Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, BB King's Blues Summit 100 , by Joe Bonamassa and it's terrific! Opening with Paying The Cost To Be The Boss , Kingfish Ingram is featured on vocal and guitar and he really gets it done. With it's laid back BB King style and with the help of Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Lemar Carter on drums, Travis Carlton on bass, Jeff Babko on keys, Steve Patrick and Tyler Jaeger on trumpet, Marc Douthit and Jimmy Bowland on sax and Barry Green on trombone, this is a strong opener. Marcus King does an incredible job on vocal and guitar delivering Don't Answer The Door . (I've bought entire albums based on 1 track that doesn't stack up well against this track). King, Bonamassa and Josh Smith really work the guitar on this track and support from Carter, Carlton, Babko, Patrick, Jaeger, Douthit, Bowland and Green are icing on this very nice cake. Buddy Guy gets Sweet Little Angel and he digs in giving it pure Guy trea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, On The Up Side , from Dewayne Pate, and it really is a strong release with a jazz spine and blues, funk and rock undertones. Opening with a tight fusion drum rhythm by Dennis Chambers on 4 the 5 of It and featuring Norbert Stachel on soprano sax, this track is moving. With Dwayne Pate punctual bass riffs and well adorned by Ray Obiedo on guitar, Peter Horvath on piano, David Kirk Mathews on synths and Frank Martin on synths. Excellent opener.  Funky blues, Iceman , showcases Tony Lindsay on lead vocal and the excellent guitar work of Chris Cain. Satchel again shines , this time on tenor sax with the power section of Johnnie Bamont on tenor and bari saxes, and Joel Behrman and with Brian Collier on drums, Obiedo on rhythm guitar, Matthews on B3 and of course the romping bass line of Pate. This track will have you moving. Another cool funky track, Imperial Strut , this time with an obtuse bass line and time signatur...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I Still Get Excited , by Terry Hanck and it's jam packed with sax infused blues. Opening with a rumble, title track, I Still Get Excited has a real nice boogie feel with excellent piano work buy Jim Pugh and cool guitar work by Johnny Cat Soubrand, with backing vocals by Whitney Shea and Lisa Leuschner Andersen, bass by Kid Andersen and drums by Butch Cousins. On Smooth Tyrone , Hanck leads on vocal and soulful sax with really nicely styled guitar work by Soubrand and again really nice piano work by Pugh. On Early In The Morning I particularly like Hanck's vocals and Chris Cain adds really strong lead guitar. I like Andersen's bass attack on this track and the backing vocals by Lisa are really nice. Pugh's B3 work on this track adds that additional dimension and June Core's drumming sets up a solid opening for Hanck to solo. Very nice.  Harmonica great, Rick Estrin joins in on Come On Back playing ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bad Tattoo , from Mighty Mike Schermer , and I really like it. Opening with She Won't Be Coming Back , a cool Latin rhythm rocker features Mighty Mike on vocal and guitar and in particular Eric Bernhardt on bari sax. Nancy Wright slaps down a really nice tenor sax solo of her own and with Paul Revelli on drums, Steve Ehrmann on bass and Austin Delone, this is an excellent opener. Slipping into a really nice R&B groove on Lover's Hall Of Fame , Schermer shows his outright style on vocal and guitar backed by D'mar on drums, Kid Andersen on bass and organ and Dennis Love on congas and vocal. Shifting gears again on How Much Longer , Schermer gets on a country track with a really nice Cajun spice. With Revelli on drums, Ehrmann on bass, Delone on piano/Farfissa and Lisa Lueschner Andersen on backing vocals this track has great radio flavor and sets up explosive guitar riffs by Schermer. Title track, Bad Tatto...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Enjoy The Ride , from Deb Ryder and is has a great feel. Opening with high stepper, A Storm's Coming , Deb Ryder is back sounding as powerful as ever. Johnny Lee Schell and Coco Montoya on lead guitar plays nicely off of the steady beat of Ric Ryder on bass, Mike Finnigan on keys and Tony Braunagel on drums. Exceptional ballad, For The Last Time, is a terrific showcase for Ryder's voice and also features Finnigan on vocal as well with the sweet guitar lead of Montoya. What You Want From Me blends New Orleans feel with pure gospel vocals from Maxanne lewis, Ricky Nelson, Leslie Smith and Kudisan Kai Regalot. Very nice. Got To Let It Go has a real nice BB King style groove featuring Cain and Ryder on a cool vocal duet and slick guitar lead. Sweet Sweet Love has a tight Latin beat with nice piano work by Finnigan and featuring fat guitar riffs by Debbie Davies. Wrapping the release is Red Line featuring the st...

