Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Family Matters , from Straw Family and it's sweet and melodic. Opening with rocker, Alive , Straw Family, is really a vocal group of Denise Fabricius, Henriette Fabricius, and Sally Fabricius with Carsten Fabricius,  Frederik Nordvang and Jens Runge on guitar, Helge Solberg on bass  and Michael Axen on drums producing a warm, bouncy sound with tight harmonies. Definite radio material. 1965 has a bit more of a pop country sound, again with rich harmonies and a cool melody. Bang Bang has a driving bass line and still with solid radio qualities, but with a grittier edge. One of my favorite tracks on the release is quiet ballad, Spider Making new Web, featuring Sally on solo vocal and piano, accompanied lightly by drums and guitar. Another solid ballad, I Hope ,  features Soren on piano and solo vocal.  A third ballad, Family and Friends , finds the family blending nicely on vocal with just a little mor...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Overdrive Live! from The Blues Overdrive and it's really solid. Recorded at one of Denmark's biggest and most prestigious festivals, Smukfest, TBD opens with Death On The Highway with it's laid back JJ Cale or Eric Clapton style country blues rocker feel. Martin Olsen fronts the band on lead vocal and guitar with Brother Birck on bass, Louisian Boltner on drums and Andreas Andersen on lead guitar. On shuffle track, Three Time Lover , the band gets a cool groove going with extended soloing by Andersen. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Ball & Chain (not Big Mama's) but with a strong San Francisco sound, lush ringing chords and interesting guitar work by Andersen under Olsen's vocals. Very nice. With a touch of hill country sound and a heavy bass rhythm, Bob Dylan's High Water (For Charley Patton) is a really strong track that really draws me in. Excellent! With a straight up rhyt...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Change My Game , from Thorbjorn Risager & the Black Tornado and it's very interesting. Opening with I Used To Love You , Risager sets a new stage with a calm, poised melody and rich vocals backed by Peter Skjerning on guitar, Emil Balsgaard on keys, Soren Bojgaard on bass, Martin Seidelin on drums, Hans Nybo on tenor sax, Kasper Wagner on sax and Peter Kehl on trumpet. On Funky rocker, Dreamland , the band really hits the groove and the horn section pumping up the work of Bojgaard, Seidelin and Balsgaard I really like this track. Title track, Change My Game has a solid radio format with a spunky beat, clever guitar riffs, a cool funky rhythm and cool horn punctuation. With a blues vamp platform, Risager rides high in a cool, polished blues hollar. Hold My Lover Tight is a solid rocker with a driving beat, super vocals and punchy horns. Another of my favorites. Maybe It's Alright has a universal appeal wit...

Danish/American Singer Nina Massara Clicks Her Heels, Winks And Says WATCH ME With Her US Debut Out On March 3 rd Nina Massara is putting everything she has into a sound she hopes will bring the music she loves to every generation, young and old. Nina has the looks of a retro black and white movie star with a sassy voice that will remind you of modern day belters like Rhiannon Giddens, Victoria Williams, and Valerie June. With a tinge of “I told you so” in her voice, Nina takes on critics and fans with her U.S. debut, Watch Me . This album is set to release on March 3, 2017, on CSP Records, an independent label out of Texas. Label President Jimmy Rogers, who has spearheaded many a blues artist over the past 40 years, was so knocked out by her that he signed her on the spot. “Look out world; Nina Massara is a fantastic new artist!” Jimmy Rogers, CSP Records. Recorded and produced by Morten Wittrock both in Denmark and at Austin’s famous 5th Street ...

I just received the newest release, Clinch! by The Blues Overdrive and I really like it! Opening with suspenseful track, Pistol Blues , this Danish band really understands it's craft. With a feel of North Mississippi and easy instrumentation by Martin Olsen on guitar and vocal, Andreas Andersen on guitar, Thomas Birck on bass and Lars Heiberg on drums these guys create an invite to their cool blues interpretation. Rolling Thunder steps up the rock feel but maintains the stripped down feel with cool double stopped guitar riffs. Cool! Shuffle track, Three Time Lover, starts to show more of the richness of Olsen's vocals and Olsen and Andersen compliment each other nicely as they trade lead/rhythm guitar riffs. Duke Robillard steps up with a signature solo of his own blending right in. Very cool! A little twist of Latin in the rhythm give Woman Of Love a more pop blues feel. Simple guitar riffs and overtones of JJ Cale make the track smooth and breezy. John Nemeth's Dau...

