Jonny Lang Announces First New Album In Four Years. Signs To Be Released September 8th.

JONNY LANG ANNOUNCES

FIRST NEW ALBUM IN FOUR YEARS

SIGNS TO BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 8^th

2017 World Tour In Support Of Signs Goes On Sale This Week

First Track “Make It Move” Available As A Free download at: www.jonnylang.com

Los Angeles, CA --- Jonny Lang is pleased to announce a brand new studio album, Signs, which will be released in North America on September 8th via Concord Records.  The album (his sixth major label release) is his first in four years.  A pre-order for physical goes live today, with digital to follow on June 9.  The European release for Signs will be on August 25 via Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group.

Starting off the record with a juke joint stomp, “Make It Move” is Lang’s story about going to the mountain rather than waiting for it to come to you. “There have been times in my life where I thought something would take care of itself, when I should have put some effort forth to help it happen,” says Lang. “Being proactive has been a weak spot for me, and the song is about doing your part to get things moving.”

All fans can immediately download “Make It Move” for free via Jonny’s website at: www.jonnnylang.com. 

Anyone who originally discovered Jonny Lang through his searing instrumental work will revel in the huge guitar tones and go for broke solos on Signs, while those who have appreciated his growth as an honest and passionate songwriter will find that honesty and passion unabated. Though he long ago left blues purism behind, Lang has never abandoned its spirit of universal catharsis through the relating of personal trials. Signs reaffirms his commitment to the blues and the guitar without sacrificing the modern approach that has made him such a singular artist. 

It is hard to believe that at only 36 years old Jonny Lang has already had a successful career for two decades. Easier to believe when you learn he released his first platinum record at 15—an age when many young people are just beginning to play music. Lie to Me revealed a talent that transcended the crop of blues prodigies floating around in the late Nineties. No flashy re-hasher of classic blues licks, even at that early age Lang was a full-blown artist with a style of his own. Also, setting Lang apart from the wunderkind crowd was a 15-year-old voice that sounded like a weathered soul shouter. Actual life experience was yet to come, and has been subsequently chronicled in a series of five uniformly excellent recordings.

What began as a bluesy sound, influenced by electric pioneers like Albert Collins, B. B. King, and Buddy Guy, evolved over those recordings into a modern R&B style closer to Stevie Wonder and contemporary gospel music. Lang’s distinctive, blues-inflected licks appeared on every album, but became one element in a sea of passionately sung and tightly arranged songs.

Signs is not merely a return the artist’s guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, fairly leaping out of the speakers. “A lot of my earlier influences have been coming to the surface, like Robert Johnson, and Howlin’ Wolf,” he reports. “I have been appreciating how raw and unrefined that stuff is. I had an itch to emulate some of that and I think it shows in the songs. Still, I let the writing be what it was and that was sometimes not necessarily the blues.”

The record, which features funk, rock, and blues elements, is held together by Lang’s distinctive playing and singing, and the lyrics, which center on themes of embattlement and self-empowerment. “Some of the songs are autobiographical, but not usually in a literal way,” Lang explains. “The main goal is for folks to be able to relate to what I went through. If I can’t make it work using just my personal experience, I use my imagination to fill in blanks.”

Signs was produced by Lang, Drew Ramsey, and Shannon Sanders. Josh Kelly helmed “Bring Me Back Home.” Lang offers, “Josh and I cut six or seven songs together and had a blast doing it.  I am saving the other ones for who knows what, but I definitely wanted that one to be on this record.”

Since the release of his debut album, Grammy Award winning Jonny Lang has built a reputation as one of the best live performers and guitarists of his generation. The path Lang has been on has brought him the opportunity to support or perform with some of the most respected legends in music.  He has shared the stage with everyone from The Rolling Stones and B.B. King to Aerosmith and Buddy Guy, who he continues to tour with today.

NORTH AMERICAN APPEARANCES ANNOUNCED TODAY

ALL DATES OTHER THAN 9/30 – GENERAL ON-SALE FRIDAY, MAY 19

8/11     Los Angeles, CA                                                        Teragram

8/13     Arlington, WA                                                            Stillaguamish Festival

8/19     North Thornton, NH                                                   White Mountain Boogie

8/22     New York, NY                                                           Highline Ballroom

8/23     Philadelphia, PA                                                         World Café Live

8/25     Toronto, ON                                                               Danforth Music Hall

8/26     Trois-Rivieres, QUE                                                   Trois-Rivieres en Blues

9/08     Aspen, CO                                                                  Belly Up

9/09     Boulder, CO                                                                Boulder Theater

9/10     Arvada, CO                                                                 Arvada Center

9/14     Dallas, TX                                                                   House of Blues

9/15     Houston, TX                                                               House of Blues

9/16     Austin, TX                                                                  ACL Live

9/18     Kansas City, MO                                                        Knuckleheads

