Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Struck Down , by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and it's one of their best. Opening with Struck Down By The Blues , Kim Wilson has the mic singing lead vocals on this BB King style track. Johnny Moeller and Steve Strongman handle the gripping guitar lead with Bob Welsh on piano, Rudy Albin Petschauer on drums and Steven Kirsty on drums. Excellent opener. Classic ZZ Top style, one line bass, drives Payback Time features Wilson and Billy Gibbons on lead vocals with great harmonica overtones by Wilson and featuring Gibbons on guitar. Very cool. Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo and Taj Mahal share the mic on Nothing But Rambling , an easy shuffle with strong harmonica work by Wilson and Keb Mo on slide. Wilson back up front on romping shuffle, Whatcha Do To Me . Elvin Bishop lends his guitar work on his track giving it a nice kick and Wilson's harmonica work turns up the heat with his own spice. I really like Moeller's guitar work...

SUPERSONIC BLUES MACHINE ANNOUNCE THE GLOBAL RELEASE OF  CALIFORNISOUL ON OCTOBER 20 VIA MASCOT LABEL GROUP / PROVOGUE ALL-STAR CAST INCLUDES BILLY GIBBONS, STEVE LUKATHER, ERIC GALES, WALTER TROUT AND ROBBEN FORD Los Angeles, CA – Supersonic Blues Machine, featuring Fabrizio Grossi (bass / producer), Lance Lopez (guitar / vocals) and Kenny Aronoff (drums) has announced the global release of CALIFORNISOUL ! On October 20 via Mascot Label Group / Provogue Records.  The title, available on CD, double vinyl, download and streaming, presents the sound the band spent much of 2017 sharing with audiences from Texas to Holland and India to St. Petersburg, Russia, picking up right where the they left off on their well-received debut record, West of Flushing, South of Frisco . Grossi shares, ““ CALIFORNISOUL ! That’s exactly what it is. It’s the missing soundtrack to a summertime drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1971!” Recorded at Fab’s Lab in North Holl...

The guys at Bohemian Guitars just posted this live concert video of Jeff Beck playing one of their oil can guitars. Is there anything Beck can't play? (-----ah....no!) BTW, Beck's very first instrument was a cigar box guitar he built as a child. Here's a close-up shot of Beck and his Bohemian oil can guitar. A certain cigar box guitarist stands beside him.   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”  For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE"   

I just received the newest release, 21st Century Blues , by Van Wilks and it's quite good. Opening with Strange Girl you immediately hear strong,Texas blues rock framing and pop styling. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Van Wilks is joined by Tommy Taylor on drums, Reggie Witty on bass and Billy Mason on keys for a clever opener. Billy Gibbons penned, Drive By Lover , has a lot of the drive of ZZ Top and there is actually quite a bit of similarity between Wilks' and Gibbon's voices. With a driving bass line and fluid blues guitar riffs, Wilks shows his stuff. On Golddigger , the band has a strong swagger and warm guitar rhythm. This is a super track and sans a few hot pinched harmonics and other stylistic guitar tricks, this could be ZZ Top. Very nice! One of my favorite tracks on the release, Just Walk Away , is a bluesy ballad with a lush melodic melody and nice guitar underpinnings. There's A Sin In There Somewhere has a much more primitive feel on the intro with ...

I just received the newest release, Born To Play The Blues , from Buddy Guy and it's terrific! Opening with title track, Born To Play Guitar , Guy starts at his roots with a primitive blues track with basic blues picking supplemented by Rob McNelley on resonator and Guy on strat and super blues vocals. Terrific start! Wear You Out is a great boogie featuring Billy Gibbons trading vocals and guitar riffs with Guy. Backed by Tom Hambridge on drums, Rob McNelley on guitar, Kevin McKendree on Clav and Glenn Worf on bass this track rocks! Classic styling on Back Up Mama features McNelley on slide and Guy on strat trading riffs. Buddy is just such an exceptional performer and his vocals are tight. His calling card frenzied guitar riffs kick this track in the back side giving it that extra punch and McKendree's piano is tight. Kim Wilson joins Guy on swing track, Too Late . His harp riffs blend nicely with Guy's vocals. Whiskey, Beer & Wine has a great groove driven by D...

