Baja Blues Festival

Howard and the White Boys CD Release Parties at Rosa's Lounge, Buddy Guy's Legends

"Chicago's Hardest-Working Blues Band " for over two decades is Howard and the White Boys, pictured here outside Rosa's Lounge in Chicago, where they recorded their new album, the aptly-titled "Rosa's Lounge". They'll celebrate the new album with two big Chicago-based CD Release Parties - one at Rosa's Lounge on Friday, August 22; the other at Buddy Guy's Legends on Saturday, August 30. www.howardandthewhiteboys.net

HOWARD AND THE WHITE BOYS CELEBRATE THEIR NEW ALBUM "ROSA'S LOUNGE" WITH TWO BIG CD RELEASE PARTIES - FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 AT ROSA'S LOUNGE; AND SATURDAY, AUGUST 30@BUDDY GUY'S LEGENDS     (CHICAGO, IL) -  Howard And the White Boys celebrate their long-awaited new album "Rosa's Lounge" with two big Chicago-based CD Release Parties: Friday, August 22 at Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage Ave. (9 p.m.; $10. in advance, $12. at the door; 773-342-0452 or http://www.rosaslounge.com for info.); and Saturday, August 30 at  Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave. (11 p.m.; $20.; 312-427-1190 or http://buddyguy.com/ for info.).     "Rosa's Lounge"         NEW HOWARD AND THE WHITE BOYS ALBUM OUT THIS MONTH!      Rosa's Lounge, the new album from Chicago blues veterans Howard & The White Boys, is named after the legendary Chicago club where the band's new CD was recorded. Captured live on one of those magical nights where the crowd and band feed off of each other's exuberance and energy, the recording reveals a group at the top of its game and offers insight into why many consider Howard & The White Boys one of the best live contemporary blues acts of the past two decades.    Chicago, a city steeped in blues history, is where the band have honed their chops since their inception in 1988. Howard & the White Boys have established a reputation as one of the city’s favorite attractions and regular appearances at Buddy Guy’s Legends have afforded them an opportunity to display their wares before locals and out-of-towners who come to Legends to hear the best the city has to offer in blues entertainment. Indeed, Buddy Guy has been their unofficial mentor and his support for the band has been instrumental in exposing them to a wider audience. He has taken them on several major Midwestern tours as his opening act, and has often jumped onstage to jam with them when they appear at Legends. He also gave them the ultimate endorsement by making a rare guest appearance on their third release The Big $core. He plays some scorching guitar and sings a duet with Howard on a remake of the Sam & Dave classic “I Thank You." Guy  told the L.A. Times, "These guys deserve whatever they get and more. And I tell these guys, 'If you ain't gonna do it, you know I will, so don't let me down now.' And they haven't!"    Howard & the White Boys formed in 1988 and began jamming together just for fun, but their fast-growing popularity soon convinced them they could make a career of it. After only a few months, they got their first big break by opening for B.B. King. Their reputation grew in Chicago and they began performing with the biggest names in blues: Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Albert King, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. Between 1994 and 1997, the group made two highly acclaimed recordings, Strung Out On The Blues and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?, for Los Angeles-based Mighty Tiger Records. They began traveling extensively across the United States and their growing popularity captured the attention of Philadelphia-based Evidence Records. The Big $core was the first of three successful discs released by Evidence, and the band wasted no time in promoting it via the first of many trips to European countries such as Belgium, France, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and England. Riding the ever-growing wave of popularity both at home and abroad, the group then released a well-received live CD for Evidence entitled Live At Chord On Blues. In 2007, Evidence released the critically-acclaimed Made in Chicago which showcased the group's versatility and encompassed the funk, R & B, and rock styles that have become Howard & the White Boys trademarks.   Rosa's Lounge bears witness to the power of the group when they perform live, and also lends credence to the Chicago Sun-Times' recent statement, "You can't see this high-energy, good time band at a club without leaving with a smile on your face." The band is now focusing on touring to support the new CD and working on material for their next one.                            www.howardandthewhiteboys.net https://www.facebook.com/pages/Howard-And-The-White-Boys/

Kaye Bohler - Handle The Curves - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Handle the Curves, by Kaye Bohler and it has has a definite soul attitude. Opening with Diggin on My Man, a horn laden, R&B strut with a cool chicken fried guitar solo from Pete Anderson. The Way I Do Business is a bit smoother but still showing strong hor backing from the likes of Lee Thornburg (trumpet and trombone) and Ron Dzibuka (sax) as well as some nice piano work from Michael Murphy. Bubble Gum has a real Al Green style arrangement and by nature will be one of my favorite tracks. Drums by Jeff Sorenson and John Paul as well as the key work of Murphy strongly support Bohler's powerhouse voice. Title track, Handle The Curves is a slow soulful ballad with strong blues overtones. Solid B3 work on this track along with Bohler's vocals make this a leading contender for airplay choice. Backbone has a lot of attitude with a funky strut and great horns and a cool guitar break. Party Time is a fast paced swing type number with tight horn punctuation. Never overplayed Anderson steps up the guitar and hits it hard. Back in the Al Green groove, Slayed is another of my favorites. Dzibula lays down a real nice sax solo and the horns nicely compliment Murphy's key work throughout. It's The Blues takes a straight walk down the blues road. With a loose melody over a standard rhythm this track is easy to follow. Family Is Found has a little bit of rock blended into it's basic R&B feel. Carried on the shoulders of Murphy, Thronburg and Dzibula this track has a really clean sax solo to compliment Bohler's vocals. Wrapping the release is Don't Take My Hope Away, a spiritual/soul style track. It showcases Bohler's vocals as well as any track on the release and a nice conclusion to this release. I particularly like Murphy's keyboard work on this track.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Pro Sho Bidness artist: Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners - Good Music - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Good Music, by Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners and it's got the blues. Opening with Town Line Road, is a hard driving blues rocker featuring Tim Austin on drums, Orlando Wright on bass and Jeff Stone on harp with Dale on guitar and vocal. Naked Woman In My Bed has a cool R&B feel with Glen Doll leading the way on harp. Jim Jedeiken adds key sax work with Charlie Love on guitar, Mark Mack on drums, Andre "Big Perm" McCottry on bass and Derek Phillips on keys. On title track, Good Music, Dale lays down a cool shuffle feel. Chef Denis Depoitre adds some real nice harp work and Charlie Love joins again on vocal and guitar. Andre Howard sets a strong bass line and Mark Mack keeps the bottom tight on drums. Letter From The Birmingham Jail is a cool track with a lot of commercial potential. With it's catchy melody and tight rhythm it's certain to garner attention. One of my favorites is Final Destination. A somber ballad along the lines of The House Of The Rising Sun, Dale's vocals are spot on and cello work from Dane Little gives it a unique feel. She Love Me has a Chicago blues rock feel with key harp work from Jeff Stone. Tim Austin really sets the tempo and shifts on this track and a cool guitar riff from Dale keep this in the groove. Wagon Wheel is a cool low slung blues with a great feel. Stepping out on guitar, Dale really takes the bull by the horns and rips it. Very nice! Cold Wind is another deeper slow blues, this time featuring Doll on harp. Rich guitar overtones and a smart crisp solo sets this track apart with a feel of the House of the Rising Sun or St James Infirmary. Very cool! Black And White is a cool track with a cool groove. Snatch it Back comes to mind but with a different return. Again Doll is on top with harp and Austin on drums. Orlando Wright handles a solid bass line and Dale's vocals are tops. Rock and roll blues...very cool. The Devil I Know is one of the coolest tracks on the release. I like the groove and the overall pace of the track is just right. Dale and Love on guitar and Doll on harp really deliver on this track. Murder has a 50's soundtrack kind of feel (like Fever). Marilyn Schram plays an unusual oboe solo on the track, possibly the only oboe solo I've ever heard on a blues release. Walking bass line from Howard and tightly packed drums keep this track on par with Dale's vocal delivery. Wrapping the release is an extremely cool, My Brain Took The Whole Night Off. A swing blues track, Dale tells the tale and mack really plays the drums on this one. An exception sax solo from Jedeiken really caps this track as an excellent closer.  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Music Maker Blues Revue at Lincoln Center

Music Maker Blues Revue's packed show at Lincoln Center Out Of Doors last Sunday as part of Americana Fest NYC.



Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Ironing Board Sam, Dom Flemons, Albert White, and company rocked the joint and earned a standing ovation!

Roller Records artist: Berdon Kirksaether - Latenighters Under A Full Moon - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Latenighters Under A Full Moon, from Berdon Kirksaether and it's really quite interesting. Opening with Go Cat Go, blues fusion track with a walking bass line and organ bottom setting the stage for cool guitar improvization by Kirksaether. Very Nice! The band is a mix of musicianship from Kirksaether joined by Stein Tumert, Per Eriksen, Olaf Olsen, Finn Tore Tokle and Leo Volskiy. Cool Cats On The Move has a very ethereal feel with a snappy drum rhythm and bass ride overlayed with guitar harmonics, bent arpeggio's and cool effects. Conrad's Bar Bounty is a straight up 12 bar with solid lead guitar soloing over B3, drums and bass. The B3 work on the track is actually quite cool and blends nicely with Kirksaether. Rendezvous has a Latin rhythm and a simple pop melody played on electric guitar. Smooth and cleanly articulated. Jumping The Night Away is another straight 12 bar number finding Kirksaether soloing over a simple rhythm guitar, bass and drum line. Midnight Haze has a little bit of the feel of WAR and it's ghetto beat but with more complex guitar feel. Kirksaether twists and bends notes creating an interesting weave of guitar sounds for an experimental pop jazz number that is quite successful. Another One Going Down has a real somber feel like Wes Montgomery. A quiet track with light handed guitar experimentation. Layered guitar lines and organ basics make this a smooth but tightly meshed jazz number with blues overtones. Pitstop By The River is pure guitar improv with an electronic rhythm pattern and layering of guitar solos and riffs. It's actually quite interesting with blending of Knopler like riffs, sonic guitar riffs and loose sax soloing. Walk And Your Feet Will Follow has a wallking bass line and keys creating a basis for melodic guitar lead. A nice piano solo on this track gives it a clean jazz feel. Title track, Latenighters Under A Full Moon has a juxtaposition of grinding blues fusion riffs over a quiet jazz bottom. A mind fetching and suitable conclusion to a cool experimental release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Although not from this release, a taste of Kirksaether's music:

Soars High Productions artist: JP Soars - Full Moon Night In Memphis - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Full Moon Night in Memphis, from JP Soars and it's a blast. Opening with title track, Full Moon Night in Memphis, Soars leads the way with his raspy voice and melodic slide work, accompanied by Chris Peet on drums and Todd Edmunds on drums. Brandon Santini adds significantly with some hot harp riffs as well. Back To Broke is a funky track with rap like vocals. Mark "Muggy Doo" Leach adds a nice B3 edge and Soars clean picks a pretty nice solo. Makes No Sense is a really smooth slower blues with sumptuous chords and clean bluesy riffs. A really nice T-Bone Walker like approach to this track makes it stand tall with any of Soars earlier work. Somethin' Ain't Right has a strong blues rock feel reminding me of Mountain. Raul Hernandez adds some cool percussion to this track giving it a different texture. Soars really attacks the electric guitar on this with some real sting. Where's the cowbell? Very nice! Mean Old World has a Latin beat and cool simple chords supporting Soars on vocal. Lower octave guitar soloing and a light Spanish touch makes this track really shine. Savin' All My Lovin' is a nice loping shuffle and features Steve Laudicina on 2nd guitar. Nice Texas style blues riffs smoke this track and leave you wanting more. Classic, Reefer Man is really hopping and fleet fingered guitar soloing is really hot. Chaim Rubinov (Trumpet) adds nice top and Scott Ankrom (sax) and Soars each step up with hot solos making this one of the best tracks on the release. Way Back Home has a real gritty feel with Soars on cigar box and slide. This is bound to be one of the release favorites with hot licks like this! The Back Room is a R&B style track Leach on B3 and Soars ripping rock solid blues style riffs. Thorn In My Side is a straight up blues rocker, Detroit style, with unusual slide riffs over a clean blues rock beat. Another classic, Viper, is really well done. Soars vocals are perfectly suited for this track and Ankrom with a super solo on clarinet and Chaim Rubinov's solo on trumpet along with the strong bass work from Peet give this track a real period feeling. Really cool Django like gypsy guitar work from Soars ices the cake. The Road Has Got Me Down crosses over to country. Joined by Teresa James on vocals and Santini on harp, Soars plays it up and also adds a nice tinge of pedal steel. Cool! My favorite track on the release, Spanish style Lil' Mamacita really crosses the border into Latin style with real salsa. Smoking hot guitar riffs and all of the percussion you could possibly want from Hernandez makes this a track that's hard not to love! Wrapping the release is swing style track, Missin' Your Kissin', a real driver. Soars plays as hot a guitar solo as you'd dream and Terry Hanck joining on tenor sax literally blows the top off! Excellent!  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

