Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Out of the Dark , from Joyann Parker and it's a solid set of radio directed tracks with plenty of beef. Opening with Gone So Long , a country rock flavored track featuring Mark Lamoine on guitar and slide, Bill Golden on drums and Brad Schaefer on bass. With a lightly funky beat by Golden and Schaefer and the addition of Laycey Dreamz and Patricia Lacy on backing vocals, nested nicely on the warm key strokes  of Tim Wick on organ, Carry On is a solid country rocker with strong vocal lead by Parker. Either Way is a really nice ballad and a strong showcase for Parker's voice with only acoustic guitar and slide supporting her vocals. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Predator with it's Latin rhythm and seductive vocal styling by Parker, tasty guitar work by Lamoine and the addition of Dave Foley on trumpet. Come On Baby (Take Me Dancing) is an ideal radio track with a catchy melody and upb...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tin Can Tunes , from Tony & Joe (Tony Cuchetti and Joe Flip) and it's a cool retro blues rocker. Opening with stripped down, Mess Around , Tony has the lead vocal, acoustic guitar, and percussion and Joe holds tight on his famous Hayburner oil can guitar. Good opener. With a laid back tempo somewhat like JJ Cale, IJ has a cool melody and super underlying guitar lead. Six Feet Underground has a cool jazzy rhythm and is a nice showcase for Tony's pop vocals. Down Home Girl is a sultry ballad with warm vocals and bluesy electric guitar lead. Wrapping the release is real nice Hayburner guitar/harmonica (guest harmonica Indiana Sfair) cover of Amazing Grace . This is a very nice closer for a cool release.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great ta...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Live at Blues On The Chippewa , by the Mark Cameron Band and it's rough and tumble. Opening with boogie track, Doctor In The House , Mark Cameron has the lead on vocal and guitar with Bill Keyes on harp, Scott Lundberg on bass, Dan Schroeder on drums and Sheri Cameron on flute and percussion. Willie Mabon styling on Dicey makes it a really cool track with mostly spoken lyrics and double stopped guitar and harp work. Borrowed Time is a slower ballad with nice blues bones. Nicely highlighting Mark's vocals and with nice flute work by Sheri, the solemn guitar soloing by Mark is particularly cool... like James Gurley on Summertime. With a slice of two step, Mojo Shuffle cruises nicely with it's tight bass line and harp riff. Willie Dixon's Killin' Floor is up next in the slot between the original and Led Zep's take. With raw vocals and a rock beat, Keyes lays on the harp giving the track a cool blues e...

Pop superstar Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57. His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press that the music icon died at his home in Chanhassen. No details were immediately released. The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist broke through in the late 1970s with the hits "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover," and soared over the following decade with such albums as "1999" and "Purple Rain." The title song from "1999" includes one of the most widely quoted refrains of popular culture: "Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."  The Minneapolis native, born Prince Rogers Nelson, ...

I just received the newest release, On The Rocks , from Joyann Parker & Sweet Tea and it's a strong airplay set. Opening with You , Joyann Parker shows a particularly soulful voice. Backed by Mark Lamoine on guitar, Mick Zampogna on keys, Michael Cavale on bass and Nick Zwack on drums, this is a tight unit. What's Good For You has a firm anthem feel with Zampogna and Lamoine creating a nice blend of instrumentation. Ain't Got Time To Cry is a cool rhythmic track with surprisingly cool accordion work by Zampogna creating an almost cafe atmosphere. What Happened To Me is a straight rocker with a super bass line from Carvale and tight rock n roll guitar riffs from Lamoine. An extended piano solo from Zampogna and a bit more rockin guitar from Lamoine gives this track a good swing. Serious ballad, Jigsaw Heart , is the strongest radio track on the release with a sweet melody and subtle guitar lines under the track. Very nice! Hit Me Like A Train has a R&B feel a...

DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS TO RELEASE NICOLLET AND TENTH ON MARCH 25 th Minneapolis, MN – Over the past several years, Davina And The Vagabonds , have been building an audience around the globe.  Their shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages. Singer/pianist Davina Sowers' presence is indelible, while her voice defies simple categorization. Evoking comparisons as diverse as Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, she is simply a true original, presenting a personal vision that celebrates a century of American music. With a full tour schedule already in place for the top of the new year, Davina And The Vagabonds will release a brand new live album: Nicollet And Tenth on March 25 th . Normally when an artist announces they are releasing a ‘live album’ it’s considered a stopgap or throwaway release, not vital to the artist’s collection.  ...

I just received the newest release (April 28, 2015), Stumpjumper , from Charlie Parr and it's a dandy! With his wailing vocals and deft finger picking on his resonator, he gets the set started with Evil Companion . backed by Phil Cook revival like on piano, Ryan Gufstafson on banjo and James Wallace on drums, this track is a real kicker. Empty Out Your Pockets has the sound of a field holler backed by a nice banjo roll and only minimal percussion, rhythm and slide by Parr and Emily Parr on vocal harmony. Very nice! Falcon has a really rural feel... gutsy strumming and bluesy vocals. Remember Me If I Forget is a fast paced folk track with a finger picking /slide technique reminiscent of Leo Kottke. Nicely blended with Emily Parr fits nicely with the overall country blues feel. On Marrying a Woman With an Uncontrollable Tempe r has a real bluegrass basis but just that twist of blues that is present in the humble roots of all American music. Very nice! The most contemporary fol...

I just received the newest release (July 15, 2014), Sunshine , from Davina and the Vagabonds and it's actually quite good! Opening with title track, Sunshine, Davina lays all of the pop that I'd care to hear on an entire cd in one track. That's actually a good idea from my perspective. This really sugary sweet female vocal track could easily make a splash on any top 40's radio station. Now that we've got that out of the way, we get sown to some serious fun. Flow has a light poppy feel but with more sophistication and unique vocal styling by Davina, accompanying herself on piano and joined by Daniel Eikmeier on trumpet, Benjamin Link on trombone, Conner McCrae Hammergren on drums and Andrew Burns on bass. Fizzle Out delves even deeper into serious vocal styling and composition. There are traces of Fiona Apple and others in her work but she stands alone with her own sound. Primarily accompanying herself on piano, I like it! One of my favorite tracks on the relea...

New CD from Davina and the Vagabonds Is a Ray of Sunshine Twin-Cities-Based Band Releases Their Strongest Album Yet, July 15, on Roustabout Records MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Twin-Cities based Davina and the Vagabonds announce a July 15 release date for their new CD, Sunshine , on Roustabout Records, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. Sunshine was produced by the band, recorded and mixed in December, 2013, at The Pearl Recording Studio in Minneapolis and mastered at Treelady Studios. Davina and the Vagabonds will celebrate the new album with two special local pre-release party shows at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in Minneapolis on May 23-24. DATV will be in Europe for most of the summer, and will return to the U.S. just in time to travel to the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival, where they will be playing the two biggest stages of the festival: the Arena and Garden stages, on September 20. At a previous Monterey Jazz Festival p...

SINGER SENA EHRHARDT TO OPEN FOR B.B. KING! Rising Local Star To Perform With Her Idol Singer Sena Ehrhardt will realize a dream come true when the Sena Ehrhardt Band (which includes her father Ed on lead guitar) serves as the opening act for blues icon B.B. King on May 19th at the Mayo Civic Center in Sena's hometown of Rochester, Minnesota. Says Sena, "I grew up listening to B.B. King records and he was responsible for turning my Dad on to the blues, so he's an iconic figure for me. I consider B.B.'s Completely Well album the definition of a blues record; I continue to listen to it all the time. I just love his vocal phrasing." In fact, on her upcoming sophomore release, All In , (out on Blind Pig Records March 12th), she covers a B.B. King song from that album entitled "So Excited," which could well describe her feelings about appearing with perhaps the foremost master of the blues. Says Sena, "I get to open for B.B...

I just received the newest release, What You Gonna Do? from Crankshaft and the Gear Grinders and a new groove is appearing here! The release opens with When The Sun Goes Down , a rowdy rockin' blues track with a surf twist. Crankshaft has a cast of players on this release including Keith Boyles on upright bass and Pete Henning on drums and percussion. Crankshaft continues moving up in key (on the guitar) as the song progresses creating a sense of increased speed and excitement. Boomtown has a swampy sound with fat distorted guitar and sweet backing vocals by Kashimana Ahua, Rachel Holder and Andrea Bennett-Xiong. Dancin' In The Dirt is a foot stompin' blues rocker staying pretty stripped down but Crankshaft adding a little harp into the mix. There is a certain looseness that is accomplished over a very tight rhythm section that sounds really cool. Trail Of Tears is a nice track that blends some of the Texas boogie bottom with some of the sounds of primitive electrica...

