Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Wish The World Away , from Ben Rice and it's light and airy with great guitar riffs and cool melodies. Opening with Dirt Road Home , a driving understated boogie, Rice shows just how much music can be played with just vocal, guitar and drums by Jimi Bott. Cool opener. Peace Will Overcome has a really nice rhythm set up by Bott, Julio Appling on bass and Dave Fleschner on piano, topped by excellent slide work by Rice. Very nice. Mojo Hand feels like hill country with a lot of rag tag and a lot of rockin blues. Rice's vocals are perfect for this track and his resonator guitar work is tight and clean with highlights drawn by Mitch Kashmar on harp and Dave Melyan on percussion. Very nice. Soulful track, Hardtimes is one of my favorites on the release with the best vocals on the release and rich organ tones of Dave Fleschner. Very nice. Stevie Wonder's HigherGround get an acoustic rework and retains a lot of ...

I just received the new release, Road Worn and Ragged from Jeff Jensen . Assembling a strong cast of supporting players Jensen hits it hard right out of the chute with Brunette Woman , a blues rocker with hot harp from Brandon Santini and rippin' guitar riffs from Jensen. Tom Waits' Heart Attack and Vine has a Cab Calloway style with a mostly spoken lead vocal and a slinky rhythm. Again solid guitar work gives the track a special something but laying the table open for some slick organ work from Chris Stephenson. Possibly my favorite track on the release, Pepper is a fast swing number with a bright and lively guitar lead. Les would be proud... a d*** fine track! Classic blues/jazz track, Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You gets a really strong blues infused jazz treatment and with a slow pace is instrumentally super. Jensen playing Montgomery style licks really shows polish. Morganfield's Crosseyed Cat has an interesting pace with James Cunningham playing almost mili...

This all-star Portland quartet (plus horns) infuses classic cuts, obscure nuggets and DK Stewart originals with a fresh take on the blues, New Orleans funk and R&B... Stewart, whose two-fisted stride blues and jazz piano style has been a driving force behind such Northwest blues giants as Robert Cray, Paul deLay and Curtis Salgado often works as a compelling solo vocalist/performer with only a piano for back-up...In addition he has, for the past several years been tearing up major festival stages with his latest creation, the DK Stewart SEXTET. The band features the "Soul Survivor Horns" that includ Chris Mercer on sax and Joe McCarthy on Trumpet. Stewart serves up an evening of uptempo, jump-blues and traditional swing with material by Nat Cole, Charles Brown and T-Bone Walker along with hard-grooving New Orleans funk by Professor Longhair, Clifton Chenier and the Meters. The band also brings hard-core, stinging Chicago blues to their set with songs written by Howlin...

Portland, Oregon roots artist Lloyd Jones has recorded six critically acclaimed albums, toured internationally, and racked up dozens of major awards and accolades. He’s a relentless road dog, hitting festival stages, Delbert’s annual Sandy Beaches Cruises (he’s been a regular on six winter cruises), and clubs all across the land to enthusiastic crowds who can’t get enough of his swampy blues, his backporch picking, his serious-as-anthrax funk, soul, roadhouse two-beats, and old-school rhythm and blues (back before the R&B tag was somehow appropriated for other musical purposes, apparently when we weren’t looking). Yet he may be the most invisible, best-kept roots/blues/Americana secret on the contemporary scene.   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 talent and trying to grow the audience for your favor...

Henry Cooper is in love, in love with a sound, a high-water-mark of blues guitar tone that had been set by the likes of Elmore James, Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk and Hop Wilson. It is clear from his newest release, "Slide Man", that it is influence, not imitation, that he has learned from the blues masters. He has taken to heart the importance of keeping things uncluttered and of driving straight down the middle of the groove until the last note has faded. The slide into the blues began for Henry at the age of 16, while he was working at the Eugene (OR) Hotel as a busboy. It was while listening to a local radio station that he heard The Paul Butterfield Band playing "The Work Song" off of "East West". Henry recalls, "I heard that amplified harp and thought "My God! What's that sound? It was amazing, I'd never heard anything like it." Henry began buying Blues records - one of the first ones he bought was "Fathers and Sons...

