Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Turquoise Blue , from Micki Free , and it's a fiery blues based rocker. Opening with Ridin' - 420 , Micki Free unleashes his hard driving rocking sound with solid lead vocal and guitar, backed by ken "Mojo Man" Riley on bass, Mark "Muggy Do" Leach on keys, Soaring "Hawk" Lopez on really driving drums and Trish Bowden on backing vocals. His lead work is white hot with plenty of flare for a power opener. Heavy Mercy opens with a great guitar riff and builds with a droning bass line and relentless, soaring, overdriven guitar. A ripping cover of Hendrix's All Along The Watch Tower gives Free a "rock standard" to unleash on and he does a real nice job. Slipping into a blues groove on Spring Fever, Free takes a shuffle approach with stinging guitar riffs over a guitar/keys melody and tight underpinnings by Lopez and Riley. Another slice of the pie, World On Fire , features And...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Middle of the Road from Eric Gales and it may be my favorite yet! Opening with revival style track, Good Time , Eric Gales is really upbeat with Aaron Haggerty on drums, Dylon Wiggins on B3 and LoDonna Gales on backing vocals. Bringing down the heat with reggae rhythmed blues number, Change In Me with a super bass line under fiery lead guitar riffs. Very cool. Carry Yourself is a nicely stylized radio blues track with a solid melody, cool vocals and crisp lead guitar. With it's jazzy bottom, Boogie Man bops along with soulful blues guitar riffs giving the track an almost Johnny Guitar feel. Very cool! Been So Long again has a bit of a reggae beat but with scorching guitar riffs and super bass lines under Gales always solid vocals. Very nice.  Help Yourself  follows a cool acoustic blues format but building into electric guitar riffs. Gales' tone both on rhythm and lead are super and his riffs are hot ...

Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival Get ready for the 2 Great Festivals over 1 Great Weekend, voted Best Music Festival in Sonoma County by the readers of the North Bay Bohemian!   The 38th annual RUSSIAN RIVER JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL will take place on Sept 20 & 21 at Johnson's Beach in Guerneville, CA. Music fans can purchase Single Day & Weekend Passes to the festival and enjoy 2 stages of jazz, blues and roots music over 2 days at Johnson’s Beach - a beautiful venue surrounded by California Redwoods.   For the last 38 years, music festivals have been a vital part of the Russian River community. Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville offers a picturesque venue that rests along the beach of the Russian River, only a few miles from over 100 wineries.   Headlining the festival this year will be performers Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Boney James & Larry Graham & Graham Central Statio...

I just received a copy of Too Much Is Not Enough , the newest Omar and the Howlers release . Gary Primich is featured on 10 of the 12 tracks and the release is dedicated to his memory. In the liner notes, Omar apologizes for a second tribute to Jimmy Reed and then tells about the story about how and why. I'll tell you why. It's great music and it needs to be heard! The release opens with Too Much and it has the great Jimmy Reed lope and Primich harping away. On I Gotta Let You G o , Gary Clark Jr. joins the band and plays some hot slide work. Omar is in top form on vocals and Primich has perfect balance. On H onest I Do , Clark and Jay Moeller round out the band and Primich again plays some sweet harp. Omar sings this song like he owns it. I Ain't Got You is a bit stripped down and I really like it. The first time I heard this (embarrassingly enough) was by the Yardbirds but yes ...it's all about the journey. High And Lonesome is a slow Texas style blues with Omar...

Upcoming shows Feb 13 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Feb 14 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge Feb 15 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Mar 9 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live - Studio Mar 10 San Antonio, TX - Sam's Burger Joint ...

Rarely does an artist explode onto the music scene with the force and impact of a comet. But when it does happen — as it did when 26-year-old singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr. delivered an incendiary debut performance of his song “Bright Lights” at Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival last June — the result is magical. Funky, hip, and badass, Gary Clark Jr. is a rocking soul man for a new generation. Weaned on John Lee Hooker, Lightnin Hopkins, and T-Bone Walker, Clark fuses his deep blues influence with a love of classic hip-hop and contemporary soul. His voice weaves between a melodic lilt and a seasoned blues howl with his guitar licks dancing and dodging between and behind the beat as if the essence of Snoop and Dre loom in his head by way of the Mississippi Delta. The virtuosity Clark displays, and the tone he rings from his cherry-red Epiphone Casino guitar, put most modern rock shredders to shame. Born and raised in Austin, TX, Clark began playing guitar at age 12. H...

