Bman's Blues Report

LESLIE WEST PRESENTS DEAN MISSISSIPPI QUEEN GUITAR TO LONG-TIME FAN AND MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER PAUL ALLEN WEST TO RELEASE SOUNDCHECK ON NOVEMBER 20 Album Features West Joined By Jack Bruce, Brian May, Peter Frampton, Bonnie Bramlett, Max Middleton And Others EPK: New York, NY -- On Thursday evening at BB Kings in New York City, Leslie West welcomed long-time fan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.  Pictured below are West and Allen, shortly after the guitarist presented one of his signature model guitars to the historical figure.  On November 20, Leslie West will release Soundcheck via Provogue / Mascot Label Group, his latest studio recording which features appearances from Jack Bruce, Brian May, Peter Frampton, Bonnie Bramlett, Max Middleton and others. West will celebrate his 70th birthday on October 22. www.lesliewestofficial.com www.facebook.com/lesliewestmountain

I just received the newest release (November 20, 2015), Soundcheck , from Leslie West , and it has a new flavor and hot riffs from the guitar ace. West's 16th release opens with Left By The Roadside To Die , a classic rocker augmented by David Biglin on synthesizer. West is really looking at multiple textures adding acoustic slide guitar, and powerful electric guitar riffs to his own rugged vocals making this a great opener. Tracy Chapman's Give Me One Reason gets a power rock rewrite with the vocals kept on the lower side and the guitar doing a nice response to his vocal call. Here For The Party is a straight ahead rocker with West leading the charge vocally. His classic distorted guitar tone and driving bottom makes this a great rocker. A real interesting minor key version of traditional ballad, You Are My Sunshine , with only basic keyboard setup and featuring Peter Frampton trading solos with West on slide. Very nice! AC/DC tribute, Empty Promises/Nothin' Sacred fe...

I just received the newest release (April 29, 2014), Primitive Son , from Eli Cook and it's a rockin, snarling blues guitar release. Opening with War Horse , Cook and gang (Wade Warfield on drums and Rob Richmond on bass) crank up a Led Zep feel with a southern twist. It has a mesmerizing groove and cool guitar riffs. Revelator has a bit more pop to it adding Vinny Appice (drums), Jorgen Carlsson (bass and B3) and Steffen Presley and Greg Hampton on backing vocals. Sweet Thang has a slinky sound and features Tinsley Ellis on additional guitar. High In The Morning , a southern influenced track features Sonny Landreth on some slick slide work. Reese Wynans adds some Vocals remind me quite a bit of Black Label Society. Won't Be Long is a real nice little acoustic ballad featuring Cook on acoustic slide and vocal. Motor Queen steps out with real attitude... a club swingin blues rocker with Leslie West joining on guitar. This track has a lot of attitude and is one of my favorit...

                                                                                                                               LESLIE WEST RE-RECORDS "LONG RED" ON STILL CLIMBING, BRINGING HEAVIER FEEL TO ONE OF THE MOST SAMPLED ROCK TRACKS IN THE HISTORY OF HIP HOP Jay-Z. Kanye West, Common, Lana Del Rey, De La Soul, Nas, EPMD, Eric B. & Rakim, The ...

LESLIE WEST AND PROVOGUE RECORDS TO STAGE RARE IN-STORE APPEARANCES TO COINCIDE WITH STILL CLIMBING RELEASE West Confirms 11/01 at NJ's Vintage Vinyl (7PM), 11/02 at Long Island, NY's Looney Tunes (2PM), and Performance At New York City's Iridium on 11/13  OCTOBER 29TH RELEASE SEES WEST LOOKING FORWARD JOINED BY JONNY LANG, JOHNNY WINTER, MARK TREMONTI AND DEE SNIDER New York, NY -- Leslie West will stage two rare in-store appearances that coincide with the release of his upcoming studio album Still Climbing on October 29 via Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group.  The guitarist will appear at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ on November 1 at 7PM (51 Lafayette Rd - 732-225-7717) and at Looney Tunes in West Babylon, NY on November 2 at 2PM (31 Brookvale Avenue - 631-587-7722).  West will host a question and answer with those assembled, and conduct a signing of Still Climbing . On November 13, West will appear at New York City's Irid...

I just received the newest release (October 29, 2013), Still Climbing , from Leslie West and it has exactly what you listen to a Leslie West for.... gutsy vocals, a driving beat and flaming guitars! Opening with Dyin' Since The Day I Was Born , West is wide open on his amp, all volume controls and his vocals. With a strong metal influence, West shows all of the patience of a freight train with grinding riffs and pinched harmonics. Busted, Disgusted or Dead takes a more moderate pace with flashy sliding blues riffs from West and long time slideman Johnny Winter. Fade Into You is a 3/4 ballad with a solid melody giving West the opportunity to fire up his vocal chords and a wide open door to bust down with powerful fat guitar riffs. Real nice! Not Over You At All has a real cool intro with the smokin sound of an overdriven tube amp. Surprisingly a sax solo on this track takes a different direction than I would typically associate with West. A cool melodic guitar solo which I do ...

