Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kell's Kitchen , from Shawn Kellerman and it's an aggressive rocker with a lot of bite. Opening with hard driving, SKB , Shawn  Kellerman on lead vocal, and guitar, this track is really humming. With Carlton Campbell on drums, Terry Richardson on bass, Lance Anderson on Wurlitzer, and with the addition of Miku Graham, Saidah Baba Talibah, Emily Fennell and Meghan Parnell on vocal, this track is cranking! Excellent opener. Funky, Show Me What You Got , features Kellerman on lead vocal and playing some pretty tight guitar. Richardson on bass really funks it up and Van Romaine knows how to hold down the drums. Fennell and Parnell on backing vocal are joined by Jon Knight for a real party.  Bad Mamma Jamma is a great mix of funk and rock with Kellerman doing the lyrics and Anderson on B3 and Romaine on drums really kicking it up. Kellerman lays down a real nice guitar solo showing his complete ability to morph f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, WildRoots Sessions Volume 2 , from The WildRoots and it's a lot of fun. Opening with bluesy I.O.U. , Patricia Ann Dees and Victor Wainwright on lead vocal, we got a swampy New Orleans style funk, charged by Eddie Zyne on drums and Stephen Dees on bass. With a perfect harmonica vamp by Stephen Kampa and including Charlie DeChant on sax, Todd Sharp on guitar, David Kent on keys and Alberto Cruz on congas, this is a solid opener. Reba Russell and Patricia Ann Dees harmonize nicely on lead vocal on Long Way To Go over cool, acoustic and slide guitar by Greg Gumpel, Stephen Dees on bass and percussion and real nice harmonica riffs by Kampa. Very nice. Shuffle track, The Bad Seed really rocks with Bryan Bassett on lead guitar and Dyer David on second lead and lead vocal. backed by Lucky Peterson on Hammond, S Dees on bass, Top Thomas on rhythm and Scott Corwin, this is one of my favorites on the release. Bryan Bassett step...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Peanuts , from Sauce Boss , and I think it's his best yet. Taken from the original score for the Jimmy Carter film, Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President, this release opens with Let the Big Dog Eat , a romping rocker with a heavy bass line by Majic John Jones and rowdy vocals by Boss, backed by Pat Ramsey on harmonica, Lucky Peterson on organ, and Shannon Kori on drums. Zipper Bird is a cool blues rocker with Boss winding it out nicely on slide guitar. Very cool. Slinky, Alligator , is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a funky back beat and with Ramsey answering Boss's wailing vocal call on harmonica over a strong bass line. Very cool. Outlaw Blues is a raw, blues specifically working Boss' slide work and holler vocals over a driving drum beat. Gotta love this. Out In The Night is a strong rock jam that I would associate with Joe Walsh's style. It has pure blues rock bones and elevated guitar...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 15, 2017), Offerings , from Joseph Veloz and it's terrific! Opening with Just Jammin' , Veloz shows his heavy fusion influences with terrific bass lines and excellent beat. Shawn Kellerman really manages the electric guitar and Jim Alfredson on keys and Andrew "Blaze" Thomas rounds out this terrific band for this smokin' hot opener! Biscuit Miller joins on vocal on Eddie Kirkland's Good Good Day . Super backing by Alfredson, Thomas, Kellerman and Veloz give this track a nice warmth. On funky, Mules For Biles (Blues For Miles) is a really nice track with thick bass work and clean guitar lead by Erich Goebel and rich organ work by Alfredson making this one of my favorites on the release. Excellent!   Lucky Peterson joins on lead vocal on Jukin' and Shakin' , and hot funky (Tower of Power like) track driven by the excellent bass work of Veloz with Ray Podhornik on trumpet, David Roden...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Play Music & Dance from Godboogie and it's a funky party. Opening with a New Orleans/BoDiddley beat, Play Music & Dance , Jerome Godboo takes the lead on vocal, harp and accordion with Eric Schenkman on guitars, Shawn Kellerman on guitar and Gary Craig on drums. On shuffle track, Honey Badger , the band hits a nice groove with Schenkman taking a real nice ripper of a solo. Slowing it down with a nice lope, Wounded shows a broad range of vocal capabilities by Godboo and of course showcasing his harp work. Ripping loose with another flier of a solo is Schenkman giving the track a nice edge. Breaking down to a smoking funk, It's A Party is really a dancing groove with slashing guitar riffs. Stumble blues track, Kitty has a real cool beat and the edgy vocals of Godboo contrast nicely against the grinding guitar work of Schenkman. Very cool. Hitting right up the middle with slow blues ballad, Sign Of The...

