Spot, coming May 18 on Dirty Cat Records, distributed through CD Baby.







Watch a video about recording the new CD here:


Recorded at award-winning Greaseland Studios (John Nemeth, Wee Willie Walker, Billy Price) in San Jose, California, Blind Spot continues The Lucky Losers’ long-standing relationship with acclaimed producer/engineer, Kid Andersen. Bringing back the lost art of the vocal duet, the album is solely comprised of original material created by Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz alongside their illustrious and multi-talented songwriting partner, Danny Caron (Charles Brown). Blind Spot features scintillating musical contributions from six-time Blues Music Award nominated guitarist, Kid Andersen, International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Award winning violinist Annie Staninec (Rod Stewart), 2018 BMA nominated saxophonist, Nancy Wright, and guitarist Laura Chavez (Nikki Hill), who was listed as one of  the “Top 50 Sensational Female Guitarists” by Guitar Play Magazine.



Vocalist/harmonica master Phil Berkowitz says about the recording sessions: “Cathy, Kid and I are all on the same page musically. And Kid has an intuitive understanding of our creative vision. When people hear this album, they will be reminded of Willie Mitchell's Hi Records, as well as Stax. We love singers like Ann Peebles and O.V. Wright. We went to great lengths to make our album sound like it came from that late ‘60s and early ‘70s era. We were going for that warm, live, Memphis sound with all that great, spontaneous ensemble playing. We also drew heavily from early ‘70s psychedelic soul. When you hear ‘Alligator Baptism,’ for example, artists like Curtis Mayfield might come to mind.  You will hear all the percussion, the horns, the harmonies, the street-wise stories, etc. But that is just one facet of our diverse style. We also love electric Americana pioneers like J.J. Cale, The Band and Bob Dylan. But we are blues artists at heart—Cathy and I—so you will hear plenty of blues in the mix. We brought in marvelous Bay Area players, and we blended these styles together.”



Blind Spot is a road warrior’s tale. The album is a primal call to awareness in the eye of an irresistible storm. Caught between hope and catastrophe, The Lucky Losers take a fearless ride into the unknown, witnessing the good, bad, and ugly of contemporary America through a fractured rear-view mirror. Traveling through a winding soundscape of modern blues, vintage R&B, and Americana, Blind Spot presents unvarnished testimony to the fragile and fleeting state of our world. From the redemptive embrace of love in “The River,” to the erosion of human dignity in “Alligator Baptism,” to the “do or die” determination of “Take the Long Road” and “It’s Never Too Early,” The Lucky Losers express the challenges they face as they try to maintain a firm grasp on the wheel.



“Phil and I have travelled some of the loneliest highways in America to bring our music to the people,” says Cathy Lemons. “And in all those travels what we see is a kind of distraction everywhere--almost to the point of madness. I feel so overwhelmed by all this information pouring in from my phone, from the news, from tragic headlines. Now that can be a funny or it can be deadly. For example, in a song we wrote called ‘You Left it Behind,’ we talk about losing our wallets, our keys, our passports, our clothes--on the road. But on the other side of the slapstick comedy there is the dark side. ‘Last Ride’ is about the mass shootings, the natural disasters, and all the divisiveness we are seeing right now in America. This album is about this separation from real experience--seeing life through a screen.”

The Lucky Losers are hitting the road across the country to tour in support of Blind Spot Cathy Lemons - vocals/percussion; Phil Berkowitz - vocals/harmonica; Ian Lamson – guitar (who toured with Elvin Bishop and plays on the album); Robby Yamilov – bass; and Jon Otis - drums (son of the legendary Johnny Otis).





The Lucky Losers Tour Dates

Thursday, April 12, Flagstaff Brewing Company, Flagstaff, AZ

Friday, April 13, The Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ

Saturday, April 14, The Raven Cafe, Prescott, AZ

Sunday, April 15, House of Bards, Tucson, AZ

Tuesday, April 17, Cowgirl BBQ, Santa Fe, NM

Wednesday, April 18, Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, NM

Thursday, April 19, Funky Door, Lubbock, TX

Friday, April 20, Keys Lounge, (w/Ally Venable Band), Fort Worth, TX

Saturday, April 21, Kingfish, Fayetteville, AR

Sunday, April 22, Huey’s Midtown, Memphis, TN

Tuesday April 24, The Local, Nashville, TN

Wednesday, April 25, Lafayette’s, Memphis, TN

Saturday, April 28, Blind Willie’s, Atlanta, GA

Sunday, April 29, Daniel Day Gallery, Birmingham, AL

Tuesday, May 1, Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza and Live Music, Columbus, OH

Thursday, May 3, Slippery Noodle, Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, May 5, Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago, IL

Sunday, May 6, Smoke Daddy BBQ (Wrigleyville Location), Chicago, IL

Tuesday, May 8, BB’s Jazz and Soups, St. Louis, MO

Wednesday, May 9, Nathan P. Murphy's, Springfield, MO

Thursday, May 10, The Jazz Depot at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame, Tulsa, OK

Friday, May 11, Puebla Tacos Y Tequileria, Norman, OK

Saturday, May 12, The Shamrock, Wichita, KS

Sunday, May 13, Lincoln’s Roadhouse, Denver, CO