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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Moreland and Arbuckle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moreland and Arbuckle. Show all posts

Monday, January 9, 2017

Five Alligator Artists Receive 11 Blues Music Award Nominations


FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE ELEVEN BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Toronzo Cannon Leads With Four, Followed By Curtis Salgado With Three
Lil' Ed Williams Receives Two Award Nominations
Shemekia Copeland and Moreland & Arbuckle Receive One Nomination Each

On Monday, January 9, 2017, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 38th Annual Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Five Alligator recording artists received a total of eleven nominations.

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon received four nominations, including Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his Alligator debut, The Chicago Way. He was also nominated for Song Of The Year (for Walk It Off) and Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Cannon has one previous nomination.

Soul and R&B singer Curtis Salgado received three nominations including Soul Blues Album Of The Year (for The Beautiful Lowdown) and Song Of The Year (for Walk A Mile In My Blues). He also received a nod for Soul Blues Male Artist of The Year. Salgado has 13 previous nominations and five wins.

Lil' Ed Williams received two top nominations, one for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, the other for the coveted Band Of The Year for Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials. Williams has 20 previous nominations and two wins.

Singing sensation Shemekia Copeland received a nomination for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year. Copeland has 34 previous nominations and has won a total of eight awards.

Moreland & Arbuckle received a nomination in the Best Blues Rock Album Of The Year category for their Alligator debut, Promised Land Or Bust. This is the group's first nomination.

The 38th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 11, 2017 at the Cook Convention Center.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

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Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way
Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way
Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year
Song Of The Year: Walk It Off, by Toronzo Cannon
 







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Soul Blues Album Of The Year: The Beautiful Lowdown
Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year
Song Of The Year: Walk A Mile In My Blues, by David Duncan, Curtis Salgado and Mike Finnigan








 
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B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year - Lil' Ed Williams
Band Of The Year - Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials










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Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year











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Rock Blues Album Of The Year: Promised Land Or Bust











Wednesday, March 30, 2016

ALLIGATOR RECORDS 45TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Set For June 10 Release





 

Alligator Records has set a June 10, 2016 release date for the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection. The 2CDs-for-the-price-of-one set -- boasting over 148 minutes of music -- features career-defining performances from blues royalty past, present and future.
The blues and roots music Alligator Records has been releasing since 1971 -- created by iconic giants of the genre like Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, James Cotton, Elvin Bishop and Mavis Staples, and label-nurtured legends including Son Seals, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women and Michael “Iron Man” Burks -- has more than stood the test of time. With the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection, label founder and president Bruce Iglauer, along with his 15-person staff (many of whom have been on board for well over 20 years) celebrate Alligator’s extraordinary past, history-in-the-making present, and a future filled with more "Genuine Houserockin’ Music."

The Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection clearly lays out Alligator’s wide-ranging, forward-looking vision with tracks from newer voices – Selwyn Birchwood, Toronzo Cannon, Shemekia Copeland, Moreland & Arbuckle and Jarekus Singleton – seamlessly programmed next to legendary artists including Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Joe Louis Walker, Delbert McClinton, Anders Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, Guitar Shorty, JJ Grey & Mofro, Ann Rabson and Roomful Of Blues. Together, the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection presents a comprehensive portrait of this singular, rooted, soul-stirring American music.

On June 10, the day of the album's release, the City Of Chicago will celebrate the label's 45th anniversary during the 33rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. Alligator artists scheduled to perform are Shemekia Copeland, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Curtis Salgado, Toronzo Cannon, Moreland & Arbuckle, Corky Siegel and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater.
The history of Alligator Records, founded by blues-bitten Bruce Iglauer in 1971 for the express purpose of releasing an album by Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, reads like a history of contemporary blues and roots music. Iglauer, a native of Cincinnati, first fell in love with the blues in 1966. A live performance by the great Mississippi Fred McDowell struck him deep inside. "It was as if he reached out and grabbed me by the collar, shook me and spoke directly to me," he recalls. After that show, Iglauer, a student at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, immersed himself in the blues. In 1968, he made his initial pilgrimage to experience Chicago's thriving blues scene. His first stop was the famous Jazz Record Mart, where he met proprietor Bob Koester, also the owner of the prestigious blues and jazz label Delmark Records. With Koester as his de facto guide, Iglauer began making regular visits to Chicago to see Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, J.B. Hutto, Carey Bell and many other stars in the ghetto blues clubs.