9/19     St. Louis, MO                                                             Pageant

9/21     Milwaukee, WI                                                           Potawatomi Casino

9/22     Milwaukee, WI                                                           Polawatomi Casino

9/23     Chicago, IL                                                                 House of Blues

9/24     Louisville, KY                                                            Bourbon & Beyond Festival

9/26     Indianapolis, IN                                                          The Vogue

9/29     Huntington, NY                                                          Paramount

9/30     Hartford, CT                                                               Infinity Hall (On-Sale 5/18)

10/01   Fairfield, CT                                                                Warehouse (On-Sale 5/31)

10/03   Boston, MA                                                                The Wilbur Theater

10/04   Portland, ME                                                               Aura

10/06   Cranston, RI                                                                Park Theatre

10/07   Hampton Beach, NH                                                   Hampton Beach Casino

EUROPEAN APPEARANCES ANNOUNCED TODAY INCLUDE:

10/22   Zwolle, NL                                                                  Hedon

10/23   Cologne, Germany                                                      Gloria

10/25   Berlin, Germany                                                          Columbia Club

10/27   Hamburg, Germany                                                    Mojo

10/29   Copenhagen, Denmark                                                Amager Bio

10.30   Oslo, Norway                                                             Rockafeller

10/31   Stockholm, Sweden                                                    Nalen

11/04   London, UK                                                                SBE (London Folk and Roots Fest)

11/05   Leuven, Belgium                                                         Hep Depot (Leuven Blues Festival)

11/07   Cleon, France                                                              La Travene (Blues de Travene)

11/09   Marseille, France                                                         Espace Julien

11/10   Six-Fours-les-Plages, France                                      Espace Malraux

11/11   Paris, France                                                               La Cigale

11/13   Prague, Czech Republic                                              Lucerna

11/14   Vienna, Austria                                                           Porgy and Bess

11/16   Sumperk, Czech Republic                                           House of Culture (Blues Alive Fest)

ALREADY ANNOUNCED AND ON-SALE:

5/18     Rochester, NY                                                            Rochester Lilac Festival

5/20     St. Joseph, MI                                                             BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass

5/21     Annapolis, MD                                                           Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival

6/10     Birmingham, AL                                                         Alys Stephens Performing Arts

6/11     Nashville, TN                                                              Schermerhorn Symphony Center

6/16     Riverside, IA                                                               Riverside Casino & Golf Resort 

6/17     Aurora, IL                                                                   Blues on the Fox Fest

6/18     Moorehead, MN                                                         Bluestem for the Arts Amphitheatre

6/22     Columbia, MO                                                            The Blue Note

6/23     Wichita, KS                                                                 Orpheum Theatre

6/24     Okmulgee, OK                                                            Musogee (Creek) Nation Festival

7/06     Lexington, MI                                                             Lexington Village Theater

7/07     Kent, OH                                                                    Kent Stage

7/08     Rochester, MI                                                             Meadowbrook

7/13     Peoria, IL                                                                    Riverfront

7/14     Minneapolis, MN                                                       Music In The Zoo 

7/15     Sioux Falls, SD                                                           Sioux Falls Jazz Fest

7/20     Tucson, AZ                                                                 Rialto theatre

7/21     Chandler, AZ                                                              Chandler Center

7/22     Las Vegas, NV                                                           Boulder Station

7/28     Saratoga, CA                                                               Mountain Winery

7/29     Lincoln, CA                                                                Thunder Valley Casino

ADDITIONAL DATES WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

WWW.JONNYLANG.COM

Provogue Records artist: Ronnie Baker Brooks - Times Have Changed - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Times Have Changed, by Ronnie Baker Brooks and it's terrific! Opening with Joe Tex number, Show Me, Ronnie Baker Brooks (on vocal and guitar) is kicking ass and taking names right out of the chute featuring Steve Cropper on guitar, Steve Jordan on drums, Willie Weeks on bass, Felix Cavaliere on Hammond, Ben Cauley on trumpet, Lonniie McMillan on tenor sax and Jack Hale Sr on trombone. Big Head Todd sits in on Doing Too Much, a cool blue rocker with Leroy Hodges on bass, Charles Hodges on Hammond and Turner on piano. Recently passed and sorely missed, Lonine Brooks, sits in on Twine Time, a cool, sixties style surf rocker. Rapper, Al Kapone  sits in on traditional blues style track, Times Have Changed, with Weeks setting a great bass line and Brooks' solid vocals and guitar riffs. The addition of Jessie Munson and Wen-Yih Yu on violin, Beth Luscome and Jennifer Puckett on viola, and Mark Wallace and Jonathan Kirkscey on cello add a refined note to the short Kapone rap. Curtis Mayfield's Give me Your Love, a cool jazz infused soul track featuring Angie Stone on vocal has a true Mayfield smoothness. Robert Cray track, Old Love has great style and featuring Bobby Blue Bland on vocal and his own stylistic guitar work makes this a true favorite. On high stepper, Wham Bam Thank You Sam, Brooks really struts with cool vocals, great guitar accents, a solid bass line from Hodges and super R&B style horns. Very cool. Closing the release is When I Was We, featuring Hubby Turner on piano supporting Brooks' warm vocals.