Along with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons is unquestionably one of the finest blues-rock guitarists to ever emerge from Texas. Born on either March 4 or December 16, 1950 (both dates have been given in the past), and raised in Houston, TX, Gibbons grew up in a home that favored both classical and country sounds, but upon discovering Elvis Presley via an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Gibbons became transfixed by rock & roll. It wasn't long before he discovered other early rock & rollers (Little Richard) as well as bluesmen (Jimmy Reed) via a local radio station. Soon after receiving a Gibson Melody Maker electric guitar and a Fender Champ amp for Christmas in 1963, Gibbons began emulating his heroes -- forming his first band when he was 14 (the Saints). The guitarist later joined a group around the mid-'60s called the Coachmen, who specialized in more psychedelic-based sounds, inspired by the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix...

An All-Star Cast of Musicians Joins Les Paul Trio Guitarist Lou Pallo on Special CD/DVD Tribute to the Guitar Master, Thank You Les Special Guests Include Keith Richards, Steve Miller, Billy F Gibbons, Jose Feliciano, Slash, Bucky Pizzarelli, Nokie Edwards, Melinda Doolittle plus More Notables and Members of the Les Paul Trio DOVER, NJ – An amazing array of all-star musicians join guitarist Lou Pallo in paying tribute to the legendary Les Paul with the September 11 release of a unique CD/DVD titled Thank You Les , produced by Showplace Music Productions in Dover, NJ, and distributed in the U.S. and Canada by the Allegro Corporation. The exciting new release plays as a love letter to the iconic guitar player and recording innovator from these artists who were influenced and inspired by his artistry and innovation. The music covers styles ranging from pop and jazz, to country, rock and blues. The guest artists include guitarists Keith Richards, Billy F Gibbons, S...

You can call Blackberry Smoke’s music southern rock and you wouldn’t be wrong. Or you could call it country and you wouldn’t be wrong, either. But you would be selling both the band and its legion of fans short by trying to fit them solely into one genre. With influences that run the gamut from country to bluegrass to metal to gospel and yes, southern rock, Blackberry Smoke is more than the sum of its diverse parts. “None of us have ever said, ‘Let’s be a southern rock band or a bluegrass band or a country band’,” Blackberry Smoke front man Charlie Starr explains. “We all love the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Stones and the Faces and Hank Williams and Bill Monroe. It’s not about what kind of music it is, as long as it’s good and it’s honest. When we get together it just sounds the way it does.” The group, which is made up of Starr, sibling rhythm section Richard and Brit Turner (bass and drums, respectively) and guitarist Paul Jackson, formed in 2000 and quickly m...

If anyone likes guitar gear more than me...it's Billy Gibbons. Here's a rare chance to look at a bunch of Billy's current gear. Elwood Francis who gives us a look at ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' array of guitars, including the famous fur guitar, and lets us in on how Billy has everything set up for their tour. Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! -  Here

I just received a copy of Leslie Wests new recording, Unusual Suspects. The release is well put together and has all the pyrotechnics expected from a Leslie West recording. I don't know how many of you have been keeping up with West's recent releases but his last 4 or 5 releases have been primarily blues recordings and really spectacular. West has a great voice for blues and of course then there's his guitar tone!! Alas no videos from these releases so I'm happy to be able to finally present you with some real footage!! This release is more rock in nature but still has the blues overtones and plenty of guitar to go around. Leslie West, Legendary guitarist and the founder of one of rocks most influential bands, Mountain, will release a brand new solo album, 'Unusual Suspects', on Monday September 19th. The album features West alongside a hand-picked line-up of the world's finest guitar players; including Slash, blues-rock guitarist Joe Bona...