Koester was impressed with Iglauer's passion for the music and his promotion of two sold-out Luther Allison performances at Lawrence. When Iglauer moved to Chicago for good at the beginning of 1970, Koester hired him as a $30-per-week shipping clerk. Almost every night, Iglauer hung out in the funky South and West Side bars, spellbound by the blues men and women performing on their home turf. He accompanied Koester to the studio for every Delmark session, where he watched blues greats such as Junior Wells, Roosevelt Sykes and Robert Lockwood, Jr. create classic blues albums. Iglauer wanted Delmark to release an album by his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers. But Koester wasn’t interested, so Iglauer gathered up what little money he had and decided to do it himself, soaking up everything he could learn about record production before heading into the studio with Hound Dog in 1971.

Iglauer became producer, booking agent, business manager, roadie, promotion man and publicist for Hound Dog. He ran Alligator out of his tiny apartment, filled with stacks of record cartons and a shipping table next to the bed. For years, each record had to finance the next one, which meant Alligator released about one record a year. Luckily, those records continued to impress fans and critics and sell enough to keep the label going. Albums by Big Walter Horton, Son Seals and Fenton Robinson all contributed to getting the fledgling company off the ground. When Koko Taylor came aboard in 1975, the label was taking larger steps, soon attracting giants like Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan and Johnny Winter.

Now, Alligator Records is the largest independent blues label in the world, and has been repeatedly honored for its achievements. Three Alligator recordings have won Grammy Awards, and 41 titles have been nominated. The label and its artists have received well over 100 Blues Music Awards and more than 70 Living Blues Awards. But even with all of the accolades, Alligator Records never rests on its laurels. According to Iglauer, "Alligator should be the label that's exposing the next generation of blues artists and bringing their music to the next generation of blues fans. I want the future of the blues and the future of Alligator Records to be one and the same. I want to keep bringing blues and roots music to new fans and getting them as excited about the music as I am." With those goals, Alligator Records is still fueled by the same principles that it first established in 1971. The staff continues to push forward, still bucking the odds, with everybody working long hours on a shoestring budget.

Throughout its history, Alligator has operated not only as a business, but also as a tight-knit family. Relationships between the staff and the artists are personal and run deep. It's not at all uncommon for an artist performing a Chicago show to drop by the office for an unannounced visit. Musicians regularly call Iglauer at any hour, looking to have CDs shipped out at the last minute, or to discuss their upcoming recording sessions or sing new tunes over the phone. Iglauer has opened his house to musicians needing a place to live during times of personal trouble.

From the early days of recording only Chicago talent, to attracting national and international musicians, to the label's commitment to nurturing the next generation of blues artists, Alligator continues to break new ground. Now, as clearly proven by the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection, the label is still dedicated to recording and promoting great talent, confirming that the passion, energy and soul-healing power of Alligator’s music is strong, genuine, and capable of rocking the house with no end in sight.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Moreland & Arbuckle Release PROMISED LAND OR BUST on May 6



BLUES ROCKERS MORELAND & ARBUCKLE SET TO RELEASE
PROMISED LAND OR BUST ON MAY 6, 2016

“Raw, dirty, primal and infectious…sizzling guitar, sturdy vocals and rude harmonica”
–USA Today
“Deeply satisfying...gritty soul and blues with garage overtones and fire-and-brimstone vocals”
–Living Blues



Alligator Records has set a May 6 release date for Promised Land Or Bust, the label debut from Wichita, Kansas' blues rockers Moreland & Arbuckle. Guitarist Aaron Moreland — co-founder of the groundbreaking Kansas-based trio — describes their music as “gritty blues and roots rock from the heartland.” Moreland, harmonicist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle and drummer Kendall Newby bring fierce electric fury and unrelenting punk rock energy to their original songs, inspired by raw Delta and Mississippi Hill Country blues.