Very nice conclusion to an exceptional 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 talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Provogue Records artist:Eric Gales - Middle Of The Road - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Middle of the Road from Eric Gales and it may be my favorite yet! Opening with revival style track, Good Time, Eric Gales is really upbeat with Aaron Haggerty on drums, Dylon Wiggins on B3 and LoDonna Gales on backing vocals. Bringing down the heat with reggae rhythmed blues number, Change In Me with a super bass line under fiery lead guitar riffs. Very cool. Carry Yourself is a nicely stylized radio blues track with a solid melody, cool vocals and crisp lead guitar. With it's jazzy bottom, Boogie Man bops along with soulful blues guitar riffs giving the track an almost Johnny Guitar feel. Very cool! Been So Long again has a bit of a reggae beat but with scorching guitar riffs and super bass lines under Gales always solid vocals. Very nice. Help Yourself follows a cool acoustic blues format but building into electric guitar riffs. Gales' tone both on rhythm and lead are super and his riffs are hot but not overplayed. On I Can't be Deceived lets the dog off the leash a bit more with scorching lead soloing and cool backing vocals. On funky, Repetition, Gales creates a dark sound with a nice bass line and Maxwell Drummey adds mellotron to backing vocals assembling the perfect bottom for his lead vocal and electrified guitar lead. Super! Another track with a super groove is I Don't Know with another rumbling bass line, super rhythm guitar, tight drums, nicely blended backing vocals and really cool lead work. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Swamp!, with more of a upbeat, almost jazz influenced, southern rock feel. I really like this release and think it is among his best works to date.




  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 favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Eric Gales To Release "Middle Of The Road" On February 24th

ERIC GALES TO RELEASE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD GLOBALLY

VIA PROVOGUE / MASCOT LABEL GROUP ON FEBRUARY 24

“How Eric Gales isn’t the hugest name in rock guitar is a total mystery” Dave Navarro

“One of the best, if not the best guitar player in the world” Joe Bonamassa

“This guy could be the best player on Earth” Mark Tremonti

“He is absolutely incredible” Carlos Santana

“I feel the most free I’ve ever been in life, even more so than when I was a kid…you gotta help

yourself man, once you can help yourself you can genuinely help someone else.”

“When I say the world will hear about it, you’ll see what I mean when you hear the record.  This

record is going to take me everywhere that I’ve never been, and everywhere I’ve ever wanted to go.”

New York, NY --- Provogue / Mascot Label Group will release Eric Gales new studio album Middle Of The Road on February 24.  Memphis-born Gales shares, “Unfortunately you have to go through some things to be free.  Now, I feel the most free I’ve ever been in life, even more so than when I was a kid.  You gotta help yourself man, once you can help yourself you can genuinely help someone else.” The title, “Middle of the Road,” is the running theme throughout the record. He offers, “It’s about being fully focussed and centred in the middle of the road. If you’re on the wrong side and in the gravel you’re not too good and if you’re on the median strip that’s not too good either, so being in the middle of the road is the best place to be.”

The release is Eric Gales fourth album on Provogue/Mascot label Group (Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, Black Stone Cherry, Warren Haynes, The Robert Cray Band, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band) after Transformation (2011), Relentless (2010) and The Psychedelic Underground (2007) and it sees him at his most expressive yet; it is a deeply personal and reflective record that echoes where he is in his life right now and he opens himself up and allows himself the chance to really flourish.

It’s well documented that Gales was a child prodigy and heralded as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix when he released his debut album The Eric Gales Band in 1991 as a 16 year-old on Elektra Records. It was the first of 10 albums on a major label through a blistering career. He has released 14 studio albums in total ahead of Middle of the Road and a host of other collaborations, one of which led him to work with producer Fabrizio Grossi (Alice Cooper, Joe Bonamassa, Billy F. Gibbons, Ice T, Leslie West, Slash, Walter Trout, Steve Lukather, Steve Vai, Paul Stanley, Supersonic Blues Machine).

