Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Easy Tiger , from Ian Seigal and Johnny Mastro and I really like it. Anyone who's been reading my notes for a few years, knows that I really like my blues with a raw edge and this release has that covered in spaces. Opening with blues rocker, Four On The Floor , I hear traces of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and Oh Well. This is a great rocker with Ian Siegal on vocal and guitar, and Johnny Mastro on harp and vocal, backed by Josh Kerin on bass, Smoke on guitar and Chris Davis on drums. Explosive. Rock and Roller, Baby You Can Get Your Gun has a great rhythm with Mastro really blowing the harp and a driving bottom. Dog Won't Hunt has a real Hill Country feel with a monstrous bellow of vocal over a great super rhythm guitar, followed by Mastro's harp work. Excellent! I really like the hooded and echoed vocals on Miss Your Cadillac over the conventional rock rhythm and solid guitar lead by Siegal. Another of...

I just received the newest release, Ergo Sum , from Mike Sponza and I really like it. Opening with a R&B flavored Modus In Rebus , Sponza and Ian Siegal share the guitar and vocal spots with a cool texture of swamp and soul. Stinging guitar riffs, nice organ work by Dean Ross and tight rhythm by Mauro Tolot on bass and Moreno Buttinar on drums make this melodic opener a great start. Country blues rocker, Carpe Diem , pushes hard with solid structure and a real nice sax solo by Matej Kuzel. With a good dose of country and simple slices of slide guitar, Penelope has the flavor of Hey Jude, and sweet sax work by Kuzel. A definite radio track with a solid melody, this track is super. One of my favorite tracks on the release, The Thin Line , is a dark, jazzy track with Kuzel on sax, Chris Storr on trumpet and Ross on Hammond, features Dana Gillespie on lead vocal and has nicely interleaved slide work and jazz guitar chords giving it just the right amount of suspense. Very cool! Fun...

I just received the newest release, The Picnic Sessions , from Ian Siegel and it's laid back and loose. What do you get when you bring together 5 of the top folk story, blues, country instrumentalists together in one room? You get the Picnic Sessions! Opening with Stone Cold Soul , a simple country blues track, Ian Siegal, Luther Dickinson, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jimbo Mathus and Cody Dickinson lay down a really gritty track with guitar, mandolin and vocal harmony. Very cool! How Come You're Still Here? has a folksy, uptempo, Dylanesque feel with guitar and banjo. Townes Van Zandt's Heavenly Houseboat Blues is a really sweet little blues track with authentic country style vocal blending. With guitar, slide and mandolin, this track lays in the pocket. Excellent! Beulah Land has the sound of early American folk music with tight symmetry. Changing tempo mid tune, the track takes on a more western flavor with western steel style riffs and telling a great story. Keen and P...

You wait a whole decade for one Ian Siegal live album – then two arrive in the space of a year. For any ordinary performer, the release schedule might seem like overkill.  But with this fascinating artist, it’s entirely justified. Shedding his musical skin and bending his back catalogue into bold new shapes each time he hits the stage, every live snapshot of Siegal’s music is authentically communicated from a different angle. Photo Credit: © Will Ireland As such, while 2014’s Man & Guitar showcased the award-winning British songwriter as a solo acoustic troubadour, One Night In Amsterdam flicks the power switch, marking Siegal’s first live album with a full-throttle electric band. Chalk up another first for the man that Mojo called, “One of the most innovative, gifted and engaging blues performers on the planet today.” The new album will be released in the UK on CD and vinyl by Nugene Records (NUG1501) on Monday March 9th 2015 . Th...

   May 29–June 1 17 bands, 4 big days, $50 Fri/Sat Combo Tickets* — Best Value!   Get your tickets now! The Western Maryland Blues Fest roars into its 19th big year in Hagerstown, MD! Come celebrate with four jam-packed, jumpin’ days filled with music from national, regional & local performers! These are just some of the great artists you’ll hear throughout the festival… Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters Legendary blues guitarist Ronnie Earl brings his celebrated band back to Hagerstown for a special show. Having played alongside such greats as B. B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, and Otis Rush, Ronnie’s guitar speaks with an authoritative blues voice that only a veteran player can summon! Ian Siegal & Band Be part of one of the first American audiences to hear this multiple British Blues Awards winner! Ian’s May 31 Hagerstown p...