I just received the newest release, Bloodline , from Kenny Neal and it has strong blues and R&B roots. Opening with country blues influenced, Ain't Gon Let The Blues Die with it's Elvin Bishop/country flavored gospel flavor. This track is off and running with Kenny Neal on slide guitar and lead vocals, Tom Hambridge on drums, Tommy Macdonald on bass and Syreeta, Tyrell, Jazzy, Brine', Kaydence Bates, Tahj Mosby and Darien Neal as well as the McCrary sisters. Title track, Bloodline , has a deep groove with a funky bottom and Kenny on lead vocal and harp. Cool loping Plain Old Common Sense is one of my favorite tracks on the release with great guitar work, supeer vocal phrasing, nice piano lines and strong horn backing from Quentin Ware on trumpet, Billy Huber on trombone, Tyler Summers on sax and Dana Robbins on sax. Very cool. On Willie Nelson's Funny How Time Slips Away , skillful piano work and crafty vocals give this track the weight of a serious R&B/c...

I just received the newest release, 25 Year Retrospective , from Tommy McCoy and it's exceptional! Opening with The King Is Gone , a really nice tribute to BB King structured along the lines of The Thrill Is Gone. McCoy really does a nice job of capturing the spirit of BB and the band, with McCoy on vocal and guitar, Theodore Alexiou on guitar, Demetris Georgopoulos on bass, John Dinoulas on drums and Kostas Tenezos on harp is spot on. R&B track, I Got A Reason , has a light pop feel and features Babis Tsitivigos on sax. The Change Is In has more of a rock feel but maintaining a bit of R&B. Mark McCoy on bass, Calvin Cratic on guitar, John Street on keys and Pat Geoffrey on keys set a nice stage for a fine biting guitar solo from McCoy on guitar, nicely complimenting his vocal led melody. Blues driver, No Love Without Any Green , has a great rhythm line fed my Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. McCoy rips a hot guitar solo on this track with a crisp drumming and solid bass...

I just received the newest release, Jammin' On The High C's from Mitch Woods' Club 88 recorded live on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and the talent was really flowing. Opening with Big Mamou , Woods, along with members of Roomful of Blues lays down a full tilt boogie. An excellent trumpet, sax and piano solos on this track make it an excellent opener. Next up is Tain't Nobody's Bizness with a stripped down swing. Victor Wainwright and Julia Magness join in giving a different feel vocally... and great piano work contribute to an excellent track. Classic rocker, Rip It Up features Tommy Castro and he really adds some great rockin' guitar riffs to Woods' piano and vocal talents. Backed by the Roomful of Blues horns this track rocks. Lucky Peterson is featured on vocals on Bright Lights Big City , maintaining much of Jimmy Reeds original feel. Breakin down with a little Zydeco, Dwayne Dopsie brings Jambalaya on accordion and vocal. Woods tickles...

I just received the newest release (August 28, 2015) Right Man Right Now , from Zac Harmon and it's squeezing hot. Opening with Raising Hell , a R&B flavored blues track with strong blues guitar riffs from Anson Funderburgh and Lucky Peterson on organ, this is a great opener. Ball and Chain has a slinky feel with two ongoing guitar lines, one clean and one slide, over nice keyboard work, a thumping bass line and smooth vocals compliments of Harmon. This cool funky track has a really nice groove with a lot of small instrumental components that together make up a really cool track. High stepping Hump In Your Back features Bobby Rush on second vocal and harp and an ultra cool guitar line pumped along by Buthel on bass and tight drumming from Cedric Goodman. Harmon lays out a real nice guitar solo of his own on this track punched up by Les Kepics on trumpet and Chuck Phillips on sax. Very cool! Slow and easy, Texas style, Stand Your Ground is a terrific blues track really giv...

