Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Brown Eyed Blues , from Jeff Pitchell and it's a lot of fun. Opening with thumping rocker, Now You Know , Jeff Pitchell on lead guitar and vocal sets a finite reference. With grinding guitar tone and solid bass line from John O'Boyle and Ephraim Lowell on drums, this is a powerful opener. Boogie, Wait , is driven by an aggressive bass line by Mike Nunno and Mike Levesque on drums. Pitchell really gets the track rocking with strong vocal lead and great guitar riffs, backed by Colin Tilton on sax, Dan Fontanella on piano, and John Robinson, Theresa Wright and Linda Ransom on backing vocals. Pop rocker, When We Kiss , has a light finky beat and features Duane Betts on guitar, adding the twin lead guitar closely associated with the famous Allman Brothers band. Jay Vernali on piano and organ, Tommy MacDonald on bass and Tom Hambridge on drums make this the radio choice for the release. Latin flavored, Stay While The Nig...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Playin' With My Friends , by Jeff Pitchell and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with Eye For An Eye , Jeff Pitchell on lead vocal and guitar sets up a real nice shuffle. With smooth, Steve Miller like vocals and cool style Pitchell is joined by Wolf Ginandes on bass, Floyd Murphy Jr. on drums and Jeff Levine on keys. Solid opener. Your Magic Eyes , has a definite SRV/Johnny Lang feel with lush guitar rhythm and stinging riffs. One of my favorites on the release is  Magic Sam's  Out In The Cold with it's Rhumba rhythm, soulful vocals and solid guitar, paired up with Jimmie Vaughan's son Tyrone with a comparable sound to Wait's, Down In The Hole, used as the theme track for TV's The Wire. Very nice. Rick Derringer joins Pitchell on vocal and guitar on Unsung Hero of the Blues . Derringer was an early influence of mine from his early work with Johnny Winter And (blistering blues). A real nice tra...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues , from Myles Goodwyn and it's a lot of fun. Opening with I Hate To See You Go ( But I Love To Watch You Walk Away) Goodwyn shows super feel on lead vocal and keys with Shaun Verreault on slide guitar, Eric Khayt on sax. Blues ballad, It'll Take Time To Get Used To , has a super melody and Amos Garret's lush guitar work really hits the nail on the head, backed by Emily Lamarche on vocal. Very nice. Western styling on Tell Me Where I've Been (So I Don't Go There Anymore) is really nice with excellent piano work by Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne and twangy blues guitar riffs from Steve Segal. I'll Hate You (Till Death Do Us Part) shows continued story telling and tongue in cheek soulful tracks. Wayne really works the keys on this one as well (I mean he really works them) and Frank Marino cooks the strings on guitar with precise blues riffs giving the trac...

9th Annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest September 12-13, 2014 * Longview, Texas Legendary guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, along with blues vocalist Lou Ann Barton, will head a power-packed musical lineup for the 9th annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest. The two day event features the Wells Fargo Advisors indoor stage with reserved seating, plus the Patterson Nissan outdoor general admission stage. Performances begin at 4:00pm on Friday and 12 Noon on Saturday. Tickets are available on the festival website . Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-a-Whirl Band with Lou Ann Barton Saturday 10:45pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Rick Derringer  Friday 11:00pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 9:15pm - 10:30pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Eric Gales Trio Friday 9:45pm - 10:45pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 11:00pm - 12:00am Patter...

Charles LoBue was one of the fathers of the custom electric guitar business. Charles came to the industry after taking classes from Michael Gurian, first working in and around the guitar repair business in NYC in the mid 60's. Charles' interest in the business began by doing basic repairs on factory made guitars. These were primarily made by Gibson and Fender, the "Gold Standard" for electric guitars, as well as any guitar including acoustics which came through the door. As a professional player in the U.S. in the 60's, Gibson and Fender were the most likely choices if you wanted an electric guitar. It is well known that the Brits used European made guitars as well, primarily due to their accessibility. By the mid late 60's both companies had been sold to larger corporations which were not primarily in the guitar business. The basic perception even today is that the guitars made by these companies during this period were inferior in quality and also l...