Talking about working with Eric, Grossi offers; “I’ve been a fan of Eric since i first worked with him 15 years ago on a project with George Clinton & the P.Funk. His tone and his playing was wicked. Personally and musically Eric grew into a ‘monster’ , a really good one and he’s set on a path of huge success with a ‘taking no prisoners’ type of attitude! I know a very few musicians with such a musicality and Eric is right there a head of the bunch. I hope fans will dig. There’s lots of love, tears, sweat and “truth” in this record, which is what classics are made of. As far what I think about him: Eric is simply Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix’ love child, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” 

Recorded in several locations; Room A Studio and Fab’s Lab in North Hollywood as well as Cuz Studio and Sound in Cleveland, MS and ‘Cotton Row Studios in Memphis, TN. With Aaron Haggerty (drums), Dylan Wiggins (B3 Organ), LaDonna Gales (All backing vocals), Maxwell ‘Wizard’ Drummey (Mellotron on Repetition) and Eric Gales providing all lead vocals, guitar and bass. It’s a beautiful snapshot of life right here, right now. “I played bass on the entire record, it was beautiful” he beams. “I’m a bass player at heart so Fabrizio was like ‘bro you need to be playing the bass’. It was something that was very natural for me to too, I loved it.”

Recent years have seen an array of musicians singing the praises of Eric Gales. Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction – Red Hot Chili Peppers) exclaimed that “How Eric Gales isn’t the hugest name in rock guitar is a total mystery”, modern blues icon Joe Bonamassa said he is “One of the best, if not the best guitar player in the world”, whilst Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge) said in a Classic Rock Magazine interview (Oct 2016) that “me and Myles [Kennedy] were on the bus looking up clips and we ran into some Eric Gales clips and we were just like ‘this guy could be the best player on Earth.’”

Talking about the accolades he is starting to receive he humbly adds;” It’s absolutely great, I’m grateful to see the recognition for the work that God has allowed me to continue to progress with. It’s beautiful to see the recognition to be finally coming and in the proper way, unlike times where I was engaged into heavy addiction, where it wasn’t such good publicity, but to see it be changed around, it’s a great turn of events.”

This refers to the time he spent in jail serving at the Shelby County Correction Center in 2009 for possession of drugs and a weapon. Elaborating he adds; “While I was in there all the officers and guards were like, ‘bro you know this isn’t where you’re supposed to be. When you get out of here, go take the world by the horns and ride it all the way out.’ It took a couple of years after but, I’m here.” Whilst he was incarcerated he was able to play shows, for the Mayor, the city and festivals, his own versio of Johnny Cash Walk the Line.

This is where Middle of the Road finds the rebirth of Eric Gales.  A new album that has seen him more free than he’s ever been and on the biographic songs you take this journey with him. Along the way he brings in not only a host of guest and collaborators, but also those closest to him: Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark Jr, Eugene Gales, LaDonna Gales, Lance Lopez, Raphael Saadiq and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.

Much of the album is achingly heart on its sleeve and “Change in Me [The Rebirth]”is one of those moments, it’s about a new change in life. “I changed up some things in life and decided to go a new route”. “I wrote Carry Yourself with Raphael Saadiq and strangely enough, as I sit here looking at her that song is about LaDonna actually. It’s about how we met and how we grew to get to know each other through life and how she’s always carried herself. It has always been something I’m fascinated with. The only cover is the mesmerising interpretation of “Boogie Man” featuring Gary Clark Jr is something to behold.  “I’m a fan of Freddie King anyway and I like that song. I just enjoyed the original version and I just put a little twist on it and music wise.” “Basically”, Gales adds, “The Boogie Man is about, so watch out cos there’s a bad guy on the way and you know, I’m coming!  I think me and Gary did a really good job on that song.” “I shot the rhythm of “Been So Long” over to Lauryn Hill and she was like ‘that’s hot’”. And now begins the start of another beautiful collaboration. “I said I had an idea of what I wanted the song to be about, like it’s been so long since I’ve given myself a proper chance which goes back to “Middle of the Road” which is the reoccurring theme.”  Continuing the rebirth is “Help Yourself,”  features 16 year-old guitar sensation Christone ‘Kingsfish’ Ingram.   “I’ve Been Deceived” has a multi-layered meaning to it. “Personally,  I was talking about how I was deceived by addiction” he confesses and on “Repetition,” he goes back to the very beginning and where it started by collaborating with his ‘mentor’ and older brother Eugene Gales.

Ronnie Baker Brooks Announces Appearances To Support First New Album In Ten Years

RONNIE BAKER BROOKS ANNOUNCES CONFIRMED APPEARANCES 

PLANNED TO SUPPORT RELEASE OF TIMES HAVE CHANGED, 

HIS FIRST ALBUM IN TEN YEARS

Produced By Steve Jordan, Featuring Lonnie Brooks, “Big Head” Todd Mohr, Bobby “Blue” 

Bland, Steve Cropper, Angie Stone, Eddie Willis, Al Kapone, Felix Cavaliere, Lee Roy Parnell

Out On Provogue / Mascot Label Group January 20, 2017

Chicago, IL --- Ronnie Baker Brooks has announced planned initial appearances for 2017.  Following the Legendary R&B Cruise – At Sea in late-January, he will begin the run at SPACE in Evanston, IL on February 3.  Additional shows are confirmed in St. Paul, Des Moines, Milwaukee and Dubuque (detail below).  Today, the second instant gratification track has been provided to purchasers in front of the January 20^th release.  