LESLIE WEST TO RELEASE STILL CLIMBING ON OCTOBER 29 VIA PROVOGUE RECORDS / MASCOT LABEL GROUP Legendary Guitarist Looks Forward Joined By Jonny Lang, Johnny Winter, Mark Tremonti, and Dee Snider New York, NY -- Leslie West will release Still Climbing on October 29 via Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group.  Originality, excitement, honesty and survival are all part of what makes a legend, and those qualities ripple through every song on West’s upcoming release.  The disc is also a testimonial to the strength and durability of West’s artistry.  Born October 22, 1945, as he approaches the age of 68, West has packed some of the most soulful and searing vocal performances of his half-century career into these eleven tracks, and his guitar has never sounded more massive or riff-propelled.                 West, who ascended rock’s Mt. Olympus with his band Mountain in ...

LESLIE WEST - STILL CLIMBING Featuring guest appearances from Johnny Winter, Mark Tremonti (Creed & Alter Bridge), Jonny Lang and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) THE NEW ALBUM RELEASED 28th OCTOBER 2013 PROVOGUE RECORDS / MASCOT LABEL GROUP Leslie West is set to release his new album "Still Climbing" on 28th October 2013 via Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group.  Originality, excitement, honesty and survival are all part of what makes a legend, and those qualities ripple through every song on West’s upcoming release.  The new album is a testimonial to the strength and durability of West’s artistry. Born October 22, 1945, as he approaches his 68th birthday, West has packed some of the most soulful and searing vocal performances of his half-century career into these 11 tracks. His guitar has never sounded more massive or riff-orientated. West, who ascended rock’s Mt. Olympus with Mountain in a historic performance at 196...

Former Mountain guitarist Leslie West heroically rolled onto the stage of New York’s BB King Blues Club Tuesday night (Jan. 31) to perform in public for the first time since he was forced to have his lower right leg amputated as a result of diabetes complications. West had recently been forced to cancel a tour because he didn’t have an automobile that could transport his wheelchair. But this show was able to go ahead as scheduled, thanks to the gift of an MV-1 automobile from the Vehicle Production Group. According to the company, the MV-1 is “the only factory-built mode of transportation that meets or exceeds the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) direct from the factory.” West, who performed while sitting in a wheelchair, opened the show with ‘People Get Ready’ — but was forced to pause halfway through after being overwhelmed with emotion, as the crowd responded with a standing ovation. West certainly has maintained a positive attitude about the ordeal, recently ...

After being forced to have his lower right leg amputated as a result of diabetes complications last year, guitar legend Leslie West, 66, was forced to cancel a tour — not because he was unable to perform, but because he didn’t have transportation equipped for a wheelchair. But now, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Vehicle Production Group, those worries are behind him. The company, a new American car manufacturer that designs, engineers and distributes specialty vehicles, has given West a brand new MV-1 — described as “the only factory-built mode of transportation that meets or exceeds the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) direct from the factory.” Fred Drasner, Chairman of The Vehicle Production Group, said, “From my days at Woodstock, to the release of [West's new album] ‘Unusual Suspects,’ I always thought Leslie was the best. When I heard his tour was cancelled because of a lack of accessible transportation, I was thrilled to be in a position...

Leslie lit up faces around the world when he made his scheduled appearance at the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp at Gibson Studios on August 13, 2011 in New York, just 2 months after losing his leg in a near fatal medical emergency. Here's a raucous Leslie West inspiring not only this small group of fine musicians, but in fact the world over.

I'm sorry that I can't find a video for this but I think it is terrific! Leslie West has made a number of great blues albums over the past few years and this is a fine example. (And we wish Les well with his current health issues. Best to you pal!) Listen up! Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

I just received a copy of Leslie Wests new recording, Unusual Suspects. The release is well put together and has all the pyrotechnics expected from a Leslie West recording. I don't know how many of you have been keeping up with West's recent releases but his last 4 or 5 releases have been primarily blues recordings and really spectacular. West has a great voice for blues and of course then there's his guitar tone!! Alas no videos from these releases so I'm happy to be able to finally present you with some real footage!! This release is more rock in nature but still has the blues overtones and plenty of guitar to go around. Leslie West, Legendary guitarist and the founder of one of rocks most influential bands, Mountain, will release a brand new solo album, 'Unusual Suspects', on Monday September 19th. The album features West alongside a hand-picked line-up of the world's finest guitar players; including Slash, blues-rock guitarist Joe Bona...

Everyone knows Leslie West is the guitar player behind Mountain who screamed out Mississippi Queen on his Les Paul Jr. (Yeah, that's why they're collectible). leslie has reduced from his mammoth size of a young man and has been back on the scene as a blues man of great breadth with terrific chops. I have been picking up his newer cd's and they are mind blowing if you are a guitar blues freak like me. Although most of his newer albums have a number of cover tunes, Leslie never fails to blow the doors off. This is a redo of one of his own tracks Theme For an Imaginary Western. Like I said, blues comes in many forms... enjoy!! Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE