Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Standing Out Loud , by Alastair Greene and it's a potent blues rocker. Opening with Texas style rocker, You Can't Fool Me, Alastair Greene has a relentless attack on guitar and strong vocals. He is joined by Todd Bolden on driving bass and Adam Abrashoff who doesn't miss a lick on drums. Excellent opener. Only Do has a great guitar hook that gives Greene a hard anchor to fall back to between his explosive solos. Steady on bass with Bolden and really tight riffs by Abrashoff on drums. Title track, Standing Out Loud , is my top choice for the radio track with a strong melody and bluesy guitar riff under Greene's vocal. Foot stomping, Temptation , really moves with gangly guitar rockin and forward vocals. Traditional rock based guitar riffs drive this track giving it a lot of octane. Slow blues, Rusty Dagger is my favorite, with plenty of space for Greene to really let the dog out. Very cool. Traditional Bu...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Over The Pain , from Orphan Jon and the Abandoned , and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with a strong rocker, Tight Dress , ace guitarist Alastair Greene sets the pace with fleet fingered rock riffs, supported by Ray Sadolsky on bass, Jason Blakely on drums and featuring Jon English onlead vocal. This is a hot rocker that is sure to get your attention. Blues ballad, Over The Pain features Jon with Rebecca Aguilar on vocal with Mike Malone on piano, and some real tasty blues lead guitar by Greene. This track should have strong radio appeal with a solid melody and vocal lines. Swampy, Broken Angel , has a terrific rhythm line courtesy of  Blakely and overdriven tones on extra funky lead guitar by Greene add yet another dimension. Thick blues tone come from Greene's national guitar in pure old school style on the intro and then the track cuts loose. With a thumping bass line by Sadolsky and rowdy vocals by English...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (June 11, 2021), Memphis Moonlight, by Deb Ryder and it's a cool, R&B based blues release packed with talent. Opening with I'm Coming Home , a sassy R&B track features Ryder on lead vocal with Tony Braunagel on drums, Johnny Lee Schell on guitar, Mike Finnigan on B3, Travis carlton on bass, Mark Pender on trumpet and some super sax riffs from Joe Sublet. Cool opener. With a bluesier feel and a touch of gospel on These Hands, Ryder really hits the groove vocally and Alastair Green's addition on slide is a super perk. Schell's backing vocals and the addition of Pieter Van Der Pluijm on harmonica adds real texture. Driving rocker, Blues Is All I Got had a solid bass line by Schell andwith Braunagel on drums and van Der Pluijm on harmonica. Classic slow blues, Love Is Gone is a real standout giving Ryder a chance to show the richness of her vocals and featuring the king of blues guitar phrasing, Ronn...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The New World Blues , from Alastair Greene and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Living Today , a straight up blues rocker, Alastair Green is upfront on mic and lead guitar with Tab Benoit on drums and harmony vocal and Corey Duplechin on bass and backing vocal. Adding a cool funk (think Sly and the Family Stone) on Lies And Fear brings out a whole different flavor. With funky rhythm and really warm blended harmony vocals, this track is super. Benoit shows great drumming dexterity driving Greene's guitar soloing to a new place and Duplechin's bass work is spot on and tight. Excellent! With a dash of JJ Cale styling, When You Don't Know What To Do , is a solid rocker giving Green a wide open field to really punch it. His bluesy riffs balance nicely with Benoit's snappy drumming. One of my favorite tracks on the release is No Longer Amused with it's tight bluesy bottom and soulful guitar sol...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Free , from Amanda Fish and it's cool. Fish takes a raw pop edge with soul to create her own voice. Opening with 2020 , a funky blues track Fish kicks off her shoes and captures that southern rock Muscle Shoals" feel with Dave Hays on guitar. Cool opener. Boogie track, Not Anymore has a great driving bass line and with Richard Rosenblatt spicing up the track on harp. Boogie! One of my favorite tracks on the release is Anymore with really nice soulful vocals and Chris Hazelton joining on organ. Blessed is full blown gospel style soul with Sarah Morgan on backing vocals and Ken Valdez on guitar. Alastair Greene kicks it into high gear on rocker, Going Down with super slide guitar. Very cool. Powerful soul ballad, You Could Be shows just how gripping Fish's vocals can be when she digs down and she does dig. Coyote Bill adds some hot flashes on guitar joined by Hazelton on organ. Hot and heavy. Another boog...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live from the 805 , from Alastair Greene and it's a real rocker (and a double live rocker to boot)! Opening with blues rocker, The Sweetest Honey , Alastair Greene uses classic rock riffs to propel his band into orbit. Backed by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums, these guys are really rocking with excellent guitar soloing by Greene. On boogie track, Big Bad Wolf , Greene's strat has a classic grind and his vocal paired with Rankin are very cool with a ZZ Top edge.  With plenty of swagger and excellent guitar blues bends, 3 Bullets has a great feel. This track is made for Greene's guitar style, really bringing out his tight yet raw attack. Very cool. With a Bo Diddley riff and super fat slide guitar Greene gets a great groove going on Say What You Want . His slide finesse is nicely coupled with his solid vocals and the bands tight bottom. Another track with a cool feel is Love So Strong . Setting ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dream Train , from Alastair Greene and it's a smokin' rocker. Opening with title track, Dream Train , Greene on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jim Rankin on bass and Austin Beede on drums really hit the road hard including fiery slide work by Greene. Big Bad Wolf is a great boogie rocker with grinding guitar rhythm and slashing solos. Excellent! Billy Gibbons penned, Nome Zayne   has a heavy bottom and cool pinched guitar harmonics. One of my favorite tracks on the release is blues ballad, Another Lie , featuring features Walter Trout on guitar and Mike Finnigan on organ and some of the best Greene guitar riffs on tape in a while. Excellent! Acoustic instrumental, Song For Rufus , shows Greene's guitar virtuosity with serious intent. An exceptional piece of recording and playing. Dare Devil is a cool 12 bar number with a nice solo from Dennis Gruenling on harp, Mike Finnigan on organ and of course Greene o...

