Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Gravity , from Laurie Morvan and she's got flair. Opening blues rocker, My Moderation is built around a classic blues rhythm set up by Bob Glaub on bass and Tony Braunagel on drums. Morvan has a really nice hand at the strat managing riffs solid riffs like child's play. Mike Finnigan is hot on the trail with his signature organ riffs and backing vocals are provided by Lisa Morvan, Maxayan Lewis and Kudisan Kai. Nice opener. Stay With Me features Morvan's stinging guitar riffs over a heavy lumbering bass line and thick B3 by Finnigan. With a dash of funk into a rockin mix, The Extra Mile , is one of my favorite tracks on the release. Blended vocal lead and really hot lead guitar is the ticket on this one with an obviously heavy bottom. Very nice. With a smooth melody, title track, Gravity ,carried by Morvan on lead vocal and Jim Pugh on B3 is the definite radio on the release. Another track that shine brig...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rescue , from Kelly Z and it's quite enjoyable. Opening with James Brown's What Do I Have To Do , Kelly Z has that driving sound, backed by Teresa James, Shari Puorto and Lisa Orloff Staley on vocal, Rick Reed on bass, John Marx on guitar, and Bryan Head on drums. Mo Beeks really ramps in up with some super keyboard work and the horn section featuring Andy Najira on sax and Stan Martin on trumpet pump up the sound. On The Shirelles' Baby It's You , Kelly shines with only minor changes from the original arrangement one upped by nice trumpet work by martin and guitar soloing by Perry Robertson. Mike Bloomfield's ballad, You Don't Realize has a solid feel, backed by Barry Goldberg on B3 and Roy Weigand on trumpet. Very nice. Tina Turner's high energy Trying To Find My Mind is up next with sassy vocals and featuring Chuck Kavooras on slide. Isaac Hayes' Do Your Thing is my favorite track o...

I just received the newest release, My Obsession , from Shari Puorto and she's still slamming it. Opening with funky rocker, It's A Damn Shame , Puorto's vocals are tight and her phrasing is super. Johnny Hawthorn knows how to make it hot on guitar and Bob Glaub's bass lines are smokin. Backed by Kenna Ramsey, Julie Delgado and Mike Finnigan, this is my favorite track on the release. On Home of the Blues , Jimmy Vivino and Steve Fister step up on lead and slide guitar (respectively) and Mike Finnigan's B3 work is super. Rock and roller, Six Months Sober is square down the middle with Jim Pugh's piano and B3 and slide soloing by Hawthorn is smooth. Sugar Daddy is a slower sure stepper with a drone bass line and slap snare from Tony Braunagel. Title track, My Obsession , opens with a subdued niteclub feel but kicking into a solid rocker with Vivino and Finnigan trading lead riffs under Puorto's cool vocals. Old Silo Road is a quiet ballad, primarily the...

Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, USA)[1] is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping. Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and his first record was the album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band in 1966 with Charlie Musselwhite. Described in 1997's Legends of Rock Guitar as a "legendary" album, it was influential in bridging the gap between blues and rock and roll, with Mandel's "relentless fuzztone, feedback-edged solos, and unusual syncopated phrasing."[3] He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, performing often at a club called The Matrix, where local favorites like Jerry Garcia or...

Bman: Hi Shari. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. Tell me about Shari, the person. Your Bio indicates that you are "currently residing" in Southern California but didn't you grow up on the east coast? Shari: I did grow up on the East Coast! If you asked me where I was from, I'd probably say, Connecticut. Even though I was born in So. Cal. I feel I'm "from" Connecticut because that's where I grew up. I have strong ties there. I still have family and my bestest friends in the world in Connecticut! Not to mention the best pizza in the world, Pepe's. Oh man, my mouth is watering! I always feel at "home" when I go back to CT. Interestingly enough, I'm currently writing a song with Barry Goldberg called, "Old Silo Road". That's the road I grew up on! I'm so psyched. Bman: I'm guessing that a move back east isn't in your future. I grew up in the east as well.You look really comfortable in your w...