Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Alliance , from Head Honchos , and it's a rocking jam party. Opening with Stuck Between The Middle , Head Honchos had a heavier, rockier sound than on earlier releases with the addition of Mike Boyle on bass and Will Wyatt on drums. Rocco Calipari Sr. and Rocco Calipari Jr manage the guitar leads handily with sr on lead vocal as well. Mr. Bad keeps that driving rock beat and with head snapping drum work milks a scorching guitar tone from the axes. Adding in a little rhythmic funk on She Got That Thang , Sr's vocals add swagger on a southern rock flavored entry. Mark Landes adds keys on this track and guitar soloing it strong. Can't Be Satisfied is another track with a funky underpinning and a "Jimi" like attack on guitar gives it a turbo boost. Wyatt's drumming on Willie Dixon's Evil is intense and overall reminds me of a supercharged Warpigs attack with excellent "metal" fus...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bring It On Home , by Head Honchos and it's electrified. Opening with Not For Me , Head Honchos with it's dual lead guitar combo of Rocco Calipari Sr. (also on lead vocal) and Rocco Calipari Jr., Roberto Agusto on bass and Scott Schultz on drums hits like a cannonball. Featuring Steve Ball on organ, this opening track is rockin. Work is another high energy track with really crisp drumming by Schultz and hot slide work by Calipari and a hot bass solo by Agusto. Very cool. Funky, Next To You, has a really nice bass line and hot slide tones. Vocal harmonies and overall music composition makes this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Swampy, Fire On The Bayou has a great southern funky party feel. CC Copeland really funks up the bass line and snappy percussion gives it a cool feel under smoking hot guitar riffs. That Driving Beat has more of a contemporary feel with a wall of horns featuring Joe Brown on s...

    HEAD HONCHOS'   Back From Southern U.S. Tour, Perform Locally At Leroy's in Porter Friday, May 24                     (Porter, IN) - Indiana blues-rock heroes  Head Honchos' , back from their recent Southern U.S. Tour and about to embark on a Canadian jaunt, bring their high-energy sounds locally to Leroy's "Hot Stuff ," 333 W. Highway US 20, Friday, May 24. 8 p.m. $3. Info:   (219) 926-6211   or https://www.facebook.com/leroyshotstuff?fref=ts.                                       In a time when American music is too often characterized by emasculated melodies, narcissistic lyrics, and hyped mediocrity-- Head Honchos' offer up inte...

        Big Tyme Presents The Swingers Ball 16 - The Masquerade Ball At The Famed Willowbrook Ballroom - Saturday, March 30    (Willow Springs, Illinois) - Big Tyme presents The Swingers Ball 16 - The Masquerade Ball , featuring live swing music and ballroom dancing (with Detroit's dynamic Swing Shift Orchestra ) along with one of Chicago's finest blues groups  (blues-rock heavies Head Honchos' ), at the Willowbrook Ballroom, 8900 S. Archer Ave., Willow Springs, Saturday, March 30. The evening also features a Best Masquerade Mask contest. Doors open 7 p.m. $25. (purchase tickets at the door) Info: http://www.swingersballinfo.com/ . The Swing Shift Orchestra started in 1993 as a result of a stage band comprised of members belonging to The Grosse Pointe Community Concert Band. While the band has had changes in membership, leaders, and rehearsal sites, saxophonist Lynne Henry continues to own and manage the band. Venues inc...

        Great Music? Check! HEAD HONCHOS' Rock the Blues At Checkerboard Lounge In Chicago - Friday, March 22 - "There's a scene in Ghost World where Steve Buscemi ventures to see an acoustic bluesman at a sports bar, and he brushes off a girl hitting on him because she's more into the headliner, Blues Hammer. Head Honchos are like Blues Hammer: as subtle as an uppercut and making Stevie Ray Vaughan sound like Skip James. The band's self-titled debut cannons chunky guitar riffs and cymbal crashes, and turns train songs into party anthems. Buscemi's Seymour would have cringed at how frontman Rocco Calipari Sr. enunciates The Meters' "Fire On The Bayou," but then again Seymour didn't like to have fun and Head Honchos certainly do."                                    ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER     "Anchored by veteran guitarist Rocco Calipari...

