Bman's Blues Report

Although I did not receive a copy of this release for my review on of my pals loaned a copy and told me it was worth a listen. This cd was released sometime in 2011. Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo is a 3 piece band consisting of Williams on vocal and guitar, Eric Shackelford on drums and vocals and Z on bass and vocals. The release opens with Boom Boom, a mixture of sounds from the 40's, 60's and now. The drum intro is very reminiscent of the beginnings of rock on the late 40-s before it was rock. The vocal treatment is similar to the sound of early rock in the early 60's and the relentless slide work is very contemporary and raw. Cool track. Next up is Fat's Domino's Sick ans Tired which gets a real rockin' rockabilly treatment. My Turn is a strong soul style blues in the SJ Hawkins vein. Williams gets a chance to dig in on guitar and plays some blistering riffs with a big Hammond behind him to fill out the mix. 10:49 is a cool 12 bar blues number with vocal,...

Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo is an American blues/rock power trio, based in Madison, WI. Aaron is joined in the band by Eric Shackelford on drums and Z on bass. Aaron began his musical career at 17 years old as the lead guitarist for the Cadillac Joe Band. As part of this group, Aaron enjoyed the pleasure of opening for such renowned artists as Coco Montoya, Taj Mahal, Leon Russell, Canned Heat, Carey Bell, and Jimmy Thackery, who promptly dubbed Aaron “The Brat with the Strat” because of his prowess with guitar and his affinity for Fender guitars. Eric Shackelford has played drums since the age of 11. Majoring in music and religion in college, Eric held the position of drum chair with the Iowa All-Star Jazz Band and had the pleasure of sharing the stage with jazz great Ignacio Berroa. Eric has pushed himself to play all styles of music, including adding New Orleans funk to his style, making him a great addition to a blues rock power trio like Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo. Z has...

Formed as a trio in May of 2008, Aaron Williams (Vocals, Guitar), Eric Shackelford (Drums, Vocals) and Z (Bass, Vocals) have the blues deeply rooted in the music they love to play. The trio all met while Aaron was hosting a blues jam at the now defunct club, The Cuda Café. Not to long after this fateful night the band was playing all over their hometown of Madison, WI. Aaron, like so many other determined young player’s had a veteran musician to learn the craft from, none other then his father Cadillac Joe Andersen. At the age of 16, Aaron picked up the guitar and became obsessed with the instrument. At the ripe old age of 18 he was already sneaking into some of the areas top jams and was keeping up with veteran players. He eventually found a home at the Silver Moon where many great players would show up on Thursday nights for this blues jam. With the likes of Looper Lucas, Michael Coleman and Buddy Guy playing, he was in the right place to learn the craft of a blues front man. After...