TO VIEW THIS MESSAGE AS HTML - CLICK HERE   DELTA GROOVE “BLUES STIMULUS PROGRAM” WINNERS! Delta Groove Music is very pleased to announce the participants in their first annual Blues Stimulus Program, an opportunity for blues talent around the world to become members of the successful Delta Groove Family.  Over the last decade, Delta Groove Music has set the new standard for producing, promoting, and booking exciting blues and roots music talent.  Now they’re sharing in their success by inviting emerging blues acts to submit their recordings for review, and each year Delta Groove will choose two U.S. and one foreign blues act to come on board with one of the biggest success stories in blues in this millennium!  After much careful review and painstaking consider...

His name is Monti Amundson but most people call him Big Monti. Not just because of the man’s physical appearance, but because of his larger than life voice, guitar virtuosity, and sheer presence. When Big Monti takes the stage, it’s clear that there’s more going on than the usual extended guitar solos – the man plays and sings larger than life. Monti’s breakout band, The Blubinos (pronounced blue-bye-nose), were a dominant force in the Northwest music scene from 1987 to 1992 and shared concert stages with some of the biggest names in the business, including John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter and Buddy Guy. In 1991 The Blubinos won Portland Music Association’s award for “Outstanding Blues Act”. In 1993 Monti signed on with Munich Records in Holland and promptly moved his headquarters to Amsterdam. Over the next six years Monti recorded five albums and toured extensively in Europe, developing a huge fan base. When Monti gets compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan or Johnny Winter he just says “thank...

Frontman Boyd Small was a local hero in the Portland area as singer/drummer of the Terraplanes for 11 years. He drummed with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, Guitar Shorty and Pinetop Perkins to name a few. After touring Europe with Monti Amundson in 1997 he moved to Amsterdam and co-founded Amsterdam based alternative roots and modern blues label "Cool Buzz". While working with Cool Buzz he co- produced several CDs for American and Dutch artists including Monti Amundson, Jim Wallace, Drippin' Honey and The Cuban Heels . Besides doing shows with his band throughout Europe in the last few years Boyd Small has worked with Black and Tan recording artists such as Byther Smith (Chicago, Ill.), Big George Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) and Billy Jones (Arks.) doing what he does best playing drums and singing. 2005 brought on a new collaboration project entitled "Somebody's Happened To Our Love" with fellow Portland , Oregon native Monti Amundson. P...

Portland, Oregon roots artist Lloyd Jones has recorded six critically acclaimed albums, toured internationally, and racked up dozens of major awards and accolades. He’s a relentless road dog, hitting festival stages, Delbert’s annual Sandy Beaches Cruises (he’s been a regular on six winter cruises), and clubs all across the land to enthusiastic crowds who can’t get enough of his swampy blues, his backporch picking, his serious-as-anthrax funk, soul, roadhouse two-beats, and old-school rhythm and blues (back before the R&B tag was somehow appropriated for other musical purposes, apparently when we weren’t looking). Yet he may be the most invisible, best-kept roots/blues/Americana secret on the contemporary scene. 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”

Alan Alexander III is a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist with numerous credits. As a performing musician he has toured internationally (US, Europe, the Caribbean and Japan), headlining and opening for artists like UB40, Jimmy Cliff, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal, Third World and many others. He is perhaps best known as the former lead singer, principle songwriter and producer for the critically acclaimed world beat band, Dub Squad. Alan has composed source music and original scores for several motion pictures including: 'Hear No Evil' (20th Century Fox), 'Alien Invaders' (National Endowment for the Arts),'Street Talk and Tuxes' (Susan Shadburne Productions) and, most recently (summer 2011), the feature length independent film 'Stuff' by director Larry Johnson. He resides in Portland Oregon. 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 favor...