             Hey Mundelein!! Head Honchos' Bring Their Rockin' Chicago Blues To The...                     TIGHTHEAD BREWING COMPANY OKTOBERFEST 2012                                                  ***Saturday, Sept. 29***       (Mundelein, IL) - Brews and Blues definitely go hand-in-hand, as the good folks of Mundeline and surrounding areas will find out this weekend when popular Chicago blues-rock band  Head Honchos' perform at Oktoberfest 2012 presented by Tighthead Brewing Company this Saturday, September 29 . 5-10 p.m. $10. (includes pint glass for beer).  Info: (847) 970-...

Hey Minnesota! Head Honchos' Bring their Rockin' Chicago Blues To The... No Boundaries Blues Fest (PROCTOR, MN) - Get ready for the No Boundaries Blues Festival on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 at the Proctor Fairgrounds, 800 N. Boundary Ave. Tickets $35. each day. Info: (218) 365-2440 or available online at http://www.elyblues.com/Store-Specials.html . This years event will feature the same top notch blues artists (over five per day), this time under a large event-sized tent for a little added "Mother Nature Insurance." Friday's lineup includes Virgil Caine, Jimmy Nick and the Judges, Trent Romens, Kevin Burt & The Instigators, and Head Honchos'; Saturday sees Galactic Cowboy (Blues) Orchestra, The Alex Wilson Band, Ken Valdez, Chainsaw Dupont and The Road Warriors, and Rob Blaine onstage. Head Honchos' play smokin' Chicago blues imbued with elemen...

"Ground-Breaking Blues...." BLUES SOURCE "WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Original and soul-pounding Blues at its best. I have seldom heard a Blues-Rock band with so much power! This is hard rockin' blues at its best...I've been waiting for this...it's like getting kicked in the gut and saying thanks...really powerful backup and spin-tingling, terrifying, aggressive guitar playing is the new deal here. I am not going to compare this CD with anybody's CD. You just have to hear it. This is ground-breaking Blues. " BLUES SOURCE " Wow! From the opening track, "Goin' Down," this disc had our attention! From there however, things only got better, the next song, "Lucky's Train," had us grooving and enjoying the juicy guitar riffs and righteous vocals - and surprise - it's an original. There are no disappointmen...

  "WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Original and soul-pounding Blues at its best. I have seldom heard a Blues-Rock band with so much power! This is hard rockin' blues at its best...I've been waiting for this...it's like getting kicked in the gut and saying thanks...really powerful backup and spin-tingling, terrifying, aggressive guitar playing is the new deal here. I am not going to compare this CD with anybody's CD. You just have to hear it.This is ground-breaking Blues. "                                                                 BLUES SOURCE " Wow! From the opening track, "Goin' Down," this disc had our attention! From there however, things only got better, the ...

(Valparaiso, IN) - In less than two years together as a working band, Head Honchos' have garnered reviews for their self-titled debut release in publications both far (BLUES MATTERS and METALLIVILLE in the U.K.) and near (BLUES SOURCE; VINTAGE GUITAR; CHICAGO EXAMINER; BLUESROCKERS; BARRELHOUSE BLUES; SOUTHLAND BLUES; AMERICAN BLUES BLOG; more). The Valparaiso, IN-based band play smokin' Chicago blues imbued with some elements of rock. Formed by guitarist Rocco Calipari Sr. (who is also a member of noted longtime Chicago band, Howard and the White Boys), Head Honchos' are now set to record the follow-up to their debut, tentatively titled "Come Strong." Head Honchos' return to their hometown to perform at Martini's, 1004 Calumet Ave., Valparaiso, Saturday, July 30. 9:30 p.m. No Cover. Info: (219) 464-0801 or log onto www.martinisinvalpo.com .

"Ground-Breaking Blues...." BLUES SOURCE                                  WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Original and soul-pounding Blues at its best. I have seldom heard a Blues-Rock band with so much power! This is hard rockin' blues at its best...I've been waiting for this...it's like getting kicked in the gut and saying thanks...really powerful backup and spin-tingling, terrifying, aggressive guitar playing is the new deal here. I am not going to compare this CD with anybody's CD. You just have to hear it.This is ground-breaking Blues. "             BLUES SOURCE           Perform Locally: CHARLEY HORSE in New Lennox - Friday, July 8                         ...