Their songs are expertly executed with musical muscle and fifth-gear urgency. When they perform more traditional blues, they play with the same decisive command. With each of their six previous releases, the band has grown musically and lyrically, creating a signature sound while earning a large and loyal worldwide fan base. Their legendary raw and raucous live shows are played with wild abandon. The New York Post says Moreland & Arbuckle have “a raw juke joint exuberance with a dirt-under-the fingernails garage band attack.”

The group’s evolution continues with their Alligator Records debut Promised Land Or Bust (available on CD and vinyl) produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Botch, The Sword). From the howling cosmic opener Take Me With You (When You Go) to the stomping Mean And Evil to the plaintive Mount Comfort, Promised Land Or Bust is a far-reaching musical showcase. The instantly-memorable, slice-of-life songs paint scenes of double-crossed lovers, women meaner than the devil, and isolated loners beaten down by careless love. According to Moreland, “The new album is consciously traditional but still has the signature drive and power that we have crafted over the past thirteen years.”

Moreland says signing with Alligator is a perfect fit. “One of our biggest influences ever, Hound Dog Taylor, was the very first Alligator artist. One of the reasons we have the non-traditional lineup of no bass player was inspired by listening to Hound Dog’s music as we were coming up.” According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, bringing Moreland & Arbuckle to the label known for its Genuine Houserockin’ Music was an easy choice. “I’ve watched this band grow from talented interpreters of raw, traditional blues into creators of fresh, original roots-based songs. Live, the energy just pours out of them.”

Aaron Moreland was born December 16, 1974. He played in a number of garage bands while growing up and was influenced by punk music before having what he calls his “Son House moment.” Hearing the blues legend’s Death Letter Blues for the first time at age 22, he changed course, focusing his playing on nothing but acoustic blues for the next several years. Dustin Arbuckle was born December 25, 1981. He first discovered blues in his mid-teens and received what he refers to as “a calling. Getting into blues made me want to play music,” he says. He played in blues-rock bands, inspired by Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, while learning to sing with deep soul and honest authority.

The two met at an open mic session in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas back in 2001 and they quickly bonded over their mutual love of blues. Less than a year later, they joined forces, their raw and energetic approach to the music melding perfectly. Soon after coming together, Moreland and Arbuckle played both as an acoustic duo and as The King Snakes, a four piece electric band. Keeping a bass player proved difficult, and they soon found they made a better sound without one, as Moreland kept the rhythm thumping on his guitar while Arbuckle took the music into overdrive with his harmonica and vocals. The band quickly became local heroes, filling clubs beyond capacity. It wasn’t long before they started touring larger cities around the country, earning new fans with every performance.

From their 2005 self-release Caney Valley Blues to 2013’s 7 Cities on Telarc, Moreland & Arbuckle have grown from a fiery, crowd-pleasing duo to a genre-smashing three-piece band. Together, Moreland’s simultaneous bass, rhythm and lead guitar work and Arbuckle’s emotionally-charged harmonica and edgy vocals—driven by Newby’s propulsive drumming—create a sound that is forceful enough to grab a listener’s attention and nuanced enough to hold it. American Songwriter says the group’s music is “swampy, sweaty and muggy...mixing a bluesy foundation with bits of country, folk and squawking American rock and roll.” WNYC’s Soundcheck says the band plays “gritty blues with a thoroughly contemporary bite.”

Over the course of their career, Moreland & Arbuckle have played hundreds of shows and have logged hundreds of thousands of road miles (recently replacing their van after driving it over 400,000 miles), performing in the United States, Canada and across Europe. In 2008 they spent 10 days in Iraq, playing for the troops. They’ve shared stages with ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Los Lonely Boys. They’ll return to the road in support of the new album, with dates in the United States, Europe and beyond. No Depression says, “These guys have kegs full of talent. Their songs will keep you driving fast and long.”