Brooks, 49, was born in Chicago, and started playing guitar around age six. At 19, he joined his father, Lonnie Brooks who by then had influenced some of the most well-known bluesman of our history: Jimmy Reed, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, and Junior Wells. For 12 years, the two would tour together, putting Ronnie out front with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Koko Taylor. 

Times Have Changed, Brooks’ first album in ten years, carries with it the weight of grown perspective and time spent perfecting old material. Brooks worked it with Steve Jordan, whose work runs from Keith Richards to Stevie Wonder, John Mayer and Eric Clapton. With that comes a lesson in rhythm and blues history. Brooks refers to the director as “a walking encyclopedia of music detail and equipment”, a professor through which Brooks could take that next developmental step. “Once we got the ball rolling, my confidence went higher and higher”, he says. “I’m a better musician for this experience.”

The experience Brooks is talking about is that which came together over the course of a few weeks at Royal Studios in Memphis, the home of Al Green, Syl Johnson and Bobby “Blue” Bland. Jordan and Brooks brought in a mint press of Memphis music royalty: Stax Records staple Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave), Archie Turner (Al Green, Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright), jazz saxophonist Lannie McMillan, and R&B icon Angie Stone. For several tracks, Brooks also enlisted brothers Teenie (guitar), Charles (organ) and Leroy Hodges (bass) of the legendary Hi Rhythm Section, which served as the house band for hit soul albums by artists like Al Green and Ann Peebles. “We used the same mics that Al Green used on his record”, says Brooks. “Matter of fact, we were using much of the same band! It kind of took that vibe.” The first track recorded was a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly hit Give Me Your Love. The second, Twine Time, the instrumental jam from Alvin Cash. 

Several tracks on Times Have Changed were recorded at the legendary Blackbird Studio in Nashville. “It had great hospitality, a great vibe, great tone, great equipment,” Brooks said. “And of course I got to get closer to some of the musicians who live there, Felix Cavaliere, Steve Cropper - they all live there, and it just created a great atmosphere. One of the key things for me was that we got Todd Mohr there, and he was willing to play rhythm guitar along with Lee Roy Parnell, so we got a nice little chemistry going with the three guitar parts together.”

‘Times’ also comes laden with original hits. Five of the eleven tracks were penned by Brooks. Raised on others’ music, he’s always considered the songwriting process to be as sacred. “It’s like having a baby”, he says. “You see it come to life. Once you play it live, it grows even more. That was the most fun part of it, for me: the creative side. Coming up with a song people can relate to, and you relate to, it just snowballs. It’s almost like therapy for me. Like the song Times Have Changed: I wrote that song years ago. I sent Steve my songs and he picked that one. It’s kind of timeless. Every day something’s changing. Now, when I play it live, you can see the effect of it. Initially, it was just an idea: just a riff. Now, this song has influence on people. We were just in Europe this year, after the bombing in Brussels. And we’re playing Brussels. I played that song; people were in tears. It helped them heal.”

The complete track listing features: “Show Me” (feat. Steve Cropper), “Doing Too Much” (feat. “Big Head” Todd Mohr, “Twine Time” (feat. Lonnie Brooks), “Times Have Changed” (feat. Al Kapone), “Long Story Short,” “Give Me Your Love (Love Song) (feat. Angie Stone), “Give The Baby Anything The Baby Wants” (feat. “Big Head” Todd Mohr & Eddie Willis), “Old Love” (feat. Bobby “Blue” Bland), “Come On Up” (feat. Felix Cavaliere & Lee Roy Parnell), “Wham Bam Thank You Sam,” “When I Was We.”

Brooks will stage the following appearances.  Additonal dates will be announced as they are confirmed:

1/21                                                                             Legenday R&B Cruise – At Sea

2.03     Evanston, IL                                                   SPACE

2/10     St. Paul, MN                                                   MN Music Cafe

2/11     Des Moines, IA                                               Blues Fest

2/24     Milwaukee, WI                                               Shank Hall

2/25     Dubuque, IA                                                   Mystique Casino

