Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 3, 2021), Holler If You Hear Me , from Altered Five Blues Band, and it's a strong contemporary blues release. Opening with blues rocker and title track, Holler If You Hear Me , Jeff Taylor is authoratative at the mic, backed by Jeff Schroedl on guitar, Mark Solverson on bass, Raymond Tevich on keys and Alan Arber on drums plus some cool harmonica work by Jason Ricci. Great opener. Ricci and Schroedl really hit the road running on If You Go Away (She Might Come Back) , and with a modern take on Chicago style blues, Taylor sets a grat pace. With a great blend of instrumentation and a tight drum rhythm by Arber, this track rocks. Slow blues, Holding on With One Hand, is one of my favorites on the release with excellent guitar lead, and powerful vocal from Taylor. The addition of Ricci on this release I think is a master stroke because everything that he plays on gains substantially from his feel. Another solid ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ten Thousand Watts , from Altered Five Blues Band and it's a scorcher. Opening with hard driving boogie, Right On, Right On , Jeff Taylor's gritty vocals lead the way over the thumping bass line of Mark Solveson and solid drum work of Alan Arber. Steve Cohen screams on harp and Jeff Schroedl on guitar really makes you want to put this on your main system and crank it up...Excellent! With an Albert King like swagger, Schroedl leads off on title track, Ten Thousand Watts and with an already powerful bottom cranks off an a head slapping lead solo keeping Taylor company right up front. Wow! Balance between Raymond Tevich on keys and Schroedl's rhythm guitar give Taylor a strong platform to continue the onslaught on Great Minds Drink Alike ... a rowdy shuffle. Keep it coming boys! Dollars & Demon s is a super dark blues number with super vocal phrasing and excellent guitar tone. Schroedl really pulls out the...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Charmed & Dangerous , from Altered Five Blues Band and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Charmed & Dangerous , a funky blues track, powerhouse lead singer, Jeff Taylor is off to  great start. Lead guitarist, Jeff Schroedl is on top with a modern day Albert King style flair joined by Mark Solveson on bass, Tom Hambridge on drums and Raymond Tevich on keys these guys pack a powerful punch.   and Hambridge as always sets great pace. An excellent opener. On shuffle track, Mint Condition , Trevich sets a great sound on organ and Schroedl's Texas style blues riffs are spot on. With a nod from Howlin' Wolf, On My List To Quit absolutely struts. Taylor is on top of his game with solid vocals and Schroedl's riffs are crisp. Out of the gate like "Mad Dogs", Gonna Lose My Lady is a strong blues rocker. One of my favorite tracks on the release Cookin' In Your Kitchen, gives Schroedl a...

 SMOKIN' JOE KUBEK  (1956 - 2015)   Acclaimed blues guitarist Smokin' Joe Kubek passed away suddenly on October 11, 2015, in North Carolina. His long-time musical partner Bnois King said, "He loved the blues. He was always very serious about the music and the presentation of the music.  He had a modern style but he really studied those old cats.  And, he would literally give you the shirt off his back.  He was a great friend." Visitation Hours This Sunday, October 18, visitation hours for fans who want to pay their last respects will be from 3-5 pm at Donnelly's Colonial Funeral Home, 606 West Airport Freeway in Irving, Texas (972-579-1313).  The following graveside service will be private, restricted to family and very close friends only. Thanks to Music Cares, The Blues Fou...

  NOTED GUITARIST "SMOKIN'" JOE KUBEK PASSES AT AGE 58 Acclaimed guitarist Smokin' Joe Kubek passed away yesterday while on tour in North Carolina.   He was 58.  There's no question why he was given the nickname "Smokin’."  He was one of the hottest electric guitar players on the blues scene, with the technique and the chops to burn up any stage. Kubek was born in Grove City, Pennsylvania in 1956 but grew up in Irving, Texas. He was leading his own bands and gigging in clubs all around Dallas when he was a teenager.  By the time he was 19, he was backing many famous blues players in the area, including playing rhythm guitar behind legend Freddie King for a while, until King's death in December 1976. Kubek next worked with R&B singer Al "TNT" Braggs and made a host of new friends, including Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan (with whom Kubek became close), B.B. King and many other blues icons. Kubek didn...

"LONG LIVE THE BLUES" - NEW VIDEO FROM ZAC HARMON Blind Pig Records has released a video of the Zac Harmon Band performing "Long Live The Blues," a track from their new Blind Pig album entitled Right Man Right Now that could become the anthem of the genre.  Zac is one of the blues’ strongest live performers, thrilling fans everywhere from Memphis to Mumbai.  Jazz Now said, “His show affirmed all the hoopla that surrounds those dubbed as the hottest new act… soulful vocals, breathtaking showmanship… His flashy guitar style belies the solid sound that he radiated on every tune, admirably backed by a fantastic band.” Harmon's distinctive style combines the best of old-school soul-blues artists with modern lyrics and themes that bring the blues into a new century. To watch the video, please click HERE .

 Cool New Video! - "The Devil's Bite" Blind Pig Records has released a new video from Victor Wainwright entitled "The Devil's Bite."  The song is a "cautionary tale" with macabre and mysterious implications about the dangers that lie in wait for the unwary. "Wainwright relates a frightening warning to beware of forces that can do you harm, utilizing a vocal style straight from the Tom Waits school of singing," said Chicago Blues Guide. Wainwright, two time winner of the prestigious Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year award, says about the video: "Consumed by lust and betrayed by trust, the protagonist soon learns the hard way that he's responsible for his own fate." The song is a track from Boom Town , the latest stud...

ANDY T-NICK NIXON BAND RELEASE DEBUTS ON BILLBOARD CHART ! Numbers Man , the latest studio album from the Andy T-Nick Nixon Band , debuted this week at #9 on the Billboard blues sales chart. Andy and Nick have become one of the most acclaimed duos in the blues.  Andy T’s jazz-tinged guitar style is influenced by T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Magic Sam, and Albert Collins among others, yet it remains his own. The velvet-voiced Nixon, part of Nashville’s thriving blues and R&B scene in the 60’s and 70’s, sings in a style that recalls Jimmy Witherspoon and Billy Eckstine. Even though he’s now in his 70’s, Nixon’s voice still has all the power and energy of a man half his age and it’s crystal clear that this man was born to sing the blues. As Blues Underground Network said, “Simply put, Andy T and James ‘Nick’ Nixon have quickly risen to the top of many people's ...

I just received the newest release, Numbers Man , from Andy T - Nick Nixon Band and it's super. Opening with blues driver, Shut The Front Door , Nixon leads the way on solid vocals pushed along nicely by Kaz Kazanov (tenor sax), Al Gomez (trumpet) and John Mills (Bari sax), Larry Van Loon on B3, Jim Klingler on drums and Sam Persons on bass. Anson Funderburgh joins in with a tasty solo trading riffs with Andy for a hot opener. Devil's Wife has a flavor of new Orleans courtesy of piano work by Christian Dozzler and Klingler on drums. van Loons' B3 work complimented by The Horns lays it wide open for a nice solos by Kaz and Nixon. Tall strutting, Deep Blue Sea , is a great track to showcase this bands style with Nixon's vocals and The Horns holding down the bottom. A stylized solo from Andy and B3/piano from van Loon round out the track nicely. Dozzler's lead on accordion gives Tall Drink of Water a real Cajun flavor. Andy stirs the pot with few quick riffs but t...