Now, with Promised Land Or Bust, Moreland & Arbuckle are ready to bust it all wide open. Arbuckle calls the new album “our best yet,“ and says, “we continue to evolve musically outside of the box we started in, but the bedrock—the blues —is always there.” Moreland adds, “We consciously went back to where we started and it took us to a brand new place.”

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Juke - Moreland & Arbuckle

One of the great newer bands that i saw live this year. They opened for Buddy Guy and held their own.

Since their beginnings in the Kansas heartland a decade ago, guitarist Aaron Moreland and vocalist/harpist Dustin Arbuckle have captured the visceral spirit of the early 20th century Delta blues and the raw energy of post-World War II urban blues and distilled it all into a hard-driving and powerful garage-rock configuration of guitar, vocals, harp and drums.
Moreland & Arbuckle build on that solid foundation with the August 23, 2011, release of Just A Dream, their second album on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group. The 12-song set showcases Moreland’s dynamic and compelling guitar work – two tracks were recorded on his cigar-box guitar consisting of three guitar strings and one bass string – Arbuckle’s emotionally charged vocals and edgy harp, and drummer Brad Horner’s rock-solid backbeat. Just A Dream adds a few layers of sophistication to the rootsy sensibility previously captured in the band’s acclaimed 2010 Telarc debut, Flood.
“The clear objective was to retain the gritty, raw feel that we created on our prior release, but push everything up about four notches as far as sound quality, the selection of songs, the production and every other aspect of the record,” says Moreland. “Everything we’ve done in the past was set up in one big room and recorded in a couple days. On this record, we spent far more time, and our quality control was far more stringent than it’s ever been. And it shows. When this record was finished, I thought, ‘Yeah, this is what I wanted to achieve.’ This record is fourteen steps beyond anything we’ve ever done before.”
This heightened polish is partly the result of an ambitious tour schedule over the past 15 months. Since the release of Flood, Moreland & Arbuckle have crossed paths on the road with the likes of ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Los Lonely Boys and other veterans who have mined the rich vein where the blues and rock intersect. Along the way, they picked up a few pointers about showmanship and how best to deliver the message, meanwhile, logging 82,000 road miles in just nine months in their Chevy Suburban.
“We’ve definitely taken a lot of cues on how to put on a good show,” says Arbuckle. “We’ve developed a better understanding of how to work bigger crowds. You connect with a crowd in a certain way in a smaller club, but when you start getting into bigger venues, it’s an entirely different dynamic.”
But the real substance is in the music itself, which consists primarily of tunes penned by Moreland & Arbuckle but also borrows from outside sources in a couple instances. “White Lightnin’” is a contribution from legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, whose work with Booker T. and the MGs on the Stax label during the ‘60s and early ‘70s literally defined American soul music. In addition to contributing the song, Cropper also lays down a searing guitar solo to go with it. The result is an example of the band’s mission to push the parameters established by their previous work.
“The version Steve sent us on a demo was kind of a slow blues tune,” says Moreland. “Our version is about 45 miles an hour faster than the original. But it’s a good tune regardless of how it’s played. It has a nice hook to it, and it was great to work with someone like Steve, who is about as prominent a figure as you can get when it comes to this kind of music.”
Everything that comes before “White Lightnin’” is equally satisfying, beginning with “The Brown Bomber” and “Just A Dream,” the throbbing opening tracks. “Purgatory” is a riff-driven declaration of primal need, either for something or someone. “Whether that thing or that person is good for you or not, you just need it and you just want it,” says Arbuckle. “And you know it’s probably not going to be good once you get it, or it might be good only for a minute but not for the long term. But the not having is the worst part.”
The slow and churning “Travel Every Mile” spotlights Moreland’s dirty guitar and Arbuckle’s combination of earnest vocals and wailing harp, and laments the distance one must cross to return to a lover. The result is a haunting experience.
The swaggering “Heartattack and Vine,” a song borrowed from the catalog of Tom Waits, has been a favorite of the Moreland & Arbuckle live show for a number of years. It’s enhanced here with vocal effects that are atypical of the band’s live version.
The slow and melodic “Shadow Never Changes” is reminiscent of vintage Pink Floyd, thanks to the atmospheric guitar-keyboard combination beneath Arbuckle’s esoteric lyrics. Equally mysterious is “So Low,” an understated but insistent track that gives Moreland more room to slip in guitar lines that conjure the spirits of classic blues and vintage rock.
Just A Dream opens a new chapter for Moreland & Arbuckle, but there’s still a great deal of story that has yet to unfold. “The possibilities are completely open,” says Arbuckle. “Our music could go in so many interesting directions from here, and yet still maintain a significant piece of what it was at the very beginning. That’s an exciting place to be.”
If the band has any plan at all, it’s “to just keep evolving and making great music without getting stuck in a rut,” says Moreland. “This is the best record of our careers, and a jump-off point to rope in a lot of new fans that have never heard us before. I think we’re lucky in that we have a unique sound and a unique style that I don’t really hear anywhere else.”