Welcome aboard to the world’s biggest 7 day blues party!   Yes friends, 7 days where you can’t tell the blues artists from the fans. Although everybody’s experience is different –and a blues cruise vacation is exactly what you make it– a good time is had by all… day after day! So I’m going to tell you about my experience on my 4 th LRBC a few weeks ago.    I try to get on board pretty early so I can learn the layout of the ship and how to get from concert venue to concert venue in the most efficient manner.   And by doing so you get to see and talk to some of the artists before any action really starts.   Right off the bat I ran into Cyril Neville who was as lost as my wife and I.   Later I saw Lucky Peterson on a lounge chair outside his stateroom while walking the Promenade Deck.   The first night they always have a BBQ on the pool deck at departure. This time it was Rick Estrin and the Nightcats hosting the BBQ. The best part being when Ki...

This is the third installment of my review of this exceptional concert video. Disk 3 features Shawn Kellerman, Tim Waites and Raul Valdes jamming on their own. Opening with Matt "Guitar" Murphy's Boogie Thang , Kellerman brings the band to full boil on the first track. This band is tight and rockin'. Kellerman plays a metal bodied guitar that I'm not familiar with but it sounds very cool. Up next is Pretty Woman , a song made popular by Albert King, and Kellerman and give it a full workout. Switching back to his butterscotch Tele, Kellerman plays some funky riffs with a Tele twang but reinforces that Muddy, Roy and Mike were on the right track with the Tele for a rock and blues guitar. The solid bottom of Waites is always driving and Valdes has great hands. Buddy Ace's Love Of Mine , is next up in shuffle style. Kellerman;s vocals are adequate on this track but the overall enthusiasm of the band and Kellerman as a guitar player well make it a worthwhile additi...

Following up on last nights report on the super deluxe 5 disc set that Lucky peterson has just completed, set two begins with Giving Me The Blues designed to get the crowd hopping and it sure does. Shawn Kellerman plays a blistering solo and the band is really in the groove. Up next Peterson plays a tribute to one of my favorite (funk/soul) blues artists, Johnny Guitar Watson, with Ta' Ta' You. This is a great track and Peterson not only pushes the band with his Hammond, he does a great job on vocals. Kellerman plays a hot solo on this track as well but you all know this music is about the soul... and Peterson has it! He keeps the volume down and the band even takes a reggae twist on the track but the groove is solid as a rock. On It Ain;t Safe Peterson calls on the funk and even conjures up a little Billy Preston. Kellerman takes another nice guitar interlude on this track but again Peterson is at the wheel driving with his organ and his dynamic voice. On Dixon's I...

I just received a copy of the new release (February 12, 2013), Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin , by Lucky Peterson Band . First I have to tell you that this package is incredibly overwhelming. This is 2 CD's and 3 DVD's of pure dynamite! A full 20 page concert package with forward by Andreas Hommelsheim, Photos and Bios of each band member, setlists for each disc (the 2 CD's are audio versions of the frst 2 DVDs) and of course credits. The concert opens with the band playing an intro and the sound quality is spectacular. Peterson is brought on stage by guitarist Shawn Kellerman playing a beautiful butterscotch customized (If I was a betting man I'd say Nash) Nocaster. Peterson makes his way onto stage and behind his Hammond B3 (and Roland RD-700) singing the crankin' I'm Back Again . He makes introductions of the band and each player is distinct in the mix. I love it when a bass player cuts through the mix and is clean and Tim Waites is really pushing the bot...

Lucky Peterson (born Judge Kenneth Peterson, December 13, 1964, Buffalo, New York) is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards. Music journalist Tony Russell, in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray has said, "he may be the only blues musician to have had national television exposure in short pants. Peterson's father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a nightclub in Buffalo called The Governor's Inn. The club was a regular stop for fellow bluesmen such as Willie Dixon. Dixon saw a five-year-old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and, in Peterson's words, "Took me under his wing." Months later, Peterson performed on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and What's My Line?. Millions of people watched Peterson sing "1-2-3-4", a cover version of "Please, Please, Please" by James Brown. At the time, Peterson said "his father ...

Lucky Peterson (born Judge Kenneth Peterson, December 13, 1964, Buffalo, New York) is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards. Music journalist Tony Russell, in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray has said, "he may be the only blues musician to have had national television exposure in short pants. Peterson's father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a nightclub in Buffalo called The Governor's Inn. The club was a regular stop for fellow bluesmen such as Willie Dixon. Dixon saw a five-year-old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and, in Peterson's words, "Took me under his wing." Months later, Peterson performed on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and What's My Line?. Millions of people watched Peterson sing "1-2-3-4", a cover version of "Please, Please, Please" by James Brown. At the time, Peterson said "his father w...