Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Righteous Souls , from Albert Castiglia and it's chocked full of great music and heavy talent. Opening with Centerline , a rocker with a cool backbeat, Albert Castiglia is upfront on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, D'man Martin on drums, Kid Andersen on guitars, Lisa Andersen on backing vocals, and features a great twin guitar duel with Popa Chubby. Great opener. Kevin Burt has the mic on R&B track, Mama, I Love You featuring a strong bass line by Jemmott, tight rhythm by D'Mar and really nice guitar work by Castiglia. Rick Estrin is upfront with Castiglia on Jr Wells' Come On In This House . Estrin's contribution is terrific and Castiglia milks all of the juice from his guitar, complimented by Pugh on piano making this one of my favorites on the release. Buddy Guy's funky, The Dollar Done Fell , features Josh Smith and Castiglia working the guitars and...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Best of Me , by Joanna Connor and it's wild. Opening with funky blues number, House Rules , Connor dons her notorious slide guitar, accompanying herself on lead vocal, also featuring Josh Smith on guitar, and backed by a serious horn section of Fernando Castillo on trumpet and flugelhorn, Carlos Sosa on sax and flute, Raul Vallejo on trombone, together the Grooveline horns, Shaun Gotti Calloway on bass, Jason Edwards on drums, and Curtis Moore Jr on organ. Super opener. Title track, Best of Me , is a smooth, soulful, ballad featuring really nice vocal by Conner and nicely articulated lead work making hits an ideal radio track. I Lost You is another slow blues with excellent vocal and guitar lead by Conner, complimented by Dan Souvigny on rhythm and keys. Blues driver, Mercury Blues, really gets rolling with Conner pushing on vocal and letting the slide fly, joined by David Abbruzzese on drums. Very cool. Wrapping the r...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live , from Chris "Bad News" Barnes it's  a full blown boogie rocker. Opening with Back In A Cadillac , Barnes leads with his vocal power, joined by Gary Hoey on lead guitar, Steve Guyger onharp and backed by Sandy MacDonald on piano, AJ Pappas on bass, Matt Scurfield on drums, Mark Earley on sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet and Gracie Curran on backing vocal. Little Walter's Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights gets a faster rockier pace and a strong harmonica solo by Guyger, nice sax solo by Earley, wicked guitar work by Hoey and full trumpet work by Woolverton give the track real oomph. Gravelly vocals by Barnes on a lumbering version of Morganfield's Hoochie Coochie Man is real nice with a humping bass line by Pappas and greasy solos by both Hoey and Guyger give the track a real grind. With it's Bo Diddley beat, It's Tight Like Tha t, has Curran echoing Barnes lead vocals and wicked slide by ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Neon Highway Blues , from Gary Hoey and it's a solid blues rocker with lots of heat. Opening with, Under The Rug , a funky blues rocker with a definite Eric Gales added guitar flavor. Hoey's style is easily discernable from Gales and they work together nicely. With Matt Scurfield on drums, Sandy MacDonald on organ and AJ Pappas on bass, a solid opener. Slowing it down to a cool blues pace, Mercy of Love is up next with Josh Smith joining Hoey for some real blues fireworks. Excellent! One of my favorite tracks on the release is shuffle track, Your Kind Of Love with an super shuffle feel and slick slide guitar work. Very nice. Don't Come Crying is a solid 8 bar number featuring Hoey's son Ian laying down some serious riffs with the old man. This is a cool track and showcases what's coming up for the blues world. For those seeking the blues ballad style with lead guitar a la Gary Moore, Almost Heaven...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Puppet Show , from Ally Venable and it's quite good. Opening with Devil's Son , a powerful blues rocker, Venable leads on guitar and vocal, backed by Elijah Owings on drums and Bobby Wallace on bass. Gary Hoey adds some voracious guitar riffs on this track giving it a smoking hot edge. Very nice. Steve Krase joins on traditional delta style, Blackwater Blues , with a stripped down opening and then opening up to a full tilt blues rocker showcasing some of Venable's best riffs on the release. One of my favorite tracks on the release is a cover of Taj Mahal's, He Caught The Katy , with it's super bass line and solid vocal and guitar work by Venable. Excellent! With the swagger of Lynyrd Skynyrd, title track, Puppet Show is a solid rocker with really nice guitar riffs by Venable and warm keys by Eric Steckel. Another of my favorites on the release is slow blues, Comfort In My Sorrows with it's big t...

I just received the newest release, Dust & Bones , from Gary Hoey , and it's cool. Opening with blues power rocker, Boxcar Blues you get a strong taste of Hoey with a blend of Zep and Paul Rogers. Hoey leads the charge on electric slide and vocal backed by Matt Scurfield on drums and AJ Pappas. Strong. Next up is Who's Your Daddy , a fleet shuffle with the guitar finesse of Skynyrd's,I Know A Little, and driving boogie riffs on bass and drums. Very nice. Born To Love You has the strong drive that I associate with Foghat or Procol Harem blended with ZZ Top rocker. With a great rock style and fluid guitar runs, this disc smokes. Slowing things down a bit, title track, Dust & Bones , has more of a 90's rock feel with ballad like lines and clean guitar melody. Steamroller is a tribute to Johnny Winter with a driving drum and bass line under Hoey on slide (think Mean Town Blues). Solid blues rocker! Lita Ford shares the mic with Hoey on ballad, Coming Home . A w...

  WORLD'S BEST BLUES & BEER MEET IN VENTURA: TWO-DAY CALIFORNIA BEER FESTIVAL IS BACK     Ventura Beer Week: Sept. 14-21   Craft Beer Heaven: Saturday, Sept. 20 (12:30 p.m. -5 p.m.) Blues & BBQ Festival: Sunday, Sept. 21 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.)       SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: CBF'S FAMOUS "CRAFT BEER HEAVEN" - OVER 140 LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL CRAFT BEERS ON TAP, PLUS WIDE ARRAY OF GOURMET FOOD TRUCKS AND ALL-DAY MUSIC     SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: "BLUES & BBQ FESTIVAL" - AMAZING MUSIC LINEUP (TAB BENOIT, GARY HOEY, TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT, MORE) AND ALL-DAY BBQ SAMPLING, WITH CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER, FREE     ...

WORLD'S BEST BLUES & BEER MEET IN VENTURA: TWO-DAY CALIFORNIA BEER FESTIVAL IS BACK Ventura Beer Week: Sept. 14-21 Craft Beer Heaven: Saturday, Sept. 20 (12:30 p.m. -5 p.m.) Blues & BBQ Festival: Sunday, Sept. 21 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: CBF'S FAMOUS "CRAFT BEER HEAVEN" - OVER 140 LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL CRAFT BEERS ON TAP, PLUS WIDE ARRAY OF GOURMET FOOD TRUCKS AND ALL-DAY MUSIC SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: "BLUES & BBQ FESTIVAL" - AMAZING MUSIC LINEUP (TAB BENOIT, GARY HOEY, TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT, MORE) AND ALL-DAY BBQ SAMPLING, WITH CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER, FREE        (Ventura, CA) - All roads lead to Ventura as the world's best Blues music and Craft Beer once again meet at the 6th Annual California Beer Festival , Mission Park, 185 E. Santa Clara St., Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. Prior...

World renowned rock guitarist Gary Hoey takes his singer/songwriter talents to the next level with his new album, “Utopia” on Wazoo Music Group, coming Summer 2010. With a collection of 16 albums and five top 20 Billboard hits, itʼs no wonder Gary Hoey is listed in the top 100 greatest guitar players of all time. Whether itʼs rock, blues, surf or Christmas, Hoeyʼs command of each style makes his live show one of the most exciting on the circuit today. Multi-tasking as writer, producer and guitar player, Hoey has had clients who include DISNEY, ESPN, NO FEAR, performed the National Anthem for the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, SAN DIEGO PADRES and the BOSTON RED SOX. Gary was recently featured on VH1 CLASSICS documentary “Aftermath” In 1993 Gary Hoey launched his career with the hit song “Hocus Pocus” (Warner Bros Records). His fiery technique helped to send it to the top 5 on Billboards charts. The Boston raised guitarist followed up with the soundtrack to the surf saga, Endless Summer II (...