If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Moreland and Arbuckle Tour Schedule


Moreland & Arbuckle: Shows

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

Moe's Alley

8pm

1535 Commercial Way
Santa Cruz California 95064
US (831) 479-1854

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Biscuits & Blues

8pm

401 Mason Street
San Francisco California
Price: TBD

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Van Duzer Theatre

8pm

Arcata California 95518
US

w/Buddy Guy


Friday, September 30th, 2011

Cotillion Ballroom

CD RELEASE PARTY! - Doors 7pm, Show 8pm

11120 West Kellogg
Wichita Kansas 67201
US
Price: $12.50

Come join us for our CD release party for our upcoming album: Just A Dream

Opening act the Sluggos!


Saturday, October 8th, 2011

King Biscuit Blues Festival

6:00pm

Helena Arkansas 72342
US

Lockwood/Stackhouse Stage


Saturday, December 31st, 2011

BB's Lawnside BBQ

New Year's Eve Blowout Party! - TBD

1205 E. 85th Street
Kansas City Missouri 64131
US 8168227427
Price: TBD



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Moreland and Arbuckle - Phoenix, Arizona 9/21/11


Last night I went to see Buddy Guy at a new venue in Phoenix called the Foundry on First (More to come). Buddy Guy's warm up band was Moreland and Arbuckle. I have to tell you, they are one of the best "warm up" bands I have ever seen. Now this isn't to say that they compare to the Who opening for Jimi Hendrix. We're talking about an opening act for Buddy Guy. I have seen Buddy Guy probably over 20 times and he always has a quality act with him...most recently Jimbo Mathus. But these guys are headliners! I walked in during their set and I have to tell you they are pro all the way. I had previously reviewed their work back on June 10th but I had never really seen the band. This is a three piece band (harmonica, guitar and drums) with Aaron Moreland on guitar, Dustin Arbuckle on vocals and harp and Brad Horner on drums. A good portion of the set is played on a cigar box guitar with one bass string (three guitar strings). You would never think for a second that the band sounded thin because it lacked players. These guys were great! You can't imagine my surprise when I heard these guys live. Each of the players is exceptional at what they do and the band is tight full and really had the crowd on their feet. I do want to mention that I am particularly critical of vocalists and Dustin is first class. Their musical style is their own and I loved every second of it. I was not hearing the typical "Bring on Buddy" chanted in the crowd as these guys had the audience in the palm of their hands. I took a few moments to speak with the band after the show and they are personable and ready for business.

If you get a chance to see them, with or without Buddy Guy...go!!!

Friday, June 10, 2011

John Henry - Moreland and Arbuckle


Moreland & Arbuckle is a blues duo founded in Kansas, in 2002. The group, consisting of guitarist Aaron "Chainsaw" Moreland, and vocalist/blues harp player Dustin Arbuckle. They are signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music and known for their combination of rural blues, Delta, and Mississippi Hill Country styles.

Moreland & Arbuckle saw their start after reaching the finals at the 2005 International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tennessee.