Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, self titled Two Wolf and it's a solid, blues based rocker. Opening with Keep On Movin', Two Wolf features four seasoned players with Lance Lopez on lead guitar and vocals with Greg T. Walker ( Blackfoot ) on bass, Kris Bell on guitar and vocals and Rusty Valentine on drums and vocals. Definitely a guitar blazing band with well blended vocals and scorching guitars, this is a hot opener. Will I Believe has an edgier feel, penciled by Bell and wide open guitar with plenty of overdrive and powerful drumming by Valentine. Percussive guitar work permeates The Wrong Road and paired lead vocals give the track a definite radio presence. Searing lead guitar work with the addition of wah and southern influenced lead guitar phrasing and riffs give the track a distinctive feel. Fox Chase really has the Southern rock aggressiveness with dueling guitars (like Blackfoot or Skynyrd ) really giving the listener the adrenalin...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Badder To The Bone , from Eliza Neals and its a power blues rocker. Opening with United We Stand   with heavy tom tom's on a Bo Diddley beat by Jeffrey Fowlkes and slide guitar by Michel Puwal, Neals is on a roll. On slow blues, Queen of the Nil e, Neals shows real soul on vocals, playing piano and taking names. Backed by Jason Kott on bass and Tim Grogan on drums, and featuring Lance Lopez laying down some excellent blues riffs on guitar and Peter Keys on B3, this is an excellent track. With a tango rhythm and nicely blended vocals, the stylistic guitar work of Puwal makes Bucket of Tears a real standout. Soulful, Heathen , drips with southern soul under the vocal control of Neals and with the thick B3 and piano work of John Gavin. Steve Winwood's Can't Find My Way Home is always great to hear and Neals puts her special touch on it with firm vocal lead and nice backing, topped with strong guitar lead work 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...

Texas Blues Rock Guitarist Lance Lopez To Release Electrifying Live Performance From New York City On CD! Los Angeles - Texas blues rock king Lance Lopez takes his electrifying guitar virtuoso performance to the Big Apple on this extraordinary live album! This incredible concert album features highlights from Lopez’s most recent album, the critically acclaimed Handmade Music! “ 'Live In NYC' was recorded on such a powerful night! It was Johnny Winter's 70th Birthday Party at a sold out B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square...and was filled with a who's who of the blues! I played my heart out for Johnny that night, and was so happy that they were able to capture it on a recording...it's absolutely one of my finest performances I ever did in New York City.” - Lance Lopez A music professional from the tender age of 14, Lopez cut his teeth with legendary drummer Buddy Miles, who would go on to co-produce Lopez’s debut album in 1999, and ...

I just received the newest release, West of Flushing South of Frisco , from Supersonic Blues Machine and it's a smokin' cool release. Featuring the leadership of Lance Lopez (guitar and vocal), Kenny Aronoff (drums and percussion) and Fabrizzio Grossi (bass, Hammond and vocals) this band is cooking. Opening with Miracle Man , a southern influenced blues rocker, the band is really off to a great start complimented by Jimmy Z Zavala on harp, Serge Simic on acoustic guitar, Garrett Hollbrock on lap steel and Francis Bentez and Andrea Grossi on backing vocals. Next up is I Ain't Fallin Again , a sophisticated rocker with a cool back beat and a solid drive. Billy F Gibbons leads the way on vocal and guitar on Running Whiskey a straight up rocker with a definite Gibbons flavor. Remedy , features Warren Haynes and his influence is immediately noticed with a warm, laid back feel. Trading lead riffs and vocals with Lopez, Haynes doesn't dominate the track at all and it...

I just received the most recent release, Live In NYC , from Lance Lopez and it's explosive. Opening with with boogie rocker, Come Back Home, guitarist/vocalist, Lance Lopez really gets the place hopping with Chris Reddan on drums and Mike Nunno on bass. With his steady, heavy handed blues rock guitar work this track rips. Lopez's aggressive guitar tone on On Hard Time , shows that he means business. With fluid blues riffs, overdriven rhythm guitar tone, solid bass work and tight drums, this is prime rock! Get Out And Walk , has a great opening riff bringing to mind Humble Pie at their best. You like the classic rock style when blues was king. This is it. Lopez avoids the temptation to overplay and with his excellent rock voice, Lopez has the stuff to balance his ripping guitar leads and Reddan and Nunno are not left behind. Super! Traveling Riverside Blues has a powerful lumbering swagger with strong vocals and drone double stops not unlike ZZ Top or Johnny Winter. At near...

There's no doubt about it, the state of Texas is well known world wide for its fiery blues guitar players. Although born in Shreveport, Louisiana, at the age of 12, his family moved to Dallas, where with the exception of a spell back in New Orleans and Southwest Florida, the guitarist has called his home ever since. Lance has been a professional musician since he was 14 years old. He has shared the stage with legends such as Lucky Peterson, Johnnie Taylor and Buddy Miles. Developing a close friendship with Buddy Miles, the former Band Of Gypsys legend would go on to mentor Lopez, leading to him co producing his debut album 'First Things First', along with Grammy winning producer Jay Newland (Norah Jones) which was released independently in 1998. From 2003 to 2007 Lopez recorded, and released three studio and one live CD for a small independent label, Grooveyard Records - all of which were heavily influenced by one of many of the guitarist's main influences - Jim...

There's no doubt about it, the state of Texas is well known world wide for its fiery blues guitar players. Even just a cursory look will reveal the state's rich tradition, which easily rivals Chicago and Mississippi for producing players who have been both originators and contributors to the legacy of the guitar's significant role in the genre's history. Dating back to the 1920's with "Blind" Lemon Jefferson, continuing through the 1950's with such legends as Freddie King, T-Bone Walker and "Lightning" Hopkins, with the advent of the rock era of the 1960's the pressure cooker exploded. Albino blues giant Johnny Winter, from Beaumont, in 1968 was signed to what was then the largest advance in the history of the recording industry---$600,000. Houston's ZZ Top, with the Reverend Willie G, i.e. Billy F. Gibbons - armed with a '59 Les Paul- during the 70's went from being "That little ol' band from Texas" to being wo...