Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, So Much Trouble , from David Rotundo Band , and it's tasty. Opening with She's Dynamite , a strong blues rocker, features David Rotundo on lead vocal and harmonica, Milky Burgess on guitar, Ron Weinstein on organ and piano, Dean Schmidt on bass, Andrew Cloutier on drums and Darian Asplund on sax this is a super opener. Slower blues, I Must Be Crazy , is one of my favorite tracks on the release with solid lead vocal,  Weinstein really working the organ and fine guitar work by Burgess. Very cool. Too Blue , with it's easy sway is another cool track with haunting backing vocals by Annie Jantzer always strong lead by Rotundo and wailing guitar work by Burgess. Drinking Overtime is a swinging shuffle with over the top organ by Weinstein and solid sax by Asplund. Rotundo wails on harmonica and works his vocals into a frenzy. Trying to find it is a solid rocker with group vocal featuring Rotundo, Lee Oskar, Erik Yager...

Toronto blues harpist David Rotundo heard James Cotton perform at the El Mocambo in 1991. “He blew one note on the harmonica that hypnotized me...” The next day, Rotundo went out and bought a harmonica. “…and I’ve been playing the blues ever since.” Obsession with the blues led Rotundo on a diesel-fuelled roots tour of blues epicentres of the United States including - New Orleans, Clarksdale, Austin, Memphis and Chicago with little more than his wits and a bag full of harmonicas. "I wanted to hear and experience the real thing.” He returned to Canada with a visceral perception of the blues and a deep knowledge of blues history. After making the stories his own, he earned the right to tell them. Rotundo has developed his own language of the blues, honing the technique that gives the voice power and authenticity. In 1997, Rotundo led a band called The Blue Canadians (with Peter Schmidt, Shane Scott, Julian Fauth and Doc MacLean) who played the Toronto circuit. In 2000, he was asked...