AWARD-WINNING U.S. BLUES ARTIST IN CONCERT AT WORLD-FAMOUS MOJO BLUES BAR IN DENMARK 9 May (Saturday), 2015   (Copenhagen, Denmark) - Award-winning U.S. blues artist PEACH and Band featuring guitarist Aske Jacoby along with bassist Fredrik Damsgaard and Stefan Pasborg on drums, and Esben Just on keyboards, perform in concert at the world-famous Mojo Blues Bar , Løngangsstræde 21 C, 1468 Copenhagen, Denmark, 9 May (Saturday). Doors open at 8:00 p.m., show starts at 9:30 p.m. Telephone: 33116453. Advance reservations can be made at: mojo@mojo.dk . Additional info at www.mojo.dk . PEACH performing in Venice, California, USA, last November. (photo by Ed Simon)    "(PEACH) exhibited her guitar skills along with strong singing on Stix Hooper/Will Jenning's 'Never Make Your Move To Soon' and also showcased 'It Meant Nothin' that she co-wrot...

I just received the newest release, Too Many Roads , from Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado and it's classic blues rock. Opening with If You Wanna Leave , a driving shuffle track with Risager and Peter Skjerning on guitar, and backing horn work from Kasper Wagner (sax), Hans Nybo (sax) and Peter W Kehl (trumpet). Title track, Too Many Roads takes a more traditional route with Risager on dobro and slide contrasting against his firm but rugged vocals. Lea Thorlann and Pia Trojgaard add warm backing vocals giving it a southern country blues feel. Acoustic ballad, China Gate has a real rural feel accompanied only but acoustic guitar, solitary electric guitar and keys. Very nice. Paradise is an uptempo foot stomper with an almost spiritual feel. This nicely composed blues track backed by Emil Balsgaard on keys, Martin Seidelin on drums and percussion and again nice horn work makes for a very cool track. Drowning is a really effective use of instrumentation to showcase Ri...

Blues band from Denmark. Jysk blues-rock-kvartet, 4 herrer med et tilsammen fuldstændigt uoverskueligt cv, men med en fælles kærlighed til god blues guitar og vocal - og RYTME!! Dannet i efteråret 2009 i Serridslev Forsamlingshus ,-offentlig debut på Danmarks Smukkeste Festival 2010. CD aktuelle med albummet "Nothing But Love", som kom på gaden 9-8-2013. CD rummer 14 originale tracks og kan købes ved at indsætte 100 kr+porto 21 kr, ialt 121kr på reg.nr.9890 konto3060457386. Husk at opgive navn og adresse.   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 favorite band!

I just received a new self titled release from The Blues Overdrive , on of Denmark's most talented blues bands. The release is made up of 10 original tracks and one never released track by JJ Cale. The opening track, Death On The Highway, is a jazzy boogie style track with head boppin' guitar riffs. Out In The Country has a lot of the musical characteristics of a Jim Morrison composition. Dual lead guitar players Martin Olsen and Andreas Andersen share the space rather than vying for it. I Was Wron g is a really uptempo shuffle track and gives the band great opportunities to riff away. bassist Thomas Birck and Drummer Lars Heiberg lay down a solid bottom for strong lead guitar slinging. Ball and Chain is a stripped down slow blues very reminiscent of early British blues including vibrato enhanced guitar effects over a solitary vocal track and chorded rhythm guitar with simple guitar leads. I really like this track. Puts me in mind of some of the early creative work by Kim ...

Jake Green - vocals/guitar Bleu Lane - guitar Steve Klotz - slide Jeff - bass Mark - drums Larry - keys Jake Green Band is one of the most promising names on the danish blues scene. In a music genre that is both strongly traditional and a bit hide-bound in style sometimes, this band shows there's still a kick to blues rock. They aim to break the boundaries without smashing them. The Jake Green Band style is a mix of powerful blues rock, heavy shuffles and heart-wrenching slow-blues you can feel deep in your soul. These are skillful, experienced people who are passionate about what they do. It has power from that passion, and they work hard, sweat more, and draw the audience into the feel of the music. This dedication has landed the Jake Green Band some very high-profile gigs such as steady monthly weekend gigs at Mojo Blues Bar in Copenhagen, and repeated invitations to play the blues tent at the Malmo Festival in Sweden. Both are highly sought after, and not something you land unl...