This is some really cool footage of Gary and Eric playing live at Blues, Brews & BBQ, House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ 7-30-11 Here's Gary's next up tour schedule: Oct 9 2011 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil HSBC Arena Buy tickets Facebook RSVP Oct 10 2011 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil HSBC Arena Buy tickets Facebook RSVP Oct 12 2011 Sao Paulo, Brazil Morumbi Stadium Buy tickets Facebook RSVP Oct 18 2011 New York, New York Highline Ballroom Buy tickets Facebook Oct 26 2011 London, England Bush Hall ...

Gary Clark Jr., acclaimed as the savior of blues, is an American guitarist and actor considered by some to be the leader of the Austin, Texas rock scene, offering a style that has at times been compared to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.Clark has established a resume, which has helped place him on a tier with musicians who have enabled him to share the stage with various legends of rock & roll. His live performances, as well as recordings, blend rock, soul and blues, infusing fluid guitar with a guttural howl and a falsetto trill that mix together. Despite his roots, Clark comes across as someone who is forging something unique in the music world. More specifically, his 2010 self-titled EP debuts his ability to explore various genres of music, while demonstrating his independence and distinctiveness from the heavily saturated music industry Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Gary really came into my vision during the Crossroads Festival this year when he was one of the most exciting players on board. Gary Clark Jr., acclaimed as the savior of blues, is an American guitarist and actor considered by some to be the leader of the Austin, Texas rock scene, offering a style that has at times been compared to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. As a musical prodigy, Clark has established a well renowned resume, which has helped place him on a tier with musicians who have enabled him to share the stage with various legends of rock & roll. His live performances, as well as recordings, freshly blend rock, soul and blues, infusing fluid, powerhouse guitar with a guttural howl and a seamless falsetto trill that melts itself together somehow. Despite his roots, Clark comes across as someone who is forging something that is uniquely his own in the music world. More specifically, his latest EP debuts his ability to explore the full spectrum of genres of music, while...

Buzz Building on Texas-Born Singer-Guitarist in Anticipation of His Upcoming Album Debut for Warner Bros. Records Due Later This Year Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. will hit the road for the first annual Bonnaroo Buzz Tour from May 17th through June 9th before taking the stage at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN, on Saturday, June 11. The 13-date tour kicks off at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, and stops at intimate venues on the way down to Bonnaroo, which has historically been the launching pad for many popular artists. Buzz is already building around the 27-year-old Austin, TX-born artist who is currently in the studio recording his debut album for Warner Bros. Records. Weaned on John Lee Hooker, Curtis Mayfield, and Snoop Dogg, Clark fuses his deep rock, R&B and blues influences with a love of classic hip-hop and contemporary soul. His voice weaves between the melodic lilt of Marvin Gaye and the seasoned blues howl of Lightnin Hopkins. His guitar li...

Gary Clark Jr. began playing guitar at the ripe young age of 12. Born and raised in Austin, TX, Gary continued to play small gigs through his early teens until one day he was noticed by the legendary Clifford Antone, owner of the notable Austin blues club Antone's. Through the connections made by Clifford within his club, Gary soon was sitting in and learning from various musical icons, including the incomparable Jimmie Vaughan. Through the mentoring of Jimmie and others within the Austin music community, Gary began to receive much critical acclaim from both his musical peers and the Austin community as a whole.. At one point, the mayor of Austin proclaimed May 3, 2001 Gary Clark Jr. Day. Gary went on to win the Austin Music Award for Best Blues and Electric Guitarist on three separate occasions, as well as awards from Blues magazines and associations throughout the country. After playing the nationally televised Austin City Limits and touring with the likes of artists such as Jimm...