Provogue Records artist: No Sinner - Old Habits Die Hard - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Old Habits Die Hard, from No Sinner and it's a solid rocker. Opening with All Woman, Colleen Rennison, lead vocalist takes the reins and never looks back. With a lot of attitude, modern day female Jim Morrison, Rennison, backed by guitarists, Eric Campbell, Adam Sabla and Scott Smith, Matt Camirand on bass and exceptional drumming by Ian Browne sets the pace. On Leadfoot, a driving track with roots in English metal and blues, this track is heavy footed with Browne stomping it and interesting guitar riffs floating. Very cool. Tryin' has a lighter, more pop kind of feel. Rennison's vocals are clear and this track has all of the characteristics of a radio hit. Saturday Night is a hard rocker with plenty of kick drum and rock and roll guitar riffs. Shifting gears a few times, this track melds the Ramones with Joan Jett. Bluesy ballad, Hollow, really gives Rennison a wide open road to show off her vocal strength. Rich tones and a solid melody enriched by Campbell on guitar and piano shows that this lady can do whatever she wants at a drop of a hat. Very nice. Get It Up is another track that should have solid radio appeal with nicely blended vocal harmonies, a strong melody and a kicking kick drum. There is an enchanting richness to Rennison's vocals on Friend Of Mine, and Campbell.s guitar riffs add just the right texture to the track making it one of my favorites. Unusual track, Fading Away, has a real interesting blend of sounds and concepts with driving drum work and jittery guitar riffs. Blending this with more pop style vocal lines gives this track a pop edge and a rock undertone. Very nice. quiet and light, Lines On The Highway, sits alone among the rest of the tracks as a direct pop track with a simple melody and unadorned vocals. One More Time kicks in the door with it's direct frontal attack by Campbell and Browne. Backing off to a more experimental segue, there is echo and environmental sounds concluding in a strong bolero rock. Interesting. Wrapping the release is Mandy Lyn with slide guitar, kick drum and a more southern rock approach. This track is packed with attitude and with it's rugged vocals and instrumentation, a super closer for a solid rockin 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 talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Provogue Records artist: The Apocalypse Blues Review - New Release Review

I just received the newest self titled release from The Apocalypse Blues Review and they have style. Opening with Evil Is As Evil Does, Ray "Rafer" Cerbone on lead vocal has a great rock voice backed by Tony "Big Tone" Rombola on guitar, Shannon "Apocalypse" Larkin on drums and Brian "Bassgod" Carpenter on bass. Junkie Hell is a smoking blues rocker with a solid bass lead and scorching guitar riffs. Devil Plays Strat has a great bass undertone which sets up nicely with Rafer's Morrison like vocal phrasing, excellent drum work from Larkin and rowdy guitar work from Rombola. Possibly my favorite track on the release. With a cool driving bass line, Whiskey In My Coffee has a strong sense of I Been Down So Long with nicely peppered guitar riffs. With traces of Trower's ethereal guitar work and a bit of more contemporary rock, The Tower is a cool track with strong rock roots. Crossed Over seems to be based on Robert Johnson's Outside Woman Blues with a modern rock grooves. Rombola really digs on this track fanning the flames. Very cool. Blues Are Fallln' From The Sky opens as a shuffle track but slows to a really nice blues grind featuring some of Rombola's most soulful riffs. Excellent! With a Big Brother like drum riff, Work In Progress, develops into a cool rocker with solid work by the entire group. Really great drum work by Larkin pushes The Devil In Me, giving Rafer and Rombola a hot platform to work their magic. Very nice. Opening with acoustic guitar work by Cerbone, Blue Cross develops into a cool rocker with a firm bottom and crisp guitar work by Rombola. Larkin takes an opportunity to throw out some interesting percussion riffs to close this track. Wrapping the release is The Door's When The Music's Over. Rafer actually sounds quite similar to Morrison and the band's delivery is solid and respectful.



  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 favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Provogue Records artist: Gary Hoey - Dust & Bones - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Dust & Bones, from Gary Hoey, and it's cool. Opening with blues power rocker, Boxcar Blues you get a strong taste of Hoey with a blend of Zep and Paul Rogers. Hoey leads the charge on electric slide and vocal backed by Matt Scurfield on drums and AJ Pappas. Strong. Next up is Who's Your Daddy, a fleet shuffle with the guitar finesse of Skynyrd's,I Know A Little, and driving boogie riffs on bass and drums. Very nice. Born To Love You has the strong drive that I associate with Foghat or Procol Harem blended with ZZ Top rocker. With a great rock style and fluid guitar runs, this disc smokes. Slowing things down a bit, title track, Dust & Bones, has more of a 90's rock feel with ballad like lines and clean guitar melody. Steamroller is a tribute to Johnny Winter with a driving drum and bass line under Hoey on slide (think Mean Town Blues). Solid blues rocker! Lita Ford shares the mic with Hoey on ballad, Coming Home. A well written radio style track, this one could easily get broad radio play. Ghost Of Yesterday is a nice rocker with traces of early Robin Trower but with a stylized turn of the century twist. A power rocker, this track really gives Hoey the opportunity to show his guitar riffs with vocal harmonies softening the edge. Another solid ballad, This Time Tomorrow, shows Hoey's finesse as a vocalist with shimmery chords under his nicely executed blues rock guitar lead. Shuffle track, Back Up Against The Wall, may be the most deliberate blues track on the release with relaxed vocals and soloing. Blind Faith is a lead footed blues rocker with super slide blues lead. With it's heavy bottom and slippery slide, this is a cool track. Wrapping the release is a super charged instrumental, Soul Surfer, with a blues bottom (think Otis Rush) overlaid with surf formatting with glistening chords and rapid blues riffs. I like both genres so this track is a home run! Excellent closer for a strong release.



