Rip Cat Records artist: The 44's - Americana - New Release Review

The new 44's cd, Americana, is gonna hit the air on April 17 and it's a winner. The opening track, Hanging Tree, is a raw boogie that will be hard to top. Overdriven tube amps, harp, grinding voice... are you kidding me? Cocaine gets right onto the groove with Chicago style harp and the loping guitar rhythm. Tex Nakamura isn't at all shy with his harp and plays like a seasoned vet. Dixie is an uptempo track again with strong harp work and vocals by Johnny Main. She's Poison conjures up the image of a dark smoky bar in Chicago. There are some great guitar riffs by Johnny Main as well as guest Kid Ramos. Pleading My Case is right out of Elmore James bag of tricks and Ramos screams away on guitar with a thick juicy slide. It's a great track! Mr. Operator is the first song that is down and dirty and the guitar intro is really beefy. This is a strong track and has just the right amount of reverb and presence to stick the guitar right in your face for punctuation. Really nice chops. About 3 and a half minutes into the song there are some pinched harmonics on the bottom which I rarely hear anyone do that are very effective and is topped off with some cool whammy effects. Slip Slidn' Thang is another track featuring some cool slide work with a really thick warm feel. This is another track that is just sweet. 99 to Life takes you deep into Chicago and a strong track to show off Nakamura's feel on the harp and he does just that! Main plays some nice riffs at the end of the track that push you right up to the ending riff with Ramos. Hard Times is an acoustic number and really effective. Primarily harp, voice, acoustic guitar and brushes. Just a great feel. The 44's do a cover of Wolf's Mr. Highway Man and do it justice. Tasty guitar riffs are throughout the track and it's peppered with harp. The set is wrapped up by Hold On, one of the longer tracks on the recording giving each player a chance to show a bit including special guest Ron Dziubla on horns. This is a great ending track with both players getting guitar space that keeps you wanting more. I also want to mention that the other key players in the band are Mike Turturro on bass and J.R. Lozano on Drums. I think that this is a really strong effort. This is real blues Chicago style with a contemporary flare. I really like it!
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The Mannish Boys with Kid Ramos

2010 heralds the passing of the five year anniversary mark of the birth of Delta Groove Music. Likewise, The Mannish Boys, for whom the label was originally conceived, are similarly celebrating five years of electrifying the blues for audiences the world over. The fundamental concept of the band was simple; assemble a group of like-minded musicians to capture the spirit and joy of this timeless music, and reintroduce it for a whole new generation to appreciate and discover. This project, which was only initially envisioned as a one-time testimony to the power of the blues, has now given way to a new institution privileged with the task of preserving this music and presenting it as a vital, living, breathing entity.

Fresh out of the recording studio after laying down 17 tracks for their third studio release, The Mannish Boys come to you with more polished grit than ever before. Returning to, in essence, the original core of the band, The Mannish Boys have added even more show stopping musicians to the already dynamic lineup which makes up the one band blues festival that is The Mannish Boys. Assembled from the cream of the crop of today's blues veterans and young bloods, the flexible and rotating cast of vigorous musicians and entertainers keep things interesting and fresh.

Grinding their blues to an incandescent element through appearances before sold-out crowds and on festival stages in the U.S., Canada and in Europe, The Mannish Boys have become universally praised as one of the most exciting blues projects to hit the scene in years! The current lineup features Jimi Bott on drums, Willie J. Campbell on bass, Kirk Fletcher and Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser on guitar, Randy Chortkoff blowing harp and the lending vocals responsibility split between, front-men Finis Tasby and resurrected soul and blues Chicago legend, Bobby Jones bringing down the house with his intensely rich B.B.-esque vocals.

The Mannish Boys are guaranteed to bring you a show that will forever be locked in your blues vault of experiences with live music. DO NOT miss out on your chance to see this world renowned SUPER GROUP perform on a stage near you!

Stretchin Out - Lynwood Slim Band featuring Kid Ramos

Born on January 13, 1959, in Fullerton, CA, blues-rock guitarist David "Kid" Ramos inherited his love of music from his parents, who were both professional opera singers. When his father grew tired of life on the road, he settled down with his family, buying a gas station in Anaheim. One day, when Kid was eight, he bought his son an electric guitar and amplifier from a customer passing through. By his teenaged years, Ramos was playing friend's parties and nightclubs on a regular basis, joining harmonica expert James Harman's blues-based band in 1980 (all its members sported sharkskin suits), playing up and down California alongside such punk bands as X, Oingo Boingo, the Blasters, and the Plimsouls. Kid played with the Harman Band for most of the '80s, until his departure in 1988, and although he filled in as the guitarist for the outfit Roomful of Blues, decided to put his musical career on the backburner to focus on his home life and start a family (for the next seven years, Ramos was employed as a water delivery man).

Eventually though, his desire to play music returned and Ramos formed the Big Rhythm Combo with singer Lynwood Slim (issuing The Big Rhythm Combo in 1994), in addition to releasing his first-ever solo album, Two Hands One Heart, in 1995. The same year, Ramos was invited to join one of his favorite all-time bands, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, at the personal request of their singer, Kim Wilson. Ramos promptly accepted and he returned back to the road. In addition to his work with the T-Birds, Ramos has continued to issue solo albums on a regular basis, including 1999's self-titled sophomore effort, 2000's West Coast House Party, and 2001's Greasy Kid's Stuff.
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Greasy Kid Stuff

Kid Ramos has been around for quite some time playing with James Harmon, Roomful of Blues and The Fabulous Thunderbirds prior to going out on his own. This is a nice track of feel good blues. Watching the video reminds me of a concert that I went to a number of years ago. I walked into a small club to see one of my all time guitar heroes and there stands a poster with a picture of my hero saying..."Dance to the music of Elvin Bishop"!!

It's great to see such talent is such small clubs. Sorry for the performers that the take is so small, but it's great for the public!
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