New Marcia Ball Album Set For September 23 Release

MARCIA BALL SET TO RELEASE THE TATTOOED LADY AND THE ALLIGATOR MAN ON SEPTEMBER 23

Award-winning pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball will release her new Alligator Records CD, The Tattooed Lady And The Alligator Man, on September 23, 2014. The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised Ball has earned worldwide fame for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she strolls onto the stage. Her groove-laden New Orleans boogie, deeply soulful ballads and rollicking Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music fans all over the world.

On The Tattooed Lady And The Alligator Man, Ball draws listeners deep into her music with instantly memorable melodies and imaginative imagery. Her songs paint vibrant musical pictures, richly detailed with characters, flavors and scenes straight out of Louisiana and Texas. With raucous horns punctuating Ball’s legendary piano pounding and emotional, melodic vocals, the new CD mixes Ball's New Orleans R&B, swampy Louisiana ballads, and jumping, Tex-Mex flavored zydeco into a one-of-a-kind musical gumbo, a sound she has been perfecting over the course of her four-decade career.
From the poignant Just Keep Holding On to the fresh start of Clean My House to the surprising and timely The Squeeze Is On to the southern warmth of Human Kindness, Ball has delivered a set of songs so well written and so well performed, she’ll astound and delight her longtime fans and give newcomers plenty of reasons to join the party. Featuring her stellar, road-tested touring band, with help from friends Delbert McClinton and Terrance Simien and production by Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, James Cotton, Susan Tedeschi), The Tattooed Lady And The Alligator Man is happy, moving, joyful, stirring, thought-provoking, danceable and fun.

After a 1978 solo LP for Capitol and a successful series of releases on Rounder, Ball joined the Alligator Records family in 2001 with the release of the critically acclaimed Presumed Innocent. The CD took home the 2002 Blues Music Award for Blues Album Of The Year. 2004’s So Many Rivers, 2005’s Live! Down The Road, 2008’s Peace, Love & BBQ and 2010’s Roadside Attractions all received Grammy Award nominations as well as critical and popular acclaim. In 2010, Ball was inducted into the Gulf Coast Music Hall Of Fame and in 2012 into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. She’s received a total of seven Living Blues Awards and nine Blues Music Awards (and has earned a whopping 42 nominations).
The New York Times says, “Marcia Ball plays two-fisted New Orleans barrelhouse piano and sings in a husky, knowing voice about all the trouble men and women can get into on the way to a good time.” Living Blues declares, “Her originals sound like timeless classics and southern soul masterpieces that no one else can imitate.” Of the new album, Ball says, “I don’t make a record until I have something to say, stories to tell, messages to impart. I try to make records that are true to me,” she continues, “and this one couldn’t be truer.”

Welcome to the world of kettles | eno: The Jake Leg Chronicles out on October 21

 

Welcome to the world of kettles | eno: The Jake Leg Chronicles

CD Out on October 21

Songs, tunes, odes and anthems are abound on debut release

Atlanta, GA - Welcome to The Jake Leg Chronicles: a mixed-up world of chaos, filled with love, misery, justice and sometimes bad luck; all set to music. The songwriting duo of Steed Kettles and Jeff Eno combine their talents to create a collection of songs that are potent with lyrical imagery and strong in musical hooks. The Jake Leg Chronicles will be released on October 21st on Indian Proud Entertainment with national distribution through Burnside Distribution.

The CD was recorded and mastered at Meaner Studios located in Smyrna, GA with Rick Willaford producing, engineering and mastering, Rick even managed to cut a drum track here and a vocal track there. His hands are all over this CD.