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Provogue Records artist: Walter Trout - Alive In Amsterdam - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Alive In Amsterdam from Walter Trout and it is a powerhouse! It's good to have Walter back and he is ALIVE! Opening with Sonny Boy Williamson's, Help Me, Trout is literally exploding out through his fingers with new life. Setting down the groove is Johnny Griparic on bass, Sammy Avila on B3 and Michael Leasure on drums. Avila takes an extended solo on keys leading up to a ripping solo by Trout on this vibrant cover. Excellent! On rocker, I'm Back, this band is full of energy led by Leasure's driving drum work and Trout's relentless guitar riffs. Very nice! Slow blues ballad, Say Goodbye To The Blues, Trout dedicates this track to BB King. At 10 minutes plus, a very nice extended jam with tight rhythm and extensive guitar work, this track is hot. Rocker, Omaha, is drum heavy with great drive. Trout's work is signature but he has a different flare when playing rock than blues. Very nice. With a little bit of added funk, son, Jon Trout, joins the band. Father and son rip it up nicely and Avila's B3 work rides nicely over a tight rhythm section. Please Take Me Home is always a crown favorite with a strong melody and some of Trout's best vocals. Backing vocals in this mix are particularly warm and Trout's riffs fluid and vibrant. BB King's Rock Me Baby has a nice, low slung saunter and Trout and Jon trade off on guitar riffs. Jon's got some pretty good riffs so it's cool to see dad give him a leg up. Clocking in over 9 minutes, this is a guitar fiesta. Blues ballad, Marie's Mood, is a super track to build tension before the big send off at the end. Extremely emotional playing by both Trout and Avila. Very nice. John lee Hooker's, Serve's Me Right To Suffer, is one of my favorites with strong dynamics between vocal and instrumentation putting me in mind of the great Alvin Lee's style. A cool drum solo by Leasure gives the track a heavy kick and works the crowd to a frenzy before Trout brings the band back on track with machine gun like riffs. Wrapping the release is encore track, Love That We Once Knew, a melodic track with a solid bottom and strong guitar riffs. This appears to be a crowd favorite, enticing full crowd participation. A great closer.




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Walter Trout - Alive In Amsterdam - Performance of "I'm Back"

Walter Trout announces new release, ‘ALIVE in Amsterdam’, recorded live in Amsterdam

on the blues legend’s comeback tour & released June 17th on Mascot/Provogue.

Battle Scars World Tour to hit the US and Europe this year.

To be released June 17th on Mascot/Provogue, ‘ALIVE in Amsterdam’ is the sound of a man announcing his resurrection after a period on the ropes. As Trout’s army of international fans are painfully aware, recent times have taken the bandleader to the brink, following a bleak diagnosis of life-threatening liver failure and hepatitis C in 2013. Trout’s rebirth began with a successful transplant in May 2014, and gathered pace with 2015’s ‘Battle Scars’: the acclaimed studio album that channeled his near-death experience into raw autobiographical songs.

Walter Trout has never sounded so alive. The date is November 28th, 2015. The location is Amsterdam’s opulent Royal Theatre Carré. And the occasion is a live performance of the blues-rock legend at full-throttle. “We were rocking,” remembers Trout of the comeback concert captured on ‘ALIVE in Amsterdam.’ “If people are expecting a laid-back show, that’s not what they’ll get. This is potent stuff…”        

Yet for this lifelong road-warrior, a return to the stage was always the ultimate goal. And last summer, as Trout headed out on a comeback tour that blew the roof off venues from the Royal Albert Hall to Buddy Guy’s Legends club in Chicago, every fan in the house saw that the man wasn’t just back, he was better than ever. “That whole tour was kinda triumphant for me,” Trout reflects. “Just to be back, after what I went through. But also to be playing with a renewed energy and commitment.

With songs pulled from every era of his five-decade career, the ‘ALIVE in Amsterdam’ set is potent stuff indeed, from the stinging Luther Allison cover “I’m Back,” to the plaintive B.B. King tribute “Say Goodbye To The Blues,” which builds from neck-tingling guitar swells to a stunning virtuoso climax. ‘Battle Scars’ is well-represented by the harmony-bolstered rocker “Almost Gone” and the raucous “Tomorrow Seems So Far Away,” while Trout is joined by his son Jon for “Rock Me Baby,” and even finds time for a fistful of fan favorites, including “The Love That We Once Knew” and “Marie’s Mood.” “You can hear that a guy yells out for ‘Marie’s Mood,’” he laughs. “I actually hadn’t planned on doing that one…” 