                                                                                           WOMEN RULE THE MAIN STAGE AT NEW BLUES FESTIVAL IV; HEADLINING SETS BY 2017 GRAMMY NOMINEE JANIVA MAGNESS AND QUEEN OF BLUES GUITAR, ANA POPOVIC      ~In Conjunction with the New Long Beach Blues Society~   ...

  ANNOUNCING THE 12TH ANNUAL VENTURA COUNTY BLUES FESTIVAL, A SPRING SOCAL TRADITION, KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE SINCE 2005; YEAR #2 AT BEAUTIFUL STUDIO CHANNEL ISLANDS IN CAMARILLO, CA                                   Saturday, April 29, 2017 - Gates Open 10am, Music Starts 11:00 am      (Camarillo, CA)  - Announcing the 12th Annual Ventura County Blues Festival , a Spring SoCal Tradition, Keeping the Blues Alive for a dozen consecutive years, taking place Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Studio Channel Islands , 2222 E. Ventura Blvd., in Camarillo. Gates open 10:00 am, music begins at 11:00 am. Tickets $30. (Pre-Sale), $40. (Day of Show). Kids 12 and under, free with paid Adult General Admission. V.I.P. Tickets $125. (online only). Festival proceeds...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Playdate! , from Nancy Wright and it's smokin! Opening with funky, Why You Wanna Do It , Wee Willie Walker takes the lead on vocal and Nancy Wright really sails on sax. Joe Kyle Jr. sets the pace on bass with some heavy lines and J. Hansen's drum work is tight. Excellent opener! On Willie Dixon's I Got What It Takes , Kyle again sets a strong bass line and Tommy Castro brings a real nice guitar solo. This track is in the groove and Wright delivers a great sound on sax backed by Tom Poole on trumpet and Faris Jarrah on trombone. Yes He Do is a great swinger with Victor Wainwright really taking control on piano. Wright takes it higher and the two hit it out of the park. Super. Eddie Shaw's Blues For The Westside is an absolute screamer with Wright really digging in. Chris Burns' piano work on this track really stands out and Joe Louis Walker stands tall with soulful guitar riffs fluidly added throughout as ...

I just received the newest release, Love Mechanic , from The JC Smith Band , and it's a ripper. Opening with jump track, Jump For Joy , Smith is out of the box on lead vocals pushed notably by Donnie Green on drums and Tommy Maitland on trumpet. Abraham Vasquez and David Sandez rips it up with nice sax work and Smith lays down a nice guitar solo as well. A rock version of Mr James Brown's infamous Cold Sweat is up next with an almost JB like roll. It cool hearing someone taking James Browns hottest track and using what is his trademark rhythm solid bass line and turning it back on itself by Robert Green. Very Cool idea. Smith wails again on lead guitar backed by the horn section making for a cool cover. R&B ballad, Come On Home To Me , is up next with a nice piano solo by Richard Palmer. Title track, Love Mechanic , is a blues rocker with a bit of chug a lug compliments of Green and Green. Cool rhythm work with horn backing and JC cuts loose with a real nice guitar solo ...

Friends and fans, thank you, thank you, thank you....for all your generous contributions to Chris Cain. Dave and I are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support this site has generated from friends and fans all over the country. I hope to print out a complete list of all the donors for Chris to see, along with all your kind words of encouragement and appreciation for the amazing man that Chris is. Thank you to those of you who have shared this to others as well. Please keep the love coming. -Tracy Pain Subscribe to Updates A message from Dave Mathews (bandmate and longtime close friend of Chris Cain): Due to some recent sudden personal changes in his life, Chris Cain has fallen on hard times. All of his fans need to know that as great a musician and as wonderful a person as Chris is, he struggles to make ends meet in day to day life and needs all of your support right now. In spite of his tremendous talent, Chris never has a lot of money. It's difficult for him to t...

9th Annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest September 12-13, 2014 * Longview, Texas Legendary guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, along with blues vocalist Lou Ann Barton, will head a power-packed musical lineup for the 9th annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest. The two day event features the Wells Fargo Advisors indoor stage with reserved seating, plus the Patterson Nissan outdoor general admission stage. Performances begin at 4:00pm on Friday and 12 Noon on Saturday. Tickets are available on the festival website . Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-a-Whirl Band with Lou Ann Barton Saturday 10:45pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Rick Derringer  Friday 11:00pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 9:15pm - 10:30pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Eric Gales Trio Friday 9:45pm - 10:45pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 11:00pm - 12:00am Patter...