Paul Joseph deLay (January 31, 1952 – March 7, 2007), was an American blues vocalist and harmonicist from Portland, Oregon. Paul deLay was born January 31, 1952 in Portland, Oregon. His musical career started in the early 1970s with a band called "Brown Sugar", which played numerous West Coast gigs. In 1976, he and guitarist Jim Mesi formed the Paul deLay Blues Band, which performed well into the 1980s. The band also recorded several albums during that time. By the late 1980s, deLay was suffering from alcohol and cocaine addiction. In 1990, he was arrested for drug trafficking, and served a 41-month prison sentence. While he was incarcerated, his band continued without him, performing as the "No deLay Band" and featuring longtime Portland blueswoman Linda Hornbuckle as lead vocalist in lieu of deLay. Upon his release from prison, deLay (now clean and sober) rejoined the band and recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums. In 2002 deLay assembled the final vers...

Mary Flower is an award-winning American musician and music educator on the independent Yellow Dog Records label. A blues and ragtime fingerstyle guitarist and vocalist, she combines intricate syncopated Piedmont style fingerpicking with lap-slide guitar. In 2000 and 2003, Flower placed in the top three at the National Finger Style Guitar Championship, the only female to do this twice for guitar. She’s performed with Jorma Kaukonen, guitarist/songwriter Pat Donohue, Hot Rize founder Tim O’Brien, singer Molly O’Brien, guitarist/songwriter Geoff Muldaur, and the Campbell Brothers. As a songwriter, arranger and educator she has several musical and instructional releases to her credit. A professional musician for more than 20 years, Thad Beckman has paid his dues on these same dusty roads which run from California to New Jersey and points in between. His finely-crafted original songs are the story of life, the voice of modern America...from the growling delta blues of the Deep South to evo...

Hmmm. I guess I began my singing career at age five, when, as the story goes, I sang the Cinderella classic, “So This Is Love,” at my kindergarten talent show, leaving numerous moms in tears. However, it took four more years without singing, followed by a show-stealing number in a local play, for me to realize that singing and music are my passions. I’ve since opened for the Slug Queen competition, perform regularly on stage at Saturday Market and venues in and around Eugene, and was the surprise highlight of the Willamette Valley Blues & Brews Festival. I’ve been part of the Kidz Rock lineup, as well as the Grrrlz Rock Festival for the past few years, and this past summer, went to Chicago to a first-of-its-kind blues camp, where I studied with some of the genre’s greats. Now at age 13, I’m exploring interests in many musical genres — from rock and pop to jazz — but blues is what touches my soul. Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! -  ...

Guitarist Frank "Paris Slim" Goldwasser is no stranger to those who've been paying attention to the West Coast blues scene over the last two decades. Born in Paris, France in 1960, his initial blues inspiration came from Hound Dog Taylor's "NATURAL BOOGIE" LP. After working his first professional gig at age 21 supporting visiting U.S. bluesman Sonny Rhodes, Rhodes invited him to move to the San Fr ancisco Bay Area. With the commitment of a true believer, Franck packed his bags and moved to the Bay Area within a year, whereupon he was immediately hired by Troyce Key (who gave him the stage name of Paris Slim) to play in the house band at Key's legendary Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland. He eventually assumed leadership of the group while Key took a professional hiatus, and became deeply immersed in the area's then-vibrant blues scene. He racked up three years touring with Jimmy McCracklin, as well as positive reviews for appearances...

I just received a copy of the new release from Franco Paletta and the Stingers called "Can't Kick Love". The band is made up of Franco Paletta on Vocal and Harp, Timmer Blakely on Bass, David Ward on Guitars, Jon Beyer on Drums, Steve Kevin on Piano and Organs, John Soller on Hammond B3. This is a tight little package of blues mostly in the upbeat style (call it what you will...not that good with definitions). All I know for sure is it's put together well, has great instrumentals and vocals. There are some real stand out harp, piano and guitar soloing on this recording disbursed throughout. I know it's the lazy mans way out but I'n not often a man of a lot of words... ok...let me rephrase that. I may go off for a while but music is subjective. Rather than tell you that I liked each song individually, I'll say I wasn't real keen on one song, Southbound but the rest of the recording was really good. The stand out track for me is "My Baby's Leavi...

I just received and have had the opportunity to listen to the new Bhakta Paul release, Death Cab Blues. The recordings are a combination of traditional and original blues tunes played solo with acoustic accompaniment. Paul does a nice job to adapt the songs to his personal style and deliver traditional songs without changing them beyond recognition. If you like the acoustic blues, you may like to check this out. Enjoy