Urgent, impassioned and electrifying, it’s a live album to treasure, and the perfect appetite-whetter as Trout heads out on tour this year, stopping off at some of the most prestigious venues and festivals in the US and Europe.  Walter shows you magic in the studio, of course. But it’s on the stage where he truly comes alive. “I get into the energy and the moment and the excitement of it all,” he says. “I think I’m a very different guitarist live…”

ALIVE In Amsterdam	Track List	Extra Information
	01. Marie's Introduction 02. Play The Guitar 03. Help Me 04. I'm Back 05. Say Goodbye To The Blues 06. Almost Gone 07. Omaha 08. Tomorrow Seems So Far Away 09. Playin' Hideaway 10. Haunted By The Night 11. Fly Away 12. Please Take Me Home 13. Rock Me Baby 14. Marie's Mood 15. Serve Me Right To Suffer 16. The Love That We Once Knew	Release Date June 17, 2016 Available formats 3LP+Mp3, CD and Digital. Walter Trout Online www.waltertrout.com www.facebook.com/waltertroutband www.twitter.com/waltertrout www.youtube.com/mascotlabelgroup

	TOUR DATES 2016
1-apr	Dosey Doe	Houston, TX	20-jul	The Robin	Wolverhampton, UK
2-apr	Scoot Inn	Austin, TX	22-jul	The Live Rooms	Chester, UK
4-apr	The Kessler	Dallas, TX	23-jul	The Apex	Bury St. Edmunds, UK
7-apr	Mojo Kitchen	Jacksonville, FL	24-jul	Ramblin' Man Fair	Kent, UK
8-apr	The Funky Biscuit	Boca Raton, FL	27-jul	Vallemaggia Magic Blues	Switzerland
9-apr	Terra Fermata	Stuart, FL	29-jul	Burg Herzberg Festival	Breitenbach, Germany
10-apr	Tampa Bay Blues Festival	St. Petersburg, FL	30-jul	Bastion Open Air	Torgau, Germany
13-apr	B.B. King Blues Club & Grill	New York, NY	3-aug	Smukkeste Festival	Denmark
14-apr	Daryl's House	Pawling, NY	5-aug	Notodden Blues Festival	Norway
15-apr	Narrows Center for the Arts	Fall River, MA	13-aug	Cincy Blues Fest	Cincinnati, OH
16-apr	Infinity Music Hall	Norfolk, CT	20-aug	Seneca Casino	Niagara Falls, NY
19-apr	Smith's Olde Bar	Atlanta, GA	27-aug	Playing With Fire	Omaha, NE
20-apr	Music City Roots	Nashville, TN	14-Oct	Musikkens Hus	Aalborg, Denmark
22-apr	Jazz and Heritage Festival	New Orleans, LA	15-Oct	Alsion	Soenderborg, Denmark
25-apr	Howard Theatre	Washington, DC	17-Oct	Rock City	Nottingham, UK
26-apr	River City Ale Works	Wheeling, WV	18-Oct	Manchester Academy 2	Manchester, UK
27-apr	Woodlands Tavern	Columbus, OH	19-Oct	Sage Gateshead	Gateshead, UK
29-apr	Beale Street Music Fest	Memphis, TN	21-Oct	The Lemon Tree	Aberdeen, UK
30-apr	Old Rock House	St. Louis, MO	22-Oct	The Queens Hall	Edinburgh, UK
2-May	City Winery	Chicago, IL	23-Oct	Picturedrome	Holmfirth, UK
4-May	Shank Hall	Milwaukee, WI	25-Oct	The Brook	Southampton, UK
5-May	Famous Dave's Blues Club	Minneapolis, MN	26-Oct	Phoenix	Exeter, UK
6-May	The Surf Ballroom	Clear Lake, IA	27-Oct	Tramshed	Cardiff, UK
7-May	Knuckleheads Saloon	Kansas City, MO	28-Oct	Kammgarn Bluesfestival	Kaiserslautern, Germany
22-May	Doheny Blues Festival	Dana Point, CA
30-jun	Skanevik Blues Festival	Norway	30-Oct	Stadsschouwburg	Bruges, Belgium
2-jul	Gastrobluesfestival	Hungary	2-nov	De Oosterpoort	Groningen, The Netherlands
9-jul	Bospop	The Netherlands	3-nov	Poppodium 013	Tilburg, The Netherlands
10-jul	North Sea Jazz Festical	The Netherlands	5-nov	Jazztage	Leverkusen, Germany
15-jul	Olomouc	Czech Republic	8-nov	Z7 Konzertfabrik	Pratteln, Switzerland
16-jul	Hirsch	Germany	9-nov	Gaswerk Eventbar	Seewen, Switzerland
17-jul	Blues Peer	Belgium	10-nov	Mühle Hunziken	Rubigen, Switzerland
19-jul	St. Albans Arena	St. Albans, UK	12-nov	Kulturhaus Stadtgarten	Neuruppin, Germany