                                                                   GREAT MUSIC LINEUP FOR 1ST ANNUAL OJAI BLUES FESTIVAL Saturday, August 15 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.    (Ojai, CA) - Crooked Eye Tommy joins a great music lineup that includes the Alastair Greene Band, Deb Ryder, and Shawn Jones, all performing at the 1st Annual Ojai Blues Festival at the Ojai Art Center , 113 S. Montgomery...

WEBSITE    STORE    CONTACT Alastair Greene - Trouble At Your Door - Trailer Click Here To Watch Alastair Greene - Trouble At Your Door - Music Video Click Here To Listen And Watch Blues and rock have met at many different crossroads. From Cream and Johnny Winter to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gov't Mule these blues rock recipes are often boiled down to a simple trio. Such is the melting pot of influences and presentation of the Alastair Greene Band. Greene formed his first blues rock trio with former members of the legendary Southern California band The Pontiax in 1997. The Alastair Greene Band (AGB) has gone through several incarnations and line-ups over the years and had included alumni of the Steve Miller Band, Paul Butterfield Band, and Junior Wells Band. The AGB has also backed many blues artists in the studio and on stage, including Delta Groove recordi...

I just received the newest release (June 17, 2014), Trouble At Your Door , from Alastair Greene Band and it ripps! Greene, well know as a session player and with a number of releases under his belt has really hit the screws on this one. Opening with People , a modern track with essential roots in the blues with drone noting sets a high bar for the rest of the release with hot slide work and a solid beat. On the title track, Trouble At Your Door , a Funk 49 like track, Greene gets things moving right. A funky blues rocker, Green had band mates Jim Rankin (bass), Austin Beede (drums) and Erik Norlander (organ) with him all the way as he lays down some really hot blues rock grooves. This is a great track and gives Greene a good basis to demonstrate his hot guitar skills. Boogie track, Back Where I Belong maintains an essential primitive blues root with a modern polish. Greene is vicious with his slide work and literally puts on a clinic on this release with crisp riffs and fresh phrasi...

         GUITARIST ALASTAIR GREENE PERFORMING AT NAMM/SEYMOUR DUNCAN BOOTH;  ALSO COMPETING AT THE 29TH IBC FINALS NEXT WEEK IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE  A big week looms for Southern California-based blues-rock guitar ace, Alastair Greene . First, Alastair performs at the Seymour Duncan Booth (#5561, Hall B) at the 2013 NAMM Conference, Anaheim Convention Center, on Friday, January 25, from 3:00-3:25 p.m. "With my Seymour Duncan pickups I have higher output with more punch and cut," explains Greene. "For the humbuckers in my Les Paul everything seems smoother and fuller. I've never been good at describing tone. I'm more of a thumbs-up or thumbs-down kind of guy, and all my experiences with Seymour's pickups have been 2 big thumbs up." Check out Alastair's interview on the Seymour Duncan Blog site:: http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/artist-interview/blues-rocking-guitarist-alastair-greene-has-the-right-tone-for-the-a...

              SBBS IBC Fundraiser for the Alastair Greene Band - Sunday, December 2 at SOhO     (Santa Barbara) - The Santa Barbara Blues Society (SBBS) presents a Fundraiser for the Alastair Greene Band , winners of the recent SBBS' IBC (International Blues Challenge), on Sunday, December 2 at SOhO Music Club , 1221 State St., Sunday, December 2. 12 noon-4 p.m. $5. ($3. for Blues Society members). Info: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com. Additional event information at www.sbblues.org.                                    Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Alastair Greene has been a mainstay of the Southern California music scene for over two decades. Currently the lead guitarist for the Alan Parsons Live Project, Alastair is bes...