The Jake Leg Chronicles took 8 months to compile due to competing schedules. But, despite the time lapse, the songs maintained a continuity that served as the perfect bed for the primarily southern gothic, wild-eyed tales.

Songs like, “Blood Brothers” to the haunting “I’m Coming Home”, shows the depth and range of the characters that kettles | eno deliver. The labyrinths of tawdry characters find redemption in the end with the song “We Believe.” This uplifting song ends the CD because you always have to say a prayer for the next day.

Take a listen to the song:

https://soundcloud.com/jill-kettles/kettles-eno-im-coming-home

Steed and Jeff were lucky enough to get, some of Atlanta’s finest musicians. Atlanta guitar legend, Jim Lavender, who was a founding member of the seminal roots band, The Cigar Store Indians and childhood friend of Steed’s, gives the music an undeniable edge with his guitar work. Liberty Jones’ guitar man, Mike Duckworth offers up some nifty finger style work on “Blood Brothers”, while vocalist Karin Johnson, plays the part of Emmylou Harris on the cd’s only cover, “Song For You”, a Gram Parson’s classic. She changes it up a bit to sound more Stax than country. Dave James, of Boy Howdy fame, who is equally adept on piano and B-3 organ, always seemed to know which instrument fit in the right hole.

David Smith, who is a jack of all trades, rose to the occasion of spreading his musical abilities to more than anyone could ask for on drums, bass and guitar.

Steed and Jeff met in a band called, Skin n Bones (mid 90’s) that would become the first call for various venues around the Atlanta club scene to open up for the classic rock bands during the early 1990s. After the band broke up, Jeff formed Warped Groove, a jam band. Conversely, Steed formed Liberty Jones which received national attention. Soon after Liberty Jones was formed, they received a spec deal to track the record as band management sought a Nashville major label.

Shortly into those sessions, it was apparent that the songs chosen required a strong, resonant voice like Jeff’s. So, Steed asked Jeff to come aboard which Jeff quickly accepted. With Jeff now on board, the band decided their sound lent themselves for the Americana genre.

In 2007, Liberty released their final record, title, Atlanta, Georgia. This record got worldwide press and radio airplay.

After a couple of years relaxing, Steed (deep rooted in folk or country filled with imagery or emotion,) Jeff (a deep understanding of pop and roots rock,) Decided to step back in the studio one more time. This time it was going to songs primarily from Steed’s catalogue and recorded the way they’ve always heard the material.

The result, The Jake Leg Chronicles, is an 11-song disc that approaches Americana with a pop influence.

From the Cabbagetown bio-op, “Poor White Trash” to the “Hey!” in “I’m Coming Home” to the bitterness of a break up on “Sticks and Stones” to a Sunday morning prayer of “We Believe”; the songs come from years of southern living, not pies and sweet tea, but social and cultural discomfort. Always being thought of backwards, racist, and poor which is the opposite of what most of us are. “We are a unique group”, says Steed, “always wanting everyone to be what the Bible says, love one another like Jesus does, in the daytime, anyhow. When the sun goes down it’s pretty much a free-for-all. That’s why a lot of great art comes from down here. The eternal struggle with good and evil inside the soul makes for a good muse.”

As the title of the CD was arising, a theme began to develop with varied characters and imagery that led up to the chosen moniker, The Jake Leg Chronicles. So what is Jake Leg? The title came from the prohibition-era south, when a couple of bootleggers named Harry Gross and Max Reisman searched for an alternative adulterant to sell as alcohol. They asked an MIT professor (who did not realize they intended internal consumption) for advice.  They settled on a ginger extract (TOCP), nicknamed, “Jake.” Originally thought to be harmless, TOCP, turns out, is a neurotoxin. Thereby, drinking TOCP affected the nervous system, leaving them with a funny walk. The old, southern slang reflects the mood of many of the lyrics in The Jake Leg Chronicles.

First impressions are everything but making them last is hard work, kettles| eno is not trying to reinvent the wheel only trying to enhance the ride. From the artwork to the musicians, to the voices this one that is sure to turn heads and twist some ankles.

kettles | eno – The Jake Leg Chronicles – October 21, 2014