In beer, they did not share the same taste. Grammy award winner Liam Watson is Guinness fan, the BBs prefer strong German stuff from the north, so Liam’s favorite pub was not quite the right place for the German band. Yet, it turned out to be a real party night and this cold november evening for sure marked another important step in their career. When piano player Dennis suddenly sat down at the piano to give a-thrilling live performance, Liam Watson apparently decided to add a new German band to his list of favorites. He invited the five piece band from Hildesheim into his legendary ToeRag Studios where the White Stripes taped their Grammy Award-winning album „Elephant“. So the band truck, filled up with old vintage gear, set off on the journey right into the heart of London, one of the world's greatest music capitals. It was not the first time Andreas Arlt, guitar player and composer of the band and his brother Michael on harmonica and vocals, have launched into the unknown: Musi...

Lee Oskar (born March 24, 1948, Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer. He currently plays with Lowriderband , with Harold Brown , Howard Scott and B.B.Dickerson Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1948, Oskar was six years old when a family friend gave him his first harmonica. "I came from an area where every kid on the block had a harmonica," he remembers. He grew up listening to Danish radio, enjoying all types of music and cites Ray Charles as the biggest influence from that period. When he was 17, Oskar decided that the United States was where a harmonica player should make his career, so he moved to New York at the age of 18 with little more than a harmonica in his pocket. With no money, Oskar played harmonica in the streets of New York. Eventually arriving in Los Angeles, California, via Toronto and San Fr...

The former White Stripes frontman Jack White has called upon our very own pedal steel playing, Danish singer/songwriter Maggie Bjorklund to join him on his first-ever solo headlining tour. The backing spot has thus far brought her in front of sold-out audiences in Nashville and Chattanooga, and onto the stage of Saturday Night Live. Watch the SNL performance of “Love Interruption” here: A listing of the tour dates can be found here: (with more to be added soon). Date City Venue Country 03/12/12 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Soundstage United States Address: 500 23rd Street South . SOLD OUT. 03/13/12 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theatre United States Address: 330 Beal...

Born in Aneho, Togo on 13. March 1976, Alain Apaloo started from childhood playing traditional drums in traditional ensembles in his home country in West Africa and at a very early age, singing choir in the Catholic Church. He had his first guitar lessons under the guidance of his priest at the age of 11. Wanting to follow in the priest’s footsteps, Apaloo joined the Catholic seminar for priests, the same year where he was introduced to music theory and choir conduction. Back in Lomé, he was brought to the attention of legendary Togolese blues-rock singer Jimi Hope, who instantly recognised his talent and joined his band. Apaloo spent his late teens playing and touring with Hope, as well as setting out on his own first Afro-rock-fusion band, Azos Pipe’ and playing own original compositions, practiced jazz standards and further developed his bass play. In the late 1990´s Alain moved to Accra, Ghana, where he joined the Sakra band led by keyboard player Kwame Yeboah (Craig Davis Tou...

Bandmembers Ringo Dennov: vocal, guitar Philip Jones: Bas, backing vocal Per Anker: Drums The band write and play their own material The bands music all through based in Rock`n Roll, also has a good mixture of elements, ranging from Rhytm and Blues, punk, country, reggae, funk and soul All of the 3 musicians, have been around on the danish music scene for many years, playing in many different bands and parcipated in many deversed music styles throug the years, from pure Blues bands, HeavyRock to hardcore punk, pop, funk The first 6 months of 2009: 1 & 2 on Bandbase's musicchart Last half of 2009: number 4 on the Copenhagen musicchart - Local Heroes And last as number 8 on the national musicchart - Local Heroes The band stay true to their own original writing music and for the main part play there own material But when the band are performing life, their also find a place for a couble of cover songs, but their play them, in The Little Devils own style...

In the blues world, a big voice is often accompanied by a big ego (or at least a medium sized one…) But the Danish singer Thorbjørn Risager, praised for his rough and strong voice by an unanimous choir of critics from a growing number of countries – 15 the last time we counted them - is a soft-spoken gentleman off stage. He is the leader of his seven-piece band mainly for practical reasons – to bring any little issue into a group discussion can be quite time-consuming. He is also composing most of the band’s music, and during the performance he is the obvious center of attention, even if the band has a charming way of passing round the task of introducing the songs between them, so that each musician gets his word in. And this is a real smooth organization, who has divided all practical tasks such as web master, CD sales on gigs etc beween themselves. Which makes life easier in the midst of their heavy touring schedule. Since the start, they have played in 15 countreis, and only from F...