Folklorist, ethnomusicologist and musician Alan Lomax once said, "You can't kill off a culture until you kill the last person who carries it." That statement resonates deep within Tom Feldmann as for nearly half of his life he has carried on the traditions of the acoustic country blues and gospel music recorded in the 1920's and 30's. Feldmann states, "It is has been my life's passion to help preserve this musical heritage for future generations." Minnesota native Tom Feldmann taught himself to play guitar at age 17 after hearing the recordings of the pioneers of acoustic country blues and states, "Mississippi John Hurt taught me to pick, Fred McDowell taught me to play slide and the mighty Son House taught me to sing." His debut solo album was released in 1999 and Tom has since spent the years writing, touring and recording his own original gospel compositions as well as carrying on the tradition of solo acoustic country bl...

I had the opportunity to review Lubricated, Live and Loud by Crankshaft and it's a crap kickin' great time. Opening with Crankshaft , the concert is off with a huge bang. This is stripped down blues with today's edge at it's best. It's raw, it's edgy and it's real. This is not tapping and hammer ons and pull offs. This is loud and distorted and gut wrenching. Junkyard Rhythm is uptempo and spontaneous. There's no custom shop Stratocaster or Dumble amps here! This is right out of the box. An updated version of Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blues is included giving Crankshaft one of many opportunities to get his slide in order. Nail Driver finds Crankshaft using the minimum of instrumentation with his vocals, keeping the groove with nice guitar riffs. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Nasty , a very loose boogie track. The guitar sounds like it is detuned to a lower octave and the sound is almost rubbery... this is really great... the ki...

Frank Morgan (December 23, 1933 - December 14, 2007) was a jazz saxophonist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He mainly played alto saxophone but also played soprano saxophone. During the 1950s he was known as a Charlie Parker successor and recorded several bebop albums. Morgan's father was a guitarist with the vocal group The Ink Spots. Frank was playing guitar until seven when taken to see Charlie Parker play. Parker suggested starting with clarinet which he did for two years before switching to sax. He moved to California at age of 14 and started taking heroin at 17, subsequently became addicted and ended up spending time in Californian prisons. Formed a small ensemble at San Quentin prison in the 1960s with another addict and sax player, Art Pepper. The Frank Morgan Quartet featured Dolo Coker on piano, Flip Greene on bass and Larance Marable on drums. In 1985 he started recording again, releasing Easy Living in June 1985. He suffered a stroke in 1998, but subs...

From the rural hometown settings of Hamel, Minnesota and the river banks of Minneapolis/St. Paul, the blues influence surfaced as early as the mid 1960's for what was to become "The Lamont Cranston Blues Band". By 1969, The Lamont Cranston Blues Band was well on their way to becoming the legend that it is today. You can't seem to go anywhere today from coast to coast without running into someone that has heard of the band. They are one of the founders of the Minneapolis music scene which is flourishing more than ever to this day. From the clubs, concert halls and festivals to the auditoriums and stadiums, the Cranstons have shared the bill with Muddy Waters, Luther Allison, Albert King, Albert Collins, Jimmy Rogers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Charles Brown, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Thackery, Junior Wells, Keb Mo, Jonny Lang, Robert Cray, Son Seals, Charlie Musselwhite, Sam Lay, Earl King, Mighty Joe Young, Sugar Blue, Otis Rush, Elvin Bishop, Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts,...

HAK was born in 2002 in drummer Andy Coldwell’s bedroom. Coldwell’s schoolmate, Kyle Strohmaier, had brought over his new Epiphone for an attempted jam session. The two boys, 13 years old at the time, managed a couple recognizable verses and choruses of Purple Haze, and were subsequently addicted to the idea of forming a band. Shortly thereafter, Strohmaier contacted Hugh Gilmore, bassist and former bandmate from a short-lived jazz sextet. It was after the addition of the third member that the first-name acronym HAK was chosen as the band name..... Gilmore, Coldwell and Strohmaier quickly became loyal friends; HAK was, and remains, secondary to their friendship. The band underwent rapid musical development, playing cover songs at small gigs when possible, but truly began to experiment with originality and more complex musical texture after the addition of keyboardist Mark Bates in 2004. Led by Strohmaier, the band began to compose and arrange its own music. By 2005, the band had accumu...

Mark Naftalin (born August 2, 1944) is an American blues keyboardist, composer, and record producer. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Naftalin is the son of former Minneapolis mayor Arthur Naftalin; he is married to third wife Ellen Naftalin. His son is the San Francisco Bay Area artist, David Normal. He moved to Chicago in 1961, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964, where he performed on piano at campus "twist parties," popular at the time. It was at these parties that Naftalin first played with blues harmonica player Paul Butterfield and guitarist Elvin Bishop, the nucleus of what was to become the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He is known for his role, from 1965-1968, in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. On certain albums by this group he is credited as "Naffy Markham". In the late 1960s, after the first four Butterfield albums, Naftalin went out on his own, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. There he put together the Mark Naftali...